Levitated Mass

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, there is a massive outdoor sculpture called "Levitated Mass." It is a 340-ton, 21-foot-tall granite boulder placed over a 456-foot-long concrete trench, creating the illusion that the enormous rock is floating above visitors as they walk underneath it. The colossal stone is supported by two iron shelves bolted into the inner walls of the trench, which descends from ground level 15-feet below the stone at its center.

Although the artist that designed this unique sculpture did not intend it to be viewed this way: If you imagine this giant rock represents the enormity of your sin, the only thing that keeps you from being crushed by the force of its weight are God’s mercy and God’s grace. This is a perfect illustration of how the punishing justice of God is held back by the two essential elements of our salvation—mercy and grace. Without God’s mercy we’d be crushed under the weight of our sin. And without his grace, we’d get exactly what we deserve—damnation.

Instead, we receive salvation, all because of God’s Son and His substitutionary atonement upon the cross. Thank God today for saving you from your sin and providing the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Savior!

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You with all my heart for Your incredible mercy and grace. I am humbled and grateful that, though my sin is great, Your love is greater still. Thank You for saving me from what I deserve and for offering me forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Help me to live each day in awe of Your kindness, and may my life reflect the joy and freedom found in Your salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What If Jesus Was Never Born?

“It’s A Wonderful Life” is such an inspirational film because it reminds us how precious our lives really are. No matter what awful things may be going on in our lives, we should never lose hope. We should never give up or think that our lives are insignificant. Each one of us have impacted the lives of other people. Some have had a positive impact, others—not so much. But for those who have sought to live a righteous life, something would be missing in this world, if for some reason we didn't exist.

As true as that is for you and me, think about how much more significant that is for the person of Jesus Christ. Think about what life would be like if Jesus was never born!

First of all, if Jesus never existed, we would have no Christmas. Can you imagine how different your December would be without Christmas?! And not just Christmas…We wouldn’t be living in our current “Year of our Lord.” Jesus split time in half. Everything before Jesus was B.C. We now we live in the A.D. This is a new era, defined by Christianity—a Christian Age.

Now there are some stone-cold atheists that believe our world would be better off without religion altogether. But, in my view, Christianity is one religion we couldn’t do without. History tells us that at one point, half of the population of the Roman Empire in the first century A.D. were slaves. Slaves, in both Greek and Roman culture, had the same value as livestock. They looked on slaves with contempt—as less than human. But Christians taught that slaves have the same value to God as a free man. Christians introduced a concept of equality not based on wealth, might, or class. Without Christianity, would this concept have ever developed?

Although it is true that Christians participated in the slave trade, and that some slave owners in the American South also professed faith, it was devout Christians in both Britain and the United States that worked together to end this horrible practice, which was thousands of years old. Christianity was a great influence in helping end slavery in the United States.

And what about women’s rights? During the first century A.D. women had few rights in the Roman Empire. Women in Athens had the social status of a slave. Roman women had more freedom, but none of the rights of a male citizen. Jewish women were not allowed to speak in public. Although there are still ways that women are fighting for equal status in our society, the Suffrage movement was largely Christian women who fought the battle to gain voting rights for women in this country. If Jesus was never born, women would be not be as well off in this world as they are today.

What about the issue of social welfare? Compassion for the less fortunate was not a prominent teaching in Roman or Greek culture. In fact, it was rare. There was no such thing as a public hospital. During the plagues, historical accounts tell of the dead and dying being thrown along the sides of the public roads, and left unburied. It was the Christians who came out of hiding to help the sick and dying, often being persecuted, and sometimes killed by officials for doing so.

After the legalization of Christianity by Rome, Christians established public hospitals and hospices. The Christian philosophy of helping those in need was a shocking contrast to the treatment of the sick, poor, and disabled in the cultures of the time, and of the cultures that came before. Most of the largest charitable organizations on the planet today were founded as Christian welfare programs. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army are two of the most prominent.

Some in our world would point to the Crusades and the Inquisition as examples of Christianity being a great oppressor, and even a great evil. Certainly there have been wars and atrocities performed in the name of God. But the truth is, Christianity has been and always will be a force of great good in this world. Human beings have learned compassion and generosity from the new religion begun by a poor Jewish carpenter over 2000 years ago. Without Jesus, I believe that we would live in a brutal world, where each person looks out for his own interest, where women are treated as weaker, inferior sex objects and possessions, and children grow up in homes with little safety or stability.

Overall, I believe that Christianity more than any other religion has contributed to huge humanitarian advances in culture, law, government, music, medical care, social welfare, and more. And these are only the physical, non-spiritual, benefits of the Christian faith.

John Lennon once sang a song asking us to imagine a world with no religion. Take that a step further: Imagine a world without Jesus. I have—and it makes me shudder! Without Jesus, we would be lost in our sins. On the day we died we would stand before God with no hope, no forgiveness. God’s wrath would be upon us instead of his mercy. Thank God for sending his son to Bethlehem. Without Jesus, we’d have no Savior. Without Jesus—there’d be no Christmas (and no Easter for that matter) In fact, there’d probably be no Fourth of July (No United States). Bedford Falls would not exist. This world would be one big Pottersville!

Because of Jesus each one of us has the hope of eternal life. All you have to do is place your faith in Jesus Christ. God sent him to earth on a mission. His mission was to save humanity from the curse of sin. You and I can receive forgiveness if we just open our hearts to Jesus. Through Him you will find hope. Ask Him to come in and take control of your life. Let go and watch what Jesus can do. He’s changed the trajectory of the world! He can change your life as well!

(Excerpt from sermon script, Sunday 11/29/2015)

Sources:

“How Christianity Changed the World” by Alvin J. Schmidt

“What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?” by D. James Kennedy

The Hidden Meaning of Locusts and Honey

During Sunday’s service I spoke about the medical symbol that was featured on the front of our church bulletin.

