Humility Gives Us Power

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker…

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. – Excerpt from Acts 14: 11-15

Today’s Reading: Job 32-33; Acts 14

It’s interesting that this comes so quickly after the episode with Herod. When Herod was worshipped by the people he received their praise. As a result he was eaten by worms.

Yuck.

When Paul and Barnabas saw that they were being worshipped for healing a paralytic they were horrified and begged and pleaded with the crowd to see them for what they were.

Regular people just like them…

The juxtaposition here is interesting. The first thing I thought was wow… with great humility comes great power. But how does one stay humble when they possess such power? How did Paul fight off the urge to start feelin’ himself a bit too much?

I’m sure that the occasional stoning helped… but seriously… how does that work.

These were regular dudes with an irregular level of faith. But in the end they were regular folks. They had the same weaknesses that we all have to the human vices.

I imagine that the key to their walk was understanding that they were not the center of their own universe.

Here’s what I mean.

When Paul and Barnabas saw the paralyzed man they “saw that he had faith to be healed”.

It’s really hard to see others when you are looking at yourself.

The gifts that Paul was given to heal and to teach functioned through his humility. If he lost focus on God and others and started focusing on himself he wouldn’t have been able to see these opportunities that he had to work miracles.

When we place ourselves at the center of our worlds, that world has a funny way of collapsing in on us. We aren’t strong enough to support it.

But when we recognize that we don’t have to be that foundation, but rather, that we are standing on infinitely stronger shoulders; then there is no limit to what we can do.

Giving up control gives us power. 

Job Was Better than I

Today’s Reading: Job 30-31; Acts 13:26-52

Job is still stating his case for why he feels that he is being treated unfairly by God. As I read through this it got me thinking one thing in particular:

Job sure is a better man than me.

Let’s go through some of chapter 31 so that you can see what I mean.

 1 "I made a covenant with my eyes
       not to look lustfully at a girl.

Yep, I’ve done that. Strike one. But geez… look what he goes on to say.

 9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
       or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

 10 then may my wife grind another man's grain,
       and may other men sleep with her.

 11 For that would have been shameful,
       a sin to be judged.

Whoa whoa whoa! Ummm… dude you’re willing to swear by your wife in such a graphic adulterous fashion? Nope, not I sir. All this time I never realized how serious he was. I knew he was serious but this really put it in context. My man Job is willing to condemn himself in ways that I’d never think of. He is THAT sure that he is blameless.

Rock on sir.

 13 "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
       when they had a grievance against me,

 14 what will I do when God confronts me?
       What will I answer when called to account?

 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
       Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

He really gets the great commandment. He really gets that he is no better than anyone else. He really gets the importance of loving his neighbor. It’s pretty inspiring.

 21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
       knowing that I had influence in court,

 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
       let it be broken off at the joint.

That’s a bit dramatic… But I guess I would be too if I had lost all my children, my possessions and was covered head to toe with boils for no apparent reason.

 24 "If I have put my trust in gold
       or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'

 25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
       the fortune my hands had gained,

I know I have worried too much about money and didn’t trust enough in faith. Yep. I can’t claim this one either.

 26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
       or the moon moving in splendor,

 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
       and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

 28 then these also would be sins to be judged,
       for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

Ok ok… I’ve checked my horoscope on occasion… But hey, my fellow Virgos and I have a lot in common. Umm.. I’ll stop now.

 29 "If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
       or gloated over the trouble that came to him-

Yep, another strike… definitely done this before.

33 if I have concealed my sin as men do,
       by hiding my guilt in my heart

Yep and that too…

Goodness gracious Job must have been the illest! I cannot imagine actually wanting to stand before God to lay out a case for my righteousness and being able to say all that this man is saying. It’s so easy to understand now why he is so mad. I’d be mad too if I believed all of these things about myself.

But what does make me feel good is that we aren’t judged by our deeds. Of course we won’t be perfect. Of course we will make mistakes. Perfection is not the standard that we are judged against.

