Contentment

I find it hard to be content at times.  But I also find practicing a thankful attitude beats the discontentment blues.

I'm thankful for my job and Katie and my books.

Humility

I spoke at Pathway church this morning.  Below is a manuscript of what I shared, more or less.  Forgive the typos and inconsistencies.  I did go off script at times, as well.

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Why don’t you grab your Bibles and open to Philippians 2 (pg 831 in the Bibles on the seat). 

A little background, Philippians was a letter written by a guy named Paul about 2,000 years ago to a church.  The letter as whole is full of encouragement for this particular church.  In Philippians, Paul commends the church’s Christ-like attitudes, generosity, and maturity. 

Paul also describes the suffering or persecution he is experiencing for following Jesus.  Right now he’s in jail in Rome awaiting trial before the Caesar.  But instead of complaining or whining about it, he is so incredibly confident about Jesus and the purpose of his suffering to the point that even his guards know without doubt why Paul is in chains.  Paul hinges his confidence and love for Christ in Jesus’s relationship with us.  He then exhorts the Philippian church to model that same attitude. That brings us to the beginning of chapter 2.  Let’s read, starting in verse 1.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Right in his first two verses, Paul says, “hey, if you feel the comfort, encouragement, love of God through being a Christian, then be the same.  Have the same heart, spirit, and mind.”   If you have a relationship with Christ, then reciprocate that relationship back to him and to others. 

Then in verse 3 Paul transitions from a “me and God” relationship to a “you and I” relationship.  Remember, this you and I relationship directly proceeds from the me and God relationship. 

Paul says be humble.  Consider others first.  Value others above yourself.  It’s not ground breaking stuff.  It’s the basics, the foundation, of healthy human relationships.  “Humility” is also a fluid concept to me in that it’s easier to describe that to define.

A humble person is generous with time and money with people who need it. A humble person lets Grandma or anyone else have the most comfortable seat in the room.  A humble person will kill an afternoon listening to stories of the Great Depression instead of playing basketball.  A humble person thinks about the other people first.  It means you take that little voice in your head that says “But I want to….” and choose to think “What about you?”

It means when you are arguing with your spouse or someone else that you choose to stop, listen, think “Hey we are both right” and choose to listen with an open mind.

This next example is important.

Humility means that you repent and forgive. Acknowledge when you have hurt someone and work hard not to make that mistake again.  That’s what we call repentance.  Don’t shift blame to something else; don’t ignore an issue.  If you hurt someone, be humble and consider their interests.  To repent means to lower ourselves and choose to understand the hurt another person feels and we turn from that wrong behavior.  A refusal to repent doesn’t make one strong; it makes one proud.  And wrong. 

Saying “I’m sorry” to someone is a humbling act because it places the other person in a position over us.  It may seem weak, but it’s right.  It acknowledges our responsibility in a wrong action.

Humility also means that we forgive other people when they hurt us.  When someone humbles themselves and repents or even when they don’t, we must still choose to let go of that hurt and debt we feel they owe us.  Alright?  Don’t hold a grudge.  If a person repents to you, don’t hold it against them.  Sometimes there are consequences for actions, but your attitude ought to forgive.

That’s humility.  We give up our own desires and selfishness to love others.

Humility means we take that love and encouragement and tenderness and compassion and unity rom verses 1 and 2 that we have Christ and apply it directly to everyone else.  Without fail.  No exceptions.  Your relationship with Christ must and will affect your relationships with other people.  Paul spells that out here in the first 4 verses.

It’s that simple, it’s not always that easy.

It’s hard to humble ourselves and value others, especially our loved ones, more than us.  We have to do this, but it’s hard.  Paul paints the ideal picture, but I want to say “but you don’t know my Sister!  You don’t know how much of a jerk she is when she doesn’t get her way.  She always gets what she wants.” 

But we need to. The ideal picture isn’t today, but we grow in this humility as we grow in our relationship with Christ.  Until we that day, there is a reality of sin in our lives that keeps us from fully humbling ourselves and considering others first.

I know this first hand.  I’m engaged.  I’m in love.  And it’s supposed to be perfect and we aren’t supposed to have any issues.  Well, I’m proud.  I’m radically self-centered.  I don’t necessarily make the decision to think less of Katie, but most of the time, I only think about myself and how sometimes this relationship steps in on my inner desires. 

Case in point:  I spend a lot of time with Katie on the weekends, and it’s great, but not always restful, especially with work stress.  There have been times that all I want to do is stay home and read and forget the relationship for a weekend.  Heck, there are times when we are together where all I want to do is mentally check out.  And I do sometimes.   Being tired and wanting rest isn’t wrong.  But inside me, I dealt with this issue wrong. 

I talk a lot to myself in my head and these thoughts started saying things like, “it’s not fair that I can’t read and do what I want.  I’ve been on my own doing my own thing for 3 years.  And now I have to change everything??” 

