Weakness and Foolishness: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

       The idea of weakness and foolishness has been very influential in my own life and has shaped how I view myself and other people. While some of this material can be connected to the "From Favoritism to Flourishing" series last year, I feel like this passage in specific is essential to growing in one's relationship with God and with other people as well. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says:

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

        God's method of choice from the beginning of time has been to choose the weak and lowly to serve his purposes. A quick survey of the OT will tell you that Abraham, Gideon, and David, among many others, were nobodies in the eyes of the world with nothing to contribute to the world's battles for glory and prestige. Instead, God seems to choose people that will reveal his own providence the most. It is not the most eloquent speakers nor the wisest leaders that find their way into the hallowed halls of biblical history. They were just normal people that God gave the equipment to do their jobs on the way to the destination. We can lose sight of the fact that David was not part of the military before he fought Goliath. He may have been too young to serve in the army, but we do know that killing giants was not his normal line of work.
           What do these stories have for today's readers? What difference does it make if the heroes of the Bible were a gang of nobodies that God happened to pluck out of their bland, boring lives to serve his purposes? It means that we shouldn't evaluate ourselves by the same standard. The same God that made these lives meaningful and impactful upon the lives of others didn't require extraordinary gifts and insights before he made us of them. All he required was an open and obedient heart. The rest was just natural.
           It can be tempting, especially in ministry, to place the burden of the world on your shoulders as you attempt to please God with your devotional life. It can be easy to think that if we don't have our lives together, God will pass us over for the next available candidate. However, God doesn't usually choose the influential to get things done. He uses the weak and foolish. This is why it is a regular prayer of mine that God would teach me how to embrace my weakness and foolishness. I know that if I seek to base my life in my own achievement and character, I won't get very far. Now, obviously, there is nothing wrong with achievement or character and it is hard to make progress without having these, but we need to recognize where the core of our identity and power comes from: God. There is nothing wrong with being somewhere on the journey short of perfection. In fact, this is the only way to take steps forward. We see this in 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.

          Therefore, in conclusion, let us not wait upon the Lord to make us heroes of the faith before we accept the challenge to take steps of obedience to follow him. We don't have to be confident and eloquent to share our faith with our friends or reach out a hand of love to the social outcast. God looks at the heart first and foremost. Spiritual disciplines and practices provide the fuel to make the calling easier and more powerful, but these are peripheral to the core power source: the relationship that you build with God as you take steps of faith.
Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon

Be Still: Psalm 46:10

            I have learned a lot about rest and fun this semester that I have found very useful, especially for my own spiritual life. The best verse that I know for this is from Psalm 46:10:

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

            This verse says that we need to be still and rest in our knowledge of God's might and glory. At first, this may look like a verse that is only telling us to slow down and take a breather, but there are deeper levels behind what this means. There is more to rest and peace than emptying one's mind. In fact, there is a whole view of prayer, spiritual discipline, and worship  known as contemplative prayer, that is rooted in the heart of this verse, among many others.
            The discipline of rest, both physical and spiritual, recognizes that God is still in control, even when we are not busy bearing fruit in ministry. The "radical" Christian movement posits that we need to use every waking breath and dollar for God's glory. One way I used to argue this point to myself is that there are dying people out there who wish they could live intentionally while we waste the same amount of time doing nothing. The same thing applies for some poor people who would not waste their money on fun or entertainment if they had some. However, if you follow this line of thought out to its logical conclusion, you find that spending any time or money not doing something eternally-minded would be sinful. This would mean no more games, eating food more expensive than a dollar or two, or sleeping more than what is minimally required to function. Of course, you would tell me this would be a horrible idea, but why? What reason would you give me? Would it be a reason that God would give me? You only live once? But, if I only live once (before heaven), then that makes my argument stronger, not weaker. If we have a reason, it should be one that glorifies God, and, heads up, such a reason exists and is shown by the scripture above and below. Now, before I get  into my explanation  let me make it clear that most people struggle with not being intentional enough, (so the "radical" movement has been a major blessing for the American church) but there are many of us, including myself, who have struggled with guilt whenever time or money is wasted for this reason. In fact, much of my current semester in seminary has been growth along these lines.
               When we have fun, it celebrates the fact that God values us more than the fruit that we bear in our ministries. God wants us to understand both that He loves us and that He doesn't need us to accomplish His goals. He wants us to be partners with Him in ministry as well as allow us to enjoy this privilege, but we also see that He values more than the "radical" Christian life. For instance, why does beauty exist if God doesn't care for more than ministry? Fun and Beauty can heal the soul and help it grow. In fact, God says that people who don't enjoy life are wasting it. Look at Ecclesiastes 6:1-6:

1 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. 3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

         and Ecclesiastes 5:19:

 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

          God wants people to enjoy life because it acknowledges that He loves us and that He is actively interested in our lives being happy (as much as I like talking about the superiority of joy to happiness). However, we do not take this to the extreme of the (horrible) Prosperity Gospels that are popular these days and treat God like a self-serving vending machine. One only needs to continue the most recent scripture quote to see this in verse 20:

20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

            We also know that the call to follow Christ is one that can call us out of our comfort zones, possessions, relationships, and life/career goals. Two such examples are Luke 9:23-25:

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

          and one of the less known Biblical promises: 2 Timothy 3:12:

12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

          So, there is a level of discernment here. We are called to enjoy ourselves, which is known as the Discipline of Feasting (as opposed to Fasting), but there are many (if not most) who need to learn how to Fast for the kingdom. A fancy word for this is Kenosis: emptying our lives of even morally neutral things in order to make room to spend the freed up time and money on eternal things. So, in conclusion, there is a balance between the two that needs to be discerned through prayer, time in the Word, and discernment with other believers. If you find yourself needing to Feast and recognize God's love and presence here and now, let me suggest the following discipline: This is a chant (if that word scares you, you can make this a song and sing it) that you can repeat as often as you want and can be done alone or in groups:

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Preach the Word: 2 Timothy 4:2

          One of my favorite sayings is that every day is a ministry in it's own right. A verse that helps bring out what I mean by that is 2 Timothy 4:2:

2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

          First, let me describe the context of the chapter surrounding this verse. Before this verse, we are given a sense of God's judgement at the end as well as the placement of all actions within the larger narrative of eternity. Afterward, we are told that people will not listen to sound logic for long, but will surround themselves with friends and messages that only confirm what they already believe. Because of eternity and ever-hardening hearts, we are to consider and apply Paul's words to our lives.
           First of all, we are told to preach the word. This is excellent advice in a time when we are looking for the best and latest Christian author, whether John Piper, David Platt, or Donald Miller; we can get swept up in making the message of the Bible so contemporary that we lose touch with the original author: God. The Bible is more than a text book that can be better understood through a Sparks Note (watered down) version that presents the basic ideas of any given book in a series of points and summaries. Instead, the Bible is a living, breathing text that invites us to interact with God on a deeper level rather than assume we have Him pinned down. Check out Hebrews 4:12:

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

One of the deepest joys of reading the Gospel books (Matt, Mark, Luke, John), in particular is that we can never really pin Jesus down; He's always full of surprises and often says things that we have a hard time fitting into a comfortable box.
         The next thing we are told to do is be prepared in season and out of season. This means that we need to be growing in our relationship with God and in general maturity whether or not we know that people are going to be listening to us speak about our faith, whether as a sermon or as a testimony. God often calls us to speak into people's lives when we aren't expecting it; many times we never find out the impact our words have made. However, if we, as Christians, say that God is eternal, or alive at all times, then that means that God is alive right now and, if we say that God is also at all places, then that means that God is present with you where you are right now. This shouldn't just be an intellectual idea that stays up in the sky and believed only to avoid being a heretic. Instead, these ideas have implications for our every day lives. You may be surprised to learn that God is active with you in your boring work place or when you are having fun, whether working on your budget or watching television. There are various ways that God speaks to and connects with us in everyday life. Also, however, He wants us to attend to what He is saying. By recognizing how God is present in a situation, we choose to delight ourselves in Him and find deeper meaning in all of life. Look at Psalm 37:4:

4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

          God and eternity being in the every day is more than a matter of enjoyment, however: It is also a matter of responsibility. Consider Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

         We need to be willing and able to have deep conversations about God wherever He may place us and no matter how ready we feel. Our paths will cross with people who are desperately in need of interaction with God that might be difficult for them to cultivate on their own. However, the solution to this isn't to walk around with a curriculum that we want to teach people written on the back of our hand or stuffed away in our pocket: This is dead religion that tries to bear fruit in people's lives whether or not God is present in the moment. The difference with living, breathing ministry is one's own living, breathing relationship with God. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to be paying attention to God in the everyday. For instance, if you are learning about being a better listener, God could act in several ways to use this to bless others: someone might be going through a loss and need to be listened to rather than advised; you might need to be a good steward of your education and make sure to pay attention to what your teachers are saying and allow their words to go deeper inside yourself; you may sense that something is wrong during the day and decide to stop and listen to that feeling rather than assume that it's just a feeling and run on with your day. This is but one of many scenarios where paying attention to your everyday life can open yourself to a move of the Spirit.
         Finally, we are told to teach, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. I see this as speaking to more than full time ministers. These words, especially since they are to the minister named Timothy, could be thought of as only to ministers, but, considering that Paul's admonitions that eternity affects everything we do and that our time is quickly running out, it would be wise to consider that we should consider these words as well. However, how are we to do that if we are not regularly speaking in front of congregations or have the authority given by the title 'Pastor' to speak into people's lives? We do this by discussing what we believe with our Christian brethren and bringing our own spiritual journeys into every day life, whether to the dinner table or as a curious thought brought up on the way to church. Like the Deuteronomy verse I quoted says, we should talk about these things when we sit at home and when we are on the road. Also, look at 1 Timothy 4:16:

16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

          This verse assumes that people will be listening to us and this is an excellent assumption to make. When we live in season and out of season, we assume that we will teach people what we believe whether or not we mean to. Thus, we need to be actively searching out what we do believe about God and what calls He makes upon our lives so that the lessons people take away from time with us will draw them closer in their relationships with God. However, what we learn from the last phrase of 2 Timothy 4:2, "with great patience and careful instruction" should be that we will never be able to control other people. Having a spiritual conversation does not mean that you have automatically made the other person more spiritual or closer to God. What it does mean is that you have been a faithful steward of the blessings that God has given you today. So, in conclusion, meditate on the same verse in a larger context:

 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Receiving Children: Mark 9:33-37

          This week's text is from one of Mark's calls to discipleship. It gives us a real window into what the heart of a disciple should look like. Mark 9:33-37 says:

