How does fear of death enslave us?

Death presses upon us the idea of finite existence, enslaving us to problem of limited time. This perceived lack of time is the source of multiple stresses. The drive for efficiency, the temptation to take short cuts, the urgency to experience maximum pleasures with our few years--and all the foolish sacrifices we make to meet these pressures--are driven by the race against time.

But imagine that our lives go on forever...would we still have the same priorities we have now? Would we make the same choices that we've made? When Jesus conquered Death, he demolished the ticking pressure of the clock and all its associated complications.

Take for example the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. The landowner paid everyone the same wage no matter how late each worker began their day's work.

Many sermons focusing on the generosity of God have been preached on this story--which is fine--but note that the parable both follows (Matthew 19:28) and concludes (Matthew 20:16) with the this thought: 'So the last will be first and the first will the last.' Perhaps Jesus is simply saying God doesn't operate on the basis of our temporal values. In God's kingdom Death is not an issue therefore time is not an issue.

If we seriously take hold of Jesus' defeat of Death, we will shake off the old expectations that had been ingrained in us, shift our paradigm and develop a new 'normal' where time is not our slave master.

'Begin with the end in mind'

This is Habit #2 from Stephen Covey's National Bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey is right in that we don't think enough about how we want to end; if we want to win a game, we need to map out a strategy that will lead us to victory. For the game of life, Covey suggests that we imagine our own funeral--imagine how we want to be remembered by our family and friends, then chart our life accordingly.

Frankly his suggestion doesn't motivate me very much. So what if all my loved ones think well of me after I die? I will still be separated from them; what they think of me at that point will mean very little.

Death takes away the incentive to do right and to live right. If all ends with death, and if nothing else exists beyond the grave, I might as well focus on having a good time while alive! That to me would be the smartest thing if everything ultimately ends in death. But does everything end in death?

Most religions and our own intuition point to 'no; there is life beyond death'. Jesus came to prove it (Matthew 28: 16-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Some of us aren't afraid of dying, but even the brave still make choices in life under the shadow of its reality. What Jesus did on the cross undermined the effect impending death has on our psyche (Hebrews 2:15). His defeat of death is ours to hold; we are therefore called to live in liberty and think eternally.

Covey is right to have us look ahead. I just think we should think further than our funerals; and live in a way that such forward thinking merits.

Becoming one of us

Years ago, when I was still a fresh new Christian, one of my brothers challenged me with this question: "You mean to tell me that God, who is supposed to be all powerful and mighty, had to hang on a cross to save us? That is absolute absurdity and you buy into that?!?"

It had never occurred to me that a powerful being dying for humanity was absurd. As a teenager, I thought dying was the grandest love gesture that anyone could make: think Romeo and Juliet--what was wrong with that?!

But God didn't just die for romantics, He died for practical people too.

Much later, I found this answer to my brother's question, written clear as daylight in Hebrews 2:14-18: "¹⁴Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. ¹⁶We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."

God is not our Santa (2)

Santa looks at our wish list and gives us what we want; God doesn't always give us what we want.

It's not that God doesn't want to make us happy. The problem is: we don't know what really makes us happy--deep down, and for the long haul. We are generally too short-sighted to know what's most valuable for us. And we are fickle; our desires ebb back and forth according to the whims of our culture and the current trends pursued by our neighbours.

Santa doesn't care about the shelf life of his gifts. God cares very much about the longevity of His gifts; He has eternity in mind. (James 1:17)

God is not our Santa (1)

Santa asks whether we've been naughty or nice...God already knows the answer to that question yet He doesn't decide whether to give gifts or not based on our behaviour.

This is counter-intuitive. We are used to thinking we deserve love, gifts and good things in life because of what we've done--because of us. Isn't that how most parents motivate their children to behave well?

We like the idea of being good in order to get something; this gives us a sense of control. If we do well, we can be proud of ourselves. But if we fail? Then we don't feel good about ourselves...this can be punishing.

God is forgiving--Santa isn't. Yes, God wants us to be good too, but even as we constantly fall short, His love toward us doesn't change. (Romans 5:8; Romans 8:38-29; John 3:16)

Give like the original Santa

St. Nicolas of Myra was the first and original Santa Claus. He lived during the 3rd century under the Roman Empire in modern day Turkey. His habit of secretly giving to the poor was how he became the original model of Santa Claus. St. Nicolas lived out this command of Christ: "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret" (Matthew 6:1-4)

Things have changed since then; our Christmas gifting today is neither focused on the needy nor done in secret. That's not to say charity doesn't happen, it just hasn't been the main theme of our giving. Culturally, we exchange gifts with friends and family, it is a sign of mutual friendship and love rather than charity.

Giving can be loaded with pressure: Is this gift good enough? Is it too expensive? Too cheap? Showing too much eagerness to please? Or not pleasing enough? All this pressure comes from attaching ourselves too much with the gift we are giving. When we are thinking these thoughts, it's a sure sign that the gift is more about us than about the recipient of it. It is ironic, but giving can be a self-centered act.

In contrast, following St. Nicholas' model has this effect: giving anonymously to the needy breaks the power of self-centered thoughts and brings pleasure of being generous.

We, the chosen

The Bible tells us that Jesus' followers have been chosen by God before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4-14). We are no different than Mary and Joseph in that God chose all of us and has given each of us a role to play in His master plan. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Like Mary we receive the news of Jesus and welcome his life into our own. We sense his presence and know there is change happening inside us that is not our own doing. He enlarges our hearts, he stretches our faith and he gives us peace that we never had before.

Like Joseph we hear his word and call to action. We are restless until we act upon his call. For every action or decision we make out of obedience, we find affirmation that his word is true. And so, the birth of Christ in us yields faith, and faith bears its fruit eventually.

We are not chosen because we are good, quite the contrary, we are chosen to be made good, so that we can bear light in the world that God loves.

Joseph, the other chosen

I have always wondered what the relationship between Jesus and Joseph was like. Whenever Jesus uses the word "Father" in the Bible, it was always referring to God. What about his earthly father? Did Joseph love him like a son? I can't imagine he considered Jesus a bastard child, but Jesus wasn't his; what was it like? Did Joseph even live long? He was rarely mentioned in Scriptures. What we do know is that he was a righteous man to whom God entrusted Mary and Jesus when they were most vulnerable.

Joseph's faith is no less amazing than Mary's. Mary knew her pregnancy was immaculate, but Joseph had plenty of reasons to doubt. God sent Mary an angel with news; but he spoke to Joseph only through dreams. Mary just had to receive the news and things were happening to her while Joseph had to believe the messages in his dreams and take actions accordingly.

