Faith and Responsibility

Faith

•“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” –Colossians 3:23-24

•“For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”

    -II Corinthians 10:18

Name of God

•Author and Perfector of Our Faith:

–“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” –Hebrews 12:2

            It seems that everything in the Christian life is something God does.  We could not do it on our own, so God came and did it.  He gives us one responsibility though.  We are not saved by works lest any man should boast.  We are saved by grace, but how? Through faith.

            Faith involves trusting God, more than simply believing.  It is like taking a car to the mechanic.  The mechanic does all the work on the car.  The mechanic is the one with all the knowledge, all the tools, all the experience, and all the ability, however, there is still a responsibility on the part of the person bringing it in, and that is to trust the mechanic with the car.  The customer actually has to turn the car over to the mechanic.  That is what faith is like.  Jesus does all the work, He’s the author and perfecter of this whole system of faith, but we have to actually turn our lives over to Him.  The problem is that we keep trying to take the car of our lives back to fix it ourselves.  When we finally realize that we are making a bigger mess of it than it was before, we say we are going to turn it back over to the Mechanic, so that He can fix it.  He begins working on it then we grab it back again and try it by ourselves again.  The question really comes down to whether we trust Him and have faith in Him or not.

            It is perceived to be very difficult sometimes to know what it means to trust God and have faith in Him, and knowing when to yield to Him.  In reality, it is very simple, and the concept ties into the last post.  We know that we need to walk in the spirit, and the way we do that is by yielding to Him every day by practicing the secret disciplines of prayer and Bible reading.  We show God we trust Him by doing the simple things that He says works.  Demonstrating real faith really is our responsibility and it is not that much to ask from the author and finisher of the whole system.

Responsibility to Practice Secret Disciplines

Practice Secret Disciplines

Scripture Memory

•“. . . That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. . . . when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. . . . appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” —Matthew 6:1-18

Name of God

•El Roi: The God Who Sees

–“And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”   --Genesis 16:13

            In a healthy human relationship, each party has certain responsibilities to fulfill.  If nothing else, each must work to maintain the relationship to some extent, even if it is only by responding to the other person’s attempts to keep the relationship alive by responding to invitations to eat or phone calls or texts, or even just by answering questions and engaging in conversations.  “It takes two to tango,” as the old saying goes, and this is just the nature of a relationship.  The same is true with our relationship with God.  People get caught up in humans ‘not doing anything’ for salvation, because of what the Bible talks about in relation to not earning our salvation by works.  The fact that we do not earn our salvation by works does not change the fact, however, that God does expect certain things of us and gives us certain responsibilities to maintain this relationship with our Savior.  Nor is it possible to be saved or have a relationship any other way.  God has already done all the work, in the sense that without His grace, and the lengths He has already gone to (coming to earth as a man and dying on the cross for us, not to mention His relentless pursuit of us by His Holy Spirit, and the ways He interacts in people’s lives daily), the relationship would not have even been possible.  Now that we are restored to right relationship however, we have a responsibility to respond to Him.  Without that response, there will be no relationship.  The most valued response to God has to do with what we call “practicing secret disciplines.”  This makes a lot of sense when we think about it.  It is secret in the sense that other people are not seeing it, but it is not secret in regard to El Roi, the God who sees.  He loves private communication that is done solely out of love for Him, and has no other motive.  Those are the disciplines He delights most in, because the motivation is solely Him.  Of course, this does not mean that it is not still a discipline and a responsibility on our parts to fulfill.  In every relationship, there are things we do solely for the relationship that sometimes we do not feel like doing, but know must be done, so we do them anyway.  That is where the discipline part comes in.  But when we do make those sacrifices, just because we love God, He delights and revels in it.  The responsibility necessary in maintaining one’s own end of the relationship can only be fulfilled by that person.  One person cannot hold up both ends.  (Romans 12:18)  But as much as it depends on you, fulfill that relationship.  God has already done as much and more than depends on Him.  Now all we have to do is respond by praying, fasting, reading the Bible diligently, etc.  Are we willing to do it?
Full of Faith=Faithful

Sincerity and Responsibility

Sincerity vs. Hypocrisy

Sincerity is being as genuine on the inside as we appear to be on the outside.

