The Prodigal Son

This one is a fairly common bible story taught in many Sunday school classes.   I know that I have heard it many times while growing up.   However, does it have a happy ending?   Is Jesus trying to tell us something more with this parable?

First a refresher of the parable found in Luke 15:11-32: Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.'  So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.   He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I have am starving to death!   I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'  So he got up and went to his father."

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let's have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  So they began to celebrate."

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.  When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'"

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in.  So he father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, 'Look!  All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.  Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

Now, in biblical time's for a son to ask for his inheritance before the death of his father was a pretty severe offense.   It was generally equivalent to the son wishing for the father's death.  Knowing that, can you imagine how the father in this parable must have felt?

Despite this, the father relented and provided the son with his part of his inheritance and didn't stand in his way when he left.

There is no mention in the parable regarding what caused this outburst from the younger son.   Was the father:

• too demanding?
• unfair?
• argumentative?
• abusive?

Or was the son just selfish or suffering from too much pride?  Perhaps, he had decided he knew better than his father and was going to strike out on his own - a mistake we have all made from time to time - isn't it amazing how much smarter our parents get after we get a little older.  ;-).

Scripture is silent on the events leading up to the younger son's request and is also silent on how the father felt or went thru while the son was away.   It only focuses on the sinful behavior of the son while he is apart from his father as well as the realization by the son that his father's servants are living better than he was at the time.  

Doesn't this parable echo how we generally handle our relationship with God?   We believe that we have things under control.   We know what we are doing.  We don't need guidance from anyone else.  We tend to start doing things our own way and move away from God and his teachings/guidance.   I don't know about you, but I have found that things generally don't go very well when I do that.   I find that I make a mess of things and end up coming back to God each and every time and each and every time, God is waiting right were He was before and is more than happy to have me back.  Never have I heard an "I told you so" or "what were you thinking?" even though each of those questions would be more than justified.   God is constant and is true to his word - He waits for us and actively pursues us - just as a shepherd does his lost sheep.  

Which bring us to the end of the parable.  Here we have the father being ecstatic his son who had left has returned throws a party celebrating that fact.  We also have the reaction of the older son, who doesn't react with the same enthusiasm as the Father.  In fact, it's quite the contrary, there is more than a hint of resentment and jealousy that comes from the older brother.   "'Look!  All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.  Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

While it does seem that the father may have been being unfair, isn't the response the father has in the parable exactly what we would expect to hear from God?

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

The father is happy that the younger son has returned and is with them again.   This is the same happiness that Jesus has for each of us when we walk away from Him - either deliberately or accidentally.  Jesus is always there waiting and welcoming us with open arms.   In fact, the response the father and the reaction of the son is echoed in another of Jesus' parables - The Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15:1-7:   Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."   Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."  

Doesn't that parable sum it up perfectly?   God loves each and every one of us and there are great celebrations in heaven each someone makes a decision to give their lives to Jesus and follow Him.  We should join in the celebration - otherwise, we run the danger of being like the Pharisees who sit off to the side and grumble/complain about what goes on around us.

What would Jesus do?

I find myself asking myself that question quite a bit here lately.   I often wonder if we are getting it right and if Jesus would agree with many of the stances we as Christians find ourselves taking today.  There are multiple sinful behaviors in the world today.   I honestly don't think that has changed too much as the world has always been sinful.   What may have changed tho is that "in your face" nature of much of the sin that is in the world today.  There seems to be quite of bit of push back against many things that are sinful in the world today.   Depending our your point of view, many of these things are considered "hate speak" or intolerant by many within the world.  While to many Christians, we are only speaking and acting on the truth of the Bible.   However, I wonder if we are taking things a bit too far.

I think saying there is likely to be a good bit of passion behind things that are reported in the media would be a large understatement.   What I am doing here is working to answer the question of how Jesus would handle things today - at least for myself.   You may feel/believe differently - and that is OK.  Differences of opinion and constructive discussion is a great way to learn and explore what we believe in a more detailed way.  Listening to different points of view almost always open new doors of thought.  All I ask is this: if you find yourself disagreeing with anything said here, please do leave a comment.  I am very interested in hearing your perspective.

