Reasonable: Part 1–The Pattern of this World

Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. (Romans 12:2 EHV)**

This is my second favorite verse in the entire Bible (I’ll get to the most favorite one a little later), because it is the essence of the Christian walk summed up in a single verse.

We were saved from sin so that we would stop sinning. We are set apart from the world that either has no interest in Truthseeking or wants to define Truth on its own terms.

However, the life that we were saved from is the one that encompasses the habits we have developed. The later in life that we accept Jesus as Lord, the harder it is to overcome these habits.

We can’t do this without God’s help. We can’t change our own nature. But we can trust in God to do it for us. True worship is recognizing this reality and acting on it. That is why the verse immediately before this one reads:

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God—this is a reasonable act of worship for you. (Romans 12:1 MOUNCE)

Reasonable

Romans 12 begins with an exhortation to respond to God’s saving mercy by presenting our bodies, and all that we do with them, as a living sacrifice to God. This means that we should stop doing whatever we want or whatever feels good in the moment and instead go to God for guidance about what we should do and what decisions we should make. Approaching God in this way keeps him on the throne of our hearts, where He belongs.

Paul describes our having this posture of submission toward God as a “reasonable” act of worship, but that word in English fails to convey his full meaning.

The Greek word Paul uses here is logikos. I probably don’t even have to tell you what English word comes from that. It means “logical” or “rational.” It can also be interpreted as “intelligent,” “true,” “appropriate,” “sensible,” “only right,” “authentic,” “fitting,” “not too much to ask,” “proper,” “genuine,” “essential,” “spiritual “ and “in line with God’s mind.”

It is only by being spiritually mindful of the fact that we are sinners, incapable of saving ourselves, and yet chosen by God for redemption when we exercise the faith that is a gift from God, that we can find ourselves in a place where true transformation can begin. We are chosen, but we also make an informed choice.

True worship, therefore, happens where faith and logic meet. Faith and reason are not opposites. Indeed, they must be used together for us to do the work that God saved us to do.

God’s Part and Our Part

This is why both the active and passive voice are used in verse 2. I know that drives English teachers and the Microsoft Word grammar checker nuts, but it’s essential here so that we can understand just how this process of offering ourselves as living sacrifices works. Let’s break verse 2 down.

Do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world.

The implication here is that we have been conforming to the pattern of this world, which is true. As Christians, we always need to remember where we came from. To be set apart from the world, we had to first be a part of it. But what is “the pattern of this world?”

The pattern is the superficial values and customs of our culture. Throughout the ages, it has always been about keeping up appearances. The world judges people and situations by what they can see. Since faith involves believing, THEN seeing, it doesn’t fit the pattern. Therefore, the pattern rejects faith.

In doing so, the people that do conform to the pattern develop standards (for lack of a better word) that are not based on faith and its outcome. The pattern molds and shapes them into a hive mind that is opposed to anything that would challenge it.

So why is that a problem for Truthseekers? Because there’s a good chance that a lot of our friends and family are conforming to that pattern. Sometimes being set apart feels more like being left out. We are tempted to compromise our faith and convictions to have a sense of belonging that we are comfortable with.

This is why God warns us that we have to do our part to resist the pattern. But while we are doing that, God is doing this…

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

When we make the decision not to follow the lemmings of our culture, we open the door for God to do His transforming work in our lives. Our minds are renewed through prayer and the study of God’s Word.

Have you noticed that the more time you spend with somebody, the more you start to become like them? You pick up their mannerisms, their accent, maybe even some of their habits.

It works the same way with Jesus. Religion can form habitual rituals, but a relationship with Jesus changes you from the inside out. Once you have made the decision to follow Jesus, AND made the effort to spend time with Him in prayer and meditation, you start to see your life and the world in a different way.

But what is the purpose of this transformation?

So that you test and approve what is the will of God.

Back to our part. We choose to not follow the culture so that God can transform our minds so that we can use our own logic and reason, in accordance with our faith, to find out God’s will for our lives.

This is the process of figuring out the path that has been prepared for us. If we try to figure it out ourselves without yielding to the Holy Spirit, it won’t work. This is why it says in Proverbs 3:5-6 (my most favorite verse):

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB)

(We shall expound upon this in Part 2—Our Own Understanding)

Thorns

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.” (Mark 4:7 NIV)

It’s all too easy for believers to read the Parable of the Sower and assume that we are the seed that fell on good soil. But it’s even easier for us to get complacent with our faith and let the thorns creep in.

There can be many reasons for this. One might be that we turn our Christian walk into a to-do list with boxes to check. Bible study—done! Tithe check—written! Once through the prayer list in the church’s weekly newsletter and I’m good to go till Sunday!

If we treat our walk with Christ like that, one of two things is bound to happen. One is that the relationship will become stale and perfunctory.

Even worse, though is the possibility that we might get burned out trying to keep up with our spiritual checklist. Then our spiritual disciplines become burdens rather than blessings.

