Might Could or Use-ta Could?

 By Allen White

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:16-19

The nature of Christmas and God’s mission on this earth is summed up in one word: giving. God gave His Son (John 3:16). Jesus gave His life (1 John 3:16). God’s instruction to His followers is to follow His example: “And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). But, what does that mean? The answer is very clear.

If we have something that someone else needs, then this passage instructs us to have pity on them. Why? Didn’t they get themselves into their own mess? Why should I bail them out? We should have pity on others because God has pity on us. We talk about grace and mercy, but the root of these is really pity.

Most of us are too proud to be pitied. We’re not pathetic. We’re not unable. We’re still in the realm of “might could” not “used to could.” God sees us as “never could.” We never could live up to His standards. We never could save ourselves, so God had pity on us and He gave. Jesus gave His life, now He calls us to give to those in need.

Giving is easy when we know the people in need. We know the story about the hardship in their lives. We know how long they’ve been out of work. We know about the catastrophe that took place. We know about the single mom who has struggled because she hasn’t seen a check for child support.

Who do you know right now that you could do something for? Maybe you need to purchase a bag of staples for their pantry.

Then, there are those that we don’t know. The man on the street, shabbily dressed and in need of a shower, who asks for spare change. What do we do about him? Don’t you think that he would rather have a home and a job? Does he really prefer living on the street and surviving the cold? Maybe you give him cash. Maybe you give him a gift certificate. Maybe you donate to Triune Mercy Center or Miracle Hill in Greenville.

You don’t need to find a program or start a ministry. Just ask God how He wants you to help, and then keep your eyes open to the needs in front of you.

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Griswolds Anonymous

By Allen White

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

We used to live on a street in Turlock, California that was known as “Christmas Tree Lane.” That wasn’t the actual name, but that’s what it became every year. All of the neighbors would elaborately decorate their homes. Even the Jewish family offered a Hanukkah house complete with plywood cutouts of dradels.

Our house actually came with the decorations. The pressure was on. The week before Thanksgiving, all of the neighbors were outside in shorts and t-shirts (it was California after all) hanging their lights and creating their elaborate displays. Ours was pretty basic. Lights hung around the house and in the trees. A few Christmas trees placed in the yard and a pathetic nativity scene. Someone had stolen our baby Jesus, and one of our wise men wasn’t very bright.

Most of us spend an evening or two driving around looking at Christmas lights. Whether you bundle up in blankets and have hot chocolate or load the kids up in their PJ’s, turn up the heat and drive until they finally go to sleep, we like to take in the holiday lights. Houses range from gorgeous to garish. Either way Duke Energy or PG&E are very happy.

The Light of Christmas is certainly the greenest energy available – the Light of Christ. “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” The same God who on the first day of creation proclaimed, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) was at it again. But, this time the light wouldn’t shine in our eyes. It would illuminate our hearts.

So, if the Light of Christ is the light of the gospel, why is it “veiled” to unbelievers? The god of this age has blinded them. The evidence of blindness looks like selfishness, pride, fear, worry, addiction and success. Not everyone is blind in the same way.

But, how could the blind ever see the light? Here’s where the analogy falls a little short. The spiritually blind are not ignorant of God. They are made in His image. They benefit from His grace and benevolence toward all of His creatures. They are confronted with the Light when they hear from science that not all living things originated from a single life form. (The Huffington Post: NASA Discovers New Life: Arsenic Bacteria With DNA Completely Alien To What We Know

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/nasa-new-life-arsenic-bacteria_n_791094.html)

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

How is your light shining today? Are you a Griswold or a Grinch?

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Judah, Rhode Island, and the Messiah

By Allen White

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isaiah 60:1-3

Prophecy is of no use to people who don’t heed it. Isaiah wrote these words from chapter 60 toward the end of his ministry (around 681 BC). The northern kingdom of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 BC or about 40 years before this prophecy was given. The entire known world was under Assyrian control, except for Judah.

Judah was only 1,350 square miles. That’s just slightly larger than Rhode Island (1,213 sq. miles). Everything around Judah was under the control of the Assyrians. The Assyrian Empire totaled about 75,000 square miles from modern day Iraq to Turkey, Syria and northern Israel. This would be slightly smaller than the state of South Dakota (77,122 sq. miles). So imagine Judah, the size of Rhode Island, completely surrounded by a nation the size of South Dakota.

The only reason that Judah hadn’t been taken captive at this point was entirely due to God’s patience. They had been warned for by Isaiah for 60 years (the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah). Yet, they didn’t recognize God’s grace over them.

The people of Judah were caught up in pagan worship and were far from God. Spiritually things were very dark. Amidst this darkness, Isaiah proclaims, “Arise, shine, for your light has come…” The people of Judah probably thought, “Here he goes again.” Isaiah’s words didn’t draw much attention or appreciation. He spoke of Jesus 677 years before his birth (4 BC). That’s a long time to be patient for both God and His people.

Outside of God, there really is no reason that darkness shouldn’t take over the entire world. God’s patience and His mercy keep the light on in this world. In the darkness that surrounds us, the people of God might feel like refugees huddled on a small island. But, our island is not a place to seek refuge and find comfort. Our island is the lighthouse.

It’s our job to point others to the light. It’s our job to shine the light into dark places. It’s our job to allow the light to illuminate our lives and not to let darkness, even in small ways to creep in.

How well are you reflecting the light of Christ this Christmas? How can others see the difference that He has made in your life? What darkness needs to be swept out of your life? The Lord rises upon you!

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You Are What You Speak

By Allen White 

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:10-20

Dieticians might take exception with Jesus’ words. They would tell us that what goes into our bodies matters a great deal. Of course, Jesus and the disciples weren’t taking their camels through the drive thru window either. Their diet was healthier than ours. Mac and cheese was probably not considered a vegetable back then.

Jesus’ point is what goes in tastes great, but what comes out is putrid. Whether it’s the body eliminating waste or the refuse coming out of our mouths, both have the ability to defile.

Some of the things we eat might cause indigestion. But, some of the things we say could lead to “murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.”

No wonder the Bible has so much to say about the connection between evil and our hearts:

“The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil” (Proverbs 15:28).

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45).

Now for the dilemma: We want to be righteous and good people, but sometimes words come out we wish we could take back. Is this proof we are not righteous or good? Do we work harder at becoming more righteous and good? Or, do we just pretend to be more righteous than what we are by carefully choosing our words?

The simple fact is not one person reading this post can make himself or herself more righteous. We could make ourselves more rigid, but not more righteous. Our righteousness comes from Christ. Period.

The Bible tells us very clearly: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5).

You and I are righteous because of Christ. Our righteousness is like “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Okay, so if our righteousness comes only from Christ and righteous people don’t speak evil words, why do these words come out?

1.       We might be having an identity crisis.

Like Rafiki said to Simba in The Lion King, “You don’t even know who you are.” Rather than operating from God’s thoughts about us, we might be falling back into some other definition. Our system might be overridden by old wounds and old tapes. You are not who you used to be. Stop acting like it. Remind yourself of who you are in Christ.

2.       We might need to stop the flow.

There are things we shouldn’t say out loud, especially  to other people – ever. Every thought and every emotion doesn’t have the right to free expression. Don’t throw up on other people. Throw up on Jesus. Take your complaints, concerns and criticism to Jesus. Don’t defile your family or your workplace. Give it to God – He can take it.

3.       We need to come to a greater understanding of Christ’s righteousness in our lives.

All of the Bible scholars out there will get excited about doing a word study on righteousness. More power to ya. Just go over to biblegateway.com and type in “righteousness” in the keyword search. You will be amazed by what God intends to do in your life.

But, knowledge is only one part of understanding Christ’s righteousness. We can have the theology down pat, but lack understanding. After all, knowledge says that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom knows not to put it in a fruit salad. Right?

