Depressed, messy prayers

There is a lot of nervousness right now about the economy and job security.  Government jobs are under heavy scrutiny, and while many private-sector companies are cautiously optimistic about the future…they’re also worried about budget constraints, talent shortages, foreign politics, domestic politics, and waning consumer sentiment – because many Americans still feel the impact of high prices.

If you’re feeling like your job security is low, then public perceptions, partisan divides, and loudly-shouted mixed opinions about economic data do nothing to alleviate your fears.  While I’m not currently there, I have been before.  There have been times in previous positions where I’ve been worried that I might lose my job for something I did, or times that I worried about moves the company was making that could eliminate my position, or times when fear and nervousness spiked because a “reduction in force” happened with no warning at all.

And in all those times, you know what always grew?  The amount of time I spent praying.  Nothing drives you to increase your time talking with God as much as having your paycheck security threatened. 

But what of those prayers?  How do you pray for help when the world around you feels so uncertain?  Especially if you haven’t talked with God 1-on-1 in a while…just letting the preacher on Sunday talk to God for you.  Should I sit up straight, fold my hands, bow my head, and close my eyes?  Do I need to drop down to my knees and (politely) beg?  Should I recite the Lord’s Prayer five times…ten times…more?  What are the right words to say?  Pastor Tony Evans has this advice:

If you have wrongly assumed that all prayer should be dignified and employ only theological jargon in your petitions to God, you have not understood prayer rightly.  Let David be your model. He approaches God honestly, pleading emotionally for deliverance.  As a troubled child depends on his or her daddy, go to your heavenly Father in your turmoil and open your heart to Him.

That is exactly what David did.  In Psalm 142, the beginning header recounts that this was written when he was in the cave.  How dark was it?  How confining?  How much despair and depression did the sloped walls communicate?  They certainly contributed to his mood and the raw words he prayed:

Psalm 142
I cry aloud to the Lord;
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way.

Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.

David certainly felt isolated and unsure of his future.  When he looks to the right and sees…no one, he feels utterly alone.  There was no one there to be his “right-hand man”; a warrior would have his trusted ally on his right to help protect his flank while holding his own shield with his left hand.  But for David…he looks and finds no one to care about him.

Alone.  Surrounded by cave walls.  No support.  All he sees are hidden traps up ahead. 
Perhaps you can relate. 

So David does the only thing he can do, and it is a model for us as well:

I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.”
Listen to my cry, for I am very weak.
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
Free me from prison so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.

There are no highbrow words, no flowery talk.  David doesn’t posture, fake being strong, or try to bargain with God.  Instead, he readily admits: I am very weak…they are too strong for me.  He can’t do this on his own.  The future, apart from God’s rescue, has no hope.

Looking at David’s example…it’s ok to pray this way.  Be raw.  Be real.  Be honest.  Tell God that you are weak, but you trust that He will be strong.

David made it out of that cave, because the God he trusted took care of him.  You can, too.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

All my heroes could transform

Growing up in the 80s and 90s provided me with many advantages – and one of the greatest advantages is that we had some of the best cartoons ever made.  With just a handful of TV channels to choose from, weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings were prime-time cartoon viewing as the networks put out their best efforts to captivate an audience.

Here is a short list of my favorites…see how many you recognize:

TigerSharks – A team of humans and aliens had access to the Fish Tank, a device that allowed them to transform from their humanoid forms into super-powered marine animals.  They used their abilities to defend the inhabitants of the planet Water-O from various evil enemies.

ThunderCats – The ThunderCats were cat-like humanoids who escaped their war-ravaged world to start a new life on a new planet.  They fought several groups of power-hungry, evil bad guys by calling on the power of the Eye of Thundera.  The Eye would grant the ThunderCats enhanced strength, speed, skill, or anything else they needed to defeat the evil Mumm-Ra and his minions.

He-man and the Masters of the Universe – Whenever the unassuming Prince Adam would hold the Sword of Power and say, “By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!” – he was transformed into He-Man.  Along with his friends, He-Man defended his planet from the schemes of the evil Skeletor.

Transformers – The Transformers were split into two factions: the noble Autobots and the evil Decepticons.  They crash-landed on earth and continued their eons-long conflict, with the Autobots defending humans and the Decepticons looking to either enslave or wipeout the humans.  Both groups had a robot form and could transform into a vehicle or other objects. 

