Chapter 14. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 not proud

       Here we are still licking our wounds from the previous chapter.  Now we are supposed to focus on the virtue that is there.  Is this the same world we were just reading about?  The world that is full of trickery?  Absolutely!  We are often found in that place where we are seeing the bad and focusing on the bad while there is good around us.  We find ourselves hyper focused on the negative that we are unable to see the good.  To our great loss, we have a history of just this behavior in the various areas of our lives.  While the world is full of trickery and pride, we are called to be the stabilizing force in our families, work, schools, and churches.  This stabilizing force is found in the unconditional love that has been given to us through Jesus Christ.  Lest we find ourselves thinking we have done this or that, we are told to not be proud.  How can we accomplish this balancing act? 

       In the world the business as usual method is to build bigger, more profitable businesses at any cost.  So, while those in this managerial style are focused on the end numbers, the people are non-existent.  The management may send out a congratulatory email or company newsletter to those “little people” there is little pride in their work.  Rather, the pride is in the end goal: profitability.  This chapter isn’t about the money.  This chapter isn’t about personal or corporate power.  This chapter isn’t about bigger and better.  This chapter IS about thankfulness and working for the best good.  Love is not proud. What is the opposite of not proud?  Those in the world would probably say “pride”.  In the world they would be right.  But in the Christian world this isn’t so. Taken in context and in the Spirit, that breathed the Word, love is humble and yet strong.  So, the virtue we should see is humility.  Love is humbleness.  Why should Christians be humble in their calling?  After all, haven’t their talents have been given to them by God?  Were there not people through the Bible that were heralded as great, intelligent, successful?  The difference was in their hearts.  These men and women knew that anything good that came from them had its origin in God. 

       The highest and most needed agenda in every aspect of life is that our every deed be an expression of our relationship with God.  Thus, living the Gospel and bringing unbelievers to the saving grace of Christ.  It’s all about focus.  What do I want people to see in me?  What do you want people to see in you?  Here is where it gets messy.  We tend to live hypocritical lives.  We are one person when we are amongst Christians (like at church).  We are another person when we are Christians at family gatherings.  We become yet another person when we go to work (on the road, in the elevator, with our secretary, in the board meeting, etc.).  Finally, we are yet another person when our emotions fluctuate.  Yes, we are all hypocritical.  Yet, we tolerate this worldly behavior in others as we say to ourselves that it isn’t our place to point out what is wrong.  We encourage this behavior when we do the same thing we know is wrong in another person’s walk.  What is the question?  The question is; “Do you want to follow Jesus?”  The answer in the world range from yes to maybe to no.  The answer for the Christian is to be simply and humbly, “Yes.” 

       Have you ever been in the place where you have spent time making friends with a person at work?  You have gone to lunch together, maybe had a drink after work together, and exchanged emails and calls to one another both during work and in your off time.  After a significant event; you learn that she/he too are Christian.  We almost immediately do a check list to see where we might have not provided the Christian image in making the friendship, having lunch, drinks after work or communicating beyond work.  Do you think that, like me, you found yourself asking, “What did I do that showed I was a Christian?” or “Do they think I am a Christian?”  Both are excellent questions.  They could be a moot point if we truly were just who Christ made us to be.  This “act” of being Christian is never an “act” at all.  Being a Christian becomes “first nature” in all of our lives.  When we begin to compromise that image, we begin to walk away from the blessings of God.  The Christian life is not about compromise.  The Christian life is about consistency. 

       I have a very clear memory of when I gave my life to Christ.  The event is stamped in my memory as if it happened yesterday.  My life was transformed by the grace God gave me.  I had begun the day as one man and ended that day as a different man.  My choices, behaviors and desire went from that of the world to that of God.  My friends thought I was nuts, but I didn’t give in.  My relatives thought I was just going through another phase, but I didn’t give in.  My boss respected my decision and told me to keep it to myself, but I didn’t give in.  I had chosen to love God and consequently love mankind with God’s love.  I wish that were still the story and that the story was always happy.  After several years of being a Christian there were choices to be made and I made them.  Those choices moved on to become choices where I was with others (some Christian) who were doing wrong.  It was a short road to my then participating in worldly behavior and abandoning my Christian calling.  Psalm 1:1 lays out this devastating pattern as it moves through our lives.  First, we entertain the thought.  Then we stop doing what we were doing (following Christ) in order to be with he/she in what they are doing.  Finally, we become participants and we have stepped away from the will of God.  It was my choice.  No one made me do it.  I knew it was right/wrong and I chose to do it.  With the one word, right/wrong, we make the choice to humbly be what Christ has called us to do or we choose to do that which he doesn’t want us to do.  There is resident sadness in me for all of the times when I have chosen to not do what God wanted me to do.  There is humiliation that I carry with me in my memory as I look at the number of people whom I’ve not witnessed to in any manner.  This is even truer in that I participated in the ungodly acts. 

       This is where our Christian life gets a bit tricky.  There is that word again.  The one enemy of God is Satan.  Our one enemy as believers is Satan.  There are those who do not believe in Satan and call themselves Christian.  “Tricky” has as part of its definition “to deceive.”  Have you ever felt you were deceived?  Perhaps when someone confessed to you their sin against you?  Have you ever deceived anyone (usually for your benefit)?  The world if full of trickery and it surfaces in one manner as deception.  So we rationalize and justify in order to call our choice anything but sin.  We pawn our actions off as for the bigger good.  We say that by doing this instead of that no one gets hurt.  We learn that as in the world not getting caught is a good thing.  Shouldn’t we be focused on the behavior we don’t have to rationalize or justify?  Then we don’t have the burden of keeping a full stack of excuses as to why we didn’t do what God has asked us to do.  White lies aren’t white.  A little fudging isn’t little.  They won’t know shall know.  When our house of cards collapses where will we be found?  What will be revealed about me?  About you?  About your family?  Even about your business/job?

