Redefining Thankfulness - Ben

As parents, one of the fundamentals we try to instill in our kids is thankfulness. 

For instance, today is Oct. 31^st. Should the rain hold off, my wife and I will be traipsing around the neighborhood tonight as our kids are trick-or-treating. And while they’ll be focused on getting as much candy as they can, Emory and I will be focused on two critical things: first, we must hit up 1410 Summer Lane since they’ve been known to hand out full-sized candy bars, and, second, etiquette. Even if 1410 Summer Lane does the unthinkable and decides to give out something awful like black licorice, we’ll still encourage Rowan and Piper to be thankful. 

Kids, after all, need to be constantly reminded of such things. They come into this world thinking the entire planet revolves around them. It takes some solid parenting to teach them that few things are given freely in this life, and should they be given something freely, it's probably best to say "thank you." Admittedly, some adults need to be reminded of that too. But, by and large, most have this basic function of civility down.

Now, what’s remarkable, is that the Bible speaks about thankfulness in a curious way. 

Philippians 4:6

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Notice, in his letter to Philippi and Thessalonica, Paul said to be thankful “in” everything and “in all circumstances.” 

Being thankful when we get candy makes perfect sense. Saying “thank you” when someone holds a door open for you is the sort of thing that separates the intelligent from the moronic me-monsters. Making sure that you express your gratitude to the waitress after she takes your order is not only the right thing to do, but it just might keep her from spitting in your food. Common decency is the bedrock of a healthy society.  Yet, the Bible elevates even something as universal as thankfulness into something transcendent.  God's word teaches us to not only be thankful for the good things we get in this life but we are to be thankful in every scenario of this life. 

Now, this does not mean we should be thankful for everything; it means, just as Paul said, to be thankful in everything. My mom passed away some years ago. The thought of being thankful for my own mother's death is absolutely appalling. However, while I should not be thankful for the loss I feel in my heart, I can be grateful for the time I had with my mother growing up. This is what it means to be thankful “in every circumstance” but not for everything. 

We live in a broken world that is trying to break us. On my more cynical days, I have to say, I find little to be thankful for. But those are precisely the moments when I should be most grateful. No. Not that I should be thankful for the rampant sinfulness I see around me. Instead, when I'm surrounded by a barren wasteland of faithlessness, I can be thankful in my present circumstance, because I know God is with me. Though the world seems so very dark, God’s light shines through that darkness and shows me who I am in Him. That even in the most miserable scenario, I can, at the very least, whisper prayers of thanksgiving for the breath in my lungs, the light in my eyes, and the Holy Spirit in my heart. 

Propriety demands that we be polite, offering a simple "thank you" for even the smallest act of kindness. But basic Christianity shows us that we have so much to be thankful for even if we find ourselves in a genuinely thankless situation. 

Be thankful for everything? No. That's nonsense. But be grateful in everything? Yes. That, scripturally speaking, is just common sense. 

Miscellaneous: Snake Oil & Christianity: A Cautionary Tale - Stephen

My dear Wormwood’s Younger Brother (whose name has forsaken me due to my unfortunate lack of omniscience), 

It is 2021 and although our tactics have slightly changed our goal remains the same—do whatever it takes to sell those looking for the real Christ a “bill of goods.” Let me explain.

        As you have heard me rehearse before I am sure, from the beginning of time I sought to do whatever it took to displace God from the throne of His kingship. It made me nauseous just to think of Him being in that seat and not me. It was then our initial strategy was clear—make those who did not follow God appear prosperous and those who followed Him yearn for the grass on our side of the fence. And it worked!

    It all began as I tempted Eve to desire and eat of the fruit that God had forbidden. Solomon wanted more than God had provided in what we now refer to as his “mid-life crisis.” And Asaph with that cherished quote which now hangs in my den, “I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Mission accomplished!!

Of course, I won’t bring up the disgusting sentencing that followed that day in Eden. Or Solomon’s distasteful conclusion in the book of Ecclesiastes. Or Psalm 73 for that matter. Irrelevant.

Anyways, we were winning.

Kind of.