You might have noticed a running theme in all my favorite cartoons…and while I didn’t make the connection when I was a kid, it is rather obvious now: Every main character was able to transform from their “normal” state into a super-charged version of themselves with enhanced abilities.  Of course, these enhanced abilities were crucial to defeating evil and winning the day. 

I’m sure you can see the same theme in some of your favorite shows, movies, books, and comics.  Us gravitating toward stories of transformation-leading-to-success speaks to our own desire to change and overcome.  But sadly, most of our stories about transformation are external changes – the TigerSharks became aquatic animals, the Transformers changed their outer form, and both the ThunderCats and He-man gained physical abilities.  By and large, the transformation stories we seek to tell about ourselves are also mainly external – we got a new job, we went to the gym, we bought a new car – and while those things are good…there remains a part of us that is unchanged.  It’s the part inside, at our core, we most want to transform…and that isn’t touched by any external changes.

This is our dilemma.  How do we find real, lasting, life-altering change?

Jesus offers us Himself:

John 10:10
I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

The Greek word for life – zoe – describes a life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, and blessed, in both this world and the next for those who put their trust in Christ.  Once we believe in Jesus for His gift of this zoe life, we are part of His family and we can begin to experience this life-change here and now, as well as in eternity.

While Jesus’ gift is free to any one (John 3:16, 5:24) and cannot be lost, we can participate in our own transformation and experience into abundant life.  But this transformation doesn’t start with the outside.  Instead, the Apostle Paul said it begins with how we think:

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Being able to know God’s will sounds like a super-power for living a life that conquers evil.  To get there, we need transformation of our minds.  What are we thinking about?  What are we spending our free time exposing our minds to?  Are we being conformed to this age or are we achieving the transformation we deeply desire?

These are hard questions, but ones worth wrestling over.  Don’t skip this.  Stop right now and ask God to renew your mind. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Take my Legos, take my toys

It was a moment that parents love to stumble upon, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

When our boys were young, their job every Saturday morning was to clean their room upstairs.  It didn’t matter to us how long it took them, 10 minutes or 7 hours, they were free to do other things in the rest of the house once the room was cleaned.  But they were definitely not quick about getting it done.  I can’t recall a time when the job took them less than an hour.  They would clean, get distracted, play with their toys…and we didn’t mind, really.  The longer they took, the more peaceful our Saturday mornings downstairs tended to be.

They had a small CD player, and they loved having music going while they “cleaned” their room.  At this point in time, they were all into a Jeremy Camp album, called “Stay” – and they especially loved a song called “Take my life”.  It had a rock anthem beat and guitar riffs on the last word of each line – right up a little boy’s alley.  Here’s the chorus:

Take my life (riff)
take my mind (riff)
take my soul (riff)
take my will (riff)
As I am yours and I give it all to You!

They played this song all the time and always sang it at the top of their lungs.  On this particular Saturday, my parental timing was perfect.  I passed by the bottom of the stairs at just the right moment to hear our oldest son call out to his younger brother:

Hey, hey, wait…check this out:
Take my Legos,
take my toys,
mumble,
mumble,
As I am yours and I give it all to You!

You could hear the pride in his voice as he was coming up with his own lyrics to match the beat of the song they loved so much.  Taking all this in, I stifled a surprised chuckle – not wanting to ruin the adorableness of the moment – and quietly walked away before they realized I had overheard them.

Jeremy Camp’s song was based on Jesus’ answer to the question: Which command from the law did God consider to be the most important?  Here is what He replied:

Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

Jesus was pointing His audience back to one of the nation of Israel’s primary lessons about God. Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength means that you love Him with all your best, all of who you are.  Jesus’ Jewish audience would have picked up on the importance of the connection Jesus was making.  While I’m certain Jesus didn’t add any guitar riffs to the end of each line, the addition of them by Jeremy Camp certainly got the attention of my boys. 

Changing the lyrics to “Take my Legos, take my toys”, demonstrated that our oldest son got the point – that we offer our best, our all to God – and his favorite thing in the world at that point in his life was Legos.  He loved to spend hours creating, playing, and dreaming with his Lego builds.  For him to offer his Legos to God was a pretty real sacrifice, at his young age.

Do we pray similar prayers?  When was the last time you offered your house, your car, your career, or your favorite hobby/toy to God?  We can’t leave them off the list if we’re going to love the Lord your God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.  