33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

          Here, we see an argument erupt among the disciples because they are trying to figure out who the most spiritual disciple is. One can only imagine the criteria that they had laid forth: Understood the most lessons? Most compliments by Jesus? Most popular with the crowds? There doesn't seem to be any solid way of settling the point, so most of the disciples must have imagined that they had some chance at the top spot. After Jesus gives a direct rebuke for their way of thinking, he puts a child in front of them and asks them to receive him because it means the same as receiving Jesus and His Father. So, what does the child have to do with being the very last and servant of all?
          An insight that I've recently gained about this passage is the role of the child in ancient society of Jesus' time. Nowadays, we look at childhood as something to cherish and lavish with love and gifts. Back then, however, children were viewed as non-persons with little value outside of what they could contribute to work. If they ever get in the way of a lesson or meeting, the first thought was to kick them out, without regard for the feelings of the child. Here, in the deepest moments of Jesus' training, the child would seem to be out of place, especially during a moment of rebuke. There is serious work to be done and no one has time for a child. However, Jesus points out that being a good disciple requires receiving children, otherwise known as the non-persons of our own society. So, a more modern interpretation of this passage might have Jesus putting a prisoner or homeless person on his knee and telling us that we must receive them and that we also receive Jesus and His Father when we do so. 
           When we see that even children are supposed to be seen as contributors to our community, we stop worrying about who contributes the most to the bottom line. Value and membership in our churches and social groups should not be based on who has the most to contribute. In fact, how we view contribution should be radically different. God requires us to value people with new eyes. We are no longer to look for the smart, religious, well-dressed or popular people to pay the most attention to in our social settings. This implies that these people are less in need of God's grace or can somehow add value to themselves outside of what God has done for them. When we make time for the social outcast among us, we make a value statement: we accept you because God accepts you. Any lack on your part doesn't take away your value, but is an opportunity for us all to grow in love and compassion.
            This, then, should also reflect on how we value ourselves in addition to other people. Jeremiah 9:23-24 affirms this:

23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

             We are not to value anyone based off of wisdom, strength, or riches (even if this is spiritual wisdom, strength, or riches). Each person is fully able to contribute to the kingdom of God. This can be seen even more if we look at the Beatitudes in Luke 6:20-26:

 20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

          There is more at play here than just the possession or lack of money. Here, we are seeing God rescuing and valuing the people that society would normally cast away as worthless. Don't be fooled into thinking I'm asking you to do something simple, like volunteering for an hour or two to serve homeless people behind a barricade (as good as that actually is). Instead, the people you see and come into contact with on a daily and weekly basis need to be valued and loved. God calls us to look on the outcasts of our own circles with new eyes of love and acceptance. Let us move forward in God's way.
           In conclusion, let us meditate on Psalm 86:11-13:

 11 Teach me your way, Lord,    that I may rely on your faithfulness;give me an undivided heart,    that I may fear your name.12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;    I will glorify your name forever.13 For great is your love toward me;    you have delivered me from the depths,    from the realm of the dead.

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Mere Words: Proverbs 29:18-19

         Here, I would like to think through a pair of verses that are found in Proverbs 29:18-19. These verses have great thoughts to offer on the use of words in being a leader. They can be helpful, but need to be supported by a more varied leadership style. Not only so, but being a wise influencer of others requires one to think through both one's words and actions. Here is the passage:

18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
    but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.
19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
    though they understand, they will not respond.

          Like earlier walks through Proverbs, these verses are being interpreted in light of each other, thematically, rather than because the author intended them to be so. They are held in isolation, but let us see what cross-pollinating these plants reveals to us.
          You may have heard the first part of verse 18 before: it tells us that we need to give a clear vision for others to follow. Otherwise, the lack of clear direction will lead several people to make up their own path; it is impossible to follow a lead that one does not understand. However, there is more to that verse: it also says that one is blessed if she follow's wisdom's instruction. Other translations say "keep the law". This means that there is more to being a good follower and a good leader than simply the correct use of words. The passage tells us that words, especially words of revelation, are important. However, if one doesn't have a religious compass to give guidance in the absence of other's clear direction, such as wisdom or the law, there is more to fear than lack of direction. We, as leaders, need to help people use their Christian compasses for themselves. Leaders make bad visions and plans all of the time. Just because there is order and obedience does not mean that the right words are being obeyed. This is what leads me to the next verse.
           In verse 19, we see that servants need more than just words in order to progress or change. Forgive me, but I will use the word "people" instead of "servant" from this point forward since I believe the wisdom of this parable is universal. Why do people not listen to words alone? I think a strong reason would be because the hearer of the words does not know if these are words they should follow. If you look at the servant as disobedient or stubborn, the passage could be read that the person is motivated by self-interest and laziness. However, it does not need to be so. It could also be a lack of trust in the adviser's words. This would naturally stem from a leader who only puts effort into crafting wise words. A true leader helps his followers explore the truth and is a companion on that journey. If we want them to sense our sense of direction, we need to include them in on the decision making and discernment process. This advice is for more than just ministers: Anyone seeking to grow and mature the people around them (which, by the way, should probably include you) needs to consider these insights.
          More verses that speak to this theme are Proverbs 10:19-20:

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
    but the prudent hold their tongues.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
    but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

           and Proverbs 12:23:

23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,
    but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

          Again, these verses emphasize that one cannot help others by simply multiplying his words. The passage from Proverbs 12 even adds onto this by saying that our words are limited, even if all of them are wise. It does not matter if we have all the knowledge and wisdom in the world. Funny enough, we need to speak into people's lives by listening to them and engaging them in dialogue. A lot of wisdom is dialectical, that is, gained through relationship and conversation rather than in teaching alone. The above verses, Proverbs 29:18a and Proverbs 10:19 tell us that there is much value added to people's lives through our tongues. However, this approach needs to be enriched through involvement in people's lives. Even punishment should not be done through a monologue: Good punishment involves the person being corrected in a conversation and, hopefully, is part of a larger dialogue that has been present before and will be present after the punishment. Although we don't assume our words are inerrant, our monologues about our opinions and how people should live their lives prove otherwise. Again, while these can be helpful, we also need to include our ears in the teaching process. We need to step off the soapbox and walk alongside the people we teach with an eye to the Word and an ear to the student. This can be known as mentoring, discipleship, or spiritual direction. Most Christians you engage in relationship with will have heard several sermons by now and not a few have read their share of books. There are plenty of good places where people can be monologued, many times to good effect. This is needed, but people's growth will be stunted if they are not allowed to wrestle with God for themselves. While this can be done alone, we, as mentors, disciplers, and spiritual directors provide a great service and boon to those who seek to know God better just by being present. By being a sounding board and by engaging the student with probing questions, we can foster and mature the seeking process.
Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Sanctifying Community: Colossians 2:2-4

