Day 78: Clean House

Luke 11:24-26

New International Version (NIV)

   ²⁴ “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”


I know, I know. It's been a while. No excuses, but a few explanations: first, I've had a hard time over the past couple of weeks, and I guess I just needed some time to figure things out. No major life issues or anything like that, but I started looking back at my life, at all the things I *thought* I would have accomplished by now, and all the things I haven't done, and it hit me pretty hard. It's not easy to realize that so many of your life goals haven't come to fruition. (Second: I wrote this blog last night, but the cosmos ate it. Trying again and crossing my fingers)


But I prayed a lot about it, and as usual, God answered in a bigger and different way than I ever expected. We are so blessed to serve an Almighty God who cares about us, even in the small things!


Soooo... I'm back. I've been revitalized, refocused, and I'm recommitted. Now, for this passage. I have to admit that this has been a super hard one for me. I studied for a week, and read it over and over again, and never felt that I was "getting" it. I read commentaries about it, but I wasn't satisfied with the answer. Many of them said that this passage refers to filling our lives with good; that the evil spirit came back to the house because it wasn't filled with good things. I feel that concept is refuted by the statement that the house is "swept clean and put in order". The owner of the house isn't negligent, and he hasn't left it in disarray. He's made positive changes to it.


I asked one of the wisest people I know, and he pointed something out to me that I should have paid attention to before. In Matthew 12, the parallel passage adds a clear explanation: "That is how it will be with this wicked generation." As always, the answer is there. And that answer is that Jesus is saying that, even though he's been falsely accused and wearied and harassed by the Pharisees, things will get worse. 


They do get worse... to the point that they murder the very Son of God. And it reminds me of the generation that we live in today. I see things now that I never would have dreamed of when I was in high school (which wasn't that long ago, thank you very much). The times, they are a'changin', and our society will accept almost anything. The mind reels to think that it could get worse. But it will.

Even so, there were some who believed through it all. There were some who loved Him, followed Him, even died for Him. We are looking for the some.

Day 76: We Can't Handle The Truth

Luke 11:21-23

New International Version (NIV)

 ²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

   ²³ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Was Jack Nicholson right? It is true that "we can't handle the truth"? I have to admit that for the past few weeks, I've been thinking about something that is really bothering me. The more I talk/listen to other Christians, the more I realize that we as a people are fearful. We're fearful of offending. Fearful of standing up for the truth. Fearful that someone will think that we think they're wrong and accuse us of "judging" them. To a certain extent, I think we've given in to postmodern society that we live in... the one that tells us that there is no truth and that you can believe whatever you want as long as it's true for you.

Satan loves relative truth. But God has always taught that 1) truth exists, and 2) that there is only one. Jesus was merciful and compassionate, but He was also upfront. He didn't compromise. And here He tells us that if you are for Him, you are against Him. Period. Bottom line.

There was an alumnus visiting HCU today who has spent nearly thirty years establishing a church in his home country of Switzerland. He said that he thought it would take 4 or 5 years; it's taken 27. But he also said that the congregation is small but very faithful. They encourage everyone to "count the cost" before they make a decision to become a Christian; if they aren't willing to change their lives and live as a Christian, they don't encourage them to go ahead with it. (This is a biblical principle, by the way; see Luke 14:25-33). I'm not sure that we'd be bold enough to do this here in the States. 

There is only one truth. And Jesus taught that truth. In fact, Jesus IS that truth. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it's also the only way to salvation. But if we're not willing to stand up for it, to teach it, to live it, we are against Him.

Day 75: The Truth Will Stand

Luke 11

 14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

So, I just got home from the debate between Kyle Butt, renowned Christian apologetics scholar, and Blair Scott, renowned atheist. It was... faith affirming.

There are a few things that I was reminded of tonight. 1. My faith is based on truth and reason. 2. I have studied and continue to study the issues to the best of my ability, and my faith stands. 3. God's commands for my life always, always turn out for the best. Every time If he says it, it works. If infallible wisdom isn't proof, I don't know what is.

What does this have to do with these verses? It seems to me that what Jesus is saying here is that the truth will come out in the wash. People will deny it, defile it, and try to crush it. They'll even look right at the truth and attribute it to a lie. But in the end, the truth stands. Always. And that is worthy of my praise.

Day 74: Better Than Christmas (And That's Saying A Lot!)

Luke 11:5-13

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
   ⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
   ¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”


Whoa, whoa, whoa... back. the. truck. up. 


For the past... oh, thirty-three years or so, I've thought that verses eleven and twelve talked about how the Lord gives good gifts to those that ask him. In fact, it's a little ironic that I reflected on these verses just today. I was feeding Brennan supper, and Jess was gone to band practice, and I started thinking how fun it would be to see his little face light up if I gave him some orange sherbet. So I did, and it did, and it was great fun, and I thought, "If we know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Father give good gifts to those who ask Him."


Well, that's not what it says, now, is it? What it says is, "how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him"! It compares the Spirit with those great, beaming-smile-producing gifts you give your kids! In my mind, that's huge. I don't know why I'm only now beginning to see how jam-packed the gospels are with references to the Spirit and His power in our lives. 