But people don’t usually burn out like this all at once. It’s usually a gradual fade. Instead of putting God first, He becomes an IGTIWIGTI level priority (I’ll Get To It When I Get To It). And other things in our lives start to crowd Him out.

The thorns.

When Jesus was explaining this parable to His disciples, He described the process of the thorns this way:

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19 NIV)

Thorns, when we become aware of them, take the form of excuses. These excuses usually begin with, “I don’t have time.”

Now we all know that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. So when we say we don’t have time, what we are really saying is, “This other thing is more important to me.” Most likely, we are not aware we are doing that in the moment, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is this.

Thorns are idols.

The thorns in our lives are what we choose to put on the throne where God ought to be. Our reaction to that concept is usually to blameshift. It can’t be our fault; we can’t control our circumstances.

It is true that we can’t control our circumstances. But we can control how we respond to them.

“I can’t do my Bible study this morning, because I woke up too late.” So wake up earlier. This may mean going to bed earlier. Which may mean one less TV show the night before. Do you think God really buys the excuse that you don’t have 15-30 minutes for him in the morning when you spent two hours last night watching something that has no positive lasting value in your life whatsoever?

“You don’t understand. I’m tired. Life wears me out. You have no idea what I have to go through, and I never get any help.” Yes, life does make us tired. Many are the days when all I want to do after a day at work is just to check out and shut down.

However, I believe that this is where trust comes in. Where did God ever say that this life was to be lived under our own strength? Do we really believe that God displays His strength in and through our weakness? Are we willing to trust Him to work things out, even when we can’t see what He’s up to?

Or are we afraid to let go? To give up control? To accept that the all-knowing God just MIGHT have a better plan in mind than the one we came up with?

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I turned 50 this month. This is the part of life where it’s really easy to look back and get depressed about all the things I had hoped to accomplish by now—in my career, in my personal life, or whatever. I am finding it especially difficult dealing with the reality that those ships have sailed, and those dreams will never come true.

Guess what? Life wasn’t supposed to be lived like that. The American Dream is an illusion. Walking the path with God is a day-to-day thing. He’s the one with the big plans. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after a half-century, it’s that the greatest blessings in my life have happened when I least expected them. When I was just focusing on the moment.

Because here’s the thing. Moments add up. What seems like random, boring, day-to-day life is leading somewhere, if you have the sense to keep your eyes open for it.

So many times, I have asked God to let me in on what He is planning so that I can prepare for it and know what to do next. That’s not how it works. God wants us to simply report for duty. The only thing we need to know is that He is always at work, and He always has a place for us to join Him in that work.

But to do that, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and not on the thorns.

Evidence: Part 5–Run the Race

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 with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

So now, it’s time for the post on perseverance. Naturally, it has taken me five weeks to write it. So basically, I’m going to be listing all the things I do wrong. But I know I’m not alone.

The thing is, life is a marathon, but sometimes, we treat it as if it’s a sprint. We make to-do lists and cling to them as though we are trying to run the race in one day.

None of us knows, however, exactly how many days we have left on this earth. We don’t know exactly what work we’re supposed to accomplish before we race to the finish line. We can read (or write) books about finding our calling, and that can be helpful in getting us on the right track. Don’t forget, though, that we don’t achieve our goals instantaneously. We need to learn to appreciate the journey. And every journey proceeds one step at a time.

Therefore, if we fix our eyes on Jesus, and focus on what we’re doing now and what we’re doing next, then we can trust that God will get us where we need to be, and at just the right time. We will, of course, have obstacles to contend with on the way.

Distractions

The first key to dealing with things that distract you from running your race is to simply be awake and aware of the fact that the distractions are there. It’s so easy, especially when you do so much of your work on a computer, as I do, to fall down a rat hole on YouTube or Wikipedia or some such. You don’t even realize it’s happening until two hours have gotten away from you, and you wonder where the day went. In my family, we have several little slogans that we use to help keep us on track. Sometimes we actually even follow them!

Work first, THEN play!

via GIPHY

Most of us would rather goof off than work on any given day. But what typically happens is, at the end of the goof-off session, the tasks remain, and now you have less of the day to get them done. Plus, you feel guilty about the time you wasted, hours that you will never get back, so you don’t even enjoy the goofing off you were doing.

Instead, push forward and persevere in getting the work done as quickly as possible, so that you can relax guilt-free afterward.

*If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist!***

I actually started this one when my sons were little and we were broke. We had a very limited grocery budget, so when I would take them shopping with me, I would tell them, “If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist,” in order to ward off any impulse buys on my part and whining on theirs.

Today, this is a mantra that I use (or try to) on my to-do lists. Especially on days when I work from home, it is so easy to get distracted by things I notice in my house that need doing. Next thing I know, it’s 2:30, and I haven’t written anything, and I meant to start at 9:00!