And then Jesus had to be born and mess it all up for a few years.

I mean my Pharisees were doing a great job on the frontlines flipping the script! “Religion of God” can now promise fame, power, and, most of all, worldly success they exemplified for us. Why did Jesus have to be born in lowly Bethlehem of all places to a couple of poor Nazarenes surrounded by a bunch of nobody shepherds? I mean really!!

But I digress.

        Although those were the worse 33 years of my life, we did have some success on the convincing front in those days and following. The rich young ruler turning down Jesus’ offer of eternal life to hold onto his wealth. Demas forsaking Paul on his missionary journey “having loved this present world.” And MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE was convincing Judas to betray Jesus for 30 measly pieces of sliver!!

I love to brag on myself—it’s good for the prideful soul don’t forget my young fireball.

Everywhere you turn in this world’s history I…ok, we…have convinced people that want Jesus that they should desire comfort and success along with it.  It’s all been too easy if you ask me.  Fast-forward a bit in this history lesson and you will see my point.

America has this belief that they are the Christian nation. So be it. No harm, no foul for our cause. In the beginning years of this country I had these workers who I think they now call charlatans but talented folks for sure. They would convince all these empty-minded citizens of this newfound country to believe and then buy all sorts of things in the guise of religion—a potion for this, a remedy for that, a healing inside a large tent, and, my favorite to this day, snake oil. (Insert maniacal laugh here.) These creatures would do and fall for anything to achieve comfort in this life!! ANYTHING!!

Here’s the best part my young firefly, people these days think they are too smart to fall for anything like that again. But what you and I both know is that our strategy is the same as those salesmen back then and so are the results. We, once again, are selling a “bill of goods” to people looking for the real Jesus. I mean just think about these phases over the years: Popstar Jesus with what they call synthesizers, Rockstar Jesus with what they refer to as fog machines, and even preachers who preach for us health, wealth, and prosperity to their followers all behind a winning smile. It really is too easy!

Even the rare group of Christian leaders who try to teach a cautionary tale don’t realize they are planting the very same thing in the minds of those who come behind. Continuous trendsetting, best-selling chapel and conference speakers sprout a mindset in each of these up-and-comers to expect a comfortable ministry complete with book deals, viral videos, clever social media quotes and shares, and the occasional Hollywood friend. While these newborn ministers chase selfish success, many of their followers become disillusioned with this cheapened sense of who Jesus has become in the process.

Convincing all servants of the Unspeakable’s church (for His name has been spoken too much already) that somehow the end justifies regardless of this means, and that visible results exonerate these secret sins is still our aim from Seattle to Singapore. For when the former is exalted above the latter, it will all crumble at our hands in time. “Making a mountain out of a Mars Hill” is how I’ve begun to describe such beautiful debris. Have I mentioned how easy this really is?

All I want to leave with you is this my young hothead—if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Or, as I like to say it—if the snake oil sells, don’t worry ‘bout the cautionary tales.

The Snake-Oil Salesman of Eden (The O.G.)

Redefining Fear: The Fear of the Lord - Ron

If you grew up going to Sunday school, like I did, you know that King Solomon was among the wealthiest and wisest people of all time. In your early teenage years, you may have giggled at the staggering number of wives and concubines that Solomon had. Maybe that was just me, though. I was super immature. As an adult, you have probably wondered how someone with so many wives and concubines could have possibly been rich or wise. I’m fairly certain that every married man has thought that a time or two. Maybe just me, though. I am still kind of immature.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon goes on a quest for meaning. We’ve all been there, right? One of the most important questions a person can ask is: “Why am I here?” or some version of that. Like many of us, Solomon sought for purpose in a great number of things. He tried chasing happiness. He attempted to find contentment in his accomplishments. He amassed immeasurable wealth and an insane number of women, too. Solomon looked for meaning in books and learning. Solomon even tried the “eat, drink, and be merry” approach to life.

All of it was vanity.

Like the giant family-sized bags of chips at the supermarket, so much about life promises to fill us up. But when we buy into it, we rip it open to find that the promises were mostly hot air. They were empty and we are unfulfilled. This is what is meant by the word vanity. Emptiness was what Solomon found.

