Perfect

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).”

I just finished watching one of those competitive races on television, where couples take on various challenges over a series of several weeks, hoping to win a million dollars.  Inevitably, the couples end up arguing, sometimes name-calling, and being quite frustrated with each other.  It is amazing to me how individuals who are extremely successful in other areas of their lives, can be made to feel so inadequate; all because they can’t eat grilled cobra or bungee jump from a bridge.

I see this on a regular basis in individuals and couples that come to my office.  People who feel they have to be perfect in everything.  It is a horrible affliction to have and carry with oneself throughout your life.  Often, it has to do with trying to measure up to some unrealistic expectation, some unattainable standard of excellence that isn’t even measureable.  I usually ask them who they are trying to please.  They use words like “should,” “ought,” and “have to.”  Again, somewhat rhetorically, I ask, “Who says so?”

At one time, I battled the same demon.  I grew up, like many of these individuals feeling I could never be good enough.  As a result, I determined to try harder.  Unfortunately, I carried this attitude over into my relationship with God.  I thought I “must (should, ought, have to) be perfect.”  With some relief, I now know this isn’t true.

The Greek word used here refers to being finished, having reached its end, as in something being completed.  Any of these words could easily be substituted.  We tend to focus on the word “be,” assuming that it is a state we are to be in right now.  However, the verb tense in the Greek supports a different conclusion.  We are to make this our aim.

Jesus had been encouraging his disciples, in the previous verses, to love the way the Father loves, not just our neighbor, but even our enemies.  He concludes with challenging them to be perfect (to love) the way the Father does.  B.W. Johnson writes in his commentary, “It will require a constant struggle while in the flesh to come near so high an ideal, but it must be our continual aim (People’s New Testament with Notes).”  On this earth, we will not “attain absolute perfection, but we have placed before us, as a model, the perfect ideal, and we will constantly ascend higher by striving to attain to it.”

We don’t have to beat ourselves up for not being perfect.  Christ became the perfect sacrifice on our parts.  That is not the expectation placed upon us.  It is our aim, and praise God, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6).”

Godspeed, Phil

 

You are invited!

You are invited...

Those words always gave me a thrill when I was younger and I needed a social life.  Nowadays, it usually means someone wants me to take on more credit card debt, or visit a timeshare, or in some other way, waste my time and hard-earned money.  It isn't really about me and it really isn't the type of invitation I appreciate in the way I did as a younger person.

But, there is an invitation that does get me excited when I recognize it for what it is.  As Barton writes, "It is an invitation to communication and communion with the One who is always present even when our awareness has been dulled by distraction (Invitation to Solitude and Silence)."  Time away, alone with God is one of life's greatest pleasures.

Rather than experiencing enough of those times, it seems it is me inviting God to participate in the activities of my life, to answer my prayers, or to do something that I want Him to do, as though that would make Him happy just to be invited.  I often wondered why it didn't feel as though God was all that enthusiastic over being included in my plans.  Sometimes, it seemed as though He didn't even show up for my party.  Imagine that.

What I came to realize is that God is the One who needs to be doing the inviting.  He is the One who needs to arrange the meetings that I attend, the encounters with others in my office that hopefully will be of some benefit to them, the experiences that I may have throughout the day, often unexpected, and not always appreciated.  Each of these are invitations for me to participate, to discover what God is doing, has already done, and to participate in the way that He has already equipped and planned for me to do.

Even when I dread what is about to happen, even when things don't go the way that I had hoped or prayed, or even when things occur that are clearly not what I would choose to happen, I need to see everything as an invitation from God.  I can rejoice as though I had just been treated to a surprise party.  I need to see that God has already gone before me, He is not going to be taken by surprise by anything that may occur, and He has promised that He will bring good out of any situation; because I have been called (invited) to accomplish His purpose in that situation(Rom. 8:28)!

You are invited.  All you have to do...is show up.

Godspeed, Phil

Is God always right?

"Nice try, God.  You almost got it right."

I'm joking, right?  Otherwise, that would be blasphemy, me correcting God because He didn't do something right.  The thought of doing so is ridiculous.  This is God.  He is perfect, omniscient, holy in all His ways.  I don't have a foot to stand on; and yet, I am guilty of doing just that, and I imagine you are, too.  Oh, not in so many words.  I'm not stupid enough to come right out and tell God I know better than He does; but, how often have you felt yourself questioning God?  How many times have you rejected His way and insisted on going your own way?  Guilty as charged.  Blasphemer.  Yes, that describes me.  If the shoe fits...

We all know the story of Job, how he lost everything when God let Satan have his way with him.  He lost his wealth, his status, his family, and eventually his health.  He was in terrible pain and suffering and, yet, he didn't blame God.

Job, in spite of all that had taken place, continued to worship God.  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (1:21)."  The Scripture goes on to say, "In all this, Job did not sin."  The book of Job has inspired many, including myself, to see my momentary trials and difficulties from a different perspective.  It has helped me to endure those times and do my best to continue to trust God as Job did.

But, there is another perspective that I wish I could have all of the time, that I don't always.  In what way did Job not sin?  He didn't sin, "by charging God with wrongdoing."  Job didn't just go along with it.  He didn't just endure it and sing, "Que Sera, sera, what will be, will be."  Job didn't just shrug his shoulders and say, "Oh well, what choice do I have, anyway?"  Job accepted what God was doing as right.  He didn't question God's actions.

I don't know about you, but I typically get frustrated, sometimes even discouraged, when things don't go the way I think they should; especially, if it results in my being uncomfortable.  "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."  I can't say the same thing about my self.  If I don't understand what God is doing, it bothers me.  If He seems to be taking me in a different direction, I hesitate.  Sometimes, I don't listen and do what I want to do instead.  Whether I am saying it or not, I am challenging the God of whom David writes, "You are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge (Ps. 51:4)."

It doesn't usually occur to me that I am accusing God of wrongdoing, but that is what it comes down to; I don't trust God to always be right.  When God does finally address Job, He asks Job, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"  Job's answer, "Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."  Eventually, I may get around to admitting the same thing; but, I wish I could accept that God is right...all the time, not just when I choose to agree with Him.

Godspeed, Phil

Stop!

Sometimes, it must have seemed rather confusing.  As the people of Israel were going through the desert, seemingly in the direction of the Promised Land, they had to wonder if God really knew what He was doing.  They would be moving along for awhile, then, they would just stop...and wait.  No reason, no explanation, just "wait here."  I know what that always means when I do it.  I'm lost!  It doesn't matter how much I protest that I am just wanting to be sure, everyone in the car knows, "Dad doesn't have any idea where we are.  We are lost!"

Do you ever have those times in your walk when you feel like God is lost?  Seriously, does it seem like sometimes He doesn't know what He's doing or where He's going?  Of course, we would never say that and we would adamantly proclaim that we trust God, but we secretly want to take Him aside and ask if He needs our help.  After all, we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go and how to get there.  Why doesn't He ask for our help?

I have been going through one of those times.  Everything seemed to be pointing in the direction I was headed, and then, it was like the road just ended.  I couldn't move.  I couldn't go forward, as I was sure the Lord didn't want me to go any further; or if He did, He wasn't making it possible.  I couldn't back up; because that seemed contrary to everything that had happened up to this point.  I was certain God had led me here; but just like my kids, I want to know, "Why are we stopping?"

Paul and his companions had one of those moments, actually two...in a row.  They were on a roll.  In Acts 16, Luke writes that as they traveled from town to town, delivering their message, "the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."  They had to be feeling it.  I'm sure they were all pumped about where they were going and what they were doing.  God seemed to be in all they were doing.  Then, we read in v. 5 that they were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia."  That may have left them a little confused, but they probably figured, God has a reason.  He probably didn't think much would be accomplished by going there.  But, hadn't God led them in that direction?  No, their GPS must have malfunctioned, or someone wasn't listening too closely when He was giving them directions, or maybe they had just made a wrong turn.  No problem, we are back on track and headed to Bithynia.  And, it happened again.

"As they tried to enter Bithynia, the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to."  "Why are we stopping?"  Everybody most likely turned to Paul looking for direction.  It was one thing for them not to know, but surely Paul had heard from the Lord.  "Why are we stopping?"  Awkward.  Paul was looking at his map, rubbing his chin, mumbling to himself, or was he praying?  They all waited for him to respond.  But, he didn't seem to have anything to say.  Sitting at the camel re-fueling station, Paul got off his camel and was talking to the attendant, showing him the map.  So, he was lost.