Rather, we are viewed in the context of our faith and love; by how much our love for God is revealed in our endeavor to love each other.

I have a feeling that as long as I stick with those two things everything else will fall into place.  

The Fear of the Lord

Today's Reading: Job 28-29; Acts 13: 1-25

Ok peep these verses from Job 28:

 12 "But where can wisdom be found?
       Where does understanding dwell?

 13 Man does not comprehend its worth;
       it cannot be found in the land of the living.

Yeah I feel you Job… where is this wisdom at? Where can it be found… But then later on he says the following:

 23 God understands the way to it
       and he alone knows where it dwells,

 28 And he said to man,
       'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
       and to shun evil is understanding.' "

What is this “fear of the Lord” stuff? What the heck does that mean?

That is something that bothered me my entire life. It didn’t seem to make sense. I thought I was supposed to love God and that God had my back and such things. Why am I supposed to fear Him?

This comes up a lot in the Bible, especially in proverbs. I won’t claim to have complete understanding of this topic… but here is where I’m at with it now.

When I was about five years old I learned how to ride my bike.

That’s right… without training wheels baby! Don’t hate….

My dad and my stepmom used to take me and my sister out riding after school. It was a family thing we did together. We used to ride to the park and all kinds of far distances for my little five year old world.

But when he wasn’t riding with us he told me that I couldn’t ride in the street.

Say what!? Didn’t he know that I’m a bike riding professional? Lance Armstrong didn’t have nothin’ on me! Why couldn’t I ride in the street?

Now when I was three my older sister got hit by a car when riding her bike and broke her leg. So of course besides the common sense rule of not letting a five year old ride in the street there was also that fact to contend with.

But in my mind… shooooot, that wasn’t gonna happen to me! I was indestructible anyway. It’s all good.

So I decided to test him… I rode down the sidewalk between two houses and when I got to the driveway of the bottom house I circled back up to the next drive way in the street. Hey I wasn’t in the street long. It’s all good right?

Wrong.

Yep I got punished for that one.

But the key point was that I didn’t have sense enough on my own to know what was and was not dangerous for me. So Pops had to lay down rules for me to follow. Until I was about eight the main thing that kept me in line was the respect I had for my dad and knowing that he played no games when I crossed the line.

It was not my own understanding.

I never feared my Dad at all. Quite the contrary… I just knew that there were certain rules that he had and that I had to follow them.

I wonder if that’s where the “fear of God” comes in. Maybe a lot of these rules and guidelines that we don’t agree with or don’t understand are really in our best interest. Maybe they will protect us from things that we cannot see and cannot possibly understand.

Who knows? That’s all I’ve got for now.

What do you think it means to “fear the Lord”? Do you agree or disagree with your understanding of it?

Let’s discuss.

Christian Terrorism: "International Burn a Koran Day"

Ummm... so this guy is proposing "International Burn a Koran Day". Of course it is on 9/11.







It is embarrassing that a clown like this claims to live by the same book I've been reading this year. Even the casual observer of my blog would be able to tell that his motives are based in his own fears, anger, and thirst for power rather than what is actually in the letter and spirit of the Bible. 


But this begs the question... what makes someone a terrorist? 


Sir Webster defines terrorism as "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion." 


What those folks did on 9/11 sure does apply but so does the man in the video above. I don't support the use of fear in any form but at least I can understand why some people outside the United States might not be so keen on our international policies. 


But this guy? I don't get it. Dude is launching a book burning campaign from the safety of his home in the most powerful country in the world. His freedom to live and worship how he sees fit is not under attack at all. And to top it off, he is challenging the faith of Christians like me who oppose his views. 


He is using faith and the threat of eternal damnation to encourage folks who follow a spirituality based on love, charity, and community to act completely contrary to these values. 


I wonder what he will say to God when it is his time to answer for the actions of his life. How will he justify these actions? How is it in line with the great commandments to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves? 


