Ribs

Read Genesis 2:18-25

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:18-25&version=NIV

Beth cooked me a nice, juicy rack of ribs for dinner tonight.  Man were they good!  Hot.  Smothered in barbeque sauce.  Meat falling off the bone.  Did I mention that they were delicious?  Oh, my!  As I was finishing off rib after rib I assembled a small pile of bones.  Looking at them I remembered our Sunday School lesson from several weeks ago.  It was about the creation of Eve.

In Genesis 2 we are told that while all the other animals had mates, Adam had none.  No one to talk to.  No one to laugh with.  No one to spend time with.  No one to share his life with.  (Also no one to yell at him.  No one to make him ask for directions.  No one to give him a ‘to do’ list.  But that’s for another post!)  God recognized that Adam needed a companion.  So He made Adam fall into a deep sleep.  Then God removed one of Adam’s ribs and fashioned the very first woman.  He then brought her to Adam.  What Adam said is not recorded in Scripture but I like to think that he said something along the line of, “Oh yeah, baby!  This is what I was talkin’ about!”  Or something very similar.

The question I have is, “Why did God make Eve different than He made Adam?”  Adam was created from the dust of the earth.  Why not Eve?  And then why did God select Adam’s rib?  Why not his femur?  Or his humerus?  Unfortunately God didn’t reveal His reasons for creating Eve differently from Adam.  Or why He selected Adam’s rib.  So we are left to wonder.  I do like the idea that someone came up with about why God created Eve the way that He did.

Woman was created from the rib of man.  Not from his head to top him.  Nor from

his feet to be walked upon.  She was made from his side to be his equal.  From

       beneath his arm to be protected by him.  From very near his heart to be loved by him.

Isn’t that a great thought?  Ultimately Eve was created from Adam so that she could be a integral part of his life.  She was created from his rib - to be by his side.  And that is one of the great aspects of marriage.  Companionship.  Two people, a man and a woman, going through life together.  Supporting each other.  Enjoying each other.  Loving each other.  To me it’s a picture of our relationship with God.  Walking through life together.

Wow.  You never know what kind of spiritual insight you are going to have from eating dinner!  Now I’m going to have a little dessert.  Hmm, I wonder what God is going to say to me now?

Lord, I thank you for Your creative genius as You created Eve from the rib of Adam.  What wonderful imagery it portrays.  Thank you for my wife.  For her being my companion.  For her support.  Her love.  May I cherish her all the days of my life.  A gift from You.  To me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

T. G. I. S.

Read Hebrew 10:24-25, Psalm 122:1

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:24-25&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20122:1&version=NIV

TGIF.  Anyone who works all week knows what the initials mean.  Thank God It’s Friday.  The end of the week.  I’m not sure exactly where the phrase originated.  Most people feel that it came from the bar and grill by the same name (TGIF) which first opened in 1965 in Manhattan’s East Side.  It was a place where students and young professionals could meet.  The name was indicative of the atmosphere that TGIF tried to promote that ‘everyday’ could be a Friday.  A day of celebration.  From there the phrase 'TGIF' found it’s way into popular culture.  It even made it’s appearance in the traditional blonde joke where the blonde had TGIF printed on her shoes.  It was to remind her that Toes Go In First!

The fact is that those who work Monday through Friday look forward to Friday.  Friday is the last day of the workweek.  After 5 pm Friday the whole weekend is ahead.  A chance to relax.  Be with family.  Recreate.  As such Friday has become a night to go out to dinner or to party.  Or both.

I would like to propose another phrase.  TGIS.  It stands for Thank God It’s Sunday.  I believe that this phrase has its origins in the Gospels.  We know that Jesus was crucified on a Friday.  That Friday was a pretty bad day for the disciples.  In a span of less than 24 hours the disciples went from figuring that Jesus was going to publicly declare Himself to be king to having died as an outlaw on a Roman cross.  Yes, Friday was the worst day of the disciple’s lives.  But then Sunday came.  What is now known as Easter Sunday.  Jesus arose from the dead.  Later He appeared to His disciples.  When He did, their sadness and mourning was turned to gladness and joy.  Sometime later, Friday worship changed to Sunday worship, since Sunday was the day that Jesus arose from the dead.  In the Christian church, we have been worshiping on Sundays ever since.

Yesterday, Beth & I went to our daughter’s home for dinner.  Afterwards I played with my grandsons, Brett & Jaydon, in their bedroom.  Do you know what they played?  Church!  They got out a couple of instruments (and a microphone that I helped them set up) and they sang choruses.  At the age of 4 & 2 they like Sundays.  Going to church is a huge experience for them.  Sunday School for Brett.  And then the Worship Service for both of them.  They enjoy singing.  And the offering.  I’ve never seen 2 kids so excited about putting something in the offering plate! This morning I happened to be in the foyer just as Brett came in with his dad.  He ran right past me downstairs.  Why?  Because he was excited about going to Sunday School.  I think he’s on to something.

