What's Important

All of us, perhaps, have an idea or two which we hold especially dear and just cannot understand why other people are so obtuse that they can’t accept. It’s plain enough, maybe even a belief we find written in Scripture, but they just don’t get it. Regardless of our persuasive arguments, in spite of our careful reasoning, they remain unconvinced.

Notice that Jesus did not say, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples, by your correct doctrine . . . by impeccable lifestyle . . . by your years of Christian experience.” Instead, He said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35 NIV) If my speaking sounded like the voices of angels, if I understood all the mysteries surrounding the ways of God, even if I knew everything there is to know, but I did not demonstrate love, it would be as useless and irritating as the smoke detector in your kitchen, gone haywire. (I’m paraphrasing I Corinthians 13.)

“While knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.” (I Corinthians 8:1 NLT) Is it really so important that we all appreciate the same music in church? Or that everyone is baptized in the same way? Or that we all use or do not use the latest technology in our worship services?
 

L - O - V - E



Not nearly as important as letting people know they are loved.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved

God Loves

God loves fiercely—always has, always will. Imagine this heavenly conversation:

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The iridescent blue orb called Earth hung like a jeweled pendant in the dark velvet of space. If One looked through the atmosphere that encased the globe, He could see that it was already teeming with life: fish in the seas, birds in the air, all kinds of creeping and walking creatures on the dry land.

"Yes, it is. It's all quite good, but—" He paused.

"I know. It isn't finished yet, is it?"

"True. It isn't finished yet."

They waited.

"Let us make mankind," One said. "Make him in our image! We will provide for him, nurture him, and most of all, love him!"

"Yes, oh yes! But wait! You said 'in our image'?"

"Yes, according to our own likeness."

"We would give him a will? He could choose?"

"Yes."

"But—but he may not love us back!"

"Yes, he may not."

They waited again.

"We should make man," One finally said, "and we should make him with a heart like ours—a heart to will, to create, to love and be loved."

"We know what will happen . . . " The sad statement hung in the air, unended.

"Yes, we know. But some will turn their hearts toward us. And they are worth it."

"Oh yes!  I would rather die than live without them."

And so the work of creation, including the making of mankind, was finished.

You would think that we would love God fiercely in return, wouldn't you? Sometimes we do.

Often we do not.

MaryMartha

God's Way of Working

God so desperately wants people to get the message of His love, that He packages it in visible ways. In His created world, in the written Scriptures, most of all in His son Jesus, and finally in us when we demonstrate the genuine characteristics of the Family.

"All this [newness of life] comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you." (II Corinthians 5:18-20)

►The best way to win people to God's love is to love them yourself.

►The best way to convince people that God accepts them is for you to accept them.

►The best way to assure people that God cares for them is for you to care.

►The best way to persuade people that God will forgive them is for them to experience your forgiveness.

What is your attitude toward someone who has offended you?

"Heal my wound," or

"Be reconciled to God."

"Make good the loss I've suffered," or

"Make things right with God."

"I give up," or
"There is great, good hope for you."

"Mercy for me but justice for you," or

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

God Is Forgiving

One of a series on "The Endearing Personality of God"

What is forgiveness? How can we forgive egregious offenses? How do we know when we have forgiven completely? These are questions we sometimes ask about our own intentions to forgive.

The clearest definition and evidence of forgiveness is in this aspect of God's character.

God's forgiveness is freely offered. God is full of compassion. He is not waiting to catch us in some transgression, but when we fail, He is merciful. (1)

God's forgiveness is thorough. God removes our sin and remembers it against us never again. (2)

God's forgiveness gives us right relationship with Him. We are justified (made right) as a gift of His grace. (3)

Jesus' parable of the prodigal son's return
illustrates the forgiveness God extends to those
who come "home" to Him.

God's forgiveness, however, is costly. Because the blood of sheep and calves could not take away sins, God gave His Son to the world, securing our redemption. (4)

There are some things, too, that His forgiveness is not.

