The Old Man in the Back of the Sanctuary

With the summer Olympics in the news as they take place in Japan, I’m reminded of the high jump and pole vault events where the bar is raised higher and higher until it is finally impossible for the contestant to make it over. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raised the spiritual bar for us beyond the limits of human effort alone. “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Wow! That is a sky high bar for us to clear.

I used to get very uncomfortable when someone would say that the Ten Commandments do not apply to Christians under the new covenant. You can’t uncouple the Old Testament from the New Testament. The entire Bible is God’s word and surely God still wants us as Christians to obey those commands. I now understand that the laws and commands in the Old Testament were just beginner levels for men and women to try to clear. God knows that humans find it difficult to even clear those low standards, so He sent His Son to die in our place to give us His mercy, grace and eternal life. It is only then that His perfect Holy Spirit lives within us to give us the strength and ability to clear much higher bars than we ever could on our own, including and exceeding the Old Testament laws. He even makes that sky high bar of perfection possible.

Before setting the bar at its ultimate height of perfection, Jesus moved it slowly upward from the basic level of the Old Testament laws. It isn’t just murder that makes us subject to judgement; being angry with someone is just as bad. (Matthew 5:21-22) It isn’t just adultery that is forbidden, but looking at someone with lust in your heart is just as bad. (Matthew 5:27-28) The Old Testament says you must keep your vows. Jesus says do not make vows; anything beyond, “Yes I will” or “No I won’t” comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37) The Old Testament laws governed our physical behavior and words. The higher calling of the New Testament also governs our thoughts and the desires of our heart. With our new born spirit and the power of God’s own Holy Spirit within us, we are prepared to accept that high calling and keep clearing higher and higher bars with love and service.   

I have to smile as I write this, because physically I couldn’t clear a bar if it was lying on the floor in front of me. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, I have cleared some pretty high spiritual bars that I never thought possible. I continue to strive toward perfection, but I think that bar might not be cleared until I make my final leap into the arms of my Savior.

What is your personal best so far? As you seek the perfection Jesus makes possible for you, keep raising the bar and calling on the Holy Spirit for strength to clear it.

I have been fascinated by Paul’s letter to Titus, one of his spiritual sons, who was serving Christ on the Greek island of Crete. I spent all of 1964 and the first four months of 1965 on that beautiful island. I was stationed at Iraklion Air Station as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and I spent time in the city of Iraklion and visited many of the ancient sites while I was there. I also made friends with some of the local residents who worked on the base. I wanted to learn the Greek language, but their desire to practice their English always won out, so I picked up only a few phrases.  

A mention of the letter to Titus in the New Testament would always elicit a sheepish grin on the face of the locals. In the very first chapter, Paul writes, “Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, ‘The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.’” (Titus 1:12) How would you like to read that description of your ancestors in God’s word? The quote was from Epimenides of Knossos, one of the cities I visited with artifacts from an ancient pagan civilization that worshipped the mythical Greek god Minos and may have spawned those bad traits. The English adjective “Cretan” describes someone with those bad qualities even today. One of the sites in Knossos was what is believed to be the oldest manmade road. I want to make it clear that while I was there, I found all of the people of Crete that I met very friendly, honest and energetic. (Possibly that was the lasting result of Titus’ teaching, example and influence.) 

There are two fond memories of Crete I want to share with you from a Christian perspective. The first is a car trip several of us took across the island to Fair Havens, the harbor Paul’s ship anchored in for a brief time before trying to make it to a better harbor and wrecking their ship in the process. (Acts chapters 27 and 28) We encountered some roads that were much worse than that ancient road in Knossos, but it was worth the trip. It is a beautiful inlet with pristine beaches.

The second fond memory was when our chaplain told some of us that the locals in Iraklion needed help repairing and painting their very old church. We met a group of U.S. sailors from a ship anchored in Iraklion harbor and we worked side by side with those Greek Christian brothers. They were so grateful; they had a big feast for everyone when the work was finished. It was a great time of Christian fellowship. One thing I found very interesting; there were no pews or seats in the church. During the Greek Orthodox service the congregation stands the entire time.

