A Life Worthy of Imitation

People used to say imitation was the sincerest form of flattery --at least, that's what superstars and politicians would quip when impersonators began swiveling like Elvis or defending their actions like former President Nixon. But the Apostle Paul said, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1). What kind of life was he living that he could recommend others imitate him? I mean, imitate Christ, for sure; but imitate me as I imitate Christ? How well do I have to I imitate Christ that others should follow me? and how often? Is the majority of my life spent doing the will of the Father, as Jesus did? Do I regularly act in such a way that I would be comfortable knowing others were watching my behavior? Does my attitude inspire others to do the hard stuff? Do I daily deny the power and preeminence of my self, meet whatever trouble comes with gratitude that I am counted worthy to suffer as my Lord did, and refuse to pursue anyone or anything but Jesus? Would I ever say to anyone Just do what I'm doing?

That might actually be the end of this article. I might be able to stop with those thoughts swirling through your mind. But there's more...

Whether we say it or we don't, people will watch us. Back to those impersonators. I don't think John Wayne ever reached out and asked anyone to stagger to center stage and drawl, Well, howdy, Pilgrim. I don't think Vice President Harris petitioned Maya Rudolph for her spot-on winks and hair flips. But people were watching. The personalities that stand at the front --even for a moment --of our homes, our churches, our businesses, our social circles, our neighborhoods, these are the people that we are watching, whether they've asked us to or not. And they are watching you. Your children watch you. Your parents watch you. The lady that lives on the corner watches you. The guy that stands outside the convenience store smoking watches you. Your pastor watches you. He does. The mail carrier watches you --don't you watch her? If you're watching the guy that seems to be just an ordinary guy, doesn't it make sense someone else is watching "ordinary" you? I don't say this to stir within you some sort of paranoia or inflated self-consciousness. I say this because we are living epistles, ambassadors. We are living epistles of the Good News of Jesus Christ or the tragic narrative of a world in darkness, cursed and headed for death. We are ambassadors of Christ, urging others to be reconciled to God, pointing the way to a new life in the righteousness of Christ, or we are living as citizens of this world, blending in with the old, hiding the light of Christ that is within us, and leaving those around us as hopeless as they were before they ever laid eyes on us.

You are where you are today for a purpose. There may be someone in your life --someone imitating Christ --whom you should be watching. But there might just be someone who is watching you. What sort of life are you living? How are you handling the pressure cooker that is raising your disabled child? How are you embracing the chaos that greets you at your job every morning? How are you loving on your difficult mother-in-law? How did you respond when your pastor talked to you about doing door-to-door evangelism last month? Are you living a life worthy of imitation? Are you prepared to say, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ"?

A Word to the Proud

I am so pleased!

You did a great job!

Never, never I am proud of you. 

I don't tell my children I am proud of them. Perhaps you think that's harsh, but somewhere along the line, we have been conditioned to believe every child needs to hear the words, I am proud of you. I don't believe that is true. In fact, I believe teaching a child to seek those words from anyone is wrong. 

In Matthew 25, the Parable of the Talents used by Jesus to explain the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says the master tells his faithful, diligent servants. "Well done, good and faithful servant; ...Enter into the joy of your lord." Well done. Not, You make me so proud! A good job is rewarded, and the compliment given is to the person who did the good job. It's not about the master; it's about the faithfulness of the servant. Though the servant may have been seeking to please his master, the applause is all his; his obedience and industry are at the center of this celebration. And does the servant "take pride" in his efforts? If so, Jesus doesn't say that. As a matter of fact, in the explanation that follows (Matthew 25:31-46), those who inherit the blessing, "the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world," appear to be unaware they were doing anything worthy of their reward. Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger... or naked... or sick... or in prison? They were simply going about obeying the first command, to love God, and the second, to love others. 

I say all of this because it is June. We have entered the month-long celebration of sin known to some as "Pride Month." Webster's defines pride as inordinate self-esteem; lofty self-respect. Extra. More than is healthy or socially prudent. But here we are. The sad irony of this is, those who choose to be a part of this celebration of homosexuality do so by embracing the sin of pride. Pride which God hates; pride which is in direct opposition to God (Proverbs 8:13; James 4:6); pride which leads to disgrace and causes strife, the very opposite of wisdom (Proverbs 11:2; 13:10); pride which is unloving (1 Corinthians 13:4); and pride which leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18). As if celebrating one sin isn't enough, we have to wrap it up in the abomination that is pride. But that is what sin does. One sin leads us to the next and the one after. It's a rabbit hole, a slippery slope --choose your euphemism; but it is sin, just the same, and it will be dealt with. Isaiah 2:12 (AMP) says:

For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against all who are proud and arrogant
And against all who are lifted up,
That they may be degraded.

A word to the wise is sufficient, as one of my high school teachers used to say; and I pray that a word to the proud will not go unheeded. 

No Oil? No Light

Months ago, I wrote an article entitled One Word: Period! I had noticed some devotional writers and radio personalities were encouraging people to make a single word (presumably from God) their focus of 2024. I would urge folks to use caution when trying to distill a message from God into a single word for an entire year, or at least that's what I said in the article. I mentioned finding several brand-new lighters as I was out walking and hearing some words about light all within a couple weeks of each other. Light must be my word, right? Not since that time has light even come to mind; there have been no more lighters, no holy whispers, nothing. In fact, the only thing remotely related to light was catching the eclipse and the sunlight waking me at 6:00 every morning, even when I've hoped to sleep late. That is, until this past week. Over and over The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) came up --in articles and books I was reading, in conversation. Tell me what sort of conversations you have to be having to casually mention The Parable of the Ten Virgins. Anyhoo, I relented and spent a couple days studying the parable. Take a few minutes to read it carefully using the above link, and then continue for some of my takeaways:

First, the very first verse of Matthew 25 says, "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to..." When? At Jesus Second Coming. If we look back to Matthew 24, that's what Jesus is talking about: what things will be like when He comes back again. So often we focus on the ten virgins, or maidens. When we start talking wise vs. foolish, we want to put ourselves in one category of another --obvious which we'd prefer --but we move the focus from what the kingdom of God will be like when Jesus returns to What am I like? or What should I be like?

Second, each one of these young ladies had a lamp and the responsibility to let their light shine. Each one, however, did not have oil; some had nothing but empty lamps. When I was raising our oldest children, I wanted to do everything right --more than that, I wanted everything to be right. When things went wrong I denied or blamed; I tried so hard to be everything to everyone, to create the illusion that our lives, my children, I --we were all just perfect. Eventually, the wheels fell off. I was exhausted, I had exhausted my children, and without Jesus, nothing had any real substance. My lamp was empty. When Jesus comes back to earth, some will be found burning brightly with the Light of the World in their hearts; others will be dry.

Third, these five foolish virgins were unable to borrow oil from the wise virgins.  But, of course, this isn't about oil. Mom can't "pray enough for both of us." I might come from a long line of preachers, but there is no "Jesus gene;" Pappy's spirituality can't serve in place of my own relationship with Jesus. Come Judgment Day, we will be judged based on the fuel with which we filled our lamps --good works, a godly pedigree, intelligence, or Jesus. Those who do not have their own relationship with Jesus, eternal fuel for the fire in their hearts, will be excluded from the Wedding of the Lamb. No excuses. 

Fourth, the bridegroom tarried. But he's not the only one. The five foolish virgins dashed out at the last minute to get oil. Why did they not have it to begin with? Distraction? Procrastination? Oversight? Maybe they were unsure of the quality of the oil the last time they saw it on the store shelf. Or maybe the price was too high; they figured they'd wait for a sale. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (emphasis mine). Jesus' return will be sudden and, for some of us, our deaths will be just as sudden. No time to talk to a pastor, look up that verse that the street preacher was quoting, or even make a quick confession. In the twinkling of an eye. To wait is not an option and no other "oil" but Jesus will do.

Light. Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Only Jesus in you is light for a dark world. Will He find you burning brightly at His return?

Made to Lie Down

Psalm 23 is one of those more familiar passages of Scripture. If you've ever been to a Catholic or Protestant funeral, you've probably heard it. Maybe you memorized it in Sunday school when you were a child. It brings comfort...until it doesn't. When my mother was living with us, someone brought to my attention the practice of reading, reciting, meditating on and regularly studying Psalm 23 as part of personal worship. I began digging into it once a week in my quiet time and reciting it every night as I tucked Mom into bed. I say it nightly with our youngest even now. But as I read it this morning, one of the more comforting images in the passage caused me to sort of recoil. The second verse in The Complete Jewish Bible says, He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water. Beautiful, serene, right? Not for me; at least, not today. 

What came to mind as I read was Luci, our really high-energy four-legged family member. Our yard is protected by a solid wooden fence. Two doors down lives a German Shepherd whose nose knows when Luci comes outside. It almost seems as though he lies in wait and, when Luci settles in sniffing contentedly or gnawing on a toy, he lets out these terrible bellicose barks. Because Lu is unable to see him and is reactive to other dogs, she responds by jumping on the fence, tearing her claws into the paint and gouging the wood. In short, she loses her mind. To prevent all of this chaos, I command her to lie down at my feet. If she begins to stir, I gently remind her: this is her place, and it's for her own good (and my sanity). When the Shepherd barks, Luci whines and fidgets; she anxiously glances from me to the fence and back again, but so long as she is lying right by my feet, she (usually) remains. She doesn't like it; she wants desperately to react; but having her lie down is necessary to avoid a whole lot of drama and prevent her from responding to things she will never control.

The season I am in right now is difficult. I have all of the typical obligations: wife, mother, dog owner, citizen, etc. And I have been trying to maintain activities I love to do -- teaching, writing, things that confirm my existence is not solely in relation to other people, that I am God's daughter, and I have a personal relationship with Him. However, in this season, one of the hats I wear is particularly taxing; it is chaotic and emotionally draining. And, in some ways, I feel that job has put me on the bench with regard to the others --especially those things I enjoy. I have been made to lie down in grassy pastures or more like put out to pasture, as they say. At least, that's how it feels to me. More than once, I have tried to "figure out" what God is doing or --even more often --tried to dig my way out. Maybe if I.... How about changing the way I...? All along, however, God has been assuring me that if He has placed me somewhere, it is according to His plan; and if I obey, He will get glory and I will know good. But that's not always easy to remember. Like Luci, I hear the turmoil, I sense the threat; there are things I can do! Put me in, Coach! 

As I lie in this grassy meadow, feeling out of touch from some of the ways I used to serve Him or some of the ways in which I was able to spend more time serving, I can meditate on Scripture. 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. (Zephaniah 3:17) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 40:10) My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) Our God is a promise keeper, and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine. And sometimes He keeps us on the bench --or in the grassy pastures --not because we need to rest, but because we need to not respond to things we will never control. Sometimes we have to be protected from ourselves. Sometimes we need seasons in which we come to know just how desperately we need to keep our eyes on our Shepherd and not attempt to work in our own strength.  

Wherever you are today --in the pasture or in the fray --know that if God has placed you there, He, Good Shepherd that He is, is right there with you and leading the way.