Scripture Memory

•“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.” —I Peter 5:8-10

Name of God

•Go’el- God is our Redeemer

–“For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” -Isaiah 54:5

            Sincerity is one of the most important concepts to me in my Christian life.  So many dilemmas with people and problems are avoided by the simple trait of sincerity.  But while it may be simple, that does not always mean it is easy to come by.  It can be easy to begin going through the motions of going to church and living for God and putting on a front of Christianity because of our perceived responsibilities of discipling people and maintaining our own reputation for the glory of God.  Oftentimes we develop a perspective that we must be on God’s PR committee, because we want to accurately represent Christianity.  The key, though, is to represent it accurately.  The biggest reasons I have heard from people leaving church or walking away from God, interestingly enough, does not usually have to do with logic or beliefs or hatred towards God or His Word; rather, the reasons people give many times have to do with people.  Critics of the church often cite hypocrisy as the main flaw of the church, and they are not necessarily wrong.  Hypocrisy is present.  God has redeemed us, but we do not always live that way.  Sometimes our emotions get in the way, and the logical part of living for God does not seem to make sense.  However, when this happens, people seem to get very caught up in the façade of presenting a pretty, pious picture of perfection.  My pastor cites a turning point in his life as a time when he was consistently praying, “God, I just want to be real,” and I have since adopted that as my constant prayer, and even as my spiritual heartbeat.  I want to be real.  I want God’s redemption to be an actual reality in my life, not just an act I am putting on.  If people come to God because of me, I want it to be because they see that He is real and really working in my life, not that I appear to have it all together on the outside.  We tend to get caught up in the responsibility of presenting a perfect image.  In reality, though, the most important responsibility in our entire Christian life is to be sincere and love without dissimulation, living a life sincerely, and honestly, and without hypocrisy before God.  Transparency is a key concept that goes right along with sincerity.  We know that we are not perfect, and make mistakes, and rather than attempting to justify the things that we do wrong, minimizing them, or covering them up as if they never happened, it is important to be real with people and admit that we are flawed.  People already realize that humans aren't perfect, and a sincere person doing their best to please God, but owning up to the things they do wrong is relatable.  When we present an flawless image, people instinctively realize it isn't real and immediately begin looking for the flaws.  Let's glorify God by living a redeemed life that reflects His glory, being real about who we are and where we're at.  Acknowledging that things aren't perfect in our lives is part of sincerity.  God loves a broken and contrite spirit.  With that mentality, we realize that our responsibility is to just live sincerely in a way that seeks after Him.  Living a life for Him, with an attitude that sincerely wants Him, loves Him, and desires to obey Him, and is not just spouting words.

Responsibility to Be Perfect

This is my last MedComm series!  At college I had to write something called a mediation commentary each week.  Each term had a different character theme like design, authority, or in this case, responsibility.  Each week, we were also given a command from Jesus or a character quality to think about and meditate on, and one of the names of God described int he Old Testament, then write about in connection with responsibility.  Here was the first one...

Be Perfect Meditation Commentary

“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
—Matthew 5:46-48

Name of God

•Jehovah- M’Kaddesh (יהוה מקדש): The Lord Who Sanctifies

“Be perfect.”  It is hard to think of two more daunting words in the English language, particularly in a society that constantly tells us that no one is perfect.   That is part of what makes this concept an interesting one.  Society tells us that we do not have a responsibility to be perfect.  We only have a responsibility to reciprocate.  If someone loves us, we love them back.  If they do not treat us the way that we want to be treated however, we have no responsibility to treat them the way they want to be treated.  If someone rips us off, we have no responsibility to think or act kindly towards them.  After all, we are only humans and we do have our limits.  Our responsibility only goes so far.