Matthew 1:20-25--He took Mary to be his wife in spite of her mysterious pregnancy.

Matthew 2:13-14--He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's sword.

Matthew 2:19-21--He returned to Israel after Herod died.

Matthew 2:22-23--He avoided returning to Judea and took the family to Nazareth instead.

Without Joseph's active response to God's call, our picture of the nativity might be a different one today. Joseph is a neglected hero in the Christmas story; he is an example of faith in action, an essential response to the Christian's call.

What kind of script are we writing with our faith?

Mary, the chosen

In the first chapter of Luke we read about the encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel, who gave her the news that she will give birth to Jesus even though she was a virgin. Mary has been credited with extraordinary faith for two millennia because of her accepting response to this news (Luke 1:28).

We tend to forget that when angels appear, in the Bible at least, people are deeply frightened; they become weak with fear. Yielding, with a compliant response, can almost be expected; how else would a teenage girl react to the overwhelming presence of a mighty angel?

It is true that the "Magnificat" (Mary's song recorded in Luke 1:46-55) reveals Mary's faithful heart. The song, sung in response to Elizabeth's affirmation (Luke 1:42-45) and long after her meeting with Gabriel, is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to the God who chose her. Her own words reveal that she was a passive recipient of God's favour and little action was required of her to accomplish His plan. God's choosing her preceded Mary's response of faith to Him, not the other way around ...

We often forget Jesus' other earthly parent--Joseph. He too was chosen, though his required response was rich with action. Joseph will be the focus of my next blog.

Angels and demons

Whenever angels appear in the Bible, the first thing they usually say is "Do not be afraid"; those they appear to often fall face-down in fear. It seems angels are terrifying beings. In contrast, demons aren't very intimidating in Scripture. They're more of a nuisance, manifesting themselves in familiar people--poor souls whom they love to frustrate. We seldom find the word demon in the Bible without also finding the word "possessed" in the same sentence.

This is directly opposite to how we think of angels and demons today. Our images of angels are soft friendly winged cherub babes while demons are scary brutes that wait in dark places to destroy us. Renaissance paintings of angels and demons have us fooled--as do our Halloween stories and horror films.

Why is this detail relevant? Because we need to know the real strategy of our enemy. The Devil does the greatest harm to us not through scare tactics, but through deception and disguise. He is the father of lies (John 8:44). For centuries he fools us into thinking that he looks scary while he actually does the most damage masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Evil is a parasite

I've come to the conclusion that evil always works through people. That's why we need to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44); they are just tools.

Think about it: whenever the Bible talks about demons they are always spirits, lodging themselves in people or animals. These spirits seem to have no material form; they must possess someone else's life to manifest themselves. For example, in the account where Jesus casts a whole group of demons out of one man, the spirits begged to be sent to a herd of pigs (Mark 5:1-20).

There was even one occasion where Jesus rebuked Satan while talking to his disciple Peter (Matthew 16:23). In this instance, Peter was not possessed with the bad spirit, but he uttered thoughts and words that were from Satan and Jesus was none too pleased with him.

How does evil influence us? Thoughts. If we are not careful, these thoughts take root in our being and lead us to commit evil deeds. Jesus resisted the Devil when he was being tempted. Because of Christ's Spirit living inside us, Christians have great power to resist evil influences too.

Moreover, Jesus encourages us to exercise that power not just in our own lives but also on behalf of others who can't resist--this, I think, being the force of His command to pray for our enemies.

"All you need is love"

The Beatles' song says it and Jackie DeShannon's song says it too: "What the World Needs Now is Love". Pop culture is full of music and movies that both explore and exploit our appetite for love. But what does the word mean to most people? Our sexualized culture has us associate love with affection, attraction or passion. Hollywood's depiction of love is often just a picture of people getting naked in bed together.

We need to redefine the true meaning of the word love.

John 3:16 says "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." In the biblical sense of the word, love is sacrificial, outward-bound and has an enduring quality.

In the Bible's love chapter--1 Corinthian 13, we find this description: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

Love like this is rare but that's how God loves us. When I realize how much he puts up with in loving me, my heart enlarges a little making room for others. God's love is supernaturally perfect and it is transferrable. We have to first receive it and then we know how to turn around and love others the same way.

Getting hosed with a purpose

Matthew 5:39 "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well"

If we only read this verse, it would seem like Jesus advocates that his disciples be doormats, allowing others to walk all over them. And in our minds we think "weak and stupid people can't say 'no' or defend themselves". We don't want to be weak or stupid and so we're repulsed by the idea of 'getting hosed'.

But Jesus does not advocate weakness or stupidity; he is saying choose to give even when we sense the other person is manipulating or mistreating us. If we follow our natural inclination to build up defences, our hearts would end up being hard and cold. We are actually in the position of strength when we choose. A deliberate choice to remain vulnerable to people is an act of love.

Jesus didn't innocently or foolishly trust people (John 2:23-25). But He loved them.

Getting hosed, boundary and love

Every now and then, the concept of maintaining boundaries pops up in church circles. That may be because some believers are prone to guilt trips and have trouble resisting requests for help even when they are not reasonable.

Being aware of boundary issues is important, but some of us have built such fortresses that any personal interaction becomes heavily guarded. Frankly, being around people with this type of 'boundary' is awkward.

Boundaries becomes much less important when there is love. Take children for example, they are pretty creative at getting what they want--from being cute to fake crying to acting out; loving parents meet their kids' needs despite the method they use to get their way. In almost every love relationship, there will be some form of getting the other person do what 'I' want and vice versa; doing the bidding of a beloved is a pleasure and not something that needs to be guarded against.

If Jesus had decided to build a boundary against self-serving people, he would have avoided mankind all together. Instead we read that the incredible demands tugging all around him did not produce a fortress or barrier. He was free to feed, to give, to heal and to teach. His love was deep and wide, covering over a multitude of wrongs--including all the ways people disregarded his boundaries.

What if life is about getting hosed?

One sunny day some years ago, I was walking down the street with a friend. We were minding our own business when a young man approached us for money. He looked clean and tidy, but you could tell that he was a street kid--and a smart one because he spoke well. We quietly listened to his plea for cash and promises to only use it for groceries rather than drugs or booze. Under normal situations, I would have just said, "no" and walked along...I hate being manipulated.

But that time was different. Something or Someone came over me and it felt more important to affirm this young man. So, I gave him a five-dollar bill with a blessing. Two things were at work: (1) I felt God's love for him and (2) I felt released from the irritation of being manipulated. In that moment I gave freely. And the freedom felt incredible inside.

