Psalm 23 - Friday

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

What does “anoint” mean? When King David was anointed, it was the ceremonial act to make him king. God had selected him.

I think the image of a cup overflowing is one of getting more than I know what to do with.

A merciful God has selected me and given me more than I can imagine. I believe that, and I believe he extends that to everyone.

But do these images line up with my life every day? No - at least not from how I see things. There are times where I’m in the terrible valley, and there are times when I experience overflowing goodness. These two opposing situations are in this very short Psalm – night and day. I think it’s why it has resonated with so many people over the centuries - it's reality.

This makes some sense of it for me (from John chapter 1):

In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it …
… The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

God shines in the darkest places and makes me his child – to inherit all he has.

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Fridays | God desires mercy – I want to be merciful

- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

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Revelation - Letter Five

This letter is about God's mercy.

The fifth Beatitude: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

The fifth letter in Revelation:

To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus calls them hypocrites. They are in such a bad state that they are about to die. What does he ask them to do? Wake up and strengthen what they do have.

Does he ask them to make up for what they have done wrong? No.

Does he tell them they are going to pay some price for their foolishness? No.

Does he tell them since they have failed there is no longer any hope? No.

He is merciful. He only asked for their willingness to see their real state and change - and live.

He also makes it clear that if they are not willing, they will pay a price in the future.

I feel this time and again: God says "Come to me. All I ask is willingness to look at yourself, change and live - everything is forgiven."

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Fridays | My relationships are good, and God will build them up
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

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Romans 12 - Friday

Paul wrote:

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

This section follows on from the last one. Again, it makes a list that helps be take inventory - in this case of my relationships.

I try hard to connect with people, but I often get self centered:

• Bless those who are against you - I rarely do this
• Rejoice with those who are happy - I get jelous and compare myself
• Be sad with those are grieving - I want to stay away (at least in the past)
• Cooperate - I want to do my own thing
• Spend time with people who have less than me - I'm usually looking to conenct with people in positions of authority 
• Don't think of myself as better than anyone - my post from a couple of days ago deals with this. I rarely don't think of myself as better.

God, help me do my best with others. Help me live up to this list.

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Fridays | My relationships are good, and God will build them up
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

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The Bargain

This post is something I've wrestled with for the past few weeks. It's not theological - I'm not saying in any way that this is the way things are - it's personal. This about working through where my heart is at.

This started from a post I wrote a month ago, where I quoted Paul: For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people.

After a lot of thought, I have decided I would take this bargain: God guarantees the salvation of all my kids, if I'm willing to be cut off from Him for eternity in hell. It's worth it.

As Paul states, it's not the way God works - but it's an attitude I've decided to pursue. If I'm willing to give up the most important thing to me, then I'm willing to give anything and everything else for them. 

God, I hope that the rest of my life is filled with goodness and happiness. But if my own failure, sickness, a shortened life, disaster are part of the mechanism you choose to use to get my kids to connect with you - so be it. I'll willingly take the bargain. In any case, whatever your plan is, be merciful to them, forgive them and connect with them.

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Fridays | My relationships are good, and God will build them up
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

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Nature of Jesus - Friday

Webster's dictionary: Grace - unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification.

God has shown me grace and mercy.

John wrote: Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
God has established a relationship with me, even when I didn't deserve it. I think the verse is saying he piled grace on top of grace, mercy on top of mercy.

He gave me the rules to show me who I really am. Understanding.

He gave me grace and truth to show I'm accepted no matter what I am. Relationship.

Paul wrote: Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

I think he's saying to me, "keep your relationships healthy. Don't argue or complain - be graceful and merciful towards others. Be like me."

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Fridays | My relationships are good, and God will build them up
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

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Encouragement

Beyond the question of "Do I have courage?" is an even more important one: "How can I help build courage in others?" I'm discovering that ultimately, all the important questions regarding Christianity are not inwardly focused, but outward.

What has given me the most encouragement? People listening to me, wanting to understand me. This comes from someone who is naturally a terrible listener.

When people have given me advice or input, it's only been encouraging when it's come out of listening first. To be clear, I appreciate all the effort people have put out for me, whether it's built me up or not. I'm humbled by the good intentions of others. I writing about this in an effort to understand how I can do my best.

David wrote: You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry - then God takes action to defend people in need.

This is what I will strive for: to listen, to understand - and then take action to help.

All these things: listening, understanding, kindness, compassion, patience are not my strengths, as I have posted earlier. They are like a tools in my hands I'm not familiar with - I'm clumsy with then and prone to use them poorly. I have to work with them, learn about them, practice using them.

I like what's written in the book of Hebrews: God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 

God, help me to listen. Help me to be diligent in turning away from myself so I can understand and encourage others.

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Fridays | My relationships are good, and God will build them up
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

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Noah - Mercy

After the flood, God makes a promise to Noah and all his descendants (including us)...

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

He said he is never going to kill off all of mankind again by flood, and he put the rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his commitment.