The Greek word that Jesus uses in the above verses for ‘be perfect,’ is an interesting one.   According to Strong’s dictionary, it is the word “teleios,”and means: complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); completeness, and is translated: “of full age, man, perfect.”  In essence, it seems that Jesus is telling us to grow up and act the way our Father in heaven acts!  This makes sense in terms of responsibility.  What age group does one associate with responsibility vs. irresponsibility?  When a person becomes an adult it is understood that that person acquires much more responsibility that children do not have.  Children have small responsibilities, but often only reciprocate based on whether or not they are being benefited.  Only on rare occasions are children responsible for anyone else but themselves, (at least in American middle class families, it seems).  But to be complete, Jesus tells us to grow up and be perfect.  Immediately, our brain rebels against this concept because of its impracticality!  Humans simply cannot be expected to bear such an enormous load of responsibility in caring so much about other people that do not even reciprocate.

However, the emphasis in this passage is on watching the example of our Father, which is very important.  As the Hebrew name for God cited above indicates it is the LORD who sanctifies us to make us complete.  It is only on the basis of our Father’s action towards us that we are able to achieve such a seemingly outlandish command.  When we focus on Him, though, and are reminded of the incredible ways He works for us and is responsible for us, even though we do nothing to deserve it, this command suddenly becomes much more doable because the focus is no longer on us, but on Him.  He already acts this way.  We just have to follow in His footsteps, and take His help in carrying out this command.

Holding Money Lightly

I started writing this last month, but have been so busy I never finished it!  I was trying to get at least one post up there, and here it finally is.  I have much to say, but this was something practical that was on my mind, and a lesson I think I'm supposed to be learning right now so I'll throw it out there...

The title may not seem very wise, nor will anyone who is a miser think too kindly of this post.  If you hold your money lightly, doesn't that mean there is the possibility of losing it?  Actually...yes...yes, it does.  What I want to zero in on though is our attitude about money.  (This post is a bit of a departure for me, because this isn't something I generally talk about a lot, but it's something we all have to deal with, so here goes!)

I just had a very frustrating experience as I was driving home a few weeks ago, but let me set the stage for you.
Having just finished college, money is a bit tight.  Looming over my head was the knowledge that I have some school loans and things to pay off, and that I need to begin working soon to get it paid off as soon as possible so that the interest doesn't accumulate to ungodly amounts.  I also had one more test to take, which cost about one hundred dollars, and graduation and transcript fees.  I generally have enough to cover things, but my bank account was pretty low...very low, in fact, and being home meant of course that there would be additional expenses.  Gas prices ain't gettin' cheaper overall, and a lot of the things I was planning on doing, such as Bible studies, picking people up for different activities, and even getting to places where I can work all requires a lot of gas, since I traditionally drive all over Northern Colorado to do those things.  Then there are other expenses like food and such that I usually pay for.
I thankfully got an opportunity to work temporarily for a local restoration company, and drove up to Denver to put in a day, planning, of course, to use the money to go towards college expenses.  On the way back, I had to fill up with gas, which cost a painful $55.  As I left the gas station, and was finding my way back to the highway, I apparently ran a stop sign. (I say 'apparently' because I didn't see it...but the cop sure did.)  Yes, as luck would have it, a cop was there waiting for someone to slip up, and he pulled me over and gave me a $180 ticket!

Sitting in my car by the side of the road, I looked at the amount in shock.  Was it normally so much money for such a seemingly small offense?   I didn't even have $180 in my bank account right now...I didn't even have enough to fill up with gas again!  That meant that any money I'd make for the few days I'd be able to work would go straight to covering this fine.

As I drove home thinking about it, I got more and more frustrated. This was such an unnecessary expense, and it was coming at such an inopportune time!  It made all the work I had just done for 7 hours completely worthless!  (I started to reason with myself that if I hadn't worked I definitely wouldn't have had enough to cover the ticket, but then I immediately shot back that if I hadn't worked, I wouldn't have even been in Denver to get the ticket in the first place.)  Like a mature adult, I called my mom and vented my frustration onto her.  She kindly reminded me that this meant my insurance would go up...which didn't exactly help my mood.
As I drove home, stewing, and being frustrated, I knew I needed to reign in and get a hold of myself.  Things like this are always bound to happen.  That's just life, and I know I can't lose my temper every time I'm struggling financially.  And as I thought about this, somehow the thought came to me to hold my money loosely.

