New Year's Surrendolutions

Stories of triumph by means of human determination fascinate us. We never seem to tire of hearing stories of men and women persevering through jungles of challenges and the slimmest of odds, willing themselves to great accomplishments. The stories inspire us, encourage us, and restore hope in the power of human effort.

Theologically, however, we also recognize that even the greatest of human accomplishments are like filthy rags when compared to the perfection in God's character (Isa 64:6). This does not rob these accomplishments of their greatness, but it serves to show how awesome God is - so much greater than the best of our best that even these feats are like tattered rags. Therefore, we are left unable, even with our greatest human accomplishments, to elevate ourselves to God's level and thereby merit salvation.

How, then, should we view the traditional New Years' Resolutions? Should we take up the challenge of human endeavor to will ourselves into better habits, self-improvement, and narrower jeans? Or should we hold to the vanity and impotence of human effort alone, and declare that these resolutions are self-deluding?

I suggest a different approach.

The arrival of the new year is a fantastic time to take stock, evaluate your year, your priorities, your stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, and to look forward to making the next year better than the previous. We often have extra time off of work and other responsibilities, so we have a ripe environment for self-evaluation. If you are going to set personal goals, this is perhaps the best time of year to do so.

Resolutions can be encouraging or defeating. Rather than "goals," we call the "resolutions," which means I resolve myself to do something, such as losing 20 pounds or reading the Bible through. If I meet these resolutions, I feel pretty good about myself.

However, if I make it as far as March, but then drop my diet and my exercise, I am not merely failing to meet a goal - I am failing at something I resolved to do. By making a resolution, I put my character behind this. I put the integrity of my name on it. And now, my failure is a failure in my character, not just my waistline. This is why not meeting a resolution is more deflating than merely missing a goal.

Rather than resolving ourselves to try harder, I suggest listing ways you believe the Lord wants you to surrender to Him in 2014. This involves spending some time in prayer, at the ready with Bible, pen, and paper, asking the Lord what areas of your life need to be surrendered to Him. As He illumines you, write down those things. Be specific. Don't make the list impossibly long, but don't make it unchallenging, either.

Then, in prayer, begin your first surrender by surrendering the list back to Him. Surrender yourself to the process of surrendering these things in 2014. Then keep that list where you will review it at least once a week for 52 weeks.

Rather than resolving to lose 20 pounds, surrender to the Lord to be a steward of the body He gave you. Spend the year focusing on that surrender, which will naturally result in better diet and more exercise. Rather than resolving to read the Bible through, spend the year learning how to surrender yourself to the study of and obedience to His Word. Rather than resolve to learning the Mongolian language or taking a night class or reading 50 books, spend the year surrendering your mind to the Lord, for its renewal (Rom 12:1-2). Rather than setting a goal, begin a process of surrendering more of your life to God.

It's still very much like a resolution, and it still takes effort and perseverance, but rather than the mere grit of human determination alone, it becomes a very spiritual exercise of relinquishing yourself to Christ for His purposes. Then by the end of the year, if there is any success at all, you'll have a compelling, encouraging story to share with others. And all the motivation in the world to surrender even more in 2015.

DD v. A&E - and the winner is....

Maybe you've heard a little bit about THE-MOST-IMPORTANT-STORY-IN-THE-UNIVERSE!!! Duck Dynasty and the A&E Network's little tiff about what a reality-based show actor said in an interview with GQ Magazine. And then maybe you're worried I'm going to barge into an overcrowded space of commentary. Only partly.

I'm going to reserve my comments on what Phil Robertson should or shouldn't have said, what rights he does or does not have to say them, how accurately or inaccurately he represents the Christian worldview, or what A&E should or should not have done in response. That's already a very tired conversation. (I couldn't believe how long ... and vitriolic ... the comment section was on an op-ed piece in a business newspaper.)

My concern is about what's coming. People on both sides of this issue want to win! And that's what concerns me.