We have probably seen this symbol many times and not understood that there is a biblical origin. I used the children’s sermon to explain the significance of this snake wrapped around a pole. It comes from a story in the Old Testament book of Numbers 21:4-9. Read it for yourself if you’re not familiar with it.

This story was the basis for the mythical tale of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. And it is the rod of Asclepius that medical students learn is the meaning behind the medical symbol that has been adopted and accepted today. But it is clearly a myth that was based on the actual event that took place in the wilderness during Moses’ journey to the Promised Land with the Hebrew people.

The story is an obvious foreshadowing of Christ being lifted up on a pole (a Roman cross) to provide spiritual healing for those who looked to him for salvation.

There are many examples in Scripture in which Jesus is foretold as the promised Messiah. For instance, in Matthew 12 (and elsewhere in the Gospels), Jesus is challenged by the religious leaders to show them proof of his divinity. But Jesus responded: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (v.39). The sign of Jonah refers to the Old Testament prophet’s three-day submersion in the belly of a whale. This foreshadowed Jesus’ three-days spent in the belly of the earth (the tomb).

The Bible contains many “hidden” messages like this. But they are only hidden to those who are closed-minded and hard-hearted. For those that have ears to hear and eyes to see, the messages will be clearly understood. You just have to look hard enough: “Seek and you shall find” (Matt. 6:33)

During my devotional time just the other day, I came across a prophetic hint that I’d never noticed before. It’s found in Mark 1:6 which describes the appearance and behavior of John the Baptist. John was kind of a weird guy. He probably would have got along well with many of the “hippies” of the 1960’s or fit in well with the bohemian lifestyle of modern-day gypsies. John the Baptist was Jesus’s cousin. He was a voice in the desert, preparing the way of the Lord and making His paths straight (which is a creative way of saying that he was “rolling out the red carpet” to make it easier for people to find their way to God). Being a wanderer, such as he was, John the Baptist lived an austere life in the wilderness outside of the populated areas in Israel. His ministry was so unique that people took note of the way he dressed and what he ate: John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Now there is a detail within that verse that I never noticed before. It is a detail that actually explains God’s plan of salvation without revealing it outright. The verse tells us that John the Baptist ate locusts and honey. Locusts are insects that swarm and are most often associated in the Bible with plagues or pestilence. They are a sign of judgment. The eighth plague in Egypt prior to the Exodus was a swarm of locust that covered the land and destroyed all of the crops in Egypt.

By the way, I saw my first cicada yesterday. We’ve been warned that they were coming this year. And sure enough, I found this little guy propped up on the front step of the church parsonage yesterday. They are harmless, of course, but they do make quite a racket!

Now imagine a bug like this covered in sweet honey. Would you eat it? John the Baptist did!

So now that you know the kind of fellow we’re talking about, what makes John the Baptist’s daily diet a clue to God’s plan of salvation? These two menu items are descriptive of the Gospel message. The true Gospel message consists of two things: the Law of Moses, and the Grace of God. You can’t have one without the other. The Law of Moses shows us the depth of our depravity and our utter inability to obey the Commands of God. That’s the bad news. That’s like swallowing a locust!

But the Law is followed by Grace which goes down much smoother. Because we cannot keep the Law on our own, we have the gift of God’s Grace to help us survive the plague of sin and receive the sweet blessing of eternal life. The Gospel literally is a message of “locusts and honey”. It is only when sinners see they are in terrible danger that they will cry out for the mercy of God! The plague of God’s wrath is satisfied by the sweet honey of His amazing grace! Do you see the connection now between John’s diet and God’s plan of salvation? This is just another example of how the Scriptures, when properly digested (pun intended) reveal such incredible spiritual truths to our hungry (pun intended again) hearts 😊

Prayer: Lord, help me to follow the example of John who was a shining light to those in darkness and in the shadow of death. I ask that I be prompted to tell sinners to prepare the way for the Lord and make every path to him straight as an arrow. Like John, if there are riches that hinder my way—force me to toss them aside. If the love of a man or woman, love of family, or sports, or the love of the praises of men get in the way, may I push those things aside and give You the rightful place in my heart and life. Show me the secret places in your Word where Your plan of salvation and Christ the Messiah are revealed. Confirm my faith by the witness of your Holy Word. In Jesus name, Amen.

Sincerely in Christ,

J. T. Bean
Lead Pastor
Ebenezer Reformed Church
309 E. Park Street
Morrison, IL 61270
Phone: (815) 772-2472
www.ercmorrison.com

📖 Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Reflection Questions:

• Can you think of any other stories in the Bible that are clues pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah?
• Why do you think so many people fail to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy?
• What can you do to increase your evangelistic passion?
• Who in your life needs to hear the message of salvation?
• Will you humble yourself and have the courage to tell them?

 

A Scatalogical Message from God

Jeremiah 23:23-24 - “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.

OK, this is going to sound weird but, listen up: God spoke to me yesterday. Wait, that’s not the weird part: He spoke to me using bird poop. Now before you write me off as a crackpot, or chalk this up to an April fool’s prank—let me explain.

About 5 weeks ago—it was the day before Lent began—we had our first session of the Lenten video Bible study. The study was entitled “Everyday Jesus”. The speaker, Pastor Pete Briscoe was talking about something odd called “kitchen window” communication. He shared a modern-day parable about a man who lived in a house and never spoke to anybody except through his kitchen window. The lesson being, that oftentimes we place limitations on how we experience the world, and especially how we experience God.

Each of us have our favorite or acceptable ways in which we allow God to speak to us. Some of the common “kitchen window” experiences of God include: music, nature, prayer, Scripture, studying theology, meditation or maybe a mystical experience of some kind. We all have our preferred way of experiencing Jesus. This personal preference is our “kitchen window”.

Still with me? Ok, good—I’m going to get back to the bird poop, I promise!