The reason I’m sharing this old travelogue with you is because I want to let you know that the things we read about in the Bible are verifiable and that there is a strong spiritual bond between Christians in spite of language and cultural differences.   

I recently ran across another quote from Helen Keller. “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” For someone who was born blind and deaf, she had great insight. Christians each have a personal relationship with God and we each have a special mission for Him, but the Christian life is not meant to be a solitary journey. We have brothers and sisters in God’s family with whom to share life and we are all given the command to love each other and be a light for those who are still in the darkness. (John 15:17 and Matthew 5:14)

Living as a child of God is not a competition. We each have our own field to plow, plant, water and harvest. We each have our own lane in which to run the race. We each have been given our very own mission to complete. No calling or mission from God is more important or less important than someone else’s. God looks at the entire mosaic picture of His children at work for Him and it is beautiful in His sight. There is no sibling rivalry in our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead, there is a strong mutual bond of love that spurs us to empathize with each other and encourage each other. The wonderful people God has placed in my life are beyond value – they are truly priceless. Sometimes, a quick call to check on each other turns into 90 minutes or more of uplifting conversation; as we share experiences, blessings, needs and more than a few laughs together.

Our experience with the people in the world around us isn’t always so uplifting or encouraging, but it is just as important. Jesus says, “But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5) In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says that we are the light of the world like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Is Jesus contradicting Himself? Of course not! Paul explains in his letter to the church in Rome that the same Spirit that is in Jesus lives in us. (Romans 8:11) So our light is God’s light shining through us to the world around us. Those who are seeking God will be drawn to the light and we can share our testimony with them. Those who have become comfortable in sin will either flee from the light (and from us) or attack the light (and us) trying unsuccessfully to extinguish it. Their attacks must never be taken personally because it is really Jesus they are attacking, not us. We are told to love our neighbors – all of them; whatever reaction they might have to the light within us.

When you feel you are doing so little on your own, remember that you are a member of the mighty family of God. Together, with the help of our heavenly Father, we are doing so much more than we can imagine.        

I want to share with you something a friend posted on Face Book. “Trying to bring up my past to harm me is like trying to burglarize my old home. I don’t live there anymore.” All of us have things in our past that we regret and things we remember fondly. My personal history, and the history of our nation for that matter, cannot be changed or erased; but we need to use them wisely.  

Personally, I concentrate on the good things in my past for encouragement and use the bad things to remind me of what to avoid. As a Christian, the Holy Spirit helps me with that process. He reminds me of those things for which I have been forgiven so I don’t continue to beat myself up about them. Then He encourages me to do better with His help. The emphasis is on using my past experiences to make my present and future brighter and more pleasing to God.

Nationally, however, some people are “offended” by parts of our nation’s history and want to tear down statues and monuments and erase them from history books. Ironically, some of those same people favor teaching Critical Race Theory in our public schools, which highlights all of the offenses in our nation’s past that were racially motivated. I’ve seen a photo that was labeled “CRT Lesson #1”. It was an actual photo of a lunch counter in the 1950s or early 1960s with a teenage girl with dark skin seated at the counter surrounded by teens with lighter skin shouting at her. One teenage boy was pouring a drink on her. It obviously happened and might be a topic of discussion; but the lesson for the students was this; “Your grandparents identify with one of these two groups, and have handed down their values. Take all the time you need with this.”

Being 78 years old, I’m labeled with those grandparents who identify with one side in the photo. The problem is the assumption that my skin color means I must identify with the teen mob. I never even thought of participating in such horrible behavior and I actually supported the Civil Rights Movement as a teenager myself from the mid-1950s to early 1960s. I actually identify with the victim and so would my grandchildren, if I had been blessed with any. Will that be allowed in that classroom? The course is obviously designed to divide the students by race with the lighter skinned student as oppressor and the darker skinned student as victim. False on both counts in most cases today!