Even after letting this story sit for a week, its still hard to take in. God's method for creating the human race we see today is pretty wild. I'm not questioning the validity of it, I'm questioning my ability to understand God's way of doing things.

I do know God could have wiped us all out, but he didn't. He had mercy on us - and he wants us to remember it when we see a rainbow.

God, help me to understand you.

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Fridays | Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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Miracles - Mercy

The fifth miracle John wrote about Jesus walking on the water, which corresponds to the fifth beatitude recorded by Matthew:

When evening came (after feeding the 5000), Jesus's disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 

When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The disciples were involved in the miracle of feeding people earlier in the day. Jesus specifically made them a part of the process of showing mercy. Then he sends them out across the lake as it was getting dark - then he walks on the water out to them.

It looks like a set-up to me.

The disciples are in the dark and on stormy water, and I'm guessing in trouble. Jesus shows them he has full control over the very thing threatening them. He has the power to be merciful.

I often doubt God has enough control over the world to actually deliver mercy to me. This is something I will continue to work on changing.

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A little note of caution before you read further: I'm pretty sure I'm not going nuts, and I'm going to go a bit longer than normal on this post...

Last week on Friday, I wrote about wishing I could extend my thoughts of kindness to Caleb (link). Last night I had a dream about him, the first since he died. The dream consisted of me seeing him, talking with him, hugging him, and then it ended. I don't even remember exactly what I said, but it was kind and he smiled that great smile.

What does this mean? I don't know.

Was it from God? I don't know. He knows I had it, that's all I can say.

Am I happy I had it? Yes. It gave me a good feeling - in my dream I acted as I hoped I would.

This is the best I can come up with: I have committed myself to a weekly cycle in my interactions with God. I have seen it play itself out on a number occasions, this being one of them. Last Friday I came to the decision in my heart that I would pursue kindness, and this small confirmation came to me this Friday, by God's mercy.

Is this going to become a big milestone for me? No. I don't want to talk about my dream, I want to talk about God and his goodness.

Here are some things I see in the word about this:

This weekly routine is what I think God wants for me. I have no direction for anyone else. Paul wrote: One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.

I will not get wrapped up in dreams. In the Torah: Do not practice divination or seek omens.

God, thank you for being merciful to me. Help me to show mercy.

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Fridays | Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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Kindness

I have been traveling, so I didn't have time to do regular posting as I had hoped. I did have time to think though, and I hope some better writing will come of it.

All week I have thought about kindness: how important it is, how I admire it others, and how I have often lacked it.

I would give a year – no, five years – of my life to have ten minutes face-to-face with my son Caleb today. What would I hope to convey in those few minutes? Kindness. I would aim to only express my love and appreciation to him for being my son. I pray I wouldn't waste it on questions of “why” or my own feelings of hurt and loss. My own concerns now seem like garbage compared to the opportunity to show love and kindness.

With that thought in mind, how should I act towards Becky, Josh, Samantha and Nathan who are here with me right now? It’s easy for me to think about the idyllic bargain, to see the son who has died one last time in this life and convey a message from my heart. It’s hard to think beyond that to how I will live every day in reality, not fantasy.

When I think of the people I have known, there are many great attributes that come to mind: skill, intelligence, diligence, humor, leadership, faith, generosity, honesty. As I have thought about these people, the one trait that rises to top each time is kindness. How kind are they? How much do they give of themselves? Do the people around them feel loved, appreciated and respected?

These are new thoughts for me. I have not spent my life working towards being thought of as kind. I have tried to be seen as focused, intelligent, hard-working, funny, a good friend, faithful to my family, committed to God – but never kind.

It’s not that I haven’t been kind at times, but I have always thought of kindness as a commodity to be traded in the pursuit of these other things. When Caleb died, part of me died – and now in a sense, that part of me must be born again into something new. I think God wants it born into kindness. It’s one of the main qualities that people have spoken of and wrote about regarding Caleb, so it’s fitting that I need to grow into it and carry it on.

Paul said: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

I need to start with my family. I want to have that “last conversation” of love and kindness daily with them, for as long we are together.

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Fridays | Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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Jonah - Mercy

God used Jonah as the vehicle for his mercy, and Jonah hated it:

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah was so angry about God forgiving these people, that he went back to wanting to die. As I stated in and earlier post, his grudge and hate ran so deep, he could not accept God's mercy toward them.

At this point, there is some irony in the story. Everybody has changed except Jonah.

The men on the ship turned to God.
The king and people of Nineveh turned to God, and their animals too.
God turned from his anger and forgave them.

Only Jonah is stuck and won't turn. His anger and sense of justice won't let him, understanding that the Ninevites were a very brutal and cruel people (see this link for info).

God, I don't want to be stuck - and I know I often am. I have made my decisions about who I will reach out to, and who deserves your forgiveness. I know in my head that no one really deserves your mercy, and that it's your love that's the driving force for good. In my heart, I often think that I deserve it and others don't.

God, thank you for your mercy towards me. Help me to be merciful toward others.

