Wednesday, August 3, 2016

To Do Justice

Abraham. He is acknowledged as the “father of nations.” Muslims, Christians and Jews all claim him as their patriarch—an ancestor to be respected, admired and highly esteemed. God singled him out for a special relationship. God promised to bless Abraham; but not just for the good of Abraham and his family. God promised to bless Abraham so that through him the whole world would be blessed.
One way to imagine Abraham fulfilling that purpose might be to picture Abraham as the person designated to distribute all the good gifts of God—spiritual and material—to the rest of the inhabitants of the world. God makes deposits into Abraham’s account; and then Abraham writes checks to disburse the funds. That might have been fun for Abraham; but it would have probably not been fun—or effective—for long.
You really don’t have to wonder what God meant, though. God is quite clear about his intention: “I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just” (Genesis 18:19). The way the world will be blessed through Abraham is that he will teach all the members of his family to do what is right and just.
When Moses was instructing the people of Israel before they entered the Promised Land, he was clear, “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Even the queen of Sheba recognized the most valuable role Solomon played in God’s plan: “Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9).
In spite of this consistent theme—this command to tell the truth, to ensure the rights of the poor are respected, to guard the welfare of foreigners, to be generous with those who have experienced hard times; the people God set apart to bless failed their primary purpose. Repeatedly God sent messengers to remind them in one way or another of the desire of God’s heart: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). It is difficult to express how utterly God’s people failed to live out this standard—or how their failure set them up for the disappointment they experienced.

God still longs for those he calls his own to do what is right and just; and we still fall short. The good news is that God still extends his mercy, shows us patience, and welcomes us when we turn toward him and seek the Spirit’s guidance to live as champions of righteousness and justice. 

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Accentuate the Positive!

If you have the responsibility of supervising employees, you might want to check out an article I stumbled across a few days ago.  The author acknowledged that being the boss can be a real challenge—especially coping with employees who do their jobs well; but are equally skilled at annoying both you and their colleagues. This article shared one consultant’s list of the six most common problem personalities: The Gossip, The Grump, The Overachiever, The Suck-up, The Slacker, and The Clown.
If any of these people were not performing adequately, the author admits the easiest solution might be to fire them. You might be tempted to think that you would just be better off without them. As much as you might wish you could do everything yourself, the truth is you need other people to help you complete the work.
While the advice for how to deal with each of these different personality types was slightly different, the consistent theme was to redirect each person’s energies toward a specific task that would benefit them and the rest of the team. Encourage employees to talk about the things they have in common to strengthen relationships with one another. Make sure people who seem unhappy or insecure feel heard and that their contributions are recognized. Find ways to give people tasks that connect with their passions and interests so they have a reason to be more engaged and less disruptive.
Years ago Johnny Mercer wrote a song several artists made popular, “Accentuate the Positive.” You may remember the chorus:
You've got to accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
Don't mess with Mister In-Between.
Telling people only what you don’t like about what they are doing is rarely effective in altering their behavior. When you can show them a better way to accomplish their objectives, everyone benefits. That strategy works personally, as well. If you spend all your energy punishing yourself for some persistent bad habit without identifying a positive alternative, you are most likely to end up disheartened and discouraged, if not defeated.
Lent is an appropriate time to consider any habits you might have that are keeping you from becoming the person God created you to be. It is also a great time to adopt a discipline that will put you in a better position to accept the freedom and power God wants to give you, so you can experience every blessing God has prepared for you.  

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Finding the Courage to Say "No!"

A friend was sharing his frustration the other day. He confessed that he might not be making the best use of his time. A lot of his work is done on the computer, and he uses the internet to access some of its resources. His concern was that there seemed to be more and more times when something would distract him and take him to another site where he would find something else that seemed interesting; and much too quickly, thirty minutes—or an hour—had passed and he still had not completed his original search. He asked me to pray for him.
When Jesus left his disciples for the last time, he gave them pretty clear and concise instructions: “Make disciples.” They had been following Jesus down a very particular path for a few years. They had heard Jesus teach others about God’s love and God’s intention that people love one another. They had heard Jesus invite others to follow him. They had witnessed Jesus sacrifice everything to demonstrate God’s love. From its first days, the church has embraced the mission to make disciples—people who faithfully follow the way of Christ.
Like my friend there have been times when the church has been distracted from its primary purpose. It has become fascinated with different media and methods, with a variety of liturgy and architecture, with nuances of theology and doctrine.
Individuals who make the commitment to follow Christ also find themselves wandering off the path from time to time—chasing after other pursuits that seem to promise profit, prestige, or power.
Sometimes the best way to get back on the path is to recall the commitments you made when you began. During Lent, the church has focused on teaching persons how to follow the path of Jesus. The keys to avoiding distraction and staying focused are central to the baptismal covenant. That’s why focusing on living out those vows in our everyday life can be a meaningful practice during the season of Lent.
I pray this will be a season for you to reflect on the path you are following. Are there things that are distracting you from keeping the commitments that are most important to you? May you find the courage to renounce and reject those things, so you may walk in the way that leads to life. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Love One Another

Valentine’s Day is coming up in just a couple of weeks and there are lots of marketers aiming for your wallet. They hope to convince you that spending a few dollars to purchase their product will touch the heart of your true love.
Showing your love for others is important—and not just to those whom you might expect to return the affection. Jesus says a lot about love: love for God, love for our neighbor, even love for our enemies. And when you think about the love Jesus demonstrated, you begin to understand that Jesus is not just talking about having a positive regard for others. He is talking about doing something practical to improve the quality of their life. Jesus fed people who were hungry. Jesus healed people who were sick. Jesus people welcomed people who were left out. Jesus restored the hope of those who were drowning in despair. Furthermore, Jesus says that the way everyone will be able to tell if we are really committed to faithfully following him, is when we love each other (John 13:35).
John Wesley found a slightly different way to talk about how important love is: “In a Christian believer love sits upon the throne which is erected in the inmost soul; namely, love of God and man, which fills the whole heart, and reigns without rival.” For Wesley, too, this love had real world ramifications. Reflecting on Chapter 13 of Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Wesley writes, “The love of God, and of our neighbour for God's sake, is patient toward, all men. It suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world: and all this, not only for a time, but to the end. And in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind, soft, mild, benign. It inspires the sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent and tender affection.”

This kind of love goes way beyond stuffed animals, bouquets of flowers, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, or frilly cards. It is also much more costly. But without this kind of love, all the other is just claptrap and garbage that will be discarded in a few days. Loving others the way Jesus has taught us will make an everlasting difference in us, in those we love, and in the world.