Briscoe explained how Jesus very simply and humbly spent time with his disciples. They walked everywhere they went. This is a very humble mode of transportation. As they travelled, Jesus pointed out very simple, everyday objects to illustrate a spiritual lesson. He told his disciples to look at the birds, the flowers, a fig tree, a mustard seed, a farmer, a coin—it was in the ordinary things of life that God can be seen. The point Jesus was making is that God can be seen just about everywhere if we are looking for Him. However, we limit ourselves to a “kitchen window” experience of God rather than opening ourselves up to the possibility of God showing up everyday in unexpected ways.

So at the end of the video session, Pastor Pete told a story about how he went on a walk and saw a little patch of grass clippings on the ground and it was perfectly formed in the shape of a heart. He took a picture of it and showed it to everyone. Then he invited us to look for our own hearts. Yes, things in the shape of hearts. By doing so, we would be opening up a new door or window of our life to experiencing God. Finding hearts was a way of hearing God say, “I love you” through common, everyday things. His point was that Jesus is bigger and broader than we realize and he will break into our lives in unexpected ways if we are honestly seeking to find him.

Well, I had kind of forgotten about this searching-for-hearts thing until earlier this week when one of my parishoners, who attended the video session, sent me a picture of an egg she had fried. The yolk broke onto the skillet in the perfect shape of a heart!

With this reminder, I went out on a walk yesterday. I took a different route than normal (because a woman from the church had stopped in the office earlier in the day and suggested I take my daily walk through the town cemetery). Why someone would tell their pastor to take a walk in the graveyard was a bit strange. (Is that a hint, or something?). No matter, I decided to take her up on it and headed toward the old tombstone gardens. On my way, right outside the local pizza joint, I noticed a small blemish on the sidewalk. It was the remnants of a bird dropping, exquisitely formed in the shape of a heart. Don’t believe me? See for yourself…

Unmistakable! That is a heart sent by God just for me to see. It’s been raining since yesterday so you won’t find this mark on the sidewalk today. There was a small window of time for this particular message to be seen. And I just happened to walk by, on a unconventional route, to see this bizarre love letter from Jesus.

Bizarre indeed! The point of this message for you today is not to limit the ways in which the Lord can speak to you. He is here and there—in the ordinary (even scatological) things of life!

During this Lenten season, and this season of physical distancing, I invite you to be on the lookout for hearts, crosses, fish, doves—anything that reminds you of God’s eternal and everyday presence. He is there in the midst of the loneliness and suffering of a worldwide pandemic. He has told us: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The word “behold” means to “open your eyes” or to “look”! If you find a sign of God’s love in your everyday comings-and-goings, be sure to take a picture and send it to me. It might be fun to see often and in how many different ways the Lord reveals Himself to us!

J. T. Bean

Lead Pastor

Trinity United Methodist Church

210 N. Main Street

Swanton, OH 43558

Phone: (419) 826-2492

www.trinityswanton.org

P. S. - If you would like to watch Pastor Pete Briscoe’s sermon I was speaking of, it’s on YouTube at this link: Everyday Jesus | Part 1: Everyday Jesus

Christianity is a Crutch...and That's Good!

Back when I was in seventh grade, I hurt my knee playing kickball in gym class. I’ve never met anyone that blew out their ACL playing kickball—but that’s truthfully the way it  happened. Turns out I had some torn cartilage as well and I had to have surgery. The injury happened in April or May, toward the end of the school year and after the operation I had to spend the next 8-weeks in a full-length straight leg cast. I spent that whole summer hobbling around on crutches.

I bring this up because Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura once said that religion is a crutch for "weak-minded people who need strength in numbers." Other noted atheists have said similar things using the illustration of a crutch as a sign of weakness. The criticism implies that religion is used by people of faith as a coping mechanism for their anxieties and insecurities.

But after hobbling around all summer after surgery with a bum leg, my answer back (in the form of a question) would be: What's so bad about a crutch? People don't usually look at a crutch and say, "That's bad." A crutch is actually a very useful thing. My crutches allowed me to get around despite the limitations of my recovery from surgery. Without them I would have been immobile. So why does a crutch become a bad thing when it refers to religion?

Answer: Because we don't like to see ourselves as cripples. We like to think of ourselves as healthy and self-sufficient. We take pride in our ability to get around on our own. So as Christians, we tend to get defensive when people go about labeling religion as a crutch. But look carefully at what Jesus said:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17). In other words: It is not the able-bodied that need a crutch, but the crippled, lame and wounded. Guess what? That’s you and me. That's all of us. Nobody is perfect. We’re all sinners and in need of healing. That’s why Jesus came to help us.

The common belief is that we are NOT cripples. The world says: "I'm OK. You're OK. We're all able in body, mind and spirit to get along just fine without God. In fact, there are many generous, good-natured people who have no connection to any religious institution whatsoever and do not espouse any particular faith." Instead of embracing faith, our popular culture believes that happiness and fulfillment in life are to be found in the pursuit of things like: self-reliance, self-confidence, self-determination, self-esteem and self-admiration.Think about each one of these...

1.  The world endorses self-reliance. There’s no need to rely on God or exhibit the childlike faith that Jesus calls us to. That’s for sissies! If you want something done right--you have to do it yourself. Just do it!

2.  The world embraces self-confidence. Don’t trust God. Trust yourself.  The idea of submission is for weak people, stand up for yourself! Believe in yourself and go for it! You can do anything you put your mind to. 

3.  The world promotes self-determination. We're told early on in life to pick a path. Follow your heart. Pursue your dreams. Set goals and in life and go after them. But when Jesus says, "Follow Me," or "Do my will," we react: "No way! What about my own free will? I'll determine my own destiny, thank you."

4.  The world values self-esteem. You’re beautiful. You’re gifted. You’re smart. You’ve got what it takes. Don’t look down on yourself. You’re a winner! Everyone gets a trophy in sports these days. That’s all about self-esteem. But Jesus says, "Your self-esteem comes from being created in the image of God. You are fearfully and wonderfully made." So even though you’ve fallen from grace, through faith in Christ, you’re forgiven. By God's grace, you’re restored. You are redeemed.

5. The world is obsessed with self-admiration. Love yourself. Worship your own image. In fact, take 100 selfies and post all your pictures on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat. But Jesus says: Love God, worship Him alone. And love others as God has loved you.

Do you notice anything about the ways of the world? The world's values all revolve around SELF. Our culture has become so self-obsessed without realizing the impact of it. It’s a religion of self-worship that actually has dominated the world ever since Adam and Eve fell in love with the image of their own independent potential apart from their Creator. It is the reason why they rebelled against God.

Then along comes Christ, our Messiah, not with a sword, not in power or prestige, but as a humble little baby! He arrives in a manger (a feeding trough for animals). Born in Bethlehem, to a poor carpenter in a smelly stable. Then as a grown man he begins teaching things like: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). It’s not at all what people expected the Messiah to be. This is why Christ is a stumbling block for many people—because He takes the disease that we hate most, namely, sin and helplessness, and instead of deflecting these things the way the world does, Jesus says: Recognizing your sin is the first step toward a cure. Admitting your personal weakness is the answer. Helplessness is the doorway to heaven.

The teachings of Jesus challenge our normal way of thinking. What Jesus taught was radical and counter-cultural. It was so radical, it made a lot of people angry. Mostly to the religious people. His words were a threat to their status quo. Jesus took the idea of being “poor in spirit” (which is normally viewed negatively) and he turned it upside down. Now being humble (poor in spirit) is the key to the kingdom.

This certainly is a hard teaching of Jesus. We don’t like to think of ourselves as weak, wounded, lame or crippled. But the Bible reminds us that we are dust. We are sinners. We are sheep. We need to be childlike. Being “poor in spirit” means understanding who we are in the blinding light of God’s magnificent perfection. We are but shadows. We are a mist. We are nothing. 

When you understand that, what does Jesus say? The poor in spirit—yours is the kingdom of heaven! Wow. That’s quite a deal. I’ll take that crutch any day.

Without a Name...You're a Nobody

There may be nothing more valuable to you than your name. I watched a movie recently called “The Stanford Prison Experiment.” This was a real study sponsored by the Psychology department at Stanford University back in 1971.

On campus, over summer break they turned some empty classrooms into a mock prison and recruited volunteers to play the part of prisoners and guards. They were promised to be paid $15 and told that the experiment would last 2 weeks. The purpose of the experiment was an attempt to investigate the psychological effects of the struggles between real-life prisoners and prison guards.

The first thing that happened is the prisoners were stripped down and given was a gown to wear with a number on it. And once the experiment began prisoners were not identified by name but by their number. The use of ID numbers was a way to make prisoners feel anonymous and to take away their sense of individuality.

Long story short, the experiment ended after six days as the guards took their role way to seriously and became demeaning and sadistic. And the prisoners became too fearful and depressed to continue.

It was strange watching this movie where every one of these mock prisoners were tagged with a number and their names became irrelevant. It made me realize just how important our name is to us. It may be our most precious earthly possession. Because without a name, who are you? 

You’re a nobody.

A name helps you identify yourself. But it is more than that. Something about you is revealed when you tell someone your name. 

Sometimes names have meaning. My name, James, means: "he grasps the heel". It is a form of the Old Testament name "Jacob" who followed his twin brother Esau out of the womb while holding on to his foot. Later in life, Jacob became quite the artful deceiver. The meaning of his name is how the phrase: "you're pulling my leg" was coined. (And no, I am not joking. This is true.)

Other times, names often can tell a person where you’re from. Surnames like Grabowski means you’re probably Polish. Smirnov, you’re Russian and Wang, you’re from China.

A name can also tell people what it is that you do. In the British Isles, names like: Baker, Butler, Carpenter, Miller or Smith. These were all occupations that became surnames.

Other times, mostly in Scandanavia, names told people who’s your daddy was: Anderson, Carlson, Wilson and so on.

The point is, without a name it’s hard to get a grip on who a person is, where they’re from or what they’re like.

Perhaps this was the struggle Moses faced when God revealed himself to him at the burning bush. Moses took off his sandals, standing on holy ground. He knew he was being spoken to by God. But he just had to ask: "What is your name?” Moses wanted a tag or a label to attach to God so that the Israelites could know something specific about who sent him.

This is the first time in Scripture that God actually identifies himself by name. And he does so by saying my name is: “I AM”. It’s a strange name. It sounds more like a broken sentence. A fragment. I am…what? Well, there is no “what”. God just is.

It’s like when your kids asked when they were little: “Why is the sky blue?”

Did you answer them by explaining all the complicated atmospheric variances? Did you tell your kids about the Tyndall Effect? Or Raleigh's scattering of inversely proportionate molecules? 

No. When your kids asked you if the sky was blue, what did you say? You probably said: “It just is.” Why? Because explaining the complex reason behind why the sky is blue is too much for a 5-year old to handle. This is the same reason why, when Moses asked God what his name was, God said, my name is: “I AM.”

In other words, God is too complex, too majestic to be explained within the confines of a a single name. The fact is, there are over 900 different names in the Bible, all trying to describe an indescribable God.

I Hated Bill Brown

Compared to most people, I'm a late bloomer. It wasn't until my college years that I first I understood how much bitterness and unforgiveness affected me. It was then that ran across an old nemesis of mine: Bill Brown.

The funny thing was, Bill Brown didn’t even know that I hated him or held anything against him. He had no reason to think that because I never told him how much I hated him. I never told him how much he hurt my feelings back in grade school. You really have to hear the whole story to get how ridiculous this is…

It all started when I finished the sixth grade. That summer I went to Honey Rock camp for a two week sports camp. I was supposed to be in a cabin with kids my own age but one of the counselors was a player on my dad’s soccer team at Wheaton College so he recruited me to be in his cabin with guys that were in high school.