The pathway to connecting with Christ’s righteousness is surrender. We must admit “I don’t know better than God.” After all, God says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

Before we speak, before we act on our emotions, we must surrender our words and our thoughts to God. We know what we’d like to say, but how do we yield to the righteousness of Christ?

Make this your prayer today: “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

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Rule Followers and Christ Followers

By Allen White

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules. Matthew 15:1-9

There is a safety, almost a comfort, in rule following. You know what to expect. If I avoid ______, I will be highly regarded by my peers. If I sacrifice and do _________, I will be honored by my superiors. The problem is that religion produces a “human doing” not a “human being.” But, that’s not the only problem.

Perfection requires too many rules. We can’t keep up with all of those rules, so we have to pare the list down to one we can keep. Sometimes a group does this for us – a church, religious leaders, a Bible study. As long as we fit in with the group, we feel we’re in right standing with God. But, can you be a rule follower and not a Christ follower?

The Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking one of their rules. Jesus in turn pointed out how the religious leaders had maneuvered things to justify breaking one of God’s rules: honor your father and your mother.

The Pharisees had instituted a practice called Corban. This meant they would designate a portion or all of their assets for God’s purposes. That sounds lofty enough. The problem was now that everything they owned would belong to God once they passed from this life, they were no longer obligated to provide for their aging parents. After all, pleasing God was far more noble than honoring their parents.

Not only were their parents dishonored, they were also destitute. They didn’t have Social Security, retirement plans or 401k’s to fall back on. Their twilight years were the responsibility of their children. But, if their children pledged all of their assets to God, then they were left with nothing.

Which is more offensive: starving parents or unwashed hands? The Pharisees could justify the treatment of their parents, but they couldn’t allow improper hygiene. (For the record, I would opt for honoring your parents and washing your hands). The rules emphasized the unimportant. The rules won’t get you into Heaven.

If you don’t understand rule keeping in Christian circles, hang out with another Christian group or church for a while. What one group would never say, the other group says boldly. What one group would never avoid, another would never partake.

The reality is that most of the rules we worry about simply don’t matter. What rules matter? Well, Jesus gave us the Ten Commandments all over again in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Jesus endorsed tithing (Matthew 23:23). But, above all of the other rules, He gave us two:

 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

And, those are all of the rules you need to keep. The rest of your spiritual life depends on your relationship with Christ. He knows everything about you, and He loves you dearly.

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Christmas is Not Your Birthday

By Allen White 

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:10-12

Black Friday starts at 10 pm on Thanksgiving Day at Wal-mart. What better reason to get away from the family than by buying their Christmas gifts. But, let me ask you a question: what did you give and get for Christmas last year? Are your kids still playing with those toys? Are the clothes still worn? How much is in your garage or attic?

We live in a world of excess. I know, you need to do your part to stimulate the economy. And, don’t get me wrong. You and I can express the gift of Christmas through gifts. I’m not anti-gift. I am pro-gift. I will send a list upon request. But, so much of Christmas really has nothing to do with Christ.

One of the biggest problems of this Christmas 2011 is that it falls on Sunday. Many people don’t want to go to church on Christmas even though Christ is the reason for the “Christ Mass” and the reason we even go to church in the first place. Family traditions have overtaken a significant Christian holiday. (I get a double whammy – Easter falls on our wedding anniversary in 2012).

Will we go to Hell if we splurge on Black Friday or stay home and eat brunch on Christmas Sunday? Absolutely not. In fact, if we shopped every day and never went to church, we could still escape Hell. Salvation doesn’t rely on our works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But, would you agree that Christmas has become excessive? And, for most of us, would you acknowledge that Christmas is not your birthday? What are you giving to Jesus on His birthday?

The Magi gave Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. No rattles. No Baby Einstein DVDs (for the record: Einstein didn’t have any DVDs. Jus’ sayin’).

Gold was a gift for royalty. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Frankincense was burned as an offering to God. It expressed His divinity even as a newborn baby. Myrrh was a burial spice. This represented the fulfillment of His mission on this earth.