They/we are in very dangerous predicament outside the will of God.  As a soldier and later as a policeman one of the lessons learned was to always be on the lookout for the enemy/crook.  I once had a ride-along citizen in my police car for an evening shift.  In preparation for the night and her safety I told her that “everyone you meet tonight will be a criminal.”  She, being a Christian herself, exclaimed; “I don’t believe that!”  When we finished the shift, she said to me; “You were right.  They were all criminals.”   Here is why they were all criminals.  Just like a bank teller is trained to see counterfeit bills, I too was trained to spot criminals.  So, when I would hit the street for my shift I looked for criminals.  It’s not that there aren’t non-criminals any more than there are no good bills at the bank.  There were good people out there.  There is good money there.  The good people don’t need me to see them because they aren’t doing or about to do evil/criminal acts.  The good bills don’t need to be thrown away with the counterfeit bills for the same reason.  It’s the same with our Christian witness.  I’ve had criminals say to me; “Aren’t you a Christian.”   I would say yes and they would follow up with “Then why are you being so mean to me.”  No manipulation, rationalization or justification going on there!

Despite what we see out there; we can also see the opposite or good that surfaces.  We’ve been using the various words that describe what “love” is and is not according to the Bible.  We will need balance if we are to not be deemed proud in a sinful way.  We know that there is a great need for upstanding men and women of God to be witnesses to their world.  We know that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We know that we are all too human and lacking the ability to be perfect.  So how does this all work in our being Christian and called to bring glory to God?  Let’s look at the words “virtue” and “pride” as they present themselves to us.  Virtue is moral excellence.  A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good.  Pride is a disagreement with the Truth.  With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one's personal status or accomplishments.  With a positive connotation, pride refers to a satisfied sense of right toward our own choices and actions.

Love is not proud.  In its negative connotation, the love we believe and act upon is not what God’s love is within us and the world we live in. It’s something like this statement.  “Don’t say you are going to tell me something in Christian love.  Just say it and I will know if it’s from God or not.”  James 4:17 states “If we know what is right to do and don’t do it; we sin.”  The opposite of God’s love is sin, death and destruction.  We can take pride in what Christ is doing through us by giving Him the praise.  We can be proud of our kids when they choose to tell the truth.  We can be proud of a job well done when it’s done unto God.  The Christian who lives a surrendered life is continually presenting Christ to their world.  A world where there is no space for the enemy or self.  It’s all about our choice of where we are in the surrender process and the expectations of that process.  We can fight it and dodge issues and people, or we can engage life’s process and minister to those around us.  The more we make the right, Godly, decision, the easier it becomes to be more like Jesus.  And, yes, there will be trials and tribulations as the enemy tries his best to derail you on your walk with Jesus.  The Bible tells us that Satan is like a roaring lion going about to consume the people. 

       The only positive response we would like to hear from God is “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” As we enter the presence of God.  Knowing that we are doing what he expects of us in His power should be enough.  Love is a verb that should be moving through us and into the lives of others.  That is true from your church service to working in a foundry.  If you don’t feel this taking place in your life; look for what is blocking that movement.  My guess is that you, like I, will find the blockage in our pride preventing us from being humble.  The Bible tells us that pride comes before the fall.  Look around you or just examine your own lives.  Have you fallen?  Are you starting on a path that will lead to a fall?  Are you participating with those who are heading to disaster?  Are we full of ourselves or are we full of God?  There is no room for both and God is a gentleman who allows us to choose who resides in and directs our path.  It should go without saying that God can do a better job than we can.  Yet, we cling tightly to this or that part of our lives and rationalize and justify our choice.  It’s what I do.  Some days more and some days less. 

Here we are looking at ourselves and wondering what to do.  At least I am there.  We know what to do but we choose to not do it.  We know what to not do and, yet we do that very thing.  What is going on?  What’s going on is that we choose to act in a manner that fits our desires.  We disobey when the cost leads us where we are uncomfortable.  We become uncomfortable when we are confronted by the truth.  When the truth is presented we know in our spirit and hearts that it is the truth.  The next step is crucial.  We know that there are two choices in front of us.  We can choose the positive or we can choose the negative.  We can choose to allow God to be our life or we can choose to keep ourselves the god of our life.  One way leads to separation from God while the other remains in the grace of God.  When we are outside the will of God we open ourselves up to the attack of the enemy (Satan) and his minions.  When we choose to remain in God, we are protected by God and the angels of heaven.  We know who wins between God and Satan.  Are you going to choose to disobey God and take back the throne of your own life?  If you do take that choice, remember that you are only one step away from God. Ask for forgiveness and place yourself under the love of God.  This is so simple that we make it hard just so we can say we can’t do this.

Don’t be blind to the virtue that God has given you. There is virtue. You might be wondering how you can know this is true.  You need to know that the Bible says it.  You need to know that there are others who express virtue.  You need to listen to the Holy Spirit telling you this very thing right now.  What does would it look like manifested in you?  There are great examples of men and women in the Bible, in history, and in our lives today who have held dear to their reliance on God.  We need only look at the ministry they have been called to and how that calling has made a profound impact in the lives around them.  Are people happy to see us or do they avoid us.  If they oversee their lives they will definitely try to avoid the Christian.  But to those who are in Christ, approaching them there is almost a magnetic drawing that takes place.  Why is this?  Here is the answer.  We are attracted to whomever we are like.  If we are doing God’s work, we are attracted to those who show his love.  If we are not doing God’s work, we are attracted to those who do not show his love.  Is your life crowded with people who have a marginal relationship with Christ?  Maybe you are part of an unbelieving group and you are hiding your salvation.  Maybe you have chosen these groups so that you can remain only partially surrendered and thus partially obedient.  It’s your choice.  Live with blessing or live without blessing.  “Oh!” you say, “I want the blessing too.”  But there is a problem here.  You say you want it while your spirit says you won’t surrender so that God can bless you.  Your actions are so loud that the words mean very little or nothing. 

Look!  Stop focusing on the negative.  Start focusing on the positive.  Even if you cannot see the positive you know it’s out there.  God is positive.  He’s so big you shouldn’t miss him.  Perhaps you want to start your own religion where you make the rules to fit your beliefs?  That is the reason we have so many denominations today.  They are organized and classified so that they can bring people to their type of believer.  Some are so busy pleasing the desires of Satan that they don’t see their salvation slipping away.  Even if you are blind, you can see.  Even if you are deaf, you can hear.  Even if you are paralyzed, you can feel. There is no excuse for not enjoying the blessings of God. 

Living a surrendered life in Christ is a blessing.  The love given by Christ is not one of lordship over you.  His love is not proud.  Because of how he first loved us, we can now love Him.  Would you surrender yourself to Christ today?

Chapter 13. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. 1 Corinthians 3:4-7 not boastful

       In the military I learned: “Loose lips sink ships”.  I wasn’t in the Navy, but all the branches of the military service used this saying.  We do live in a world full of evil and trickery.  Deception is the rule and every man for himself is the motto by which we do business.  Our business affairs are not necessarily what we want the world to know.  People and corporations depend on someone, anyone, to be a conduit of information that will expose the soft spot or vulnerable place we have and where they can best attack.  Trickery is all around us.  It’s in our relationships (we expect it from our enemies), our work, and our business if we own one.  There are always going to be those whose goal in life is to take or destroy that which they cannot possess.  This goes for everything from shoelaces to children for sale.  We tend to close one eye or turn the head when we really, really, really, need that contract.  We use trickery and call it good business.  Outside the church the trickery is even worse!  Unfortunately, most of the problems can and do begin with people who are living surrendered lives.

       The word “trickery” implies deception, cheating, lying, and false reports among individuals up to and including every leader business or otherwise.  Through the process of rationalization and justification we proclaim ourselves immune to that which governs the world.  But are we?  I don’t think we are.  In fact, we become the catalysts for this ungodly practice.  In the past couple of decades, we have seen many religious leaders taken down by their ungodly living and boasting that they were godly.  We have also seen the rise and fall of our political leaders for much the same reason.  There are even some who are brazen enough to propose that trickery is from God.  It is from the god of this world, Satan.  However, the Lord God of heaven and earth has no trickery about him.  It is in us.  People just like you and I who are wanting to be we like to be seen rather than the reality our lives represent.  I’ve mentioned it before that this started in the Garden with Adam and Eve.  They succumbed to the trickery of the father of lies, Satan.  We have been fighting that sin in our lives ever since.  Satan used 3 different means of trickery to wedge Adam and Eve away from God’s care.  Those are: manipulation, control and secrecy.  In this “buyer beware” world we live in we need to assess when we find ourselves entertaining these three.  Let’s look at them a bit closer.

       Manipulation is a formidable foe for the Christian.  We have manipulation in our lives from conception to physical death.  Satan began with, “Surely you won’t die.” and is still using that line to deceive the “very elect.”  He took a third of heaven to hell when he tried that line on God.  We need to understand that this part of the battle is way bigger than we realized and way more dangerous than anyone can possibly conceive of.  For different circumstances in my life before I gave my life to Jesus and after, I have manipulated.  I’ve even gone so far as to rationalize and justify the manipulation of words, thoughts and deeds to obtain the end I wanted.  Manipulation can be simple words to complex orchestration over time.  Sometimes it’s out in the open and we can see it for what it is.  Most often it’s concealed (secrecy) to bring the manipulation to fruition.  In any case, manipulation is not a characteristic of God.  It’s a lie from the pit of hell brought to and through the unsuspecting people around us.  Do we ask ourselves about this behavior?  Not usually.  Okay, only when we get caught and are held accountable.  Are you not “buying” the argument?

       In this first example I will show how many reading this are conniving to manipulate right this very moment.  We have the stamp of approval from the world making this manipulation okay to do.  Many pastors and other church leaders utilize this manipulation as well.  What is it?  Go out in your church parking lot on Sunday or whenever you worship and count the cars with radar detectors on their dashes or visors.  The radar detection is a device used to manipulate our justification and rationalization to speed.  In other words, sin.  While employed as a police officer I have been pulled over a few times for speeding.  When the officer came up to get my license and registration (along with proof of insurance) I opened my “badge” wallet where my “badge” was clearly displayed.  Except in extreme circumstances no police officer will give a ticket to another police officer.  Let’s not take ourselves off track.  What I did when I put my “badge” out there was manipulate the circumstances so that I would not get a ticket.  It wasn’t right then and isn’t right now for anyone who claims to belong to Jesus.  How about the person who avoids the stop light or stop sign by crossing through the business on the corners drive and parking area?  Manipulating having to stop for the stop sign or the stop signal.  So, we use manipulation to take advantage of the situation.  It’s not right.  It’s sin. 

       Manipulation is everywhere.  There is no part of life where manipulation has not had serious long term affects.  Look at us.  Look at me.  Look at you.  Which one of us can say we have not manipulated.  “If you eat your peas, you will get ice cream for dessert.”  “If you let me go officer, I won’t do it again.”  The list goes on and on.  You have your manipulative lines and thoughts just like the rest of us.  “I’ll get a beer and sit back now that I have finished the lawn.”  The reward for right living for the Christian is a white robe and entry into heaven upon our earthly demise.  We are not to seek any favor except from God in the forgiveness of our sins.  Yet, parent manipulates child and likewise children manipulate their parents.  Employers manipulate their workers and workers manipulate their employers.  Politicians manipulate the people and special interest groups manipulate the politicians.  And all the while Satan is watching from the corner of the room with a big grin on his face.  Don’t worry, he will remind you of the evil within you for the rest of your life.  Your failings will never be far from you.  Unless you engage the best lawyer and allow him to plead your case.  Who is that?  It is the Lord Jesus who has paid for ALL our sins.  It’s been done.  Throw off the shackles and burdens created by your manipulation.  Remember, if you don’t feel close to God, guess who moved.  Move back.

       Control is the second element.  We are a world of control freaks.  Some to a minor degree and others to a major degree.  The bulk of the people fall in between those two extremes.  Okay, all of us fall between the two extremes.  No one is innocent.  No one escapes being subjected to control.  No can say they have not ever acted without being controlling.   Things get a little bit mixed up when we talk about control.  Perhaps a bit of the gray zone that we hear so much about.  Maybe we have even used the gray zone to create our own control.  Regardless, control belongs to God and him alone.  When we say we are surrendered to Jesus we are saying that we give up our controlling ways.  So, then, the saying is true that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me.”  There is not room for two.  If we take control it means that we have taken control back from God.  After all, our judgments are so much better than his.  Control is very different from responsibility.  Control is self-centered (sin) and the Bible instructs to stay away from sin.   While in the Christian’s life responsible is what God wants us to be and to practice responsibility in all areas of our life.  When we practice responsibility to God in our lives there is no need for control. 