Think about what you were like as a 6th grader and if you were a sophomore in high school, how would you have responded to some puny 6th grader invading your cabin space. Well, Bill Brown, I’ll just say it. He was a jerk. One day, for no reason, he stole my shoes and threw them in the lake. They were my new shoes. He didn’t throw them too far, I retrieved them off the murky shores but they were filled with mud and soaking wet of course. Worst of all, they were my only shoes. I was so angry I did the only thing I knew how to do at the moment: I cried.

A couple of the guys I remember felt bad for me and treated me really nice after that. But not Bill Brown. Oh sure, he apologized. But only because the counselor made him do it. Even though he said he was sorry, I knew he didn’t really mean it. So I didn’t really forgive him.

Turns out, 3 years later, I entered high school and Bill Brown was a senior and every time I saw him in the hallway I’d get all these evil thoughts that would run through my mind, like: “Wouldn’t it be great at the next cross-country meet to stick ex-lax in his Gatorade. That’d show him!”

I never did that. But the thought of revenge was always in my mind. And I held on to that hurt and secretly hated Bill Brown all that time. But the funny thing is, the more I held on to it, the more he seemed to cross my paths. Wouldn't you know it, a few years later, when I was a freshman at Wheaton College, I ran into Bill Brown again. I was on the soccer team, he was in cross-country and his locker was right across from mine.

By that time, the anger had run its course and I had to deal with this and one day I just said to Bill Brown: “You know Bill, you probably don’t remember me (he interrupted and said, “Yeah you’re the little turd who’s shoes I threw in the mud!)… No he didn’t say that…. I said: “Back like 10 years ago you threw my shoes in the lake at Honey Rock and I’ve never forgiven you.”

You know what. He didn’t even remember doing it! But the amazing thing was, he apologized anyway. And from that day on we were best friends!

Actually, not really. But the truth is, I let go of that bitterness. It was this stupid incident that I refused to forget and let go of and it kept eating away at me and just to get him back I secretly hated him—how stupid is that! The only person who I was hurting was myself. 

Colossians 3:13 says: Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

This is a verse that’s talking about loving others through the act of forgiveness. Although holding a grudge or getting revenge is our natural response to being hurt, it is really an act of hatred in our heart. We want those who hurt us to suffer and feel the same pain they inflicted on us. But that human logic is a trap. We need to understand that forgiveness is not saying that what somebody did was right or that there shouldn’t be consequences for what happened. It just means that you let go of your anger and hurt and give it to God so that you can move on with God’s purpose for your life. Don’t let the Bill Browns of your life hold you hostage.

When it seems impossible to be gracious toward someone, just remember one thing: Jesus forgave you. He erased all your sins when you believed on him and received him by faith. Remembering the grace God has shown you will give you the strength to be gracious to and forgive others.

So where do you need to extend grace today? Perhaps you need to forgive someone in your family. Perhaps it's someone at work. Or in your church. Maybe you need to forgive yourself. Maybe it's God you need to forgive. It's time to make that decision to let go. It's time to extend your hand, dare to smile, build a bridge. It's not easy. It's not natural. But when we forgive we find that a prisoner has been set free. And that prisoner, is us. 

Coping With Grief

There is a popular myth among Christians that we should always be happy, put a smile on our face and always be ready to shout out a “Hallelujah” or “Praise the Lord”. But real life isn’t always a joyful experience. We know from John 11:35 that “Jesus wept”. He even told us in Matthew 5:4 that those who mourn are blessed.

So let’s not walk around pretending to be joyful. Christians should be genuine about the struggles going on in their lives. One of the biggest struggles we face living in a fallen world is coping with loss—otherwise known as “grief.”

Grief can be defined with synonyms such as: 

• agony
• anguish
• bereavement
• despair
• discomfort
• gloom
• heartache
• heartbreak
• melancholy
• misery
• mourning
• pain
• regret
• remorse
• sadness
• sorrow
• trouble
• unhappiness
• woe

These are all emotions we all have had to endure at times—often for extended seasons in our lives. They come upon us whenever we experience a significant loss. It’s not just death that causes grief. Grief is triggered by other losses such as: childhood trauma, unemployment, sickness, a breakup, bankruptcy, divorce, etc. Our gut reaction to feelings like this is to run away from them or to replace them with alternative thoughts that take our minds off whatever is making us miserable. This is a natural response but not a healthy one. In 1Thessalonians 4:13, the Apostle Paul tells us that there is a difference between the way the world grieves and the way we should grieve as Christians.

You may remember a relief pitcher for the California Angels named Donnie Moore. He couldn't seem to resolve his anguish over losing an American League championship series game to the Boston Red Sox back in 1986. He was quoted in the paper saying: “I accept the fact that I am the goat in this series. It’s just going to have to be something I live with.” Well, he never did accept it. And he couldn’t live with it. He had a nervous breakdown three years after the event.  And in a moment of torment, he shot his wife and then shot himself…. That’s an example of how someone with no hope deals with grief.

Now compare that with another baseball pitcher named Dave Dravecky. Because of cancer in his left throwing arm, Dravecky lost not just a game but a career, his livelihood, his pitching arm, and his entire left shoulder. I met Dave a couple of times at church events where he was invited to speak. As a Christian, Dravecky took care to rebuild his life and is now the author of several books and a motivational speaker and a great inspiration to so many who have had to overcome tragedy and loss. God’s way of grief looks much different than the world’s way.

Modern therapists will tell you that there are 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance. Notice how the first four stages all seem to be negative. There are difficult stages of dealing with loss that are required before we can get to the final stage of acceptance. I'm sure we all wish we could skip over the tough ones and just accept our losses without enduring any pain. But the sorrow is necessary. In fact, it is healthy. When learning to deal with the loss, there is a counter-intuitive requirement for us to live with pain and actually experience sadness. Our society provides many escapes through pleasure-seeking and other precarious outlets such as drugs and alcohol to dull our sensitivity to pain.