          I find the verse for today very surprising; it confirms what I had previously known just from experience, but I never expected to find it so directly put in scripture. Colossians 2:2-4 says:

2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

           This verse tells us that we can grow in all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding by being engaged in Christian community. I don't just mean growing from a sermon or being enlightened by a particular worship song, though these settings are part of what I have in mind. To be more accurate, I mean any gathering of believers. It says that if we are encouraged in heart and united in love, we grow in understanding. This doesn't mean that we have to listen to a logical message with explicit take-aways. Rather, we can grow in our maturity just by being united with like minded Christians, whether in a house church or a mega church. This is part of a beautiful theme in scripture that points to the direct impact that our companions have upon our character. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says:

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

          Also, Proverbs 13:20 says:

 20 Walk with the wise and become wise,
    for a companion of fools suffers harm.

         These verses really ask us to consider who we are spending time with and how they are shaping our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Let us pray for wisdom and discernment about what we should do in our relationships this week.
Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Be Filled: Ephesians 5:15-21

             I really like this text because it helps to put a lot of life into perspective, especially from the perspective of a church goer. It gives us hope to move beyond our brokenness into something better, not into emptiness. Here is Ephesians 5:15-21:

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

           I think the key verse in this passage is verse 18, which tells us to be filled with the Spirit. This connects with lots of great imagery in the Bible that tells us that we are to put off that which can never fill ourselves for Christ. Take a look at Matthew 13:44-46:

 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

          and John 10:10b:

 10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

          The mistake with a lot of our modern theology and preaching these days has to do with our focus on "sin management", which supposes that we can fix ourselves with enough guilt and faith, intermingled and poured on oneself continually in hope of removing the stench of sin. However, this mixture only makes the stench even more unbearable, especially as our energy and emotions are drained to make this attempt possible. The way of God asks us to seek him and fill ourselves with his life. We are to pursue him first and foremost and everything else will follow, including righteousness. Look at Matthew 6:33:

 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

          and Psalm 37:4:

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

              These come with spending time with God and allowing his love and presence to wash over us. This takes the stench of sin away. We enter into a relationship with God to escape our sin in the first place and it is in this relationship that we put off sin daily. Also, we see that this needs to happen in community. Both of these ideas combined are touched on in our initial passage, Ephesians 5:15-21, so let us return there:

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

          First, we see again the command to put off sin and make the most of every day along with the command to fill ourselves with the Spirit instead of wine. This takes us up to verse 19, which is where the passage really starts to address the "how". First, we need to encourage each other with worship, not only on Sunday, but throughout the week. This does not mean that we are to live our lives in a constant musical, as fun and amusing as that would be. Instead, we see that we are meant to always be "singing" our songs of thankfulness throughout the week by recognizing where God has been present and communicating to us and then passing along those notes of gratitude, not just up to God, but to our brothers and sisters in the Lord as well. I believe that a large part of why this helps is because we all need help recognizing what God is doing in our lives, not just as part of Bible studies or morning devotionals, but throughout our normal, every day lives. This is part of what makes the incarnation so beautiful: God did not spend most of his life in ministry, but likely working on wood projects, engaged in ho-hum conversation with friends, and recognizing and worshiping God in these parts of life. Part of our commercialization of Christianity has robbed us of ancient riches of the Christian tradition that recognized that God is present in our work or, as I've been told, "Prayer is Work and Work is Prayer." This means that God is present with us throughout the week and is always waiting beneath the surface, waiting to be engaged and recognized. This also enriches our understanding of prayer: we do not need to only approach God with requests; we can come to God just to sit in his presence and nothing else. In Luke 10:38-42, Mary was commended for sitting at the Lord's feet, not for taking good notes, preaching, adding insightful comments, or doing great works of faith. No, the "one thing" she did was to sit and listen, not because she needed to learn, which she did, but out of adoration and love for God. Thus, much work can be put into prayer by letting God be present to us always. Look for ways that he wants to speak to you and spend time with close friends discussing where God has been present. If he is the one thing that sustains life, then I doubt he would abandon you to figure out life on your own just because you're not paying attention to him. Finally, paying attention to God with prayerful attention is how we fulfill 1 Thessalonians 5:17:

17 pray continually

           There are plenty of great ways to pray that would help in this process, like praying the Bible or listening prayer. If you need any good ideas, just let me know and I'll see what I can suggest.
Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Encouragement to Singles: 1 Samuel 1:3-8

         In light of the recent Valentine's day, I was hoping to pass along a word of encouragement to my brothers and sister in Christ from 1 Samuel 1:3-8:

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

           Out of all the characters in the Bible, I truly believe that Hannah most closely empathizes with the plights of singles today. The statistics out there are disheartening: the ages of initial sexual and romantic interest have dropped by three or four years and the average age of marriage is now extending from the early twenties to the late twenties and early thirties. To add on to such an agonizing weight, Christians are being daily bombarded with invitations to sexual thought and action in the grocery store, media, and workplace. What once was dismissible and avoidable has become especially pressing due to the modern innovation of schools that keep same age boys and girls cooped up in pens together for most of their waking hours.
            Hannah may have been looking to get children, but I can assure you that she felt the weight that we feel in a very similar way. It said that she dealt with this desire for several years. These times of struggle and doubt were especially strong whenever they would make their yearly trip to the house of the Lord. This may have been due to the mixing of several families as they traveled together to this religious site. For women of their time, being infertile was a social curse. However, we are also told that she has many blessings: she is deeply adored by her husband (being given doubly special and preferential treatment), is part of a mostly loving family and, for all we know, is secure financially. So, we would seem to agree with her husband when he asks her if he means more to her than ten sons. Additionally, these religious pilgrimages were supposed to be the highlight of the year: a time of close fellowship with each other and the Lord. Surely, one could at least pull the religion card on Hannah: "Why don't you let your desire to conceive kids push you into deeper intimacy with the Lord? In fact, I bet that is what is holding him back from blessing you." (The second sentence is, by the way, incorrect and is also very insensitive). Yet, we find Hannah still weeping, refusing to eat, and having a downtrodden heart despite all of these admonitions and what would surely have been an emotionally numbing process of continual disappointment in herself and God.
             God recognizes and affirms your pain. Look at Proverbs 13:12:

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

             You can see that several of the pieces of advice that we could pass on to a grieving single are legitimate: they should practice thankfulness for what they do have and use their hunger and suffering to deepen their need for God and closeness to Him (as advocated in one of my recent blog posts, "The Power of Need"). Yet, I think when we only give these pieces of advice to singles and don't stop to listen to them, we fall short of giving them what they really need: a sympathizing ear that hears the ache of loneliness and rejection. Chances are, any single Christian you have met has heard all of the spiritual mantras about falling in love with God and waiting for both you and your future spouse to become "fully ready" for marriage before God brings you together. However, these light words start to sound weaker and weaker as the years pass and more spins and perspectives are put out on the singleness issue. What I offer to you today is not more advice, as useful and perspective healing as it can be sometimes, but a word of comfort. Singles, I invite you to set aside a few minutes and join me in a spiritual exercise today that I hope will heal and encourage you.

                                        Read what is next and follow the instructions.

              God knows your pain. Spend some time in silence with Psalm 38:9 and allow your heart to wrestle with the text, not trying to understand it better, but allowing God to speak to you through it. You can take any amount of time you want from a few to several minutes:

9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.

              Next, holding that pain and anxiety in your heart, spend some silent time considering the plight of other Christians who also share your burden by meditating on 1 Peter 5:9:

 9 Resist [Satan], standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

            Focus on your pain along with the pain of your fellow Christian singles with all your energy. Hold this pain as close to your heart as possible for as long as you can hold it and release your pain to God as the passage continues into verse 10:

 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

          If this exercise has brought you any comfort, please remember the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God

          One of our biggest mistakes is thinking that if God doesn't answer a prayer, that he is not present with us in our sufferings. I don't need to quote to you the verses that affirm your desire for a spouse. I don't feel the need to quote verses about idolatry and right priorities. What I want to affirm is that the God of Hannah, who listened to the whispered prayers of her heart year after agonizing year is also listening to you. Stop trying to make your pain go away. Don't rationalize it or compartmentalize it into a clean religious box. Allow yourself to feel the pain and vocalize that pain with God and close friends.
          In closing, meditate on Philippians 4:6-7:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Loss: Job 19:26-27

         One of the sweetest verses in the Bible is Job 19:26-27:

26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns within me!

         This verse says something about the loss that we experience in our lives, whether it comes from a breakup, loss of job, death of a loved one, or simply the loss of the familiar. It is in those moments, the moments of loss and grief, that our soul needs to turn to something to sustain it. Not just to fix the loss, but to experience God in the middle of the loss. I've learned a lot from Listening for the Soul by Jean Stairs on this process of death and resurrection. She speaks on how we try to react to our and others' grief with a cold, problem solving approach. Here, in Job 19, I feel like Job hits on something that Jean Stairs is also getting at: the need to simply sit in the presence of God during loss rather than  move past the loss as quickly as possible or figure out why God let this loss happen. Job doesn't mention anything about the recreation of his flesh. We know that he must have new flesh since he has eyes to see God with, but that is not what he holds in view. He looks at the hope he has in God despite the loss that envelopes him. Don't try too hard to solve yourself; sometimes the best remedy for hard times is to sit in God's presence and let him cover you. That's the thickness behind Psalm 46:10:

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

           These moments of stillness are healing for the soul and they put things in right perspective again: not that your loss doesn't matter, but that God is with you in the depths of it. It's not that your problem doesn't need to be solved, but that there are deeper and more important things than solving your problems. I learned from Jean Stairs that these times of stillness with God are enriched by the presence of other people as well. These people can sit with you in silence as well or can sit there silently as you open your heart to them. We see Job's friends take this correct and wise position when they first come to soothe him in his grief in Job 2:11-13:

 11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

           You will remember Job's friends only started to fail when they tried to fix Job and force him to come to a resolution. While it is important to help people to move on from their despair, the way to do it is not to force them out of it with happiness or coming up with whatever advice first comes to mind. We see the foolhardiness of these approaches in Proverbs 25:20:

20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
    or like vinegar poured on a wound,
    is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

           and Proverbs 18:2:

 2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
    but delight in airing their own opinions.

            How do we help the person in trouble (or ourselves, if we are the one suffering) in these times of darkness? Like I said, being present and listening is most of what is necessary. While there are extreme mistakes that can demand correction, for the most part, what is needed is someone with whom to walk the dark journey of loss. Listen to the person as they try to figure out what's going on and ask them questions about what they're feeling. Even though Job said a lot of mean things about God throughout the book, he was found to have spoken better of God than his friends did, even though they worked hard to defend God and fix Job.
Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

Shepherding: Psalm 78:70-72

          One of the most interesting passages for me in the Old Testament is Psalm 78:70-72. I feel like it tells us a lot about the nature of leadership as well as what God expects us to do with the mundane lives that He gives us upon this earth. Here is the passage:

70 He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
    to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
    with skillful hands he led them.