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The simplest way to describe Jesus

My mentor, Joe, taught me how to study the Bible.  It involves a 3-step process: first Observation, then Interpretation, followed by Application.  I have since taught this method to many others over the last 20 years.  Teaching it typically involves a classroom or small group setting, but I have taught this 1-on-1 as well.  Broken up over 8 weekly lessons, there is plenty of opportunity for people to practice and ask questions as they learn how to study the Scriptures for themselves.

After teaching this method a couple of times in a classroom setting, Joe had an unexpected request for me.  He wanted the entire 8-lesson process to be condensed down to a 1-page handout.  He was meeting with someone soon to discuss how to properly Observe, Interpret, and Apply the Scriptures, and he thought a 1-page layout would be helpful as he talked through the process…and he was looking at me to create it.

I was pretty stunned at his request.  I mean…8 lessons…each about 7 pages long…about 8 hours of class time…down to just one sheet of paper?  After I sat down at my computer, I began to move through the five stages of grief as I hacked and slashed section after section.  It took some time, but I finally was able to bring the whole thing down to just 2 pages.  I decided that these two pages could be printed back to back on 1 page – thus fulfilling Joe’s request.  I felt both relieved and a little accomplished when I emailed the final version to him.

If someone asked you, “Who is Jesus?  Why do Christians care so much about him?” – how would you respond?  Better yet, if you didn’t have a lot of time in that moment (and couldn’t review your life story or crack open the Bible), what would be your short, condensed answer?

It’s best to think about these kinds of situations before we actually get there…so, what would you say?

I would suggest having two verses memorized.  That’s it, just two.  The first one is the most frequently cited verse in all of Scripture, even in the culture, so it can be a familiar touchpoint to the one who’s asking:

John 3:16
For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

But then, I would suggest following up with a second verse that comes a couple chapters later:

John 6:40
For this is the will of the Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

These two verses clearly convey who Jesus is, why he’s so important, and what happens to someone who believes in Him.  In a brief moment, you can demonstrate that God loves us, Jesus gives us eternal life when we believe in Him, and His promise is forever – all the way up to the last day. 

I highly encourage you to memorize them both, so you’re prepared for any conversation that comes your way. 

But back to my example story with Joe…Sometime later, I asked how his meeting went and if the 1-page summary was useful.  Nonchalantly, he said that he didn’t end up using it.  Once again, I was stunned.  All the work and heartache I had put into that thing…and it wasn’t even used???  I bit my tongue, and we moved on to talking about something else.  It still bothered me for a while that all my efforts didn’t make a difference. 

However, even though Joe did not use the 1-page summary that day, it has been tremendously useful to me on many other days.  I keep a copy of that 1-page in my Bible, and it has become a go-to reference for me as I study God’s Word.  Additionally, whenever a new group completes the 8 lesson course, I present a copy of the 1-page summary for them to keep handy as well.  Just because my efforts didn’t get immediately used the way I expected them to, it didn’t mean that my efforts were wasted.  God has had other uses for the work I put in all those years ago.

I suspect the same will be true as you memorize the two verses.  You might not have an immediate, pressing situation where you need to share them.  But I am certain that God will take your efforts to memorize His word and use it later…maybe even in a way you wouldn’t expect.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Better, but different

Eleven weeks ago, I told you that I was in need of an extended break.  I had just exited a crazy busy season where I was so focused on plowing through that I disregarded all the warning signs that something could be wrong.  In the midst of it all, although I needed time to rest and recharge, I instead leaned on moments of escapism…only to jump back on the hamster wheel and start running again. 

After days turning into weeks, and weeks piling into months…I finally took a few days off of work…and my first day back felt as numb as my last day on.  I panicked.  I have never felt so exhausted and empty, and my go-to fix of “getting away from work” hadn’t fixed anything.  Instead, in my exhausted panic, other issues that I thought had been dealt with (but were really only set aside and not resolved) came to the surface and demanded my attention. 

One of the things I learned is that if you don’t declare a finish line, your body will.  So, I had to pull back and say “no” to many good things that I was doing and had been doing for a long time.  I had to get super honest about what I was experiencing with some friends, my wife, and myself.  I had to stop writing THE WORD so I could go to Scripture without the pressure of figuring out how to teach from it.