As a pastor I love Sundays.  It is the culmination of my entire week.  I teach a Sunday School class.  Play my guitar on the Worship Team.  And preach.  I also get to interact with my church family.  And then there’s my wife, children and grandchildren who are there.  The fact is that it doesn’t get any better than this.  All together, in God’s house, worshiping Him.  It truly is as close to Heaven on earth as it gets.

I wonder what would happen if all of God’s people starting thinking TGIS?  If all week long we looked forward to Sunday?  If it was the high point of our week?  If we couldn’t wait until Sunday morning came?  The opportunity to go, as a family, to church.  To Sing.  Worship.  Give.  Pray.  Fellowship.  Laugh.  Learn. 

Chances are that a revival would break out in our churches.  Chances are that our teens and young adults would stay plugged in.  Chances are that our friends would pick up on our enthusiasm.  And maybe want to get in on the action.  Chances are that a few more people would enter the Kingdom.  Chances are that we might have to hold multiple services.  Or build on to our churches.  Chances are that our society just might find that the Church is relevant.  That God actually has something for them.  Something that they need.

So let’s get excited about Sundays!!  Let’s appreciate it for what it is.  An opportunity to be transformed by God.  To experience His power in our lives.  To become all that we were created to be!

Lord, I thank you for Sundays.  They are the highlight of my week.  Help me not to take them for granted.  To use them for own selfish purposes instead of Yours.  May I be truly excited about getting together with other believers in Your name.  May Your transforming power be evident in my life.  And in the lives of those I worship with.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Rebel

Read I Samuel 15:23, Romans 13:2

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+15:23&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13:2&version=NIV

Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders, died today.  He was 82.  It was in 1963 when Davis joined the Raiders.  First he was coach/general manager.  Then he bought into the team, becoming partial owner, managing partner and finally the owner.  Over the years, the Raiders became one of the NFL’s most successful teams under Davis, winning 3 Super Bowls.  Davis who was known for his saying , “Just win, baby!”, wanted his team to be the best.  To that end he developed the slogan that would become the Raider’s philosophy for decades, “Commitment To Excellence”. 

To say that Davis was not your ordinary owner is an understatement.  In short, he was the ‘Frank Sinatra’ of his day.  In other words, Davis did things ‘his way’.  As such, he was known as a rebel.  A renegade.  An outlaw.  He sued the NFL several times.  And won.  His team colors, silver and black, as well as the pirate logo, symbolized Davis’s attitude toward authority.  He didn’t like it.  And he refused to follow or respect it when he didn’t agree with it.

I suppose that this is one of the reasons why I was never an Oakland Raiders fan.  Beside the fact that I already had my favorite teams (the Buffalo Bills & Dallas Cowboys) I didn’t like the persona of the Raiders.  Davis was always so out-spoken.  And controversial.  And their fans were among the most rabid and obnoxious in the league.  Decades ago Raiders fans were among the first to dress up for games in their familiar silver-and-black face paint and their Raiders jerseys.  Many of them looked like bikers who wanted nothing more than to rip your guts out and stomp on your face.  They seemed to thrive on evil.  Not exactly the kind of fans you warm up to.

As one can imagine, as an owner, Davis was very controlling.  Over the years he felt free to overrule his coach’s decisions - from making personnel changes, to benching or starting players, to calling plays.  Ultimately, what Al Davis wanted, Al Davis got.  As a result I found it very interesting that in an article about him this morning, that he had the following to say:  "I can control most things, but I don't seem to be able to control death.  Everybody seems to be going on me."  Death was one thing that Davis discovered that he could not control.

In a way, Davis is a symbol of our age.  Black clothing and black jerseys.  Pirate logo.  Loud.  Obnoxious.  Controlling.  Arrogant.  Defiant.  Rebel.  This is why he was looked up to in our culture.  I suppose that there is a time to stand up for what one believes in.  The Bible is full of both men and women who stood against the crowd - making themselves very unpopular in the process.  But there is a vast difference between these men and women and Al Davis.  The men and women in the Bible stood for God.  For righteousness.  For truth.  Unlike Al Davis, they were rebels with a cause.

Over the next few days tributes to Al Davis are going to come in from all over the world.  There is no doubt that he loved the game.  And his players.  And his family.  And there is no denying that he had a huge impact on the game as well.  In addition, Davis was very loyal and compassionate.  Very good traits to be sure.  But at what point does being selfish, cantankerous, and a rebel, outweigh one’s good points?  I didn’t know Al Davis personally so I don’t want to be too critical.  But I will say this.  When a person lacks humility, grace, and respect for authority, they certainly are not God’s man.  And ultimately that is all that really matters.