What would "winning" look like to you? Do you want to see "the other side" beat down, for them to cave, for them to "lose"? Do you have bitterness toward them? Do you want them shamed? Are you letting the difference of opinion become a reason to not love your neighbor as yourself? Will you accept them only if they agree with you?

What arrangement would be truly victorious? One side gets what they want and the other has to wallow in defeat? Either the show continues in production because A&E has been financially pressured into it against their will, or the Robertson family severs ties against their will with A&E and perhaps looks for another producer. Yay. Victory.

Let's face it - a true reconciliation is unlikely, here. A business deal, maybe, but I doubt A&E execs will be sharing moon pies and Dr. Peppers with the Robertsons anytime soon. So, what is "victory"?

Victory to me looks more like this: I don't hate you, even when we disagree. I don't want your ruin. I won't tell you what you ought to do, because I don't know everything about the situation, but I'm free to tell you my preference. I'd rather talk to you in person than shout about you to the media. We don't have to agree. I have more important things to talk to you about, and I don't want to ruin that by griping over this. I really don't have a need for you to understand me on this.

To their credit, the Robertsons and A&E are not being publicly rancorous about this. It's everyone else. It's us. And no matter the outcome, I won't count it any kind of victory if we end up personally embittered against each other.

Why I Don't Play the Lottery

$120 million after taxes. That's what one Georgia woman gained this week in the Mega Millions lottery. That makes you dream and wonder what you'd do with it - not just the indulgent things, but also the noble things. People you could take care of, debts you could pay, education you could enable, non-profit projects you could underwrite, all kinds of things.

Gambling, per se, isn't directly forbidden in Scripture. Buying a lotto ticket doesn't necessarily have to come from clearly forbidden motives - greed, addiction, or lack of wisdom with finances. What's a buck or two, especially if it's just for fun?

And yet, I still don't play the lottery. I am not saying that everyone who does so is wrong. I'm not telling you what you should do. We can discuss our reasons for our choices without judging the choices of another. I offer here my reasons for not playing for you to consider, ignore, disagree with, or critique.

I know me too well. I know that if I start playing the lottery, no matter how noble or recreational my intention, I will inevitably start having greedier and greedier wants. I will start wanting more stuff "when I win the lottery," and even without winning anything, would become a greedier person. I can't prevent myself from doing this. And then I would be buying just a little bit more into the lie that more stuff will make me more happy. Plus I also know that I would obsess, even just a little, on getting the results. I don't like what would happen inside of me if I played.

I know math too well. The statistical "expected value" of the lottery is negative. Yes, there are winners. But if you multiply the chances of the cost (100%) by the cost (negative $1 / ticket, for example) and then compare that to the chances of winning (mega-mega-tiny) multiplied by the benefit (jackpot), you get the "expected value," and the expected value for the lottery is negative. Why would I get caught up in something that has a negative expected value?

I know others too well. I would likely lose money. But if I did win money, I would win money by others losing money. I would much rather make money through win-win scenarios, or just even-trade scenarios. But gaining money through the lottery is necessitated by others losing money. That's not a game I want to play.

Furthermore, the excuse of "just think how much I could give to the church" does not impress me - that's almost always a self-delusion to excuse greed.

I'm not saying that there isn't a way to play the lottery in an acceptable manner. But I know that I can't play the lottery in an acceptable manner. So I don't play at all.

Three Step Bible Study

This is not the "one ring to rule them all." There are plenty of great ways to study the Bible (and even more really bad ways), so I'm not about to present the one best way that all must follow or be relegated to coach class in heaven. It is one good way. A lot of folks struggle to have a regular Bible study time because they don't have a particular approach they use, so I offer this way as one of many to help us get into a regular habit. When we see success happen, then we no longer have to find motivation - it's already there!

If you've studied Bible study methods, you'll recognize many elements below, perhaps even using different labels and terms.