I have found that it helps if I focus on the one task that I have to complete. And then just the next thing after that. I rarely get it all done, and certainly not in one day, but by the end of the week, I am able to look back and see real progress. And the following week’s list is smaller!

Avoid the fishhooks!

This is a reference to James 1:14, which reads, “Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire. (CJB)”

Our lives are full of fishhooks. These are the things that distract us from running our race. Each person has his or her own problem area, but they all have these things in common:

They are something we enjoy.
They are something we would rather do than what we are supposed to do.
They are something we can see.

Just as a fish is lured by what’s on the fishhook, so we get dragged off of the race track by things that may not seem bad in and of themselves. After all, fish gotta eat, right? You’re not going to catch a fish by baiting the hook with something that is not attractive to it. But what happens to the fish after it is caught?

Then, having conceived, the desire gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. (James 1:15 CJB)

Fishhooks are a big deal. People try to justify them every day. “Well, that was a lazy day.” Or maybe, “Sometimes, you just have to blow off some steam.” If it happens once in a while, sure. But it is so easy to slide down into a habit of distraction. Before you know it, you’ll be baiting your own hooks. There is only one long-term vaccination against this kind of deterioration.

Run the Race with Integrity

Yes, if you’ve been around Truth Mission for any significant length of time, you’ve heard this before. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Do what you say you are going to do. But most importantly, FINISH WHAT YOU START!

It is easy for well-meaning people, such as myself, to leave a trail of half-finished projects behind them. It is also easy for such people to beat themselves up over their inability to finish anything. If allowed to persist, this attitude can give birth to the lie that you are INCAPABLE of getting anything done. From there, it’s a short detour to, “So why even start?”

Folks, this is a lie. Call it what it is. Your life has already started. It is in the middle of a marathon that began long before you even knew there was a starting gun. You have gotten things done before. You can do it again. But you may have to get hardcore on those fishhooks.

Be kind to your mind.

Be absolutely merciless in removing distractions from your life. You’re not going to offend the distractions. Candy Crush or Toon Blast or Peggle or whatever the shiny, colorful game du jour is will not miss you when you leave. They may send the odd notification, but you can make those go away too.

If you need to install an app on your devices to filter out distractions, don’t wait another day to do that. I use StayFocusd, but there are many others that can block certain troublesome websites, or at least limit the time you spend on them.

If you’re a cyber-insomniac, enhance your sleep hygiene by setting your computer or phone to shut off when you ought to be going to bed. Or better yet, a half hour before, to let your brain to wind down.

Keep your eyes on the prize!

In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around. (1 Corinthians 9:24-26 TLB)

The fastest course through the minefield of distractions in your life is a straight line with your goal at the end. To reach it, you have to keep your goal in view.

Now of course, some distractions are fairly simple to deal with, since we bring them on ourselves. But what about the ones we don’t?

What do we do when a loved one gets ill? Or a child goes astray? Or if we lose a job, a car, a home?

Things happen that are beyond our control, and naturally, we are going to have an intense emotional response to them. Life is going to throw us curveballs, and we’re not going to be happy about it. But remember, there is a difference between happiness and joy.

We can endure hardship by keeping our eyes fixed on the finish line, by thanking God that the finish line doesn’t move, even when everything else is in turmoil, and by simply persevering. One foot in front of the other. Always facing forward, even if life is knocking us back.

Carry Your Cross.

The verse at the top of this post reminds us to consider Jesus. He persevered in His ministry, of course, but that last day . . .

You don’t have to be a doctor or an anatomy professor to be able to imagine the incredible pain that Jesus suffered on His last day. To be beaten within an inch of His life, and THEN to have to carry the heavy, wooden cross to the place where He would be nailed to it. The root of the word “excruciating” actually comes from the Latin for “cross.” Harry Potter fans may even recognize that J.K. Rowling used the word “Cruciatus” for the Unforgivable torture curse. Same word.

So I consider the agony that Jesus endured, but I also consider that He finished His race. He was able to finish, because He knew what would come after.

Guess what Truthseekers? We have the same “after” in store for us, only we don’t have to be tortured and nailed to a cross to get it. When I reflect upon my first-world problems, I sometimes ask myself, “Does this hurt more or less than a crucifixion?” (My kids HATE it when I ask them that, by the way.)

There are people in the world who are persecuted for real. They are in fear for their lives every hour of every day for standing up for their faith. The worst we typically get here in the US is smack talk at work or some fool in the comment section trying to pass his silly self off as an intellectual.

In other words, we can handle this. There will be days where it will feel like we can’t, but our great God has promised to be strong where we are weak. So don’t overthink your life. Look at what’s directly in front of you, and look at what you have in your hand. And trust that it is enough.

Then move. One step. Don’t worry about the next step until you have taken the first one. Planning is all well and good, but make sure you do it in pencil. Just stay on the track.

And keep running. Your perseverance will be the evidence that you know where your finish line is.

