Day 116: Faithful Servants

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Luke 14:34-35

I feel that because I have heard the salt metaphor thrown around in church for so long I have started to forget the message.

Jesus says this after talking about what it takes in order to follow him.  We need to be prepared to give our whole lives over for him.  And that's where the idea of this odd kind of salt comes in.  I don't think I've ever heard of salt losing its saltiness, but if it loses it, it has absolutely no purpose.  It's not a pretty stone to look at, especially in the way we have it granulated these days.  It's just there.

Jesus, then, is calling us to remember our calling in life.  We have to remember what our purpose is, which is to serve.  We need to build communities for God.  We have to spread the Gospel, the love.  However, that means that we have to be ready to take on the mission.  We can't let anything drag us one way or another.  I find that we are filled with fear so many times that we start to make up excuses for not going forward with our calling in life.  We start to fear the lack of money in order to join a ministry.  We fear the loss of friends after devoting our lives to God.  We fear losing all of our material possessions after following God.  But that's where we can become this saltless salt.

If we are truly the body of Christ, we need to be the strong bones, the pliable skin, the healthy organs, the plentiful tissue.  We can't be just half of that, for if we do that, we instead become something more like an abnormal growth, a tumor, or even a cancer to the body.  Instead, we have to look around us and figure out how to build up our community and how to bring others to Jesus.  It's one thing to know every word in the bible, but it's a completely different thing to put it all into practice.

In order for us to live as good salt and as good servants, we need to be preparing ourselves constantly.  It's not just about saying that we accept Jesus as our savior, nor is it only about having a degree in theological studies; it's about living our faith.  When we live our faith, everything we do will become a lesson for those around us to learn, and a lesson for us to grow from.  We have the example, Jesus.  Now is the time for us to follow his lead. 

Day 115: Seeing God

"He who oppresses the poor provokes his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy upon a poor man." Proverbs 14:32

Here's an important message for all of us to take.

In our society, we can get around just fine with a certain amount of wealth.  Usually, the type of clothes we wear and the kinds of things we bring around will show what our general wealth bracket is.  If we are lucky, we might be able to pass for someone higher up with some cheap knockoffs.  Even if one doesn't make that much, he can still try to make himself appear to be much better off by investing the little money he has into a fancy car, a pair of shoes, or some accessory that would cause many eyes to turn.  The bottom line, though, is that we need to show off a certain amount in order to be considered a "normal" person.

To go even further, imagine that we ourselves are really just buying a certain plating to put around our body, as if we were coins.  Chocolate coins can be covered in gold foil.  The outside is very shiny, but the inside chocolate, as delicious as it might be, is still not worth that same weight in a precious metal.  Look at the coins we have in circulation.  They shine and have certain colors, but they are not completely made of precious metals, if they have anything precious in them at all (except for our complete faith in money).

On the other hand, those who do not make that much money cannot cover themselves up.  They are living on what they need.  They eat the food that will sustain them.  They wear the clothes that will allow them to go about without being charged with indecent exposure or the like.  In other words, they are entirely expressions of themselves.  Whereas those of us who have enough to clothe ourselves with enough coating so that we can hide all our imperfections and/or rough edges, those who are less fortunate cannot.  And that's what came to mind when I read this proverb.  If we are going to treat all those around us, those living by stretching the truth - the politician who claims to be the savior when they are raping children, the priest who stands in front of congregations with full garb but who is promiscuous and breaking vows left and right, or even the one who has robbed many people of their money but still dresses in a coat and tie and shakes your hand as if he were handing you bars of gold - with utter respect, but look down upon the poor, who are we?  If we can't accept the truth that is placed before us in the form of humans struggling to make ends meet, then how can we even accept the higher truths about life and salvation?  How can we curse the work of the Creator while we tout the work of our lying hands and filthy money?

We need to see Jesus everywhere we are, even if we are presented with a picture we deem ugly or dirty.  We need to accept the whole truth that God presents us everyday as opposed to living off the crumbs of truth we deem most satisfying.

