Year 2, Day 334: Ecclesiastes 4

The Lucky Ones

Ecclesiastes 4 starts off with a really hard teaching.  Okay, it doesn’t start off too bad.  Solomon realizes that the oppressed really don’t have much of an advocate.  That’s true – and unfortunate.  But then Solomon realizes that the oppressor doesn’t have an advocate either.  Who is really going to step up to someone rich and powerful and tell them that they are wrong?  Won’t most people fear becoming the next victim if they step out of line like this?  So Solomon arrives at the conclusion that the dead are more fortunate than the living, because their time on earth is completed.  Then Solomon arrives at the hardest teaching of all: the unborn are the most fortunate because they haven’t had to be a part of this world.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I hear what Solomon is saying.  This is a world that is full of the effects of sin.  This is a world where corruption reigns supreme.  You can’t live in this world without feeling the unfortunate effects of sin.  So from that perspective I can completely buy into what Solomon is saying.  Better to not feel the effects of sin at all than to feel them for a long time. 

However, I don’t also want to get sucked into the depressive state that such an understanding can bring about if we take it too far.  God created this world and called it “good.”  Yes, we screwed it up and sin entered the picture and there are parts that are not good.  But we can still see God in each other and in the world around us.  God desires us to enjoy seeking Him in creation!  So while I can agree that the less time spent under the oppression of sin is better, I can also say that if we live life genuinely focused on God our perspective will be such that we can deal with the unfortunate effects that sin has on our life in this world.

Solitude

Then Solomon moves on to speak about the vanity of working alone.  Sure, it is true that when I work alone I get all the glory to myself.  As a human, I’m going to confess that I can be a little like that self-monger who loves the glory.  It’s nice to succeed and know that the success was “all because of me.”  But the more I talk about it in this paragraph; can you not hear the set-up for vanity coming about?  I set myself up completely to become wrapped up in how great I am.  I set myself up to become addicted to the praise of others – eventually needing more and more praise to feel just as satisfied.  It is a vicious and vain circle.

However, working with others is not necessarily so vain – although vain dynamics can still be brought in if allowed.  If I have other people, I can learn to recognize their gifts rather than assert my own.  I can learn to help exhort other people in using their skills rather than sit back while people exhort me.  If I stumble, someone is there to help catch me before the errors of my ways drags me too far down.  If things are going poorly, then another person can be there to help me see the bright side and game plan a way to happier times.

There is much benefit to cooperation and teamwork rather than self-mongerism.  As Solomon says, two will stand together and a cord of three is not easily broken.  When we learn to stand together we are able to resist this vain world much more easily.

Station and Status

The last paragraph in this chapter may seem to be about youth and the elderly, but it is really about status.  The old and foolish king may think that everyone adores him because of his status.  But the reality is that people don’t rejoice in the status of another.  They might try to get close to a person of status, but they do so only to attempt to raise their own status.  Think about it.  Why do we want to see celebrities and get a picture of them?  We do it so we can say to everyone else, “I was this close to so-and-so.”  Or we do it so we can get a picture with them and convince ourselves that we must be important.  Or perhaps we are hoping that out of their wealth and status they will bequeath something upon us.  No, people don’t rejoice in the status of others for the sake of altruism.  People rejoice in the status of others for the sake of their own status.  When a person’s status goes down, many of those who once “stood with them” will seek greener pastures.

However, the poor wise youth has no status.  That youth won’t have to deal with people being his friend for all the wrong reasons.  He won’t have to worry about when he’ll drop out of favor.  He has his wisdom and can live his life accordingly.  Status is something about which the poor but wise youth will never have to worry about being caught in the trap of vanity.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 333: Ecclesiastes 3

Everything Has a Time

The opening line of this well-known passage always challenges me.  For everything there is a season – everything under heaven has a time.  Think about that claim for a second.  At times we think of this only in positive terms.  We like to think about this with respect to the stuff that we like.  But there is a time for everything.  Evil will prosper for a time.  There is a time for failure.  There is a time for disappointment.  There is a time for death.

I really don’t like thinking in these terms.  I don’t want to encounter death with the perspective that it happens to be the time for it.  I don’t want to have to encounter those moments where I work hard and fail with the perspective that it is just the time for failure.  I want to get angry and say that it isn’t fair.  I want to get upset and declare that I’ve been wronged!

Now don’t get me wrong.  There is a reason for death.  We’re told in scripture that the wages of sin is death.  So the only reason there is a time for death is because we live in a sinful world.  In fact, that’s true for just about everything.  The only reason there is killing, the only reason there is weeping, the only reason there is mourning, the only reason there is loss, the only reason there is hate, and the only reason there is war is because we live in a fallen world.

I think that is the really deep portion of this passage.  The deep philosophical meaning of this opening passage in this chapter is simple.  There is a time for good things because God is in this world; there is a time for bad things in this world because this world is fallen.  Just to be clear, those famous people that made this passage into a song never even spoke about the sin and religious element to this passage.  There may be a time for everything.  But the only reason that is an acceptable reality is because of our sinfulness.

Eternal Results

The middle section of this chapter returns us back to a topic of which we spoke yesterday: toil.  The outcome is really the same today as it was yesterday.  Is there anything that man can do that will last forever?

Pause for a second and ask yourself that question.  We built the pyramids.  But are they deteriorating?  We built carvings on Mt. Rushmore.  Those haven’t lasted nearly as long as the Egyptian pyramids.  We build huge infrastructures out of steel and concrete (bridges, buildings, roads, tunnels, etc).  But those are in need of constant maintenance.  Can anything that mankind built last forever?

No.  As the author indicates, we need to focus on the things that we can build with God.  That which God builds lasts forever.  When we are God’s tools in building His disciples, those last forever.  When we are God’s voice in speaking words of truth, those words last forever.  What’s more is that Solomon tells us that the work of God is joyful.  There is nothing quite like discipleship.  There is nothing quite as enjoyable as knowing that a person is growing in their faith towards God because of what God is doing in their life.  That joy does last forever.