But, when Paul returned, there was no explanation as to why they had stopped.  They merely re-calculated their camel's GPS and headed a different direction.  Can you imagine the campfire discussions that evening.  "Paul, where are we going?  Did we make a wrong turn?  Are you and Jesus still friends?"  Paul didn't have much to say.  That night, he slept fitfully.  And, in the middle of the night, he had a vision.  That vision ultimately led Paul and his companions to Macedonia and to Philippi, a leading city of that colony.  And the rest, as Paul (Harvey) would later say, "is history."

Though I can't find it in Scripture, I have shared with individuals on many occasions, "God plans the stops of a good man as well as the steps."  I believe it.  I don't like it, but I believe it.  I don't always agree with it.  I often feel like we are losing momentum.  We need to keep going.  I don't want to be late.  I don't want to miss anything.  Mostly, I can't figure out what to do with myself if I am moving in some direction.  Sometimes, God just wants us to rest.  Sometimes, He wants us to learn to be patient and to trust.  Other times, there are things going on behind the scenes that we just don't know about, but God does and all He wants us to do is wait, until everything is ready, everything is in place, and then it will be time to act.

This takes great discernment on our parts, and trust.  We may want to blame ourselves and think it is because of something that we have done; and if that is how you feel, it is a good idea to check with the Big Guy upstairs and ask Him if you and He are still good.  Sometimes, there is something for us to get out of stopping.  Other times, there is no rhyme or reason to us; but, we have to trust God.  We need to remind ourselves that all our times are in His hands.  He will let us know when it is time to move.  For now, enjoy the scenery.

Godspeed, Phil

Don't stop now

Have you ever been in one of those situations where there has been some type of disagreement; and when the other party runs out of rational arguments to support their position, they begin to call you names.  Of course not, only children do that, right?  Yeah, right.  In Neh. 6, Nehemiah and the Jews continue to experience opposition; only now, it starts to get personal.

As Nehemiah and the others continue to re-build Jerusalem and their enemies see that they haven't been able to deter them, they plot to assassinate Nehemiah.  Sanballat and Geshem send Nehemiah a message, "Hey, Nehemiah.  Come 'ere.  We wanna talk to ya."  But, Nehemiah has been tipped off somehow and he makes this reply, "I am too busy doing a good work to come down."

Have you ever prayed for God to reveal His will to you, to show you what He would have you to do; only to feel as though He was ignoring you?  A few years ago, God used this passage to help me discern that I needed to stop looking for something else to do, and do what He had already given me to do.  You see, I get caught up in this notion that my journey with the Lord is an ongoing, gradual ascent into heaven.  Only, every once in awhile, there seems to be a lull or even a downturn that I can't seem to explain.  So, then I turn to God and ask Him what He would have me to do...no response.  I pray about it, seek counsel, attempt to discern His voice...nothing.

I am not sure that I have it figured out; but, I don't think God expects me to sit idle and do nothing.  It could be, He would have me use some of that time to rest, maybe to find other ways to refresh my spirit, focus on my own needs to grow and develop.  But, I think it could be that God doesn't feel like He has to constantly be giving me directions on what next step to take.  He just wants me to continue to do the work He has already given me to do.

I have this problem with my son.  Though he usually knows what he is supposed to be doing, or could easily figure it out if he put some thought into it; he would prefer not to think, and would rather we just tell him what to do.  Foster writes, "The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, and the other matter, must be the primary purpose of the Father.  He will guide us, but He won't override us...The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree, that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself, is produced.  God does the same ("A Year With God")."

I recall, in my home church, growing up; there were those who felt they couldn't answer the phone, unless they believed the Holy Spirit led them to do so.  Nehemiah prayed, but he prayed for God to give him strength; and then, he went back to work.  He didn't need to ask God what to do next.  He just continued to do what He had already been given to do.  As a result, the enemies "lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had ben done with the help of our God."

Godspeed, Phil

 

Keep swimming!

One of my favorite movies is "Finding Nemo."  I especially like the scene, if you haven't seen it, where little Nemo is telling all the fish in the net to "keep swimming."  He knows if they keep swimming in the same direction, they will eventually free themselves from the net (as opposed to finding themselves stuffed with crab meat on somebody's dinner table).