We can say that Jesus made himself vulnerable to others' desires to manipulate him. Everybody wanted something from him. The mass of followers wanted food and healing. His close disciples wanted power in the Kingdom of God. Even his mother wanted wine from water. We're much the same today; most of us want blessings of some sort. Yet he doesn't just say no and get rid of us. He's patient with our mixed motives--and calls us to love the same way.

Vancouver Life

Silent night, silent night

All is bright with city lights

Many searching many lonely

Online we find some soothing sites

Facebook, Twitter and Blogger alike

Google, comment, read and write

'Friends' propagate, free and plenty

Though still in want--a bosom buddy

Tammy Faye Bakker

The Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker scandal in the 1980's really gave Christianity a black eye. Many judged them as utterly fake, manipulative and crooked people. That was my impression too until I saw a documentary entitled, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye".

The film helped get me past the thick mascara and my own prejudice, revealing a woman who wore her heart on her sleeve, embracing gay people before it became fashionable and supporting AIDS patients before Princess Diana made it cool--someone full of love who saw everyone as equally loveable.

The film also opened my eyes to the enormous trials she faced before, after and even during that period of remarkable success in the late 70s and early 80's. I came to think that through her rise and fall and through the many trials along the way her faith in God remained solid, her kindness did not shake, her confidence didn't shrink and that her forgiveness for her adversaries was abiding. Was she guilty and deserving of the scandalous accusations? Probably...though we don't know to what extent. To have reached that kind of success and fame would have brought temptation beyond what most people can handle; who are we to judge? The fact is, I came to think her faith in God was real...

This prompted me to Google the rest of her story. Turns out she finished strong. After an 11 year battle with recurring forms of cancer, and with just 65 lbs on her frame, her last words on Larry King Live, the night before she died, were a declaration of love to her fans expressing her deep desire for them to get to know Jesus: "I'd like to say that I genuinely love you (fans), and I genuinely care and I genuinely want to see you in Heaven someday. I want you to find peace. I want you to find joy..."

This woman embraced those that society shunned, had tangible faith in God during life's worst trials and pointed toward Heaven as her life drained away--she turned my attention toward Jesus. I hadn't expected that from Tammy Faye Bakker.

I don't know who I am when I am doing nothing

Look how many 'I's' are in that sentence; my high school English teacher would have been horrified. Avoiding bad writing style is one thing, there's something more insidious to look out for here. Experience tells me the frequency with which someone uses 'I' in their speech or writing often indicates their mental well-being.

Of all the addictions that can trap us, we tend to be the least aware of this 'I' obsession and its damage upon our psyche. Secular society may not even think of it as a problem, because for many this life is it--get the most for 'me' now. Yet, psychologists and counsellors make their living off the disease.

Habitual self-absorption is hard to break. We are born with it to a certain degree and then 'life happens', getting us even more stuck. But the Bible has a remedy for it, using a surprising word to label this sickness: sin.

If God calls self-absorption sin, it is no wonder then that His most important commandment to us is "to love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind"(Luke 10:37). Jesus goes even further to say that "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39). And there's the cure: if we make Jesus our sole obsession, he will replace all other addictions, to set us free even from ourselves.

Defying beauty

I spent a good part of this afternoon skimming through articles in a newly circulating magazine "Fresh" that deals with anti-aging and cosmetic therapy. The smorgasbord of effective products and treatments now available to shave years off one's face is very impressive. And these are not mere snake oil remedies taking advantage of our unquenchable quest for perfection--thanks to wealthy baby boomers, whose research dollars have made it conceivable for the this generation to find the fountain of eternal youth and beauty.

I don't deny that looking young and beautiful is a desire of my heart too. But there are two faces in my memory that put things into perspective.

The first I saw years ago when I was riding on a bus. A couple of people were sitting behind me and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation. One woman in particular had a very foul mouth; every sentence that spilled out of her was filled with profanity and criticism for the people in her life. Her words revealed a very bitter and petty soul. How surprised I was to turn around and see the mouth belonging to a fresh-faced, blond and blue-eyed teenager. I thought, "How odd, that princess look doesn't match the sound at all!"

The second memorable face appeared in a documentary movie entitled, "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus". The film documented a journey through poor areas of the Southern US. One segment featured an old woman with an unforgettable face. She had small eyes, a long hooked nose, sunken chin and virtually absent jaw line. Her white, papery skin sagged from the passage of many years; time clearly left its mark. But the most riveting thing was what came out of her mouth, she was singing a hymn of praise with complete serenity.

I found myself asking, "How many years of teasing and ridicule she may have endured because of her looks? Was she ever married and was she loved? How was it possible for her to sing so beautifully to God?" This time I thought to myself, "How odd, that look doesn't match the sound of the princess at all!"

Snowing!

American Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for our neighbour to the south. It's just about the biggest holiday in the USA, bigger than Halloween and Easter, close to Christmas. Why? Because the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, with the largest sales of the entire year--an even bigger shopping day than our Boxing Day.

We North Americans are really good at turning every holiday into a shopping frenzy. Our consumer traditions around these celebrations obscure the real meaning of the holidays, which are often lost in the shuffle--even for those who are religiously inclined.

I do love the traditions, the festivities and even the frantic rush, but the joy from these are short lived. On the few occasions where I'm able to connect the holiday with the real reason for its celebration, deeper feelings emerge, evoking enjoyment that can't be bought or sold.

It's Christmas everyday

Someone who had laser eye surgery done to correct his myopia once said to me that enjoying 20/20 vision the moment he wakes up is like having Christmas everyday.

No longer needing contacts or glasses is pretty cool, but that's not as great as the original Christmas present.

For me, being able to wake up every morning and start the day with a clean slate is an awesome gift. What I mean is that we all make mistakes, we all have regrets and we all struggle with guilt over something we've done in the past. And these errors cast shadow on our minds and hearts whether we like it or not. But in Jesus, God redeems our errors and forgives us completely again and again. A guilt-free clear conscience everyday, that's what we enjoy from receiving Jesus--God's perfect gift.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning..." Lamentations 3:22-23

Heavenly body

Whenever we feel depressed about our bodies' flaws (thanks to the advertising industry), it's helpful to consider our future eternal bodies. The Bible doesn't describe them in detail but we can catch possible glimpses by studying peoples' accounts of Jesus after his resurrection.

Consider these:

He was able to walk through walls (John 20:19; Luke 24:31, 36-37)

He still enjoyed eating (Luke 24:42-43)

His physical form was still recognizably familiar (John 21:12; Luke 24:39-40)

Plus, we read in Revelation 21:4 that we will be free from sickness and death. The imperfections we face today can fade in importance when we know our future frames will be perfect and absolutely incredible.