Also, I think it's interesting that this teaches us to ask for the Spirit. I think we have a tendency to think of the Spirit's entrance into our lives as happening at baptism, per Acts 2:38, and from that point He's just kind of... there. But it seems to me that we can be granted more and more of the Spirit's presence in our lives, and I think too that His presence grows as we get rid of more and more of the sins of our hearts and allow Him more and more room.


I, for one, intend to start praying fervently for more of the good gift of the Spirit in my life. Yay... it's like Christmas morning here!

Day 73: First World Pains

Luke 11

¹ One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

 ² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

   “‘Father,^[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.^[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ Forgive us our sins,
   for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.^[c]
And lead us not into temptation.^[d]’”

This is the third day that I've read/contemplated this passage. And I admit that the last two days, I've read it, stared into space, thought a lot, sighed... and then closed the computer. For reasons I couldn't quite put into words, this passage was just a little bit overwhelming to me. But tonight, Jess, Brennan, and I were on our way to Logan's to use a gift card, and suddenly it hit me what was making it hard.

"Give us each day our daily bread." I don't live in a world where people pray for this. I live in a world where abundance is the norm, where we pray instead for self control to keep from eating so much of the daily bread. Hmm. I've honestly never thought about this before, but I have to admit that just the thought sort of made me want to throw up. 

There's a hashtag on twitter that, honestly, has really made me think about the things I complain about. It's #firstworldpains, and it's full of the nonsense that rotten Americans like me gripe about all the time (seriously!). Things like, "I'm so thirsty, but I'm too tired to go get the case of water out of my trunk. #firstworldpains". Or, "I'm slightly warm with my hoody on, but slightly cold with my hoody off. #firstworldpains". Or, "McDonald's was out of ice cream and I drove all the way out there for a milkshake. :( #firstworldpains". You get the picture. We're spoiled.

So how do we apply a verse like, "Give us this day our daily bread"? Well, I've been thinking about it all night. First, we need to be aware that many, even most, of our concerns are "first world pains". I couldn't count the number of times I've said I was hungry, but I've never known hunger. I need to be consistently more aware of that fact. Second, we need to be genuinely and constantly grateful that we have all we need. No more yapping because the McDonald's girl gave me a Filet-O-Fish instead of a Big Mac. I have everything I need, and that is enough. Third, we need to be content with what we have. I'm realizing that what this means is a sense of peace that I've been given all I need for life and godliness. That should give us a quiet and constant joy.

We have enough... more than. And that is enough.

Day 72: Martha to the Max

Luke 10:38-42

New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a]Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Well, here it is... the story that defines my life. I am a recovering hard-core Martha. After only three months at our last congregation, the church secretary gave me a copy of the book Martha to the Max: Balanced Living for Perfectionists. I'm not sure, but I think that was a hint. Ahem. 

The truth is that she was absolutely right. I have always tried to do everything. Be everywhere. Go everyplace. And many times, this has been at the expense of my personal relationship with God. 

That's where Martha found herself: working, going, doing, but not being, learning, experiencing. She was so caught up in the event itself that she missed the whole point. Jesus, the Lord Himself, was in her home, and she was so busy washing dishes that she couldn't be bothered to stop and pay attention to Him. 

What a lesson for us... or for me, at least. And the interesting thing is that Jesus says that Mary has chosen what is better... Mary, who looks suspiciously like a lazy bum. Jesus knew her heart, though, and He knew that she saw an opportunity of a lifetime and seized it.

See your opportunities for spiritual growth. Seize them. And don't get so busy doing for the Lord that you forget how to sit at his feet. It's not laziness. It's maturity.

Day 71: Would You Save A Drowning Man?

Luke 10:29-37

New International Version (NIV)

 ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
 ³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
   ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
 ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”


How many times have I read this story? How many times have you? And yet, thinking about it tonight, I have a not-so-good feeling that I haven't taken the message to heart nearly as much as I like to pretend that I have. 


Just like these guys, I have been guilty of not choosing to put myself in a situation because I was afraid. Just like these guys, I have been guilty of not going out of my way because I "didn't have time". Just like these guys, I've hurried on by.


Have you seen this article? http://hypervocal.com/news/2011/police-firemen-look-on-as-man-drowns-off-ca-coast/ It's about a bunch of policemen and firemen in California who chose to look on while a man drowned himself. When they're interviewed after, they say that "policy" prevented them from intervening. And the scary thing is that that almost sounds reasonable to me.


I'm sorry to say that I could see myself standing on the shoreline, telling someone how much I *wished* I could do something to help. That's not the person that I want to be. I want to be the person that, when faced with the opportunity to save someone, doesn't stop to think "what are the possible ramifications for me"? Who finds it impossible to stand on the shore and watch someone drown - physically or spiritually. Who says, this person is more important than my job/my rules/my life. 


If you had been on that shoreline, what would you have done? There are moments in life that tell who you are. The good Samaritan of this story found his defining moment on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Where will you find yours?