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Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 4

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (vs. 4)

Right off the bat, this verse affirms the same thing Christ stated that in this life, trouble is guaranteed. The verse begins with "...even though..." not "in the unlikely event." My own life has been wrought with trials, testings, and downright irritations-- be that from people or circumstances. I meet person after person that longs for a life this side of heaven that was never promised by our Lord. The first person I meet is the guy in the mirror each morning. I have the audacity to think that I should live a privileged life free from harm and free from trouble. That is a lie. Truth be known, as much as I moan and complain in the throes of discomfort, I have grown more during those times than any cushy period of my life.

The other things I notice when I look at this verse is first, that I "walk through." That gives me hope; this valley is not my destination, but rather a thoroughfare. Why? Because it is but a shadow, not the real thing. If we are in Christ, we have life. He is the resurrection and the life! The second thing I notice is that "I fear no evil." Why is that? The Psalmist tells the Lord that it is because "You are with me." Remember who that "You" is? The Lord, our Shepherd, our Provider, our Comforter. This same Lord is our Protector. David records in others Psalms that He is our fortress, and our shield. He is the One with me. Why is it, in spite of God's track record, that never seems to be enough for me? Maybe I am the only one with that problem.

Next, with what does our Good Shepherd protect and comfort us? The rod and the staff. Is David being redundant? Rod AND staff? What's the deal? Well, here's the deal. The shepherd's rod is a twofold instrument. It is a short handled stick often described with a knobby end on it. It can be used as a close range weapon and a long range weapon. But here's the catch, this weapon can be used against enemies of the flock, or on wayward flock as well. God's discipline can be very comforting. God lays out His boundaries, and when we get into dangerous territory, he sometimes whacks (note: "whack" is not in the original text) us back on the path. (cf. Heb. 5:8)

Not only does he whack us when we need it, he also, uses the staff. The shepherd's staff is the traditional instrument most of us are familiar with-- the long pole with a hook on the end. That hook, is what I would call the "grace hook." That is when we have disobeyed and gotten off the path disregarding the chastisement (whacking) and in need of rescue and in need of grace. The Good Shepherd, doesn't leave us to the elements nor predators, but rather, leaves the 99 for the 1. That's His heart. He left the privilege of heaven for the peril of earth, all to go after those of us sheep that have gone astray. Have you gone astray? Perhaps you are in the midst of some whacking. Maybe you should stop and re-evaluate the path you are on. The Good Shepherd is there to comfort and protect.

Walking with the Good Shepherd, pt 2

So, if we shall not be in want or shall not lack anything, what kinds of things is David writing about? I think He captures in verse two the heart of what God desires for us. "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." The first part of this verse talks of God causing us to rest, not just in pastures, but green pastures, some Bible versions use the word "lush." God desires not just a restless night, but desires that we experience peaceful refreshment. But where does this come from? Is it posh surroundings, deluxe accommodations and a sleep-number bed? I don't think so. God Himself is our supply. It comes from resting in Him. He is the green pasture.

Look back at John 10, verse 9. Jesus describes Himself as the door. What ever comes at us, must first go through Him! That gives me incredible peace of mind, and no pricey mattress can offer that-- regardless of what the adds say. Ever wonder why so many of us have trouble sleeping at night? We, and I do include myself, too often allow ourselves to not rest in the fact that Christ Himself is at the doorway of the sheep fold.

The next part of the verse reinforces this. He leads me beside quiet waters. Life apart from Christ is a rushing river and to step into it without His leading can destroy us. His leading, rather, is beside quiet, calming, peaceful waters. Waters that refresh. Waters that are clear and pure. You see, God has our best in mind. Contrary to cultural norms, we don't achieve this through having no pain and all comfort. We get this by abiding in Him, hearing His voice, and following him. I am just as guilty as anyone. I pursue things that are counterfeits and don't satisfy. David wrote in Psalm 37, that is when our delight is in the LORD, He gives us the desires of our heart. Again, David uses YHWH here for LORD.

Are you resting well? My prescription is to take a nap in a lush pasture beside quiet waters of the peace of God. Then, call upon the LORD in the morning.

Lame Duck Faith

In the light of a political climate like ours, there is a phrase that becomes increasingly popular and relevant. I haven't done any research on the term "lame duck" and where it comes from or how long it has been around, but it most often used in describing a politician who is on their last term and because of term limits they can not run again for the same office. It refers to the tendency of this individual who, in seeing the final days nearing, begins to give up the passion that once put them in office. I think many of us do this even on smaller scales when we see the end coming in a job or school change. It is easy to do really. The thought is, "What's the point? We are leaving soon anyway. No one is listening."

I began reading Paul's letters to the church in Thessalonica recently, and I noted one theme in chapter one of the first letter that followers of Christ of today would do well to implement. "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (vs. 3) As I unpacked this verse, the rest of the chapter developed what I was seeing. Any time I see a list in scripture, it makes me stop. Paul commends the church on three things: their work produced by faith, their labor prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope.

The work produced by their faith refers to the repentance that resulted. They were not just saying that they believed in Jesus, but they were turning form the idol worship they were so heavily entrenched in their old lives. True faith, as James discusses in his letter, produces good works and repentance.

Then Paul talks about their labor of love. At first, I thought he was just repeating himself, but I don't think so, because he uses two different Greek words here and this one refers more to a work done with intensity and sorrow. This church, as we see described later in the letters, is experiencing persecution. They were buckling down when it was getting hard, and possibly getting toward their end, and their love for Christ was the motivating force. Paul himself describes this in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians when he said that Christ's love compelled them.

Finally, he mentions steadfastness or endurance that results from having a source of true hope. This is no milk-toast hope. It is rooted in a deep-hearted trust in a returning Savior King based on the powerful work that has already been done in their midst. They were facing persecution, and folks they knew were being killed for their faith in Christ, and yet Paul commended them for not giving up and finishing the race.

In these final days, we are living in what my friend refers in his blog as shadow days. We cannot become lame ducks in our faith. We must buckle down, turn our heads toward the wind and keep marching. As long as we remain, God is not done with us. Unfortunately, many in the church today have given up. Their mindset is the same as a lame duck politician. "What's the point? We are leaving soon anyway. No one is listening." We must press on. We must encourage one another. We must not grow weary. For He is faithful, and we will be united with Him soon.

Does our faith produce real life change? Does our love for Christ compels us to do good deeds? Does our hope in Christ keep us moving forward? Or have we become lame duck in our faith? I hope you are challenged as much as I have been.

Looking for Answers

I have been alive and in the ministry long enough to know that death is one of the things in life that is certain. Death comes as a natural result of our bodies breaking down over time, or it happens when we are shoved into the reality that we are fragile and held on to by naught but a thread. Though I have participated in and witnessed many funerals, they always have a significant impact on me and I find myself very reflective for days afterward. Sometimes, I think about my own mortality and am reminded not to waste a day. Sometimes, I am challenged to keep pressing on so that I may join the ranks of the few that can say that they finished well.

This week was not the norm. While death is never easy to contend with, it is always difficult to swallow when the life of a child ends suddenly. Many are crushed, all involved are changed forever. There are some things that are just accepted as the norm-- expectations that we all share, whether they are really true or not. One is that parents are not supposed to bury their children especially young children. Unfortunately, experience teaches us all that this is not always true. Parents do bury their kids. Kids are killed in tragic accidents. Kids get horrible disease and die.

In the wake of death's "premature" arrival, many look for answers to the same hard question - "why?" Often, some with the feeling of helplessness, rush to try to answer that question. Most have foolish answers and cause unintentional harm. I have experienced loss at the hand of crime, disease, and accidental death of both family and friends, both young and old. I have witnessed the devastation on a few occasions that this loss brings first hand, and I have tasted of the bitter fruit of losing a child through miscarriage. I have found myself looking for answers to questions like: What color eyes did they have? Was it a boy or a girl? What games would we have played together? There are questions like those that will never be answered. I know it is not the same as seeing a bed that will no longer slept in or toys that will not again be played with. I love both of my girls and will cherish them as long as God's grace allows me to.

Our community lost a preteen boy to an accidental drowning. Ministers were called in to go to the elementary school to talk with those children that needed to talk. I visited with four different kids. All of them sought answers, few left with any. I spent my time grieving with them and assuring them that God was good and that He loved them and the child that died. I heard stories of things they had done with the boy and memories that they will have. Some expressed fear of the same happening to them. This same school had lost a child the year before to sudden sickness. So, this loss was especially stinging.

I have learned that sometimes the only answer to those questions are that God wants us to embrace life and each other because life is always shorter than you realize. Sometimes the best things you can say to those grieving is, "I am so sorry, and I love you." Period. Don't rush to say anything more. Don't try to make sense of it and talk of the "good that will come out of this tragedy."Just pray for them, love them, embrace them and weep with them. Usually, there are no answers even years later. The main truth that I have learned is that God is good regardless of tragedy and that He loves us.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. " - Romans 12:15

Personal Reflections on Suffering

Not an hour ago, I was in the hospital visiting one of our members who was having a surgical procedure, one that she has had multiple times over the last 15-20 years. When I arrived, she was about to have an IV put in and she was really anxious about it. She, like my wife, does not like needles... at all. For some people, this seems trivial, for others it can be very traumatic. I am only 37 years old, but there are a few things that I am absolutely certain of. One of those is suffering is real and immanent, another is God is good.

I would be naive to try to encapsulate every thought on pain and suffering in this blog, as I don't think there are easy answers to much of what goes on in the world. Perhaps, it is because I saw the video clip I posted earlier, or perhaps it is because I have had numerous conversations with people about personal trials and suffering that I am thinking about this, but nevertheless I feel compelled to write about this topic that is way bigger than myself.

Our Monday night small group is wading through some of the tougher topics that Christians face, and the very first was wrapped up in the following statement from Lee Strobel's book, "The Case for Faith." Since evil and suffering exist, a loving God cannot. Wow, that is a big claim. I could not begin to deal adequately with the whole of this statement in a month of blogs. Really, all I can say is what I have learned in a 37 year long experiment in hardship and suffering.

Some people are arrogant in their thinking that some people cannot handle suffering because they are not strong enough or don't have enough faith. Others wear there suffering experience like a badge looking down on others because the other person's suffering cannot be real because it isn't as bad as what they have endured. Then, there are those who never seem to every leave the place of suffering and seem to like it there and set up house. Also, there are those who truly have gone through a tremendous amount of pain and grief and never seem to be shaken in their faith in God. I wish I could be found in the latter.

I guess I am no hero. I have had my share of hurt and disappointment. I have dealt with each in various ways, some in not so God-glorifying ways. I grew up in a severely dysfunctional home where I began my life with health issues. At the age of seven, my father died leaving my emotionally screwed up mom with me and three older sisters with nothing but business debts. My family has seen abuse of all kinds (some thanks to my father), a relative sense of poverty, the death of friends and family, as well as, rejection. Since I have been with my wife, we have experienced financial strain, murder of a loved one, more death of young and old alike, a miscarriage, the victimization of a financial scam, and betrayal by those we were close to. And while in the midst of all of that, even though there were few laughs or smiles, I can say on the other side with confidence that I still believe with all my heart that God is good.

I do not know a single person who has any character that did not derive it without having experienced suffering. However, sadly there is a dominant thought in the world that all suffering is always bad. I reject that notion, and I am challenged with the task of teaching my girls to suffer well. I would not be honoring God nor doing them any good in life preparation if I took away all suffering out of their lives. I believe that suffering and evil in the world is not present because God is not good, but rather because sin came into the world. (James 1:2-4)

One of the truths that sustains me when in the midst of trying experiences is knowing that none of the experiences I have will ever be as bad, as it will be glorious when I am with the Lord in eternal paradise. The Apostle John wrote this (in exile I might add):

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4)