From Favoritism to Flourishing- Part 8 of 9: Abide: John 15:5

A lot of this series so far has focused on relying on God instead of self and that ideal is lived out by emptying oneself of worldly value that comes with Favoritism. However, we empty ourselves of everything that has no value because there is something infinitely better to replace it with: God's power. This power is what takes us to the Flourishing life we are all looking for. We see this played out in John 15:5:

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

          Just as vines get their nourishment and life from the vine, so do we get our life and nourishment from God. We will only be able to see non-Christians converted, young Christians discipled, people served and ministered to, and entire neighborhoods and cities changed because people relied on God's power alone for their strength. If we try to put God in a corner and live any part of our life without Him, we will not be able to achieve anything of value in that area of our life. Being weak lets us see that we will never be able to succeed on our own and unlocks God's power. This is much of the reason for 2 Corinthians 12:9:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

           However, in order to truly receive this power, we need to abide in God. What does this mean? It means that we need to spend time with God and with spiritual disciplines so that we can develop our relationship with Him.  To reach this level of maturity, one important part is to read the Bible. Look at John 17:17:

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

           Sanctify means to become more like Christ in all parts of our life and spending time with the Word is essential for that end. Also, scripture memory is great. Look as Psalm 119:9-11:

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?     By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart;     do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart     that I might not sin against you.

          Three other spiritual disciplines that are very important are found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

           These disciplines help us in many ways and start us on the path to Flourishing. However, you can't reach this step without first realizing that being spiritual, removing sin, or bearing good fruit can never make you more valuable. Also, we know that we can't pursue a life with Christ without letting it touch everything in our life, including how we look at and treat the people around us. If we can't figure out why the weak and foolish among us have the same value as us, we will not see where our own value comes from. The Christian walk is one long detox: we'll be spending the rest of our lives removing from our hearts and minds what is valuable to the world and replacing it with what God says is valuable. The effects of this lifestyle are seen in Romans 8:5-8:

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

and Galatians 5:16-26:

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

  Lastly, my favorite verse about abiding is Psalm 37:4:

  
4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

       As this life of abiding in God is practiced over time, it brings us to a Flourishing life. This upcoming last entry will talk some on the power of what this abiding, flourishing life is like and the kind of power that it holds for us as well.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow

From Favoritism to Flourishing- Part 7 of 9: Grace Abounds: 2 Corinthians 9:8

         In these last three parts, I will show how the new standard and weakness we have developed over the first six parts of this series have laid the groundwork for a flourishing life that was impossible under the rule of Favoritism. You may remember from earlier in this series that we look at ourselves as having value because of God's love for us and that we have no merit on our own. While this perspective helps us escape a negative life of Favoritism, it can also help us reach a positive life of Flourishing. This is because we start to recognize that we can do nothing on our own to force an awesome life to happen and make a difference in the world. Both of these things are gifts from God. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 9:8:

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

         Here is the first of the three steps necessary to find the flourishing life that God wants each of us to have: a humble admission that we have nothing to bring to the table and that God provides it all. A favorite verse of mine is 1 Corinthians 4:7:

7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

         From this verse and the 2 Corinthians 9:8 passage, we can see that we can relax when we do any kind of ministry because we know that ultimate success will only come from the hands of God. We will never be able to change people's lives or make an impact in the world unless God lets it come to pass. Another relevant verse to this theme is James 4:13-15:

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 

          In order to really, truly enjoy life, we need to learn to let go of what we once held as valuable, listen to what God tells us is valuable, and entirely depend on God for the pursuit of those valuable things. We will never have success if we try to pursue what is valuable in our own strength. Look again at 2 Corinthians 9:8:

 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

           We need to know that, as we pursue what is good, we will often fail and God's grace will be there to carry us on when we do fail. Also, we need to stop being anxious about doing the right things to "earn" God's favor. Here, we see that God will provide for us every thing we need at every time we need it and that, through God's grace, we will abound in every good work. Good works happen in our lives only because God has supplied all the material and grace necessary to get the job done.
            This emptying of oneself is only possible when we have let go of our old, worldly identity and reached a place of weakness. More verses that solidify this point are 2 Corinthians 12:9:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 1 Corinthians 2:2-5:

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

and Mark 4:26-29:

 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

           It is a life long process, but as we empty ourselves during these first seven steps of escaping Favoritism, we prepare a vacuum that will suck in God's love and power and use it to change the world and bring glory to God. The next entry in this series will discuss how to open the floodgate to let that power and love rush in.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow

From Favoritism to Flourishing- Part 6 of 9: Bearing Burdens: Galatians 6:1-5

In our series from Favoritism to Flourishing, we are wrapping up the section on weakness with a talk on how and when to carry each other's burdens and when to not carry those burdens. It is important for us as Christians to keep an eye on and care for each other, but there is also a place where we need to recognize that each person has to be responsible for themselves. To shed more light on this topic, let's look at Galatians 6:1-5 today:

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

         This section is split between verses 1-2 and 3-5. The first part tells us about carrying each other's burdens. Let's isolate this first part:

 1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

          Here, we see that we need to be holding each other accountable in our sin struggles. Having an accountability partner is important in our lives as Christians. Look at Ephesians 5:11-13:

11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 

          The Bible is telling us that we need to expose our sins to other people. I can tell you from much personal experience and the experiences of my friends that sin loses most of its power to control our lives when we expose them to some close friends. They not only hold you to a higher standard, but the shame that is attached to sin no longer dominates one's life as well. However, if you have been tracking with us through this series on escaping Favoritism, you already know that sin will stay hidden in the darkness if we know that we will be judged for our sins. This is one of the many ways that Favoritism brings death into our lives.
           Galatians 6:1-2 is also mentions times where someone's sin gets dragged out into the open for everyone to see. In these times, the Bible tells us to let the more mature Christians approach and console the exposed person. The passage tells us to do this with caution because it is easy to get ensnared in the sins of our friends if we are not open, honest, and intentional in the healing process. This passage tells us that if we are successful in helping each other with our burdens and trials, we will be fulfilling the law of Christ.
           The second passage, Galatians 6:3-5 continues

3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

          This section tells us that we need to be paying attention to our own loads and that we can take pride in testing our own actions. Now, this is an interesting development in a series on escaping Favoritism. You would not think that any form of pride would be acceptable in a world where we acknowledge our weakness and dependence on God and use that weakness as a springboard to a Flourishing life. However, we see that God wants us to feel good when we start to see our lives matching up with what is commanded in Scripture. Take note that the passage says that this kind of pride keeps us from comparing ourselves with other people. We should only be glad that we are succeeding in our Christian goals. We should never use the Biblical standard to create a new ladder to climb and destroy the grace that is growing in our communities.
         This last section is very useful because it lets us know that each person is ultimately responsible for their own spiritual journey. You cannot force someone to mature or to take their walk with God seriously. We all need to learn the important boundaries that separate our responsibility to carry each other's burdens and each person's sole responsibility for their decisions and their consequences. We do this by taking each day as an opportunity to edify and be edified by our family in Christ without becoming dependent on that assistance. For more help on when to help and when to hold back, check out my earlier Heavenly Wisdom series.
       To reinforce the idea that we should never use our success at following the Bible as a new ladder to climb and push others down on, let's look at Luke 17:7-10:

7 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.

          Here, we see that we should not think of our strict obedience of scripture as something exceptional or an indicator of being a "Super Christian", but should instead see our obedience as normal and something that is owed to God because of our love for him. Our fulfillment and identity comes from God's love and sacrifice for us instead of any law or standard that we ever succeed in obeying through that love and sacrifice.
         Now that we have finished our section on weakness, we will take the last three weeks to see how God uses our place of weakness as a springboard for reaching our true potential and living out life to the fullest.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow

From Favoritism to Flourishing- Part 5 of 9: Indispensable: 1 Corinthians 12:21-25

Over the first four parts of this series, we have looked at how we escape the trappings of Favoritism by throwing off the world's perspective for God's perspective, learning to value everyone equally by the gospel, and appreciating our own weakness. Now, we will look at how our new worldview changes the way we treat the weakest persons among us. Although we have talked about how we are all equally weak in God's eyes, it is necessary to admit that we will always view some people as the weakest and deal with that fact in practical ways. How do we treat those who can't take care of themselves or are hopeless social wrecks? What do we do with the outcasts of our community? The Bible speaks to this issue in 1 Corinthians 12: 21-25:

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

          Let's break down this passage into little bites so we can understand it better. In verse 21, we can see that we will naturally choose members of the Body of Christ to be the least necessary. There will always be an odd man out. You would expect the Bible to say that these weaker members are of equal value as those who are not viewed as weak. However, in verse 22, it goes beyond that to say that the weak members of our body are indispensable! Not just equal, but indispensable, as in we NEED those people. I am not going to lie: I still find this statement hard to swallow. As for me, I have seen members of the Body that I felt we would be better without. However, we need every piece. One of my greatest fears is actually becoming a vegetable in some hospital for the rest of my life. I could not think of an existence where I could not assist other people or have some task to work towards. However, this passage assures us that all hands are needed on deck. In verse 23, we see that the parts that would normally be less honorable or presentable (like the cowards and social wrecks) should receive special honor or treatment. They should be uplifted and valued while the people that are normally given that treatment should receive less of it (v. 24). This is very against our natures and can only be done through the power of Christ and the baptism of our minds into a new perspective. The entire journey we have been on so far in this series has allowed us to reach this place. Since we are able to see that we are all equally weak and dependent on God, we learn to give up the lie that some of us are better or more lovable than others. Verse 24 tells us that this combination of weaker and stronger members of the Body was intentional on God's part. Finally, verse 25 tells us that this kind of mindset will eliminate division from the body of Christ and teach its members to have equal concern for each other. In answer to my fear of being a vegetable or mentally handicapped, I think I can see how receiving grace from others would be a blessing to them instead of a curse. When members of the body see Grace being given out free of charge, several great things take place. Firstly, members start to confess their sin to each other since they are no longer afraid of being looked down upon. Secondly, they stop spending their time trying to climb the social ladder and push others down it. This is because it is no longer a death sentence to be the lowest person on the social ladder. Thirdly, it helps us to show Grace to each other in daily matters where we would normally lash out at each other about the smallest things. Fourthly, it helps develop character towards being selfless and servant-hearted. I don't believe that the vegetables or mentally handicapped are limited to this, but I am also saying that their place of being cared for is actually an INDISPENSABLE blessing to the Church.
           These revelations should also inform our moral decisions about euthanasia and abortion, amongst other issues. In closing, look at Proverbs 31: 8-9:

8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

           In the next part, we will look at how we are to carry each others' and our own burdens on a daily basis before the last three parts that will take us from a place of Weakness to a Flourishing life.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow