Because He loves us all.
First time visitors, click here for the About OtherSheep.net page.
New entries are posted about once a week. Feel free to comment on any of them, or if you have a general comment, you can add it to this post.
And - if you know anyone who might like it here, spread the word.
It was quite a year for the young girl from Nazareth. A visit from an angel … getting pregnant while a virgin … being worshipped by her older cousin … giving birth in a barn … random shepherds with a wild story … Phew! “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart,” the Bible says. I’ll bet she did.
The spiritual life is full of surprises. There’s the trial that comes out of nowhere, the blessing when you least expected it, the human betrayal (and sometimes seeming betrayals of the divine sort), unconditional love and friendship of others on the journey just when you need it, and a whole lot more. Books and teachings promote simple formulas for all these things. The truth that comes from God, however, says something quite different: often, the twists and turns just can’t be figured out.
The best way to walk the path of faith is the route Mary took. Observe. Treasure. And then quietly meditate. In that process I often find something even better than an answer. I discover that the savior of the world – and my situation – is right there with me all along. And that’s something to ponder.
Merry Christmas.
Nights get long when you’re a shepherd in the land of Judea. Sure, there’s the occasional wolf that has to be dealt with. But between those rare moments of sheer terror are weeks of just watching the stars and talking to your fellow sheep-herders about life.
So when the Bible account says that a certain group of these men were “afraid” as all of a sudden a bright light shone around them and they saw an angel of the Lord, it’s most likely an understatement. What this angel told them was even more absurd. The long awaited savior who would deliver their nation from Roman oppression had been born that night. “And this will be a sign to you,” the angel said, “he’ll be in diapers and lying in a farm animal’s feed bin.”
The signs of God’s presence rarely come as I expect. Rather than giving me the winning lottery numbers, He takes the form of a fellow human desperately in need of a cup of cold water or an encouraging word – and a friend who gives the same to me. Instead of being impressed with my valiant efforts, He tells me to be still and know that He is God. When I think that what I need is the leader of a powerful army, He shows up as a helpless newborn.
We read that the shepherds then saw a whole host of angels before making a bee line to the place where the child was. No doubt their lives were never the same after that extraordinary night. The savior in the barn has that effect on people.
Before Jesus came to Earth, He was preceded by a man named John. John’s stated purpose was to prepare the way, so that people would be ready when Jesus finally showed up. There is an important message here that can liberate me from some stress.
Too often I have placed myself under undue pressure. I’ve felt (and sometimes been told) that it was my duty to single-handedly provide solutions to matters that were way over my head. And while I’d like to do just that, the truth is that my abilities and resources are limited. So I get to the end of my most valiant efforts, and if the issues are not fully resolved I feel guilty or like a failure.
There are cases where my best course of action is to introduce Jesus to the situation and vice versa. I can talk to all parties, human and divine, wondering out loud what might happen when He eventually intervenes. I can at least be a sounding board, especially when God does the unpredictable, as often occurs.
This doesn’t mean that I’ll shirk responsibility. On the contrary, Jesus may indeed do certain things through me, as He resides in my spirit. At other times He’ll use a corporate community of His followers, or manifest Himself in some other miraculous fashion.
Only the Son of God has the ultimate answers. John knew this and did a good job of preparing the way. There’s nothing more helpful.
Two people are driving in separate cars and in different parts of the country. They are conversing together on cell phones. One looks out and says “My goodness, the sky is completely gray today.” The other replies “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s perfectly clear.” Which one is right? Who’s wrong?
We are each on a journey of faith. Where I am today, the view may be quite distinct from that of others at alternate places on the same road. Perhaps more important is the destination to which we’re headed.
Two thousand years ago, a group of people in a town called Corinth pondered similar matters. The apostle Paul wrote them a letter in which he said “We all are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” How encouraging to know that our lives reveal a measure of God’s character right now, even as we grow into greater and greater reflections of Himself on the way to a shared ultimate goal … His very image.
Some of my deepest experiences have been conversations – on cell phones or otherwise – as I and a few friends make our way along the road of spiritual life. These very special brothers and sisters accept what I see out my window, as I in turn recognize things may look different where they are. It’s just great to be along for the ride.
There was a day in history on which the whole world went dark from noon until three in the afternoon. What horrific event caused this, and why is it significant?
Matthew’s Gospel describes the death of Jesus Christ. Part of his account details this darkening of the land, which took place just before the Son of God shouted His last words and ceased to live in the physical realm. Earth itself would miss this man, it appeared.
