Woe to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,
to deprive the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.
What will you do on the day of reckoning,
    when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
    Where will you leave your riches?

Isaiah 10:1-3

Noblesse oblige is a French term generally used to imply that wealth, power, and prestige come with responsibilities. It suggests that privilege must be balanced by duty towards those who lack such privilege. In Luke 12:48 Jesus established the same concept: “...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” At my Law School graduation we heard a long speech about our obligation to pursue justice and give back to the community now that we had the skills and ability to do so.

But I wonder if my fellow lawyers and lawmakers are actually following these principles. I’m certain many are, but it is troubling to see how often the law is twisted these days for political reasons rather than for true justice. I really believe in the law. Taken as a whole, much of it is a house built upon a foundation hundreds of years old, carefully reasoned out after much arguing and experience. Many Supreme Court Justices have been excellent scholars and jurors who used stringent standards to uphold our Constitution – a Constitution carefully crafted to cover the most important mechanisms of governance and freedom while remaining flexible enough to allow for future contingencies that could not have been imagined by our founding fathers.

But the law can be a snare too. It can be manipulated to serve purposes other than which it was intended. This is where mercy comes in. If we stick solely to ‘the letter of the law’ without considering ‘the spirit of the law’ we can actually end up with injustice. Mercy and discretion are always necessary to bring about justice. If we go back to Luke 12:48 and look at the previous verse, we see Jesus saying this:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.” (vv. 47-48)

Hence, even if both servants did (or failed to do) the same action, the one who knew will get the worst punishment, the one who didn’t know receives mercy. We all need mercy at times. Situations are rarely black and white. Human judges have to use their best discernment and intuition, but our Heavenly Judge has ALL the facts and the COMPLETE picture.

Real justice can only be pursued with humility. We are NOT God. We are flawed and sinful, and despite our best efforts, our perception is tinted with our preconceptions, prejudices and experiences. These can be mitigated by staying in conversation with people from many ages and stages and walks of life. Our law is a patchwork of social norms crafted by many different people in many different legal cases argued and decided by many lawyers and judges over time in order to best represent our communal standards. It takes the input of many people from many backgrounds, as well as the humility of lawmakers and judges to create laws that provide the most justice to the most people.

That said, ultimate Justice is not achievable on this side of Heaven. Only God has perfect Knowledge and can dispense perfect Justice. However, we can get much closer to True Justice by following Biblical principals in both the Old and New Testaments. We can and must hold ourselves to a higher, Christlike standard – protecting the oppressed and marginalized with justice, mercy and humility. But also recall that Jesus never ‘demanded His rights’ but always lowered Himself to serve others, even to the point of turning the other cheek, giving up His coat, and going the extra mile.

Well, I got a hammer, and I got a bell
And I've got a song to sing all over this land
It's the hammer of justice, it's the bell of freedom
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

Peter, Paul & Mary

Blessings of Liberty,

Jen

“Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! (Luke 12:27-28)

The news is depressing, and the world is going to Hell in a handbasket. But is it really?

“The negativity bias is a cognitive bias that results in adverse events having a more significant impact on our psychological state than positive events. Negativity bias occurs even when adverse events and positive events are of the same magnitude, meaning we feel negative events more intensely.” (https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/negativity-bias)

Our brains may be wired to process negative information more intensely than positive information, but that doesn’t mean we can’t become optimists…or even just realists. But it takes effort…what the cool kids call ‘intentionality.’ Being intentional is really the ‘secret sauce’ to life – the ultimate hack – that moves us from existing into truly living, from being blown around by the wind to building on a rock.

Considering the circumstances

“How’s it going?” “Okay, considering the circumstances…” You’ve heard it. You’ve probably said it. And likely you were referring to something specific in your life that wasn’t going well. But then it grew in your mind and colored your entire existence – your mood, your physical feelings, your perception of life and the future. But negativity bias is throwing your focus out of whack. It’s important to consider reality – the Truth.

The Bible and more recently, psychologists, have identified two great ways to counter negativity bias: meditation and focusing on the positive.

Meditation in the Bible is more than just emptying our brains of stray thoughts, it is considering the Holy Scriptures: what they mean and how we should be implementing them in our lives, as well as deep gratitude to God that He has provided them to us.