Jesus actually talked quite a bit about money and worry in the gospels.  There's a few places that really stand out to me in the gospel of Luke though, because He seems to be approaching the subject of money from opposite directions.  They are long passages so bear with me but they contain important truths.
Luke 12:13-34 KJV
(13)  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
(14)  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
(15)  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
(16)  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
(17)  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
(18)  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
(19)  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
(20)  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
(21)  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
(22)  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
(23)  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
(24)  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
(25)  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
(26)  If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
(27)  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(28)  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
(29)  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
(30)  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
(31)  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
(32)  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
(33)  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
(34)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We are familiar with these verses and these concepts from Scripture.  And when I first read some of these verses it almost looks like Jesus is telling us not to plan ahead.  Don't worry about food or clothes or money because God will take care of you.  But then a few chapters later we have this story:
Luke 16:1-14 KJV
(1)  And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
(2)  And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
(3)  Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
(4)  I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
(5)  So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
(6)  And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
(7)  Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
(8)  And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
(9)  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
(10)  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
(11)  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
(12)  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
(13)  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
(14)  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Now we see one of the strangest parables Jesus tells--the parable of the unjust steward its called.  Why in the world does Jesus tell a story about a man who essentially stole from his former master, using authority he didn't have, and use him as a commendable example, even though he calls him unjust?  He follows up to the story by saying we should make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, and if we're faithful in little we'll be faithful in much, because if we can't be faithful in unrighteous mammon how will we be faithful in true riches?  Wait, but wasn't He telling us just a few chapters ago not to worry about how we handle money?  And why then does he follow up the story with the statement that no man can serve two masters, implying you can't serve both money and God, after just telling a story about a shrewd guy who used money to set himself up financially in a better position?  I think part of the key to understanding this is in the phrase: "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."  We all know Christians who can't handle money very well.  I know of a guy who would brag about his time being homeless when he trusted God to take care of him.  I also knew his pastor who was the means God used to take care of him, because the guy couldn't hold a job and wouldn't use his money wisely when he would get it.  Jesus tells the story about the unjust steward as an example to be shrewd with how we handle money, and is in no way inconsistent with his earlier statements about not trusting in money.
It's easy to see how rich people can make money their god.  They become focused and consumed on their temporary riches.  However, if you're poor, money can also become your god.  I realized this a few years ago, when I was teaching Bible studies and driving all over the place, and going to school, but wasn't working, so money was very tight.  It hit me one day that I had actually developed a stingy attitude.  I would never pay for anyone else, or give generously to anything because I was so worried about not having enough money.  The point Jesus is making in both chapters is that money can't be our focus.  Hoarding it can distract us from Him, and not using it wisely and never having enough can distract us from Him.  Agur makes a good statement that sums up this concept in Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV
(7)  Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
(8)  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
(9)  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Paul knew both how to abound and to suffer need, but was content in every situation. (Phil. 4:11-12)  It's why Proverbs can speak of hard, diligent work, but also remind us that riches do not profit in the day of wrath, and warns us against hasting to be rich.  It's why God uses rich men like Abraham and Job as shining examples of faith, but also uses poor people like Lazarus in Jesus' parable later on in Luke 16, or the widow of Zarepath.  It's why Joseph of Arimathea is commended, but the rich young ruler is sent away sorrowful.  The point is that we can't let our focus and our thoughts become so consumed with money that we miss out on working for the kingdom of God.  Our primary focus with money has to be how we can be faithful with what God has entrusted us, so that we can be free to serve the kingdom of God in the best way possible.  I'll finish up with a few verses from Proverbs that may seem at first to be disconnected but actually speak very loudly to this principle.  God calls us to be stewards of His money and to be willing to let it go if He asks us to, willing to give to others sacrificially and trust in Him.  That's what these verses are about, and they are good to keep in mind as we work and live our daily lives.  The point is that God wants us to be generous, and He will take care of the rest.

