Many years ago, I was a single guy who wore contact lenses. One night I slept in a spare room at a friend’s house. Early the next morning I was having trouble putting my contacts in. I knelt by the bed so I wouldn’t drop a lens on the floor, and resumed my attempts to insert the lenses. Of course both eyes were watering profusely, and were dripping saline solution as well. (If you’ve ever had contacts, you know what I mean.)
Just then, my friend walked in the room to say good morning. He saw me kneeling by the bed with my face covered in tears. Assuming I was caught up in deep heart-felt prayer, he said “Oh, I’m sorry,” and left the room.
I’m ashamed to confess that I never told my friend the truth. I rather enjoyed being seen as someone who would wake up early and be so moved with holy passion that I’d weep as I poured my heart out to God.
Recently I was reminded of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts who did something similar. They sold a plot of ground for a price and gave part of the money to God’s work. No problem there… The problem is that they lead people to believe they had given ALL the money from the sale of the land. Because of this lie, God struck them dead.
Like Ananias and Sapphira, I was deceitful in order to appear more spiritual than I really was. Lucky for me, my only punishment has been a mildly guilty conscience for the past few decades. Maybe I’ll learn to be honest to God someday. At least now I know He can handle it.
(NOTE: Thank you, Terry B., for the reminder.)
Over the past few years I’ve noticed a trend in psychology, which has also become popular in spiritual teaching. There’s an emphasis on pointing out that when people find themselves in tough predicaments, it is a result of their own poor choices. It’s as though the fact that people choose the wrong course of action absolves their brothers and sisters from the need to extend love and grace.
While I realize the truth of everyone’s responsibility for their own actions, there is another equal truth at work. The human heart is evil and wicked. Just as certainly as people’s choices are flawed, so people’s “choosers” are flawed.
At times I have given mental assent to the apostle Paul’s words that he didn’t do what he wanted to do, and he did what he did not want to do. But have I really believed that poor choices were a reality for even Paul? And what of my own struggles and failures – the times when I do something that, in my spirit and in my very being, I really don’t want to do? Am I an evil protagonist trying to hide from personal accountability, or one who is up against a human defect over which I have no control?
Honestly… I don’t have the spiritual insight to figure this out. So before I judge people’s choices, I think I should recognize that those people (including me) are victims of fallen choosers, and actively love them anyway.
Must a person be bold and outspoken to be a follower of Jesus? Many Bible teachers through the years have told me that there is no such thing as a secret disciple of Christ. The Bible itself seems to disagree.
“Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body down [from the cross.] When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took the body away.” - Gospel of John
Somehow Joseph, the secret disciple, gathered enough courage to go all the way to the high official, Pontius Pilate, and ask for the body of Jesus. I’d say the cat was out of the bag at that point, wouldn’t you?
Who has not been a secret disciple of Jesus? I certainly have, and sometimes still am. Only God knows when a secret disciple’s revealing moment will come. So I need to be patient and non-judgmental… especially when the secret disciple is me.
I like mornings. I guess that makes me a morning person, because I happen to be the most energetic at that time of day. But there’s a bigger reason to like mornings.
Regardless of how positive or how challenging a day begins, by the end of it I’m typically feeling pretty worn out. In addition to the physical exhaustion, there’s the mental. There’s also a spiritual fatigue that comes from fighting doubts and fears, dealing with temptation, trying to control thoughts, and the like. Sometimes throughout the day I win those battles, and sometimes I don’t.
How refreshing that scripture tells me that God’s love and mercies are new every morning. So no matter how badly I’ve messed up, if I simply go to bed and wait for morning, I’ll have a new supply of love and mercy from God Himself ready for me then. And this is true whether my mess ups have happened just one day, or continually for decades. No matter how far I stray, His love and mercies are there for me, new every morning.
Mornings are good.
An event of massive proportions occurred last night. I could barely believe my eyes. But it’s true that last night, the entire world commemorated the enormous impact made by the life of Jesus Christ. This was celebrated in every venue imaginable, and literally around the globe: small gatherings in simple homes; elaborate galas in beautiful halls; mass assemblies in major cities. The event will continue to be referenced every day by every person on planet Earth.
To what do I refer? The changing of the year to 2009.
In days past, the year was dated by the length of time which elapsed since the beginning of the reign of the current king. For example, it might be “the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam,” or “the third year of Asa, king of Judah.” Historic literature is full of such references. When a new king took the throne, the numbering started over.
We are now in year 2009. It is 2009 years from what? What occurred 2009 years ago that was so magnificent that the numbering of years started over and has continued in sequence until now? The universally accepted answer is… the life of Jesus.
Regardless of our personal beliefs about this person – whether he was God-man, con man, crazy man, or simply man – he must have been something out of the ordinary to affect every date reference for the past twenty centuries plus. No other philosopher, self-help guru, politician, statesman or religious figure can say that, yet I follow people in all those categories. Jesus’ life and teachings may be worth at least studying, based simply on the fact that it’s 2009.
Happy New Year.
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