It's like...having an old beat up Chevy today isn't so bad when I know tomorrow I'll be getting a jet plane!

Men who saw horror

This is my visual dairy for Remembrance Day, inspired by the New Pornographers' beautiful tune 'Adventures in Solitude' (though the lyrics have little to do with real war).

To run or not to run

Today the sky looked like one big grey blanket, thick with heavy clouds. Relentless rain poured non-stop. The sun was completely veiled except for a few minutes in the afternoon, when it dipped beneath the clouds before setting over the far horizon, a mere sliver of light, peeking through for a few moments--what a tease!

Weather like this offered the perfect excuse to not go outside for my daily run. Besides, I was already physically tired from taking a dance class yesterday and mentally tired from a stressful dream (see previous blog); all the arrows pointed to a no-run decision for today. Yet...I couldn't rest without it; something inside pushed me to go. I have always lacked self discipline, always followed the whim of my feelings and therefore historically loathed running.  To me it was a form of physical torture. 

But four weeks ago, something mysterious happened. It was like the running gene in my body got turned on and I've been running six days a week since then. Even though my muscles have ached day and night, there has been no peace inside without the daily run. Is it the endorphins? Is it my subconscious? Is it the Holy Spirit? What part of me is making me want to run?

I never cheated in school. Except once, in Grade 10 Gym class, when I took a short cut during 'the run' (and got caught by the teacher--who was driving her car). 

I ran today. It was my longest distance since High School. And the wettest ever.

Is life one big test?

I had a dream this morning. In it I had three hours to write two exams - one for English and one for French. The English exam required writing a story. Most of my effort went to writing the story, but distractions continuously beset me and it became virtually impossible to focus throughout the dream. I tried to move into a different room hoping that would enable better concentration... All the while that clock was ticking; two hours had passed and I hadn't even started on the French exam. Yet others had completed their tests and started to leave! Finally, a breakthrough came for a good story; I decided to move back to the exam room to complete it. But to my horror, I couldn't find the room again! Near the end, while still in the dream, I realized I had only been dreaming and relief began to flood over me!

Life feels like one long continuous test sometimes. It's tiring and frustrating because our bondage to 'performance' is hideously strong. But once we realize performance is not required, we experience incredible freedom.

In the Old Testament...when we read of Hebrew priests accepting sacrifices from the people, it's crucial to recognize that they only examine the sacrificial lambs for perfection; they do not analyze the people at all. In the same way, God does not judge Christians by examining us or our works; He sees our perfect and blameless Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, and accepts His death for us. Such reliance on Jesus makes us free; our bondage to self-justification by performance is forever broken.

Lest we forget

Remembrance Day is more than just a day off--way more. It's one day each year where I feel patriotic because of our war veterans; one day I allow myself to want to be a soldier. Admiration for the few remaining silver haired heroes came easily as they marched to the sound of our applause. As much as our generation loathes war, the fact remains: our freedom and way of life came at the price of other people's blood and sacrifice.

Remembrance Day 2010

The most important question is...

Is God my sole object of worship? Even when the world is caving in all around, even when things don't make sense, even when evil seems to run wild...? Yeah, we should worship even more then.

Because our problems are small, our concerns are usually trivial, and we are tiny. We are like vapour (James 4:13-14); it's good to remember that. Our minds and hearts are habitually self-inflating. The interesting thing is that as we turn away from ourselves to focus on God, we begin to see things from his viewpoint until, suddenly, our self-concerns show themselves to be very small, even to us.

Canadian Rockies Sept 2009

Foggy

Exactly a week ago this was the view outside my window.  It's a pretty accurate picture of my mind trying to write a blog tonight.

What's your success story?

We tend to think of success to be something like this: a self-made man/woman overcomes obstacles to attain a level of achievement bringing them wealth and fame...  

But not everyone will reach 'success' like this; if we take the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) seriously, we know that Jesus must have a different kind of success in mind.

Take my friend Jake (not his real name) for example; he wasn't dealt a full deck of cards in the game called life. Born to alcoholic parents, Jake has fetal alcohol syndrome. Because of parental neglect, he spent practically all of his childhood years bouncing from one foster home to another--including some horrendous years in one of Canada's infamous residential schools. He endured abuse of every type from his earliest formative years into adulthood. By the time he was a teenage, he was a solid alcoholic, simmering inside with inexplicable (to him) rage. 

Family has always been important to him...mainly because he really never had one. When he found out that his biological sister was raped by her boyfriend, he killed the boyfriend--perhaps partially out of love for the sister and partially out of deep seeded anger inside. However, a turning point in Jake's life happened while in jail, where for several years another inmate--a Christian--ministered to him. Jake took hold of Jesus' love and forgiveness, and began to see himself in a new light. 

Jake is in his 50's now. Having become a Christian didn't change the fact of his fetal alcohol syndrome, nor did it completely erase the residual effects of the abuses he endured, but faith in Jesus has sustained him all these years. And so everyday that he is alive and sober is a success. 'To whom much is given, much is required' (Luke 12:48). 

To an outsider, such "success" does not look like much, but to God it is significant. Heaven will be so sweet for Jake.

Why did Jesus weep for Lazarus?

An amazing account in the Bible (John 11:1-44) has Jesus arrive at the home of his friends Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. Lazarus has just died and everyone is heartbroken. And we read that Jesus wept. Jesus knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead. In fact, Jesus knew he would do this even before Lazarus died--while he was still just sick.

What was it that made him weep?  

It was not death that drew his tears, it was the weeping of his friends--their pain--that moved him to tears. (John 11:33) Death was not the problem; he had and still has a solution for it.  But the sorrow that death and separation brings to mankind was never meant for us. He grieved for our pain. He grieved over the consequences of the fall on us.

God is not some impersonal force in the universe.

On the contrary, He is 'a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief...' (Isaiah 53:3) 

What keeps you up at night?

Our subconscious self sometimes acts like our master. When it is not happy, you can't be happy either; how many sleepless nights we've had to suffer because of unresolved issues deep inside?  In our waking hours, we can use our rational faculties to overcome inner discomfort or we can compensate by distracting ourselves with other things. Our inner self is smarter than that though...cognitive self-talk or distracting activities are mere bandaids that pop off in our sleep. 

Some people think that this subconscious self is our 'god', the part of us that knows all things and therefore whatever it wills, we must heed. But the subconscious is not perfect and it certainly isn't all knowing; it merely harbors our perceptions of the outside world, which are not always good or even true.