Pro 11:24-28 KJV

(24)  There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

(25)  The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

(26)  He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

(27)  He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

(28)  He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
By the way, after I began thinking about how I needed to let things roll off my back and not become so stressed about money, it hit me again how things always work out.  I received some money as graduation gifts, I was working and made money that way, and even got a check from an inheritance.  I continually received enough so that all my expenses were paid for, and was still able to invest in others by buying them meals or spending it on gas to pick them up or spend time with them.  Even though it was frustrating at the time, the ticket didn't end up being that big of a deal, as I look back on it...there was no reason to stress.  God doesn't want our focus to be taken away from Him because of our money.  Our money is just one of the means we have to serve Him, and if we look at it that way, doing what is necessary to get the money we need, but not worrying about, it removes so much stress and empowers us to be used of God in extraordinary ways.

A Wasted Life for God

Now before you get mad at my strange-sounding title, and yell that nothing done for God is wasted, hear me out, because this post is really about drink offerings.  Confused?  Let me explain.

Admittedly, at first glance, you wouldn't think the Old Testament practice of pouring out two quarts of wine on the altar at the Temple would have a whole lot of relevance to our lives today.  However, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of a drink offering, and it actually has everything to do with every bit of our lives today!

Paul mentions the concept of a drink offering in Philippians 2:17.  The ESV says, "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all."

I had never studied anything about a drink offering until recently, when a friend mentioned it and the concept is a really cool one!  In the Old Testament, a lot of the sacrifices would be used by the priests as well.  For example, there were certain portions of the meat offerings that were set apart for the priests to eat.  The drink offering, however, is different.  They would pour two whole quarts of wine out on the altar.  I can imagine that to an outside observer that would look like a huge waste.  Why are you just dumping out all this wine?!  And this is what Paul compares his life to in 2 Timothy 4:16.

One story in the Bible that always confused me comes from 2 Samuel 23, when David and his mighty men are fighting the Philistines, and are holed up somewhere else, while the Philistines have a hold on David's hometown of Bethlehem.  At some point, probably right after an exhausting battle, a parched David says something to the effect of, "If only I could have a drink from the well at Bethlehem!"  Three of his mighty men overhear this and actually fight through the entire garrison of the Philistines, risking their lives, get him a cup of water, and fight back through without spilling it!  That is an amazing feat!  The loyalty of these guys to their commander is astounding and inspiring!  

The crazy thing about this story, though, is that when David gets it, he won't drink it, and pours it all out on the ground!  If I was there, I would have been like, "Whaaaaaat?!  Don't waste that!!  We just risked our lives to get that for you!  Where's the gratitude!  Here, I'll drink it!"  This is David's reason though: "He poured it out unto the LORD.  And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it."  He poured it out as a drink offering before the Lord, because that kind of loyalty was only due to One.  I bring this story up to demonstrate a drink offering that seemed like a total waste.

So what does this have to do with us?

Well, we know that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).  The part that jumps out at me is that Paul refers to himself as a drink offering, which could seem like a waste to someone on the outside.  The implication is that even if people think that pouring out our entire lives for the Lord in the way described in Philippians 2, of being humble, meek, waving our rights, preferring others before ourselves in love, the way that Jesus did, who was poured out all the day long for us--even if everyone else thinks that's a waste, we're willing to do that as a drink offering unto the Lord.  

There are examples in history of people who have done this very thing that inspire me to no end.  Telemachus is one who's life seemed like a waste...but accomplished great good.  (You can read his story on an earlier blog post: Counter Culture) As a relatively recent example, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian and Ed McCully were 5 missionaries who gave up everything to reach the savage Auca tribe in Ecuador who killed everyone who attempted to come in.  They established contact by flying over them in a plane dropping gifts and shouting friendly phrases.  Finally, they landed on a beach in Auca territory, hoping to establish contact.  They met an older woman, a teenage girl, and a young man, and thought everything was going well.  But several days later, their bodies were found floating in the river, shot through with spears, then plane stripped.  Five men, all with wives and young children, and missionary work to do—all dead.  What a seeming waste.  But the doors opened to reach the tribe with this gospel.  Nate Saint’s sister went to live and work with them for many years.  The families forgave the people and won many to Christ.  Jim Elliot is famous for saying, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Steve Saint was 5 years old when his father was murdered by the Aucas (or Waorani), and he made this statement, which I love: "Most think that it's OK to go with God's program as long as it fits their program, but I finally decided that I wanted God to write the story, because I know that it will come out best in the end that way."

