Pleasing in His Sight

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (5:6-10)

Paul is concluding this part of his defense of his ministry in these verses. The first thing we notice here is that in this, his final conclusion, he has dropped all of the metaphors, moving his descriptions to a clearer dichotomy: Either at home in the body or at home with the Lord.

While we live on this earth at home in our bodies, we live by faith, for we are not seeing our Lord directly and instead we have his Spirit within us as a deposit, a guarantee of what is coming. As we go through this life, we will desire to live in a manner that is pleasing in His sight, and thus we will want to ask His Spirit within us to guide us in all that we do; this is the natural and normal response of any reasonable follower of Christ.

We know that when our Lord returns, He will return to judge all humanity for what we have done, whether good or bad, so of course, we want to do only good. Clearly, Paul is winding up his subsection by implying that the very thing he has been attacked for doing in the church in Corinth, is what is good in God’s sight; preaching faithfully the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yet if we really think about it, these verses might beg a question: If we fall short, is Paul saying we are doomed?

To be quite honest with you, the answer to such a question depends entirely on how you approach the text. If you only read verse 10, you might get the idea that one little slip-up means you’re toast. The only problem is that verse 10 does not stand all alone, it is found in a larger context, and in that context, it is quite clear that Paul is telling us no such thing. We, along with Paul, would always want to do our best to be pleasing to God in the way we live, but remember that Jesus changed the paradigm on the cross. In fact, sharing that fantastic news is something that is always pleasing in God’s sight, and Paul’s whole point here is that in preaching Christ, while some people may not appreciate it very much, it is the one thing God always appreciates.

With that, Paul moves into the next subsection which is all about preaching the gospel of Christ.

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Prayer 2

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

Some Guidance from Jesus

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:9-15

Before we get too far into this discussion, it’s important for us to bear in mind that these verses are found in a part of the Sermon on the Mount in which context is set in Matthew 6:1:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Keeping the context of 6:1 in mind, take a look at this prayer, what do you see?

Do you see “look at me”? Do you see “gimme the goodies”?

Hardly.

What we can see here is humility, putting God’s purpose first and foremost, necessities forgiveness, and overcoming the evil one; it is elegant in its simplicity.

We are addressing the Father in heaven, acknowledging His glory and giving Him honor, and then asking for His kingdom to come in its fullness, where His will be the only will that is done on earth, just like in heaven. Notice that this doesn’t leave all that much room for my own will to be done, in fact, my will and your will are not mentioned at all.

There is a request that God would provide for us, a humble request to be sure, and then a request for God’s forgiveness as we forgive others; a scary thought for many, I might add. Finally, we are to ask God not to lead us into temptation, but to deliver us from the evil one, again a request of supreme humility. When you put this all together, Jesus is teaching us to pray in a manner that is entirely foreign to the religious life of His time, and a lot more foreign in our own time than we might like to think about, with only God’s will being mentioned.

After this, Jesus goes on to expand a little bit on the whole subject of forgiveness making a conditional statement in verse 15, which must have blown the minds of the Pharisees and their gang of friends. Truly, this is radical now as it was back then.

Was it Jesus’ intention that we simply recite these words over and over? I really doubt it; I see this as a model for prayer, the elements to be included in prayer, rather than something to be memorized and recited to the absence of anything else, particularly when we lose what He is actually saying here. Of course, I would never say that there is anything wrong with reciting these verses, or any verses.

Here’s some homework: Reflect and pray on these verses, asking Him to reveal them in their fullness to you. I think you’ll find this to be a fascinating exercise in spiritual practice. Next time, we’ll see what Jesus says about fasting.

In our next installment, I’d like to share a very classic method for prayer, one that has changed the lives of thousands over the centuries… see you then!

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Moving on to a Better Future

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

These verses serve a twofold purpose. First, they amplify the point Paul has been making in this chapter, and second, they transition into his next subsection in his larger discussion defending his apostolic ministry. The new subsection will deal with preaching the ministry of reconciliation, as we will shortly see.

To accomplish this expansion and transition, Paul will use two metaphors, the first of which is seen in 5:1…

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

The “earthly tent we live in” represents our mortal bodies, this earthly existence. Paul uses a building “not made by human hands” to represent our eternal future in Christ. Thus, if and when our tent is destroyed, after all, a tent is a temporary shelter, we will have a really cool house to live in. Of course, who would want to live in a tent when there’s a cool house waiting for them?