Even though dealing with burnout is new to me, my situation isn’t unique.  There are others who have walked this scorched road before, and I appreciate their help and insight.  Thankfully, all of them have referred to their burnout as a “season” and not a permanent lifestyle.  This one, consistent comment gives me hope that what I’ve experienced isn’t going to last forever.

When King Solomon was investigating the ever-looming life questions of purpose and meaning, he made these observations:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:
a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;

We will experience these cycles over and over, season after season.  Even if we aren’t expecting a change in season to occur, we can be certain that these life cycles will eventually continue on to the next.  Although Solomon was likely bemoaning the cyclical nature of our existence with these contrasts, we can find God walking with us during each of these times.  And while these cycles do not change – we do.  God uses these times to reveal who we are and to refine us by who He is.

I’m not done healing from my burnout.  I am doing better…but I am also different.  And I expect it will take months (if not the rest of this year) to continue healing and explore what this difference means.  

THE WORD will continue, for now.  I do not believe God has told me to stop teaching here, and I expect to continue until He says otherwise.  I appreciate your prayers on my behalf…and your patience with me as we continue to walk the road in front of us, one step at a time.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pause on prayers and regrets

Pause on prayers and regrets
Originally posted on February 03, 2022

There’s a running joke in Christianity that says you should never ask God for patience, because if you do, you’ll hit every red light, you’ll be late for everything, and no one will behave like you expect them to.  “Ask God for patience,” you’re warned, “and you’ll regret it!”

But have you ever asked God for something and later regretted asking Him?  Maybe you asked God for something, but you never received it, so you felt guilty for asking in the first place.  It could have been a relationship with who you thought was “The One”, that “perfect” job opportunity, or public recognition…and they didn’t turn out the way you wanted. 

There’s a flip side to this also – what if God answers your request, but not in the way you were expecting? 

My wife is a good example.  When our boys were young, rambunctious, and not yet in school, my wife was struggling.  She knew that she needed to carve out time for herself.  She wanted to spend that time with God.  But little boys do not make it easy to schedule quiet time.  So she prayed about it, asking God to help her find/make/squirrel away some time where she could read the Bible, pray, and just breathe for 15 or 30 minutes.   

God answered her prayer…but He did it in a way that neither of us anticipated.  During one doctor appointment, she described her struggles and how she was feeling – and, based on their discussion, the doc diagnosed her with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  At the time, we lived in a very cloudy city that didn’t get much sun throughout the winter months.  So her doctor prescribed blue light therapy, meaning that she had to sit with a blue light to help with her mood and sleeping patterns.  Suddenly, she had 30 minutes to kill every morning as a blue light box shined across her face.  She got the result she asked God for, but certainly not delivered in a manner she would have chosen.

The moment in Scripture that we’re going to pause on was filled with tension and sorrow.  Jesus was slowly dying as His naked, beaten body hung from the cross.  For the handful of followers who watched, it must have been gut-wrenching to see Him like that.  Among those who were brave enough to risk being seen there, Matthew noted the following:

Matthew 27:55-56
Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after Him were there, watching from a distance.  Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

This may seem like an odd moment to pause on, but we need to focus in on the unnamed woman who is listed last: the mother of Zebedee’s sons.  Both of her boys – James and John – were Jesus’ disciples.  And not just any disciples, but they were also part of Jesus’ inner circle, typically mentioned as Peter, James, and John.  Yeah, those were her boys.  They were among the first disciples chosen and they had followed Him everywhere.  Their mother also believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  But as she watched her Messiah slowly die on that cross, how could her mind not flashback to this recent scene?

Matthew 20:20-23
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached [Jesus] with her sons.  She knelt down to ask Him for something.  “What do you want?” He asked her.

“Promise,” she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

“We are able,” they said to Him

He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

Whoever sat at a ruler’s right hand held the top position, while the ruler’s second in command would sit at his left.  In effect, the mother was asking Jesus to ensure that her boys were placed in the top spots in His kingdom.  Notice that Jesus did not rebuke her for asking, nor did he reprimand James and John for desiring those positions.  However, all three of them were unaware of what such lofty positions would cost.

In Scripture, to drink from a “cup” is figurative for following a divinely appointed path or outcome, in the form of a blessing, wrath, punishment, or, in Jesus’ case, His upcoming suffering.  While Jesus could not promise the top positions, He warned the brothers that to have an opportunity for that honor, they must be prepared to suffer as He would soon suffer.

After their meeting, the other disciples found out and were not happy about the mother’s request:

Matthew 20:24-28
When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers.  Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them.  It must not be like that among you.  On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

The path to greatness is paved with service to others.  Jesus will rightfully rule in His kingdom because He suffered the most and served the most.  The seats at His right and His left have been prepared for those who similarly serve.  There is nothing wrong with desiring the high positions in Jesus’ kingdom, but those seats come at a high price – a “cup” of suffering service.

Back at the cross, what was James’ and John’s mother thinking about?  How did she feel, watching Jesus die, knowing that after her petition, Jesus said her boys would drink from the same cup?

Did she regret her request?
Did she desire to somehow protect her boys from the same horrific path?
Did she still trust Jesus when He said that being great actually means sacrificially serving others?

Those are good questions for us to wrestle with, as well.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pause on abuse

Pause on abuse
Originally posted on January 27, 2022

Physical.  Mental.  Emotional.  Sexual.  Financial.  Spiritual.  Attach the word “abuse” to one of those terms and any rational person cringes at the thought of personally receiving it or witnessing another person taking it.

The Christian church has a spotty record when addressing these issues.  For years, we’ve seen pastors and clergy make headlines for misusing their positions.  Unfair fights and manipulations do happen in homes where the family goes to church.  Also frustrating is that when presented with abusive situations, many in the church don’t know how best to offer support.

We expect the church and our church family to be a safe haven from abusive behaviors, but that’s not always the case.  And as big and sensitive as this topic is, I want to focus on just one aspect.  A question that has been both wondered silently and shouted out loud:

Does God even care that abuses are happening in society at large and even in His church?  Does He not understand how much pain this behavior causes?

In all honesty…yes…God does understand the pain of abuse, because Jesus experienced it directly:

Matthew 27:27-31
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole company around Him.  They stripped Him and dressed Him in a scarlet robe.  They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and placed a staff in His right hand.  And they knelt down before Him and mocked Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they spat on Him, took the staff, and kept hitting Him on the head.  After they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

Let’s pause right here.  We often read these verses quickly and don’t fully take in the situation.  I get it, it’s painful to think about, but let’s pause for a moment and recognize that in these verses, we see Jesus experience a range of abuses:

Verbal abuse: through their mocking, taunting, and demeaning words.
Physical abuse: when they stripped Him of His clothes, shoved thorns into His head, spat on Him, and beat Him with a staff.
Emotional abuse: through their isolation, intimidation given, and Jesus’ humiliation as the whole company gathered around and participated.

Jesus did nothing to deserve this treatment.  Those in power chose to take advantage of the situation and treat Him this way.

But the abuse Jesus endured didn’t stop there.  A little later, more people joined in.  When Jesus was at His weakest point, when He was totally naked and exposed to everyone…it only got worse.  While the soldiers’ abuse happened away from everyone, isolated in one part of the governor’s residence, Jesus’ next round of abuse was in public.  While He hung on a cross, people from all walks of life began piling on.  It must have felt like the entire world was against Him.

Matthew 27:38-44
Then two criminals were crucified with Him one on the right and one on the left.  Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!  If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 

In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him and said, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!  He is the King of Israel!  Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.  He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now – if He takes pleasure in Him!  For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with Him taunted Him.

While there were people who loved Him, none of them were with Him in this moment.  Most had scattered.  Some watched at a distance.  A few got as close as they could.  But as He died…He was alone.

Jesus’ purpose was to die on the cross to remove the sin barrier between God and humanity.  But was this “extra” abuse necessary for Him to complete the mission?  No, it wasn’t – but the Roman leaders allowed it.  The Jewish religious leaders were not sad that it happened.  The Roman soldiers chose to pile on what they saw as a poor, powerless, helpless Jew.

Jesus took blows that were unfairly delivered.  He endured taunting that criticized Him as a person, questioned His identity, and mocked His purpose.  However, there is hope.  His endured suffering became our peace and healing:

Isaiah 53:5 (HCSB)
But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses – the mistakes we’ve made as well as our struggle to cope with how others have mistreated us.  Jesus wants us to come to Him, because He has mercy and grace for us.  He gets it.  He understands us.

Whatever abuse you have suffered, Jesus has been there.  He’s taken the hits.  He’s endured the taunts.  He’s suffered through others piling on insults, blame, and shame.  You are not alone.  It was wrong for Him to receive it, and it is also wrong for us to receive it.