If we have this mentality, it doesn’t matter what God asks us to do, or if other people think it’s a waste.  This is our reasonable service, to be poured out as a drink offering before Him!

Its a change of mentality that causes me to stop thinking about my own plans and what others think, and makes me want to pour out everything to God.

The perfect example of this, of course, is the lady with the alabaster box who poured the expensive spikenard on Jesus' feet.  The disciples thought it was a waste, but Jesus rebuked them and said, "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." (Matthew 26:13). Why was this story to be shared with the entire world, as opposed to other stories like Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, or even Jesus walking on water or feeding the 5,000?  Why was what this woman did so important that it is to be shared wherever the essentials of the gospel are preached?  I believe it's because this is the essence of our response to the gospel.  We have to be willing to pour out our entire lives for Jesus, even if others think it's a waste.  That shows true love, and that's what He loves.

"Truthfulness"--Authority

Truthfulness vs. Deception Meditation Commentary

Truthfulness is communicating by my life and word that which is genuine and accurate.

•“Lord, who shall abide in they tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”—Psalm 15:1-2

•“The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.”—Proverbs 22:19, 22

            It can be tempting to fall into many incorrect mentalities when under authority.  One of the mentalities we often fall into has to do with believing we can shun certain moral responsibilities as long as we are giving the appearance of submitting to authority.  Sometimes it seems easier to simply deceive the authorities over us when we think we know what is best rather than going through the proper channels.  However, if we understand the true principles of authority and submission, and truthfulness vs. deception, we recognize that truthfulness involves openness with authorities.  A definition of integrity that has stuck with me through the years is: ‘doing what is right when nobody else is watching.’  This mean we are not only honest on a surface level when interacting with authorities, but will be open with them on a deeper level, demonstrating truthfulness in our lives even when they are not watching, and refusing to stoop to deception simply because we have an improper understanding of authority.  We think of authorities sometimes as out of touch and lofty—like a king on a throne.  We tell ourselves that they do not really understand our situation, and that we know what is best in this particular instance, and therefore, we deceive them because we believe they will not understand.  Authorities are placed in our lives with their rules and guidelines for a reason, though, and there are practical reasons for the rules, even if we do not understand them.  Children do this with their parents, maybe believing they are justified in staying out later than they are supposed to, or hanging out with people, watching a movie, or going to the mall without permission, but losing credibility with the authority over them because they were not truthful.  A worker may do this with a boss by doing something like making unauthorized decisions, which may even be good decisions, but without openness and truthfulness, doing this could cause problems in the workplace.  This concept does not mean that one cannot disagree with his or her authorities, but that he or she should be truthful with authorities.  If you do not agree with your authorities, rather than going behind their backs, approach them about it.  Oftentimes, authorities are reasonable, but regardless of the situation, it is always better to be honest and upfront, rather than hiding things, which could cause issues when the deception is inevitably brought to light. 

I have a friend who told me a story about this concept which stayed with me.  He was on a missions trip and there was a rule that he could not leave the hotel without someone else accompanying him.  The rule was well-established and he knew it was there, but it was very difficult to find time or a place alone to pray with everyone around, so occasionally, he would take a short walk so he could spend some time alone with God, without asking the group leaders.  He justified it, because, of course, he was doing something good.  But towards the end of the trip he began to be convicted about it, and decided to confess and apologize to the group leader for going off without permission.  The group leader forgave and understood him, and said he wished that the young man would simply have told him, and explained the situation so that they could work something out.  This highlighted what submitting to authorities vs just complying with them really means.  We will not always agree with authorities, and that's okay.  But rather than act like we're submitting to them, and just agreeing with whatever they say, a big part of submission is acknowledging their authority enough to come to them with problems.

In conclusion, be truthful, be honest, and have integrity when relating to authority.