Month: March 2015

The High Cost of Faith

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

google-analytics-demographicsThe closer a person gets to retiring, the more focused he is on making good investments.  All investment decisions are important–including those associated with faith and missions.

The findings of Gil Anger, concerning the work of Christian missionaries, shed some light on this question (Statistic Brain Research Institute):

  • There are 419,000 people who are classified as foreign missionaries.
  • There are 26 countries that do not allow missionaries.
  • 629 Billion people have never been evangelized.
  • $250,000,000 is spent annually on Christian foreign missionary work.

The four points above are focused on demographics and dollars.   Is this an accurate reflection on the high cost of faith?  I don’t think so.  To understand the value of sharing the faith, you need to think of more than just the cost of an arm and a leg—you need to consider the sacrifice of a life.

When he wrote to the church at Corinth, Paul reminded them: “You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  The high cost of faith is seen in the immeasurable love of God for you.

When you begin to comprehend the full meaning of being “bought at a price,” I hope you will also grasp the fact that in return you are to “glorify God in your body.”    Paul may have had this in mind when he said:

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

 

Are You Eyesome or an Eyesore?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

in_the_eyes_of_god_by_rainacornasusgirl-d652cziEyesome is a word that I had never seen or heard of until yesterday, and it means, “Pleasant to look at.” When I discovered its meaning, I thought of the words of Peter when he spoke of the “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God (I Peter 3:4).”

I see fewer eyesome people who are noted for their “incorruptible beauty” and “gentle and quiet spirits.” Instead, there seems to be a proliferation of people who proudly exhibit a spirit that is reckless and impetuous.  This sort of person is less eyesome and more of an eyesore with a spirit that is rude, crude and arrogant.

What can you learn when you focus your eye on some of the Scripture below?

  • In Ephesian 4:1-3, Paul said I “urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace.
  • In his advice to young Timothy, Paul instructed him to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness (I Timothy 6:11).”
  • Paul emphasized the importance of gentleness when he wrote to the church at Philippi: “Let your gentleness be known to all men (Philippians 4:5).”

To be perceived as more eyesome and less of an eyesore, I encourage you to give some thought to Psalm 90:17:  “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us.”

The “beauty of the Lord” does not speak of any physical feature, but it does mean that God can make you an eyesome creature.  When His beauty is upon you, He will begin to develop the “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious” in His sight.

A Silhouette of Truth

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

61336241Like many other sports fans across the USA, my TV has been dominated by ESPN and college basketball. As I was watching to see where and when KU and WSU would play, I remembered a quote by John Wooden: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Wooden’s words remind me of the self-portrait Paul painted in Philippians:  “If it were right to have such confidence, I could certainly have it, and if any of these men thinks he has grounds for such confidence I can assure him I have more. I was born a true Jew, I was circumcised on the eighth day, I was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, I was in fact a full-blooded Jew. As far as keeping the Law is concerned I was a Pharisee, and you can judge my enthusiasm for the Jewish faith by my active persecution of the Church. As far as the Law’s righteousness is concerned, I don’t think anyone could have found fault with me (Philippians 3:4-6).”

As a Pharisee Paul thought he knew it all, but when he met Jesus he underwent a radical change:  “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.  My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead (Philippians 3:7-11).”

Let me paraphrase the verses above in just a few words:  “I got rid of my worthless-self-righteous-know-it-all attitude, so I could know Jesus.”

Stephen Covey said that, “In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.”  The “what-we-are” communication of Paul, was the harsh restrictive, and punitive mindset of the Old Testament.  Paul knew the nitty-gritty essence of what it took to be a Pharisee, but he didn’t have an itty-bitty speck of “what-we-are” grace. Paul was a know-it-all theologian, and at his core, he would abhor the grace-themed principles of Christianity.

Paul’s pace was slowed on the Damascus Road, when he had a personal encounter with Jesus. Up to this point in his life, Paul had tried to find fullness in a silhouette of truth. When he met the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Paul couldn’t ignore His majestic mercy and the grace galore that Jesus offers.

The arrogance of what Paul was, was quickly overshadowed by the eloquence of what he became. He became a Christian of significance because he was not content to just talk-it-up.  He knew he needed to live-it-out.

The Covey quote I shared earlier seems to be based on the teaching of John: “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”  If “what we are” determines the effectiveness of what we say, how influential is your life?