God's forgiveness does not mean ignoring or making excuses. God does not pat us on the head, so to speak, and tell us everything will be all right. (5)

God's forgiveness does not mean "paying back but instead, working for our good. He does not give us what we deserve, but rather we share in the inheritance that only Christ deserves. (6)

God's forgiveness does not mean accepting continued wrongdoing. God forbid that we should use the promises of grace to pursue our sin, casually believing that God will "wink" at it and forgive again. (7)

God's forgiveness does not necessarily mean escaping the natural consequences. There is a "law" of sowing and reaping that applies both to the natural realm and to the spiritual. (8)

How can we forgive?  Watch what He does and learn to do the same.
(1) Psalm 86:15
(2) Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 10:16, 17
(3) Romans 3:23, 24
(4) Hebrews 9:12; 10:5
(5) Romans 1:20
(6) Psalm 103:10; Romans 8:17
(7) Romans 5:20-6:2
(8) Galatians 6:7, 8

MaryMartha

Art from http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures

Little Memorials

On Monday (Memorial Day in the U.S.), I visited the rural cemetery where a number of my extended family members are buried, along with many people I knew while I was growing up. I cherish some of those childhood memories and since Monday, I've been remembering incidents from my acquaintance with them, little memorials in my own heart.

I remember the pink wintergreen candies my grandfather carried in his pocket to give to all the Sunday School children. Who cared back then that he had just shaken hands with thirty people and then dug around in his pocket to dole out the powdery (unwrapped) sweets? Perhaps we were all the hardier for having been exposed to so many germs!

I remember that the same grandpa lived just across the road from my childhood home and kept a pitcher of cold mint tea in the refrigerator. (A real refrigerator, as I recall, not an "icebox," which our family had.) The tea was brewed from peppermint growing beside the house—imagine having that on a sweltering day! (No air conditioning back then) If we weren't having mint tea, we might drink "Big Four," his name for cold cocoa--no one seems to know why.

I remember the home of the other grandparents who lived in a big two-story house. With the doors open downstairs and the hallway door also open, the big horned owl (stuffed, of course) that reigned over the stairway, moved his tufted "ears" in the breeze. I was petrified! On the other hand, Grandma made soft sugar cookies with black walnut icing—to die for!

I remember the aunt who came to the housewarming party that my dolls and I hosted in the orchard playhouse. She brought real refreshments and pretended with me that it was a high social occasion!

I remember the aunt who took me shopping in the city—for a winter coat, I think—and we ate lunch in the department store tea room. An honest-to-goodness tea room! I had a roast beef sandwich.

I remember the much-loved aunt and uncle who every summer invited this country kid to spend a week in the city with my cousin. We played in a yard full of blue morning glories, and rode the bus downtown—a brand-new experience for me. D.W., did we sleep in a tent sometimes?

I remember our friends who had a most intriguing kitchen. A lantern hung from a hook in the ceiling, and was pumped periodically to make the mantle glow. A pump handle, worked vigorously, brought water from the cistern to the kitchen sink. I thought this was really special.

I remember my parents' friends who came to our house sometimes after Sunday evening church service to have coffee and "dunk" doughnuts. We got to stay up late.

I remember the sad news that the baby boy of one of the church families had died during the night. It was puzzling to me that children could die.

Mama, Daddy, I'm grateful for the loving surroundings that nurtured me. These little memorials will outlast the flowers I saw in the cemetery.

MaryMartha

God on My Side

The persons responsible for my early religious instruction made sure that I understood it was my duty to align myself with God's purposes. I was not to concern myself too much with whose side God was on, but whether or not I was on God's side. (Perhaps referring to the statement attributed to Abraham Lincoln?) God doesn't have favorites, I was told; He loves everyone.

While all of this is true, what I failed to understand was that God really is on my side. This is not to say that He is on my side in a way that eliminates good for other people and their plans and programs. He is not particularly on my side as it relates to sports events, political elections, or bargain hunting. But He really, truly is on my side. He has my best interests at heart. He wants good things—but not necessarily just easy things—for me. He guards me, guides me, and provides for me. He watches out for me as a loving, careful father would watch out for his child. He has creative ways of bringing balance into my life.

We sometimes do not realize, in our endeavor to see God's love as all-inclusive, that His love is also very personal. He, in a particular way, suited just to me, loves me! The children's song I used to sing is really true!

I am so glad that my Father in heav'n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv'n.
Wonderful things in the Bible I see;
This is the dearest that Jesus loves me.

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

Oh, if there's only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the Great King,
This shall my song in eternity be:
"Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!"

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

--Philip P. Bliss, 1870

MaryMartha

Loving in Deed

This morning before seven o'clock a crew began arriving at the big two-story house across the street. A huge bin was delivered from the trash hauling company (and carried away full, three times.) A motorized lift sat in the driveway, there so that a painter could reach the high gables. Men arrived in pickup trucks and SUV's with chain saws and ladders, women with paint rollers and hedge clippers until by 10:00, there were over thirty workers on hand. They were part of a city-wide effort by local churches to "love" our city by cleaning, painting, and doing other jobs that improve the living in our hometown. Thousands of volunteers from around thirty-five local churches united in service and outreach to the poor, elderly, or disabled as well as to public properties such as parks and schools.

This endeavor to show Christ's love in a visible way was carefully planned, beginning several weeks ago. From time to time today, I observed what I can only call a transformation in progress. Maybe this was not an "extreme makeover" in the TV sense of the word, but it's probably as close as we'll ever see on the street where I live! Amazing! But the crew didn't stop with painting the whole house, hauling off old furniture, and clearing away a lot of brush. They also did some new landscaping with beautiful shrubs to dress up the front of the house and a stepping stone path through the back yard to the dog house!

John, the Apostle of Love, wrote "Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." (I John 3:18) I saw that demonstrated in such a fine way across the street today.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Better Than Diamonds

Someone asked me the other day if I had special plans for Valentine's Day this weekend. When I replied that I did not, she said, "Me neither. I don't need candy, and I don't need flowers, and I don't think anyone is going to be giving me diamonds!"

Although I like candy and flowers and would welcome any given to me, I already have something better than diamonds! "God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds." (Psalm 19:10 MSG)


♦ Better than diamonds because diamonds can be lost or stolen; they can chip or break; they can burn. Mary of Bethany, hanging on the words Jesus spoke, found something which He declared could not be taken from her. The Word of God, hidden in our hearts and practiced in our lives, is indestructible. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35 NIV)

♦ Better than diamonds because most, if not all, diamonds are imperfect. "The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Psalm 19:7 NLT) To be sure, our understanding of God's instructions is imperfect, but we can rely on the fact that there is unchanging, ultimate Truth and that one day we will see it as it really is. "Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless." (I Corinthians 13:9, 10 NLT)

♦ Better than diamonds because diamonds don't change lives. Countless thousands who believe the Word of God could testify to the difference that faith has made in them. It is not to mere improvement that they would bear witness, but radical life-change. The Word showed the way to freedom in Jesus Christ, brought hope and peace in their times of difficulty, and provided guidance when their way was uncertain.

♦ Better than diamonds because diamonds, contrary to the famous DeBeers ads, are not forever. Twelve precious stones are set into the twelve foundations of the heavenly city; a diamond is not mentioned. That does not mean it couldn't be there, for the identification of some of the stones is uncertain. Whatever the case, any heavenly diamonds are not going to be the same ones that are set in tokens of our earthly loves—rings and bracelets and tiaras. All of these, as precious as they are to us, are worthless baubles when compared to the eternal beauty of the Living Word, ''who being the brightness of [God's] glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3 NKJV)

God's Word is better than a diamond! I'm pretty happy even if there's no candy or flowers!