One has to read through all of the trial-and-error of the book to see what Solomon discovered. The first admonition from the king is to “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth...” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). In so doing, one has his entire life to live for the Lord and Savior, King Jesus. But it is the end of the book, the last two verses, that deal with our topic for the month.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

After trying everything else “under the sun,” King Solomon found that the purpose of a person is to fear God and keep His commandments. He then tells us the reason for such a conclusion is that God will judge every work. That is, every work, of every life, throughout all of time. Period. Each and every person will stand brutally open before the God of the universe, and although believers will not stand in condemnation (Christ took that), their lives will still be put to the flames to see what – if anything – is left.

It is this fear of the Lord, of being uncovered completely before Him, that drove Adam and Eve into hiding. It is this fear that the Bible writers mention time and again as the foundation for knowledge and wisdom. The King James version of the Bible uses the exact phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” twenty-seven times. I won’t list all of them, but I do want to point out some of the times it is used as a qualifier or descriptor.

• Job 28:28 – the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom…
• Psalm 19:9 – the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever…
• Psalm 34:11 – …I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
• Psalm 111:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…
• Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…
• Proverbs 8:13 – The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…
• Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…
• Proverbs 10:27 – The fear of the Lord prolongeth days…
• Proverbs 14:26 – In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence…
• Proverbs 14:27 – The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life…
• Proverbs 15:33 – The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom…
• Proverbs 16:6 - …by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
• Proverbs 19:23 – The fear of the Lord tendeth to life…

If the fear of the Lord is this important, it seems very much like believers ought to both know what this means and what it looks like. Understanding what it means is a fairly simple endeavor. John Gill, in his commentary on Proverbs, writes that “fear is an awe and reverence of the divine Being, joined with love to him, trust in him, and a desire to serve and worship him in a right manner.” Adam Clarke, in his text on the same, writes, “The fear of the Lord signifies that religious reverence which every intelligent being owes to his Creator.”

In order to understand what the fear of the Lord might look like when lived out, one can go all the way back to the book of Exodus. In Exodus 1:8, the Bible tells us that a new Pharaoh came on the scene and decided to cull the Israelites to keep their numbers down. In verses 15 and 16, the king of Egypt decreed that the midwives should murder all of the sons that were born. “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive” (Ecclesiastes 1:17).

What caused these women to save the babies? Dennis Prager points out, “The Torah does not say the midwives saved the babies because they could not bear to harm them, nor does it say the midwives saved the Hebrew babies because they loved God. They saved the babies because 'they feared God'” (Prager, 2018, p. 10). The Pharaoh was a big deal, but God was bigger still. To defy Pharaoh could mean death, but the women were willing to face that because they feared God more.

It is as if the midwives were able to peer through time and see Jesus say, “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Dennis Prager goes on to make the case that the only way to be unafraid of powerful people and governments is to be even more afraid of God (Prager, 2018, pp. 10-12).

It was the fear of God which “gave the midwives the strength to carry out what is, as far as we know, the first recorded act of civil disobedience in history” (Prager, 2018, p. 11). There may come a time when American Christians have to stand up and tell our government that we are more afraid of God than we are of laws and politicians. But the time is now when we must say things like:

• The fear of the Lord compels me to tell others about Christ.
• The fear of the Lord compels me to treat my family according to Scripture.
• The fear of the Lord commands me to love my neighbor, regardless of sexuality, economic standing, or skin tone.
• The fear of the Lord demands that I crucify myself, flee youthful lusts, and become more like Jesus.

Every person in Scripture that caught a glimpse of God fell to his face like he was about to die. Adam and Eve hid from Him. A healthy and reverential fear of the Lord will absolutely change how we act and interact in this world. In fact, Abraham lied about his wife because they were in a place where no one feared God (Genesis 20:11). Basically, no fear of God is equated with no morality.

If Christians are going to redefine the word fear, perhaps we had better start by recapturing a healthy fear of the Lord. Do we reverence Him like we should? Do we live our lives in a worshipful and appropriate way? Do we understand that while He is love, He is also the judge of all the earth? 

