Attitude, High View of God, Learning & Questioning

I love people who have a good attitude about nearly everything. Whether they are going through wonderful times or dealing with annoying situations (such as car trouble or the phone company getting the bill all wrong) or going through times of heartache, they just seem able to take to heart Paul's instruction to give thanks in everything.   I get the impression Paul just had a high view of God and to him our earthly problems paled in comparison.  

I suppose this quote goes along with that:

"A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils.  A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems."    -- A.W. Tozer

If only I could remember these problems are temporary. But don't they seem overwhelming when we are going through them? Don't they just gnaw at our souls and make us feel uneasy?

Recently I read Primal and author Mark Batterson told of this positive outlook on life.  I really liked it and wanted to make it my own.  Attitude greatly influences how we go through life, doesn't it?  We choose to allow hard times to make us bitter or unthankful or blue.  But can't we also choose a grateful attitude? One that guards against resentment, bitterness and even crippling sadness? 

Hey, you don't have to tell me that that's not so easy.  I am an emotional person.  Quite melancholic, in fact.  So I recognize the struggle with choosing the thankful, joyful outlook in life.  I don't get a flat tire on the car and start shouting hallelujah.  My family can attest to how irritated, bitter and sad I can get.  But why choose to live this way when I don't have to?  

I liked this.

If you approach every person, every challenge, every situation with humble curiosity, it transforms each of them into a learning opportunity.  The outcome is no longer seen as success or failure, good or bad, positive or negative. The only measuring stick is this:  what did you learn from it? ...  I'm less afraid of failing, because I know it's the best form of education.  I'm less focused on getting out of situations and more focused on what I can get out of those situations. I'm less concerned with what I'm experiencing and more concerned with what I'm learning. Everyone and everything becomes part of my education.  God redeems them and uses them to shape me into the person He wants me to become.  And the learning process never ends.  (pg. 107)

Mark also wrote this which reminded me of some of you, my lovely questioning-and-learning friends.   :)

"The New Testament Greek word translated as 'disciple' comes from a root that means 'learner.'  By definition, a disciple is someone who never stops learning.  A true disciple makes the most of the hundred billion brain cells God has put on loan to him. A true disciple loves more because she knows more.  A true disciple is consumed with holy curiosity that doesn't take yes for an answer. The disciple keeps asking and seeking and knocking. And the quest is never over because the questions never end."  (pg. 107)

What are you currently questioning, seeking to learn, learning?  What things do you question most? What subjects do you enjoy learning about the most?  Do you tend to have a "what can I learn from this?" attitude when facing hard times?  How important is attitude in facing challenges in life?  Do you agree that a high view of God should help us during hard times?  Do you let it or do you tend to forget how big He is because your problems loom large? Do you agree with Tozer about a low view of God causing hundreds of lesser evils?

And in case you've not noticed, I do, in fact, enjoy learning from you.  And asking questions is often how I do that.   :-)

King David vs. Jesus on the Topic of Enemies

Psalm 9

 ¹⁹ Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph;
       let the nations be judged in your presence.

 ²⁰ Strike them with terror, O LORD;
       let the nations know they are but men.

Psalm 52

¹ Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
       Why do you boast all day long,
       you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

 ² Your tongue plots destruction;
       it is like a sharpened razor,
       you who practice deceit.

 ³ You love evil rather than good,
       falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
       Selah

 ⁴ You love every harmful word,
       O you deceitful tongue!

 ⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
       He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
       he will uproot you from the land of the living.
       Selah

Various psalms contain appeals to God to pour out His wrath upon the psalmist's enemies. These seem to contradict the Christian stance of love towards one's enemies. Nevertheless, it is a mistake to explain away these expressions as degenerate and sub-Christian sentiments which have been permitted in the sacred canon by the principle of "progressive revelations."  Progressive revelation is not to be thought of as a progress from error to truth, but rather as a progress from the partial and obscure to the complete and clear.  A consistent Evangelical must hold that all portions of the Word of God are true in the sense intended by the original author under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even though couched in terms which may perhaps have been more comprehensible and relevant to God's people at the time of composition than in later ages.

This last line explains to me why certain Old Testament practices which a 21st century reader would find backward at the least were not out-and-out condemned as I believe they were more cultural than mandated or approved by God.  This also states why certain things that were understandable or normal back then don't have to carried on today.  I think we can move past some of the ancient mindsets such as slavery being permitted, women being property and polygyny a cultural norm.  Cultures do evolve over time. Technology changes.  It's not innovation to live in the century in which you were born.  The Taliban doesn't have to ban toothpaste so everyone can use the miswak as the Islamic prophet did.