       Often, we exercise control that we feel we need to accomplice something.  For instance, if we want to lose weight we need to control the amount and kinds of food we have.  We also must control our inactivity with exercise.  I have a hard time with both!  Sometimes we need to exercise control over things our children “want” but really don’t “need”.  My son wants a Corvette.  He needs a 78 Chevrolet Caprice.  Our wants often translate to need when we enter the rationalizing and justifying behavior.  The ability of parents to transfer good self-control to their children should be visible to those around them.  As I look around me, I don’t see very much of that going on.  Parents have taken themselves out of the role of teacher and leader in a lot of families.  Working two parent households often leave the kids as their own parents for long periods of the day.  They then control their world and often much of their parents’ world as well.  Add insult to injury, the liberals tell our children they can have sex, take drugs safely, get abortions, and report their parents if they intervene.  Control has destroyed the family as God intended it to be.  I admit that my actions and inactions have contributed to where my kids are in life.  Take that last statement and enter in the thought of whether I meant positively or negatively.  What is the legacy I am leaving for my children?  If anything is of value that I can pass on to them it’s the knowledge of a loving God who will take care of all our needs and wants, you to be free of the control they hold onto.  Your life will not crumble if you let go.

       There are going to be control issues that you have, your spouse has, your kids have, and your friends have.  Add to that the control that your work has over you, the IRS, and a host of other dictating entities and it’s easy to be overwhelmed.  The Bible is clear that God’s plan is good and at best our plan is bad.  Purely from a motive standpoint we can see this as we say that we love God but doubt he will meet our needs.  So, we take the control.  The motive is that we make sure that the need is taken care of.  There is a story of a man who was climbing up a mountain in the thickening fog when he slid off the trail and over a cliff.  He grasped onto the trunk of a small tree jutting out of the rock wall and held on.  He began yelling for someone to help him.  After a few moments a voice said to him, “I’ll help you.”  The man was grateful and asked how he was going to be rescued.  The voice told him to “just let go and I’ll catch you.”  There was a pause for a couple of moments before the man began yelling: “Is there anyone else out there?”  We want God to come to our rescue and to meet our needs all on our terms.  If our terms are part of the equation we have not let, go of control.  As we begin to examine our lives we find there is no one we really could trust to let go and be caught.  As the fog cleared for the man on the mountain side he was able to look down.  There a foot below him was a large rock ledge where he would have landed safely if he had just obeyed the voice and let go.  We don’t always see the hand of God because our hands are in front of our eyes.  God has infinite ways to take care of our needs should we surrender control.  Subsequently, the control we exercise in our lives (already mentioned) is really the controlling hand of God taking care of us and those we love when we are surrendered to him. 

This world is full of trickery which permeates all of our life.  However, we don’t need to succumb to trickery.  Simply asking God for direction, following that direction and not doubting will aid us in staying true.  When manipulation and control are properly under the hand of God we have nothing to boast of except Christ in us.  Love is not boastful.  Love in humility in the loving hand of God.  Love is passing that love onto our fellow man.  Let’s look at the last item involved in our Christian walk.

Secrets are so powerful!  They should be outlawed.  Okay, that will never work.  What are secrets?  Secrets are any part of something that is hidden.  Secreted away where no one can see them.  Hidden in the recesses of our minds (and the minds of others).  Some secrets are hidden in that they are never spoken about.  But everyone knows.  Secrets are necessary and not necessary.  For instance, knowing the secret password can unlock your computer and special folders and programs.  The secret password keeps the rest secret.  To prove my point, look at those who are in the business of hacking.  They are looking for secrets of others.  While our best efforts to keep secrets safe, it isn’t enough to keep from being hacked.  Then there are secrets that are known to another or two and is meant to be “our” little secret.  Sounds like a clique, walks like a clique, hmmm must be a clique.  So, mom and dad keep the secret that Santa and the Easter Bunny aren’t real.  Politicians keep the secret of what really goes on at Area 51.  Your wife/husband keep secrets from each other.  Might be their gambling, an affair, double standard in parenting, or even parts of your faith. 

What do the secrets produce?  When made aware of a secret kept from them, people feel betrayed, duped, used, belittled, and many other things.  When was the last time you kept a secret from someone?  We are cautioned to exercise care in our business affairs.  Why?  Because the world if full of trickery.  Trickery requires a “trick” to be set up.  Someone needs to know about it.  There needs to be a plan that when executed furthers the movement of the one making the trick.  As a Christian in your business; do you live out your Christian faith or do you join the pagan world in taking advantage of anyone or anything that will line their pockets?  Do you rationalize or justify the “trick” you use to do business?  When you do this all you are saying is that God is unable to take care of your needs, your family needs, your business needs and your employee’s needs.  You don’t need a “trick”.  You don’t need the secret.  There should be no second set of books for different eyes.  Does God play any part in your business life?  How about your personal life?  If a secret is in there; God isn’t.  He won’t intervene in your sin.  He won’t be a part of your sin, my sin, or the sin of the church. 

       Secrets are from the pit of hell and are intended to disrupt the life and lives of those who call upon God to be saved.  Let’s not kid ourselves.  He is there in every moment of our lives.  He knows everything that takes place in our lives even before it happens.  I’ve had my secrets over the years.  I think I’ve finally told them all first to God and then to someone I trust.  All secrets need to be dealt with but not all secrets need to be made public.  I’ve known that too.  It was my fault and my selfishness.  No one to blame but me.  I did it.  No one made me do it.  I have confessed my sin and it no longer has any power over me.  I’m relieved that the secret keeping is done.  It was a terrible burden to me and likewise to those around me even if they didn’t know anything about it.  Yet, from where I had fallen, God reached down and picked me up and trusted me again.  I’ve fallen more times than I remember and ALWAYS God has been there holding the end of my rope when I reached it.  The saving thing to do was to let go and fall onto the ledge God provided. 