We also hear that we cannot add anything to God’s work or take away anything from it.  I think this is very profound.  So often we want things to be about us.  So often we even think that if we are doing God’s will we could still have our name be praised about how good we are helping God.  But it isn’t about us.  It isn’t about what we add to God’s plan.  It is about simply doing God’s plan and giving God the glory.  That’s where we avoid vanity.

The Final Reality of Human Existence

As we look to this last section, we find it is a continuation of the middle section of this chapter.  Nothing we do can affect the reality that we die.  Nothing we do changes the fact that ultimately we will go before God and hear the verdict of judgment upon us.  Thanks be to God that we live knowing that through Jesus we have forgiveness, grace, and mercy!  But in a way, that is exactly Solomon’s point.  We can’t change the fact that we will be before God.  If we cannot change it, we shouldn’t waste our time pursuing things that are just going to make us guilty.  If we are going before God, we might as well work in unison with God!

<>< 

Year 2, Day 332: Ecclesiastes 2

Ecclesiastes 2 is divided up into three sections.  First we have the vanity of self-indulgence.  Then we have the vanity of living wisely.  Third we have the vanity of toil.  Talk about a chapter of the Bible that applies to real life!  Do you know anyone who doesn’t fit into one of these three categories?  Is there a person out there who isn’t living to party, living to be prudent, or living to work?

Self-Indulgence

In the first section, we hear about sheer opulence.  Solomon claims that whatever his eye desired to behold he did not refrain from bringing it into his presence.  He had gardens.  He had slaves.  He had wives.  He had food.  He had drink.  Whatever he desired he had.

Sounds like a good life, right?

Look at where Solomon lands at the end of the section.  It is vanity.  It is meaningless.  There is simply nothing there.  I have to say that I agree with him.  I’ve mentioned it before in my blog, and I’ll probably mention it again.  But I remember as a child writing up Christmas lists to Santa.  I thought if my wishes were fulfilled then I would be happy forever.  I was wrong.  My wishes weren’t fulfilled forever.  My wishes granted me short-term pleasure.  It just didn’t last. 

This is not a slam on children writing wish lists to Santa.  It is a memory I treasured as a child and I advocate it as part of a family dynamic because of the lessons it can teach.  What I am slamming is my own immaturity in believing that Santa’s gifts could make me happy forever!  But that’s just part of the growing up process, isn’t it?

The point that I love about this section is that it really demonstrates the futile nature of stuff.  After all, if the guy who has everything is not satisfied, what chance do I have in satisfying my heart with the stuff I can possess?  No, the answer to satisfaction in life is not found in my possessions.

However, I don’t want to go too far off the deep end in the other direction, either.  I don’t believe the answer is in complete poverty, either.  There is nothing wrong with having a few things.  There is nothing wrong with having clothes, some food, shelter, etc.  The problem comes when we believe the stuff is the answer.  To pull in the 10 commandments, the problem with vanity comes when the stuff becomes the idol that we elevate above God.  That’s where meaningless pursuit of stuff is found.

Vanity of Prudence

So now we turn to the vanity of prudent living.  It begins by Solomon correctly discovering that there is more significance in wisdom than in folly.  There is more significance to living in the light than living in darkness.  Each of these points is correct.

However, Solomon also correctly concludes that no amount of wisdom can completely satisfy.  We will always make mistakes.  No matter how much we prepare we will always be blind-sided by the hidden agendas and mistakes of others.  Let’s face it.  No matter how prudent we live, we are all going to die and be subject to things like natural disasters.  Solomon is clearly saying that wisdom is good, but it is not the answer to our need for fulfillment.  Nobody is able to plan out life so fully and completely that they can avoid the negative elements.

Vanity of Toil

Finally we turn to the vanity of toil.  Solomon begins with an incredibly human perspective.  How many of us have ever been frustrated by the fact that we work and work and work and inevitably someone else benefits from our work when they did absolutely nothing to deserve it?  People in business wrestle with this idea all the time.  In fact, it is this idea that is the root for things like copyright and patent law.  Nobody likes the thought of other people reaping a great benefit when we are the ones who did all the work.

However, Solomon then turns to where truth in toil can be found.  We should toil.  Solomon knows that we should toil.  As bad as it is for other people to benefit from our toil when they don’t deserve it, it is even worse for a person to not toil at all.  We all need work to do.  We all need to accomplish something in our life.  So how do we accomplish toil without being frustrated about those who will reap from our toil?

It’s really simple.  We toil for God.  We adopt a perspective in life that all we do we do for Him.  When we toil in order to please God, then it is up to God to distribute the effort of our toil.  If God is in control, then God is in control.  It’s as simple as that.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 331 - Ecclesiastes 1

After our little foray into the New Testament, it is back to the Old Testament for a good long while this time.  We’re going to do Ecclesiastes, then Song of Songs, and then Isaiah.  So I think that’ll take us until … February?  Oh well.  What better way to spend winter than curled up with a really good book?

“Preacher”

I’m not sure I like the opening verse.  “The words of the preacher.”  The word preacher there really means “collector of sentences.”  I’d like to think that I do a little more than just collect a few sentences.  Okay, those of you that have heard me preach know that I don’t ever collect just a few sentences.  But anyway, I’d like to think that this word here (Quoheleth in the Hebrew) doesn’t really mean what we think of today as a preacher.  I think the word really means something like an archivist.  Someone who goes through life looking for wisdom, collecting it, and then speaking it back into culture.  Lord willing, preachers do this.  But Lord willing, a preacher worth his or her salt does more than this, too.

Vanity

Okay, I’m going to lay my personal grudge against the translation aside.  “Vanity, vanity, everything is vanity.”  In order to take this book seriously, you have to be willing to step back to a view the big picture.  If we draw too close to life and lose sight of the whole picture, then the book of Ecclesiastes becomes a fairly dangerous book.  After all, look again at how this book opens.

Everything is a vanity.  What does anyone really gain by working?  Generations come and go.  Everyone dies and you can’t take your stuff with you.  So what’s the point?

When we are too close to life, those questions seem really depressing.  What is the point, right?  But when we step back, we understand what Solomon is really getting at here.  Yes, we all need to eat and drink.  We do need to work to be able to sustain ourselves and our families.  But we need to do it with a little perspective.  We may have to work in order to live, but we shouldn’t live in order to work.  There are things in life more important than work.

