Disciples & Servants.8

"If you know these things, happy are you when you do them. Continue in the light of my word. Only then are you truly my disciples."

-Jesus

"It is the one terrible heresy of the church, that it has always been presenting something else than obedience as faith in Christ."--George MacDonald

Buried Treasures, by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, describes the beauty and power of the Hebrew language for shaping all of human life. In its enduring structure and ordered nuance lie secrets to the very heart of God.

As an example, unlike palindromes in most languages, i.e., words or sentences that mean the same thing forward or backwards, often Hebrew words spelled backwards have opposite, or curiously connected meanings, a connection that amplifies the lessons of the text.
A lesson that stood out to me was the word for dream: CHaLoM. Spelled backward, MeLaCH, it means "salt". Salt, as a mineral, is one of the four basic elements of life and when used to describe the character of a follower of Jesus means one who is grounded and effectual. By contrast, dreams, like words, can only impact life when they are brought out of the ethereal or theoretical, and acted upon.

In much the same way the Words of Jesus must be taken out of theoretical discussions in "bible studies" and acted upon with vigor and alacrity for them to have the effectual impact on our lives and the lives of those we are strategically appointed to impact.

a·lac·ri·ty  [uh-lak-ri-tee] (noun)

cheerful readiness, 

promptness, or willingness; 

liveliness; briskness

Lapin points out that an ancient tradition "reports a very curious fact related to dreams. It observes that if, upon rising in the morning, a person cannot remember his dreams, he should be considered wicked. Hitting the snooze button or lolling around in bed dulls the ability to latch onto those fading dreams given in sleep. One effect of not getting up with alacrity is that we cannot remember our dreams."

Jesus' commands-when not acted upon with promptness, willingness, liveliness and briskness-will quickly fade into futile uncertainty and unprofitable resistance to his leading. But when we "rise like a lion" with gusto and passion, dedicating our lives daily to his Will, we will feel His pleasure!

Here's to the end of snoozing; to the end of dull discipleship. Here's to alacrity and joyful obedience to the Lord of Life, Light and Love!

On a Fruitful Life.2

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its power to purify, flavour and preserve, how can it be made salt again? It is worthless, except to be discarded and trampled under foot." -- Jesus

For those who have vigorously tried to get references to God removed from our public emblems, pledges and currency, your passion has paid off.  Except that while we were distracted with the frontal assaults a more insidious strategy was occurring with greater effectiveness in turning our nation's eyes away from its Source of strength and honor.  "Let's give them stuff" has been a brilliant gameplan for diverting people away from their true Protector, Provider, Director and Disciplinarian.

Jesus Christ admonished the religious and political leaders of his day when he said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign."  We are an evil and adulterous generation who seeks after security in the institutions of men.  Having become so blinded in our craving for stuff we accept the insanity of hopelessly incompetent (perhaps nefarious) men & women driving our country off a cliff into the sand heap of nation's before us who failed to heed the warning signs of ruin and decay!

What is the answer?  Vote out the old, vote in the new?  Though that is the time-tested democratic way provided for in the U.S. Constitution, the problem is that we will continue to put old wine (corrupted motives)  into new wineskins (hope for change).  Our momentary confidence in a victorious voting cycle will burst out once again in disappointment, or worse, the continuing dissolution of this great union.

The True Answer is REPENTANCE.  Although the concept has all but been lost in tossing out references to God, it is still not difficult to grasp: it is a turning away from wrong-doing.  Not difficult to understand, but very difficult to do when we've become insulated from the need for God in our everyday affairs and more dependent on what government can provide.  Repentance recognizes that the way we are traveling is heading toward an inglorious end and compels our will to turn around and find the right way!

If we truly Trust In God (as our currency still reminds us) then let us put that faith to the test by turning away from all that is immoral and ignorant for only a moral and educated people can rule themselves!

It is immoral to love things and use people.

It is ignorant to think we will not reap what we sow.

It is immoral to envy and covet other's possessions.

It is ignorant to think prosperity comes from coercive government taking property from one person and giving it to another.

It is immoral to have sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse.

It is ignorant to think that bad behavior results in good consequences.

It is immoral for any government to institute policies that tear down the foundation of family.

It is ignorant to not know that the core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family.

It is immoral to lie.

It is ignorant to live a lie.

It is immoral to not reward productive work.

It is ignorant to think people are motivated by anything but great reward for great effort.

It is immoral to not punish unrepentant bad behavior (justice).

It is ignorant to dismiss words of wisdom.

It is immoral to not forgive repentant good behavior (merciful).

It is ignorant to not understand that neither justice nor mercy exist without the other.

It is immoral to be slothful, irresponsible, and refuse to work for your own needs.

It is ignorant to believe your life will improve at the hand of "well-intentioned benefactors" doling out free stuff.

It is immoral to not be personally responsible for your own behavior.

It is ignorant to believe you cannot improve yourself.

It is immoral to turn our hearts and hands away from the truly needy.

It is ignorant to think someone else will help, or the government will fix it.

It is immoral to worship the idols of success and status.

It is ignorant to think we won't become like the things we worship.

It is immoral to not actively hold your leaders accountable.

It is ignorant to believe they are not tempted to use whatever means--moral or immoral--to stay in power.

When we turn and begin to quarrel with the immoral and ignorant in our own house, the God in whom we trust will be ready to send all the resources necessary to restore us!  After all, he who did not spare his own son, how will he not freely give us all things for life and godliness that we might continue on the road of our "manifest destiny": to be salt and light to the entire human race!

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