As a starting point, what did Jesus say the greatest two commandments are?  These can be found in Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."   This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Based on this, love, whether it is a love of God or a love of neighbor is a very big part of the equation, but what does Jesus mean by "neighbor?"   Surely he isn't only speaking of those that live next door or in our immediate community is he?

One of the places Jesus discusses how to define a neighbor is in the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 (this section of scripture also echo's what is said in Mattew 22:36-40 above):  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.  "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  "What is written in the Law?" He replied.  "How do you read it?"  He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind';and;'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied.  "Do this and you will live."  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  In reply, Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.   A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.   But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took two denarii and gave them to the inn keeper.  'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'   Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

To fully understand what Jesus is saying here, we need to understand how the Samaritans were viewed by the Jews during biblical times:

The Samaritans occupied the country formerly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh.   They were a particularly despised group among the Jews in biblical times.   The resided in what was, at the time, Northern Israel and were generally were a mix of Jewish and gentiles.   As such, they didn't fully comply with Judaism the way the Jews did.   They tended to follow a mix of Jewish and pagan customs and while the believed in God they also maintained a worship of idols.   From a Jewish perspective, Samaritans were not to be associated with and were largely shunned.

Based on the above, and the verses for Luke 10:25-37, you can see that the individual Jesus was interacting with wouldn't even call out that it was the Samaritan and only reference him as "The one who had mercy on him."   I believe Jesus used a Samaritan in this example on purpose.   His overall point is that we are to love and extend love to everyone, including those who do not believe as we do and to folks we consider our enemies.  Jesus' use of a Samaritan in this parable really helped drive that message across in biblical times as the Jewish people would have quickly picked up on this fact.

Does Jesus REALLY expect us to love our enemies?  Yes, that is exactly what Jesus has asked us to do.   Matthew 543-48 states: "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are no even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Now, I ask you the following questions:

• Are we demonstrating God's love when we refuse people based on their race, marital status and/or sexual preference?
• Do you think Jesus would deny any of these individuals the ability to hear his word or experience his love?  
• Aren't we to represent Jesus'/God's love to the world?   Are we doing that when we are condemning people to hell before they even get a chance to experience God's love? 

Romans 3:22-26 says: "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.   There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

We all are sinners.   We all fall short.   We are only saved by God's grace because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Since we are sinners, who are we to judge?

Matthew 7:1-6 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Who are we to judge the sinful behavior of others, when we ourselves are sinners?

Wouldn't more people in the world who are desperate to hear God's word and experience his love be able to find that love it we quit worrying about how they are sinning and instead focused on loving them?  If we did that, we may find that more people become curious about Jesus and who He is.   They may even stop and ask us why we are being so nice to them.   As Christians, we should be ecstatic and ready to respond to these questions - hoping that people will be drawn to Jesus!  However, we all too often go to the other extreme - we tend to serve on the condition that those that receive God's love behave the way we deem right.   That we are somehow justified to not serve parts of the population because they are living what we believe is a sinful lifestyle.

I leave you with this last bit of scripture:

Matthew 13:24-29  Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy cam and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field?  Where then did the weeds come from?'  'An enemy did this,' he replied.  The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'  'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"

I believe this is telling us that we are to be sowing the seeds for the future harvest.   We, as Christians, will be a part of that harvest and will not be the ones actually doing the harvesting.   In the mean time, we should do what Jesus did:  Love God, Love each others, Love our Neighbors, Love our enemies, Love everyone regardless of if/how they are sinning.  Do not judge others - leave the judging to Jesus when the time comes.   Otherwise, we may just be the reason someone doesn't come to know Jesus.

Think. What do you believe?