At night I remember my music; I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders. (Psalm 77:6)

Obviously, this will take some time – that’s the intentionality part. But only in the quiet times can we ever hope to hear God’s still, small voice whispering to us the answers and the wisdom that we seek. God has something for you in His Word today, search it out. This is also an excellent time to search your own heart and see if there are issues there to be addressed.

Focusing on the Positive is essential for good mental health these days. It is an intentional, daily affirmation that there is always, always something to be thankful for. God thought so, too, when he inspired Paul to write:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Negativity bias will always try to pull our focus to the dark side. But seeing the world correctly requires us to focus on how we interact with others, how much we value ourselves and how we worship Him. Like Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, we might have ‘everything’ but if we don’t have love, we have nothing. Consider love – giving it, showing it, encouraging it, growing it. Consider, too, that we were bought at a high price, and our lives are no longer our own. We are now servants of others, on behalf of Christ, humble and peaceable with no thought of any reward but heaven – less of us, more of Him.

To consider what is true, noble and right, here are some thoughts to get you started: God is in control of this world right now; the Earth IS beautiful - experience it with your senses; God cares about our every need and we can trust Him with them; people are never our enemy; if this dying world is beautiful, how much more beautiful will Heaven be; the clock is ticking and lost people need Jesus as their Savior today.

These are the daily practices that keep negativity at bay, strengthen our faith, and allow us to sing, “Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul!””

Have a great day, considering,

Jen

… And let his banner over me be love. (Song of Songs 2:4)

I recently suggested therapy to someone to help them through a difficult time. They replied, “I don’t need therapy. When things are good, I feel fine and can handle life. I just need things to be good.” Well, isn’t that what we ALL think? But life isn’t good all the time, and the tough times shine a spotlight on our poor coping mechanisms. Do we turn to God, to the Bible, to friends, to food, to booze, or worse?

In church, we’ve been looking at the letters to the seven churches in Revelations. These letters both praise and condemn certain behaviors exhibited by the congregations in the face of serious persecution. The rest of the book goes on to describe the End Times in some cryptic and vivid details. But the overarching theme is that things are going to get much worse before they get better when Jesus comes once again.

Already in our country, in the last several decades, we’ve seen a pull away from Biblical morality, Biblical truth, the Church and religion in general. I can imagine some people wondering, “If it’s going to keep getting worse and worse, why even try? If it’s all going to end in a big apocalyptic mess anyway, what does it really matter?” The struggle is real. It will get more difficult, and persecution will increase. And rest assured, no matter what, God will win in the end. However, the reason we fight, struggle and endure is quite simple: Love.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36-40 that all of Christianity and the Bible (the Law and the Prophets) are at their essence two commands: Love God and Love people. And both are mandatory. So we better understand what Love really is. Luckily, the Apostle Paul has given us a wonderfully counter-intuitive list of what love is and isn’t in 1 Corinthians 13. Because God is love, and we are to love, think of this list not as a suggestion, but as our ‘marching orders.’ THESE are the standard, the banner, under which we march as soldiers of Christ. When we ask, “What would Jesus do?” we need only consult this list for the answer. It is like ‘The 4-Way Test’ that our kids learn in school. And in fact, schools would be a much better place if they replaced that test with Paul’s list.

More than that, our nation and our world would be a much better place if we learned how to live out this list. And that is why it matters. The battle against Goodness and Righteousness will continue. We should expect to see the majority of our culture losing that battle. As times get tougher, the coping mechanisms will break down leaving an ‘every man for himself’ ‘dog eat dog’ attitude. But not for us. We march under a different banner. We have a Great High King whose banner is Love.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Love is all you need. But not love as our culture defines it; love as the Lord God Almighty defines it: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NLT)

Love WILL last forever, because God is Love and He is eternal. And Jesus’ love for every man and woman ever born will last forever, because His sacrifice has given us Eternal life. The culture war is not about rainbow flags or what is taught in school, nor greedy misers or dishonest politicians, nor hate speech and immigration laws. No! The battle is for Life Everlasting! Where will our friends and loved ones and enemies and strangers spend their eternity?

Ever notice how many fairytales end with an act of love turning back the evil curse? Let me assure you, our personal tale ends the same way. Jesus’ act of love has ended sin’s curse for all of mankind. And our loving acts, big and small, towards all mankind will lead some to acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior, ending sin’s grip on their lives, granting them eternal life in Heaven. That’s why it matters – there are souls to be saved. Even in these difficult times – there are souls to be won. We can love them into Heaven.

