Pop Quiz: How Good Are You?

How good are you? In Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler (Mark 10:15-17), the young man calls Him "good." Jesus tells him, "No one is good but One, that is, God." Goodness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). If we measure goodness by our success in obeying the Ten Commandments, how do we fair? That reality hit me just the other day.

The question that appeared in Nancy Guthrie's study, The Word of the Lord: Seeing Jesus in the Prophets, was this:

"Let's open our Bibles to the Ten Commandments found in Deuteronomy 5. When you look over this list of commands, can you give testimony to the way in which the Holy Spirit has worked in your life to write one of these on your heart? How have you experienced God at work, giving you the desire and the power to obey one of these commands?"

Before I opened my Bible, my mind went to what would probably be the easiest one for all of us: "Thou shall not murder." I got this! Until the Holy Spirit brought this to mind: "Anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. (Matt. 5:21-22 MSG)" Oh. Still turning pages, I recalled, "Thou shall not steal." Yeah, maybe not that one either. I reached Deuteronomy 5, and my eyes scoured all of The Ten for something I could use to plead innocence:

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s.

I remembered those moments just last week, when saying what was on my lips was more pressing to me than honoring the Lord who reigns in my heart. I remembered the item the cashier neglected to ring up that, once I checked my receipt, I failed to make right. I remembered the Sunday I decided to do a load of laundry before church, and then some dishes, and then some writing -- not only did I never make church, but I never even spent any quiet time before the Lord that day. Putting other things -- myself mostly -- before God. Stealing. Profaning the Sabbath. On and on. In the last year, I could honestly say, perhaps not by the letter of the law, but certainly by the spirit of the law, I'd violated each and every one. My heart sank. What kind of Christian am I?

The kind that, even though she's been walking this path for quite a few years now, needs Jesus everyday. The kind that is saved only by grace and not by works. The kind that bears the righteousness of Christ, and not her own. The kind that needs to take a look at the law from time to time, to be reminded of how greatly, in her own strength, she misses the mark, and what a blessed day it was that Jesus hung in her place and made her acceptable before a just God and good Father. The kind that knows, although she doesn't get it right each and every time, and in the day to day can make a real mess of things, she has the desire to please God and He is still teaching her to grab on to His power to obey.

"Oh, how I love Your law! 

It is my meditation all the day."
~Psalm 119:97 

"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man."
~Romans 7:22

P. Graham Dunn

Hanging On by a Thread

About a month ago, a pastor friend lost his wedding band. He looked everywhere, prayed, and found it in a pretty logical spot, given the chores he was doing that day. Later, on Facebook, he posted his story along with the comment, "Don't ask why I waited six hours to pray... please... don't ask..." I wanted to comment, "It's because, when it takes me five hours to pray about a headache I've been struggling with all morning, I don't feel so bad." Haven't we all been there? I could totally relate to what he was saying. Why do seasoned Christians, people I would consider to be "the best of the best" -- never mind them -- why do I (when I know what God has taken me through and all He has done for me) wait so stinkin' long to ask God for His help??? It's crazy, right! And, it's our flesh. No one is "the best of the best." We all battle our human nature -- some days more than others. 

Mark 5:25-34 records the account of a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. It said she had "suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all she had." This woman may have once been well-to-do. The trouble began, and she headed to the first physician; but day after day, doctor after doctor, and payment after payment, she only got worse. Chances are, by the time she crossed paths with Jesus, she had exhausted all her options. She'd spent years away from her family and friends, not wanting to render anyone "unclean" should they touch her. Perhaps there were those willing to look her in the eye, demonstrate some compassion; but most just turned away wondering what she had done to deserve a twelve year sentence. Weak, penniless, alone, and almost as invisible as the street dogs that went about searching for scraps, she pulled her cloak over her head, crouched down low, and made her way to Jesus.

But, is this simply the story of a woman chronically ill, isolated and all out of options? Is this the story of a woman who thought, "What have I got to lose?" Is this a woman who, when all else failed, turned to Jesus? It might seem that way at first glance, but look at verse 28:

“If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

This was no last ditch effort. This woman had faith. The word rendered in most translations as well, literally means "saved or restored." This woman said to herself, "If only I can cling, as long as I am able, to His clothes, salvation is mine." This woman had spent all of her money on doctors, had spent a great portion of her time away from others, but she was waiting. Waiting for the One who could truly save her. Not exhausting all other options before she found Jesus, but, exhausting all other options until she found Jesus. Until real restoration was hers.

Jesus, knowing that power had left Him. looked for her, and upon coming face to face with her said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.” The word well? That's right, "saved." Her faith had indeed saved her. And that twelve year disorder that had broken down her body and her life? "Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction," Jesus told her. Healed. A word that meant physically restored. A word, I'm sure she longed to hear, but only after she was sure she had touched the cloak of her Savior.