When the Bible talks about the renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2), it doesn't just refer to our active cognitive function, it is talking about an overhaul of our entire internal world--including the subconscious layer. Sometimes stress-induced sleepless nights indicate that divine work is being done inside; maybe our values need to shift, maybe some form of deception regarding ourselves or the world has to be revealed.

For Christians, praying to God can redeem our sleep loss; more importantly, desiring transformation can shorten the sleepless cycle, as it dethrones the small 'god' inside us and welcomes the big God--who made us and who can safeguard our absolute "rest".

You are what you think

When I grow up, I want to be...a neuroplasticity scientist. It is a relatively new field in science that studies the human brain. In the past, scientists believed that certain parts of the brain were immutable after infancy. That is, they didn't change; the brain's structure is basically fixed, which is the reason why any brain damage that occurs after that early period has permanent effect. Recent research however indicates that all of the brain DOES change anatomically and/or physiologically in response to experience, suggesting the possibility of healing that would have previously been thought miraculous.

A documentary film was aired in July this year that highlights how individuals with brain injury and/or deficient brain development from birth have been able to overcome their disability by 're-wiring' their brains through certain exercises.  Here is the link to that film: The Brain that Changes Itself.

This new insight into the human brain has incredible implications. It gives the term 'mind over matter' some degree of scientific credibility. One segment of the documentary points out a very interesting observation. It reveals that merely thinking about an activity has the same plasticity effect on the brain as actually doing that same activity.  

Now we know why Jesus was concerned about our thinking right as much as doing right. (Matthew 5)  And it makes us hear afresh the apostle Paul's admonishment to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) -- words from an ancient source, with truths and wisdom unfolding in our scientific age.

Guilty as charged!

Vanity is so firmly anchored in man's heart that a soldier, a rough, a cook or a porter will boast and expect admirers, and even philosophers want them; those who write against them want to enjoy the prestige of having written well, those who read them want the prestige of having read them, and perhaps I who write those want the same thing, perhaps my readers, ... (150, Pensees by Blaise Pascal)

--

No escape, no exceptions.

Pascal, too, is sucked into the same syndrome he observes, by observing it only to be observed, read and praised. 

So am I, who observe and read and write about him.

So are you, who read us. (Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft)

So am I who read, quote and blog about them both! Guilty as charged. 

But Pascal need not be so hard on himself. His writing is recorded evidence that we, mankind, recycle our neurosis from age to age. And therefore, even with our massive amount of modern knowledge, we need salvation and grace today as much as ever.  

There is always blue sky above the clouds

Years ago, while on board a flight, I discovered that no matter how gloomy a cloudy day seems, there is always blue sky above it. Below the clouds, the darkness gives a somber and melancholic mood. But after ascending through layers of clouds, the scenery above is bright and cheerful; a completely different world. Ever since that time, dark gloomy days often remind me that there is a bright blue sky beyond what my eyes can see.

A life of faith is kind of like that.  We have mountain top experience with God every now and then, when that happens, the reality of God is so undeniable and wonderful that we feel nothing can ever go wrong. Then life happens--death, illness, loss, failed expectations--these descend upon us merely because we are human. Bleak and discouraging circumstances cloud our vision.

Well, God is always there, even more constant than the blue sky is. Dark circumstances train our mind's eye to see what is not visible; they also remind us that this world is not our home. For "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

From Paris to Prague 2004

Will there be sex in Heaven?

My hunch is that the answer is 'no' and there are two reasons for my conclusion.  

First, Jesus was once tested by a Sadducee (who probably didn't even believe in Heaven!), who asked him to which husband a woman that had been married seven times in her lifetime would be together with in Heaven. Jesus gave this answer: "For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in Heaven." (Matthew 22:29-30).

Secondly, there appears may be an end to further procreation once 'the full number of Gentiles have come into the Kingdom of God.  (Romans 11:25)

Ultimately, we don't know one way or the other.

This may sound a bit disappointing to some. The potential absence of sex in Heaven shouldn't be construed as a stance against sex in the Bible. In fact, the Bible is quite positive about it (the whole book of the Song of Solomon dances with it, for example); the reason is that sex in marriage itself is a glimpse of the intimacy we'll have with God eternally. In that vein, throughout the Old and New Testaments, God describes himself as our husband.  Whether or not sex persists in Heaven, intimacy with God will occupy our attention and satisfy our desires at a level far above and beyond the best sexual experience on Earth.  

The apostle Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 

God never has less for those that love Him!

Embrace your body

"Jesus Christ who is utterly perfect had a body and the devil who is utterly imperfect doesn't have one." Martin Luther. 

The idea that the body is sinful, bad and drags us down while the spirit is good originated from the devil. The Bible neither advocates nor supports this dichotomy between the body and the spirit; that sort of thought entered the early church when Gentile pagans converted to Christianity. In time, this Greco-Roman influence began to displace that of the earlier Jewish believers, who believed the body to be good.

Our body is 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139:14). The devil may just be jealous because we have something that he doesn't.

Scripture describes Heaven as a concrete physical place that we can see, feel and touch. Jesus' resurrected body is an example for mankind's future.

Twilight

Vancouver  October 20, 2010

Is seeing believing?

The world isn't what it seems. We have to have faith that the brain is doing its job. Check out this interesting article on The Science of Optical Illusion.

What women want

I have been watching Wives and Daughters, an English period drama that transported me into a different world these last four nights. It's a total chic-flick with a story structure similar to Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and the like, where an unspoken or forbidden love that has endured long suffering drives the plot. The tension in these movies derives from the emotional restraint the lead characters display, essentially, when you think about it, because they value chastity.  I found it very curious that women are drawn to this type of romance like bee to honey--even in our age when chastity is considered ridiculous.  Yet if the heroines and heroes in these films lived like most people do today there would be no tension in the films, no story...nothing.

Take the baffling success of the movie Twilight for example. (Baffling because it was such a bad movie that I couldn't stomach watching the whole thing!) The hero, a good looking vampire, had to refrain from loving the heroine because love consummated in this case would kill his beloved. So he restrained himself due to his love for her. Wow--get any good looking actor to play a role like this and he will become an instant star.  

My point is, there is something about a man who can restrain himself physically that really melts a woman's heart--and Hollywood knows it. Perhaps the Christian view on this matter isn't as wrongheaded as society would have us think... 

Five minutes of glory

Sunset over downtown Vancouver, October 14, 2010

Only together will we be made perfect

I watched the first of the 33 trapped Chilean miners get rescued last night; now half of them have been brought to safety so far this morning. Their ordeal has become a uniting event that the whole world is sharing. Why is watching something like this so exciting to all of us?