And if he doesn't consider those who place their faith in the words of the Qur'an to be his neighbors, Jesus also challenged us to love our enemies!


I know it's not my place to judge but oh boy would I like to be a fly on the wall in the room when he has to answer for this one. 

The Concert

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. – Acts 12: 21-23

Today’s Reading: Job 25-27; Acts 12

 Last year I went to the concert of one of my favorite artists. There was a point during the show that everyone in the crowd was chanting his name in unison.

I just stood there and observed the situation. I could feel the energy in the room. It was warm and swirling. There was unsettled electricity in the arena. The air was misty and thick with sweat and emotion. As I watched the crowd sway and chant and lift up their hands I couldn’t help but be reminded of a place where I have seen this before.

In church…

But the feeling was different. This energy was being directed toward one man and he was taking it all in. it somehow felt wrong… very wrong. I started to feel uncomfortable being in the midst of the scene. It felt out of balanced, warped in some kind of way. There was no harmony in it… there was no ebb and flow.

When I have experienced this in places of worship there is always an exchange. The people give the praise to God and God gives something back to the people. It’s a circle. It flows. There is balance.

But here it was a one way street. The people were giving, he was receiving, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the audience left the building with something less than they came with before.

I don’t think this man is “bad” or “evil” or anything like that. He is a person just like you and I and these kinds of things happen every day on smaller levels. Maybe it is at work with a boss dominating her employees and feeding off their desire to please her. Maybe it is a therapist feeding off of the emotional weakness of his clients. Maybe it is a man who only dates women who “need” him so that he can be validated by the energy they invest in him.

Either way it is not healthy. People are not meant to be worshiped. We are not equipped to be gods.

This illustration of Herod is interesting to me for that very reason. God status is too great a burden for a mere mortal to carry. Eventually the person must crumble beneath its weight. 

Spiritual Maturity

"Even today my complaint is bitter;
       his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

If only I knew where to find him;
       if only I could go to his dwelling!

I would state my case before him
       and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would find out what he would answer me,
       and consider what he would say. – Job 23: 2-5

Today’s Reading: Job 22-24; Acts 11

My Dad’s house was not a democracy.

That sounds harsh but I don’t really mean it to be. There were just very clear rules and regulations. If you followed the rules there were no problems. But if you didn’t then…well there were problems.

The rules were rather simple and basic. Don’t lie, don’t be disobedient, study hard, get good grades… the basic stuff.

Oh yeah and the sometimes frustrating “Do what I say”.

Now the “do what I say” was not a starting point for discussion. It was a command, an edict. His word was law and there was no challenging it.

But this changed in an interesting way as I got older. With every year that passed he started to explain things more and more. Instead of just telling me to do something he started to also tell me why I had to do it. With age came greater responsibility, but also an understanding that I was more mature. He was no longer dealing with a child ruled by simple desires but an adolescent who also had the ability to reason.

I wonder if this is how it works with God too…

Many religions focus on the rule of law. While laws are important, I have often felt that when I encountered them, they don’t have much regard for the intellect that I possess.

Like Job I have had questions and I have demanded answers.

I believe that it is only in the seeking out of these answers that we find them; even if in the process we challenge some of the notions that we have always held close to us.

This is the journey of any spiritual person. The goal is to grow out of a mindless obedience to words on a page and into a mature relationship with God, ourselves, and others that allows us to live in complete freedom within the limits of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

So when I see Job asking his questions, I don’t see disrespect as his friends might suggest. I see a person struggling to understand; struggling to grow.

I see a person struggling to be the best that he can be… and I applaud him for it. 

Don't Pay Them No Nevermind

Why do the wicked live on,
       growing old and increasing in power?

They see their children established around them,
       their offspring before their eyes.

Their homes are safe and free from fear;
       the rod of God is not upon them. – Job 20: 7-9

Today’s Reading: Job 20-21; Acts 10:24-48

This is one of those quintessential questions about religion or really any form or way of life based upon morality. Why does it seem like “bad” people live better lives than “good” people?