So, I'm going to pray more -- even about the little things. But I'm also going to stop beating myself up over "not praying soon enough." I'm going to just hold on -- even if it's by a thread, so long as it's a thread on the hem of my Savior's robe. 

New Duds, New Mind, No Chains

Mark 5 is the amazing account of Jesus restoring a demon-possessed man. This poor man was held captive by many demons, "'Legion' for we are many," the spirit proclaims. He could not function in society much less be who God designed him to be or serve God in the way He requires. Perhaps, on some level, this man had succumbed to feeling these demons would be with him forever. Maybe, they even felt more comfortable than the thought of change. Scripture says he lived among the tombs and was often "bound with shackles and chains;" but he would pull apart the chains and break the shackles into pieces. Can you imagine the strength this indwelling spirit gave him? If only it had been a Holy Spirit! (I see a topic for another day.) This man was able to pull the links apart so that the chain would give way. He could shatter what were most likely shackles made of iron "into pieces"! So, he couldn't be restrained, he couldn't be tamed.

And that's the exit my thoughts took. We have heard so much in the last few years about throwing off social constraints. We are told classism is the cause for our discontent, and we are encouraged to break its chains. We are told discrimination is lurking in every competition, query, or gathering we encounter, and we are encouraged to shatter its shackles that we might be free. Only some of that is true, however. And once we are free of the manacles of injustice, what then? The man that appeared before Jesus could break his chains, he could shatter the shackles placed on him by men, but then what? He was no longer physically restrained, he could not be subdued by human strength, but he was still bound. His spirit was gripped by something evil, something destructive, something contrary to what God intended.

I've been reading a lot with regard to the "social gospel." "Do justly, love mercy," it's right there in Scripture, words straight from God's mouth to our ears. But, let's not allow the first two precepts in that verse to eclipse the third -- "walk humbly with your God" -- and let's not take those instructions strictly with an eye to our purpose on earth. We must love God's just nature, the nature that sends unrepentant sinners to Hell. We must love the mercy of God that placed His Son on the cross for each of us. And we must walk out the love of those things in humble adoration of God each day. Anything else will bind you. Anything else is exchanging the chains placed on you by world systems for the shackles of a superficial "gospel" with its eyes on remedying societal issues alone. 

We have a responsibility to preach the Gospel at all times, to all people, first and foremost. I'm not saying we can't serve breakfast while we do it; I'm not saying that binding up the wounds of victims and bringing the victimizer to justice is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it looks when it is walked out. There is a difference, however, between demonstrating the Gospel (doing great things to eliminate the bonds of societal problems), and sharing the Gospel (only the Truth will set men free). Do not be confused or complacent. Anything else is exchanging one form of bondage for another. In Christ you can be "renewed in the spirit of your mind, and... put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph. 4:23,24) To know Jesus is to be, as the man before Jesus was, clothed and in our right minds.

Together

Have you ever seen a Rube Goldberg machine? I love those! A ball drops and a lever tips; the lever raises a string that spins a wheel that releases an arrow that strikes a model car that rolls toward a chain of dominoes that... You get the idea. Odds and ends, bits and scraps strung together to make something happen: open a door, water a plant. Some integrate chemical reactions, a flash-bang that launches another action. Some are comprised of trash -- items that would appear of no use in and of themselves: cards from an incomplete deck, a bread bag clip, a single shoelace, a deflated ball, a broken umbrella. Worthless, right? But together, they do something mmmaybe useful, but if not, certainly ingenious and amazing.

Think of the events you have experienced in your life. No one has a perfect life. Everyone goes through trials and pain. Sometimes we think we've had our share, and we just want a break. But that is the promise of Romans 8:28. I'm sure you're familiar:

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

All things are working together -- the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a tapestry being woven in your life. There is a story made of bits and pieces. While some of them may look like trash, and some may seem worthless, God is building something. The blowups on Tuesday may be the groundbreaking of a promise on Wednesday. What may feel like a defeat today may be the springboard of a hope tomorrow. Even the things that tear us down and lay us low may be the things God is using to build us right back up in a more perfect way. Poor health can take you to doctor's offices and hospitals where people need to hear the Gospel and you are called to proclaim it. Losing your job can get you thinking about new ways to serve God, and maybe even support your family while doing it. Some of the pieces may not feel so good at the time, some may even be downright exhausting; some parts may be shadows, failures from our past, but God's purpose is to do something useful and amazing. And while those moments in time, those temporary afflictions may appear to be of little worth, they are merely part of the ingenious "together" that God is working in the lives of those who love Him.