Midweek: Work Has Been Canceled on Account of Words

Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.

~ Saint Francis of Assisi

NOT the words of St, Francis and NOT necessarily biblical. What he did say was (and I'm paraphrasing), Your actions should match your words. Now, that certainly has the support of Scripture. But have you ever tried to share Jesus with someone? People can resist --rudely.  

I know individuals who have the gift of evangelism. They see an empty chair at the DMV and before anyone has opportunity to object, they're sitting there chatting up those around them and sharing the Gospel. One of my sisters, with absolutely no hesitation, will grab a bottle of vitamins off the shelf at the pharmacy and ask, If you take vitamins for good physical health, what are you doing for spiritual health? No matter the reaction, she engages in those conversations with enthusiasm as long as anyone will allow. Talk about conviction and thick skin! If attempts to share the Gospel don't get you kicked out of the pharmacy, they could get you cursed out, spit on, laughed at, or pulled into the office for the "workplace decorum" talk. In short, the use of words can be unrewarding. Jesus warned His disciples they would be hated by the world (John 15:18) and called out folks motivated by earthly desires (John 6:2-27).

Actions, however, tend to be better received. You can walk away from handing out sandwiches to the homeless and feel as though you've done something truly useful. You can drive the folks to and from their appointments and no one will flip you the bird. As a matter of fact, you may be spoken of in terms of salt and earth. Serving others through good deeds has its visible results and its tangible rewards. And who turns down a freebie? The chances of getting taunted when you're donating money are pretty near zero, I would think.

I'm not saying helping others is without merit. Scripture clearly says we are to help others. But it is extremely important we are rightly motivated: for the glory of the Father, first and foremost. Whatever accolades or warm fuzzies we get out of the deal are His gift to us, a mere byproduct. Additionally, it's important we don't lead others to develop wrong motives. If Jesus had continued healing and feeding with nothing more than "God bless you", the people would have been conditioned to seek only gifts, ignoring --or never knowing --the Giver. Jesus directed folks' attention to the Father and they crucified Him for it! Are we any less responsible for the message we deliver? If we're not making it crystal clear who God is, we will be held accountable. Would the people you are currently serving be thrilled to listen to a sermon or sit through a Bible study before you handed out the free backpacks? Are we teaching people that the God of the Bible is bigger than physical needs? Do we accept that, sometimes, we're not supposed to help? What if God is trying to do something with someone's situation, in someone's situation, in spite of someone's situation? And here we come, on our white horse, ready to rescue every damsel and plug every leak. Much easier to plug a leak than walk with someone through doubt and tears week after week; to say again and again, Let's pray; to watch as they struggle.

Daniel faced lions. His friends entered the furnace. Because there was a message. That message is still important today, and it is meant to be delivered in the form of actions that uphold our words, not replace them. 

         

Be Clean

Years ago, I attended a local women's conference. Apparently, or at least in my case, hospitality was not high on their list of priorities (Retreat! Retreat!, 2011). I have learned not to get bent out of shape about such things. If there seems to be a spirit of exclusivity or pride in the body of Christ, I think it's biblical to call those things out; but in my prior situation, there were plenty of other smiling, content, welcomed women. Somewhere, somehow what I expected from this situation was not what God intended for me. And I've come to really enjoy that. When articles don't post or friends cancel or illness takes me out of the game... Okay, God, I'm all Yours!

In 2 Kings 5 we're introduced to Naaman. He had expectations, too, and a skin disease. Some translations render this as "leprosy", but it was recognized as a condition closely associated with sin and the condition of one's heart. It was recommended to Naaman that he seek the help of Israel's prophet, Elisha, to be cured. Naaman was well-respected by his king and, as a commander of the king's armies, had the loyalty of many men. But when he and his entourage arrived at the door of the prophet's home, he got no further. Adding insult to injury, his treatment instructions were relayed to him by the doorman. Imagine expecting to see a doctor and having the receptionist hand you a Post-It with some websites scribbled on it. Of course, you'd wonder what sort of operation this was. You might be pretty incensed if the doctor was any distance away or you'd had to find a sitter last minute when they squeezed you in. And the thought just might creep in, I deserve more respect than this! You probably do; but for Naaman, it got worse. Those instructions he was given? Wash in the Jordan seven times. No fire, no incantation, no waving of a cloak or "holy touch". Just, Leave my doorstep, go wash in the dirty Jordan, and be clean. Not at all what Naaman expected. For Naaman, commander of a king's armies, to travel expectantly to a prophet of Israel's home, be greeted at the doorstep by a bossy servant, and subsequently comply was not as easy as you might think. Additionally, the Jordan River was much less desirable a bathtub than the rivers of Syria, Naaman's homeland. Could he not have sent word of his condition and received his prescription via messenger? Could he not have bathed in a river nearby and dispensed with all the travel arrangements? But doing it God's way required more of him: humility and faith. Not to mention, the be clean part. How, exactly, does one be clean? 

By God's grace, Naaman had some sober-minded escorts. When he initially balked at the idea, his servant threw a little common sense his way (v.13): 

My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’? 

In other words, Look at the great things of which you are capable! Are you not able to do this very simple thing? And he was. And he did. Humbly and with faith. Expectations laid aside like robes on the banks of the Jordan. And, by this simple thing, he was healed. Clean. But to be clean? 