           To start off with, shepherding was not a respected career path in the ancient world. This is reflected in David having this job as the youngest among his brothers, but is also seen among nearby peoples. This is shown in Genesis 46:32-34:

32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

             This shows us the first point that I would like us to take away from the beginning passage: that God uses the mundane, detestable parts of our lives to train us for how we will serve others and that our usefulness for God's kingdom does not rest on how esteemed our position is in the eyes of men; we do not need a position and title at a church to be of use to God. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-29:

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

          God goes out of his way to use people who are worthless in the eyes of the world to accomplish his will. Just look through the book of Judges and you will see a group of heroes who were all social outcasts: left-handed people, women, children of prostitutes, the smallest of families and prestige, etc. Thus, your job as a fast food worker, teacher, or janitor does not discount you from making a big impact for the kingdom. In fact, if you follow the biblical narrative, you will find that God uses the people of lower social class and background most often. He does, of course, use rich and influential people, but they face significant obstacles in living their lives for Christ. We see this in Mark 10:23:

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

          Jesus himself was just a carpenter. One of the most powerful facts about Jesus' life was that he was a carpenter who, you can bet, lived intentionally for the large majority of his life among a small, unnoticeable town and people before a crowd ever followed him. If we take Luke 2:52 seriously, we'll see that this thirty or so year part of his life was instrumental in shaping him into someone who would lead the crowds and disciples into the kingdom of God:

 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

         Beyond being part of a lowly and simple profession, there is a lot to be taken from the shepherding analogy as well: they are invested in every member of the flock and will sacrifice themselves for the sheep. We see this detailed attention of the shepherd in Matthew 18:12-13:

 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

         I think that God calls us all, in some small sense, to participate in shepherding. This means caring after the people in our circle of influence with the same loving care as Jesus does. If we look at the lowest and weakest people in our immediate context, we will be seeing Christ in our presence needing our personal care and attention. I've especially picked this up from a lesson I recently learned about Mark 9:36-37:

36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

          I was in the New Interpreter's Bible ( Perkins, Pheme. The Gospel of Mark. The New Interpreter’s Bible Vol. VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995) and it discussed how we, in our modern world and culture, romanticize being children, but the ancient world viewed children as worthless and contemptible. Perkins says that the best modern equivalent of a child in this passage would be our homeless person. No one wants to pay attention to them; at best, they are a distraction; at worst, they are a waste of life and space. So, Jesus is telling us that if we welcome the socially awkward and otherwise needy people, we will actually be welcoming Jesus in. This should not be read that if we welcome a homeless person into our church or home, that we have fulfilled some law Jesus is placing on us here. This is not the case; in fact, following that kind of law would be too easy; Jesus invites us to something more difficult. We must allow our lives to be mobile homes: emotionally and socially welcoming people into our lives no matter where we find ourselves. So, instead of commanding us to give money or other resources to the poor and wave at them as we rush away, we are challenged to give them our love, attention, and welcoming ears. This stems from the shepherd's heart, which knows that each sheep, no matter how useless looking, has something to contribute and should be loved with deep care and affection.
           In conclusion, meditate upon 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. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon Snow

The Power of Need: Deuteronomy 8:3

             The verse for today's blog post is from an interesting find: it's what Jesus uses as one of his responses to Satan during the temptations in the wilderness. Here is where we find it in Matthew 4:1-4:

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

          Jesus here responds to his physical need by pointing to his greater need, God, even after having fasted for 40 days in the universe. I find it interesting that the man who gave food to thousands of people miraculously did not give himself the same benefit that he gave to the crowds. Also, Jesus is not opposed to looking out for his own needs, which is displayed by his taking off time to go and be alone in prayer for hours. His words may sound like spiritual snobbery or an ideal beyond our achievement; Jesus looks awful legalistic here. After all, how am I to apply this passage to my life? Do I respond to any need in my life by filling it with something spiritual? That's what Jesus words seem to portray, but I am struck that we don't allow ourselves to process Jesus' words on a deeper level. Jesus was one who understood that our hearts had to be right; this is even more important than any law that we should obey. So what heart condition is driving Jesus' response? Here, we see that Satan is trying to get Jesus to perform a miracle in order to make his trial easier on himself. What would be wrong with this? This is where our confusion with the passage begins. Since we know that Satan is trying to trip up Jesus, we immediately flip back into the Old Testament and desperately search for a law that makes what Satan suggests a sin. However, no matter how hard we try, there is nothing there to find.
           I think the key to finding out what was wrong in the action lies in Jesus' response to the temptation. His response comes from Deuteronomy 8:3:

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

          Here, we see where Jesus is pulling from in the second half of the verse about living on the word of God instead of just bread alone. We see that physical needs are still honored by God because we do not live on bread alone, which means we still need bread, but we need God more. So, when the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness, the need for food is not diminished; Jesus is not "too spiritual" for food. So, we see that Jesus is hungry and that he can feed himself without sinning. So why does he not eat? Since the point of Jesus' temptations are to make him stronger, we see that Jesus is embracing his hunger as an opportunity to draw close to God. This is the point of any fast. Jesus isn't putting his life in danger by not eating. Jesus disproves this idea with his subsequent temptation. If risking starving to death to prove his reliance on God was the point of this trial, then Jesus would have risked his life by jumping off the top of the temple later in the chapter in Matthew 4:5-7:

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

          So, here, we see that Jesus does not refuse food to put the Lord his God to the test. Instead, we see something in Jesus' heart that is very powerful. To see this, we need to turn back to Deuteronomy 8:3:

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

          I want you to focus on one word: "causing". God "caused" the Israelites to hunger. If you don't sense what is strange about this word, take a minute to reflect on it. God caused their hunger. Intentionally. It wasn't an accident or mistake. He caused them to feel a need. Let's bring this closer to home: if you have ever felt the need for a spouse, God created that need inside of you. The same thing applies for need for rest, comfort, assurance, etc. However, let us camp on the spouse analogy to get our point across. This need is affirmed throughout scripture. Three great verses for this are Genesis 2:18:

 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

           Proverbs 18:22:

 22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord.

           and Proverbs 19:14:

 14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

            Every human has a God-given desire for a spouse, but you'd be quick to notice that not everyone is married. People who encounter these verses can sometimes get into a circular trap of logic that I like to compare to a jack-in-the-box. You think 1. God loves me. 2. God wants good things for me 3. God tells me that a spouse is a good thing. 4. If I don't have a spouse, it's my fault, not God's 5. I need to earn this through prayer and increasing my faith. This is where the pain hits because the increase in faith and prayer often don't earn you that significant other. This is like leaning over a jack-in-the-box and spinning the wheel until the jack hits you in the face, stuffing the jack back in, and waiting until the pain of the last experience fades away before trying again with the initial question: "God loves me, right?"
            However, what we need to realize is that our hunger and need are opportunities to draw close to God. Fasting, which is just creating a need for yourself rather than letting God do it, is a great way of recognizing our need for God and drawing close to him. However, we need to, like Jesus, go beyond simply fasting. We need to recognize all times of need as opportunities to draw close to God. Jesus' didn't necessarily choose his forty day fast. The Spirit forced him to do it. In the same way, a need that God allows into our lives is a forced fast. Just because you didn't choose to fast does not mean it is not a fast. So, if you have a need for food, money, a spouse, rest, or a vacation and you wish the desire for any of these things would go away, you need a change of perspective. Rejoice in the trial because it will help you to recognize your first and foremost need: God. Oh, and by the way, He does love you. Remember what I have just told you and reflect anew on Psalm 37:4:

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

Peace of Christ to you,
Simeon

Guard Your Heart: Proverbs 4:20-23

            Proverbs 4:20-23 is a very beautiful peace of scripture. Originally, I had thought of it speaking on the need to guard one's emotions and more intimate self from risk, but I've learned through books and commentaries about how this passage is instead about how one invests in one's relationship with God. Here is the passage below:

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
    listen closely to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
    and health to a man’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
    for it is the wellspring of life.

             Here, we see that guarding our heart, in this context, is about listening to the words of the wise Father. Additionally, we are told that treasuring these words will bring health to our whole body. I think we should take this to mean that spending time in the Word will have benefits for our physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health. It even goes so far to say that, in doing so, we are guarding our heart, which is our wellspring of life. Thus, in order to live a fulfilled life or to pour life into those around us, we need to guard our hearts, which starts by spending time in God's Word.
            A lot of people look at ministry as if they are pouring God's energy into their own cup and then pouring that cup into the lives of other people until the cup runs dry. Then there is burnout followed by a spiritual retreat that refills the cup before the cycle begins anew. However, this cycle of ministry is debilitating and self-defeating, for not only do you waste a lot of time and energy, but you also lose quality in ministry whenever you are feeding people out of your energy and enthusiasm rather than from God's power.To minister differently, you need to look at ministry like your cup is stacked on top of the cups of the people you are ministering to. Then, you learn that you are constantly letting God pour into you every day and that, when your cup fills up, the overflow goes into the lives of the people you are serving. This way, not only do you not burn out, but you are also pouring fresh water into the lives of others rather than the stagnant water you give whenever you are pouring yourself out to the last drop.
           So, how does this play out practically? Look at 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.

         Jesus tells us that we can get nothing done if we are not abiding in him. Here, abiding would be best understood as spending daily time with him. This is done in Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines that give you and God time to spend together. Another verse echoes a similar warning about one's relationship with God. After discussing a model of maturing in the faith, Peter continues in 2 Peter 1:8-9:

 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

          If we don't spend time developing our relationship with God, we will be ineffective and unproductive in affecting the lives of others. We might pour as much effort as we want into ministry,  but it will be for naught if God is not in the equation every day, moving in our heart and, thus, moving through our heart into the lives of those around us. This is the wisdom behind the first passage from Proverbs: we need to guard our heart, for it is the spring from which we draw life for ourselves and for those around us.
          In conclusion, reflect on Joshua 1:8:

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

          and 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.

Peace,
Simeon Snow

Godly Sorrow and Confrontation: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

          Godly sorrow is a concept that appears often in scripture; you'll see it in the Proverbs whenever the author is discussing discipline and how it brings life. In the same way, there are several situations within which we are able to grow mightily by the influence of sorrow in our lives. To start out with, let us go to 2 Corinthians 7:10-11:

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

          When I hear this verse, I immediately think of classes I've been in where I needed pain or punishment in order to continue forward. I would keep making one small grammatical error on every assignment and I continued to do so until I lost a point for it. Afterwards, I never made the same mistake again. It was because I had experienced some kind of loss and it stuck with me.
          I think we realize this when it comes to disciplining children: we know that the child will never improve in his behavior or attitude unless he experiences some kind of loss to connect with the lesson. As hard as we try to explain why good actions are their own reward, there come appropriate times when we need to use negative reinforcement to show the lesson since they cannot see what we can.
          Everything up to this point has been very simple and without needing much to expound on. However, the application for this verse goes a little farther. Have you ever needed to confront someone? There is a good that you want to achieve in someone's life that they cannot see on their own. The only downside is that the person might be hurt or offended by our piece of advice. Certainly, we are to survey whether someone is open to receiving advice or not. We see this in Proverbs 26:4-5:

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
    or you will be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.