Evidence: Part 4–Choose Joy

Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message!

(1 Thessalonians 1:6b-8 MSG)

Something in that passage doesn’t seem quite right. The phrases “great trouble” and “great joy” are in the same sentence. Other translations say “severe suffering” in place of “great trouble.” I don’t know about you, but when I think of severe suffering, I don’t feel very joyful about it.

The word “feel” is the key. We think of joy as a feeling. When we do that, though, we are confusing joy with happiness. Happiness is what we feel or don’t feel, but joy can be present even when happiness is nowhere to be found.

The reason for this is that happiness, like any other emotion, comes and goes, usually without any action on our part. Joy, however, is an attitude that can be cultivated.

It helps to remember the source of joy. The Joy of the Lord is His response to our gratitude. Even in the midst of our trials, we can still choose to feed the habit of being thankful for everything else that’s right in our lives. When we acknowledge God in these things, this happens:

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:7 MSG)

So praying in this way doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances or make the bad stuff in our lives go away. What it does do is change our focus. It is empowering to know that we don’t have to be ruled by the negative feelings that bombard us from everything that’s wrong in the world. We can actually CHOOSE joy. Give a listen to this song, which illustrates this concept perfectly:

Sounds great. So how do we start?

Here are some methods that I have found helpful.

One thing I have noticed that feeds depression in me more than anything else is an attitude of discontentment. I fall into the habit of comparing myself to others or even with my own perception of where I think I ought to be in life.

My church has found an antidote to this, which they break out every year at our Thanksgiving service. Included in the bulletin is a sheet with blanks numbered 1 to 100. At the top, it says, “Lord, I thank you for. . .” The first time I saw this at a Thanksgiving service, I wondered how I would ever be able to think of 100 things that I was thankful for.

Then I heard some kids next to me challenge each other to a race to see who could fill in all 100 the fastest. My competitive nature kicked in. I was not about to be shown up by a bunch of kids. So I started filling in blanks with anything I could think of. Big things, little things, serious things and silly ones. I tried to think of any situation in my life where I had ever said, “Thank God for. . .” Something. Anything. In four minutes, to my own astonishment, I had completely filled in the list. I stuck it back in my bulletin and promptly forgot about it.

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Thanksgiving x 100

One day not long after, I was feeling particularly sorry for myself, for no good reason. I found myself sinking into my typical emotional chasm, wondering what the point of living was, etc. Then I remembered the list.

I took it out and read through it. As I read each entry on my list of 100 things for which to be thankful, I found myself thinking about each one. Obviously, I had filled it out in a rush. Now that I stopped to really think about it, my perspective began to change. I started to realize not just that I had a lot to be thankful for, but that the things I had written on that list were what defined me as a person—my talents, my hobbies, my passions, the people who had the great impact on me, my faith, and so many more.

This list has been rewritten several times over the years. I carry it with me every day in my day planner. Wherever I am, if I am having a bad day, I can just pull out my list, circle the next number, and take a few minutes to thank God for that.

Yes and Amen

Another thing I have done is to keep a list in a file on my computer of everything I know to be true about God’s promises. I try to remember and record every answered prayer, every time when life has worked out in a way that goes far beyond coincidence, everything that can’t be explained in any other way other than “God showed up.”

This journal is my ultimate doubtbuster. When I start to think that maybe God isn’t who He says He is, or that He’s not interested in my life, or maybe that He doesn’t even exist at all, I go back to that list. Then I am reminded that not only is God real, but He can be trusted. When I look back at all the things He has delivered me from in my life, it reminds me that all of His promises yet to be fulfilled will be, and at exactly the right time. This fills the gas tank of my soul to the top. That’s the Joy of the Lord.

What I find interesting is that this joy comes immediately after doubt. I don’t generally go to this list unless I am feeling desperate and showing the signs of faltering trust.

When I regain my perspective, though, I realize that God’s response to my laying my doubts about Him directly at His feet is not to turn me away in anger, but to fill me with joy in His presence. Then I am ready to keep in step with Him for whatever is coming my way next.

It’s good to be around happy people, but it’s even better to be around joyful people. Someone who has the Joy of the Lord even in difficult circumstances is someone you are going to notice. You might find yourself thinking, “What’s wrong with that person? He should be miserable right now!”

A better question might be, “What’s RIGHT with that person?” What you are seeing is evidence of the Lord at work in the life of someone who has chosen joy.

(Come back for Part 5–Run the Race)

Evidence: Part 3–What Leads to Peace

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others. Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another. For the sake of food, do not destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to become a stumbling block by eating; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. (Romans 14:17-21 NABRE)

The historical context of the passage above concerns a cultural clash in the early church, specifically regarding dietary laws. As Christianity spread throughout the ancient world and came into contact with diverse people and their customs, some questions began to arise.

