Faith | | Page 8

This post has been on my heart for a long time now, but it has taken me a while to get my thoughts together. You see, for a long time I have felt like the day will come when we stand before the Lord at the judgment, and he will say, “I love you, you accepted Jesus and so you can come in to heaven, but you didn’t get it. You didn’t get my heart.” Not that I think God is a disapproving parent sitting up there shaking his head at us, but I just think we get caught up looking at life based on what is permissible rather than what is beneficial.

Permissible is when you focus on what is allowed or required, like the rich young ruler of Mark chapter 10. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The question at its heart is, “what is the bare minimum I can do to qualify?” It’s the same question we ask teachers when we want an A, or personal trainers when we want to take off a few pounds. Behind looking at life through the lens of what is allowed is an attitude that is self-centered and inward-focused. When I worry about what I HAVE TO do I’m expressing a selfish desire to do what I have to do for my own good and not a bit more.

Beneficial is a broader outlook. It considers the wider effect my actions will have on others around me and says, “How can I help?” It is an outward-focused desire for not just my own comfort, but for the comfort of others around me. Not just my salvation from hell, but how I can bring as many people as possible with me. Not my rights, but the greater good.

Permissible says, “What do I have to do.” Beneficial says, “What more can I do?”

Jesus’ answer to the rich young ruler in Mark 10 shows us that the beneficial is what Jesus values. “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these things I have kept since I was a boy.” – Stop here for a quick minute. This young man knew the law and kept it, but he knew in his heart that there was more than shall and shall not, and he sought out Jesus to find the answer. Jesus knew this man was obedient to the law, and He also knew the young man’s heart was concerned about what was permissible. In verse 21, Jesus drops the bomb on him and tells him that his selfish heart is the thing keeping him back. Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” I don’t think Jesus requires us to sell everything we have in order to receive His free gift of salvation. This is a statement of priorities. The rich young ruler followed the law, obeying the shalls and shall nots, but the rest of his life was spent gaining and managing his own wealth and comfort. His priority was his own salvation and earthly comfort, not the earth-shattering truth of Jesus.

Likewise, in Matthew 5, Jesus addresses some questions about the law. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” The point here, and in the rest of this chapter where He makes the same type of statements against lust, lying, etc. is that Jesus is concerned with our hearts as much as our actions. In other words, He cares as much about our priorities and attitudes as He does our actions.

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts–murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:18

Where are your priorities? Are you living out your faith with the mindset of “what do I HAVE TO do?” or “What CAN I do?” Are you willing to give up your rights?
-Your right to be angry with someone who hurt you?
-Your right to engage in activities not directly prohibited in scripture regardless of the trouble it creates for others?
-Your right to be comfortable and spend your time and money in whatever way makes you happy?

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:11-14

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

It’s not about me. It’s not about my salvation, Jesus paid that price. My life on this earth is about reflecting that grace and loving, serving, and sacrificing anything and everything, even if it’s my right to have it. Anything it takes to tell people that Jesus loves them. Anything it takes.

As far as I can tell, Bible Appreciation Month was the brain child of Sirius-XM radio’s Christian station, The Message. This is their fifth year of celebrating the Bible all March long by having many of the artists that they play come on the air and share their favorite passages of scripture. The trend is taking off beyond the Message station; other Christian radio stations, bloggers, devotional writers, and churches have joined in declaring March to be Bible Appreciation Month. So I’m jumping on the bandwagon, because I love me some Bible…

Why have a “Bible Appreciation Month”? Shouldn’t we appreciate the Bible EVERY month?
– Of course we should! But just like Valentine’s Day reminds us to pause our busyness to appreciate our sweetheart, Bible Appreciation Month reminds us to stop and think about just how much it means to us to have the word of God.

Can you imagine how far Christianity would have gotten without God’s roadmap to lead us? It’s pretty safe to assume that a generation or two after Jesus’ life on Earth, people’s views and practices would have gotten really far from the original plan, and it’s likely that most people would have reverted to their former pagan practices. I mean, we’ve wandered all over theologically WITH the Bible in hand. I can’t imagine how much further we would have strayed without it!

For me as a historian, the Bible and literacy go hand-in-hand. For hundreds of years in the western world, very few people were literate. The clergy and nobility had a monopoly on written information, and most works, including the Bible, were available only in Latin (the language of intellect and class). The lower classes just had to take their word for it, and many corrupt nobles and clergy took advantage of that monopoly.

As literacy spread, so did new ideas about the practice of the Christian faith. Martin Luther’s reforming work coincided neatly with the invention of the printing press and the expansion of literacy among the non-nobility. One of the things he pushed for was having the Bible printed in the common language of the people rather than just Latin. I imagine that this was a whole new world for the common man. Reading opens so many doors. As I’ve said a million times, if you can read, you can learn anything.

At least a portion of the Bible has been translated into nearly 5000 languages over the centuries (estimates vary because there isn’t one central clearinghouse for Bible translation). People in every corner of the world have access to God’s word in a language they understand. It is the best-selling book of all time. It contains law that guides nations, history that lines up with other sources and verifies the literalness of much of the text, beautiful poetry, powerful prophecy and the fulfillment of many prophecies, romance, drama, tragedy, and more. It offers us a glimpse into the mind and heart of God himself. It works as a mirror, revealing our own shortcomings, as well as a comfort in our troubles. Clearly, as I said, I’m smitten…

My favorite book of the Bible is James. It’s so practical and clear-cut. And I’m not going to lie, “watch your mouth” is something I need to read once in a while… I love Proverbs for the same reason. It’s hands-on, real-life practical. It reads like a parent instructing a child about to head into the world. The gospels are amazing because, Jesus. (Need I say more?) Verse-wise, I think my favorite is the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good
news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release
from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of
vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

In this passage, Isaiah is pointing to the coming Messiah, Jesus. It’s like a mini-job description of what Jesus would do on this Earth, and in Luke 4, Jesus announces himself as the messiah at the temple in his home town of Nazareth by reading this passage and then telling the people, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” If that’s a description of Jesus’ calling, that means it’s is a description of what Jesus’ followers are called to do. I am called to preach good news to the poor, to care for the brokenhearted and those who are in a period of mourning. I am called to free captives, and shine light in dark places. I am so grateful that it begins with the promise of God’s anointing, because I cannot do all that on my own.

One of my favorite ways to interact with the Bible is through art journaling. This is something I just started in the last year, but it woke up the dormant art geek I was in high school, and I have loved the meditative practice of thinking about a passage while writing and drawing it out. All you need is a piece of paper and your writing/drawing tools of choice. I can’t draw lifelike pictures to save my life, but I love putting color on paper as a means of focusing on the verses. I’ll add a couple pics at the end of this post, and you can see more of my “doodles” at facebook.com/khdoodles if you’re interested. And if you want to give art journaling a try, there are a TON of copy-able fonts and page ideas online.