Is it the triumph of overcoming great difficulty that's so satisfying? Or is it the togetherness we sense that brings gratification? Maybe it's a little bit of both. We pay high prices to go to concerts and hockey games; and we put up with traffic jams to attend fireworks, festivals and parades; all because we find being part of a united mass of people makes us feel good. 

In the book of Hebrews, the writer tells us that all the past heros of faith endured their suffering and yet none of them received what they were promised before they died. "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us will they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:40 

There is no such thing as individual perfection in God's eyes. We are not and will not be perfect alone. We will only be fully whole when we have been united together with a crowd of others.

Thanksgiving

View from above

"What is man that you are mindful of him..." Psalm 8:4

The pressure to be 'happy'

Whoever preaches the idea that following Jesus will make us happy is selling snake oil. We like to quote from the Bible the promise of an 'abundant life' (John 10:10) and we lean on verses of 'blessings and prosperity' (Jeremiah 29:11) during difficult times; but it is easy to forget that these promises will only be completely fulfilled when Jesus comes back. What Jesus said about following him is tougher to swallow: "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). 

Why so negative? I'm looking forward to Christ's return too; desiring happiness isn't wrong. But we live in a fallen world with self-centered people (including ourselves of course), where forces of decay press down on everyone and everything. Even though Jesus has come, life is far from perfect here and now. This is a biblical fact; a reality we live every moment. 

What's the use of following God then? For one thing, God is God--we follow because he said so. Then there's this thing called peace which helps us persevere through our troubles. God freely dispenses peace to his followers today in the midst of stresses. Then also we prepare ourselves for the coming age by building love for God and charity toward his people, which has everlasting quality. Finally, followers bear witness to Jesus' salvation work leading others to eternal safety.

Ironically, the more people follow God, the more we counteract the decay that has severely grasped our world.

Performance or love offering?

It is easy to misconstrue the calling of God.

Jesus himself said that we need to count the cost of following him (Luke 14:25-33), implying that when a person gives their life to God He will set a course for them that is beyond themselves. When we follow Jesus we need to brace for hardship and suffering.

While I think this is true to some extent--we shall expect difficulty--our attitude need not and should not be one of a slave obeying a tough taskmaster. Rather, it can be one of a child who offers whatever he can, realizing that God will multiply that humble offering for His purpose. 

The difference in these perspectives often appears very subtle, but internally these are two completely opposite worlds. The former is one of pushing to our limit to achieve what we think God wants, the latter is giving our very best as a love offering, leaving results to God. One is full of stress and expectation, the other is full of pleasure in making the offering. One is thinking we are something special and can do great things for God; the other is remembering we are TINY and the little we can give is only symbolic of our devotion. I wonder if this is the reason for God's differing responses to Cain's and Abel's offerings (Genesis 4:4-5).

God doesn't need us to do anything to achieve his purpose for this world. But if we participate, we get to delight in what delights Him.  And if we are truly offering our lives out of love for God, the sometimes dismal results of our offering or adversity we will need to face shouldn't really bother us that much.

One big twisted knot

Some days I wish I could be an atheist. After hitting wall after wall, when following God seems so futile, when my definition of 'good' has to be adjusted continuously--this is when the voice inside says 'Take my life back, do things my way, regain control!'

But having control is an illusion.  This morning I couldn't even control my hair, much less my feelings of happiness.  Even if I renounce my faith in God, my heart would still be one big twisted knot inside. Which atheists can say they are happy all the time?

Jim Elliott's words came opportunely just now: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Pure Reason?

Theists can give a hundred logical and convincing reasons for believing in God's existence, but none of these will be heard by atheists who hold the following thought: if there is no God, I can do whatever I want. This powerful motivation lies beneath many (but not all) who claim to be atheists for purely intellectual reasons. 

I just read a bunch of quotes by various atheists online, they all imply that people who believe in God are stupid, ignorant or deluded.  

Really, the question "Do you believe in God?" can never be truly objective for theists or atheists. The answer is always tied to some personal consequence or bias. No one responds to this question with pure reason alone.

Self-help gurus

I love it when gurus get debunked. Gurus mess with our minds, doling out pseudo wisdom sprinkled with half-truth and/or half-baked 'scientific knowledge'. One guru recently wrote a book: 'The Power' (a sequel to her previous best-seller, 'The Secret'). The book basically tells us that we are what we think. Therefore, think rich and you'll be rich, think thin and you'll be thin, think whatever and you'll attract that thing... Two psychologists co-wrote an article on the New York Times exposing the folly of this book, here is the link to the essay: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/books/review/Chabris-t.html?ref=health

While there may be a grain of truth to the claim that we are what we think...but just a grain. The author does not appeal to our quest for truth; she appeals to our quest for power - the ability to get what we want. "Is that wrong?" I ask myself. 

I guess it isn't necessarily wrong 'to get what we want'. Our hunger generally indicates that we need nourishment. It's good that we get the food we need. But the kind of food that gurus serve is just junk food. Feed on it long enough and we will die of malnutrition. It's like giving the sick a placebo when real medicine is available. 

Gurus exist in the Christian community too. They offer methods and self-help tips to deal with life problems. Yet problems come to us with God's permission; they're not always bad for us. They are opportunities to exercise our faith and get closer to God. Theologically speaking, a self-help Christian is something of an oxymoron.

A balanced life is overrated

Where did the idea of a balanced life come from? People try so hard to obtain it. We get this notion that our time should be divided up like a pie--five days a week for work, two days for play, so many hours of exercise, so many weeks of vacation etc... 

Years ago I had a steady job with a 35-hour work week, six weeks of vacation per year, plus it paid relatively well at $65K. That job even took care of my retirement with a pension plan that doubled my contribution every month. It was a dream job as far as balance was concerned. But it didn't provide the kind of bliss that a balanced life promises. In fact, everyday was so predictable and life required so little faith and will power that I was wilting inside.  

Sometimes a balanced life means giving up life passions; other times trying to get a balanced life actually produces more stress than just going with the flow. Interesting enough, the heros of faith in Scripture didn't seem to have balanced lives. That alone should cause Christians today to reconsider the current ideal of  balance.  It is not the Promised land.  

The Promised Land can only be entered by following God's call, going after Him no matter how life turns upside down or inside out. A balancing act simply can't make us blossom inside like answering God's call can.

The Pharisees weren't so bad

When we read about the interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees in the New Testament, we get this impression that the Pharisees were hypocritical and legalistic religious leaders who were oppressive to the ordinary believers of their day.  But this is not the whole picture.