Is it OK to eat meat? If so, what kinds of meat are OK? And what about alcohol? Should we abstain completely, or is moderation OK? We are supposed to be new creations in Christ, but what EXACTLY do we have to change?

Now if there’s one concept that a Truthseeker abhors, it’s the notion of a “gray area.” The world has a lot more black and white in it than many people are willing to admit. “Gray area” implies uncertainty, instability, ambiguity. These are not the things that a Truthseeker seeks.

Nevertheless, they do exist. Truth is universal, but not everything you encounter is universal Truth. Some things really can apply differently to different people in different situations.

A phrase I like better than “gray area” is “bullet point.” My son picked this one up when he studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Over the decades, Moody has sent out many missionaries to some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Many of them actually have taken a bullet for their faith. Therefore, a “bullet point” refers to an aspect of Christianity that you would literally take a bullet for. Anything that doesn’t fall into that category is up for discussion.

This is a critical concept for growing Christians to keep in mind. Everyone is on his or her own journey. That does not mean that everyone has his or her own truth. It just means that we are all in a different stage of seeking the Truth that is universal and applies to us all. A bullet point is that Jesus is the only way to that Truth, because He said as much:

Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. (John 14:6 NCV)

So we all have the same destination, and the same road to reach it. HOWEVER, we all started from a different place. Therefore, we all must take a different route to reach the main road. The common ground of our common destination, the peace of God, is the most important thing. Even so, we must not lose sight of the fact that everything else about us is different.

I am frequently annoyed at the overuse of the word “diversity” in our culture. Usually when you hear that word, someone is attempting to forcibly construct a false community out of a group of people based on what they DON’T have in common.

This is never necessary. No two people are alike. For this reason, diversity occurs naturally. It isn’t something that needs to be forced or promoted—it just IS.

As a Truthseeker, it seems counter-productive to go out of our way to celebrate our differences. Acknowledge them, yes, but putting the spotlight on what’s different isn’t what promotes peace. Rather, putting the spotlight on what is the same within a group of people who are OTHERWISE different is what leads to peace within that group.

So if Truth is found in the common ground, then it would follow that truth seeking and peace loving are one and the same. If you are constantly looking for ways that you are different from other people, no matter how innocent your intentions were at first, it’s all too easy to drift toward bigotry from that stance. This is because you will have made the mental shift from “us” to “us and them.”

We keep the focus on “us” by seeking out the things that make us “us.”

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Let’s take a moment to review the first two tenets of the Truthseeker Manifesto.

A Truthseeker’s objective is to end arguments, not start them.
A Truthseeker makes the most of every opportunity to learn and grow, striving to understand other points of view, with the purpose of establishing common ground.

As you can see from these, Truthseeking acknowledges that people are different, and that everyone has a unique perspective. A Truthseeker values that perspective. We are not trying to be right, or to “win” the conversation. We listen to each other’s stories to learn about where we came from to get where we are.

When we take this attitude into a conversation or a relationship, then we can acknowledge our naturally occurring diversity without making a false issue out of it. Where we came from doesn’t matter, and where we are now doesn’t even matter the most. It’s all about where we are going and how do we get there. This posture promotes peace from the very beginning. It creates an environment where you start thinking of your destination as a common one, and not just an individual one. You are not two ships passing in the night, but two voyagers seeking the same shore.

So how does this play out in our culture today?

I am going to take the point of view of a mature, or at least maturing, Truthseeker. The concept in the passage at the top that we need to focus on is to not being a “stumbling block.”

From the perspective of the Church, this includes mature Christians showing grace not only to “baby Christians,” that is, those who have just joined the church, but also to those outside the church with whom we have relationships. (Yes, you can actually do that. FRFR!)

The key points are these:

Don’t ever look down on someone for not being in the same place you are, because NO ONE is in the same place you are.
NEVER pass judgment on something that isn’t a bullet point.

These two principles can be effective in any relationship, but they are especially effective WITHIN the church. There are a lot of traditions that vary from one denomination to the next, from one church building to the next within a denomination, and even from one person to the next in a church body.

One person may have been brought up to believe that alcohol is evil. The person in the next row might have come from a background where beer is its own food group. Who’s right?

Universally speaking, if the Bible doesn’t specifically say one way or the other, then it doesn’t matter. It’s not a bullet point.

However, the main goal of Christianity is to love your neighbor as yourself (see Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 19:19). And while it is true that offense is simply an emotional reaction to the challenging of a belief pattern, you are not walking in love if you have deliberately set out to offend.

You don’t know what you don’t know about the background of everybody you meet. If your church buddy doesn’t want to have a beer with you, or looks uncomfortable when you order a bottle of wine at dinner, this is not a sign that you need to help him “loosen up.” What if he came from an abusive home with an alcoholic father? What if he lost a friend or a child to a drunk driver?