Lovingly yours,

Jen

“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,

If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go.

I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places — firm muscles, strong bones.

You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.

You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

(Isaiah 58:9-12, The Message)

Renewal. Isn’t that what we all want? Make it great again! That’s a message that resonated in this past election. And it’s the same message that resonates in every diet ad, beauty product, and health supplement. Deep down we all desire a ‘mulligan’ – a do-over of our past mistakes, neglects and willful indiscretions. We woulda, shoulda, coulda ourselves into despair because we know that life is not full of second chances.

Certainly, that’s what the Israelites were thinking, sitting by the Euphrates River in Babylon after being taken captive. If only they’d listened to the prophets of doom: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc., etc. who warned them of God’s wrath and the punishment to come! Then they wouldn’t be foreigners in a strange land with other foreigners living in their houses in their city. But they didn’t. They did what they did, and they got what God promised.

However, although God promised destruction and exile, He also promised renewal. After a period of time, the captor nations would be punished, the exiles would return home, and the relationship between God and His people would be renovated along with Jerusalem and the Temple. And it happened just that way. And furthermore, God hinted at a time when His law would be planted in our hearts, and we would never be separated again (the Holy Spirit IN us).

I think of the devastation in Los Angeles, the wreckage in the Carolinas, the wastelands in Ukraine and Gaza. What must it be like to stand in a once thriving area that is now a disaster zone? But on a deeper level, consider the devastation of bad choices: addiction, prison, abortion, serious health conditions, depression, anger and more. The despair is palpable and obvious. I’m sure those ancient Israelis were feeling it. I’m sure people we know and love are feeling it today.

But don’t forget that OUR God is the God of second chances. OUR God makes a way when there seems to be no way. OUR God brought Joseph out of prison to be second in command of all of Egypt. OUR God closed the mouths of lions so that Daniel could become the king’s chief counsel. OUR God arranged for the gallows built to destroy the Jews to hang the man who plotted their destruction. OUR God used cheaters, liars, prostitutes, and adulterers to advance His kingdom – they’re in Jesus’ family tree!

Surely there is reason for hope! No one is so broken that God can’t redeem them. There is no relationship, dream, vision or goal that God can’t resurrect. What may seem like a period to us, is only a comma to God.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10)

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Let God guide you. He is longing to satisfy you with good things and to reconcile, redeem and renew all the brokenness of your past.

Happy renovations!

Jen

Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity. (Psalm 37:7-11)

So, January 20^th came, and we got a new administration. However you might feel about the president, or politics, or the economy, or the national debt or the wealth gap, or any of the current events and headlines, just remember that God is in control of it all.

This is not to say that He is at fault for any of it (perish the thought!) but He holds the world and all of us in His hands and He sees the end as clearly as the beginning. If we trust that He is a Good, Loving God who keeps His promises, then there is really no need to work ourselves up in frustration until it overflows into sinful thoughts, speech or actions.

Quarreling and bitterness will only hurt our witness. Christians are supposed to be known for their love. Jesus called us to love everyone, including liars, cheaters, thieves, abusers, fraudsters, the greedy, the uncaring, the cruel and the negligent. Just typing that list has my pulse elevated. I love justice. I married a cop; I went to law school. Justice figures big in our household – and not merely the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law. We believe doing good is a moral obligation for everyone. It’s hard to watch the news and realize that this concept is somehow going out of fashion. It’s hard not to feel angry or mutter some unkind words.

Instead we need to pray – a lot. God makes a way where there seems to be no way. God can re-arrange the world in a blink of an eye. God raises up leaders and brings them down. He can accomplish with our prayers what we never could with our rage and slander. Remember that Romans 12:19 says, “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

God’s knowledge of a situation is perfect, His motives are perfect, and His vengeance is perfect. God is perfect Justice. And isn’t that what we want – for everyone to get exactly what they deserve?

Well, probably not. I don’t really want what I deserve from God, because I am NOT perfect. I don’t even want His rebukes and punishments even though in my heart I know they will be for my benefit. What we want for ourselves is mercy – unmerited release from punishment we deserve. Our human vengeance leaves little room for mercy and a lot of skepticism about repentance. Justice is hard for humanity. But not for the God who sees what’s in our hearts and minds and whose focus is on saving our souls and molding us into the image of Christ.