MaryMartha

Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotation marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Things Mama Taught Me: "Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice"

I was perhaps nine or ten years old and I was sweeping our old, unpainted, farmhouse porch. I found that if I knocked on the floor sharply with the broom handle, little puffs of dust bounced up out of the cracks between the boards. It was pleasant to see that! I would sweep the dirt away, and then pound the next crack to give up its little cloud of dust. Thump, thump. Brush, brush, brush. Thump, thump, thump. Wouldn't my mother be pleased when the porch—including the many dozens of cracks—was swept really, really clean!

No, my mother was not pleased! I was supposed to be doing some other chore, and the intense porch-sweeping was nothing but a delaying tactic. "What are you doing?" my mother asked.

"I'm sweeping the porch. See! I'm even getting the cracks clean!"

"I want you to go right now to do what I asked you to do. Obedience is better than sacrifice." I don't remember if she told me or if I already knew the Bible story from which that lesson comes. King Saul kept back some of the spoils of battle although God had explicitly told him to destroy everything. He then tried to excuse his disobedience by claiming he would make a burnt offering to God. The prophet Samuel denounced the plan. "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22 NLT)

You may think my childhood offense was not all that serious—and perhaps it wasn't, as possible offenses go. But my mother made the occasion and its lesson seem quite serious—or why have I not forgotten it all these years later? It sticks with me as firmly as the Bible story itself!

There are some obediences that God absolutely requires; everything else hinges on these. We are commanded to love God above all, and to love and care for others as we do for ourselves. Sacrifices of time, money, energy, and other resources, even for a cause as great as the Kingdom of God, are nothing if we aren't obedient to these commands. "If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." (I Corinthians 13:3 MSG)

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Art from htttp://www.sxc.hu/

Santa Claus and the Like

One of my blogging friends has expressed some regret that she led her children to believe in Santa Claus because now she considers that she lied to them. I wrote in reply, "When I was growing up, we loved Santa Claus, knowing he was in the same category as other fun things like rabbits who talk (in Peter Cottontail) and the "dish fairy" who surprised my Mom when she got home and found that somehow—almost by magic—the dishes had been washed and dried. "Oh, the dish fairy has been here!" she would exclaim with delight, and I would just giggle because I knew who the "dish fairy" was! We didn't feel anyone lied to us about Santa Claus, but enjoyed the pretending, understanding that it was just that."

Maybe Santa Claus—even pretending—is not part of your Christmas. Or there may be some readers who do not celebrate Christmas at all. I respect our differences, so if you wish, just ignore the remainder of this post. I want to quote a long-lasting bit of tradition. Over a hundred years ago, little Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the editor of New York's Sun:

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, "If you see it in THE SUN it's so."
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

The response was printed on September 21, 1897, the work of newsman Francis Pharcellus Church, and has since become the most reprinted newspaper editorial ever, appearing in part or its entirety in dozen of languages in books, movies, other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

I am not sure the eight-year-old could understand the literate, abstract reply. But we can. " . . .Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were not Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias . . . "

That is echoed in a recent article published in the "Parade" supplement to many Sunday newspapers. Popular author Alexander McCall Smith wrote that there are times when we need to pretend to believe in things that we actually know not to be true. The world is often a place of suffering and difficulty, and justice and kindness and love do not always prevail against these hard realities. "Myths help us to get by," he says. So don't be embarrassed if you want to "believe" in Santa. He stands for kindness and generosity and goodwill, and these things will continue to be alive as long as we believe in them.

MaryMartha

Interesting reading alert!
A copy of the Sun editorial is located at http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

Smith's article is at http://www.parade.com/news/2009/12/13-why-we-should-believe-in-santa-claus.html

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Little Is Much

Two funerals held in our city today drew my attention. One was for a sheriff's deputy who died after being shot during his response to a call for aid. About two thousand people, including the governor and attorney general and a large number of law enforcement officials from the region, attended the memorial service held for him. So many cars were in the procession to the cemetery that sections of some of the main thoroughfares through the city were closed, and traffic was directed to alternate routes. Hundreds of officers and members of a motorcycle honor guard stood with flags at the burial site. A gun salute, "Taps," bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace," and a helicopter flying overhead honored the young man in a way befitting an officer who gave his life in the line of duty, especially since he was a loving husband and father.