In Jesus' days, there were many sects within Judaism--like Sadducees, Pharisees, Qumranites and Zealots etc...yet Jesus seemed to mingle almost exclusively with the Pharisees; the other sects are hardly mentioned at all. Why is that? David Flusser, a devout Orthodox Jewish scholar of early Chrisitianity had this to say: "Jesus did not accept all that was thought and taught in the Judaism of his time.  Although not really a Pharisee himself, he was closest to the Pharisees of the school of Hillel who preached love, and he led the way further to unconditional love--even of one's enemies and of sinners." (Jesus p.90 by D. Flusser)  

As it turns out, Jesus debated most vehemently with the Pharisees precisely because he was closest to them, not the other way around.  Who are our Pharisees today?

Legalistic church leaders?  Christian skeptics? I would say anyone who is seeking the truth and genuinely trying to live out their belief in God.  No matter how we differ in theology or drive each other insane over the way we practice our faith, we are on the same narrow path towards God. The fact that we can debate is because we stand on common ground and share a common destination in the first place.

Achieving greatness in life

Awhile ago, the book "A Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren made a huge splash in North America. It made the New York Times' best seller list for several years and topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well. Not only did it influence churches around the world, it extended outside the Christian community and into the secular mainstream. It was a big hit.

What was the secret to its success?  I think the author tapped into something in human nature that is innate.  Mainly, our deep desire for purpose and for achieving greatness in life. Purpose and greatness were in God's design when he created us. Our hearts long for it; we are restless without it.  The Bible touches when, for example, it compares us in our life journey to athletes running in a race--running to win the prize that waits at the finish line.  (Hebrews 12:1; 2 Timothy 4:7) 

As a life goal, achieving greatness is not a bad thing, but God tells us to define greatness carefully. In His kingdom, greatness is polar opposite to the common notions our society holds. In the world today, we are considered great if we achieve success through our ability and with our smart decisions.  In contrast, a Christian's greatness depends solely on his nearness to God--not on personal achievement. Like the moon, whose greatness lies in reflecting the glory of the sun, a Christian's greatness lies in reflecting the glory of God--through the Son. The closer we are to Him, the brighter we reflect his light. And this proximity is something we receive from God rather than something we achieve ourselves. We are therefore driven by His purpose and not self-sufficiently driving by our own steam...

Fulfilling my destiny

I recently heard a sermon that ignited a good fire in my belly. It went something like this: God is on my team to help me fulfill my God-given destiny.

My potential will not be wasted! How cool is that? It was instantly motivating, I was so 'charged' I wanted to achieve everything that was destined for me.  But today I stepped back and thought about the sermon a little more...God is on MY team to fulfill MY destiny. Why doesn't this idea sit right inside? We'd never say the Prime Minister is on MY team, the Pope is on my side... I can hardly expect the pastor of my church to help fulfill MY godly agenda.  

Jesus didn't really say God was on his team, in fact he constantly talked about his own life goal as doing his Father's will. Is God supposed to fulfill my agenda or is it the other way around? There is a difference between saying God is on my team as opposed to I am on God's team. The crux of the problem with the first saying is that it appeals to my pride.

There is a significant grain of truth in the 'fulfilling destiny' line of motivation. All the first disciples fulfilled their destiny so to speak--they all experienced persecutions and died horrible deaths. Does the notion of 'destiny fulfillment' I found so inspirational recognize God's surprising and often difficult agenda for our lives? Would I be so excited to fulfill my potential if God's destiny for me doesn't involve health, wealth and satisfying my pride?

The law of peer pressure

"When everything is moving at once, nothing appears to be moving, as on board ship. When everyone is moving towards depravity, no one seems to be moving, but if someone stops he shows up the others who are rushing on, by acting as a fixed point." 

Pensees (382) by Blaise Pascal

"Since 'everything flows', everything is relative.  This is Einsteinianly true of all physical things.  Relative to the sun, the earth moves, but relative to the earth, the sun rises and sets.  This is not a problem but a principle in physics; but it is a problem in ethics.  Clearly Pascal's description of the whole ship sailing down into depravity describes our society; but it also describes human history as a whole.  Only a fixed point above the flow of time and history can judge the flow.  Concretely, these fix points are the saints, who navigate not by the waves of history and the winds of fortune but by the fixed stars of Heaven.  Therefore we windswept, sinking relativists call them 'religious fanatics', all because of the principle of relativity Pascal describes here: to a cold-blooded reptile, 98.6 degrees is a high fever."

Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft

A good read related to the Koran burning fiasco

Someone else said it better:  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/the-meaning-of-the-koran/

What is freedom?

Freedom is....

• when you feel light as a feather inside even though the burden of life responsibilities is heavy;
• when you feel a thousand new sensations as though God just unlocked all your senses;
• when you are guilt-free for all the wrongs you've done in the past and are released from your conscience;
• when you give without fear of being taken advantage of;
• when you care without fear of being taken for granted;
• when you love without fear of getting your heart broken;
• when you do the right thing even when the wrong thing is much easier to do;
• when you are peaceful inside no matter what the circumstances look like on the outside.

We are made for freedom like this. Thanks to Jesus...we are free like this!

Death - the great equalizer

I am just sitting at Starbucks somewhere in downtown San Francisco late tonight. An old man behind me just wanted to talk, he talks to himself, talks to the lady next to me and a couple of times popped up beside me...he is a lonely man, a little out of his mind but completely harmless. I don't mind giving him a little attention if it would give him a little happiness. 

He mumbled and said to me that in the 80's, he knew someone who was a computer operator and made $60 an hour. That's more than what he made in a day's work. Life isn't fair. And this old man, even though he is a little crazy, knows it. 

This is when I think that death is a good thing. It is life's equalizer. EVERYBODY dies. No one is exempt.  Money can't stop it, good looks can't beat it, success is hopeless against it. No, nothing can defeat death...well, except for Jesus, he already did.

A thinking reed

I've been a delinquent here for most of August. When the sun kisses you and the air glides like silk on your skin, theological analysis seems so unnecessary. But each season is fit to nurture a different bodily faculty - summers overwhelm all our senses with vibrancy; the cooler, wetter days are here to help us think and dream. 

"Man is only a reed, the weakest in nature, but he is a thinking reed. There is no need for the whole universe to take up arms to crush him; a vapour, a drop of water is enough to kill him. But even if the universe were to crush him, man would still be nobler than his slayer, because he knows that he is dying and the advantage the universe has over him. The universe knows none of this." Pensees (347) by Blaise Pascal

"Which is greater, which is it better to be: one tiny man about to die but knowing this fact and many others; or the blind, dumb eighteen-billion-light-year-long universe about to kill that man but not knowing this fact or any others?" Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft

Below is the fairest article by an atheist that I've read in a long time; the reactions and comments it generated are interesting too.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/mystery-and-evidence/?ref=opinion

Happy thinking!