I believe:

• that God is a trinity composed of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• the thing that matters most is that we believe that Jesus was sent to earth to die for our sins, rose again, and will return someday.
• that love and forgiveness are the keys to happiness.
• that we as Christians have lost sight of the greatest commandment specified by Jesus:
• Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment."
• that we have also lost sight of the second commandment:
• Matthew 22:39-40: "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
• that the definition of neighbor is larger than just those who live next door:
• Luke 10:29-37: But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took our two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'  Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"   The expert in the law replied, "The on who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
• those who have to reconcile evidence of dinosaurs, the big bang and evolution with the bible are really going to struggle with a virgin birth, Jesus's miracles and resurrection.  
• Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
• it takes more than faith and belief in Jesus/God to get into heaven. 
• that you can't work your way into heaven.
• Just as works without faith is worthless, Faith without works is also dead.
• that we as Christians have forgotten that we should love and not judge.
• that we as Christians have forgotten that we are still sinners and that the only difference between ourselves and those who don't believe is God's grace.
• that we have forgotten that it is God's job to judge who is/isn't going to hell.
• that our job is to love and share the news of God's love and gift of eternal life.
• that I have never seen an atheist based soup kitchen or food pantry.
• that finding faith in Jesus get's harder as you grow older.
• there is power in prayer.
• we have forgotten how to pray in that we don't approach God/Jesus with faith and knowing that regardless of the answer, it is all according to a higher plan and that God is control.
• that faith can truly move mountains.
• that denominations between churches come down to disagreements between what we think God said.   God isn't confused about what we said.
• that denominations are fooling themselves if they think much of what they believe is that important to God.   All you need is faith and belief in Jesus and to follow Him.  The rest are details.
• That is just takes a small amount of faith for miracle to happen
• Matthew 17:20: He replied: "Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."
• a mustard seed is very, VERY small.

• if a faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain, then how little faith do we have?
• that we have forgotten that God will judge our words/thoughts as well as our actions
• Matthew 12:34-37: "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
• the older we get, the more we realize just how little we know/understand.
• the divorce rate would be much lower if people followed Jesus.
• that the churches acceptance of divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality is seen by the world as hypocritical.  Particularly given how harshly the church judges other sinful behavior within the world:
• Matthew 19:3: Some Pharisees came to him to test him.  They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"   "Haven't you read," Jesus replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."   "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"  Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."
• that we should consider the following verses before casting stones at the sins of others:
• Luke 6:37-38: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
• Luke 6: 41-42: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
• John 8:2-11: At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.  They made here stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?"  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.   When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you with is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?"  "No one sir," she said.  "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared.  "Go now and leave your life of sin."
• that we make life too complicated.
• that the simplest solutions are generally the best solutions.
• that many people will disagree with some of my beliefs.   I'm OK with that.
• that anyone who complains about the preacher should trade places with him/her on Sunday.
• that we can still be friends and brothers/sisters in Christ even though we don't believe on everything 110%.
• that God loves each and every one of us.
• John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
• Romans 8:37-39: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Ephesians 2:4-5: But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
• Romans 5;8: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
• 1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
• Psalm 86:15: But you Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

What do you believe?

Is your name written in God's book?

Is your name written in God's book?   The bible mentions the Lamb's book of life directly two times.   What is the Lamb's book of life you ask?   It is the book in which everyone's name who has accepted the gift of eternal life from Jesus is written.  

Revelation 20:15 tells us that "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." I would call the book of life a pretty important book to make sure your name is in. In fact, I would say it is THE MOST IMPORTANT book to be sure your name is written in.

To reinforce what is said in Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27 goes on to say: "Nothing impure will ever enter it (Heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful and deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Revelation 20:12 gives us a view into the judgement that is to come - "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which are written in the books according to their works.

You may be sitting back and saying "Wait a minute!   I am a good person!   I just went to church last week!   I don't drink or smoke, I don't curse or use the Lord's name in vain!  In fact, I volunteer and the local homeless shelter, food pantry, all the time!   Are you telling me that I still won't get into heaven?"   

In short, if all you are relying on is being a good person to get into heaven, then I am saying that you will fall short.  Works alone are not enough.  You see, Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."   So, to go with your good works, you also have to have faith and believe in Jesus and follow Jesus to be accepted into Heaven.  