I’m sure most of you know the “good” and nice old lady who was poor all her life. She always volunteered and helped others but never seemed to reap a reward. And you know what folks always say about this person…

“Ooooh child she may be poor now but would you rather store up your riches here in this world or in heaven forever.”

Riiiiight…

How about asking the person who can’t afford their next meal? I think they might opt for option A. Give me them riches baby!

I’m only half kidding but I’d be lying if I said that not a single part of me was feeling Job on this one. By no stretch of the imagination have I ever experienced poverty but I can tell you that I have never experienced being rich either. I have looked at people who are rich but seem to be deplorable human beings and wondered the same thing Job did.

Why them and why not me.

Honestly… I don’t think that the answer lies in how “good” someone is. I think the answer is beyond the grasp of human understanding.

But what I do know is that whenever I have focused on why someone else has a lot in life that they don’t seem to deserve I have lost track of what I need to be doing with my life.

When we take our eyes off the path it isn’t surprising that we tend to drift off of it as well.

So yes, I do think this is a valid philosophical question that merits millennia of discussion; but yo man… if we don’t have an answer by now… I’ll leave it to other folks to try to figure out.

Let me just focus on getting these dreams and fulfilling my purpose. I’m sure I’ll be better off that way. 

Don't Kick A Brotha When He's Down

My spirit is broken,
       my days are cut short,
       the grave awaits me.

Surely mockers surround me;
       my eyes must dwell on their hostility. Job 17: 1-2

Today’s Reading: Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23

Man…

Sorry Job… You’re really going through it.

But that second part is what really got me. My man Job doesn’t have the best company. For the last several chapters his friends have been doing everything but comforting him.

Ok fine, Job is questioning God… maybe that’s not the best thing. But come on now! Give dude a break. After all, he does have boils all over his body.

Initially they came and chilled with him quietly. But as Job started talking his friends spent more time telling him how he was wrong to question got, and how he was responsible for the calamity that has fallen upon him than they spent just being a good friend.

They transformed Job’s suffering into an opportunity to tell him what they were thinking.

Yes when we are in trouble it is good to have friends who will keep it real with us. Often times our trouble is self inflicted, and if we are unaware that this is the case a good friend is someone who will let us know.

But yo, don’t kick a brotha when he’s down.

Showing love is the same as any other form of communication. We must listen first, and then respond.

And in this situation Job’s friends responded based on what they were thinking about his words, rather than responding to the situation at hand.

Their friend was feeling defeated.

So next time you have a friend who comes to you with their struggles try to listen and console them first. Once they have been built up, then offer your opinion if they ask.

They will feel more loved if you do it this way. 

Can't Truss It

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. Acts 9:26-27

Today’s Reading: Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43

Ohhhh Buddy.

You couldn’t have paid me to accept Paul into the fam if I was one of the original disciples.

No sir.

He was a major enemy of The Way. He was the main cat going after them, trying to persecute them into abandoning the faith. And now this Johnny come lately is all of the sudden trying to be on their team? Is he a spy? What are his motivations?

This man is not to be trusted.

It makes me wonder... What in the heck did he say to Barnabas to sell him on the fact that he was trustworthy? I imagine that he had to put in substantial work to get in his good graces. He’d have had to sweep the floors, do some heavy lifting, clean the kitchen…

Man, he’d have had to really humble himself for a cool minute.

Of course he was doing what he was supposed to do so God made a way for him to enter the fam; but oh buddy would my intellect have gotten in the way of accepting him.

It’s a good thing that we don’t just experience life through the prism of the mind. We have our physical senses, our emotions, and most importantly our spirits.

Our intellect tries to interpret the world based upon knowledge… and knowledge, by virtue of the fact that it focuses on the past, is dead. Is there anything that we “know” that still “is”?