Pain and abuse isn’t some academic discussion in Christianity – the God we worship has personal, direct experience with human suffering.  The church needs to identify and assist those who have been abused and those who are being abused now.  As ambassadors, we need to lovingly introduce them to a God who sees them and understands their history more intimately than they would expect.

If someone has taken advantage of you or abused you, let me be clear: It was wrong.  Others may not understand.  Blood family or church family may not handle it well.  But know that God understands – and in Him we can find peace and healing. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pause on offense

Pause on offense
Originally posted on January 20, 2022

If there’s any phrase that’s been thrown around too much in the last ten years, I think we can all agree that “I’m offended!” is it.  It seems like everyone is offended about something, right?

Typically, I’ve seen two opposing responses to someone taking offense.  On the one hand, we have someone who immediately pulls back and apologizes for any offense taken.  This person seems to believe that causing an offense is the worst thing one person could do to another.  On the other hand, we have someone else who hardens up and becomes recalcitrant in their behavior.  They claim that dealing with an offense is the sole responsibility of the one who is offended.  I’ve even witnessed some people being intentionally offensive, in an attempt to prove their point.

But where is a Christian supposed to live in this spectrum?  Timid, obstinate, or somewhere in between?  Does loving others mean that we’re going to acquiesce to another’s personal preferences or feelings?  Or does love need to be “tough” on those who wilt at the notion of conflict or differences?

While I do not think there is a hard-and-fast rule for our most loving response in all situations, I am thankful that Jesus provides us with an example in a situation He found Himself in. 

Before we step into the scene, we need a little context.  The Old Testament directed that at the annual census, each person over the age of 20 was to give a half-shekel offering to the Lord in support of the tabernacle.  This “temple tax” was collected annually across the nation.  It was not without controversy, either.  Some people believed that the temple tax was only to be paid once per lifetime; whereas others insisted that it was an annual offering.

The temple tax collectors were Jews who were working in the service of the temple, not the Roman occupiers.  What is not clear from the text is if they are simply doing their job, or if they were attempting to be clever with their question in order to draw Jesus into the debate and possibly accuse Him of not supporting the temple.

Whichever motive is true, Jesus’ handling of the situation is fascinating:

Matthew 17:24-26
When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes,” he said.
When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon?  From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes?  From their sons or from strangers?”
“From strangers,” he said.
“Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him.

Let’s pause right here.  Jesus is not merely teaching Peter a lesson in tax law.  Instead, He’s making a statement on Peter’s position in God’s family.  As the Son of God, Jesus is exempt from the temple tax.  However, Jesus is also including Peter as part of God’s family.  Earlier, Jesus stated that whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:50).  And just what is this “will of my Father”?  The apostle John quoted Jesus on this very phrase:

John 6:40
For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Those who believe in Jesus for eternal life are now part of the Father’s family!  On top of the multitude of benefits familyhood brings, in their current situation, Peter is just like Jesus – exempt from the temple tax.

So…what should Peter do with this new understanding of who he is as a member of God’s family?  As a practical matter, the temple tax collector is still waiting outside, expecting Peter to come out with the money.  What would you do?  Begrudgingly pay it?  Yell at the guy to go away?  Forcefully tell him about your rights as a child of God, and that you are exempt from his earthly governing rules?

When we read the next directions that Jesus gave to Peter, most people focus on the fantastical way Jesus provided the money.  Instead, I want us to focus on why Jesus was still going to pay, even though He said that the sons are free:

Matthew 17:27
“But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch.  When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.  Take it and give it to them for me and you.”

Jesus says that they’ll still pay (even though they rightfully don’t have to) so the temple tax collectors won’t be offended.  The Greek word translated as offend – skandalizo – means to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, or metaphorically, to offend.  The temple tax collector wasn’t part of God’s Family…and so to avoid making him stumble in his interaction with those who are in God’s Family, Jesus set aside His rights as a son.  Jesus chose to pay a tax that He did not have to in order to keep the path clear for someone else to believe in Him for eternal life and join the family.

Jesus modeled how to avoid an offense so that a relationship can be maintained.  Even if Jesus or Peter chose to confront the tax collector with an argument about their rights as sons…what good would it have done in this situation?  The temple tax collector didn’t set the policy.  He doesn’t make the decisions about who pays and who does not pay.  In this instance, the tax collector is simply the messenger and blasting him with arguments – even valid ones – does not accomplish anything…but it would place a stumbling block in His way to seeing Jesus as the Messiah.

Our take-away principle is clear: There are bigger issues than my individual rights, especially when it comes to keeping the path to God clear of stumbling blocks for others.  If Jesus can set aside His rights to avoid an offense, so can I.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pause and recognize value

Pause and recognize value
Originally posted on January 13, 2022

We humans have a love/hate relationship with principles.  We love the way they wrap a direction into a little nugget of truth, but we struggle to agree on how to actually apply the principle…because you may apply it differently than I would.  Honestly, a lot of our arguments come down to a disagreement on how to live within our society’s principles. 

So, what do we do to cope with this conflict?  Usually…we end up making a ton of rules.  For example: Companies and organizations can boil their mission statement down to two or three sentences, while at the same time, their employee handbook has to be split into separate volumes as they explain the rules and guidelines which are rooted in the mission statement.

Ancient Israel was no different.  God gave them the 10 Commandments, and while they are pretty cut-and-dry (e.g. – Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not lie), there were questions to be asked about some commandments, like – What, exactly, is coveting and at what specific point am I guilty of it?  How do I honor my parents and when does my responsibility to God affect that relationship?

The Sabbath question was especially tricky for them.  Here is the commandment, in its entirety:

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  You must not do any work – you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.  For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

The biggest question the Israelites had about this commandment was – I understand why we don’t work on the Sabbath, but what, specifically, constitutes “work” so I don’t violate this commandment?

This “What is work?” question was debated and argued all throughout the Old Testament times.  Various rabbis, scribes, and religious sects all had their own interpretation, and instead of replacing the previous teaching, any new rule/guidance was added on top of existing tradition and teaching.  By the time Jesus began His ministry, the non-work rules included directions around farming: no sowing, reaping, threshing, grinding, or baking.  There were rules against sewing, writing, starting a fire, carrying items, and even limiting how far you walked (no more than about 1/2 of a mile).

And if you didn’t adhere to these rules, you were considered by the religious/political leaders to be a Sabbath-breaker, a sinner, and someone who was inviting the wrath of God into your life.

A continuous point of contention between Jesus and the Pharisees (religious leaders) was Jesus’ refusal to follow their man-made rules.  One Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples were passing through some grainfields.  A few of the disciples were hungry and picked off some grain heads, rubbed them in their hands to remove the chaff, and then ate the grain.  The Pharisees saw this and accused the disciples of breaking the Sabbath.  You can read the full account and Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:1-8.  We’re picking up the scene with what happened a little later on that same Sabbath day:

Matthew 12:9-10
Moving on from there, [Jesus] entered their [the Pharisees] synagogue.  There He saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Rabbinic teaching of the time only allowed medical assistance on the Sabbath in extreme cases of life and death.  Obviously, the man with a shriveled hand wasn’t in danger of dying and probably had his condition for some time.  In the Pharisees’ minds, if Jesus were to heal the man properly and not work on the Sabbath, then He should wait until the next day.  However, Jesus didn’t answer their question with a “yes” or a “no”…instead, He called out their hypocrisy.

Matthew 12:11-12
He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?  A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

Let’s pause right here.  If the Pharisees were willing to help out an animal on the Sabbath, why would they consider helping a person to be an act of sin?  The original point of the fourth commandment was to set aside the Sabbath day to God, imitating His example of resting from His creation labor.  Only through twisted logic and flawed tradition do we end up with a situation where it is considered more holy to leave a person in their suffering than it is to do something that will help them.

Jesus’ point looks at the correlation between value and effort.  The things we value, we make an effort to rescue.  Sheep were an important part of Jewish society, they had both income value and religious sacrificial value.  It’s no surprise that the Pharisees would want to rescue a sheep that fell into a pit, because if they don’t, the sheep would likely panic and die.  The tragedy was that they did not apply this same level of value to other people – so they used their religious piety to avoid putting in the effort.  But, as Jesus pointed out, is it really honoring to God to avoid doing good for others?

After pointing out their duplicity, Jesus shows them the right thing to do:

Matthew 12:13
Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.

It’s easy to look at this situation and comfortably chuckle at how Jesus was able to “stick it” to those stuffy religious leaders.  I’m sure we could all think of some people that need to be “put in their place” regarding the contradiction between their religious words and their heartless actions.  But we need to be careful here…lest we fall into the same trap.

If our car breaks down and we’re on the side of the road, we do everything we can to fix the situation.  We change our plans.  We call for help.  We pay the money we need to in order to have the car restored to working order as soon as possible.  We might gripe about it, but the car has too much transportation value for us to be without it for any length of time.  Suddenly being down a vehicle can cause a pretty big change in your family’s plans, dynamics, or ability to generate income. 

There are a lot of broken down people out there.  There is a need for us to step in and do what is good, even if that person doesn’t fit in with our man-made traditions that have become “Christian society” norms.  People can be restored when we give up our religious hypocrisy and see others as Jesus saw them.

Are people not worth more than our cars?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pause and recognize need

Pause and recognize need
Originally posted on January 06, 2022

My family has an often-quoted saying that you’ve probably heard or even used yourself.  Whenever someone can’t find something and then it is suddenly found right next to (or in front of) them, they’re reprimanded with the statement “If it was a snake it would have bit you”.  The point of the phrase is pretty straight-forward: if what you were looking for was dangerous, you’d be dead by now…so why didn’t you see it when you looked right at it?

Sometimes, it’s the milk in the fridge.  Other times, I can’t find my wallet.  I can’t tell you how many times my boys would walk through the house “looking” for their shoes, but for some reason they were not looking for them at floor level, the most likely place for shoes to be – and they would walk right by them.

It's amazing the things we miss that are right in front of us, if we’re actually looking for them.  Jesus’ disciples were not immune to this failing, either.  For our example, we’re dropping into a scene that is pretty normal for Jesus’ ministry:

Matthew 9:35
Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

Jesus took His disciples everywhere, throughout all the towns and villages in order to tell the Jewish people that the long-prophesized Kingdom of Israel was available to their generation because Jesus is the promised Messiah.  Although Jesus was doing all the Messiah-type things (teaching, preaching, and healing every disease and every sickness), Matthew’s account gives us some specific detail about Jesus’ mindset as He interacted with the people:

Matthew 9:36-37
When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.”

Let’s pause right here.  Jesus wasn’t just administering His office of Messiah.  He wasn’t simply going through the motions, above all the “little people” and expecting the masses to follow because He held a title.  When Jesus looked at the crowds, He saw them.  Jesus saw their distress and recognized their dejected countenance.  Seeing this across the crowds, Jesus felt compassion for them.

This is a rather important observation.  For Jesus to recognize the pain and suffering of the people, He would need to be looking at them on an individual basis.  Recognizing this level of need isn’t something you can do with a quick-survey glance across a sea of faces.  He knew that Israel’s leaders had failed them.  Both the political rulers and the religious leaders had left the people to fend for themselves…and so they were like sheep without a shepherd, left to wander about on their own with no guidance, no assistance, and no protection.

Then He said to His disciples, “If it was a snake, it would have bit you”.  Ok, not quite…but pretty close.  Jesus told His disciples that there are plenty of people who desperately need to hear good news, but there are too few who know this and are willing to work to bring this good news to these distressed and dejected people. 

So what did Jesus tell His disciples to do?

Matthew 9:38
“Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

When was the last time you prayed that God would encourage and strengthen believers to tell others about the good news that our sin-debt is forgiven and we can have eternal life if we believe in Jesus for it?  There are so many in our society that long to be “seen” as Jesus saw the crowds.  They need to know that their pain, suffering, questions, struggles, and fears are recognized by someone who has compassion on them.  Even today, Jesus’ statement is still true: The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

Praying for us to recognize need and for other believers to recognize need is an important step – but not the only step.  Honestly, prayer is just the first step.  We find Jesus giving the second step a few verses later:

Matthew 10:5
Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions

After praying that God’s people would participate in God’s mission – we need to get to work in the areas that God has sent us. 

Let’s be real practical and intentional with this:

To effectively see people and see their needs like Jesus did, we need to slow down.  We can’t help someone with a flat tire if we’re flying down the left lane of the interstate.  Similarly, we won’t be able to recognize those who are ready to hear some good news if we’re consumed with the busyness of our own lives. 

Pray about it.  Slow down enough to see people where they are.  Have compassion.  Share the good news.

Keep Pressing,
Ken