           Also, we are told in 1 Peter 3:15b-16 that we are told to offer words of righteousness with gentleness:

 15b Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

          However, the general response of most people to verses like these and their desires to preserve the self confidence and happiness of the person needing change leads them to say nothing at all. The fear of hurting the person is weighed against how much good the change will make. Obviously, even a raging madman should be advised to stop killing people, but most of the time it is very hard to tell if the change is worth the pain, find ourselves unable to balance the two, err on the side of caution, and say nothing. However, if you look at the previous passages, you will see that you are not actually balancing a pro versus a con. Instead, you have two pros. Both the desired change that you want to bring in the person's life and the little bit of pain that will come with this information are both positive things! That small bit of pain will help the lesson to stick and, according to our first passage, will produce earnestness, eagerness to clear themselves, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, and readiness to see justice done. You are doing the person a favor by bringing godly sorrow into their lives. On the other hand, you do not set out to produce sorrow for sorrow's sake alone. That is to rely on the sorrow of the world, which, the passage tells us, leads to death. Additionally, we should only burden someone with one or two suggestions at a time to prevent burdening someone with too much sorrow. We see this in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 when Paul is dealing with a sinner in the community:

6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 

          A similar verse appears in Galatians 6:1-2:

 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.

         These contrasting themes are brought together in 2 Timothy 1:7:

 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

         While there is nothing wrong with a shy or introverted personality, God gives us the Spirit to be bold and powerful whenever love demands it. You do not truly love someone if you let them sit in their darkness. If we see darkness in someone's life, then it is our responsibility to warn them of their darkness (or find someone close to them whom they would be more willing to listen to). We see this responsibility in Ezekiel 33:6:

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.

         and if we recognize our roles as priests in God's kingdom, we will heed the words of Malachi 2:6-7 when he is discussing priests:

 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.

         So, as you go about this week, remember that the Spirit is in you and tap it's power to confront sin with boldness and power.
Peace,
Simeon Snow

Brave Warriors: 1 Chronicles 5:24b-25

             The topic for today's discussion has to do with some troubling men's movements that have been popping up along with a theme in scripture that is getting more attention in recent times. Although there is no official name for it, you can call it the Courageous Warrior or Masculinity movement. The recent spotlight on this idea centers around one theme: men are not what they should be and it is because we have lost a biblical definition for manhood in our churches. To restore this manhood, we need to emphasize the godly qualities that are also masculine, such as righteous confrontation, strength, and courage. The argument goes that real men stay out of church and the ones inside it have been brainwashed into acting like women. This movement blames the deficiency of "real" men in churches today for the church's inability to take a bolder stance on current hot button issues and for the inability of men to be leaders among the congregation. The proposed solution for these problems is to gather groups of men to cultivate these male qualities and, thus, restore the church. This is also to counter the problem of men only maturing in ways that are feminine. The biblical foundation for this movement comes from Old Testament stories about godly men, like David or Samson, showcasing legendary manhood and emphasizing the need to emulate this masculinity. One Bible study I read, called Chase the Lion, focused on the story of Benaiah in 2 Samuel 23:20:

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

             The moral of the story is that a guy in the Bible did a manly thing. That's it. We don't hear anything more about this man's character or his relationship with God besides going on to be a military leader and executioner for Solomon (see 1 Kings 2), but we do know that he killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The Bible study takes this single verse and expands it to mean that God calls us all to take more risks, but it qualifies this by saying that these risks should be calculated. What they fail to mention is how killing a lion in a snowy pit is a calculated risk, but maintains that we must follow this man's approach to life based on this single action. The other verse I see frequently attached to this movement is 1 Corinthians 16:13:

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

            The specific part of this verse focused on is "be men of courage", which is often translated, accurately, as "act like men" or "be men". While this passage does ask men to have godly characteristics that are Masculine, I think it would be putting words in Paul's mouth to say that true Masculinity is Godliness. While the goals of being brave and leaders of our families are noble, these characteristics are not guarantees of righteousness in any way. To start my counterargument, let's turn over to 1 Chronicles 5:24b, which describes an Israelite family:

24b They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 

           These Israelites have the same heart as Benaiah! In fact, they do even more! Not only are they brave, they have importance in the eyes of the public and are strong leaders of their families. I could start my own Masculinity Bible study with much further applications, but to do so would be to lie to and mislead you about their character. Now I am going to add verse 25 on to this passage and see what you think of these new role models:

24b They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

            Character adjustment is never a guarantee of righteousness. I want to be a spiritual leader in my family and I would like to be courageous and make bold stands for what is righteous, but I need to develop that character out of a growing relationship with God rather than follow a Law of Masculinity. The men in the previous passage were part of the family of God and they met all the demands of the Masculinity movement and more, but they have nothing; their spiritual treasuries are empty. Not only so, but Masculinity is very subjective and changes based on the culture. For instance, the Karo men of Ethiopia prove their Masculinity by how many cows they can jump over; contrarily, the Bunna women of Ethiopia prove their Femininity by how many whip lashes they can endure (See also Global Prayer Digest). Instead of trying to make ourselves more godly by pursuing a subjective Man Law, God gives us the power for life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says:

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

          Here, we see that God's divine promises (such as the power for life and godliness) give us the ability to mature towards the divine nature and escape corruption. The passage goes on to describe how to pursue maturity by spending time with God. While there is nothing wrong with Masculinity, we are not called to pursue it. The reasons that we are strong, brave, or courageous are because of our love for God and women are called to be these things as well. In fact, the female heroes of the Old Testament were famous because they were strong, brave, and courageous. They killed people in the Old Testament, too, lol. While the Bible does give a few different instructions to guys and girls and affirms their major differences, the authority of these commands rests on scripture and the differences are to be embraced and celebrated without being enforced as law.
        To close, let me leave you with a passage that shows the continuity between time with God and the resulting Godliness that so happens to be Masculine. Joshua 1:8-9 says:

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Peace,
Simeon Snow