       If you are prone to keeping secrets please know that one day, one way, you will have to face that sin.  It may not happen today or even tomorrow, but it will happen.  Until that time when you do acknowledge the secret you will have to live a stressed life trying to keep the sin from being known.  Many a man and woman have ended their lives because they couldn’t deal with the truth and what might happen if only people knew.  Secrets lead to controlling behavior meant to keep the focus off of that area of our life.  Multiple secrets lead to control in multiple of ways.  To keep the secret and maintain the control; we exercise manipulation.  The greater the number of secrets; the greater the need for control and finally the greater need to manipulate. 

       Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.  Love is not boastful.  Whatever we have, do or become our only boast should be that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me.”  Make that a daily goal for yourself.  Let others know that this is a goal for yourself.  They may just decide to join your journey and you can be a support for and with each other.  What would happen if the church would surrender the trickery, the secrets, the control and the manipulation?  What would happen if pastors preached what was right instead of preaching to not offend?  What would happen….?

Chapter 12. It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 not jealous

       We just covered what the “real possession” is within our lives.  It is the career that God has called to all who call upon Jesus as Savior.  I almost hate to use the word “career” or “calling” for something our hearts should be glad about.  In other words, the love of God should be a natural outcome of surrender.  But are we consumed by the love of God?  Do we even know what it means to be consumed by God?  Is there anyone out there who has fully surrendered their lives to God?  No?  Well, I guess I must be in good company.  On to reality.  While we should be consumed by God, we are not because we still have distractions that we think we need in our lives.  Some of them are righteous and others are sins.  Regardless, we need to examine ourselves and determine if our relationship with God reflective of our calling?  When considering our Christian lives; are we fighting a losing war?  Let me give you some good news.  The Lord has won.  He said, “It is finished.”  The “losing war” has already been won!

       I find it very interesting that the Desiderata connects “real possession” and “changing fortunes”.  What significance does this have for us?  Our calling should be from God.  The real possession of our life should be our calling which is from God.  Since the world around us is constantly changing; our calling should be steadfast and ongoing.   Basically, we are called to be in the world but not of the world.  Being in the world with our calling is important to God.  He wants us to be moms’ dads, teachers, truckers, mechanics, secretaries, CEOs, and any other vocation your calling may be associated with.  Perhaps you are a coach or student.  The presence of God in our lives is essential for bringing the Gospel to all the world.  There are motorcycle gangs that are witnesses for Christ just as there are pastors who live out the Gospel with the homeless.  Being a nurse can bring healing in many ways with the ultimate healing being life in Christ. 

       When reading the Desiderata, the “real possession” phrase jumps out at me.  I love to barter and most often get some real good bargains that I have no intention of ever giving up.  There are so many ways to hold onto these possessions.  The first one is by seeing the possession.  Looking at the possession embeds the picture in my mind.  Whenever I think about the possession I bring up the visual aspect and “look at it” from my memories point of view.  One such possession I will use as an example here is a beautiful steel broad sword with a leather scabbard.  The handle is leather bound and has a decorative hilt.  The cross bars where the hilt and the blade meet are dark steel and very strong.  Everything on the sword is straight and true.  But there is more.  The first smell I hold onto is a memory also.  I take out the sword from time to time and pull it from the leather scabbard.  The leather smells wonderful!  It’s a simple scabbard and the strong smell of leather emanates from it.  The steel also has its own metal odor mixed with the light coat of oil.  Being able to smell, like vision, is a very nice blessing from God.  God didn’t stop there when he created mankind.  He also gave us a sense of taste.  No, I didn’t taste the sword.  What does happen on occasion is my mouth waters thinking about something wonderful.  Likewise going without water can result in a much different parched taste in our mouth.  Seeing and smelling followed by taste are just 3 of our senses we utilize daily.  Feel is very important in two senses.  The first one is physically feeling an object.  When I take the sword out I grab it by the handle and instantly feel the metal shape and the wrapping of the handle.  The cross bar nestles onto my thumb and pointer finger.  I take my other hand and take hold of the leather scabbard.  The smooth texture of the scabbard is easy to grasp and feels like an old friend; known and trusted.  As I draw the sword from the scabbard I hear the “sing” of steel against leather and a slight ring of the blade as it exits the scabbard.  Swinging it through the air I hear “whoosh” or “swish” of the blade cutting through the air.  When I put the sword away, the sound of steel sliding inside of a leather scabbard visits my ears.  The resounding thud of the cross-bat seating on the scabbard ends the sensual odyssey.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the emotional side of the sword.  The emotions that come to the surface for me are courage, strength, justice, and protected.  The emotional impact along with the physical makes a complete picture within us.  The experience has also rested on us and becomes a familiar friend.

       So, it is supposed to be with the experience of Christ in our lives.  Do we take all our senses and bring them into the presence of God?  Do we surrender our senses to God so that he may be manifested to the world around us through them?  Just as the Christian is the sum of the total parts of the church; the senses are the sum of the total Christian being.  What would happen if every Christian boldly and wisely brought Christ to their world with all their senses?  Would people “see, hear, feel, and taste” the love of God?  Or, would they encounter some other sense that is the manifestation of the world and what it represents?  Depending on what is surrendered and how much is surrendered will determine the sweetness of Christ or the bile of the world.  Even as a long-time believer I have presented the bile of the world all too often.  So, the next day I get up and try again.  James 4:17 says: “if you know what is right to do and don’t do it, you sin.”  There are only two real questions for us to consider. The first is determining whether we have given up our self and surrendered our life to Christ to live through us.  The second is determining what God wants our lives to be to the world around us.  Have we chosen Christ and are we sold out to His will? 

Salvation is a real possession given by a real God. Likewise, you and I have a calling even if we call it a career.  The “real possession” in that “calling” is grace so abundantly offered to us.  Our task then is to pass on the grace to others which brings glory to God. I don’t care if you are an ironworker or pastor.  Everyone needs to accept the gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ and then follow him in the totality of our lives. I feel sick over all the lost chances that have come my way to share Christ when I’ve chose not to.  It’s not that every conversation needs to be around being saved or being a Christian.  We needn’t put ourselves and others in that kind of prison.  It’s been said that people don’t care about how much you know until they find out how much you care.  I’d like to say I am a caring and knowledgeable Christian.  Unfortunately, there have been many times in my life where I have acted in ways other than Christian.  So, when I pen these lines please keep in mind that I, like the church, am on a path of discovery and surrender.  None of us is perfect.  Those who think they are perfect are perfectly wrong.  None of us can do perfection. 