Things like love, trust, courage, and hope may be supported by our intellect and knowledge but when you think about it, knowledge is not the foundation of these things.

Faith is.

The most important things in life are not known, they are lived. And to truly live is to believe.

It is through faith that we can activate the core of who we are and engage in the now. Without this faculty we are limited to experiencing life through the view of the past. We are limited to viewing life through what we think we know, rather than what actually is.

Living in the present is a tall task. After all, there is more comfort in the predictability of the past.

But once we realize that this predictability, this sense of control, is an illusion; we can be free to open our hearts and spirits to the present and all of the magic that it contains.

Even if in that present we are challenged to accept a person or thing that doesn’t seem worthy of our acceptance…

On The Road to Damascus

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Acts 9:1-4

Today’s Reading: Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21

Several years ago when I was in the depths of my doubts about God and spirituality I wrote this poem called “On the Road to Damascus”. It was about this opinion that I had at the time. I wondered if Christianity had lost its way on that road when Paul came into the church.

Why did I feel this way you might ask?

Well, when I was in college I was reading through one of Paul’s letters and I came across this passage:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. – Ephesians 6:5

Being that I am descended from enslaved Africans in the United States this verse didn’t go over so well. I wondered how this verse could be in this Bible that I am supposed to live by. How many of my ancestors were taught this passage in an effort to convince them to pick more cotton?  How many slave owners taught this verse to their children so that they could grow up to be the next class of owners without remorse? Where was Jesus in a message like this? Is this something that Jesus would condone?

I had so many questions.

And at the same time I remembered growing up hearing all kinds of folks use all kinds of scriptures to place others in prisons of guilt.

I gave Paul all of the blame.

But when I got back into reading the Bible for myself I realized that so much of the negativity that I had attributed to Paul really fell on the heads of those who spun his words for evil.

With a little creativity even words of peace can be used to wage war.

When I look back at that time when I was full of bitterness and anger towards Christianity I am reminded of how important it is to work hard to discover for ourselves what we believe. Once I made that decision to look at things through my own eyes, rather than through the actions of others, I was able to achieve a peace that I didn’t know was possible.

It is a challenge, to think for ourselves, but it is one that must be taken with courage. Otherwise, what really do you believe?

Doubting is ok as long as we have the courage to face these doubts in order to find the truth.  

Magical Motivation

The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:29-31

Today’s Reading: Job 8-10; Acts 8:26-10

As I told you before in The Great Challenge I have felt inspired to go after some things in my life that seem super daunting.

Well I started feeling a bit discouraged.

There’s this time between believing that you will receive something and actually receiving it. It is the battleground of faith. We start to think about these things that we are striving for and start to see impossibility where we once saw the possible. We start to doubt that we ever even had the original push, the original motivation to pursue the dream that is quickly fading away.

But when we are in that valley of doubt between the mountains of purpose and promise we are not alone. There is always something there to guide us.

For the Ethiopian above it was Phillip. For me it was some of you all.

On my post “The Lord Taketh Away?” Jared Jones suggested that I read the book of James. I asked for a specific reference then after a day or so I forgot about it. It was random enough right? “I’ll just get to James when I get to it” is what I thought to myself.

Then a couple of days ago I was talking to my girlfriend about feeling a bit discouraged and she quoted James 2:17 to me…

Hmmm… strange but probably a coincidence… even so, the conversation and the verse totally motivated me and I felt myself getting back on track.

But it didn’t stop there…

The next day I called my friend Kofi about one of these big projects I am working on and I told him about the two times I got hit with the book of James. Not only was he talking about me when I called but he also had his Bible in front of him open to chapter 5 of the book of James.

Ummmm… at this point it was clear that I needed to read the book of James.

So I started reading it last night and got through the first three chapters. I couldn't continue on because I was overwhelmed by how on point it was for where I am in my life and the tools I need to get where I need to go.

So much food for thought….         