The same is true of those who place their trust in Christ today. We are cleansed, sins forgiven. But just as the disciples before whom Jesus knelt, we collect road dirt as we journey through this life. Unmet expectations that cause us to contend with others. Fear that keeps us from speaking up when something needs to be said. The lives of others imposing on ours, and our resentment of it. The sins we commit are that road dirt and, though we are cleansed, we still have to wash up. Being clean, however, walking in the cleansing of the cross is the way we shorten that list of "road dirt offenses" and lessen the frequency with which we need to wash. Being clean happens when we walk humbly and faithfully with our God moment by moment, day after day. The way we come to Him the very first time is the way we need to come to Him again and again: as those with broken and sick hearts, casting aside our expectations, and humbly, faithfully yielding to whatever He will do in us and with us.

You Can Recover

We often think of recovery in terms of the husband struggling with alcohol addiction and maxed out by the news his job is being eliminated. I'm going to a meeting! Or we think of the drug addict picked up by a hopeful, but skeptical sibling from under the portico of a familiar rehab facility. Would you like me to drop you at a meeting? But recovery is the story of every Christian. We are recovering from a life lived exclusively for self and by self, and turning ever more fully toward a life lived in sacrifice of self and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Samuel 8, the people gathered. Despite having been the bearer of bad news to Eli about his wicked sons (1 Samuel 3), Samuel, it is possible, hadn't done much better with regard to his own progeny. His sons, judges over Israel, were corrupt. The complaint of the people, however justified, left Samuel feeling some kind of way. Unappreciated. Used. Disrespected. But God comforted His prophet with these words:

Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them. (v. 7-9)

In short, If they hate Me, they will hate you (John 15:18). After all God had done for His people, they rejected Him and His system of government. So, benevolent Father that He is, He warns them of the consequences, the behavior of kings: 

This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day. (v. 11-18)

Nevertheless, the people chose to have a king rule over them. And this is where the struggle of recovery resides. The heart of the people was heard in their cry, Even so, this is what we want. Despite the consequences, regardless of the cost, put aside the best decision, forget the long-term effects... The FLESH cries out for instant gratification. PRIDE says, I can handle it. FAITHLESSNESS looks for the immediate and effortless. COWARDICE chooses to ignore reality and hide behind false hope. These competing voices in our journey toward holiness have been heard throughout the ages. They are not any newer to God than they are to mankind. He is not shocked or intimidated by them. He is greater. And He is waiting for His people to cry out, to turn their hearts toward their true King, and walk in the new life He gives to all who would be disciples. Jesus was the Way of salvation for the people mired in flesh, pride, faithlessness, and cowardice all those years ago; He is our Way of salvation today. We can recover from our old ways through the sacrifice of self, in imitation of the selfless sacrifice of our Savior, and by the power of His Holy Spirit alive in us. 

Midweek: Progressing in Discipline

At one time, my former employer practiced "progressive discipline." This form of training was largely dependent on the detailed documentation of frontline supervisors. Supervisors were to document in each of their employees' files three discussion each week --positive or negative --establishing a history that traveled with the employee as they developed (or declined) throughout their career. When an employee was being considered for a transfer, promotion, recognition, or formal discipline, good documentation made assessment pretty straightforward. One could quickly see, for instance, an employee's poor performance had been addressed multiple times, accommodations had been made, and the employee still failed to work as instructed. Further discipline would be required; more consequential discipline.  

Throughout the Book of Judges, we see the Wash-Rinse-Repeat repentance of humanity. Of course, this is the history of God's people, Israel, but are any of us not the same? We receive correction, maybe are spared some of the pain of our poor decisions; we toe the line for a bit of time and slowly slide right on back to our old ways. In Judges 10, things take a bit of a turn. Israel had returned to its previous sins (v. 6). God chose to get their attention with a line of enemies stacked up against them: troubled relationships, financial difficulties, noisy neighbors, sickness. Okay, not exactly in Israel's case; but has God ever used those things to grab your attention? Did you find yourself nearer your Redeemer as you prayed all through the night for a resolution, or when all was well? 

So, the wolves were at the door, and Israel cried out to the Lord for help. Did He answer? Yes, but not in the way He had before. This time He sent them packing: Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress (v. 14). And this time His people repented: 

And the children of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. (v. 15, 16)

Not under the leadership of God's appointed rescuer, not even under the promise of salvation, but under the torment of their enemies Israel turned their hearts toward God. Progressive discipline. As the discipline God allowed (or inflicted) increased in its severity, the structure and stringency of Israel's behavior improved. As God withdrew His blessing, the people began to worship His character. 

And God could no longer endure the misery of His children; He sent a deliverer (Judges 11). 

SPOILER ALERT: The children of Israel returned to their wicked ways (13:1). Does that mean they somehow "got over" on God? that He didn't know they would rebel? No. Just as with my former employer, progressive discipline was designed to correct behavior using the least amount of force possible. If folks complied after a simple talking-to, that was progress: as a supervisor, I wanted employees to progress, not consequences. Progressive discipline favored justice. By correcting behavior patiently, in a self-controlled manner, consistently, and progressively, justice was done. Everyone was given a fair chance. Progressive discipline was structured around the willingness of a person to comply and designed to encourage progress among the entire group. When administered properly and accepted willingly, it is better than progressive discipline: it is progressing in discipline.