If I were discussing that photo with students today, I would point out how far we have come in the right direction since that photo was taken. We can all peacefully eat in the same restaurant together; no oppressors or victims involved. Even the skin color of our server doesn’t really matter. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that the way it should be? Christians should never judge or be judged by the past. We don’t live there anymore. We are each who we are today – children of God. We must not allow misuse of the past to harm or divide us. Let’s work together using our past, good and bad, to make our present and future brighter and more pleasing to God.

An old song from my childhood came into my mind the other night as I was singing myself to sleep (as usual). The song came out in 1951, when I was 8. Stuart Hamblen wrote and performed it and it reached number 8 on the Billboard country music chart. Later in the 1950s, several others recorded it including Elvis, which is probably why I remembered all of the lyrics. I just want to share with you the second verse and chorus.

“There is no night for in His light you’ll never walk alone. Wherever you may roam, you’ll always be at home. There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side. Just take Him at His promise, don’t run away and hide. It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others He’ll do for you. With arms wide open He’ll pardon you. It is no secret what God can do.”

I continue to try to share all of the things God has done in my life, but I feel a lot like John felt when he finished his Gospel account of Jesus’ life. “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

God has been doing things for me all of my life, even before I accepted Jesus as my Savior. It was His hand that guided my Mom and I out of our burning home to safety two years before I gave my heart to Him. I haven’t always noticed everything or thanked Him properly, but now my limitations have focused my attention on God and all that He continues to do for me day by day. I look up so many times each day and say with a smie, “I know that was you, Lord. Thank you!” I’m sure there also have been times He protected me from dangers I wasn’t even aware of; like the time He caused me to leave work later than usual and then I heard on the radio about a serious accident that occurred on the route home about the time I normally would have been there.

I love to share with others what God has done for me, giving Him full credit. I know that I’m not special. I am a child of God, just as I pray you are, so there is absolutely nothing He has done for me that He won’t do for you and more when you need it. The beauty of God’s love is that what he does for each of us will not be exactly the same. He knows what we need and He acts accordingly on behalf of each of us. God did not use a cookie cutter when He created us . We are each unique, so even though our situations may seem to be the same, His response may be different for you than it has been for me. That is why we call it a personal relationship we have with God that is made possible by the life, death and resurrection of His Son.    

I recently ran across an interesting quote attributed to David Weatherford. “In reflecting on the times of my life, it occurs to me that the difficult, arduous experiences always pass, or at least wane to a tolerable level. On the other hand, thankfully, the positive, uplifting aspects of my life journey seem to hold strong and steady throughout, as long as I appreciate and nurture them.” That quote reminded me of the story that has made the rounds on social media of an American Indian chief telling his son that there are two wolves fighting inside each of us. One is good and the other is evil. The boy asks, “Which one wins?” His father replies, “The one you feed.”

As Christians, children of God, we don’t just have positive, uplifting experiences or a good wolf fighting within us; we have the perfect, righteous and powerful Holy Spirit of God within us. Paul reminds us, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” (Romans 8:11) John confirms it, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit that lives in you is greater than the spirit that lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4)   

Do we appreciate, nurture and feed that power for good that is within us? His mission is to guide us safely and successfully on our mission, so the most important thing we can do is pay close attention to His prompting. I use the term “prompt” because I have not heard His voice at any time during our 67 year relationship; but I always know exactly what He wants me to do or say. My appreciation for Him, the wonderful people He has introduced into my life and the positive, uplifting things He has taught me, continue to grow each day. I know my obedience to His prompting nurtures Him.

What about feeding that Spirit for good within us? I know He is nourished when I pray, praise and worship God, or study His word.  For the last four and a half years I have worked with Him almost every day writing and editing my blog. It is His message and I’m just along for the ride as His scribe. It is the closest to God I have been; with the possible exceptions of when I was preparing and delivering sermons as a young lay preacher, or when I knelt in prayer at the entrance of the Garden Tomb, in Jerusalem in 1964. He is Spirit and when our spirit is nourished, He also receives nourishment with us.

My Christian brother or sister, do you appreciate, nurture and feed the Holy Spirit who is dwelling within you?       