I’m saying all of this to say that sometimes we get frustrated because we feel like we don’t have all of the right answers. And that is actually correct. We do not have them by ourselves.

But if we pay attention to those around us, pay attention to our deepest desires, and that little voice inside that continuously urges us to pursue our dreams; it will be easier and easier to see the miracles of life. It will be easier to see the next steps we need to take. It will be easier to have the courage to take them.

We are not alone in our triumphs or our troubles. There is always a helping hand to lead us to where we need to be. 

Job Wants to Die

"Oh, that I might have my request,
       that God would grant what I hope for,

that God would be willing to crush me,
       to let loose his hand and cut me off!

Then I would still have this consolation—
       my joy in unrelenting pain—
       that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. – Job 6: 8-10

Today’s Reading: Job 5-7; Acts 8: 1-25

Job is having a tough time y’all…

He has lost his family, all of his possessions, and has infected and worm infested boils all over his body from head to toe.

And to top it all off he is begging to die.

To be quite honesty with you… I don’t blame him. I’m sure there are many people who have committed suicide under not quite so dire circumstances. I don’t say that to judge those folks but really to comment as to how rough Job has it right now.

Remember Doctor Death from the 80s?

For those that are unfamiliar, this dude, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, organized his practice around helping people commit suicide. He set up this contraption where a person could press a button that would give them an injection that would end their life. It was big news at the time. Everyone was outraged and horrified. How could this man help people do something so “wrong”?

Even as a kid I was able to see the many sides of this story. Yes it seemed like a horrible idea but geez… what if someone really wants to end it but they don’t have the means to do so. They don’t have access to a gun or sleeping pills and aren’t strong enough to do it otherwise. Maybe they are old or terminally ill. Why shouldn’t people have the right to pay for this service?

And then on the flip it was like ewwwwwwwww… this is your hustle homie? You’re getting paid to help people kill themselves? What a flaw hustle that is? How do you sleep at night? More importantly… what happens if the person changes their mind at the last minute? Do they get a refund? Do you press the button for them to make sure that you get your money?

The ethical ramifications were tremendous and as a result he did some time in the penitentiary.

When I read this passage of Job speaking honestly, from the heart, about how he is so miserable that he wishes his life would just end; I am humbled by the fact that I have never truly been so low. I’ve never been able to truly identify with the people who set in Dr Death’s chair, happy with the decision that they are making.

I hope to never will.

For those of us who have experienced such lows and come back from them I applaud you. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit that there are people who live tragedies every single day but some how find a way to wake up and smile in the morning.

If only we could all be so strong.

And for those who have suffered loss of this nature from a loved one or friend I send my prayers out to you that your heart may have peace and may one day be whole again. 

Twitter Rant: On Love

My last post made me think about something. Is there love without God?

Can one truly love without accepting the love of God?

I'm sure my atheist/agnostic friends out there would disagree with me but I'm not sure how any kind of lasting love exists without God.

What is the fuel of love without God? Emotion? Thoughts? Desires? All of those things are fleeting.

When folks get married they promise to be together till death do them part.

I feel that is a promise that romantic love cannot make on its own. It cannot walk that path on its own two legs.

I do not aim to prove this because proof cannot be had when it comes to spiritual matters or matters of the heart.

But this is what I believe.

I have tried to love without including God, and like all man made things, that love passed away.

I am now on a journey of love with God and I believe that will be the key... the companion that we have on the road.

I see now that the "whys" of the world don't matter nearly as much as the actions they endeavor to understand.

Love is much like the other beautiful things of this life. It is to be done, not understood.

And hopefully our leaps of faith will allow us to fly over the canyons of disappointment to the lands of joy and fulfillment.

No Ordinary Love

When they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Today’s Reading: Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60

Man… Stephen was a G.

Yes, his speech was impressive. His knowledge was keen; but that wasn’t the most impressive part. He literally turned the other cheek as stones were flying at it.

That’s no ordinary love.