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Fridays | Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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Jesus - Mercy

Friday: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

After Jesus is tested in the wilderness, he goes on to start his ministry.

One of the first things he does is read this passage in public: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

His "mission statement" is to show God's favor and mercy:

Healing people from sickness

Feeding people  

Teaching people how God actually sees right and wrong, and how they can respond to it

As I read through the gospels, I see this balance in the way Jesus approaches being merciful. He interacts with all kinds of people, helps them when needed, and is always trying to teach to respond to God. As I discussed in an earlier post about mercy, Jesus takes the initiative.

He continues on with this until he heads up to Jerusalem, where he will eventually be killed.

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God, thank you for taking the initiative with me, and reaching out to me.

Empathy of A Stone

C.S. Lewis: “I see people, as they approach me, trying to make up their minds whether they'll 'say something about it' or not. I hate if they do, and if they don't.” ― A Grief Observed

Again, Lewis captures exactly how I feel right now.

     I hate it when people ask me how I’m doing. 

     I hate it when they give me words of encouragement. 
 

     I hate it when they say nothing and avoid the whole issue. 

I hate being in the middle of this mess. Every interaction, or lack of interaction, is painful. People tell me they don’t know what to say – I don’t either. Being around me is hard work, and I can’t express how much I appreciate it and need you all to be there.

Unfortunately, I have rarely reached out to anyone, except close friends. For the most part, I don’t notice people’s pain. I've had the empathy of a stone. The post I did on Monday speaks to this.

      I have not been that guy who calls to follow-up.

      I have not been the thoughtful person with the note.

      I have been the impatient guy who secretly wishes you would just get over it.

      I have been the one who ignores the whole thing.

I want to be different. This is what I want to be, written by Paul: I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Jesus said: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

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This morning my wife and I went with my son Nathan to the Dougy Center. This is their mission: to provide support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults and their families grieving a death can share their experiences.

They exist to show mercy. What a great reason.

Friday - Mustard Seed

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

Fridays: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

As the small plant starts to grow, it's fully dependent on the environment. It's "at the mercy" of the sun, rain and soil to survive. Once the plant grows to the point of producing fruit, it in turn shows mercy to others.

God looks at me and says " I want you to come to me regardless of your failings. You need my mercy to survive. I show my mercy through people like you. You must join in to make all of this work."

Jesus said: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

James wrote: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Jesus also said: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

I think God looked at the earth on the fifth day of creation and said, "I'm going to give you creatures that will not work and show my mercy - the birds and sea animals." 

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God, bless all those people around me that don't know you and are searching. Help me to be part of the goodness you want to give them.

Closing the Gap with Mercy and Forgiveness

On Fridays, I consider the fifth Beatitude and fifth Statement in the Lord's Prayer:
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

These two statements by Jesus are really similar: Those that receive mercy and forgiveness also give it. In both passages, these are the only points where Jesus states "you will get the same thing you give". Or maybe he meant "you will give that same thing you get". Or maybe both.

What are mercy and forgiveness all about? Connecting to God and others - closing the gaps between us.

There are gaps in all my relationships - some big, some small. Some come from me doing something wrong, or not doing what I should. Some come from other people's failures. Some come from misunderstanding, even when no one did anything wrong. Some just come from lack of attention over time.

What if I always wait for others to approach me to fix things? Where will I end up?

What if everyone waited to be approached? Obviously, nothing would ever get resolved. We would all be waiting for the other guy to show up and either ask for forgiveness or show us mercy. The longer we waited, the worse things would get. Eventually we would all live in our own private, insulated versions of hell.

For mercy and forgiveness to work, I have to take the initiative. I have to go to people who feel I've done something wrong and ask for forgiveness. I have to go to people I think have done something wrong to me with an attitude of mercy. I guess we all should take the initiative, but I can only focus on and control me. 

So if you read this, pray for me to strive to close the gaps. I want to be part of an open, connected version of heaven here on earth.

Friday - Mercy and Forgiveness

On Fridays, three ideas come together in my spiritual practice: The fifth statement in the Lord's Prayer; The fifth Beatitude; The fifth day of creation:

- God forgive me as I forgive others
- I want to be merciful and receive mercy 
- God creates the fish and birds and gives his first blessing to them - the first relationship described in creation.

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My relationships are good, and God will build them up.

On the second day, the focus is on how my relationships are not right. Today, the fifth day, the focus is on how they are right, and how I can make them even better. In creation, yesterday God set up his first relationships, today He sets up His first friendships.

Forgiveness and mercy are critical to keeping my relationships in tact. I need to be close to God and feel like I can approach Him. If there is no forgiveness from Him, what am I left with? Nothing but distance, guilt and loss. He knows that and reaches out to me - and requires that I do the same to others.

I think forgiveness & mercy are not just about letting things go. These concepts are about building friendship and connection - in other words, blessing others. It's not passive, but involves actively seeking how to solidify my relationships.

Specifically, today I pray for my church and other organizations that are reaching out to others to extend God's love - both by doing good and sharing His message.