The second service was attended by only a few dozen people. "Nellie was God's biggest earth-bound angel," the presiding pastor said, and wept openly as she shared the many ways this Christian woman had shared her life and her love with others. It was a very simple service, with nothing to make it outstanding except the one we were remembering and honoring. The community paid little attention—but God took note.

Little is much if God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you'll go in Jesus' name.
    Kittie L. Suffield (1924?)

MaryMartha

Unconditional Love?

We hear a lot of talk about "unconditional love," and it sounds good, actually quite God-like. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) At our most unlovely, God still loved us and gave Himself for us.

But I must ask: Why did Jesus have to die? Why did God give Himself? He loved us, of course, because He is love; love is His very nature. His love pours out on us not just because there has to be an object to receive His love—He probably loved all the other things He had created too: lions and lambs, caterpillars, robins and porpoises.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
(Cecil Frances Alexander 1818-1895)

The difference is that He wanted someone to love Him in return; He wanted relationship. No matter how strong the attachment between an affectionate animal and his owner, it cannot fulfill the intention God had in His heart to fellowship with a being more like Himself—in His own image. Since He desires something in return, He gave Himself so that we would be able to love Him back. If we don't respond, He doesn't stop loving, but He is disappointed that there is not a mutual friendship. Unconditional love? Yes, because it never quits, even when it is rejected. But that is not the same as a kinship, a close personal connection.

In the context of our human relations, we hear that we are expected to love one another unconditionally. We try so hard to do that, and sometimes we are shocked and hurt because we are not able to make a friend of some person. While we do aspire to love like God loves, with a love that never quits, the same condition exists to build relationship: the response of love. We might express it like this, "I will love you no matter what you do to me, but if you want fellowship with me, you will also love."

Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate [Comforter, Encourager, Counselor, Friend] who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. . . You know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. . . Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. . . All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." (John 14:15-17, 21, 23)

So I did not just make up these rules about unconditional love in contrast to conditional relationship. Actually, Jesus did.

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Tolerance ≠ Compromise

Tolerance does not necessarily equal compromise. Obviously, lots of people in our society are not too concerned about pleasing God in their lifestyle. Many Christians, I think, are afraid of being considerate of them lest they should themselves face an accusation of being easy on sin. And that simply would not do!

In 1998, after Bill Clinton had made a very public personal failure and a public plea for forgiveness, Tony Campolo was called to act as Clinton's spiritual guide and counselor. In an ABC interview, he says he was asked by the President "to deal with his relationship with Jesus, and the sin in his life. That is not something I've made up, that's what he asked me to do. He called me about two weeks ago and said, 'I need for you to come and spend time with me each week to talk about Jesus, and to talk about my relationship with Jesus and to deal with the sin in my life.' "

The interviewer reminds him that people are apt to put a bad spin on this, that he is just being brought in to put a gloss of contrition on a circumstance that is very damaging for the President. And Tony replies, "Let me just tell you what Jesus is all about. It's about unconditional love and being willing to be crucified. . . . If I have to worry about the spin that other people give to my life instead of being responsible to answering to God for my motivation, I'll go crazy. I mean I don't know what the options are. Am I supposed to stand back here and play a game politically and say, 'How could the Democrats use this? How can the Republicans use this?' I'm only interested in one question: How can God use this? . . . I'm willing to be betrayed, if it gives me an opportunity to share Jesus and his love with a man who needs it very much." Was the Rev. Campolo afraid that "tolerance" will harm his image as a Baptist pastor and evangelist? No. He knows that to love as Jesus loved is not compromise.