This approach is simple enough - just three steps. But the order is important. Your rate of success will be orders of magnitude better if you exercise just enough discipline to work on these steps in order. (If a thought jumps at you that is out of order, quickly note it and then come back to the step you were on. You'll come back to that point soon enough and be able to develop it.)

I recommend having your Bible, a notebook, and a pen (or computer) so that you keep all of your notes together. And I do recommend writing (or typing) - there's something about the physical act that helps you ponder your thoughts more thoroughly.

The three steps are Understand, Interpret, and Cultivate. Pick a passage, large or small, read it at least three times, and then begin taking notes.

1. Understand. In this step, you are concerned only with what the text says, not what it means. You're not yet concerned about how it affects you or what to do about it. The only task here is to get a grasp of what the text claims. What do the key words mean? What happened? Who did what? Can I summarize what the passage says in one sentence? What are the main ideas or events? How did people respond? You can't ask all of these questions for every passage, but these are the types of questions to ask. You know you've done a pretty good job if you can succinctly state what the author intended to say (and the author intended to say one thing!).
2. Interpret. Now we talk about meaning (but not how it applies to our lives, yet). For example, what the author said could be "God's right arm" - that's the Understand section. That's what the author said. Now for Interpret, what does this mean? Does it refer to a literal arm? In this case, no - it refers to God's power (which brings victory). Is the author being literal or figurative? Is he being sarcastic? What is the main point? Is he telling us what did happen or is he giving us an example to follow? The parable was about three guys who got some money from their boss and did different stuff with it (Understand), but what is the parable teaching us (Interpret)? You know you've interpreted well when you can succinctly state what the author meant by what he said (and the author meant one thing!).
3. Cultivate. Finally, we talk about how this text affects our lives. How is this text intended to cultivate us into a stronger followers of Jesus? We often talk about application - how the text applies to our lives, but we want to go further than application. How do I learn to obey what this passage says? What does God want me to do or say or think? How does my following Jesus deepen in response to this passage? How can I cultivate this truth into someone else's life? How is this passage like nourishment for growth? You know you've cultivated well when your life actually changes to be more like what the text teaches. I would venture that we don't truly understand a passage until our lives reflect it.

Note that the author's context must be considered to Interpret, and our context must be considered to Cultivate. We should not, for example, take an Old Testament passage about the covenant with Israel and just assume we're supposed to do the exact same thing - like sacrifice a goat!

When I study a passage for my own devotional life, I use this pattern in my notes, whether the passage is large or small. I often try to study a paragraph or a distinct unit, such as a full parable, instead of just a couple of verses or an really long section. It's perfectly OK just to list questions without answers, by the way!

My notes often look something like this brief example:

Passage: John 3:16 (NET)

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Understand

• Who is speaking? Is this a continuation of Jesus' dialog from vv. 10-15, or is this now John giving us his understanding as the author?
• "this is the way" - Some translations have "For God so loved...", but that sounds like quantity, not manner. This phrase is referring to the manner in which God loves us.
• "world" - Who is the "world"? Every person? The rebellious "world" that we're not supposed to love (1 John 2:15)?
• "perish" - What kind of perishing is included here?
• ... and so on ...

Interpret

• Note that God expresses His great love by an act of giving, and that this giving is complete. He did not withhold anything in this gift - He gave us Christ completely, as evidenced by His death on the cross.
• He gave us His Son for a specific outcome - belief that results in eternal life.
• Is this believing a pure act of will or is it the inevitable action for the elect (how Calvinistic is this passage)?
• When does this eternal life begin?
• ... and so on ...

Cultivate

• How can I love as God loves? How can I love by giving Christ to others as the Father gave us Christ?
• How can I demonstrate that love this week?!? (It's best to actually list something specific here!)
• Who do I know that will perish because they do not believe? Who of these people will I see today? This week?
• ... and so on ...