After this, he mixes metaphors:

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (5:2-4)

I suppose we could read these verses and identify the exact number of writing and communication rules Paul has broken here in the way he introduces and mixes his metaphors, but in the final analysis, I think he made it work. The tent and house of verse 1 have become articles of clothing, and now our contrast is between being clothed and being naked. While that would normally be confusing and would make his meaning unclear, it seems to be clear enough that when we die, when that tent is destroyed, we will not be left with nothing i.e. naked. Instead, we will be “clothed” with that new house not built by human hands, by the fact that we have inherited eternal life in Christ.

I should also point out that in these verses, Paul has shifted the meaning of “we”, for in the last two chapters, “we” meant Paul, as opposed to “you” Corinthians. Now, “we” means Paul and his readers. This reminds me of the time I was at a luncheon and sitting next to an English Professor. I asked her where she thought the line was between questionable grammar and style. Her response was, “Honey, you’ve written for three presidents; when you do it it’s style, when my freshmen do it it’s bad grammar.” Having completely understood her meaning, I’m happy to point out Paul’s unique writing style.

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (5:5)

Whatever we might say about Paul’s writing style, this is a wonderful verse. God has created us to have an intimate relationship with Him for all eternity. Honestly, this all by itself is wonderful, incredible and heartening. Yet the next part is simply amazing, for by giving us His Spirit in this life, God has given us a foretaste of what is still to come and a guarantee that He is serious about our eternal future. Sit back and think about that… We have God present within us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yes of course, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the day-to-day, our problems or challenges; maybe we have health issues or pain or… whatever it may be . We may groan a bit, we may long for our eternal destiny, but even then, God is with us and we can turn right into His loving presence if only we would remember to do so.

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Photo of the Week: May 2, 2018

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Don Merritt

Lynchbirg, Virginia

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Prayer 1

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Don Merritt

Like spiritual practices, prayer is a very big topic about which thousands of volumes have been written. Yet, not only is prayer a very large subject, it is also a controversial one in many places, for when it comes to the subject of prayer, we often forget one slippery little detail…

There is no “one size fits all” answer to questions about prayer.

Now, before you feel the need to call me a heretic, consider this fundamental presupposition that you will need to address: God is willing to meet us where ever we are.

That statement doesn’t just refer to geography, it goes much deeper that that. Each of us has a different personality, different expectation, hot buttons, ways of understanding and comprehending things. We have different life experiences, different fears, different cultural backgrounds and theological backgrounds… and God knows each and every one of us better than we know ourselves. He created each and every one of us after all, including our personalities, hot buttons, emotions and so forth. He wants an intimate relationship with each one of us, and thus why wouldn’t He know us so intimately; He is all-knowing isn’t He?

Since prayer is all about knowing God, relating to God and communicating with God, doesn’t it stand to reason that each of us would relate to Him slightly differently?

When you stop and think about it, isn’t that why there are many classical spiritual practices and not just one?

I have a dear friend, an absolutely wonderful brother in Christ who almost always begins a prayer by saying something like this: “Our most gracious and merciful Heavenly Father…”. I, on the other hand, just say “Lord…” or “Father…”. Which one of us is right and which one is wrong? In general, my friend is a tad more formal than I am; he is also 10 years older. If you think about it, he came of age when formality in social settings was still more or less the norm, while I came of age right around the time informality was coming into vogue; could that have something to do with it? It’s possible.

When I was a little kid, my parents attended the Episcopal church, and looking back, it was a “high” church, rich in tradition, ritual and ceremony. Each week the same prayers were read from the Book of Common Prayer of 1840; there was no deviation. For me at least, and remember, I was a little kid, God was entirely unapproachable, and a really scary dude, always anxious to smite somebody, little boys most of all! “Better mind your P’s and Q’s young man!”

When I came to discover that God was not only approachable, but that He desired a relationship with us, everything changed for me; terror changed to love, and I was eager to approach the throne of grace.

My friend came from a different church background than I came from;

maybe that’s where my friend and I grew to have different approaches; still, neither is “wrong”.

This then, is the first lesson about the spiritual practice of prayer: It is perfectly fine if you approach the subject a little differently than I do, as long as we both approach the subject honestly. With that said, in our next installment, let’s look at the model Jesus gave us for prayer, for it is full of insight.

See you then!