“I work 50 hours a week and am now expected to plan extravagant dates and be talkative all the time?  I can’t do that.  I don’t want to do that.”

I talk to myself and stew and get bitter about these things.  That’s the sin.  That self-talk and seething bitter anger is sin my life.  When I think and dwell on those Joel-centered thoughts, I don’t consider that my fiancé hasn’t seen me all week and wants to spend time together.  I don’t consider that Katie feels loved when I am intentional about what we do and make the effort to plan things out.  I don’t consider that Katie feels love through conversation. 

In short, I’m not loving Katie like Christ loves Katie.  Right?  Does that make sense? 

This bitter self-talk and refusal to value our loved one’s directly contradicts what Paul writes here.  Remember what he said?  If you are loved and encouraged and comforted in good times and bad by Christ, then mirror him and be like him and love other people like him. 

It’s not that easy but it is that simple.

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

I just described examples of humility or lack thereof, but I think according to the Bible, we can define humility as

Dying to ourselves and living to Christ.  Humility is an inner attitude of denying our base selfishness and living and thinking like Jesus Christ.

We put aside our old way of living, that selfishness and conceit, and put on Christ’s humility.

Sometimes it’s a duty.  You know?  It feels hard; it feels like walking through mud.  But sometimes it’s easy to choose to be like Christ.  I think Paul’s point here ought to motivate us quickly.  It’s not a reminder of duty, as much as a reminder of our relationship.

Christ was humble.  He put aside his own desires aside for the benefit of all of us. 

Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus.   Verse 5.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God, 
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing 
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant, 
    being made in human likeness. 
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death —
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name, 
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
    to the glory of God the Father.

I love this passage.  Hold on to it, first, a history lesson J

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and Earth.  And he created Man in perfect relationship with him.  God created man to worship and love him.  God gave us choice to love and follow him and for a time, our relationship with God was perfect in love.  But we rebelled and turned from God.  There is a sin in our lives that separates us now.  In his perfect justice, God hates our sin and we can never be in the presence of a holy God, broken and sinful as we are. The payment for our sin is death and eternal separation from God.  On our own, we can never repair the breach or make things right with God.

But remember, God is also perfect in love!  And in his love he hasn’t wiped us out and started over.  God provided a way for perfect justice and perfect forgiveness and a restoration of our relationship with him.

And that restoration centers on the most loving and humble act ever.

From eternal time past, God is ONE and has existed in one substance, power, eternity, and unity as three distinct persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We call this relationship the Trinity.  Three in one.  All three are present at creation (Gen 1:1) and at Jesus’ baptism scene.  Each member of the Trinity thinks, acts, feels, speaks, and relates because they are persons and not impersonal forces.  Further each member of the Trinity is equally God which means they share in all of the divine attributes.  As Christians, we believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons.   It may be weird to think about three persons existing as one.  If it helps, know that God is love and love cannot exist outside of relationships.

Constant in the Bible is the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit bound together by perfect love, unity, and intentional subordination or humility.  Again, a model for our relationship with each other. 

In beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word was God.  And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus became man to live with us.  As 100% man, he was tempted and tried and suffered the same crap we do.  But as 100% God, his purpose was big.  He came to seek and save the lost.

Paul addresses the Trinitarian relationship here when he tells of Jesus willingly subordinating himself to become human.  Jesus, God, willfully stepped down out of heaven to become like us to seek and save broken sinful people.  

⁶ Jesus, being in very nature^[a] God, 
    did not consider equality with God something to be grasped;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing 
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant, 
    being made in human likeness. 
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death —
        even death on a cross!

Jesus didn’t consider equality with God the Father something to be held on so tight, like a selfish child with a toy who doesn’t want to let go and says “Mine! I want this!”.  Jesus gave that up; he gave up the comforts of heaven for the hell on earth. 

Our sin deserves eternal separation from God.  It deserves death.  So God himself came to earth to live our life and to die our death.

On the cross, Jesus took all our sins on himself.  Everyone’s sin.  Then and Now and in the Future. 

By one man’s rebellion and sin, we all die.  And by one man’s death, may we all live.

Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Jesus humbled himself to the point of death, even dying on a cross.  He took the worst of us.  He took my pride and my lust and my anger and said “I forgive you. The penalty has been paid.”

God’s perfect justice was met on the cross.  God’s perfect love is made whole in us when we accept this.

God forgives us.  If we repent and confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Jesus humbled himself.  He didn’t need to, but he did it anyway.

Jesus died, was buried, and three days later rose again from the dead.  His resurrection shows the power of the cross.  If we believe in Jesus, then God’s Holy Spirit comes into us and gives us the power and motivation to become like Christ.  We ought to live like Christ and we ought die to ourselves like Christ. 

Humility is dying to ourselves and living to Christ.

Pause.

Our last act of humility of painted in the last couple verses.  I read them before, but I want to read them again.

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name, 
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
    to the glory of God the Father.

{READ TWICE}

We worship Jesus as lord of our lives.  We were created to worship God and Worship is a humble act.  Humility is dying to ourselves and living to Christ.

Paul says we ought mirror Christ in love, unity, and compassion.  We ought to think of others first and not think of ourselves selfishly.  We need to be like Christ because he humbled himself, first denying his heavenly comfort and second, dying and taking our punishment.  We need to humble ourselves in worship to Jesus for this.

If you follow Jesus, live like him.  Forgive and repent to those around you.  Be unified, compassionate, and merciful to your neighbor.  And worship Jesus daily.  May your life’s cry be “Oh Christ, be the center of my life.”

If you don’t follow Jesus and are just checking this thing out, thing about it.  There is a God who loves you and wants a relationship with you.  This God loved the whole world that he came and died so that a relationship might be possible.  All you need to do is repent and believe.  Turn from your old way of living and follow Jesus.

For all of us, Our lives, in relationship with our spouses, neighbors, coworkers and with God must be built of a Christ-like attitude of humility.   Dying to ourselves, living to Christ.

Let’s pray.

Father, may our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to your glory and praise.

Business Model

It's all about relationships.

I've learned that lately.  It's all about relationships.  The little things matter: One on one time; taking an interest in another's life; honesty; going the extra mile.

Without these relationships, how will our message be received?  We have something very important to share, a spectacular truth, even.

If we want to succeed in business, we need to build relationships.  So my boss says.

If we want to evangelize, we need to build relationships.  So my friends say.

Hmm.

The similarities between my boss's business approach and witnessing were once disturbing, but now remind of the simple truth: Much like a potential client wants to work with someone they know and trust, a non-christian will perhaps be more likely to listen to Jesus's truth from someone they know and trust.

So build relationships.  Don't fake it - love sincerely.  Insincerity is disingenuous.

A butterfly called love

Love is a lot different in practice than in theory.  I thought I understood love, but understanding and doing are sometimes two mutually exclusive concepts.  I'm learning to love right now, sometimes to my joy, sometimes to my sorrow, and always to my discomfort.

I think loving a specific person, like a fiance, is difficult.  That love wants to grow and move from a cocoon to a butterfly.  It stretches, it tears, it hurts, it pushes and pulls and yearns to break out.  The prize is worth the effort.  The butterfly breaks free and is something bigger and more beautiful than before.  The caterpillar and cocoon were good for a time, but the butterfly is beautiful.

I feel stretched, pulled, and pushed, and hurt because I am learning to love.  Being a caterpillar was easy and fresh and new and exciting.  I don't know why it changed or how, but I'm in a cocoon right now.  I am learning how to love and how to speak a language of love that one will hear and understand.  My understanding of love won't suffice anymore; the goal is a butterfly and to get there, one must stretch and pull and push and tear through old ways of love to understand and love more beautifully.

The prize is worth the effort.

Romans 8 - Part 1

Memorized so far...  typing out word flow.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.


For the those who live according the the sinful nature set their minds on what that nature desires but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on what the Spirit desires.  For the mind of sinful man is death but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.  The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.


You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit if the Spirit of God lives in You.  If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, then he does not belong to Christ.  But if Christ lives in you your body is dead because of sin but your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.


Not too shabby.  I'm simultaneously encouraged and convicted by the discussion of living by the sinful nature and living by the Spirit.  It's so very black and white, heads or tails.  If I may confess, I'm not fully living by the Spirit.  I think I set my mind on what the Spirit desires, but my sinful nature rocks me pretty hard sometimes.  I'm on the journey, the continuum.  God, may your Spirit who lives in me continue to sanctify and change me because I cannot do without you.  Thank you for changing me so far and thank you for future growth.  Thanks!

joel

Jesus Christ (superstar)

Acts 2

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

 ¹ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

 ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,^[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

 ¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

 ¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 ¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
   I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
   your young men will see visions,
   your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
   I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
   and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
   and signs on the earth below,
   blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood
   before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls
   on the name of the Lord will be saved.’^[c]

 ²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,^[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. ²⁵ David said about him:

   “‘I saw the Lord always before me.
   Because he is at my right hand,
   I will not be shaken.
²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
   my body also will rest in hope,
²⁷ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
   you will not let your holy one see decay.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
   you will fill me with joy in your presence.’^[e]

 ²⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

   “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
   “Sit at my right hand
³⁵ until I make your enemies
   a footstool for your feet.”’^[f]

 ³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

 ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

 ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

 ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers

 ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Pooh

My favorite coffee mug has a quote from Winnie the Pooh.  It reads,

"Good friends will stick with you until you're unstuck."