The challenge of grief, is to embrace it. Like Jesus, we need to weep. Allowing the full gamut of emotions to flow through us actually helps to heal the wounds of bereavement. To heal from heartache we have to sit next it for awhile and let it overwhelm us. That’s how you move through the stages and get to the other side of health and healing. 

No one said it would be easy. But it is worth it in the end. For when we receive comfort from God, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:4, we will be equipped to provide the same comfort to others in the process of grief. This is how our Lord redeems our sorrows. Once healed, he turns them into ministry opportunities that allow us to relieve the burdens that others may carry. That is God’s way. His good, pleasing and perfect will. 

God Doesn't Hand Out Participation Trophies

For a long time now, the trend in Christianity has been to avoid talking about sin. Many pastors avoid talking about it from the pulpit for fear that it will offend people or drive them away. We don’t like to focus on things that make us feel ugly, embarrassed or like a failure. After all, we live in a time when everybody gets a trophy just for participating! And since we all like to think of ourselves as fairly good people, the subject of sin makes us uncomfortable. 

If you had fun, you won!

But is that the way it works with God? When this life is over, do we all get awarded with a trophy just for participating in the game of life? Unfortunately, the answer is, “No.” Eternal life is a reward that only those who are forgiven of their sin can attain. And there is no way on earth for us to attain salvation by our own good deeds. Without “atonement” for our sins, we are dead—separated from God and hopelessly condemned. The Bible is very clear about this in Ephesians 2:8-9 (and many other verses as well): 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.

The bottom line is, we have to talk about sin. It’s exactly what is keeping us from God, and it has been the biggest problem in the world throughout all of history! Why wouldn’t we address “sin” in church?

But still, we avoid the topic because it makes us feel guilty. We all know that no one is perfect. We all have sinned and even as believers who sincerely seek to follow Jesus, we still sin—continually. Day after day, this sin problem plagues us because we were all born under its curse. Read Romans chapter 7 and you’ll understand that the struggle to overcome sin even exhausted the Apostle Paul. 

If there’s one thing we can learn from our Catholic brothers and sisters, it’s the importance of going to Confession. Though I don’t believe this should be viewed a holy sacrament--it is an important spiritual discipline that you should practice regularly. And though I don’t believe you need to make confessions to a priest, I do believe you can go directly to Jesus, our High Priest in heaven and confess your sins as many times as you need to.

1 John 2:2 says: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

In other words, Jesus is our “advocate”, the one who speaks on our behalf before God the Father to provide cleansing and purification for our sins. Because of what Jesus did on the cross as our substitutionary sacrifice, we have forgiveness through Him whenever we confess our sins to him in prayer.

No doubt, sin is a bad thing. It is responsible for all our world’s worst pain and tragedy. But there is a solution. His name is Jesus!

The Intersection of Two Wills

God is sovereign. He chooses those who will be part of his kingdom. But what part do we play? Aren’t we just subjects of God’s will then? Required to do whatever he determines without a choice in the matter?

Shakespeare once said that all the world is a stage, and we are all players or actors in this cosmic play. So if that’s how you want to look at it, God is like the director of the play. He gives us a part to perform, and there is a story to be played out, but here’s the difference: Free will requires that we act out on the stage of life without a script. Life is ad-libbed. We improvise. Each day we act out without rehearsal. That’s free will. 

So even though God knows the whole story and he gives us the part to play, he doesn’t put words in our mouth. We are free to move and act upon life’s stage as an extemporaneous performer.

Another way to look at it is to imagine God is like a football coach. He draws up a perfect game plan for life. The players on his team, however, do not execute the game plan perfectly. We all mess up, run the wrong routes, jump offsides, miss a key block and get penalties called against us. On top of that, we are playing against an enemy that is trying to disrupt and defeat God's game plan.

Despite all our mistakes and all the schemes of the opposition, God is able to adjust the game plan. He doesn't panic when a play or two goes wrong. He can take setbacks and turn them into a victory in the end.

These illustrations are inadequate for sure. Namely, they assume we are trying to cooperate with God in accomplishing His purposes. But they are simple ways to illustrate the complexity of how God's will intersects with our free will. 

But here’s how our will is different than God’s will. God’s will is untainted by sin. His will is perfect. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation said because of sin, our will is in bondage. Our will is in bondage because of our sinful nature. So even though we do have an ability to make choices, our choices will always be tainted by unrighteousness. That’s why God has to take the initiative. In order for us to have faith, God has to give it to us. Faith is a gift. God gives it. We receive it and decide whether or not we will open it, obey, and follow him. 

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t force us to love Him? He gives us the choice. We aren’t slaves forced to love him, or robots programmed to obey. Divine love allows for us to reject God if we so choose. The choice is up to us.

I believe in free will. Even though the term is not found in the Bible, we are created in the image of God. Unlike animals, which act mainly on instinct, we resemble our Creator in our ability to do and act as we please. To a great extent, we have the capacity to determine our own futures. The Bible encourages us to “choose life”. God dignifies us with a free will, the power to make decisions of our own rather than having God or fate determine what we do.

Proverbs 16:9 says it this way: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. What that says to me is: We are chosen by God, yet we, in turn must choose him. We plan the course of our lives, but God has established our steps.

Why Is God Jealous?

Some years ago Oprah Winfrey was asked a question on television about her spiritual journey. Among other things, she indicated that a particular stumbling block for her was when her pastor claimed that God was a “jealous” God. This was in conflict with her view of God of as all-loving. She seemed to bristle at the idea of God being jealous of her, or anyone for that matter. You can view the clip of her statement here: A Jealous God?

She said, “something didn’t feel right in my spirit” when her pastor said that. However, the Bible clearly teaches that God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5 states, "You shall not bow down to them [other gods] or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God." How are we to understand God's jealousy when the Bible also says that jealousy is a sin (Galatians 5:20)? Isn't this a contradiction? No, because the jealousy that pertains to God is not the same as the kind we display as human beings.

The key is context. In Exodus 20, God revealed the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel. He commanded allegiance and worship to Him alone. He would not tolerate the worship of other gods (a practice common in Egypt and other nations). God was "jealous" in the sense that He expected full devotion, not merely a partial, lukewarm commitment. Worship belongs to God, and He is right to be "jealous" of it.

In other contexts, jealousy is listed as a sin that we as human beings are to avoid. In these cases, jealousy refers to being resentful over something another person has. It could be a material possession ("I am jealous of his Lexus"), a physical attribute ("I am jealous of her slim figure"), or a special ability ("I am jealous of the way they can sing"). Such jealousy is often associated with suspicion, envy, and rivalry, and it is always sinful. Instead, we are called us to be content in all circumstances. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:11-12).

Jealousy and envy as human sin is evident in the earliest pages of Scripture. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous that his brother’s sacrifice to God was acceptable, and his own was not (Genesis 4). Later in Genesis, Joseph's brothers were sinfully jealous (or envious) of Joseph (Genesis 37:11). They saw Joseph as a rival for the father's attention, and their sin of jealously led to other sins. They sold their own brother into slavery and lied to their father. Years later, these brothers felt guilty for their shameful acts that resulted from jealousy.

Yes, God is a jealous God. But the question that makes God’s jealousy different than ours is: “Why?” The reason God is jealous is because He will not share His praise with another: "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols" (Isaiah 42:8). God carefully maintains and protects what is rightly His. This is divine jealousy, and it is worlds apart from the type of sinful jealousy that causes people to envy, suspect, and resent others.

Human jealous is rampant and dangerously so. It was out of envy that Jesus was falsely accused by the religious authorities of crimes that sent Him to the cross (Matthew 27:18). The spirit of envy is one of the classic signs of human sinfulness (Romans 1:29). The spirit of envy is numbered among the works of the flesh that turns a person from God (Galatians 5:21).

Envy is numbered among the deadly sins because it can kill you. It can kill your joy, your hope, your peace, and your capacity to love. It can kill your faith and the sense of the nearness of Christ. It can kill your will to believe and your motivation to obey. It can kill your sense of fulfillment because, no matter what you do, someone has done more, or done it better, or done it faster, or done it with greater recognition and praise. Left unchecked, envy can kill everything that makes you a ‘human’ being. Like a weed, it must be identified and uprooted immediately before it spreads and chokes the life out of us. Envy rots the bones. 

You Low-Down Dirty Dog

Second Samuel chapter nine highlights the rags to riches story of Mephibosheth who wondered why King David would ever show favor to a nobody like him from the town of nowhere. Have you ever thought something like that? Why should the King notice me? Why should I receive such kindness from God? Aren’t I a low-down dirty dog?

I’m sure we all felt those self-loathing sentiments. But the truth is, despite who we are—God still loves us! God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead He extends mercy and grace. It’s an amazing story that's true of everyone who believes!

Being Good and Angry!

Psalm 7:11 says: God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.

We see in this verse that God gets angry (he “displays his wrath”). We also see that his anger is an everyday occurrence. This is not surprising because there is a lot that we humans do that would make God angry. An alphabetical list of common sins includes: 

• Adultery
• Blasphemy 
• Covetousness
• Dishonesty
• Envy
• Fornication 
• Greed
• Hatred
• Idolatry
• Judging
• Lusting
• Murder 
• Pride
• Resentment
• Stealing
• Unforgiveness
• Vanity
• Wickedness

...and the list could go on and on. But what Psalm 7:11 tells us about God’s anger is that he displays it in a way that is “righteous”. He judges our sins properly—identifying them for what they are—offenses against God and others. Unlike us, God does not ignore or excuse sin. He doesn’t “rename” sin and label them with less offensive terms such as: failures, faults, shortcomings, or mistakes. He calls a spade a spade. Sin is sin.

Notice that on the list of frequent sins, I did not include “anger.” It is clearly not a sin to be angry. In fact, if any of the above sins were committed by someone against you, it would certainly make you angry. But anger—if left unchecked and out-of-control—can lead us to commit some of the sins above. It’s interesting to note that all you have to do is add one letter to the word anger and look out! Danger!

Anger is an emotion that bubbles up within us not unlike lava in a volcano. Scientists who study this, known as “volcanologists” have discovered that magma chambers deep in the earth build up pressure until they reach the surface. The pressure of these chambers are released through “vents” that often result in eruptions of lava, ash and pyroclastic debris. The destructive capacity of these eruptions depends on the amount of pressure that builds up below the surface.

This description of volcanic activity can easily be compared to the increase of anger that takes place as life’s circumstances create stress and pressure within us. If we don’t have a healthy way to “vent” our anger, we will erupt and spew wreckage upon our co-workers, friends and family. It isn’t easy to control our anger, but it is possible.

Acknowledge your anger. Find the root cause. And release it appropriately. God allows for anger to exist so long as it is properly channeled. Pray for God to help you keep your cool. Seek His forgiveness (and others) when you blow up. Above all: Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. And do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Don't Worry, Be Happy

It doesn’t seem possible but almost 30 years ago, Bobby McFerrin wrote a catchy tune in which the "instruments" in his a cappella song are entirely overdubbed voice parts and other sounds made by McFerrin whistling, humming and drumming himself. The song is entitled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and you probably know the tune and catchphrase by heart (see the attached YouTube video). It became the first a cappella song to reach #1 on the Billboard charts and won a Grammy Award in 1989 for “Song of the Year.”

Within the song, McFerrin wrote these lyrics:

In every life we have some trouble

But when you worry, you make it double

Don't worry, be happy

'Cause when you're worried, your face will frown

And that will bring everybody down

So don't worry, be happy

Although I did not play this song during the worship service yesterday, the lyrics reflect the words of Jesus when he says in Matthew 6:34: So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Dwelling on worrisome thoughts doubles your troubles. And it affects your facial appearance and negatively impacts your influence on others. Learning to be as worry-free as possible is actually an important testimony to an unbelieving world.