Lord, in Your divine wisdom You have decreed that all people respect Your authority.  And those You have placed in authority.  Help me not to be a rebel.  To rebel against authority and thereby to rebel against You.  Help me to walk in humility and grace.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Teddy Roosevelt And Critics

Read Romans 14:10-13

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014:10-13&version=NIV

Most people are born critics.  By this I mean that most people are prone to finding the flaws in things.  The errors.  The defects.  It comes naturally to them.  Such as finding the misspelling in an article.  Or a blooper in a movie.  Or some kind of food that is slightly over-cooked.  Or under-cooked.  The point is that most people are very good at finding mistakes.  And faults.  Especially the faults of others.  A neighbor who doesn’t keep track of their dog.   A co-worker who talks too much.  A spouse who spends too much time watching TV.  Or on the computer.  It’s as if they are completely blind to the positive in others.  All they can see is the negative.  And they let others know.

Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States from 1901– 1909.  He was a man (and a President) who didn’t talk about doing things, he actually did them.  And he had little use for people who were critical of others.  You know, the kind who don’t do anything but who are very critical of the ones who are doing the doing.  (Did that just make sense?)  His quote is as follows:

    "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how
    the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have
    done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in
    the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
    who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again;
    who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends
    himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the
    triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails,
    at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be
    with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat or victory."

I love this quote.  Roosevelt has a way with words, doesn't he?  Don’t we all despise people who do nothing to help us but who are critical of our efforts?  Yes we do.  The fact is that if someone hasn’t helped us then we feel that they don’t have the right to be critical.

The reality is that life is full of critics.  They are everywhere.  And whenever we attempt to accomplish something, especially something for God, we can be sure that they will surface.  “It was too long.  Or boring.  You should have said this.  Or you should have done that.”  This can be very discouraging. 

At times such as this we need to remember that we don’t need to be perfect.  All we need to do is to put for the effort.  To have at least tried.  Far better to have served God imperfectly than not to have served Him at all.  The fact is that God often takes our imperfect efforts and blesses them.  He works through them and causes great things to happen in the lives of others.  If that’s the case then we need to turn a deaf ear to the critic.  And listen for the 'Well done' of the Master!

Lord, I realize that my efforts to serve You aren’t always perfect.  In fact, they are seldom perfect.  But I serve You anyway.  Because You want me to.  Because others need me to.  Because I love You.  Help me not to get discouraged when others criticize what I do.  I offer my service as a sacrifice to You.  May it be pleasing in Your sight.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Complete

Read I John 4:7-12

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20John%204:7-12&version=NIV

Complete.  According to the dictionary, complete is “Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire; having come to an end; concluded.”  One of the words that I would use to define complete is the word ‘whole’.

It is not uncommon at wedding ceremonies for either the bride or groom to say something to the effect that their partner ‘completes’ them.  What do they mean by this?  They mean that their true love, the person they are marrying, brings certain qualities and characteristics to the relationship that they had previously been lacking.  Now, with the two of them united, this person feels ‘complete’.  Not lacking anything.

Several weeks ago we looked at the creation of Eve in our Sunday School class.  When God presented Eve to Adam he recognized that a part of him that God had taken (one of his ribs) was being reunited with him.  Adam now felt complete.

The fact is that we are born spiritually ‘incomplete’ in our world.  We are missing a very key ingredient.  Or should I say ‘person’.  What (who) we are missing is God.  The result is that all through life we try to find substitutes to take His place.  Fame.  Fortune.  Career.  Relationships.  Possessions.  Sex.  And just about anything else.  But none of them completes us.  Only God can.   Only He can complete us.

That is the theme of one of my favorite songs from Kutless.  Below are the words and a link to listen to the song.  Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR_Ha3KpiZc

Complete - Kutless

Incomplete it all began, the broken state that I was in,
I wished that I was someone else, cause' I was lost inside myself
I started seeing who I am, the day my life with You began,
You clearly solved the mystery, that finding You meant finding me.

God, I've fallen to my knees, I'm bowing at Your feet,
I give You all of me, in You I am complete,
It's all because of love, I'm not who I was,
I'm who I meant to be, in You I am complete.

God who doesn't need at all, I heard Your voice, I felt Your call,
It's echoing I cannot shake you off,
The stars that shine they bear Your name, they sing the song that gives You praise,
You've captured me, my heart is lifting off

God, I've fallen to my knees, I'm bowing at Your feet,
I give You all of me, in You I am complete,
It's all because of love, I'm not who I was,
I'm who I meant to be, in You I am complete.

I've got to tell the world about the things You've done,
I want to shout it out, I'm gonna live it now,
Amazing grace is why I'm singing.