I went to a beauty school yesterday and met Cassie who would be cutting my hair.  She obligingly asked me what kind of cut I liked.  I told her, honestly, that she should consider me a blank slate and to do whatever she thought best.  She didn’t believe me!  After pursuing the subject for a few moments, she decided I wasn’t kidding.  She did check back with me several times during the cut and my answer remained the same.  Because of my posture she was able to do what she was called to do and had the responsibility to not do that which would not be good.  I was even given a beard trim.  Cassie was able to have several items checked off as approved by her instructor and I had a terrific haircut.  When we have our lives stopped by God and restarted in Christ there is a certain amount of time before people will believe you that the change is both real and maturing as we grow.  The haircut was absolutely first class.  That’s what is expected of us as Christians even in the presence of adversity.  Our world has taken a turn that brings negative consequences when we talk to co-workers about Jesus.  We have such a “loud” witness in so many ways (five listed above) for people to see, hear, and ask about.  People should be able to see a Christian and say, “there is something different about him/her.”  Hopefully they don’t mean something negative.  If we are presenting the presence of Christ in our lives people can and will see Jesus.  What they choose to do with Jesus is their choice.  That doesn’t mean we cannot pray for them. 

       If we are tapped into the grace from God and not tapped into man’s idea of grace; then we won’t be jealous of what others have, do or become.  Jealousy has had several names over time.  It’s been called the “green eyed monster” and “selfishness” to name just a couple.  In the world of justification and rationalization the world takes jealousy and makes it a good thing.  Jealousy is not just something that occasionally trespasses in our lives.  Jealousy is a one-way trip to sin.  There is no need for jealousy for the Christian for we are complete in Christ.  We lack nothing.  All our needs are taken care of.  I wish it was that easy!  However, simple and easy is not the way of most Christians. The manner of which we compare is the fertile planting ground for the seeds of jealousy.  They begin small and innocuous bursting to full grown jealousy in what seems like an instant.  Sin has been in us since we were conceived in our mother’s womb.  It takes little to activate sin our lives.  Those same senses we mentioned earlier are what feed the sin in our lives.  Those same senses surrendered to God weeds the garden so that all that is left is a Christian who can bear fruit for God.  Just because we fell off the horse we don’t need to believe that we cannot ride horses.  We are a sinful man fraught with sinful thoughts and actions.  We are going to fall.  We are going to get back up again.  Jesus patiently helps us up, dusts us off and sends us down the road to do his will.  He sends us without baggage.  We go dragging our baggage behind us.  Satan loves that as it makes his job of distracting us so easy.  He wants you and I distracted from the calling and mission.  That way others won’t be reached for Jesus.  He is such a phony! 

       Our lives are enhanced when we first do his will and secondly associate with his people.  There is no question that every influence the world has is surrounding us every moment of every day.  Everything we take in remains lodged in our brains waiting to be brought out in a negative way by Satan.  Likewise, those thoughts are also waiting to be used by Christ.  Jesus wants the world to know that he understands them all personally.  Being real with people includes our not thinking of ourselves as good/great and those around us as lesser.  Though Jesus is God, he interacted with people’s lives on their level and in a way that they could see his love for them.  Easy task for God is easy but not so easy for mankind.  Note that I did not use “impossible” in the later statement.  It’s our ability to be real with God who knows everything about that allows us to be real with others.  We’ve been there, done that.  People need to know you understand, have been there, or are even currently struggling with all that we struggle with.  Personally, I’m very glad that our thoughts are not out loud for everyone to hear.  Associating with people is the only way we will be able to present Christ to them.  I’ve been in quite a number of different denominational churches in the USA and overseas.  To say they have different messages is very huge!  In the light of the Word, what does Jesus say, believe and think?  It’s all laid out there in the pages of our Bible.  Immersion of our lives with Scripture is changes the way we say, believe and think.  Put in good stuff and good stuff can come out.  Put is negative stuff and negative stuff comes out.  Jealousy in equals jealously out. 

       Love is NOT jealous.  It’s a simple statement and yet very complex when we throw in free will and man’s definitions.  The more we add to a thought the more difficult we find to incorporate that word into our lives.  So, it goes without saying, that we need to uncomplicated our lives so that people can see Jesus.  We are taught from a very early age that we are to be jealous.  “Why can’t you be like your brother?”  “Why can’t you do things right like your sister?”  You get the picture.   We are taught to believe that jealousy is a good thing and is to be in every area of your life.  Have you ever had an evaluation at work where you were compared to the other 99% who were walking on water?  Perhaps you have heard: “If you could just be more like so in so, you would probably be promoted.”  The opposite is also true.  Hearing: “Your brother/sister is wonderful in everything they do.”  Or overhearing, “I just don’t know what to do about him/her; they are just like their father/mother.”  We carry the comments and competition that is the birth place of jealousy into college life and then into the work world.  Marriage and child bearing gives us the opportunity to raise kids who will be just like us.  Ouch!  I don’t like to be like me and I certainly don’t want people to have to grow and mature what I went through in that same process.  We tell ourselves and maybe out friends that we are NOT going to be like our parents and certainly won’t raise our kids the same way our parents did.  Except for the grace of Christ through salvation we have little choice but to follow that which we do know.  We know the world and its ways.  It’s visible and in front of us all the time.  It knocks on our doors when we watch television.  The world leaks into our minds through the hearing of lyrics of songs born from the world’s point of view.  There are many different arenas where we are pulled away from God or prevented from going to God.  To that purpose God has called you.

       If you could only save one possession just before a disaster what would it be?  Pictures on the wall, financial items in the safe, that special car/truck in the garage, or Jesus?  If you are a Christian and said any of the items before Jesus it doesn’t mean you don’t know him.  We, as a people, are called to a life of priority.  Christianity is not for the weak hearted.  There is a very real battle both visible and invisible going on around us.  If you don’t feel the battle, you probably don’t do much for God.  With few exceptions I feel like I have been in a war zone since October 1, 1972 when I first surrendered to God.  In this war zone I have been assured that I am not alone.  In the visible and invisible worlds God is there reminding me to get up when I fall and to not allow what my past has been to disqualify myself from telling people about Jesus.  The real possession I have is my salvation that brought me to my calling.  I’m to be a witness of the love of God to those whom God puts me in front of.  If I’ve talked with you about Jesus; it’s because God put you there.  If I remain humbled by the work Jesus has already done for me, I won’t be jealous.  There is none greater or lesser than me.  There are only believers and non-believers.  One group chooses to be saved and one does not.  Which choice will your parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, co-workers make when they see Jesus in you?  What will you (and I) think or say when those we didn’t show Christ to spend eternity in hell?