The worst kind of worry is when you say in your heart, “Things are going so good, that something bad is bound to happen.” In other words: “Everything is going so great in my life right now; I'm sure God's getting ready to pull the rug out from beneath me.” This is actually the woeful expression of a lack of faith. If you read between the lines, the Bible says that's how Satan was able to get at Job. He was constantly afraid, constantly worried. He was always thinking, “What if my sons are not obeying the Lord” and he would go make a sacrifice for them. "What if... What if...."  If you're "What if-ing" yourself, you are setting yourself up. 

God says, “I don't want you to worry.” He wants us to be like Him. Do you realize that God never worries about anything? So if you and I are going to be like God, like Jesus Christ, we need to learn not to worry. 

When You're at a Crossroad in Life

Back in the Bible times of the Old Testament, there was a prophet named Jeremiah who wrote down a word of instruction he received from God. This divine message was intended for the people of Judah who were faced with a choice. They could go down the path of destruction or take an alternate path that would lead to peace and rest.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask where the good way is, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Jeremiah 6:16)

This passage of Scripture applies to each of lives. After all, life is a journey. And we all come to significant moments in life’s journey when we have to decide which way we are going to travel. Do we go left or right? Do we stop and rest or keep going? Do we set up camp, or pick up and move on?

Everyone goes through seasons of transition when we are feeling a little “lost” and want the assurance that the path we are on is the right one--that it will get us where we want to go with the fewest detours and potholes. The advice in this verse is simple. When you face a crossroad in life, there are three basic instructions to follow:

1. Stop and look around.

To me, this means that you need to pause and think about where you are and what you are doing. Don’t just charge ahead based upon which path seems to be easiest or most logical. There may be other important signals to pay attention to that will lead you in the right direction. We are often prone to rush forward because of our “hurry-up” lifestyle and culture. Pause. Take a breath. Maybe even say a prayer. There is wisdom in “slowing”. Pace yourself. Stop. Look around.

2. Ask which way is best.

Now I know men are typically scolded by their wives for “not asking directions.” That’s because another tendency we have is to move ahead without talking to God or to other trusted friends who may have been down this path already and could offer some good advice.

In my devotional reading today from Our Daily Bread, I was reminded that the Native Americans were the State’s first highway route engineers. With a few exceptions, most major highways follow the trails they cut through the wilderness hundreds of years before the white man came. A trail started out 12 to18 inches wide, and for safety the people followed single file. Then pack horses followed these trails, widening them. Later came wagons, and the trails became dirt roads and then highways. If they were smart, the first white men who wanted to venture into new territory asked the native indians who had been there before. They had blazed a trail already and knew which path to take.

The point is, when we follow the well-traveled paths of those that have gone before us, we have assurance that we will get to our intended destination safe and sound. Unfortunately, there are times we are prideful or stubborn and believe we can get where we want to go by blazing our own trail (doing things our own way). This is a risky choice. When faced with a crossroad, we are advised to “ask” and rely on the wisdom of those that have already been there and done that.

3. Take the good path and enjoy the results!

Once you have learned which way is best, the Lord says, “travel its path.” The result? “You will find rest for your souls.” Obviously, taking the good, Godly path—the one that leads to life—will provide you safety and security. Today’s reading from Our Daily Bread ends with this admonition: “As God’s men and women, let’s make certain we cut a righteous, wise, and clear trail. Then if ongoing generations choose to follow, the trail can become a highway—an ongoing legacy to God’s glory.”

J.T. Bean
Email: jamestbean@gmail.com 
Twitter: @58beans
YouTube Channel: JTBeanScenes

Facing Your Fears

I was watching a documentary on the Biography channel about Mel Gibson recently. No doubt his reputation in Hollywood has been badly damaged by his frequent battles with alcoholism, outrageous anti-Semitic remarks and some crazy ill-tempered phone messages released by a former girlfriend. However, there is no doubt that Gibson has been a powerful force in the movie industry; first as an actor, then as a director and producer. What I discovered by watching his biography was that his success was fueled by his willingness to take chances that few Hollywood players, even to this day, are willing to take.

I was surprised to find that Mel Gibson is considered as one of Hollywood’s most courageous filmmakers. For instance, Gibson was the first person to be awarded the People Magazine “Most Sexiest Man Alive” designation. Yet, in his directorial debut a few years later, he chose to play the lead role in which his greatest asset was badly disfigured (“The Man Without A Face”, 1993). His next acting/directing endeavor involved a little-known 13th-century Scottish warrior named William Wallace (“Braveheart”, 1995). Following that, Gibson risked failing badly with his decision when directing “The Passion of the Christ” to hire unknown actors, as well as using subtitles with a script entirely in Aramaic and Latin. These are not decisions that are considered “safe” bets in the big business of Hollywood moving making.



What was interesting to me about all this was when he was asked in an interview why he seemed inclined to embark upon such risky projects that go against the traditional blueprint for Hollywood success. In his answer he spoke of a friend who challenged him once by saying to him: “Guess what happens when you don’t take a chance?...Nothing.”

That quote stood out to me in the Gibson biography because it challenges me to adopt the same mentality. I believe there is pressure for all of us to choose the safest, less risky path because if offers us the assurance of the least possible resistance. In other words, playing it safe is easy. Taking risks requires great effort. And too often we resist that extra effort and chicken out. We take the path that requires the least out of us. And in so doing, provides us with the least opportunity to grow.

Those who are courageous are willing to face their fears, undaunted by the prospect of failure. Sure it is an option, but the rewards are deemed worth the risks. So if you don’t want more out of life...do nothing. If you don’t want to grow...do nothing. If you want to linger in disoriented mediocrity...do nothing.

But guess what happens when you take a chance?...Something...Maybe everything!

I gotta grow!

J.T. Bean

Email: jamestbean@gmail.com
Twitter: @58beans
YouTube Channel: JTBeanScenes