Day 114: God's Faithfulness

Then he told her everything in his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a holy one of God from my mother's womb.  If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like all other men."  Judges 16:17

The book of Judges is quite a depressing read.  There is a back and forth struggle with the Israelites and their faith.  It always seems that their lack of faith gets the best of them, and there are many stories throughout about what happened when they turned away from God.  Even the more 'heroic' stories are quite gruesome.  The story of Sampson is no exception.

When I read this verse, I thought that it summed up the entire story of Sampson.  He was a man set aside by his parents for God, but he always had trouble with temptations.  In the end, he fell for a woman who was trying very hard to betray him.  He gave into her out of complete desire for her.  And, when he finally renounces his dedicated state, he loses his God-given strength.

I find that this is a great metaphor on how our lives are.  If nothing else, Sampson's story shows us that we have many different challenges to face all throughout our lives, even if we set ourselves aside for God.  In fact, Sampson also shows that just because we are Christians by family association or my title doesn't mean that we are following Jesus or fearing God.

God gives us so many gifts throughout our lives, but it is up to us how we decide to use them.  Some of us will decide to improve on our gifts.  Others of us will try to hide or reject the gifts we are given.  Our rejection of gifts seems to be quite mindless, doesn't it?  I mean, if you're at your birthday party and your friends bring you different gifts, would you reject them right in front of them?  But that's what we do when we reject our own gifts from God - we show that we disapprove of them right before God's eyes.  What's worse is that we then turn away from all the good things that God has for us and head towards something that we think is good for the moment - that pretty guy, that throwaway job, those super expensive clothes.

The interesting, but hopeful, thing about Sampson's story is the sign of God's mercy.  Despite the fact that Sampson does some pretty questionable things throughout his life, he still has that godly strength throughout, right until he outright forsakes God with his own words.  And, even though it doesn't end in the best way for Sampson, God still answers his prayer right at the last moment of his life.  I pray that we will not have to wait until that moment, but it is still an example of the fact that God is always faithful to us, even if we aren't.  God wants us to do well, and God wants to bring us back to God.

Living life will involve lots of decisions, but if we take the time to pray and read the bible, then we will be able to find our way through our problems.  God is always faithful to us; let us be faithful.

Day 113: Reality

"So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound - think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  Luke 13:16

This statement sums up a series of ideas that Jesus had been teaching.

Basically, whenever we come up to God, the truth will be revealed.  The truth will be revealed, and the fact of whether we were supporting the truth will also become very clear.  Jesus has shown us that the way others live their lives should be completely irrelevant to us.  This argument reaches its height when the Pharisees tell Jesus that there are six other days where one could be healed.  But Jesus shows that it doesn't matter how God will take care of these situations, for they will be taken care of perfectly.

Think of it, Jesus commands.  Think of it, does it matter that somebody around you is praising God in a certain way that's different than the way you are?  Does it really matter whether somebody speaks in a different language and praises in yet another one?  Does it really matter that somebody else who is a different color is receiving the same grace that you are?  None of these should.

Instead, think about your own life.  How strong is your faith?  How can you strengthen it?  Do you need to be healed?  Do you need God's grace?  Do you have gifts from God?  Do you even know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in the next hour?

Jesus tells us not to worry about the things that are not in our control, for they are going the way they need to.  They are going to become opportunities for you to walk even closer to God.  In fact, contrary to the plans you might have for your life, the methods that God will use in order to direct your life will be unusual and uncommon.  God has a plan for you, and it's a very unique one.  Learn to follow it, and don't let anything or anyone tempt you away from it. 

Day 112: Resolving Issues

"When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  Luke 12:58-59

This is a harsh message.

We always want Jesus to be on our side, even when it involves our own wills and not his.  But, Jesus is a preacher of Truth, and if we are not of the Truth, we will feel that Jesus is standing against us.  Jesus reprimands us so that we can walk along the straight and narrow path, and that will involve us learning to turn away from every temptation that is out there, no matter how enticing each might be.

In the American court system, many times the case will be settled in favor of the one who has the better lawyer.  A great example of how this plays out is with immigration hearings, where the court will provide a lawyer who probably can't even speak the language of the defendant.  Of course, that would easily put that person at a disadvantage.  Indeed, cases are very hard to settle because of the gathering of evidence, and if there is not much evidence, the details can become very difficult to figure out.