Matthew 19:16-24 says the following:

"Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?  Why do you ask me about what is good?  Jesus replied, There is only One who is good.  If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.  Which ones?  he inquired.

Jesus replied: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and lover your neighbor as yourself.

All these I have kept, the young man said, What do I still lack?

Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come follow me.

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

This doesn't mean that you have to sell everything and be homeless to follow Jesus and gain entry into heaven.   In my opinion what Jesus is getting at here is similar to what I touched on in the post "What is success?"   as Jesus told us in Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   Jesus knew that the individual loved his wealth and status and would never be able to put his relationship with Him (Jesus) first.  Jesus doesn't just want part of us, he wants ALL of us.  

Oswald Chamber's wrote in "Jesus wants all of me" - "God doesn't care how good we act on the outside.  He doesn't care how many nice things we have.  He just wants us to be like Jesus.  He doesn't want any of us to keep our lives closed up like a bottle with the top on.  He wants us to take the top off and pour ourselves out.   He wants us to share ourselves."

When you look at the life of Jesus, he came to serve and set an example of us all as well as to provide us THE path to salvation.   Jesus didn't close himself off and only pay attention to those who followed him.   He came to the sinners.   He didn't recoil when a prostitute came to him looking for help/forgiveness (Luke 7:36-50), He also didn't run the other way when someone with leprosy asked to be healed (Matthew 8).   

You see, Jesus came to save sinners - not run from them.  This is stated in Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  That is something we all loose site of from time to time.   To lead other people to Jesus, we have to be the examples of Jesus' love.   We have to let the light shine from within us.   We have to stop looking down our noses at others and chose to love them and help lead them to Jesus.   Until we begin using Jesus as an example of how to live our lives again, we will continue to push people away from Jesus!

Having said all of that, I want to leave you with this.   We are all sinners and required God's grace.   Even those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior are not perfect.   We are still sinners and still mess up - just like everyone else.   The big difference is we have a relationship with Jesus and recognize that we must confess our sins and ask forgiveness.  

If you haven't yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I strongly encourage you to do so.   Salvation is the work of God.  It came through Jesus by the shedding of his blood on the cross:

John 3:17 - For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Romans 5:9 - Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

Those who experience salvation are given eternal life as a gift of grace they receive by faith:

Ephesians 2:5 - ...made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

This gift comes because of Gods mercy, not as a result of human effort.

2 Timothy 1:9 - He saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 

Titus 3:5 - ... He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The gift of eternal life is just that - a gift.   It is given to us freely and out of love.  It is up to each of us to make a decision regarding if we will accept God's gift.   So I leave you with these questions - is your name written in God's book of life?   If not, what stands in the way and are those things that are in the way worth you soul?

Romans 8:11 - And if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His spirit who lives in you.

If your friend jumped off of a building, would you?

If your friend jumped off of a building, would you follow them?

Growing up, how many of us heard that very statement from our parents, grandparents or someone else?   

Then we grow up, take jobs, have families and we out grow those questions - right?

However, the questions change form, but the peer pressure and the pressure from the world remains the same:

• You can't be successful in life without compromising

• You can't get ahead without adopting the values of the places where you live and work

• Go ahead, everyone does it

• Its just the way things work in the real world

But, as Christians we aren't supposed to take on the values of the world.   We are to be  reflections and examples of God so that we can represent His light.   Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be confirmed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Ever wonder why God doesn't want us to adopt the values of the world?   I mean, he created the world, so why wouldn't he want us to reflect his creation?   Right?

While it is true that God created the world, He has also told us that Satan is the current ruler of this world.   That is reflected in the following verses:

1 John 5:19  We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under control of the evil one.

John 12:31 Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

John 14:30 I will not say much more to you, for this prince of this world is coming, he has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Knowing satan is in control of the world, whose values are we reflecting when we give in to the pressures of the world we are no longer living by faith and have put on a spiritual blindfold.   When this happens we go through life crashing into various situations and falling into Satan's traps.  Further we reflect the values of the world and no longer reflect God's light and values.   Realizing that, it is no wonder so many consider Christians hypocrites!  