Vengeance feels good for a moment. But imagine the feeling of seeing those liars, cheaters, thieves, abusers, fraudsters, the greedy, the uncaring, the cruel and the negligent in Heaven because, thanks to our constant prayers and the mysterious workings of an all-powerful God, they truly repented and were saved. Imagine the feeling of knowing that their victims were vindicated and helped or restored thanks to our constant prayers and God’s intervention.

We can’t know how it will all be resolved – what God has in store. That’s exactly why we need to ‘let go and let God.’ Unburden yourself of the need to get angry, get even, or get your own justice. God’s justice is better. Let it go.

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“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, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:38-45)

Praying for your ‘release,’

Jen

So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

~Genesis 1:27-31

The struggle over the environment continues. When the Pope said that we must care for the Earth and protect it for future generations, quite a few feathers got ruffled. But this was literally God's first command to us. He gave us everything and only asked us to care for it all.

In this month of giving thanks, this is a perfect place to start in your gratitude practice. You can list natural things you are grateful for or go out and experience them - on a trail, up to the mountains or in your own yard. The natural world is full of wonders and evidence of God as Creator and Merciful Father. Just ponder our sense of sight for starters.

Thinking about all He has given us led me to remember my favorite Hymn, "For the Beauty of the Earth" by Folliot Pierpoint, 1864. From the glory of creation to the joy of family and friends, to the wonder of our senses and faculties, to the mystery of salvation and reconciliation with God, this hymn really says it all. And I am especially fond of the last line of each verse, "Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise." After a little research I found that this hymn was originally a poem, and my favorite last line was originally "Lord of all, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise." I like it either way. I am profoundly grateful for everything mentioned in the hymn, the earth, the universe, our senses, family, the church and especially Christ Jesus, and it doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice to praise God for all of these blessings. I heard this verse once, though, and it put a new twist on it for me:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. -Psalm 22:3 (KJV)

God inhabits, or is enthroned in, the praises of His people. Our praise is valuable to Him, and He considers it to be a valuable sacrifice. And it is easy to find things to praise Him for, starting with the beauty of the earth, especially in Autumn when the leaves begin to turn.

I'll leave you with the words of the hymn to meditate on and hopefully you will start to feel that gratitude and hope welling up from within you and pouring over into praise of our great and glorious God!

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Blessings of gratitude,

Jen 

On the first day of the seventh month observe a special day of rest, and come together for worship when the trumpets sound. Present a food offering to the Lord and do none of your daily work.

The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when the annual ritual is to be performed to take away the sins of the people. On that day do not eat anything at all; come together for worship, and present a food offering to the Lord. Do no work on that day, because it is the day for performing the ritual to take away sin. (Leviticus 23:23-28)

This week is very important in Israel, and to Jewish people everywhere. It marks their High Holy Days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, analogous to Christian Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Easter.

In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, is also called the Feast of Trumpets. The feast begins the Days of Awe with the blowing of the ram's horn shofar, calling God's people to repent from their sins. The celebrations continue for ten days of repentance, culminating on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. On this final day, Jewish tradition holds that God opens the Book of Life and studies the words, actions, and thoughts of every person whose name is written there. If a person's good deeds outweigh or outnumber their sinful acts, his name will remain inscribed in the book for another year.

Rosh Hashanah is also the traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, as well as the initiation of humanity's role in God's world. Apple slices dipped in honey are served, symbolizing hope for the sweetness of the coming New Year. Rosh Hashanah provides God's people with a time to reflect on their lives, turn away from sin, and do good deeds. These practices are meant to give them a more favorable chance of having their names sealed in the Book of Life for another year.

This year, however, this solemn feast also marks the one-year anniversary of the unprovoked attack on Israel that left 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 230 people as hostages. As the war spreads and violence increases, it is important for Christians to remember that the Jews are still God’s chosen people, Israel is still the Promised Land, and Jerusalem is still God’s city.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (Deuteronomy 7:6)

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:3-5)

“O Lord, you have chosen Jerusalem as your home: “This is my permanent home where I shall live,” you said, “for I have always wanted it this way.” (Psalm 132:13-14 Living Bible)

It is very true that God gave us all a new and permanent way to salvation in Jesus Christ. As Jesus himself said to the woman at the well, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:22-23) Jesus is the only way to God because he is the incarnation of God. Nevertheless, eventually the Jews will embrace Jesus as Messiah. Paul speaks of this in Romans 11:25-29:

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

As Christians, it is important to remember this overarching principle which should guide all our interactions with and prayers for everyone in the world: “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:1 NLT)

Shalom & Shanah Tovah (Peace and a Good Year),

Jen

It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person. But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his blood we are now put right with God; (Romans 5:7-9)

A total of 441 first responders were killed on September 11, 2001, including firefighters, law enforcement officers, port authority personnel and more. They were not already in the buildings. They did not board an ill-fated commercial jet. Unlike the thousands who senselessly died that day without a choice, the first responders ran towards the danger, into the fiery infernos, into the immanently collapsing buildings with one purpose in mind: to save as many lives as possible even while risking their own.

Rescuing people is not easy. Our fight or flight response causes people to react in many counterintuitive ways. Children often hide in small spaces, some people freeze completely, some resist violently, some endanger the life of the rescuer as they are being rescued. Not to mention that many rescue situations are still extremely dangerous: homes engulfed in flames, flood torrents, rip tides, active shooters, battle, etc. To be so dedicated to saving lives that one would choose to go toward what everyone else is fleeing is amazing to me. I’ve spent 35 years of my life with one of them, and I still find it miraculous that people do it.

Perhaps that’s why the story of Jesus’ sacrifice touched me so deeply when I first heard it and still does. Jesus didn’t have to accept His mission from God. The Bible makes it clear that it was His choice to obey God. At so many points in His life He could have chosen a different path and saved His life. He could have remained a carpenter, had a family and died peacefully in Nazareth. He could have bowed before Satan and become a wealthy world leader. He could have listened to the advice of His apostles and stayed away from Jerusalem and the angry religious leaders. He could have renounced His claim to be the “I AM” in front of the Sanhedrin, or the ‘King of the Jews’ in front of Pontius Pilate. He could even have called for the angels to rescue Him from the cross.

Accepting His calling wasn’t easy. How many times did He look over the needy crowds pressing into Him and feel compassion for them? How many times did he feel frustration that even His own apostles, weren’t grasping His crucial, life-saving message? How many times was He so exhausted He had to go off and refresh himself through night-long prayer sessions? How many times did he narrowly escape imprisonment or stoning from angry crowds? How many miles did he log on dusty, rocky roads wearing only sandals?

He sacrificed His time, His talents, His finances, His family, His home, His employment, His reputation, His comfort, His control, His future, and everything He was and ever would be, all for God’s glory. Only once do we get a peek at how exceptionally stressful facing His final ordeal truly was:

“Then he went off…and knelt down and prayed. “Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44)

Bloody sweating is a real medical phenomenon called hematohidrosis. Rarely, in people suffering from extreme levels of stress, blood vessels around the sweat glands can constrict. Then, as the anxiety passes, the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The sweat glands push the blood to the surface, which comes out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.

Now, if Jesus was willing to voluntarily suffer all of that for no benefit of His own, but merely to benefit sinners and enemies of God, can’t we endure some discomfort, some persecution, some doing with less, and trusting God more? We, who are heading towards an eternal home in Heaven, owe Jesus EVERYTHING.

We were not innocent victims, but guilty people facing a certain eternity in hellfire. Our fight or flight response wrongly told us to flee from God, to run away from the Truth. Or else to attempt to hide from the reality of our sin and our need to be saved. Jesus risked everything to come and rescue us – even when that rescue meant losing His own life.

Just before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus deputized us all as Spiritual First Responders, giving us the command to go and rescue the perishing, bind up the broken, and save the lost. May we have the courage, the strength and the compassion to take up our commission as bravely as the first responders on September 11, 2001.

Be bold,

Jen

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step. (1 Corinthians 9:24-26)

I love the Olympics. I’m one of those saps who believes sport can unify the world, and in the triumph of the human spirit – the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I’ve watched many athletes be propelled into Olympic history: Bruce Jenner, Nadia Comaneci, Mark Spitz, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles…I could go on and on. What has always impressed me is the incredible amount of discipline they had, even at a young age.