What kind of impact would it make on your friends and family if you feared God more than anything else in your life? May we all begin to live in the fear of the Lord today. May He bless it by giving us wisdom and allowing our efforts to be salt and light to those around us.

Reference:

Prager, D. (2018). Exodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom - The Rational Bible. Regenery Faith.

Redefining Fear - Ben

Growing up, I had the most vivid nightmares. Even today, I can still remember them. 

In one dream, I’m standing on a massive white platform waiting for a train. The tracks are laid out before me and, if I look to the right, I can see a dark opening in the wall. I can hear that a train is approaching. And then, without warning, I’m teleported inside the tunnel as the train comes into the station. 

It hits me. 

I wake up.  

In another dream, I'm standing in a vast white room. As I look to the left, I see what appears to be a couple of bouncing balls coming my way. They, too, are white. I remember thinking that they're no bigger than the kind that you might get in a vending machine. Suddenly, I noticed that the closer the balls got to me, the bigger they became. In fact, they got so large they seemed to be the size of the moon. Realizing this, I would start to run in the opposite direction. But I'm surrounded and cannot escape. 

They hit me. 

I wake up.  

Sad to say, these dreams were a nightly occurrence for some time. Once each nightmare had ended, I would always go downstairs, looking for mom. After I grew up, I asked her about this time in my life, and she told me that it was one of the saddest things for her to watch. She would say that all the color appeared to have been drained from my face, and I would be shaking uncontrollably. What's more, I would often be muttering to myself as if I was still in the dream. But she couldn’t really do anything for me except try to reassure me. She said she felt so helpless. 

Eventually, the nightmares stopped. Looking back, I have no idea what meaning, if any, can be gleaned from these dreams. I’m sure someone will point to this post as proof that my insanity started at a young age. However, looking back, I’m glad for those memories. Because, though my mom has left this earth, I have memories like these to remind me that I had a pretty amazing mom. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. And it was through the loving actions of my mother, I learned that the presence of a parent can dispel fear in the heart of a child. 

God is no different. The presence of our heavenly Father dispels every kind of fear.

Famously, David said in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…." The follower of God is never spared the valley. All those who live godly lives will have to walk that valley, eventually. But what we are spared is that we do not have to walk that valley alone. God will never abandon us. The Good Shepherd is always with us.

Amazingly, we can track God’s dependability throughout the Scriptures. 

God told Jacob, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen. 28:15) Later, that same Jacob would tell his son, Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers." (Gen. 48:21) Later on, God would tell Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Ex. 33:14) He would then tell Joshua—Moses’ successor—that, “Just as I [God] was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Josh. 1:5) He then told Isaiah the Prophet, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off, fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41-9-10) And so on it goes until, lastly, we’re told that Jesus said to his disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

We are never alone in this life. God is with us to sustain us in our fearful valleys. And just like a mother holding her child after a bad dream, the presence of God chases our nightmares away.  Shadows cannot abide the light of the Almighty. And fear cannot find purchase in the hearts of those whose mind is "stayed" on God (cf. Isa. 26:3).

Redefining Fear: The Dividing Line of Faith - Stephen

 “I am just choosing faith over fear.”

These are words that many of us have probably heard or even spoken since last March and the beginning of this thing called a pandemic. But have you ever asked yourself how such a difficult, once-in-a-lifetime, out-of-nowhere, worldwide health crisis became such a clear dichotomy? 

Faith vs. Fear for the modern Christian is not a choice between taking precautions or not as some would like us to believe. It is not even the difference between going about one’s normal life and using common sense. 

According to the Bible this opposition is only accurately applied when it comes to a promise God has clearly made in His word. For instance, God clearly told the children of Israel that He would give them the Promised Land (Exodus 12:25; Lev. 20:24). Their fear (Num. 13:31-33) was then unwarranted and an outright lack of faith in God (i.e. sin). The result: God became angry, and consequences came (Num. 14:10-12). They were truly guilty of choosing fear over faith.