       If we truly focus on the calling God has put before us the stakes get high.  The more we do for Christ, the more we will face adversity.  We have an enemy who is very angry.  He does not want you and me effective for Jesus.  Nor is he to be taken lightly.  Jesus has won the battle with Satan.  All that is left is for us to take Jesus seriously.  If we are focused and busy presenting Jesus to our world we will not have the time or energy to be jealous.  The less we have jealousy in our lives, the more we have the love of God flowing out of us.  The more the love of God flows out of us the less people see us and the more they see God.  When people see God, they see their need for Him in their lives.  They then have the choice to follow Jesus or not.  If they choose to follow him they have eternal life.  Who wouldn’t want to share that?  It’s what we are called to.

Chapter 11. Keep interested in your own career, however humble. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Kind

       Are you “career” or “called” minded?  There is a difference between the two.  They are also related as we will see.  When most people hear the word “called” there is an assumption that person is a spiritual leader of one sort or another.  When we use the word “career” or “vocation” the implication is about our legacy in the making.  Career can be a calling and calling can be a career.  Keeping interested in your career is important and necessitates our observing our career from God’s perspective.  Many go through the “movements” associated with our life or jobs while not having any interest in what the outcome is to be.  Life becomes repetitious and just another day.  Soon, people choose to despise what they do, and life becomes problematic and disillusioned.  When we are sufficiently “numbed” in an area of our life, the interest is gone and so is humbleness.  Our sense of thankfulness is gone, and the quality of our lives diminish leaving us apathetic and ineffective.  And so, our faith along with other aspects of our life becomes less and less of what God wants for us.  We walk away from what we once knew was our first love.  Our calling or career given by God when we were saved from ourselves and the world we live in.  In our selfishness we miss the opportunity for God to utilize what he has equipped us with.  The very same grace he gives us should be carried into whatever calling or career he places you in. 

       What we do comes to the surface as our true nature (sin) is more and more fully exposed.  Our longing for Jesus and our longing for mankind to understand and accept the grace of God is buried.  To be fair, Satan (the god of this world) has an ulterior motive for wanting us to NOT live for Christ.  He thinks his job is to hide the Gospel from the non-believers.  When we step away from our first love, Jesus, we leave that place where we once had fellowship with him and others who are serving him.  So it is when we do not answer the calling or career he has asked us to do.  This isn’t an overnight task for any of us.  This process of receiving a calling or a career happens when we are surrendered to Him.  The calling or career becomes increasingly expanded as we grow in Christ.  Our maturity in Christ is a key to our evolving calling or career.  To whom is given much, much is demanded.  Responsibility for what God has blessed us with comes with high expectations. 

I believe that being “humble” is necessary for us to be interested in our own careers.  Whenever I have inflated myself within a calling or career, God’s purpose has diminished in me.  With the fading of humility, the sin of the world becomes readily evident in different portions of my life.  The process is like water in a river eating away at the bank that contains it until the river has its way and life’s purpose is permanently altered.  Our choosing of Plan B takes us away from God’s Plan A.  When we move into Plan B the river gains more momentum and power.  Then Plan B takes on a life of its own.  The Plan A we began with, is now permanently altered even if we return.  We miss the opportunities and joys of what Plan A would have bestowed on us as well as others.  Once rerouted the river can never go back to its original path.  So, it is with us.  The original calling is gone. 

I wrote earlier about listening to the voice of God in our everyday lives.  The choice of which way to work was intended to imply that God has a plan in minute detail should we decide to listen and obey.  Many times, when I chose what route I felt God wanted me to take I would catch myself looking across the valley at a parallel roadway seeing how traffic was going there.  Sometimes I caught myself wishing I had taken the other route.  The choice had been made.  I could either humbly obey or begrudgingly obey.  In either case there was no way to undo the decision.  Sometimes I made the choice and usually suffered because that choice was made by me and not God.  You can never go back and redo any moment.  Once that moment has passed the whole direction of our lives is changed for all eternity.  Remember that God always has another Plan A ready when we return to his will.  It will not be the same Plan A given last time.  Time cannot be altered in the past.  When we humbly obey regardless of what we or the world thinks, everything will be alright.

       As a second observation, the Desiderata specifies what we are to keep interest in; “your own career.”  Not your neighbor’s career nor your best friend’s career; but the career where you find yourself.  Having our lives shaped by anything other than God’s calling results in our becoming what the world expects of us.  People proclaim, in a prophetic (and wrong) sense, what we are becoming.  We are told we are expected to go into this or that field of work based on our abilities and how they have either soared or crashed and burned.  If you don’t agree please tell me where any public school encourages students to have a career/calling to be a pastor or a missionary.  Others have gone against this and followed a calling/career that emboldens them to break free from the stereotype that governs so many.  To do so is to risk being a maverick, pioneer, oddball or revolutionary by those who aren’t.  We know this to be true.  So, instead of keeping interest in our careers; we instead use “their” careers to justify the calm of our career.  We defend the box and condemn those who choose otherwise.  As you well know “they” are worse than “us” and so we feel better about our failure to follow the career/calling God has for us.

       Having painted ourselves into a proverbial corner; we find new and improved ways to justify our place in society.  Having done so, we avoid, and at the same time, defend and are disenchanted with where and what we are.  What we have become either is rationalized or justified and the humbleness of a calling is gone.  Our attention becomes focused on surviving instead of discovery.  Our dreams are replaced with repetition of everyday actions and reactions.  We lose the joy of living.  This does not happen to everyone and is found in various levels of symptoms of those who are infected.  Where you and I are found within this portrayal is as individual as each of us and as corporate as we have become.  When the institutions of our world begin defining what we are to be; individuality is lost.  We become a worker who goes to work to pay the bills and returns home to fulfill the role of spouse, father and friend.  Over the decades our religious institutions have also changed to support this characterization.  Where once there was a freedom of slavery and commonness, individuality and newness have been injured and in some cases killed.  Fresh ideas and feelings of individual importance has been corralled in the interest inclusion all of us into the lowest rung of the ladder.  Is this what we really want?  Is this what you want?  Is this what God wants? No, no, and no.