The bottom line is that it’s not your job to “help” someone come around to your way of thinking. If they are convicted that they shouldn’t be drinking alcohol, or eating pork, or watching The King’s Speech because it’s rated R, then you must realize and accept that TO THEM, it is a sin, even if it’s not a bullet point. So rather than trying to explain your point of view, show some kindness and give up your thing for an evening to meet them where they are. You can always crack open that beer when you get home.

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If we aren’t supposed to be judgmental on non-bullet points inside the church, then how much more should we avoid judging those outside! It is foolish to try to measure someone by standards that they are not even aware of. I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who found judgmentalism attractive. I certainly can’t think of any logical reason why a non-believer would want to consider Christianity if all they have to look forward to is having their every action scrutinized and weighed in the balance.

Now a bullet point is a bullet point, and common sense is common sense. While we shouldn’t wrinkle our nose at, say, a tattoo or a piercing, it would be another matter entirely to speak out against an extramarital affair, or the exploitation of children, for example. On these matters, we have not only the right, but the obligation to speak against these sins.

But for everything that doesn’t fall neatly on one side of the fence or the other, the path that leads to peace is the path of love. We show the evidence of this love by walking the path that emphasizes our similarities, not the things we do that are different.

(Come back for Part 4: Choose Joy!)

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Evidence: Part 2–Where Your Treasue Is

Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Matthew 6:19-21 MSG)

Have you ever been truly in need?

There’s a chance that some of you have. I don’t know the personal story of everyone reading this. But if you’re reading it now, then you have access to the Internet, which means you likely have shelter and enough means to know where your next meal is coming from.

The point is that whoever you are and whatever your situation is, someone has it worse than you do. This is true for every human being on this planet except one. Theoretically, someone has to be at the end of the line, and whoever that is will probably be dead by the time I finish typing this sentence.

The reverse is also true. If there is always someone that is worse off than you, then obviously, that means that you are better off than someone else is. If all of your needs are met, and you have one extra penny in your pocket, then to a great many people in this world, you are rich. So if you are reading this, you have more than you need. It might be a little more; it might be a lot more. And lots of folks out there have less than they need.

Let me be clear that I am talking about needs, not desires. You need clean drinking water, but you don’t need Perrier. You need clothing, but you don’t need the little black dress from Chanel. You need shelter, but you don’t need a mansion in Bel Air.

Some people get the wrong idea about how to get what they need. They decide that because you have more than you need, they might as well take some of what you have. Some might call that “redistribution of wealth,” but what it really is is theft.

If you have more than you need, technically, you are always at risk of having it taken away from you. The more you hoard for yourself, the more you stand to potentially lose.

There’s a way around this though. We as a nation need to get over this ridiculous mentality of piling up wealth for ourselves. Malcolm Forbes is frequently quoted as having said, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Well, Malcolm Forbes is dead. Someone else got his toys. So what did he win?

Remember what we’ve talked about before—the toys aren’t even yours to begin with. Everything you have is on loan from God, because you don’t take anything with you.

So if you have more than you need, and what you have isn’t yours anyway, why not give some of it away? Nobody can take from you what you have already voluntarily surrendered. All you have to do is get to a place where the people you meet that have less than you are more important than the stuff you have that they don’t.

But if you’re not at that place yet, then how do you get there? In a word, trust.

Trust that God is your provider. Trust that He will continue to meet your needs as He always has. Most of all, trust that He can do more with the money you’re giving away than you could if you kept it.

It’s this trust that leads to a life of generosity. Think about it—why do we try so hard to hold on to our money? Is it because we worked hard and we earned it? Maybe, but I think it’s more about fear. We are afraid that we will LOSE what we have earned. We have probably set goals for ourselves that involved “moving up in the world.” Maybe we have been successful in attaining those goals, at least in part. We get jealous for what we have acquired along the way, because we have devoted so much of our lives to acquiring it.

This tells me that maybe the goals are the problem. If the ambition of our lives is to build our own legacy, what’s the point of that? We won’t be around to enjoy it.

On the other hand, when we trust God to take care of everything we need (again, not everything we want, but everything we need), we find ourselves holding on more loosely to a lot of things, but especially money. The less we try to grasp at the material things in our lives, the more we find ourselves learning to be content. We learn what the meaning of “enough” is. We learn that if we have enough today and trust that we will tomorrow, God will open our eyes to people we can help and situations we can change with the more-than-enough with which He has blessed us.

Best of all, we learn that when we help someone else have enough, we find that we STILL have enough. And by being kind and thinking of the needs of others first, we pay our blessings forward. And maybe, with this generosity as the evidence that God is doing something in our lives, we might inspire someone else to follow our lead.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (Proverbs 19:17 ESV)

(Come back for Part 3: What Leads to Peace)

Evidence: Part 1–Be Kind

Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. (1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15)

The number one thing that should set Christians apart from the world is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. One of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness. But what does it actually mean to “be kind?”

He started it!