But there is hope.   Colossians 1:13 tells us - "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

John 17:14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

You see, as a Christian, we are chosen.   We are a royal priesthood, a people for His own possession.   This is directly called out in 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a hold nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."  

So, while we are sent into this world, we mustn't try to be a part of the world.   In John 17:13-19 Jesus tells us,  "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.  I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world and more than I am of the world.  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world bu that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.   Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

What values will you chose to reflect?  The values of the world or the values of God?

What is success?

What does it mean to be successful?

The sticky note above provides the dictionary definition of success.  Is this how really how success is defined?   If this is how success is defined, then how is it measured?

John Wooden has said “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”   

Did Coach Wooden measure success by the dictionary definition or did he use a different measuring stick?

The definition used by many in the world today largely measures success using:

• How much money you make/have
• How large a house you live in
• The type of car you drive
• How well known/famous you are

That raises the following additional questions:

• Is the CEO of a company more successful than a custodian in the same company? 
• How about a teacher? 
• A doctor? 
• A mechanic?
• A Hollywood actor or actress? 
• How about a house wife and/or a stay at home mom?

Before we get much further, I want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with having a big house, lots of money, nice cars or fame.  There is nothing biblically wrong with having any of these things.   However, we all tend to get ourselves in trouble in one way or the other by making these things a primary focus and ultimately replace God with the pursuit of these things.  

When we replace God with the pursuit of any of these things, we cross a line and these things become idols, which happens to break the first two of ten commandments – “1. You shall have no other Gods before me” and “2. You shall not make idols.”   When we let the pursuit of any of the above things replace God in our lives, we have unconsciously created and idol and, in effect, made it a god in place of the one true God.

Mathew 6:21 Jesus tells us ”For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Additionally, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 says “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. (10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief's.”  So we must be careful to protect ourselves and not let any of the above things come before God in our lives.

 

While the world would have us believe the key to life is all about success, it isn’t.   Saying that life isn’t all about success would be heresy to many people, because we are all trying to succeed in some way.  For many of us it is trying to ascend the corporate ladder and have success in our careers, or having success in raising kids, or just merely being successful at looking successful.  Planning for success, working for success, and worrying about success dominates our everyday lives. Look around and tell me if you feel that I am wrong in this observation.  So it is very easy to fall into the trap of believing that life is all about success – but it isn’t.  You see, Jesus provides us with the following two truths:

 

Luke 12:15: Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

 

And, Matthew 16:26 Jesus is quoted as saying,  “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

We all loose focus on the fact that everything we have – homes, cars,  money, toys, video games, sports, food/drink, clothes, shoes, the very air we breath are all gifts from God.   When we loose focus on that basic truth, we also loose focus that we are all servants who are tending to these gifts.

Does that mean we should just stop trying and not worry about being successful?   Of course not!   While success is not what life is all about, success does play a part in life.  We just can’t make it THE ultimate thing. 

Thomas Merton wrote, “If you are too obsessed with success, you will forget to live.”  There is a lot of truth in those words, and when we focus all, or most, of our lives on success, we will fall short of the full life Jesus promises in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

How many of us sacrifice huge portions of the lives we are meant to live:

• loving our husbands and wives,
• spending time with kids,
• eating meals with families,
• hanging out with friends,
• helping people in need,
• spending too much time focusing on our own success?

How many of us are unavailable to those who need us most, whose lives are enriched by us—and who will enrich ours, right back?

 

The bible goes on to say in James 2:26 “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

 

Proverbs 16:3 further tells us: ”Commit to the Lord all you do, and your plans will succeed. "

Matthew 25:14 give us the parable of the talents.   In this parable, Jesus tells the story of  master who is leaving for a time and provides three of his servants the opportunity to use their abilities.   One servant, he provided five bags of gold, the second servant was provided three bags of gold and the last servant was given one bag of gold.   The first servant took the five bags of gold provided to him and, using his skills and abilities,  gained five additional bags of gold.   The second servant took the three bags of gold and, using their skills and abilities, also doubled the bags of gold they had from three to six.   The final servant decided to protect the bag of gold he was provided and hid/buried it so that it would not be lost.  