Many Olympians seem to have set their goals very early with an incredible faith that they would one day win the prize – an Olympic medal. In pursuit of it, they gave up normal lives, proms and graduations, often waking before the sun for the first of two or three training sessions a day! They have the support of their families, even when they have to move away for training. It’s a lot for a prize that will one day fade away or be resold at a pawn shop.

Brothers and Sisters, we are in a competition to win a much bigger and eternal prize – salvation and life everlasting in Heaven! The Apostle Paul suggests that we’re in a race – the human race, perhaps? And let’s be honest – not everyone will win the prize. This is a sad truth. There will not be ‘participant medals’ for everyone at the Pearly Gates.

But perhaps Paul is talking about winning souls, not our salvation. We know that we cannot earn our way into Heaven. Salvation is a free gift to everyone. No amount of training and straining will get us through those gates. So why do WE need to train like an athlete?

Paul himself was serving God in God’s capitol, Jerusalem, doing what he thought God commanded, and branding Jesus-followers as heretics. Then, Jesus’ magnificent glory knocked him off his mule, blinded him and put him on track to be a great missionary, winning the souls of Jews and Gentiles.

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)

Friends, we have been sent. Jesus’ final words are our Great Commission: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

That seems like a tall order: all nations, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching. That sounds like the kind of goal you’d need to have a lot of faith to accomplish. It sounds like an endeavor that would involve training and discipline, hard work and dedication. It sounds like something you’d have to give up a ‘normal’ life to achieve, and need the support of family if you had to move away from home for a time.

Of course, with today’s technology there are a lot of ways to carry the message to all the nations. Sadly, in our post-Christian society, there are many people in our own community who may not have heard the Good News. And what is our church if not a missionary training center, sharing the Good News of salvation, making us into disciples, baptizing and teaching God’s Word? Each church is an outpost on the vast world-wide missionary field.

On August 11, the 2024 Summer Olympics will come to an end. All the races will have been run, the competitions decided, and medals distributed. One day soon, our race will end too. Our performance in soul-winning will be tallied and crowns will be awarded. Of course, the real reward will be the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who will share Heaven with us because we dared to share Jesus with them. Then the sacrifice of time, talent and money will not only seem tremendously worth it, it will seem like less than our best effort. Like that little boy on the beach, we will long to be able to save just one more starfish.

As the Day of His Coming draws near, let’s finish this race strong. If we put our total dedication and effort into it, we’ll have no regrets. Because unlike the Olympics, everyone can be a winner in the soul-winning game!

Go for the gold,

Jen

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. (Matthew 7:26)

Sand is notoriously unstable stuff. Just last week, a girl was digging a hole at the beach and nearly lost her life. (See Article) Shifting sand even has a name: liquefaction. The shaking of an earthquake can cause soil to behave like a liquid, similar to how wet sand turns to muck when you wiggle your feet in it. This can swallow roads, cars, and even large buildings. Luckily, we can do as the wise man does and build on a solid foundation. Christ is our solid rock.

Things on this big blue marble called Earth have always been rather uncertain. For the ancient everyday person, there were few things one could trust to measure time or space. It’s not too surprising, then, to see some of those mentioned as names for Jesus:

• Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4)
• Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
• Dayspring (Dawn) (Luke 1:78)
• Light (John 8:12)
• Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)

Jesus is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) He is our “true north," our plumbline, our “firm foundation” – a constant and unchanging source of truth to build our life on.

We, however, get shaken. Our hearts melt like sand in liquefaction. The news seems more surreal every week. In these crazy days where the culture tries to convince us that Truth is relative, that there are different versions of Truth for different people and furthermore that they are all valid, it’s more important than ever to stand on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word. We are seeing the realization of Isaiah’s prophecy:

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

(Isaiah 5:20-21)

But fear not. Just as the horizon looks crooked and crazy from a boat tossed in a storm, things seem very wrong now. But that’s why we need the perspective of our True North, our Firm Foundation. As Pastor Bill often says, “God is not in Heaven ringing His hands with worry.” God has a plan. The earth has a destiny. There is a Truth on which we can depend and unchanging promises on which we can stand.

It’s fun to play in the sand. My family has always loved to build castles and moats and ponds. And the rapid rate at which the ocean swallows them up is a good lesson about the impermanence of this world. We build in shifting sand, but God builds on a firm foundation of solid rock Truth. Hallelujah to the King of Kings that we can shout, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken!” (Psalm 62:2)

Stand firm with compass pointed True North,

Jen