If you have more than one child, or if you grew up in a house with more than one child, you have heard this one (or maybe even said it). When two kids are caught in the throes of conflict, they are less concerned with ending the conflict than with determining and/or declaring whose fault it was that the conflict began. One of my frequent lines when my boys were little was, “I don’t care who started it; I’m FINISHING IT!”

Kindness is about learning how to finish it before it even starts. Bellowing like a deranged grizzly bear might have gotten my sons to shut up and stop fighting, but it didn’t really teach them about being kind to each other or to anyone else.

To be kind is to seek peace, which is nearly impossible to do if you are also trying to get your own way. Kindness, like mercy, goes first. It was the kindness of God that moved Him to send Jesus to save us. He didn’t wait for us to be good enough to earn His kindness. He went first, putting our benefit first, with the goal of restoring our relationship to Him.

Jesus’ message about loving your enemies from the Sermon on the Mount is another demonstration of kindness:

But I tell everyone who is listening: Love your enemies. Be kind to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who insult you. (Luke 6:27-28 GW)

There is more to kindness, however, than just being nice or turning the other cheek.

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WARNING!!!

Sandwiched in the middle of the scripture at the top of this post is an admonition to “warn those who are idle.” That may not sound like kindness to some. If kindness is about living at peace with people, then why do you want to be all up in their grill when they’re just chillin’? (Can you tell I have a teenager?)

Remember that the main goal of kindness is seeking the other person’s benefit. If it would benefit the other person not to lose his job, then you are doing him a kindness by telling him to get off his lazy tuchas and get to work. If it would benefit someone to kick an unhealthy habit, break off an unhealthy relationship or not get arrested, then anything you do to prevent those things qualifies as being kind, even though it may come off as “meddling.”

Let me be clear. If you are in a position to keep someone from ruining his or her life, you are not doing that person any favors by “staying out of it.” Sometimes kindness is displayed by helping people who can’t help themselves, but sometimes, you can also show it by helping people who WON’T help themselves. That one is harder, and to be honest, it doesn’t always work out. But at least you have done your part. And, you have done something that most would not have been willing to do.

This kindness is the evidence that God is working in your life.

(To be continued in Part 2–Where Your Treasure Is)

Called to CARE

Way back in 2012, before Truth Mission was even a thing, I was approached by Jimmy Rousey, a friend and former employer. Jimmy has always had a heart for helping people make the most of their lives by finding their calling and learning how to relate rightly to each other. He had always wanted to write a book about this, but didn’t know quite how to go about it.

Jimmy and I spent the next 4+ years getting together whenever he was up from Kentucky to kick ideas back and forth. We started and stopped on more than one occasion, even completely scrapping the manuscript and starting over at one point. Finally, we finished it. And now, it’s available for you.

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Called to CARE is a book designed to help you:

Find your Calling
Develop a life-giving Attitude and put it into action
Build authentic relationships founded on Respect
Live a life of Excellence

Calling, Attitude, Respect, Excellence–>CARE. See what we did there?

Jimmy and I don’t make a penny off of this book. All proceeds from the sale of Called to CARE go to the River Foundation, a private charitable foundation started by First Southern Bancorp in Stanford, Kentucky, where Jimmy has served on the Board of Directors.

I would love for you to have a copy of this book. Writing it with Jimmy changed my life, and I believe reading it could very well change yours too.

Blessings,

M. Scott

Update–January 15, 2022

My experience writing Called to CARE with Jimmy has led to other ghostwriting and editing opportunities, such as editing God and a Man for Tim Brown.

As such, I am announcing today the launching of my new writing and editing business, A Clever Turn of Phrase by M. Scott. I am available for all shapes and sizes of editing and/or writing projects. Please click on the link to request a quote for your project, or contact me at ms***********@gm***.com.

Cheers,

M. Scott

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Do Unto Others: Part 7–Pure

God, create a pure heart in me, and renew a right attitude within me. Do not cast me from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and let a willing attitude control me. Psalm 51:10-12 (ISV)

The goal of the Christian life is not to be better than anyone else, but to be better people today than we were yesterday. When people interact with us, all they see of our lives is a snapshot. So if they have repeated interactions with us, they expect to see actions that are consistent with what we profess to believe.

Of course, being human, we have our bad days, just like anybody else. So what’s the trick to maintaining consistency? What can we do to help our spiritual progression stay on track?

Luke 6:45 reminds us:

Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart. (CEV)

By our words and our actions, we show the world what is really in our hearts. Therefore, it follows that if our words and actions are causing problems in our relationships, then we need to focus on the internal.

The excerpt at the top of this post is from Psalm 51. King David wrote this after having been busted for committing adultery with Bathsheba. If you know the rest of that story, there was a lot more than illicit sex going on there. David actually had her husband KILLED so he could get with her.

Chances are good that no one reading this is guilty of a crime that heinous (at least I HOPE not!). The point, however, is that God allows us to approach Him for forgiveness no matter how dark our sins are.