This world is full of an abundance of life and signs of life.  This world is full of cycles and routines.  These life cycles come and go and come again regardless of how much we do or don’t work. God has set these patterns in motion.  There is more to life than our simple corner of the world in which we think we are king and queen.

Wisdom

We then turn to the second half of the chapter.  At first glance it seems like this part of scripture contradicts just about everything we learned as we studied the book of Proverbs not so long ago.  After all, don’t most Bibles give this section the heading of “The Vanity of Wisdom?”  However, I’m not so sure that after reading these words that such a section header is really appropriate for this part of the Bible.

After all, the author doesn’t have a problem with wisdom.  He’s Solomon – blessed with a double portion of wisdom from the Lord!  Rather, what Solomon has an issue with is the application of wisdom to the world.  Trying to apply God’s wisdom to the things of this world makes one unhappy.  When we try to apply the wisdom of God to the ways of the world we end up trying to avoid madness and folly.  Trying to apply wisdom to this world is like trying to reach out and seize the wind.  Being wise in this world inevitably brings vexation and sorrow.

I know this to be true.  Trust me; the more I grow closer to God’s Word the more perplexed I am by the world’s choices.  The more my sight is shaped by God’s sight the less things make sense in this world.  The more I desire to draw closer to God the more I see all the ways of the world rising up to become obstacles in my pursuit of God’s ways.

Thus, we can see that it is not actually wisdom that is vain.  Rather, what is vain is trying to apply the wisdom of God to the world.  That process won’t make you happy.  That process will make you feel disconnected from either God’s Word or the world.

However, if we can let go of trying to understand the world and focus on understanding God, then wisdom is a great and powerful tool.  God’s wisdom can make the difference in life.  But trying to understand the world after tasting God’s wisdom is simply a futile effort.  That’s what Solomon is getting at here.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 330: 2 Timothy 4

The first section of 2 Timothy 4 is stuffed full of good advice – but it is inherently depressing at the same time.  Let’s start with the good stuff.

Goals

Paul gives Timothy a list of goals.  Preach.  In fact, not just preach.  Be ready in season and out of season.  In other words, if we are going to know the Word and know the God who gave us His Word, we need to be ready whenever He should call upon us to talk about our faith.  I’m reminded of one of the more scarier parables Jesus told – The Parable of the Ten Virgins.  It’s in what I consider the absolute scariest chapter in the whole Bible: Matthew 25.  Just read the two parables that follow this one and think about how scary the combined message really is. 

What is the point of the Parable of the Ten Virgins?  If you aren’t prepared you get left out in the cold.  So why does Paul tell Timothy to be ready to preach the Word in season and out?  Paul cares about Timothy and wants to do whatever it takes to make sure that Timothy isn’t left out in the cold.  All those in Christ would be wise to heed this advice.

Paul goes on.  Reprove, rebuke, exhort, teach.  In other words, relate to people spiritually.  Every single one of us will make mistakes.  We need to be reproved.  We must be rebuked.  Love corrects wrongdoing rather than allowing it to persist.  On the other hand, every one of us will have successes, too.  We need people to celebrate with us when we actually do the right thing!  We need to exhort one another.  Of course, we all have room to grow.  Every single one of us has need for a teacher so that we can grow.  The whole second half of Paul’s list is indeed about relating to one another spiritually.

A Bit of a Rabbit Trail

Did you ever hear people who say, “I believe in God and I have respect for God’s Word, but this whole organized religion thing and public worship just isn’t for me.”  Now, I get the point that people who say such things are really saying.  Organized religion isn’t perfect and churches are absolutely full of people who do a much better job of talking the talk than walking the walk.  I’m one of those people who have flaws and imperfections.  But if I don’t go to a spiritual community and relate, who is going to rebuke me and challenge me and reprove me and exhort me and teach me?  Can I do all of those things myself for myself?  That’s what Paul is getting at with respect to Timothy.

Future Conditions Of Ministry

Then Paul moves on to talk about a time coming when people will not listen to sound teaching and they will find people who will tickle their ears rather than challenge them.  Now, it is really easy to sit back and say, “Man, Paul was speaking about the end times there and we are surely getting close!”  And perhaps there is some truth to that.  But I think Paul is actually saying something far deeper than that. 

Paul knows that the cycle of humanity is a rollercoaster.  A generation or two love God.  Then there is steady and slow decline.  Things eventually get so bad that another generation down the road returns to faith.  The cycle repeats, and repeats, and repeats.  Don’t believe me?  Isn’t that what happened in Egypt?  Did not a faithful family of Abraham’s descendants go to Egypt only to end up 400-some years later with a horribly rebellious nation wandering the wilderness for 40 years until another faithful generation comes forth?  Is this not the pattern of the entire book of Judges?  Is this not the pattern we find over and over in Kings and Chronicles?  Has this pattern not repeated itself all throughout history?  Yes, there is a time coming – and may be upon us – where people will not listen to sound teaching.  Our focus is not on the frustrating dynamic that brings.  Nor is it upon identifying the “end times.”  Our focus is on finding the remnant that will carry humanity through to the next faithful generation.  Our focus is always on preaching, teaching, rebuking, reproving, and exhorting whoever will come and listen!

Poured Out As An Offering

Then we get to the sad part.  Paul tells us he is already being poured out as a drink offering.  He knows that he’s going to die.  His death is inevitable.  The world is about to snuff out the life of one of Jesus’ greatest evangelists to have ever lived.

But here’s the really cool part.  Paul knows it.  He knows it, and where is his focus?  His focus is not on his impending death.  His focus is on giving glory to God.  His focus in on helping Timothy and those who come after him to help focus on the task at hand.  His focus – even in the face of death – is on God and God’s work.  This is why I love reading the letters of Paul.  They may be hard to read and understand.  They may be challenging.  But they are true.  Paul is an incredible example of what a follower of Christ can truly look like even in the face of humanity’s greatest foe.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 329: 2 Timothy 3

The Human Condition

Paul says that human beings are lovers of themselves.  In other words, the self-monger.  Human beings are naturally more interested in what is going on in our own life than what we can do for others.  We are born expecting other people to feed us, change us, and all around care for our needs.  Most of childhood and teenager life is spent at least wanting the people around us to appease our needs.  If we learn those behaviors in our youth, how can we expect anything different in adulthood?

That’s the bad news.  The good news is that we can be different.  But it’s a ton of work.  We need God’s help because it’s just not natural.  We have to work to be anything except the self-monger because we naturally are the self-monger.

Speaking of the self-monger, what about the attributes to come in Paul’s list?  Lover’s of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy.  Just how many of these attributes can be connected to our inner self-monger.  We are inherently greedy because we want to satisfy our own desires.  We are proud because we focus on our own gifts and successes.  We are abusive because we care about getting our way and often don’t care about how our approach to life hurts others.  We are disobedient because we simply want our own way.  We are ungrateful because the more we focus on ourselves the more we adopt an entitlement perspective.  We are unholy because we’d rather focus on ourselves than focus on God.  The heart of this list continues to be ourselves.

We don’t love other people.  We resist being reconciled to one another.   We slander.  We lack self-control.  We are untamed.  We betray one another.  We are reckless.  We love pleasure.  We are not inherently lovers of God.  We have all the appearance of power but none of it is real.  Again, look at this list.  How many of these concepts come simply because we care more about ourselves than anyone else?  I hate that the opening of this blog post has been such a downer, but is it not true?  Human beings left to their own nature – and apart from the influence of the Holy Spirit – are self-centered little creatures.

Paul’s Advice For Dealing With It

And then Paul gives Timothy a pretty interesting piece of advice: avoid such people.  The reason that this is interesting is because if read incorrectly it can lead us down a horribly wrong path.  We can hear such advice and think that Paul is telling Timothy to avoid contact with sinful people.  That isn’t really what Paul is saying here. 

For the record, remember that Jesus Himself says that He came for the sick, for it is the “sick” who need a doctor, not the ones who are well.  In this light, what Paul is telling Timothy is to avoid being influenced by such people.  All people need to know God’s love.  But nobody needs to be influenced by external sin.  We have a hard enough time keeping up with the sin within!  Paul isn’t telling Timothy to avoid being around sinful people, Paul is telling Timothy to avoid being around people who are proud to be that way and who are not interesting in resisting their inner sinful nature.

Exhortation Follows Honesty

To turn this blog around and give us something positive, notice that after giving a warning to Timothy Paul then turns to exhorting him.  Yes, Paul wants to make sure that Timothy hears the important lesson before then turning and praising him.  But the reality is that Timothy is doing well.  He has been leading the church in Ephesus and he has come across some strong personalities.  False teachers have come into his midst.  Timothy has stayed faithful.  He has needed encouragement along the way, but he has remained a bastion of true faith within the community.

God-Breathed

At the end of this chapter Paul talks about God’s Word.  First, notice that Paul says that God’s Word is breathed out by God.  Literally, this is why we call the Bible God’s Word.  It is literally breathed out by God.  Sure, human hands may have put pen to paper.  However, without the inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit at work within those authors the Bible would simply be just another collection of human wisdom.  The Bible contains the timeless wisdom that it does because it comes from the mouth of God.

But Paul doesn’t stop there.  Paul continues by saying that it has a purpose: equipping the saints for every perfect work.  Remember one of the major themes about which Paul has spoken in these letters.  We are to be disciple-makers.  We are to make disciples who can make more disciples.  So what is Paul saying here?  God’s Word is a necessary tool in that process.  It is God’s Word that equips us for God’s work.  If we want to make disciples, we must become familiar with the tool that God has given us.  We must not underestimate God’s Word.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 328: 2 Timothy 2

Civilian Affairs

As I contemplate the opening of this second chapter, I am left asking the question: what is the work of the Christian?  I’ll confess that verse 4 started this train of thought.  No soldier ever gets involved in civilian affairs.  That is really profound.  I immediately have to ask myself, am I truly a soldier in the Lord’s Army?  For those of you who like less militant verbiage, am I really a priest serving in the presence of the Lord?  If so, then whose work am I really about?  Do I get caught up in civilian – or from this perspective, worldly– affairs?  How many of my words, thoughts, and deeds really have nothing to do with God’s agenda?

Paul’s next two analogies force me further down these lines of thought.  No athlete is crowned unless he competes by the rules.  What rules?  Well, I seem to remember Jesus giving us a basic set of instructions in Matthew 28:18-20.  “Go make disciples - into the whole world.  Baptize – in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Teach them to obey – all that I have commanded you.”  There are three simple rules, and the athlete will not be crowned unless he competes by the rules.

Paul then adds that it is the hard-working farmer who deserves a first share of the crop.  What is the fruit of our faith?  Eternal life.  The hard-working farmer – notice again the emphasis on our response to God’s grace – is the one who gets the first share.

If we put all three of these images together we can see something fairly profound.  If we want to receive any fruit, we need to work.  If we want to receive the crown at the end of the race, we need to compete {work} by His rules.  If we want to be a part of His kingdom, we need to be involved in His agenda and not the secular agenda of the world.

Agenda

What is this agenda?  Well, I love how the portion of the Great Commission matches up with what Paul says to Timothy in the opening few verses of this chapter.  “Entrust what you have heard to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.”  In other words: make disciples.  Don’t just make disciples; make disciples who can make other disciples.  Besides dying on the cross for our salvation – which you and I cannot do even if we desired it – this idea of disciple-making was Jesus’ primary goal in His coming to this earth.  If it was His primary goal for imitation, should it not also be the primary goal for me and you?

The Word Endures

In fact, to reinforce this idea Paul turns to it again in verses 8-13.  The Word of God is not bound and it cannot be kept bound.  It will endure mankind!  Therefore we do everything so that as many as possible will find themselves with the eternal hope of everlasting life in the salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ.  If we die, we live.  If we endure, we reign.  If we deny, we will be denied.  If we are faithless, He will be faithful.

That last one is confusing.  If we are faithless, He will be faithful.  It is both a warning and a threat.  To those of us who are currently pursuing Him, it is a warning to keep pursuing Him.  If we stop, then He will have to be faithful to His righteousness and judge us accordingly.  To those who are not pursuing Him, it is a threat.  He will be faithful to His righteousness and judge those who are not pursuing Him according to their works.

A Return to Exhortation

After a short talk about clean vessels and unclean vessels in God’s house, Paul turns back to the exhortation of Timothy.  Paul tells Timothy to flee the youthful passions.  I love that I chose to read this letter immediately after the Proverbs – can’t you hear Paul’s familiarity with the Proverbs ringing out in this advice?  Flee the fleeting youthful passions and choose wisdom, Timothy!  Don’t get yourself involved in foolish quarrels, Timothy; choose wisdom!  Rebuke others, Timothy; because the godly person appreciates godly rebuke!

As we end this chapter we once more pick up on the undercurrent of this chapter.  In fact, it is the theme of Paul’s whole life.  Live your life so as to enable others to see the glory of God and the error of their own ways.  Speak and teach and preach so that others might escape the snare of this world and its prince: the devil.  This is a holy calling.  We’re not in it just to save our own necks.  We’re in it to do whatever God desires through us towards the saving of the necks of the people around us.

Yesterday a good spiritual friend shared a link to an author/speaker/publisher/literary agent that she is going to hear speak in a bit of time.  His name is Michael Hyatt.  While I was reading the post to which she shared, I came across this quote:

Your company, and your life, is not about you! This can be the hardest lesson we ever learn. Our lives must point to a purpose greater than our own well-being. People will rarely align with your self-interest, but they will align for a common goal.

If that doesn’t fall right in line with 2 Timothy 2, I don’t know what does.  My life is not about me.  It is about a higher purpose.  It is about being whatever God needs me to be so that the people of this world might see Him more clearly.  Who’s with me in that common goal?

<>< 

Year 2, Day 327: 2 Timothy 1

Promise of Life to Come

I absolutely love the way Paul starts this letter.  It is very much the same as all his other letters, but as with all the letters there is a small, subtle touch.  In this letter Paul tells us that he is an apostle of God by God’s will and according to the promise of the life that comes through Jesus Christ.

Now, this might not seem like all that big of a deal.  After all, this is pretty standard Christian understanding, isn’t it?  What makes this declaration memorable is the circumstance in which the words are said.  Paul is in Rome, and he is awaiting execution.  He doesn’t think that he is going to escape worldly judgment this time.  As he is on trial for his faith, what does he say?  This is the will of God according to the promise of eternal life.

This is a true man of God.  Anyone can be loyal and talk well about God when life is going smoothly.  But the true test of faith is what happens when life conspires against them.  Does the person turn to God for strength or does the person turn away from God and blame Him for the evil in life?  Here we see that even the end of life for Paul is useful for giving praise to God.

Raising Up a Child

As we turn ahead in the chapter, Paul reminds Timothy of his faithful upbringing.  Timothy was trained in the faith by his mother and his grandmother.  We should not underestimate the power of teaching our young people to know God.  Deuteronomy 4:9-10 tells us of the importance of teaching our children according to the principles of faith.  It is through this teaching when they are young that they have the best chance to grow up faithful to God and genuine contributors to His kingdom.

Keep Faith Alive

However, we should also pay attention to how Paul ends this section.  Notice that he doesn’t take Timothy’s faith for granted.  Paul does not assume that just because Timothy has been raised in the faith that he will continue in it forever.  Paul knows the truth of humanity.  If we do not continue to practice our faith, we may lose it.  Just like every skill we learn, we must continue to practice it to keep it strong.  Thus, Paul tells Timothy to fan the flame within him.

No Compromise

Paul tells Timothy to not be ashamed of the Gospel.  We are not to compromise the message of the Gospel with the ways of the world.  It is God who has called us to a holy calling.  When confronted with the differences between the world and our faith we will have to choose between suffering and compromise.  Comprise leads to short terms relief; suffering leads to long term joy with God.

Follow

Then Paul tells Timothy to follow the pattern of sound words that has been laid out from the beginning.  God’s methods may change with the changing culture around us, but God’s wisdom and His character do not change.  We may need to change our methods, but we do not need to change our teaching.  Jesus is the only way to salvation.  Without the shedding of His blood there is no forgiveness of sin.  He will come again.  These truths – and truths like them – are the teachings to which we need to hold.  These truths will help keep us on God’s path.

God’s Deposit in Us

Paul then reminds Timothy of one of the most important teachings that he could pass along.  Paul reminds Timothy that we have been entrusted with a great deposit.  We have the faith within us; we have the Holy Spirit to help us guard that faith.  God has come and put something of Himself within us.  We should desire to guard that for as long as necessary until we come to the full realization of His promise in the life to come!

The Difficulty of Faith

Paul then ends this chapter on a sad but necessary reminder.  Paul knows that there are those who have once seemed as though they were faithful but who are really not.  There are those who seemed to be pursuing Christ but who have turned aside to now pursue other things.  Paul reminds Timothy just how difficult it is stay faithful and true to God.

Paul’s words remind me of one of the scariest chapters in the Bible: Matthew 7.  It is in that chapter that we hear how many people find the wide gate of destruction and only a few people find the narrow gate of salvation.  It is in this chapter that we hear Jesus speak of those who will come to Him believing that they have been faithful only to hear Jesus tell them that He never knew them.  It is important to understand that even Paul himself knew the truth of Jesus’ words in his life.  This is a sad place to leave this devotion this day, but perhaps it is especially fitting for Black Friday.  It is especially easy to get caught up in this world and desire the things of this world.  We must be especially careful that while we are in this world we do not lose are focus and become a part of it.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 326: 1 Timothy 6

God is good.

I know.  No big surprise there, right?  After all, this is a spiritual blog.  So beginning with that statement seems like the old no-brainer.  But sometimes it pays to say the things that we already know just because we need to hear them one more time in our life.  For example, take today’s reading.  Thanksgiving comes on a different day of the year every year.  So there is absolutely no way to plan a particular reading for Thanksgiving each year.  I have to take what the schedule gives me.  But what do we have today?  Today’s chapter has some incredible Thanksgiving content.  I didn’t plan it, but God did!  He’s so good with His ability to make the small details work out just right.

To Those Under A Yoke

Paul begins this chapter with a note about those under a yoke of slavery.  Paul is quite clear that those slaves who have Christian masters must not be disrespectful.  This is actually a really hard piece of advice for us to hear today, because Paul is actually advocating that Christianity and slavery are not mutually exclusive.  {And in only the right context, I don’t believe them to be, either.  After all, how many times does Paul call himself a slave of Christ?}

You see, one of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is grace and mercy given out towards the community.  The nuts and bolts of what Paul is trying to say here is this.  If you have a master who may give you orders and expect you to work, but the master also treats you with Christian love and human decency, why would you not submit?  After all, are we not all slaves to God?  We should be able to treat one another with solid human decency regardless of whether the other person is simply an employer or a full-fledged master.  This passage isn’t about human domination; it is about learning to treat each other in a Christ-like fashion regardless of how our stations in life cause us to interact with one another.  Is there anything inherently sinful about being a slave – especially a slave of someone who treats me with respect for my life?

Exhortation

Jumping down to the end of the chapter, Paul’s words of exhortation to Timothy are inspiring.  Paul focuses in really hard on the purpose of life.  Fight the good fight.  Hold fast to the confession of belief.  This is such an incredibly difficult practice, but it so important.  Our time on earth is measured in years.  Our time with God will be measured in an infinite day.  We should be mindful to focus on the infinite rather than fretting over the finite.

We aren’t to focus on wealth.  We aren’t to focus on riches.  Station in life is fairly meaningless to God.  We are to be more concerned about generosity than hording treasure on this world.  We are to be more concerned about the treasures awaiting God’s people in heaven than the worldly trinkets that we seek after so well.  I really like how Paul tells Timothy to guard the deposit that has been entrusted to him.  We would all be wise to listen to that piece of advice every day.  Guard the deposit of faith that God has offered to each of us!

What a wonderful segue into Thanksgiving.  If I loop back into the middle of the chapter, Paul talks a bit about the false teachers and the things that they get wrong.  But then Paul talks to us about what is really important in life. 

Godliness and contentment is an incredible gain.  This really hit me today on Thanksgiving.  Am I really godly?  Trust me, yesterday as I drove to Walmart I realized just how ungodly of a frame of mind I was carrying around with me.  So I had some serious repenting to do – and my day got worse before it got better.  Am I godly?  Sure, I spend time in God’s Word every day.  I have wonderful spiritual conversations with friends.  I do look for ways to be repentant and confess my shortcomings.  So I have come a long way with respect to godliness.  But there are still more things upon which I can work!

What about the other word?  Am I content?  Am I grateful to simply have food, water, clothing, and shelter?  I have people around me that care about me – am I content with that?  I have God’s Word to sustain me – am I content with that?  I have the promise of eternal life – am I content?

It is so hard to be content in this world. It used to be that I was content playing a board game by myself.  Yes, I was one of those freaky kids who would play a 6 person game of Risk all by myself and honestly be able to compete against myself in 6 different ways.  I used to be content playing outside with my imagination and a few friends.  I used to be content lying out in the grass.  Granted, I lived in Minnesota where there weren’t fire ants, so it was quite a bit safer, LOL!  But today I find myself bombarded with ads about how great the newest cell-phone is.  I find myself bombarded with information about the latest upgrade to the Bible Software program I use.  Am I really content?

I think I have much to learn today.  I need to learn again what it means to be content – and then apply it to my life.  What a wonderful place to end on this day of giving thanks.  God, thank you for your generosity in my life, and help me to understand how to be content with what you have so richly provided for me. 

<>< 

Year 2, Day 325: 1 Timothy 5

Keeping the Context of Faith

Paul’s opening words here in chapter 5 need to be taken in full context.  Remember that Paul is writing to Timothy, who is still young and learning the faith.  Paul is careful to tell him to not rebuke older men.  Of course, some people take this as blanket advice and say that old people are above being rebuked in the church.

That isn’t at all what Paul is saying.  In a way, Paul is reminding Timothy of one of the 10 Commandments applied very broadly.  “Honor your father and mother.”  Paul is telling Timothy that while he is young, he needs to remember to respect the wisdom and the life experience that older people have.  Yes, we will all make mistakes.  But we should be careful to show respect when talking to people who have more experience than we do.  We can absolutely point out places where they make mistakes, but we should do so in a way that preserves their wisdom and encourages their continued participation in the community.

The Treatment of Widows

The bulk of the middle of this chapter has to deal with widows.  In fact, it has much to do with hospitality and caring for the “oppressed.”  Paul sets up some standards here that are really beneficial for us to hear in our modern culture.

• First, notice that Paul has no issue with talking about those who have earned the assistance and those who have done nothing to earn it.  A widow who is devoting her day to God in prayer and service should be happily cared for by the community around her.  The widow who fritters away her day doing nothing productive and not engaging the spirituality of those around her is less likely to be helped quite so cheerfully.  Paul’s point is really clear.  If a widow is going to ask to be helped, she really needs to make sure to engage the spirituality that God has placed within her.
• Second, notice that if a widow – even a godly widow who is engaging her spirituality greatly - has family, then the responsibility for caring for the widow should fall upon the family first.  It is an honor to care for one’s family.  It is an honor to care for one’s family so that one’s family does not become a burden on the community.  In fact, people who do not care for their families when they could do so actually bring shame upon themselves.
• Third, notice that Paul excludes young widows.  There are two really good points here – one physical and one spiritual.  The physical reason is all about resources in a community.  A young widow might well get married again.  A young widow might be able to find the resources that are needed to live without having to draw the resources away from the community in general.  Notice how preserving the welfare of the spiritual community seems to take a higher precedent than preserving the individual’s desire?  As for the spiritual reason, remember that Paul has already mentioned that supported widows need to be devoted to their spirituality and the spirituality of the community around them.  Young people – men and women alike – get interested in faith for a little while but then they turn their attention elsewhere.  The passions and desires of the young are fleeting.  If the community supports a young widow it may be that the support actually enables the young widow to turn away from God because she might not have the wisdom to remain focused on God’s hand at work in the provision of her needs.

The Community Around Timothy

As I come off of this section on widows, I am left with a generalization that I’ve already talked about but towards which I want to put more intentional and directed thought.  Notice how important the health of the spiritual community is for Paul.  Paul absolutely agrees that the community should be there to care for those who truly need it.  But more important to Paul is the communal understanding that no one person should be such drain on society that the society is killed.

I think I am drawn to this topic because of the closing of the Hostess factory this week.  Because of the greed of unions and union employees, thousands of people are out of jobs.  There was no concern for the community in that decision.  It was about power and flexing union might.  I’m also seriously troubled about the fact that in the brunt of Superstorm Sandy that trained volunteers – electricians, contractors, etc – going into those areas to help bolster the infrastructure were turned away because they were non-union.  I’m even more greatly distressed by how much little media coverage this story received.  In the cold of late fall, people in the northeast had to endure lack of power, heat, and electricity because the “powers that be” were more concerned about preserving “union work” than the greater good of the community.  I’ve never been a big fan of unions; I am an even smaller fan of them now as I see one more example of how the “big union” only serves to destroy the functioning of the greater community by forcing resources to be diverted in unhealthy means.

So I have to wonder about this perspective of “taking rather than giving” in our society.  Is anyone else out there concerned about the rising “entitlement” mentality of people who have become dependent upon social welfare?  Again, please understand that I think we as a community should help those who deserve the help.  Is anyone else concerned about how in our self-mongerish humanity we are only concerned with what I can get out of society rather than what I can contribute?  Is this not often one of the same dynamics that destroys churches?  How many times do we have arguments in churches because we are more concerned with what I can get out of church rather than being concerned about what I can add to the gathered community?

Responsibilities of Elders

Paul ends this chapter by looking at the roles and responsibilities of elders.  Again, notice that the focus from Paul is what the spiritual leaders can contribute to the community.  The spiritual leaders should be preaching and teaching.  The spiritual leaders should be confronting sin in a loving and forgiving sense.  They should be laying on hands and praying.  They should be consciously avoiding in sharing the sins of others.  They should be concerned about what they can add to the community – for that is what God has called them to do!

<>< 

Year 2, Day 234: 1 Timothy 3-4

Service in the Church

Paul then turns to the topic of “overseers.”  This section is often translated as “bishop.”  Sometimes this section is translated as “elders.”  Regardless of the title, Paul is speaking to the leaders in the church.  However, it’s not just about leadership.  The word used here is “episkope.” {From which we get the term Episcopal.}  This word has a connotation of servant leadership.  It is understood that leaders in the church are servant leaders.  Church leaders become leaders by leading through example.

In this understanding of the word, the list of qualifications makes a ton of sense.  Why is it important that a person be married to only one person?  Well, a servant leader must lead in having their sexuality in check.  Why must they be level-headed, sober-minded, not prone to violence, and be above reproach?  They must lead by example in the ability to make good decisions.  Why must they be hospitable and able to teach?  Yes, you’ve got it.  They have to lead by example.  Each of these qualifications (and the others I didn’t mention here) are not simply qualifications that a person should have to be a leader; each of these qualifications are abilities that the leaders of the church should be active about setting the example for the church.

The next section is for the “deacons.”  The word literally here is “diakonos.”  The deacon is one whose calling was purely in service of the organization.  Thus, from a church perspective the deacon isn’t responsible for making the decisions.  The deacons are the ones who are responsible for making sure that the decisions which are made are implemented.  Whereas the episkope are servant leaders, the diakonos are simply people of service.  These people may absolutely set an example in their service; but their focus is upon getting the job done.

Paul’s Creed

Before turning to chapter 4, I want to spend a little time on Paul’s creed at the end of chapter 3.  In talking about Christ, Paul says that he was: real and present among us, justified by the Holy Spirit, witnessed among God’s messengers – some translations use the literal word “angels” – proclaimed among the nations, believed upon in the world, and taken up into the glory of the Father.  I think that’s a pretty cool synopsis of salvation right there.  Christ came into this world to save that which was created through Him.  He came, died, rose, was seen by people, is still being witnessed by people, is still being believed by people, and is still ascended into the Father’s presence.  What a beautiful synopsis of His work and the work of His people the church!  When someone asks, “What is the church about?” this is the answer.  We are about promoting and believing in a Christ who came to save a world that was created through Him and loved by Him.

Turning Away From the Faith

The opening portion of chapter 4 always makes me sad.  Paul knows – even only decades after Christ was literally present on this earth – that there will be people who turn away from the faith.  There will be people who choose to believe the lie, who chose to drink the world’s Kool-aid, who choose to obey a different agenda than God’s.  To quote the description of the world as recorded often in the book of the Judges, there will be people who “do what is right in their own eyes.”  I find this incredibly saddening.  It is sad that there are those who reject God outright; it is even sadder that there will be those who will seem to be actively seeking God but who will then reveal their true nature and turn away to a false agenda.

However, we are not to be those people.  We are called to lift up God’s ways.  We are called to adhere to God’s standard and not the standard and expectations of the world.  I really enjoy Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 4:8.  Bodily training has some value, but training in godliness has value in every way.  Think back to the list of abilities given for the “episkope” and the “diakonos.”  Is there ever a time that one of those qualities isn’t helpful?  So often I fall into the trap of thinking that spirituality is just training for my post-resurrection existence.  But this is not at all true.  Spirituality is something to be lived out here and now in addition to being lived out in the presence of God in the life to come.

Spiritual Leadership

Paul’s advice to Timothy at the end of this chapter is especially piercing to me as a pastor.  Hopefully it is piercing to all those who desire to be spiritual leaders in their community regardless of whether they are ordained or laity.  What does he say?  Command and teach these things.  As we saw at the beginning of chapter 3, spiritual leaders are servants who lead.  Spiritual leaders are those who are active in the formation of the next group of leaders.  Spiritual leaders do more than “act.”  Spiritual leaders are teaching and training and commanding.  As Paul says, spiritual leaders are active about talking about the Holy Scripture publically.  We are active about exhorting others into a greater response of faith.  We are active about teaching others.

God’s Name

I’m going to end these reflections with a spiritual discovery that is brand new to me.  A few days ago my wife and I were talking with a good spiritual friend in my own home.  This friend was making a comment about God’s name.  She said that another pastor had just recently taught her that God’s name is simply “I Am” in order to prevent humanity from putting God in a box.  God isn’t the just the god of the mountain, or the valley, or the wine, or fertility, or some other definable category.  God simply is.  The answer to the inquiry, “God, are you the God of ____?” is “Yes, I Am.”

So we turn to a new learning I gleaned from 1 Timothy 4:15.  Paul tells Timothy to practice these things and “immerse” himself in them.  Anyone want to guess what the verb is for our English translation of “immerse?”  Literally, the verb is “to be.”  Just as God’s name is “I Am,” according to Paul our calling is “To Be.”  Paul literally says to Timothy, “Practice the faith.  Be it.”

That’s so cool and so profound.  Faith isn’t something that we do.  It isn’t something we think.  It is who we are.  Faith defines us.  God is the “Great I AM.”  We are the “Repentant who ARE.”

Ooh.  I love it when God’s Word gives me spiritual chills.  This day in the Lord is starting out well indeed.

<>< 

Year 2, Day 323: 1 Timothy 1-2

Today we’re jumping to the New Testament for eight days while covering 1 & 2 Timothy.  Then we’ll be back in the Old Testament for a good stretch as we cover Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Isaiah.  It’s going to be a fun next few months!

The Opening Greeting

One of the things I love about the Apostle Paul’s writing style is that he is so deep that it seems like every time I read the letters that he wrote through God’s inspiration there is always something new to focus on.  For example, take his opening greeting.  Time after time I have focused on the word “apostle” and how it means “one who is sent out for a specific purpose.” 

Today as I read through this letter I focused on the word “command.”  Paul was sent out to foreign places at the command of God.  Another way of fairly translating this verse would be that Paul was sent out to foreign places by a decree of God.  I am struck by the obedience of Paul.  God made a decree, he followed.  Sure, Paul had his moments of doubt, his share of arguments with God, and his moments of struggle.  But in the end it is safe to say that his life was about being obedient to God’s calling for him to take God’s Word and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen.

The Recipient

As we put this idea in context, remember that Paul is writing this to Timothy.  Timothy was younger than Paul.  He was a man who had been impressed with Paul’s willingness to die in Lystra as well as his willingness to continue the work after almost dying.  Timothy was taking the faith that he had learned at the feet of his grandmother and mother – Lois and Eunice – and learning to apply it to his life at the feet of Paul.  In this letter, what is Paul’s first lesson for this young Timothy?  You must seek God’s call and obey it.  There is power in that advice.

Law and Gospel

Paul then turns to an excellent discourse between the Law and the Gospel.  In the modern church, we have fallen in the face of the age old fight of the church.  The temptation is often to forget one or the other.  Some people want to make it all Law and beat people down with their sinful nature.  Others want to make it all grace and let people ignore their sin completely.  We have need of a balance. 

We need to understand that the Law is our greatest tool against sin.  When we have sin in our life, it is God’s Law that will convict us.  The Law is the power of God to guide us and turn us away from sinful behavior.  However, we must also not forget grace.  Grace is the freedom we have received from God to live apart from sin. Grace is the ability to show God’s love to others in a multitude of ways.  Grace is our ability to follow a God whose message doesn’t change but whose methodology does change based upon our context.  Grace is the root of our ability to be free in Christ!

I think we as Christ’s church – and I know I as a person – need to remember this balancing act.  I need to pay more attention as to how I apply it.  When I am dealing with aspects of sin in this world, I need to remember to turn to the Law, even though turning to grace is so much easier in the short term because we believe we can skip the “conviction/change” step in the process!  When I am dealing with areas that are not tied to sin, such as worship or evangelism or fellowship among the believers, I need to remember to turn to grace and seek whatever God is doing in our midst, even though turning to the Law and applying things like “tradition” and “my correct way” is so easy!

Knowing when to use Law and Gospel appropriately is so hard.  We often want to use them backwards so that we end up ignoring the areas of our life that we should be binding while binding the areas of our life that should know true freedom!

Prayer

In chapter 2 Paul talks a lot about prayer.  I have confessed it before and I will confess it again.  Of all the marks of discipleship, prayer is the one that is the most difficult for me.  Don’t get me wrong.  I can pray.  In fact, I am often teased by my wife and congregation that my prayers can turn into “mini-homilies” themselves.  I enjoy praying.  I understand the purpose of prayer.  But all that being said I think the area of prayer is the area of being a disciple in which I have the most to learn from the genuine prayer warriors who are around me.  The area of prayer is an area where I could absolutely learn from a spiritual mentor.  So as I read this chapter I definitely identify more with the recipient Timothy than with the author Paul.

Paul’s list of things we should pray for is also challenging: all people – not just the ones we like – and specifically for kings and people of power – regardless of whether we like them or not.  But look at the reason for the prayer for people and especially leaders.  We pray for them so that we may live lives of peace.  We pray for them so that as we live lives of peace we might be able to be dignified and reveal God to them.  Ultimately, we pray for them that we might be enabled to live in such a way so that as His ambassador we might bring God into their life.  We pray for people so that we might have an opportunity to be that evangelistic tool that God uses in their life.   We pray for people so that as many people as possible would come to understand what it really means to have one God and Father while relying solely on the one mediator between us and that God: Jesus Christ.  Now that is a challenging focus. 

I wonder if you are like me and can confess that such an idea isn’t really the practical purpose of most of my prayers?  Most of my prayers tend to fall into the “I need” or “someone else needs” category.  How often do I genuinely pray for others simply that they might come to an understanding of their need for God in their life?

Furthermore, we are to pray without quarreling.  We are to pray while lifting our hands high in celebration of God.  We are to pray in such a way as the focus is not upon us but rather upon God.  I think that’s a good place to end.  Our actions, our speech, our prayers, our dress – all these things should allow God to be the center.

<><