A cloud of witnesses

Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run...."

Who are these witnesses? They are previous generations of believers who have gone before us, having lived out their faith while in their physical bodies and are now cheering us on to run the same race that they ran. They are witnesses of the same truth that we believe in. In the previous chapter, the writer tells us that these saints had not received what they had been promised and that God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

In other words they are waiting for us. And when we die, we'll also wait for future believers to complete their course in this world. Not until the last believer has run their race will we together enjoy the perfect eternity that God has planned for us. 

What this means is that we better get good at loving. Because the race we are running now seems to be preparatory phase for eternity with God and with many others. No wonder Jesus said that all the commandments can be summed up to these two: (1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (2) And love your neighbour as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

Why bother with the Law?

Christians are saved by grace--meaning we are accepted by God already based on the work of Jesus. It is not like all other religions where we have to abide by certain creeds or do good works in order to be accepted by God. 

So, why should Christians do any good work or obey God's commandments? And why would God create such a salvation plan, is it not too easy for us to abuse his grace? 

I think the answer lies in how seriously we believe in Jesus in the first place. If we truly believe that God squeezed himself into a human body, endured abuse, mockery, and death in the greatest measure in order to save us. Would this not make us love him? And when we love someone, don't we want to do what pleases that person. In the Bible, we are told again and again that our obedience makes God happy. 

In Exodus 19:5-6, God said to the Israelites--after he had delivered them out of slavery in Egypt--that if they obey him fully and keep his covenant with them, then they will be his 'treasured possession' amongst all the nations. And it is the same for Christians as indicated in John 15:10 "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love". Who wouldn't want to be God's treasured possession and remain in his love?

Freedom is complicated

We often associate the notion of freedom with a lack of rule or restriction. It is about doing whatever we want whenever we want. And today we live for freedom; we feel entitled to it.

But is this type of freedom really good for us--or even possible? For example, eating freely without restraint will certainly bring us health problems; spending without limit lead to bankruptcy; living without regard for the rule of law would destroy society. So, contrary to our natural inclination, freedom must happen within certain boundary. 

Perhaps the real issue is finding the course of life that permits the greatest freedom within the constraints--the realities--of our existence. In this regard, Jesus' words on freedom stand out: "If you hold to my teaching, you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32) He ties our freedom to knowing the truth he teaches.

What is this truth that leads to freedom?

The truth that we are no longer slaves to our selfish nature because of what Jesus did on the cross. The truth about who we are and what we are made for. Without knowing answers to these basic questions in life, we are like fish out of water, trying to live freely on dry ground. A fish needs to know it's a fish and to stay within the bounds of its own environment (i.e., in water) in order to enjoy the freedom that it is made for.

A holy nation

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

Many things come to mind when I think of the label: 'holy nation'. First, Christians are a gathering of all races, crossing boundaries of skin color, language and bloodline. Second, we are not restricted by geography. Christians are everywhere around the globe, no matter where we travel, we experience an immediate familiarity with fellow believers in Jesus. Third, we are not separated by status or wealth. First and third world Christians have equal standing before God and therefore also with each other.  We are admonished and empowered to live out this truth through tangible deeds. A very interesting nation indeed!

What we have in common is our same allegiance to God, who purposed that his holiness should reflect on us. Having been called out of darkness into his light, we are able to be his reflectors of holiness.

A royal priesthood

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

The term royal priesthood is a struggle for me, I have no frame of reference to really understand what it means.

The elements of crown, rule and sovereignty are obviously key parts of the biblical sense of royalty--they are talked about a lot, including being used often in the descriptions of God and Heaven. Yet the concept of royalty remains distant because even the modern example of British monarchy doesn't quite fit due to their lack of true power. And really, most of us aren't even familiar with what it means to be a modern (relatively powerless) king or queen. 

Priesthood implies some aspect of outreach. In the Old Testament, the priests were intermediaries between God and his people. They were the ones who made sacrifices to God on behalf of the mass. Then again, priests also extended divine forgiveness to the people. 

This much I understand: being set apart as a royal priesthood, we serve duo functions. On the one hand, we present God's rule and sovereignty, showing what God is like to the world; on the other hand, we serve as intercessors for the lost. 

A chosen people

1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

There is something about being chosen that makes us feel good inside.  I mean, don't people usually make choices based on some excellent quality about which they choose?  It implies something special.  But my understanding of God's selection has little to do with us; it rather has more to do with Him.  The gap between God and humanity is so huge that -- really, all of us are way below-grade.  God chooses completely on the basis of his mercy rather than any substantial benefit we have for him.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 says this, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are."

Being chosen also means God took the initiative.  All believers have stories of how God first entered our lives through circumstances, people or even dreams.  Without God's first move (and further persistent pursuit) we would still be groping blindly in darkness.  

So, as his chosen people we have a common reason to declare God's goodness because, amongst other things, we've experienced the goodness of being called out of darkness and the freedom of living without fear of condemnation in his wonderful light.

What is holiness?

The biblical concept of holiness is different than accomplishing a list of do's and don'ts.  Many believers try to adhere to a code of conduct by sheer will-power often placing vigorous external restrictions on themselves.  But that doesn't necessarily make them holy.  In fact, such moral achievement may lead us to a more insidious sin: pride!  Besides we know from experience that mere outward behaviour is inadequate; our internal struggles of greed, lust, anger, resentment etc. give us no peace of mind--we know we fall short internally even if we put up a good front on the outside.  

Specifically, holiness means to be set apart for a special purpose -- pleasing God.  

I Peter 2:9 tells us that believers in Jesus are 'a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people belonging to God'.  Christians are set apart for God's purpose on the basis of our salvation through Jesus. This means that we have 'holy' status with God already because of Jesus; we are not set apart because we make ourselves holy: holiness is given to us.  

He graciously sets us apart and makes us pleasing to Himself.

What is holiness about?

The word holiness sounds ancient and prudish in our culture, it's not a popular word. That's unfortunate because many people now fail to understand what holiness even is. Striving for holiness is more about maintaining relationship with God than about achieving moral purity. 

Proverbs 28:9 says that "If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable." It's like saying don't bother praying, don't bother coming to God if we don't care about holiness. This is devastating to those of us who know and enjoy friendship with God. Imagine our spouse or best friend or parent or any other important person saying to us that our words are detestable, it would be a thousand times worse coming from God. Because He knows us deeper than anyone, loves us more than anyone and has sacrificed for us more than anyone, His rejection is the most devastating of all.  

This is where I come to understand King David's heart when he wrote in Psalm 63:3 '...your love is better than life...'.