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Daunting, Hopeful… Empowering

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Don Merritt

 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

You will recall that we are in a unit that began in 2:14 and which continues through 7:4 in which Paul is defending his apostolic ministry, and in a subsection that began at 4:1 and  continues through 5:10 dealing with his perseverance through his own shortcomings. Of course, all of this derives from the opposition to Paul’s ministry that cropped up in Corinth at some point after his first letter. We now enter the final phase of this subsection, with Paul’s conclusions drawn from the previous verses, and amplified in 5:1-10.

Naturally, we know for certain that we have arrived at his conclusion because of the word “therefore” in 4:16. In these three verses he ties his previous comments together into a conclusion that essentially says that the glory to come outweighs any hardship in this life.

Yes, Paul has his problems. Yes, he is sometimes persecuted, he has known his share of danger, and he has made some mistakes along the way. People accuse him unfairly, he is sometimes insulted, humiliated or cursed, but he continues to be faithful to his calling because he knows that in spite of any affliction in this life, which is itself temporary, his future in Christ is beyond bright, and God provides him with everything he needs inwardly to stay the course in this life.

I must confess to you that I am not an apostle and I’m sure you aren’t either. Yet we all have a calling from the Lord Jesus Christ to build His Kingdom, to share the gospel and to help others along the way. All of us know that we have the same Spirit within us that Paul had within him and thus, what Paul has declared in these three verses applies just as much to each one of us as it did to Paul. We also know that the strength God provided Paul was more than enough to keep him going until his last day on earth, and consequently, we also know that God will do the same for us if we are determined to remain faithful.

So, the only question left for us is whether or not we will determine to remain faithful to our callings.

I don’t know about anyone else, but as I think about that, at first it seems a little daunting to me because I’m never terribly comfortable having to depend on someone else, even God. Yet, I also know that in every case that I have placed my trust in Him, He hasn’t let me down. When I come to this point, I begin to realize that these are three of the most empowering and liberating verses in all of Scripture: How about you?

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A New Topical Adventure

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Don Merritt

Having completed our survey of forgiveness, it’s time to move on in a different, yet similar direction, this time to a survey of spiritual disciplines or practices. If you actually undertake to study this subject, you will find that it can be quite involved, for spiritual disciplines have been practiced for thousands of years by Jews, and from the very beginning of the Church. You will also discover that in certain historical periods spiritual practices existed that we today would likely consider barbaric and crazy, particularly in the Middle Ages.

In more recent times, a number of the older practices have been dropped by most Christian brotherhoods, things from earlier times such as self-flagellation for instance aren’t practiced in the Christian mainstream today.

Yet, many practices remain.

Depending on who you ask, there may be 14 or 15, or 25-30. Scholars place these in various categories such as Inward Disciplines and Out ward Disciplines, or as Disciplines of Abstinence and Disciplines of Engagement. For our purposes however, I’m going to let others worry about what to call them, how to place each one into a chart and to argue over what should and what should not be counted. Instead, I thought I’d pick an even dozen of the best-known classics such as prayer, meditation, silence, solitude, fasting and… well you get the idea. After that, I thought I’d cover another category of Spiritual Practices that are usually not included in the Classical lists which I would call “Expressive” Spiritual Practices that I think you are likely to find of interest, before we complete our adventure.

With that in mind, we’ll get started with prayer tomorrow, right here: See you then!

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It’s All Worth the Effort

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Don Merritt

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Paul is continuing in his defense of his apostolic ministry as we continue in this section. He has been using the metaphor of light and darkness to discuss the presence of God… or the lack of it in the preceding verses, and here he shifts the metaphor slightly, moving from light and dark to jars of clay that contain God’s power. Thus, we humans are the jars of clay, and the power we contain is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

He enters two verses of cadence in which he links difficulties and perseverance to show that in spite of the criticism, trials hardship he has faced, he continues faithfully in his mission as the apostle to the gentiles.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (4:10-12)

At the end of his cadence, he shifts the metaphor again, now with Christ’s death and Christ’s life both being present in his body. This neat little allusion tells us that Christ’s mortality, by which His blood was shed for us, is within him; was within Paul, who faces persecution and possible death frequently for his testimony about Jesus. Yet that is combined with the presence of Christ’s indestructible life as well, and so, Paul perseveres in his ministry in spite of all difficulties, for the benefit of those to whom he ministers; in this case, the Corinthians themselves. As a result of Paul’s faithful pursuit of His God-given ministry objectives, the Corinthian believers have received God’s grace, and the gift of eternal life through Christ.