Are you poor, rich or somewhere in between? It really depends on our definition of those terms doesn’t it? If by rich, we mean you can afford to have whatever you want; then I have never been rich. If by poor, we mean only having the clothes you are wearing and no home of your own; then my parents and I were poor for a brief time after the rented home we were living in burned to the ground along with all of our possessions when I was only nine years old. I never went hungry, but for that brief time, we depended on the kindness of others to help my parents get back on their feet. Through it all I never felt poor, because I still had my parents’ love and care.

Many parents today feel they are failing their children if they can’t afford to get them the latest smart phone or the latest expensive clothing fad. They fail to realize that they are only failing their children if they deprive them of the love and tender care they need. Recently, a friend reminded me that the poorest person is not the one without any money. The poorest person is the one without God in their life. Today I am living in a mortgaged townhome with just enough income to cover my necessary expenses, but my heavenly Father continues to love and care for me; so I don’t feel poor at all.

Some Christian missionaries, like Mother Teresa, bring the message of God’s love to people who are starving for food and clean water. They also need clothing and medical care. To demonstrate God’s love to the people of Calcutta, India, Mother Teresa raised the money, food and clothing needed to provide those physical needs. Once they had experienced her love, they were ready to be introduced to God’s loving care. She, and others like her, satisfy physical hunger and then lead people to the One who can satisfy their spiritual hunger and thirst. When God’s love is in a person’s heart, it is very difficult to think of yourself as poor. That is what Paul writes about, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13) So, my brother or sister in Christ, we are not poor; in a very real sense we are actually quite rich.

If you are reading this and you haven’t experienced God’s love yet; believe with all of your heart and confess with your mouth that God sent His Son to die for your sins. (John 3:16) Then receive the free gift of God’s salvation, mercy and grace with a repentant and grateful heart. Not only will you be filled with God’s love, His Holy Spirit will take up residence in your heart to guide you in your new life as a child of God.  

A friend, who founded and runs a very successful business, posted on Face Book about how important it is for her to remain calm and level headed when making important decisions. I commented with a quote from Kipling’s poem. “If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs and blaming you…” My parents described it as remaining “calm, cool and collected”. That is a sign of maturity, but it isn’t easy to do. There are at least four things that can make it difficult to remain calm.

The first is uncertainty. We don’t understand what just happened in our life and we ask, “Why!” Whether it is a life changing event or simply something that defies reasonable explanation, we can become distracted and even distraught for days on end. Today my wallet was not in my pocket where I keep it. It has fallen out in my chair before when I put my feet up, but this time it was not in the chair. I had my caregiver look under my chair and it wasn’t there either. Then he noticed it on the floor about four feet on the other side of my chair from the side I had it in my pocket and nowhere near where I walk. In the past, I would have tried to figure out how it could possibly have gotten there; but now I just thank God it was found and I’ll let Him explain it to me when my faith becomes sight.

The second is anger. The actions of others can easily trigger anger when they maliciously attack us, carelessly cut us off in traffic or when we witness someone else being abused by them. Anger is a strong emotion that can eat away at us and destroy our peace of mind. Our human reaction is to get ready to go to battle. Now, when that happens to me, I repeat to myself Exodus 14:14, “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Letting off steam doesn’t ease the anger; it just sprays fuel on the fire. Now I ignore them or better yet express love for them instead of anger. It is not only the proper Christian response; it restores my peace of mind and it drives my antagonists crazy.

The last two enemies of our peace of mind are fear and worry. One of my favorite pastors recently stated that what we fear or worry about shows us where our faith is weakest. That statement rings so true in my life. My experience has been that my worries are just fears of things that haven’t even happened yet. My faith in God through Jesus Christ and the love He has given me in return drives out all fear and worry. John tells us, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment and this shows that we have not experienced his perfect love.” (1 John 4:18)

I pray that each of you reading this have experienced God’s perfect love that drives out your uncertainty, anger, fear and worry; giving you a calmness that only comes from God.

As I’ve mentioned before, my physical exercise these days consists of struggling to get from one room to another on my walker. It is enough exertion to increase my heart rate and have me panting for a minute or two, but doesn’t seem to be enough to burn off all of the calories I consume; even eating just two meals a day. I’ve come a long way from that skinny kid trying to bulk up by lifting weights my freshman year of high school. Fortunately, I read somewhere that the best exercise to strengthen heart muscles is by lifting someone else’s spirit. Now that is an exercise I can still do and I love to work out in that way. It is also a very important part of living a healthy Christian life.

For several years now, I’ve had caregivers come to my home on weekdays to help me with chores I can no longer do. They are paid by the VA and by the State through Catholic Charities. I am blessed by the fact that their efforts allow me to stay comfortably in my own home. Many of them have been Christians, with whom I can openly share my blog and my spiritual journey. Others have been non-believers with a heart for serving others. I have lovingly exposed them to my Christian life and planted a few seeds of faith that I hope will take root. In either case, I have made a conscious effort to make them feel better when they leave my home than when they arrive. I do this by maintaining a pleasant, caring atmosphere and by showing them my sincere appreciation for everything they do for me. As a result, I am still in close contact with some of them who no longer work for the agency. In a real sense, I feel I am also a care giver because I do care about each of them.

This is nothing new for me. Since I have been walking the Christian journey, I have tried to encourage and lift the spirit of everyone I meet, even total strangers. Dale Carnegie has said, “You may forget the kind words you have spoken, but they may be remembered by the recipient for the rest of their life.” As Christians, I believe there are people who remember their brief encounter with us with fondness, even though they don’t even know our name.

The most rewarding spirit lifting occurs when we interact with Christian friends or family members. The men I meet on Saturday morning for breakfast have all expressed that they feel much better after being together and so do I. There are also wonderful Christian women who God has placed in my life. We will make a quick call to each other “just to see how things are going” and an hour and a half later we are still sharing. No matter what either of us is going through before the call, we always find something to laugh about together and I always feel much better when we finally say goodbye and I know they feel the same. That is what true Christian fellowship is all about; lifting each other up with encouragement and prayer. That is what it looks like when we follow Jesus’ teaching to love God with all that is in us and then love our neighbors. Care giving is a means of sharing our love and we will always get back more than we give.

Some people think being reborn spiritually, as Jesus described it to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John’s gospel, is simply what allows us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven when we die. While that is very true, there is a whole lot more than that involved with God’s mercy and grace. That rebirth is the beginning of a new life and a very special journey here on earth. I have been on that journey for 67 years now and it isn’t over yet.

Has my journey always been on Easy Street; with level terrain and pleasant scenery? Of course not! I have had mountain top experiences, but not without a grueling climb first. There have been obstacles and pot holes along the way and some brief detours. There have even been some storms and dark valleys to pass through. But my Lord has been with me every inch of the way. He guards my steps and keeps me safe through it all. My journey is physical, mental and spiritual. As my physical body becomes older and weaker, I lean on Him as I make my way from room to room on my walker and as a result I also lean more on Him mentally and spiritually. My mind and spirit actually are becoming stronger. God has prepared me and equipped me for this journey and given me missions to accomplish in His name along the way. He closes doors that distract me and opens doors for me that no man can close.

God doesn’t prevent us from passing through some very rough and dangerous territory, but like Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6:16-23) and the three young Hebrew men in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-27), He goes through them with us and brings us out unharmed on the other side. He understands whatever we go through because His journey took him up that hill called Golgotha to painfully die on a cross for us. I want to be honest about the Christian journey so I know I’ve made it seem kind of scary so far, but let me share with you the joy that I’ve experienced no matter where my journey has taken me. I recently read a quote by Greg Anderson. “Focus on the journey not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Our destination is glorious to be sure, but there is so much joy in serving God; responding to His promptings; and working toward completing the mission He has given us.

Every Christian has a unique journey, but each of them brings glory and honor to God and involves sharing the love, mercy and grace we have received from God with those around us. There is no competition or comparing of journeys, because each one is a tile that fits perfectly together to form God’s great mosaic – the big picture – His family portrait of all of His children busy serving Him.  

My Christian brother or sister, as you read this I want you to look back on how far you have come on your journey since you began your new life; joyfully continue on today’s leg of your journey; and then look ahead with great anticipation to travelling with Him the rest of the way.