And yes, love it is. I don’t know what else it could be. What else is irrationally powerful enough to inspire someone to ask God to forgive the very people who are actively killing him?

Love is the only thing that powerful.

I just finished reading this book called “The Four Loves” by C.S. Lewis. In it he talks about what he identifies as the four kinds of love: Affection, Friendship, Eros, and Charity. Affection is a need based love, like the love that a child has for their mother. Friendship is the love shared by two people who chose to share some aspect of their lives together in a non-romantic way. Eros is romantic love that often includes expression in sexuality.

But Charity is very different. Charity is God based love. It is not based in our needs, thoughts and desires as the other three are. On the contrary, it is based on our connection to something higher.

It is fueled by God.

He uses this analogy of a garden. The three human loves are the trees and flowers and bushes, and charity is the gardener who keeps the beautiful garden in order. It prunes and cuts away so that the garden can flourish and grow.

Without this God love, he argues, the other loves cannot stand on their own for long.

He makes some really great points and of course, as with any argument, there are positions to be challenged and debated.

But, when I look at this story of Stephen, a man who so loved his killers that he spent his last breaths praying for their forgiveness… I am convinced that there is something special about the love required to take that action.

I don’t believe we can love this way on our own.

Our history is filled with such heroes; people who have dedicated their lives (and lost their lives in the process) to the betterment of mankind. I don’t know how someone decides to do that. And even if they decided so, I don’t know how they continue on and carry out the task till the end.

Maybe these folks are capable of loving more than me but I don’t really believe that to be true.

I believe that they had help, divine help, which enabled them to walk that path.

And just like Stephen they made the world a better place. That, in and of itself, is more than worth the sacrifices they suffered. 

The Lord Taketh Away?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
       "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
       and naked I will depart.
       The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
       may the name of the LORD be praised."

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. – Job 1: 20-22

Today’s Reading: Job 1-2; Acts 7:22-43

The Lord Taketh away?

So I’m sure many of you have heard the old saying “The Lord giveth, and the lord taketh away.”

Why do people quote this as if it is a spiritual truth? Job is the one who actually said it and it was out of an effort to make sense of all of the disaster happening in his life.

It also wasn’t accurate; Satan did all that stuff to him. But on the flip side God allowed it to happen. So does the allowing it to happen mean that God did it?

Tricky…

The consistent pattern in the Bible is that we lie in the beds that we make for ourselves. Earlier in the chapter it is stated that Job made sacrifices to cover for his kids in case they sinned. So what I inferred from that was that Job was the reason they were protected at that point… they didn’t take it up on themselves to cover themselves and as a result they could get smashed on.

Ummm.  Eh… I don’t know.

But yeah… this is one of those books. It deals with the complexity of trying to understand loss and trials. Where is the purpose in it? How are we supposed to carry ourselves in these times of trouble and pain?

Hopefully Job will teach us something; because as of right now, I don’t get it.

The Bet

"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
      Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. – Job 1: 9-12

Today’s Reading: Job 1-2; Acts 7:22-43

Job is one of the books in the Bible that I least understand. There is so much in here that just doesn’t sit well with me. Given that I am as far from omniscient as Skeelo was from being a little bit taller I assume that my lack of understanding does not put its truth into question.

That being said… over the next few weeks I will ask some questions about things I’ve always been curious about. Maybe by the time we finish reading the book some of these questions will get answered.

So…

Why did God agree to Satan’s challenge?

Wait… back up a minute… how did Satan get to go to God’s meeting of angels? I know that God asked him where he had come from… did he sneak in the back door? Was Satan still able to attend the meetings even though he’d been banished? What are the rules and regulations for club membership here…?

I want to know.

Now back to the challenge… why did God agree to it? It’s like he was boasting to Satan about his favorite lil homie and agreed to the bet out of pride. “I’ll show you.. go ahead and snuff out Job’s entire family and material possessions and just watch… he will stay righteous. You’ll see.”

Huh?!

Good grief… I feel bad for Job.