The heart of Christmas centers on God’s love for us. “God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). Jesus came to serve and to offer His life as a ransom for ours (Matthew 20:28). Mary and Joseph didn’t exchange gifts with the shepherds. Jesus was their gift.

Jesus’ gifts from the Magi represent His identity, His offering, and His sacrifice. Jesus gave His all to have a birthday. What are we giving Jesus for His birthday? You don’t need to scrap everyone’s Christmas gifts and give only to Jesus. But, if Jesus wrote a letter to Santa (that’s weird), what would He wish for?

Here are some things to think about this Christmas:

1.       Set a budget for your Christmas spending. Don’t presumptuously spend beyond your means because of the irresistibly deep discounts.

2.       Buy presents for your loved ones.

3.       Buy a present for Jesus. Join me in giving to Jesus through the ministry of Water of Life. Water of Life provides fresh water in West Africa and India alongside church planting. People without fresh water and without Christ are receiving both. Let’s give Jesus a water well this Christmas. Water of Life will inscribe “A gift from Jesus Christ” on the well. To donate, click here: http://my.givefreshwater.org/fundraisers/touch-the-untouchables/

4.       Take time to reflect on the meaning of Christmas on December 25. Whether you venture out to a Christmas service or read the Christmas story with your family, take a few minutes on Christmas to reflect on God’s love for you in sending His Son.

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Almost Giving Up on Prayer

By Allen White 

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him. Matthew 14:34-35

November 21 is my son Sam’s 14th birthday. Fourteen years ago, I got to hold him for an hour in intensive care before any IV’s or tubes or surgical scars.

He was brand new in the world. All he knew was the uncertainty of new surroundings and the arms of his parents who loved him.

Sam was born a month premature with an esophagus that wasn’t fully formed. But, in those first 60 minutes, he was perfect.

There was a time during his hospitalization when we didn’t know if he’d ever make it to Kindergarten. Today, he’s in fourth grade.

Sam suffered many complications from surgery. The more we prayed, the sicker he became. It’s not supposed to work that way. We have a good God who is compassionate and bears the power to heal. But, it wasn’t happening for Sam.

On the eve of Sam’s fourth major surgery in the first four weeks of his life, God woke a member of our church, Carol, in the middle of the night. She began to pray for Sam.

The next morning, the hospital sent their oldest and most experienced anesthesiologist to transport Sam to surgery. They weren’t sure he would survive the 12 floor elevator ride let alone the surgery. The parting words from this sage doctor were “And, you know, he might not make it.” Our hopes were dashed.

A few hours later, Sam arrived back from the OR. The staff was animated. Something happened to Sam that they couldn’t explain. They kept saying over and over, “He came back a different baby.”

If God had answered our first prayer to heal Sam’s infection, people would have written it off to good antibiotics. If God had answered our 46^th prayer, people might have chalked it up to stellar medical care. But, when we had reached the point of almost giving up on prayer, God came through – and everybody knew it.

God’s ways are not our ways. God’s timing is not our timing. But, we can trust God. He is worthy of our trust.

Sam’s complete condition wasn’t resolved that day. In fact, the last 10 years have been like shedding the layers of an onion. He had a feeding tube until he was three. At four, we discovered a profound hearing loss. Okay, that was it. No, there’s something else. Then another something, and then another. Today, we’re on a list for testing for yet something else.

Sam is exceptional. He’s intelligent. He’s curious. One day Sam will invent something or discover something. God has a purpose for Sam on this earth. Often I think, “Only God knows…” – usually when he’s driving me crazy.

My prayers over the years have gone from wanting a perfect baby to wanting a repaired baby to wanting him to have some relief from multiple layers of issues. Despite all of this, Sam delights in a recurring phrase, “Life is good.” Wow, really? Sometimes I think life rhymes with “bucks.”

When I look at Sam’s life, I don’t have much to complain about personally. Sam’s life is good. He challenges me to trust God more deeply.

How about you? Can you say, “Life is good?” What is difficult for you to trust God for? Do you feel God’s answer is on the way or do you feel forgotten? If you’re not sure how to trust God more deeply, ask Him. He’ll show you.

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