After some time had passed, the master returned and asked each servant for an accounting of how they had used their talents.   The first servant came in an showed that he had started with five bags of gold and now had ten.   The master was very happy with that servant and said “well done good and faithful servant!   I have trusted you with little and you have turned it into much.  You will be trusted with much more!”   The second servant, like the first, came in and showed his master that he too had doubled the bags of gold from three to six.   Again, the master was very happy with his servant and explained “Well done good and faithful servant!  I have trusted you with little and you have turned it into much.   You too will be trusted with many more things!”   The last servant came in an explained that they knew how shrewd a businessman their master was and that they had taken great care of the single bag of gold provided and provided the same bag of gold back.   Upon hearing and seeing this, master was very upset with the last servant and exclaimed “you lazy servant!  I have trusted you with a single bag of gold and you have done nothing with it.   You will be thrown out into the darkness where there is suffering and gnashing of teeth!”

While the above is a paraphrased version of the parable of the talents, it shows that the first two servants used the talents and abilities to good measure and would be considered successful.   The last servant, did not use their talents and abilities and were not considered successful and were no longer trusted nor taken care of by their master.  

 

In the end, I feel that being successful is not at all about having the most money, best cars, biggest house or most influence.  Rather, it is more about each of use using all God has given us for the furtherance of His kingdom.   This work should bring us both joy and peace of mind knowing we have done our best through the power of Christ working through us to accomplish what He has called each of us to do.   And if we all do that, we all will make a difference in the world that we live in.

Be strong and courageous

A few quick questions.

1. This one is probably going to seem like an obvious answer - but - in the bible, how many commandments are there?  

2. What are some of them?

3. Do you think there are any other commandments that God has given us?

Here's one:

Joshua 1:9 (NIV):Have I not commanded you?  (There's that word - command) Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go.

Here's another:

Deuteronomy 31:6:Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.

So, here's another question - in these verses, are these verses only telling us to Be Strong and Be Courageous or is there something more?   I think there is something more that God is telling us here.   I believe God is also telling us to not live in fear and to let go of our fears.   The reason we need to let go of our fears is that they hold us back.   Our fears keep us from moving forward in several areas of our lives and may keep us from living the lives that God wants us to have.

You see, John 10:10 (NIV) tells us that The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life; and have it to the full.   In the KJV this verse ends with "have life more abundantly".     Would you agree that fear, in some ways, holds us all back from living as abundant a life as God wants for us?

You see, we can take the above verses either as a recommendation OR we can take them to heart and take God up on his promises.   God is so invested in us getting over our fears and insecurities that He doesn't just command strength and bravery, but he backs up His command with His attendance in our lives. 

However, we all find various reasons to be afraid and the result is that we let that fear hold us back.    You see, fear tries to call God powerless.  It actually says to us "You may have God, be He is not enough.   You really should still be worried.  The worst is going to happen.   You WILL fail!"   Can you see how fear is at odds with God and God's plans for us?   God loves us, and that perfect love casts out all fear.   That is what makes God our perfect Kind and is also why he is so dangerous to the enemy. 

1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love.   Bet perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

God can command us to be strong and courageous because He alone is the insurance policy for our success.   God is not encouraging us to be strong because we're great, but because HE is great.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I leave you with this really good news: these verses deliver us the freedom to do more than any of us have ever done.  Being courageous means that we are no longer afraid to fail.  Being courageous means doing and attempting things that we ordinarily wouldn’t try. 

Does it mean we won’t fail?   Of course not.  There will be times that we may fail for a variety of reasons but God will be there to catch us we will continue to grow through those failures and our experiences will allow us to experience a greater, more abundant life, than we would by letting fear stand in the way.