Of course, by extension, so have we.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (4:13-15)

He finishes his thought in this paragraph, in which he extends his thinking to its ultimate conclusion: Since the life of Christ is within him, Paul is certain that in the end, though his physical life may be lost, he will rise again just as Jesus did. He will be presented to God along with those countless ones who have receive God’s grace because of his efforts.

All of his problems in this life will have been worth enduring.

Shifting his emphasis in the last verse, he points out that as this process continues, it should be a great source of thanksgiving to the Corinthians. With that, Paul has prepared us for his conclusion…

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TLP Living: 4/30/18

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Don Merritt

War Games and Lessons Learned

Good Morning from the Heartland.

Last night I won the Battle of Chickamauga for the North.

That isn’t what happened in real life, however.

A few weeks ago, I got a computer game, Ultimate General Civil War. It is the first computer game I’ve played in years, and the best I’ve ever seen. I like it because it’s a historical game with a great deal of historical accuracy… but of course, it’s a game. I’ve said many times here that I am a history nerd. I started reading everything I could find about history when I was in second grade. Yep, that’s right, second grade. I’ve been studying the American Civil War since I was 10. In spite of the number of times I was chased out of the adult section of the Public Library by the librarians, I had read every single volume they had on the Civil War by the time I was turning 11, and I have continued ever since.

I could easily do a blogsite on the subject, and honestly, I have considered that.

I decided to try this game because I wanted to see if I could correct the mistakes that were made in that war that caused it to last so long and kill so many. Of course, that has given me a huge advantage in the game; I almost feel like I’m cheating, particularly when I remember that as a Union general, I’ve run the table on the South. If the game would allow such things, I would have won the war in less than a year, but it is historic to a fault and you have to fight every battle, and then a hypothetical at the end to capture the enemy’s capital city, Washington or Richmond.

Chickamauga is a good example. In real life, Union General Rosecrans did a good job in the battle, but there was terrible confusion. The field was very large, the woods extremely dense and the visibility was extremely poor. At one point, he received an erroneous dispatch telling him of a big hole in the Union line, so he sent a number of brigades to fill it. Yet the only hole in the line was the one caused by Rosecrans’ shifting of brigades, and that was precisely where Confederate General Longstreet attacked him. The result was a disaster for the Union, and they were only saved by a legendary stand made by General Thomas’ troops. The Union lost over 16,000 men, and for what?

A mistake.

Knowing this, I lost 11,000 men, and killed over 38,000 out of 42,000 on the Southern side, which would have effectively ended the war in the West. Instead, the real war dragged on for more than a year.

Now this is just a silly game, but I really enjoy the strategy of building and equipping an army, managing the money and logistics, not to mention the politics and the tactics that I’ve read about for 50 years. Yet the whole thing really makes you think about the utter futility of this world.

Why did we allow our Nation to be ripped apart? How could anyone, particularly Christians ever countenance slavery? How was it possible that someone didn’t come forth as a voice of reason? How could sectional rivalry, money, power and political gain get so out of control, that we ended up with the bloodiest war in our history? Were the people of that time stupid or something?

No, they weren’t. They were just like we are today.

That’s where it hit me…HARD.

They are us, we are them. We are engaged in the same kinds of behaviors they were, the ones that led to war.

Spend a few days watching cable news. Watch it from the time you get up to the time you go to bed… several days. Immerse yourself in it.

Then pick up a good book on the causes of the Civil War. Read what the politicians and the newspapers were saying; hear the volume of the rhetoric and see the stubborn way each side held on to its position. Notice the vitriol, notice the petty rivalries, and the complete lack of statesmanship.

Then it will hit you too. What are we- stupid?

You might even want to undertake an honest study of the Book of Revelation, and if you do, you will discover that we aren’t stupid, we are just acting like people do, when they leave God’s path, and that this cycle will never end until Jesus returns.

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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TLP Inspiration: 4/30/18

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Don Merritt

Light of the World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

John used light and darkness in his Gospel to refer to God’s presence or absence in the world. Throughout Jesus’ ministry He said that His disciples were in the light and warned that darkness would soon arrive. Here once again Jesus equates His presence with light only now He is speaking in much broader terms for both the people who heard His voice literally, and those who would follow Him later on.

As His followers, we are always in His light, for we are in His presence.

Yes, that statement can be slightly intimidating, for He is with us always; we have no secrets. Yet if you think about it, that statement is not only reassuring, it is awesome to behold, for even when we misbehave, He is with us to guide us back to the pathway of life.

Oh, what a glorious God we have!

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