       In our desire to stay disgruntled with our place in life we become bitter towards those who have, or appeared to have, followed a dream or calling.  Remember where we talked of not comparing ourselves with others?  Here we are in the process of comparing ourselves to others.  We also use where or what others are to boost our standing.  In so doing, we learn to “feel” better about not “being like them.”  Instead of humbleness we find ourselves in discontent with ourselves and others alike.  Instead of humbleness there is anger and jealousy.  Instead of humbleness we do what we need to get by rather than all that we can.  Individuals become part of a group and personal identity is seen less and less.  Instead of seeing others as Jesus does, we see others in the “less than” category of people.  Our daily lives and repetition convince us that this is all there is.  We buy the lie.  We not only cannot be kind with others, but we cannot even be kind with ourselves.  Mercy from God is nowhere to be found.   

How do we become kind people and what does this have to do with a career or calling?  There are a lot of aspects in our lives that depend upon this small, simple word; “kind”.  Kindness, like love, begins with us.  Do we show kindness to ourselves?  Are we loving towards ourselves?  If we are to be called Christians; we need to accept the premise that we can only give away that which we have received.  Our ability to love then is dependent upon that level of love we show towards ourselves in humility.  If we do not believe we are lovable we also feel that towards others.  Should we accept the love of God in our lives we will have tapped into our career and calling.  God’s imperative is that we accomplish only two actions in our lives.  The first is to love God with all our being.  The second is to love others as God has loved us.  This is not as simple as it sounds for most of us.  Most of us put upon ourselves a layer of guilt like a layer of frosting on a cake.  We know that inside is the cake, but we can’t see past the frosting.  Many of us love cake for the frosting and miss out on the cake and filling. 

I’ve often said that there are only two absolutes in life; death and taxes.  Yet, we are challenged to surrender ALL our being when asking God to come in and take charge of our lives.  God has told us that he will not violate our free will.  We need to surrender our free will to God to do and be what he designed our lives to do and be.  For this to happen God wants us to realistically count the cost of following him and only him.  It is His will that should not only captivate our attention but also propel us forward in service to that will.  I’m not always very good about doing this.  In fact, the inner rebellious child is still surfacing after surrendering my life in October of 1972.  Why do I keep that inner child/adult alive?  Quite frankly, this is true because I, like all of us, hold onto things from the past.  Sometimes this is a conscious decision and other times the subconscious drives us.  Perhaps it is the same for you.  Perhaps you struggle to surrender as well.  You are not alone. 

On October 1, 1972 I surrendered to Jesus and gave him my life.  He became my first love.  He was my calling and my career.  It was his kindness to me a sinner that kindled the fire of that first love.  For the next 2 years I grew and matured much in the Lord.  I longed for time to read the Word and prayer.  It was my pleasure to pray with others as they received the Lord into their lives.  I had what I called my “second” job during the day.  My real job was living for Jesus.  So, what happened?  What happened is I went astray?  My selfishness slowly came to the surface and consumed me.  It was my choice to do so.  My informed decision to sin against my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As I became increasingly distant from that first love, sin followed in becoming a controlling part of my life.  My calling/career was dying.  Eventually my choices would lead me even further away from my first love until the consequences were visible to those around me.  Still I didn’t turn around!  I put aside the kindness and calling and embraced that which God abhors.  Even though I was saved, I was lost.  Have you felt that way?  Are you a Christian who has enjoyed that first love only to have the desire drift out of your life?  Is your career/calling from God or from man?  What am I supposed to be doing?  What are you supposed to be doing?  I can tell you this much; it’s not sinning.  There is no kindness in sin.  There is no humbleness in a calling or career that is not given by God. 

So, what do we do?  What do I do?  What do you do?  That individual choice affects the corporate whole.  That goes both ways.  Our choices can bring positive or negative consequences not only into our lives but also into the lives of those around us.  Sin “always” brings negative consequences.  Obedience “always” brings positive consequences.  Likewise, when tempted we can adopt one of two attitudes.  The first one (most beneficial to all) is to not take adversity brought on by obedience personally.  If the Word is correct we should understand that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me.”  Thus, adversity isn’t towards us but rather Christ in us.  God states time and time again that he is sufficient.  He has conquered sin and death.  I said there were two attitudes.  The second one is to take everything personally.  When we do this, we put distance between Christ and ourselves.  Remember, if you aren’t feeling close to God, guess who moved!  It takes us just a few moments to look at the life of Job.  What happened to Job can and does happen to those still in this world.  We ask why those called by God have adversity.  That isn’t the right question. 

The right question to man is almost never the right question for those serving God.  For the believer who is called by God to be a Christian in any vocation that God places you in, the right question to adversity is “Why not!”  There is a transformation we who know Christ have gone through upon our salvation.  We are no longer of this world.  We live here physically but our real home is Heaven.  We are sojourners longing to be home.  We “occupy” space in this world but are not owned by it.  The home we own isn’t on this or any other planet.  The calling or career is not of man but of God.  The kindness that has been bestowed upon us we in turn bestow on those around us.  When we sin (not if) we have only one step to take to get back on track.  Repentance. 

This year I turn 61.  I am thankful that yet again, God has allowed me to wake up on the right side of the grass.  He has given me one more moment to be his love to a lost and hurting world.  One more moment…doesn’t seem like much.  Maybe it isn’t for us.  Maybe we aren’t supposed to be living that moment for ourselves.  Are you able to understand this very simple career plan?  Our “career” is to bring glory to God with what he has provided.  What he has provided is grace.  Grace is the greatest kindness.  Grace giving is the greatest career.  Let’s read the Word and have sweet communion with God and bring grace to the world around us.  It’s our calling.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

       Can you begin to see this wisdom reflects what God would have in your life?  While each is separate, all are connected.  We are separate in Christ and yet connected to all believers in Christ.  In kindness, enjoy your achievements as well as His plans.