Even more importantly, notice that David is asking God to create a pure heart in him. This is not something we can do ourselves. The word “pure” is frequently translated “clean” in this passage. This is a reference to ceremonial cleanliness according to Jewish law. They had numerous rituals for making their bodies ceremonially clean, but there is nothing they, or we, could do to clean up a filthy heart.

How great is the news, then, that God actually WANTS to clean us up from the inside out, rather than just throw us out with the trash. He knows that we need pure hearts to make our words and actions pure so that we can be useful to the world in which He has placed us.

Those of you that are Truthseekers, do you remember what it felt like when you first reported for duty in God’s work? Did it feel like you were totally on fire to live out your mission? Do you still feel that way today? Maybe, but probably not.

Life has a way of dragging us down. We get distracted and weighed down by the cares of this world, and we lose our single-mindedness of purpose. If we aren’t careful, we can spiral downward into depression because of our ineffectiveness in bringing change to the world.

But we know that there is work that God has planned for us specifically to do. We also know that we need to finish what we start. What we forget is that God never intended for us to do all these things on our own.

IF we remember to ask Him, God will straighten us out, give us the right attitude and give us the strength we need each day for the work ahead of us. As we train ourselves to rely on God to guide us internally, the world will notice the difference in our words and actions.

Do Unto Others: Part 6–Courageous

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

The world can be a scary place, no matter what stage of life you’re in. We’re all afraid of different things, and we all have our own ways of dealing with that fear.

One thing we all have in common, though, is a need for courage. Courage is the character trait that allows us to take on things that are bigger than we are. It comes from knowing that we have access to a power that is stronger than whatever it is we are facing. For this reason, the key to being courageous is making sure that we know and rely upon that power.

It all comes down to trust. It is one thing to believe that God can fight the battles that are beyond our strength. But do you trust that He will? Do you trust Him enough to keep moving forward even when it seems like a risky thing to do?

The answer to that question depends on the answer to this one. Do you believe that God wants you to succeed? I’m not talking about the Joel Osteen “I’m-believing-God-for-a-new-Mercedes” kind of success. I mean do you really believe that God DOESN’T want you to fail at life? Do you believe that He knows what’s best for you and has a plan to help you stay on track for that?

If you do, then you have either learned or are in the process of learning that obedience is the quickest path to success. This means that you pray about major decisions, and even the minor ones. Now I don’t know that it’s necessary to ask God if I should order Sprite or Root Beer at the local diner, but I wouldn’t, for example, buy a car without praying for a green light from above.

If you have established and cultivated this kind of a relationship with God, then you have also learned that fear and faith can not occupy the same mind at the same time. So when we say we “lack courage” or that “our courage has failed us,” what we really mean is that we have not been putting our faith to good use. Here is one way to make sure that doesn’t happen (or at least happens less often).

Practice trusting God with the little things. Ask Him questions about things you could typically handle by yourself and see if He leads you in a different direction. Maybe start with “Which route should I take to work today?” or “Should I get gas now or wait to fill up later?” Simple routine stuff that you do all the time that doesn’t really require “divine intervention.”

The point of this exercise is not for the Holy Spirit to save you 3 cents a gallon. It is to form the habit of trusting by essentially turning your life into a big game of follow the leader. If you trust that God won’t lead you where His grace and power won’t keep you, then you’ll keep following until it becomes second nature.

Forming courageous habits is particularly important for parents. Not only do our kids look to us as an example when they’re young, but someday they’ll be grown and won’t look to us for leadership anymore. We need to do our part to make sure they have courage of their own to lean upon when they run into their own problems. So what can we do now, those of us that still have kids at home?

Remind your kids of God’s faithfulness. Keep track of His answers to your prayers and tell those stories often.
Train your kids to seek out other godly mentors besides you. They will probably always want to come to you first, but you won’t always be around. Your kids need to know that they have some control over feelings of isolation, a control that they can carry into adulthood.
Teach them obedience. The Bible is full of examples of God giving specific instructions, such as in the verse at the top of this post. The Bible is just as full of examples of what can happen when you don’t follow those instructions. Although obedience requires surrender, there is power in this surrender, because you are setting yourself up to succeed by keeping in step with God’s plan for you.
Practice integrity by saying what you mean, meaning what you say and finishing what you start. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Trust me on this—if you fail on this one, your kids will pounce on it and use it against you at every opportunity. The result of that will not win you many spouse points either.

Fear happens. Fear of failure happens a lot. Please don’t beat yourself up when it happens to you, as though the fear of failure were a failure in itself. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think of you if you screw up. Anyone who would think badly of you for making a mistake isn’t somebody you ought to be concerned about impressing anyway.

Be strong and courageous. Follow God even if nobody is following you. Acknowledge that your hands are sweaty and that you feel sick to your stomach and move forward anyway. Not everything in life is easy or fun, but with God on your team, ALL things are possible.