In Nehemiah 4, the Jews were rebuilding the temple and encountered opposition.  A guy named Sanballat was angry (possibly because his parents had given him such a ridiculous name, but that is another story), and he began to ridicule the Jews, in front of the army of Samaria.  "Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?"

He was referring to the temple that had been destroyed when the Jewish nation had been unfaithful to God and He had allowed their enemies to defeat them and take them into captivity.  But, as I read it, I thought of an interesting analogy...burnout.

I work with pastors and other Kingdom workers in positions of leadership, who are experiencing burnout.  Their "temple" has been subject to invading armies, the temptations, hardships, and trials of this world; and they have felt defeated, nearly destroyed, and as though they have little control over their own situations.  They may not be publicly ridiculed, but they know the self-criticism, as well as the many who are talking behind their backs, finding fault with them for their "failed" leadership.

The Jews, under the leadership of Nehemiah, did two things--they prayed and armed themselves!  The Scriptures tell us, "We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."  They didn't quit and go back to Susa.  They continued the work they were doing.  All the while, Nehemiah was telling them, "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight."  He went on to tell them, "Our God will fight for us!"

The opposition?  Well, they didn't back off.  I wish I could tell you they did, but they didn't.  It only got worse.  You might want to read the rest of the story for yourself.  The point is, however, we need to just keep fighting.  We need to pray, arm ourselves, equip ourselves to continue to fight; for our God will fight for us!  And, one day, we will be free of this opposition.

One day, we too shall proclaim,  "Free at last.  Free at last.  Thank God Almighty, free at last."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.,

Godspeed, Phil

Flee!

How can we separate ourselves from the world and still have an impact upon it?  How can we be in the world, but not of it?  How are we to be transformed without being conformed?  Every way your turn, there are books about spiritual transformation, and others telling us this is what is needed.  Paul says it is the only way, "to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do (Rom. 12:1-2)."  So, of course, that is what we want.

But, how do we get there?

I spent the day retreating to the woods, reading a book, "The Way of the Heart," by Henri Nouwen.    In it, Nouwen tells of the "desert fathers (and mothers)" who were determined not to be tainted by the influence of their world, to such an extent, they retreated to live in the desert.  Spiritual guidance they believed they were given is also good advice for us to follow.  Abba Arsenius believed that God told him to "flee from the world and you will be saved."  And so, Arsenius left Rome and sailed to Alexandria to live a solitary life in the desert.

Now, I am not advocating we sell our house, buy an RV, and move to Death Valley.  But, I think the counsel is still applicable; we need to flee, to get away from the world.  Fleeing is essentially about finding a place of solitude, a place away from all the distractions of the world, to create conditions whereby transformation can take place.  Nouwen goes so far as to say, that it is out of this type of experience that "real ministry flows."

In the vernacular of the psychological community, most of us are living in the FOG.  We do what we do out of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt.  "I am afraid that if I do/or if I don't, something bad may happen."  I do what I do out of obligation, because I should or have to...  "I will feel guilty if I do/or don't..."  If you don't think any of these apply to you, ask yourself why you do the majority of what you do.  If the answer isn't because you want to, then most likely you are motivated by living in the FOG, afraid of failure, being judged, wanting to have other's approval, needing affirmation, or some other wrong motivation.  Is it any wonder so many in ministry are frustrated, angry, depressed, stressed and burnout?  We need to flee from the world.

We need to flee from the world and run right into the arms of our Savior, the one who approves of us, loves us, refuses to condemn us, and calls us His friends.  It is when we spend time alone with Him, we experience the purpose He has for us, and the value He has placed upon us.  It is there we discover His will for us and the direction He has for our lives and our ministries.

Too often we are tempted, as Jesus was, to be relevant, to be spectacular, to be powerful.  In solitude, Nouwen says, we find our true identity is found in our relationship with God.  When we are able to experience that, we are more open to allowing Him to transform us, to make us more like Him, in His image.  Nouwen writes, "We have, indeed, to fashion our own desert where we can withdraw every day, shake off our compulsions, and dwell in the gentle healing presence of our Lord."

Flee!!
Godspeed, Phil