The late Jerry Falwell, ultra-conservative televangelist and harsh critic of "pagans," abortionists, feminists and gays/lesbians had this to say in an MSNBC appearance in August of 2005, "I may not agree with the lifestyle," [quite obviously he did not], "but that has nothing to do with the civil rights of that part of our constituency." Equal access to housing and employment are basic rights, not special rights, he declared. "Civil rights for all Americans, black, white, red, yellow, the rich, poor, young, old, gay, straight, et cetera, is not a liberal or conservative value. It's an American value . . ." Did Dr. Falwell fear that giving equality to all citizens might be seen as weakness? No. He knew that to treat people fairly is not compromise.

It isn't necessary for us to approve sinful behavior in order to acknowledge another's right to their own choices, even if that is to keep on sinning. After all, it was God Himself who gave that person the freedom to choose. It is only a parable that Jesus told, but the prodigal son's father let him go. He did not force the son to stay under his father's jurisdiction. He was free to sin, just as we all are until we come under "new management."

"What happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified." (Galatians 5:22-24)

MaryMartha

My earlier post related to tolerance/political correctness [here]

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

The interview with Tony Campolo is located at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/trr9839.htm

Jerry Falwell's comments are at http://www.answers.com/topic/jerry-falwell#cite_note-15
under the heading, "Social and Political Views: Civil Rights."

Holy, Holier, Holiest

How would a school get the reputation of being "America's Holiest University"? I'm reading a book written by a journalist who attended there, and that's what he called it. There were rules: no drinking or smoking, no cursing, no dancing, no R-rated movies, and so on. While many young people thrived under that careful discipline, does observing rules really create holiness in a university—or, for that matter, in a Christian?

In the eighteenth century, John Wesley and his brother Charles were leaders of a group of young men at Oxford University, derisively called "The Holy Club" by other students. They met frequently for prayer, study and discussion, and to question one another about their Christian duties and their motives for performing them. Yet even the methodical practice of "holy living" did not produce the genuine state in John; it was not until almost ten years later, on May 24, 1738, that John experienced conversion while listening to a reading of Martin Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.

In the Old Testament, people and things were declared holy because of their relationship to a holy God. They were devoted to Him or dedicated to Him, and God desired them to demonstrate that relationship in practical ways. The New Testament understanding of holiness differs only in the fact that Jesus came to show how it is done perfectly. Without flaw or failure, He exemplified a holy, rightly-related-to-God character. All His conduct was that of a person separated from sin and consecrated to God. The Apostle Paul makes our own responsibility clear: We are to avoid relationships that are forged in darkness rather than light; we must refuse to be driven by values that are incompatible with our commitment to God. Then, "'I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (II Corinthians 6:17-7:1)

What was perfect in Jesus is for us a lifelong exercise in love. "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." (I Thessalonians 3:12, 13)

So it turns out "doing holy," even with the best intentions, is not the same at all as being holy.

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Other Sheep

"I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd." (John 10:16)

Why did Jesus say: "I have other sheep too"? You mean there are people who are not like me that He loves and calls to follow Him? I grew up in a church group that was strongly mission-minded. There was no doubt in my mind that Jesus loved "all the children of the world," whatever their color. We must take them the Gospel, get them "saved," organize them into congregations of believers, and teach them how to behave as Christians—so I thought. When we had accomplished this, we would have little groups of people here and there throughout the world who were, except for the color of their skin and what they served for dinner, pretty much just like me.

I am constantly revising my thinking as I meet people who remind me of the woman at the well. I'm not sure she had any personal beliefs at all. "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain," she said, "and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is where one ought to worship." No confession of her own is evident here. But when Jesus told her about living water that could well up in her like a fountain gushing everlasting life, she replied eagerly, "Sir, give me this water." Even as she went back to her village, she was not sure that this was the Son of God, yet we have no problem believing that she experienced salvation.

Just today I had a lovely conversation with someone whose beliefs and traditions are quite different from mine. An ardent student of the Word, she sincerely desires to draw close to God and to please Him. No, she is not in the same "sheepfold" as I am, but if she's listening to the same Shepherd, how can I say she is not one of the same flock? Jesus' words imply that these "others" already belong to Him; they are already His because they have been given to him by the Father (see verse 29, also 6:37 and 17:6) He must bring them; there is a Divine imperative. Love is the drawing force, and when these others hear His call and respond, we are united by the shepherd into one flock. The oneness comes, not because we are alike, but because we share the life of God through His Spirit.

As I talked with my friend, she exuded light and love. I could not help but be thankful that Jesus has "other sheep."

MaryMartha

Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Things Mama Taught Me: "Be Nice"

Being nice is not all that easy for a kid—or for a grownup either.

First of all, what is "nice"? It's not very specific. Actually, what it meant when I was young was something like, "Stop fussing with your brothers." "Don't tease your little sister." "You mustn't shut the kittens up in that box." As a grownup, then, could I assume being nice means speaking courteously to the bank teller, tipping well at the restaurant, and feeding the squirrels and birds? All of these actions are "nice," but is it enough to do nice things? We could very well be merely acting nice, and not being nice at all. Like the rich young man who had kept the commandments from his childhood, we could bolster our self-esteem with outward compliance and lack the one vital thing: an involvement of our heart. (See Matthew 19:16-22)

Without meaning to, we do sometimes attempt to carry the idea of "niceness" over into our faith life. "I go to church every week," we think. "I support the church and community charities, I don't get drunk, I don't even gossip—am I not a 'nice' Christian?" But one thing is worrisome: How much nice is enough? Would you really want to base your relationship to God on how nicely you can behave, or risk your eternal well-being on your personal niceness rather than the righteousness of Christ? Jesus had stern words for a group of people who had acted nice, but did not keep the law of love. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ " (Matthew 7:21-23)

I appreciate my mother's efforts to train me properly; she did instill a few social graces in me. But I'm glad I know that my "niceness" is not how God measures me. He looks to see if the love of Christ is growing in me.

MaryMartha
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

A Sure Thing

"There's nothing sure but death and taxes," my family used to tell me. Probably by now, older and wiser, all of them are aware of the loopholes in tax-paying for those who want to evade it. So that leaves death as our one certainty. Unless we are caught away "at the last trump" [trumpet], all of us face the inevitable. "No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave." (Psalm 89:48) Ordinarily we prolong life as long as we can, but death claims all of us eventually. The "pull" of the grave is relentless. Although we prefer not to dwell on it, especially when we are young and full of vigor, it is there nevertheless in our cautions and preventive actions.

There is something, though, as tenacious as death and the grave. "Love is as strong as death, its jealousy [or zeal] as enduring as the grave." (Song of Solomon 8:6) While our human love sometimes fails that test, God's love certainly measures up. To the extent that our love reflects His own, it too is enduring.

Furthermore, love is not only as powerful as death and the grave, but even more so! It outlasts everything! "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13:8, 13) If we truly love, we will carry that with us into eternity.

Want to know what's an absolutely reliable thing in our world of change? Not taxes. Want to know what's the biggest thing you will encounter in your lifetime? Not death. LOVE.

MaryMartha
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Living in Perfect Love

The old King James Version of the Bible has had a powerful influence on my life; it is the Bible I quoted when I learned memory verses in Sunday School; it is the Bible I studied as I learned about my Christian faith. But those words translated so long ago sometimes have clouded their meaning in my mind. A case in point: I John 4:18 clearly says (to me), "If you are afraid, your love is not perfect." What an indictment! Of course, I've always had one fear or another, so then my love for the Lord is lacking—a fine Christian I have turned out to be!

"As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. (I John 4:17, 18 NLT, emphasis mine) This speaks of a specific fear: judgment and punishment. Sure, I'm afraid of spiders and high places and strange noises at night. But I am not afraid of punishment for I am one of God's children, living in this world, learning to experience His perfect love—not worrying about my own!