The easiest way to resolve these issues is for both sides to put aside their pride and start speaking truthfully to one another, so that they can resolve the issues quickly and smoothly.  It is because of lies and pride that court cases can go on for so long.

In the same way, we need to make sure that we are resolving all our conflicts with those around us.  It is one thing to ignore issues just because we want to appear nice, or we want to make sure we can squeeze as much money out of a relationship with an acquaintance.  It is another thing, though, to speak truthfully and lovingly to those around us.  For, when we are brought before God, the ultimate Judge, there will be no ifs, ands, or buts that we can speak of.  God will judge us on the one commandment: to love one another.  When we hold grudges against other people, we project our hate towards them, and they become an embodiment of a deep sin within us.  We need to let them go and reconcile ourselves with those people whom we hold grudges against.  When we learn to resolve our issues like that, we will be able to spread the love that God has shown us to everybody around us.  Rather than continue living in a hate filled world, we will be bringing the Kingdom of Heaven into our daily lives.

Day 111: Concerns

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Luke 12:34

It's very easy for us to dismiss this message.

Surely, I live my life in a way where treasure means nothing to me.  All I need in heaven is God.  Why would I be concerned about money?  I mean, aren't we already taught that money is distracting from our faith?

However, that mentality won't get us anywhere.  We live in a world where we will constantly have to face pressure for our money.  We have to work in order to make money.  We need money so that we can provide all the basic necessities for ourselves.  All of these things are constantly nagging at our minds, day in and day out.

So, if we have our life's treasure here on earth, then we will constantly be worrying about it.  If we start to imagine spiritual treasures in heaven, our minds will be concerned with that.

But this message extends so much further than just material worth.  We have many things that are pulling us in so many different directions.  We concern ourselves with our careers, our families, our friends, our health, our spirituality, and many other things.  And, each one of those things is taking us away from another.  If we take Paul's example of living life as running a race, there is a prize at the end of each race.  We are usually running many races at the same time.  Now, I don't know about you, but I have enough trouble running for three miles, let alone a half-marathon or any other race.  Imagine how difficult it would be to have to run multiple races at the same time, taking one step forward, another to the left, then a leap to the right, and then forward again, and then turning towards another and running for quite a distance.  That would be ridiculous!

And that's what we need to remember when we are trying to organize our life.  When we run towards God, towards heaven, towards the Kingdom, we will find our lives just that much easier to live.  The things that we feel are prizes - our job, our money, our house - are just aids on the way, those little snacks that your sponsors - the Trinity - provide as you make it to the end.  Yes, the race will be long and difficult, but we have the hands of God providing for us when we feel that we can't run any farther.

Day 110: Our Strength

"For our defense is from the Lord and from the Holy One of Israel, our King."  Psalm 88:19 (89:18)

This is a verse that is very powerful, but it's something that we don't always take entirely seriously.

We live our lives in a very rough and cruel world.  We live where there are people so filled with hate that they will kill indiscriminately.  There are people so filled with greed that they will lower as many people as possible just to get the riches that they want.  There are people so filled with envy that they will lie about so many people around them just to feel better.  After thinking about this, it becomes apparent that we do need a defense in this world and in this life.

To go a step further, if we know where our defense is, wouldn't that also be where all of our lives are coming from?  The one who gave us life is the one who is protecting us, just as a mother does for her children.  Our defense comes from the one who gives us life and power.  This is important to remember because we can't just be living our lives as if we are alone in all that we do.  When you think about how many things you have to take care of, it can start to get overwhelming.  Think about that dream you are pursuing.  Now think about the job you're working at.  Is that where you want to be?  What about your family?  Are you satisfied with it?  Are you satisfied with your friends?  Your body?  The list can go on forever.

The reason why we need to remember that our defense comes from the Lord is because the Lord has a plan for each one of us.  God has a plan for all of our lives, and God defends all of those lives because they need to go in the way they need to go.  God provides us with moments to celebrate the grace that we have, moments to strengthen our faith, moments to come closer to God, moments to preach, moments to cry, moments to come, and moments to go.  When we remember to put our lives into God's hands, there is nothing that can get in the way.  God is our ultimate defense.  It's time to respect that and live accordingly.