Devotional books and study guides are often very helpful, but I much prefer that we interact with the text directly on a regular basis. (It can be helpful to refer to these other materials after interacting with the text on your own.) A simple tool such as this one can be used by beginners as well as lifelong students.

Smells Like Victory

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place. -- 2 Corinthians 2:14

This sounds great! First, we are led in a triumphal procession. We're in a victory parade, and Jesus is the Grand Marshall. So, that's pretty cool. But wait ... there's more! Second, we are the means by which Christ offers the wonderful "aroma" of knowing Him. That's pretty cool, too! We march in a victory parade, and our knowledge of Christ produces a great aroma for others.

But wait ... there's still more!

The imagery that Paul is painting here in 2 Corinthians 2 is that of the parade that celebrated a great military victory. The warrior who led the victory is the center of attention, and the parade is in his honor. The entire city knows his name and his deeds, and everyone turns out to shower him with praise. Jesus is clearly who Paul casts as this victorious warrior, with all the praise given to Him for His victory over sin and death, and over the enemy. So far, so good.

This passage says that Christ always leads us in triumphal procession. This is where we need to understand triumphal processions. Who was led in triumphal processions? Not fellow warriors. Not those who reported to the victorious general. In these ancient parades, the ones who were led in the parade by the victor were the vanquished captives. Those from the opposing army who were captured in battle were paraded around as part of the spoils of battle. They were, in essence, the POWs displayed as trophies to the honor of the general.

So we, in Jesus' victory parade, are vanquished captives, POWs. We were once on the other side of the battle, living for self, and therefore participating in the rebellion against God. But when someone comes to faith in Christ, he is "captured," becoming the spoils to the honor of the conquering warrior, in a victory parade to His praise.

We are not honoring Him because we are fellow warriors, but because we have surrendered to Him in battle. It is our complete surrender, not our heroic accomplishments, that bring the greatest honor to the conquering King. And knowing Him is the incense that always accompanied the victory parades.

You Can't Fake Thanksgiving

Fourth Thursday of November ... time to be thankful for a while. Maybe an extra long prayer to say thanks while the mashed potatoes are getting cold. And certainly thankful when kickoff finally happens.

Does anyone else feel a little awkward trying to "turn on" an attitude of thanksgiving because of the calendar? To their credit, many folks have taken to "no whining" November, posting things online they are thankful for every day of the month. That, or not shaving. November is funny that way. But still, I have a little personal problem with "it's now time to be thankful."

The guilt trip ready to happen is, "Well, you should be thankful every day." True enough, but that still doesn't stir feelings of thanksgiving deep in my bones. Now I'm thankless and guilty.

Or, "count your many blessings." That's OK, too, and can help us focus more on blessing than on things - health, family, love, safety, purpose, and so on. But if I do this too often, I begin to think that it's all about me. Worse, that if my blessings are less than I think they should be, or heaven forbid, less than my neighbor's, then thankfulness is precisely what does not occur.

By no means am I transforming into Thanksgiving's version of Ebenezer Scrooge. I'm not sour to the holiday, and I do enjoy turning responsibilities aside and spending time with friends and family - especially family members who are particularly good at making pie.

But what about this attitude of thanksgiving thing? It's important enough that Scripture twice gives us the imperative "be thankful":

Col 3:15 And the peace of Christ must rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.  

Heb 12:27 Now the phrase “yet once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. 

Followers of Christ are commanded to be thankful! But if following Christ is so awesome, do we really need to told to be thankful? Shouldn't we just be so overwhelmed with God's goodness that we're just thankful all the time?

In fact, we do need to be told to be thankful ... because the gravity of fallen humanity draws us away from that attitude. Being thankful is an uphill climb, not because we don't have anything to be thankful for, but because of the tendency of the flesh to wallow in self-absorbed complaining about what we covet but don't have.

How do I obey this command to be thankful, then? It won't happen by weighing the good stuff against the bad stuff. We won't be consistently thankful if we focus on ourselves and what we have.