For awhile, it was truly a black Friday. That’s always the case when God seems absent from the situation. I feel bleak. Confused. Depressed. There is nowhere to turn and there are no concrete answers. All the books and teachings come up short. These are the darkest times in life.
Fortunately, Jesus didn’t leave His creation alone. He never does. Instead, His Spirit came to reside in His followers, just as He had promised. This is still the case today, as God Himself comes to me in the form of His people as often as through any other equally miraculous way.
The original black Friday was pretty devastating. The story had a happy ending, though, which is a true cause for thanksgiving.
It’s understandable and nearly universal for people to want a direct message from God. Many feel that such a miracle is beyond reach. The truth is that He speaks almost audibly to us individually on a regular basis.
In the book of Psalms in the Bible, David says “On your behalf my heart says ‘Seek My face.’” Could I be experiencing the same thing now and then? Is that little voice in my heart actually communicating on behalf of God?
At times I’ve wronged a friend or co-worker. A voice inside told me to apologize. And these silent promptings cover all facets of life. I’ve been noiselessly encouraged to make phone calls, mend relationships, or just take the dinner plates to the dishwasher.
David knew, and I’m learning, that God speaks quite perceptibly and personally much of the time. Instead of straining my ears for what might be coming from “out there”, I’m going to change my focus to the voice “in here.”
People who join together on the journey of faith sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron, the Bible says. For a long time I had the meaning of this all wrong.
I once thought this scripture meant that when somebody did something I considered a bit odd, it was my obligation to correct that person. “I need to sharpen him, as iron sharpens iron”, I’d reason.
Now I realize that the purpose of other people’s behavior is to sharpen me. The one in the group who is hard to love is there to teach me to better love. The individual who requires patience while rambling on in conversation is in my life to help increase my patience. Likewise, the friend who displays overwhelming grace is an example that challenges me to show more grace. They all are instruments of God doing what they do, which sharpens me by extension.
This process requires no real effort on my part, other than to stay engaged with some humans – and the deeper the relationships can go, the better. In the context of true community, people DO sharpen each other. It’s not something for which we have to strive. It simply happens, like the Bible said it would.
In a world where great value is placed on being cutting edge, the method for the spiritual life is simple. Just show up.
Just the other day (October 28, 2011) a former youth pastor at a large church in south Florida was sentenced to 28 years, 10 months in prison for sexual misconduct with a member of the youth group. He was 28 and she was 14 at the time of the crime.
This man did a terrible thing, deserving of punishment. I make no comment on any part of the case or the sentence.
What I do wish to mention is this statement from the corresponding newspaper article: [The senior pastor] said the church has had no direct contact with [the former youth pastor] since his arrest in November 2009, focusing its attention on helping the victim.
Certainly the victim and her family have needed, and will continue to need much help and care from their church community. But in a congregation of nearly 7,000, couldn’t someone be designated to support the young man involved? The absence of this seems tragic.
Jesus was called the friend of sinners. It was a title spit out in contempt by religious people who viewed involvement with reprobates as guilt by association, a soft stance on the law, and bad politics … perhaps similar to thoughts going through the minds of the leaders in the church mentioned above.
I’ve been a victim of sinful acts a few times, and I’ve known some who’ve been the injured party as well. Thank God and His people for being there at those moments of need. The instances in which I’ve been a sinner, however, outnumber any other situation a million to one. Fortunately a few humans, and one God who took the form of man, remain my friend.
Is it proper to celebrate when my enemy Is killed? Or is it more appropriate to accept that the act had to occur, but mourn?
As I write this, the lives of three world-known tyrants have been taken in the past five years. Each time there has been dancing in the streets. Controversy soon followed between those who felt the reaction was called for, versus the view that rejoicing over any death – even a justified one – makes the rejoicers little better than the person who had to die.
I look to the Bible for answers. There I find that the children of Israel danced and sang when the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea. The song gave praise to God, but it was a party in the presence of Egyptian dead bodies, nonetheless. Jesus told us to love our enemies. Is it possible to love a despot, and be pleased about his or her demise at the same time? To human reasoning this is difficult, but it might make sense at some spiritual level.
Scripture gives a bit more insight as to the state of mind of the Hebrew people after their enemies were destroyed. It says: When Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and believed in Him. Perhaps fearing and believing in the Lord are the safest reactions I can have when faced with a complex situation like this one. There are no simple answers.
Recent Comments