On the other hand, God never promised protection from a pandemic for any of us. Verses such as Psalm 91:10 have been plucked and proclaimed over the last year and a half but, as those who were “afflicted” and “tormented” in Hebrews 11 illustrates, none of these are air-tight promises to those with faith. This should not lessen our faith in what God can do but should simply focus our faith on what God has promised to do. 

It is in these moments we use our best wisdom based off the facts God allows us to have and in conjunction with faith in the promises He has given.  Promises such as His continual presence (Heb. 13:5; 1 John 4:16) and His authority over all creation (Psalm 115:3; Jer. 32:17) are ones worth looking up even today. 

It is also true that God has not “given us a spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7) as many have pointed out over the last 18 months, but too many are trying to equate all precautionary measures as a part of that spirit. And they would be wrong. 

The spirit Paul was referring to in this verse was not in correlation with the changing of some habits because circumstances and safety encouraged it. This spirit was in reference to the overarching motive for changing one’s foundational and spiritual beliefs. Paul was admonishing Timothy to not allow this “spirit of fear” (vs. 7) to make him “ashamed” of Christ and of Paul himself as a prisoner (vs. 8). No safety precautions were reprimanded as persecution was discussed, only the forsaking of Timothy’s beliefs and obedience to his ministerial calling.

In other words, a fear of the pandemic or any earthly circumstance should never trump my belief that God is in control or inhibit my obedience to Him.  I should never come to the place, as a Christian, that I am unable to think clearly (“sound mind” – 2 Tim. 1:7) because my fear alone is dictating my beliefs and the decisions that follow. If this describes you or I at any given moment repentance is necessary.

And yet God has also given us five senses and the functioning mental capacity to make amoral decisions outside of those core beliefs for such a time as this. Within a pandemic or not these decision-making abilities are always available as part of God’s gift to mankind having fashioned us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27).

For example: when a tornado is close enough that I can see the Land of Oz upon the horizon I can freely choose to hunker down in a basement while still whispering prayers from my faith to the God who’s in control. To not contemplate any precaution I might as well charge the cyclone waving an American flag while screaming “’Merica!” as the angels of heaven sincerely ask Jesus if I was worth His leaving Glory.  In all seriousness, I believe every created being understands that wisdom sometimes dictates precautions to be considered—not to negate faith but stemming from it. 

In Matthew 2, God tells the Wise Men to refrain from returning to King Herod after visiting and worshipping Jesus. Their faith included belief in this direction from God. Their wisdom in response to that belief implemented a precaution as “they departed into their own country another way” (Matt. 2:12).

There are multiple sides and layers to many of these circumstantial matters we face here on earth. Not all of them are as clear as a tornado in your yard or a direct message from God Himself. Therefore, may we not make reactions to the pandemic or any other issue of its kind a foolproof spiritual calculator or thermometer of faith.

Debatable? Yes.

Political? Probably.

Controversial? Certainly.

Biblical? In most cases, no. 

We must be careful as the church and body of Christ to never draw lines where God’s Word does not. The Governor of New York[1] and Pastor Greg Locke[2] might think they know what God wants but our job, as His followers, is not to sketch our own ultimatums but merely trace the ones He has already so plainly drawn for us. 

It is then and only then we can be confidently unified around His Word. It is then and only then we can keep from being divided over things that are not. 

No matter where we fall on this “dividing line of faith” during these days our prayer, as His children, should all be the same:

“Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!”[3]

How this prayer looks when it is answered may differ from person to person. But if grace is the source of this trust then let’s allow grace to be a part of the result as well.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

John 13:35

Many times this verse doesn’t compel us to become “apostles” for our side of an earthly issue, Madam Governor and Pastor Locke. Because, as you’ve both recently illustrated, when we do this and seek to redefine fear, we end up redefining our faith instead. 

And may that be something we all fear more than anything else.  

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[1] https://news.yahoo.com/york-gov-hochul-tells-christian-221200535.html

[2] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/07/27/tn-pastor-greg-locke-says-masks-arent-allowed-bible-church/5385007001/

[3] Stead, Louisa. “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” 1882. www.hymnary.org/text/tis_so_sweet_to_trust_in_jesus_just_to