An attitude of thanksgiving comes from knowing the goodness of God, and that He shares His goodness with us. Not just in material things, but also in His attributes. He is a loving God, and we get to participate in this good thing called "love." He is a relational God, and we get to be in relationship with Him through Christ. He is a forgiving God, and we get to give and receive forgiveness with one another. He is a just God, and we get to participate in bringing justice in this world. And so on. We have a share in the goodness of God, and that actually does keep me thankful.

Be thankful. Not just because you have stuff that poor people in Madeupistan don't have, but because God is perfectly good and allows, even invites, us to share in His good attributes. It would truly be a thankless world if we were not allowed to do so.

The Facebook Gospel

We have the "Good News" (which is what the word "Gospel" literally means). We believe that it is Good News not only for some, but for all. We believe that it is the only Good News. We believe that the only way to a relationship with God is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself all the justice that our sin requires, and that all who believe in Him for this will have their sin forgiven, will be given new life starting now, and that this new life will endure into eternity in the presence of God.

We believe that this Good News is so Good that others should know about it. We believe that Jesus instructs His followers to share this Good News around the world. But we seem to be having a tougher and tougher time connecting with those who don't believe the Good News is really Good News. We aren't always sure how to find a way to have an authentic, engaging conversation on things that matter. We don't get them, and they don't get us ... and then we start saying words like "them" and "us."

Now add in the noise of social media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, SnapChat, etc.). Now our relationships are spread a mile wide and an inch deep. We have hundreds of friends, but we have no friends. We talk more and say less. When we get too snarky, we get unfriended - clean, cold, and final.

Maybe our solution is found within the problem.

Think about what people say via social media. They are normally commenting on things that matter to them! Things they care about. It doesn't matter if we agree with what they say! What they are telling us, in essence, is what "Good News" would look like to them. This is perhaps the most important truth about all of social media - people are telling us every day what the "Good News" would be to them.

If someone is posting (or tweeting) about something that makes them happy, then it's pretty clear what they consider to be "Good News." If they are whining about something, then it's usually not too hard to reverse engineer to find what they would consider to be "Good News." If they are just telling the world that they just brushed their teeth, then it may be hard to discern, but somewhere in this, there's a reason why they posted that - they want something, and they expect that something to bring them a little happiness. Good News.

Please don't misunderstand - the true Good News is not whatever we think might bring us happiness. It is not defined by what we consider or don't consider it to be. God defines the Good News, and it is the Good News whether we regard it or not. We can't redefine it. But daily through social media, people are giving us clue after clue after clue of what they would consider to be Good News.

And that gives us a connection point into the core of who that person is.

We can use social media to help solve the problem, rather than blame it as being part of the problem. When one of your thousand closest friends posts something, consider doing the following:

• Pray. People are telling us what they think the Good News would be for them. Pray for the person to find what they are seeking in the authentic Good News. Pray to discern well the core, God-given need that they are trying to satisfy through other means. Pray for their souls to be restless until they find their rest in God (to borrow from Augustine).
• Listen. You've been given a way to find out about someone. Ask questions. Explore. And listen - really listen. Don't judge, don't argue, don't disapprove. Just love. There will be a time for truth, but now is the time for grace. The only way to be a genuine listener is to genuinely listen (a brilliant tautology, if I say so myself).
• Identify. If you could somehow peel away the layers of what this person is talking about, more than likely you'll even find that you and he want the same thing. Peace, joy, security, love, relationship, a sense of belonging, being attached to something bigger than yourself, something. You probably have a lot in common when you get past the externals, and it's stuff that matters.
• Speak. When they know you really hear them and really care about them unconditionally, then they may be willing to listen to you, especially about this core issue. You already know they care about the core issue - it's something you agree on, and the other person obviously finds the issue to be meaningful. He told us it was of some importance when he posted about it amid the noise of social media.
• Love. First, middle, last, and more than anything else.