I have always been intimidated by the love chapter, I Corinthians 13. "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (verses 4-7 NLT) Is that not beautiful? And impossible?

But a new concept is soaking into my heart. God is love, therefore it can be said that these verses describe Him—not just how He acts, but who He is. God is patient and kind! God is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude! God is not irritable! God keeps no record of being wronged! God rejoices when truth wins out! God never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful. God endures through every circumstance! Instead of looking with dismay at my well-intentioned but weak performance, I purpose to focus on experiencing His perfect love!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Lost Things

Jesus proclaimed that He came into our world to find and restore what was lost. No, not misplaced keys or runaway puppies or an earring that slid down the drain. People. He came to rescue men and women, boys and girls, who couldn't find their way.

He used three parables, illustrations from the real lives of His listeners. He told one story about a lost sheep. When the shepherd called his flock together, he found that one sheep was missing. He had ninety-nine other sheep, but he would not rest until he had gone out into the wilderness to find the wandering lamb. (The Scripture doesn't say it was a lamb; it might have been a stubborn old ram or an absent-minded ewe, but the picture of the Good Shepherd that hung on the wall of my childhood home makes me know it was a lamb!)

Supposing that it was a lamb, how did she get lost? Was she so busy nibbling at the tender blades of grass that she did not hear the shepherd call? Did she find the grass a little greener just beyond the patch where the rest of the flock grazed? I think she did not mean to get lost; sheep are usually followers. Perhaps she wasn't playing close enough attention, or she got side-tracked, or she was forgetful. She did not decide, early that morning, "I think I'll get lost today." All of a sudden, she looked around—and she was lost.

Jesus told a second story about a lost coin. A woman had ten silver coins. She must have dropped one, and it rolled—somewhere, but she didn't know where. Lighting a lamp, she looked for it. She got the broom and jabbed it under the bed and into the corners, searching for the missing coin. Perhaps she said regretfully, "If I had just been more careful—" The coin had no will of its own. It was not careless or forgetful. It was actually someone else's fault that it got lost. But it was lost nonetheless.

A third story was about a lost son. A young man demanded the inheritance that was intended for him when his father died. With his portion of his father's possessions, he went into a far country, and there he wasted everything with his reckless living. The lostness in this parable is different from the others. This young man got lost on purpose. He ran out of money, but he just kept on staying lost. Not until he was really desperate did he consider letting himself be found.

People are pretty much like these lost things. There are those who don't intend to get lost, but they just wander about on their own until they are a very long way from safety and hope. Others are lost because someone failed them; sadly, no one guarded and guided them. They are somewhere in the dark, hiding perhaps, waiting for someone to care. And then there are those who deliberately avoid the very One who came to rescue them.

When Jesus declared His mission to find lost people, He did not define the search by how they came to be in their lost state. Nor should we. Careless, unaware, or just stubborn—if they're lost, Jesus is looking for them.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Worthy!

The Passion and Resurrection of our Lord in the words familiar to many (the old King James version of the Bible):

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.[1]

He [was] despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.[2]

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."[3]

"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.'[4]

"Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.[5]

"Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow."[6]

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he [was] brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he [opened] not his mouth. . . He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of [Thy] people was he stricken.[7]

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.[8]

I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.[9]

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.[10]

Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. . . When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" . . . Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.[11]

Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. . . The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. . . KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.[12]

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. . . Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation . . . Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing . . . And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, [said], "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."[13] Amen.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

[1] Isaiah 53:6
[2] Isaiah 53:3
[3] Isaiah 50:6
[4] Psalm 22:7, 8
[5] Psalm 69:20, 21
[6] Lamentations 1:12
[7] Isaiah 53:7, 8
[8] Isaiah 53:4, 5
[9] Job 19:25
[10] I Corinthians 15:20-22
[11] I Corinthians 15:51-57
[12] Revelation 19:6; 11:15; 19:16
[13] Revelation 4:11, 5:9, 12,13

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com