God, I've fallen to my knees, I'm bowing at Your feet,
I give You all of me, in You I am complete,
It's all because of love, I'm not who I was,
I'm who I meant to be, in You I am complete.

Lord, I thank you that in You I am complete.  Whole.  I need nothing or no one else.  May I daily walk in and celebrate that completeness.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Grading On The Curve - Part II

Read John 3:16, 14:6, Acts 4:12

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NASB

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2014:6&version=NASB

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%204:12&version=NASB

Yesterday I mentioned ‘grade inflation’ and some teacher’s habit of grading their students on the curve.  And how that mentality has infected our culture in a number of areas.  Particularly the spiritual one.  This has led to the common belief that God also grades on the curve.  Does He?

The short answer is, No.  God does not grade on the curve.  God has a standard.  The standard is fixed.  Measurable.  It is called perfection.  In other words, no sin.  None.  A perfect score.  100.  Anything less will not do.  In Ezekiel 18:4 are told, “The soul who sins will die.”  The standard that God has is objective and not arbitrary.  We either meet the standard or we don’t.  Unfortunately Romans 3:23 tells us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  In other words, no one makes the grade.  No one is going to make it to Heaven.  That’s the bad news.

The Good News is that God has made a way for us to still get into Heaven.  It is not a result of ‘grade inflation’ or ‘extra credit’.  The reality is that there is nothing that we can do to be good enough to get into Heaven.  This is where Jesus comes into the picture.  As a result of His sinless, perfect life, Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins.  His death satisfied God’s justice.  As a result, when we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, God forgives us our sin and we become righteous.  Now we have the perfection that He requires.  In essence, we make the grade through Jesus.

What a great reality this is.  We failed.  Jesus passed.  As a result, through faith in Him, we pass as well.  In the final analysis God doesn’t grade on the curve but on faith.  And boy am I happy about that!

Lord, I thank you that even though I fall far short of Your standard of perfection that Jesus didn’t.  He lived a perfect life.  He became the perfect sacrifice.  As a result, I can now make it to Heaven through Him.  Help me always to remember this.  To be thankful for it.  To appreciate it.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Grading On The Curve - Part I

Read Luke 13:1-9

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2013:1-9&version=NIV

Apparently grades in educational institutions are not what they once were.  Having been out of high school and college for some time now I can only go by what my own children experienced when they were in school and now what I read in the media.

Back when I went to school, the homework assignments were fairly challenging and the work needed to be done accurately, neatly, and on time.  If I remember right there were a few straight-A students but not many.  Good grades were hard to come by.  Unless you were super-smart you really had to earn them.

Somewhere along the line, things changed.  In some cases, drastically.  Things such as ‘extra credit’ came into existence.  This meant that if a student didn’t do very well on an exam or a homework assignment, they could do some teacher-assigned extra work.  By receiving a high mark on this they could bring up their GPA thus making up for their earlier poor grades.  Then ‘grading on the curve’ also came into existence.  This involved a teacher ignoring the actual scores of students on an exam and grading them on a curve.  So, if a particular test was difficult and the top score for a student was an 82, he/she was then given an A (instead of what would have been a B) and the rest of the student’s scores were raised in proportion.  This meant that a student who scored a 50 on an exam might receive a D instead of an F.   Then I heard of one teacher who actually spent the day before the exam going over with her/his class exactly what was going to be on the exam.  Basically they gave the class the answers.  These and other factors have contributed to students grades rising significantly over the past couple decades.

This is known as ‘grade inflation’.  Simply stated, grade inflation is higher grades for the same quality or quantity of work done as students of the past.  It is a hotly debated topic in educational circles.   http://www.mnsu.edu/cetl/teachingresources/articles/gradeinflation.html  I contend that grade inflation has infected our society in more ways that we realize.  It has also drifted over into the spiritual realm.  Let me explain.

There are many people in our world today who believe that God grades on the curve.  Just like many teachers and professors do.  There are no fixed standards.  Everything is flexible.  Extra credit can be obtained by doing a couple extra good works or throwing a few extra bucks in the offering plate.  Most of all, there will be no failures.  OK, murderers and people like that might fail to make the grade and not get into Heaven.  But certainly everyone else will make the grade.  Why?  Because God grades on the curve.  None of us is really that much better or worse than any other, so God will move us all up on the grading scale.  Those who have lived virtuous lives will get A’s.  Those who were pretty decent citizens will get B’s & C’s and those who basically lived for themselves their whole lives will be upgraded to D’s.   Good enough to get in.  But what does the Bible say?  That is for tomorrow’s post.

Lord, I understand that many people in our culture believe that everything is relative.  That there are no absolutes.  No fixed standards.  Help me not to believe this.  Help me stay true to Your Word that unless I, or anyone else, repents we will perish.  Eternally.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.