It is important to realize that prior to the first advent of Christ, the only tangible way in which the truth of the Scripture could be demonstrated to human observers was by the pragmatic test of disaster befalling those who were in error and deliverance being granted to those who held to the truth.  As long as the wicked continued to triumph, their prosperity seemed to refute the holiness and sovereignty of the God of Israel.  A Hebrew believer in the Old Testament age could only chafe in deep affliction of soul as long as such a state of affairs continued. 

Do you ever think the same way when you see evil people triumphing while seemingly good people are suffering?

Identifying himself completely with God's cause, he could only regard God's enemies as his own, and implore God to uphold His own honor and justify His own righteousness by inflicting a crushing destruction upon those who either in theory or in practice denied His sovereignty and His law.  Not until the supreme exhibition of God's displeasure at sin, demonstrated by the death of His Son upon the cross, was it possible for the believer to wait patiently while God's longsuffering permitted the wicked to enjoy his temporary success. Nor was the longsuffering of God properly understood until Jesus came to earth to teach His love to men.

Here is a bit of Jesus' teachings as recorded in the fifth chapter of Matthew.

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Do we tend to revert back to centuries past in how we deal with enemies, live our lives today, justify what we do? Or do you think we have successfully "evolved" into better people?  Why do you think the way that you do?  What do you think about what Archer said regarding progressive revelation?  Did his commentary on this matter make sense?  Had you also noticed and been bothered at David's attitude towards his enemies when comparing them to Jesus' teaching about loving our enemies? How had you reconciled the two?

except for Bible verses, all quotes in blue are from pg. 452-453 
A Survey of Old Testament Introduction by Gleason L. Archer, Jr.

Why suffering though doing good?

Remember the story in John 9 when Jesus and his disciples were walking along and they saw a blind man?  The disciples asked who had sinned -- this man or his parents. To them it was logical that someone had sinned; otherwise, this man would not be blind since birth.

Tangent Time

First off this wasn't what I was planning to blog about, but two things struck me from just this short remembrance.

1.  If this man was born blind, what sin could he have done in utero?
2.  Do we pay for others' sins?

Back to the Post

Jesus assured his disciples that the blindness wasn't the result of this man or his parents' sin, but that the glory of God might be displayed. Jesus then went on to heal him, the Pharisees investigated and so forth.  Good story.

But my point is do you get the impression that some people - back then, even now perhaps - believe good, moral, upright living should equal a blessed life whereas sinful lifestyles equal bad things such as blindness and sickness? 

I think most people realize bad things do happen to good people. You think of yourself or your grandma as good, right? Yet at times bad things do happen. Even to grandma. It's part of life.

We all recall Job who was a man stripped of his children, wealth, servants and cattle within a few hours.  He was a moral, upright man yet disaster of the worst kind hit seemingly out of nowhere!   Not only did he lose so much, he was stricken with painful boils.  What had he done?  In A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, author Gleason L. Archer, Jr. speaks of Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar who seemed to have this very question in mind.   

What in the world had Job done 
to warrant God's outpouring of wrath? 

Have you ever wondered this about anyone?  Archer says Job's "catastrophic disaster had placed them" in a "dilemma."  If these awful things could happen to a man of such high reputation, what would happen to them?   Archer claims these men were seeking assurance, security. 

"Job, admit to us that you sinned greatly so we will know that this is why God has dealt so harshly with you. Tell us!  Admit your wrong deeds!" 

If Job admitted to some secret sin these men could go home "relieved and reassured that calamity would be kept from their door if they only 'lived a good life.'"  (pg. 455)

Are you ever tempted to think the same?  As long as I'm good, my life will be OK.  As long as I'm moral and pious, God will reward me.

It's true that God taught that when the Israelites obeyed Him, they would be blessed and favored. And that seemed to happen in the Old Testament record.  It's when the people strayed and worshipped false gods that disaster happened.

So how do you reconcile the two? And while you're at it, what do you think of my tangent questions above? 

Are you okay with this?

United Nations health and food organizations calculate that twenty-five thousand people throughout the developing world die every day from starving and malnutrition. Are you okay with this?

There are a hundred thirty thousand children up for adoption at any given time in the United States, and millions more worldwide are without families. Are you okay with this?

A child dies from drinking contaminated water every twenty-three seconds.  Are you okay with this?

That question can be and must be asked of all suffering and every injustice. Are you okay with this?

 

Most of us are okay with it.  And we're okay with it simply because it's an issue without a name or a face.  We've never held someone who is starving to death.  No one in our family has needlessly died from contaminated water. We don't know anybody who has been kidnapped and sold into slavery.  And none of our family members sleeps on the streets.  But once the issue has a name and a face, it changes everything, doesn't it?  God knows each of those names.

 

God knows each of those faces. And it breaks His heart.

If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot be okay with suffering or injustice or starvation. Why? Because His heart is in you. And His heart beats for the suffering, the victim, the poor, and the needy. If you are a Christ follower, then you have been drafted into an army of compassion that knows no enemy but those things that break the heart of God. And it's not okay to not do something about them.

---------------------------------------------------------

On a personal note, I can attest to how knowing a face and having a name makes these issues more personal.  I used to hear about Muslims in our media - and granted, few who call themselves Muslims have done horrible things - however, can I hate all Muslims, be suspicious of all who follow Islam because of the actions of a few?  Can I dismiss, call as enemies* or simply be apathetic towards all Muslims, all Arabs after having met kindhearted, welcoming people like my blogging friends Lat, Shell, Wafa' and Suroor and those such as Louai, Samer, Amer and others whom I met in Syria?  It's easier to dismiss a group of nameless, faceless people than a group that consists of these dear ones.

This also happened to me when I met Martin, Salvador, Pedro and other Latinos in town. I stopped seeing them all as illegals out to take jobs from Americans and started seeing them as people whom God loves.  Kind of special that this happened after I prayed for God to let me see others through His eyes, eh? It's amazing how His heart of love can change your outlook on others. Give it a try. 

Can anyone relate with an example of her own?


except for my personal note comment, all of the above is quoted  from pg. 20, Primal by Mark Batterson

*  Besides if they are my enemies, I am supposed to love them unless Jesus was just joking about such things. See Matthew 5:44.

How would YOU answer God?

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

OK, so we've been talking about parables.  I planned to share my favorite, but I was reminded of this one while in the car yesterday listening to a recent message from my church.  It's another good one.  Totally different from my favorite, but a great lesson packed into a short tale.

To set the scene first we must realize tax collectors in Jesus' day weren't just people we avoided because they took our required taxes for the upkeep of our city, state and nation.  Granted I don't much like the Internal Revenue Service or North Carolina Department of Revenue's constant taking, taking, taking only for politicians to spend unwisely and recklessly, but I don't despise them as evil rotten sinners.  Likely I'd not recognize a tax agent in the same restaurant or store with me. 

However back in Jesus' day, a tax collector was a Jewish guy who had collaborated with the occupying government to collect taxes often at a much higher rate than the Romans required. The tax collector would pay Rome what was due it and take the rest for himself.  So he not only worked for the despised occupiers, but he stole from his own people! (Not good.)  Anyone reading through the Gospels would get the impression that a tax collector was hated. Often you see "tax collectors and sinners" coupled together, as in "why does your teacher [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and sinners."  Which being translated likely meant, "How could a rabbi eat with such filthy disgusting sinful pigs?"  And if you are a good Muslim you likely know better than I how Jews felt about pigs. 

So in our terms think about those you would consider to this degree -- maybe a Palestinian who collected taxes for the Zionists in return for favors from them, perhaps a child molester, a rapist ... whatever seems bad to you.  Got someone or some type of person in mind? Great. Now when you read "tax collector" below substitute that person or type of person.

Secondly, recall Pharisees were merely the typical religious type of the day.  They were not bad guys - indeed, they kept the Law of Moses and then some!  We'd likely recognize them as our respected priests, imams, rabbis and pastors today.  Maybe even the spiritual people at your church or mosque. The ones you look up to as "really godly" or maybe scoff for being a bit too goody-goody.

Keep those in mind as you read this short parable from Luke 18.

Notice to whom this parable was given...

 ⁹To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

The proud self-righteous crowd.  OK, now the parable.


 ¹⁰"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee [religious, law-keeping guy] and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.    ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'  [Lord, see how good I am?  I keep your law by fasting and giving.]

 ¹³"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

 ¹⁴"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

This begs the question -- why? 

The Pharisee was a good guy. He kept God's law.  He gave to the poor. None of us would look at him and doubt his piety.  Seemingly, he did everything right!

Why would the tax collector be the one justified [made right with God] simply because of his attitude and prayer here?  Did he do good works? Didn't he take from the people?  Not only was he not doing good, he was doing bad!  A traitor and thief!

What do you think the point of Jesus' parable was?  Oh yeah, something about humility and exalting ourselves.  What does humility mean? 

Perhaps it just means we realize we are needy folks.  We may have a lot of stuff -- books, clothes, gadgets, food, entertainment, money.  But, in reality, we are still needy. Of what? God's grace. God's mercy. God's goodness.

The Pharisee seemed as if he were counting on his right living.  "OK, God, I've kept all your rules so pour out your blessings on me."  In essence, Mr. Pharisee earned God's favor.

But is this how God works? Can we earn His love, His rewards, His mercy?  Is there enough we can do for God to deserve His gifts?

Why did the sinner - rather than the righteous man - leave the temple made "right" before God?


Does this seem a bit unfair to you?


If God were to stand before you now and say, "why should I allow you into my heaven?" how would you answer Him?


Would you recount all the good deeds you had done or would you humbly acknowledge your sinfulness and the need for His mercy?  Or would you do a little bit of both? Do share!

Matthew 13:24-58 -- "The kingdom of heaven is like..."

Finishing up Matthew 13 today.

First the kingdom was sown by the planter as discussed here.   The seed, according to Wiersbe, is the Word of God which is "living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12). "The truth of God must take root in the heart, be cultivated, and permitted to bear fruit" which is the result of true salvation.  Fruit includes things such as holiness, good works, Christlike character, worshiping God and so forth.

As we learned a lot of the seed never produced fruit.  Only that which fell upon good soil was fruitful.

The rest of Matthew 13 contains six parables that begin with "the kingdom of heaven is like."  It includes

1.  wheat in a field growing alongside weeds which will be separated at harvest
2.  a mustard seed which grows into a large plant
3.  leaven or yeast in dough
4.  a hidden treasure
5.  a pearl of great value
6.  a fishing net which gathers good and bad fish which will be separated

Wiersbe suggest the first three parables "reveal that Satan is primarily an imitator:  He plants false Christians, he encourages a false growth, and he introduces false doctrine."  He also believes the hidden treasure represents Israel, the pearl is the church and the fishing net represents the saved Gentile nations who will enter the kingdom.   His views on those things are rather interesting, but they are much further symbolic than I've ever taken them to be.  I've tended just to take the parables more as symbolic of the kingdom of heaven since that's what Jesus was talking about. 

This chapter ends with Jesus returning to his hometown, the people marveling at his miracles and words then being offended by him because apparently they were unwilling to believe a local boy could grow up to be as wise and wonder-working as this Jesus seemed to be. 

⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. ⁵⁵"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷And they took offense at him.
      But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

 ⁵⁸And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

I wonder why it was such that a prophet was without honor in his own hometown.  Notice Jesus didn't do many miracles there. Their lack of faith deprived them of what he was able to do. God likes our faith!

 

Warren Wiersbe in The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume I, pg. 45-48

Matthew 13:1-23 -- The Parable of the Sower

As I mentioned the other day Matthew 13 is filled with parables.  We already discussed "why parables?" so now I want to share the first one along with the explanation Jesus gave his disciples.  

Parable

³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

Explanation


¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.


²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.


²²The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.


²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

 


Comments/Questions

1.  What is "the message about the kingdom" that people are hearing and some are failing to understand? (vs.19)

2.  What is the crop produced thirty, sixty or a hundred fold?  What constitutes fruitfulness? What is the fruit? (vs. 23)

3.  Can we prepare the soil so it will be good and, therefore, able to "understand" the seed?  (vs. 23)

4.  Notice the power of the evil one in snatching away the seed (vs. 19). This reminded me of Jesus' words in John 10 where he talks about the thief.

¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

5.  Verse 22 talks about the cares of this life and deceitfulness of riches choking the seed, resulting in an unfruitful life.  In what ways do riches and the worries of life keep us from being fruitful? 

6.  Jesus mentioned 4 types of soil and their explanations.  Which soil do you consider yourself?  If you were the teacher giving this story to your class of students or your own children would you add any other types of soil? What would you add and what would be your explanation?

7.  Referring to verse 9, what do you 'hear' when you read this parable?  What lesson does it have for you?  Is it the same lesson Jesus meant to convey to those who heard him that day?