Blending In and Standing Out

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

panther_chameleon_yurimaru_2A recent article in Nature Communication reported on the unique ability of chameleons to adapt to their surroundings by changing their colors.  The article stated:  “Many chameleons, and panther chameleons in particular, have the remarkable ability to exhibit complex and rapid color changes during social interactions such as male contests or courtship.”

While most people are familiar with chameleons, researchers have discovered something new about this colorful lizard.  The ability of chameleons to change color is more than just manipulating their pigmentation.   They change color by actively tuning the positions of light-reflecting guanine nanocrystal cells that are embedded in their skin.

When I read this article, I thought:  “This is exactly what Paul did throughout his ministry.”  Chameleons change color to adapt to their surrounding and to benefit them in their social interactions, but this change doesn’t alter their basic constitution—they remain lizards.

Paul adapted his methods, but he never changed his message.  He emphasized different distinctives of the Gospel, so he could proclaim certain principles to specific segments of society.

Notice how The Message describes the chameleon ministry of Paul:

“Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it (I Corinthian 9:19-23)!”

By laying aside all pretense and pride, Paul was able to reach people for Christ.  Read it again: “I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.”

Paul laid his life on the line, so people could align their life with God:

“You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus (Acts 20).”  ~The Message

Are you willing to blend in, so you can stand out for the sake of the Gospel? Will you  “discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12)?”

The Grit in Integrity

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

el rifle 2In the movie, True Grit, the integrity of Rooster Cogburn was suspect at times. If you are going to live a life of integrity, it will take moral and ethical grit.

The person of integrity is one who strongly adheres to moral and ethical principles.  Solomon said:  “Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person—who can find? The righteous person behaves in integrity; blessed are his children after him (Proverbs 20:6-7).”

I wonder if H. Jackson Brown, Jr. had this verse in mind when he said, “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.”

To live a balanced life, Zig Ziglar said integrity is one of several essentials:  “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

Ziglar was not alone in espousing the benefits of integrity:

  • Aristotle: “Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”
  • Samuel Johnson: “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”
  • Warren Buffet: “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”

I’ll close with the words of Abraham Lincoln:   “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”  Live in such a way that people will see the light of your integrity.

A Joyful Heart

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Beautiful smiling cute babyMy concept of God might be different than yours.  I believe God is loving, caring, and full of joy.  God gave us our sight so we can have the pleasure of seeing rainbows,  butterflies, and majestic mountain ranges.

I thank God that He blessed me with the sense of smell, so I can enjoy the aroma of a freshly baked cake; and I am overjoyed that He created me with taste buds, so I can savor the flavor of apple pie topped off with a big dip of vanilla ice cream.

On my journeys into the wilderness, I’ve enjoyed the solitude of silence that is only interrupted by the chirping of a bird, the whistle of a quail, or the refreshing sound of a flowing river.

I’m glad that God wants His people to experience the wonder of joy and the fruit of happiness.  Solomon wrote of this in the Proverbs: “A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit . . . a cheerful heart has a continual feast (15:13, 15).”

A couple of chapters later, Solomon draws a contrast between the joyless and the joy-filled:    “One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones (17:20, 22).”

Since a joyful heart is good medicine, here’s a medicine chest full of quotes:

  • The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
  • I think I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. ~ Booker T. Washington
  • If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it. ~John Templeton
  • You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, Your God has anointed you with the oil of joy. ~Hebrews 1:9
  • I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. ~John 15:11-12

The key to living a life of joy is found in the words of the Psalmist:  “You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.” ~Psalm 16:11

Three questions come to mind when I think of the verse above:

  • Since God reveals the path of life to you, why take a detour?
  • If abundant joy is found in His presence, what do you have when you refuse it?
  • If eternal pleasures are in God’s right hand, what is left? Temporary and unfulfilling worthless worries?

I’ll close with the words of Paul:  “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” ~Philippians 4:4

Taking Care of the Small Stuff

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

In this blog and in other places, I have expressed my dislike for the asinine practice called Daylight Savings Time (DST).  In the Spring of each year, people throughout the USA lose one hour of sleep and their internal clock is in a state of confusion.  This toying with Mother Nature is actually detrimental to your health as well as your pocketbook.

The only benefit I see in DST is the manner in which Fire Departments and safety advocates use it.  Whenever we move our clocks forward in the Spring or back in the Fall, we are reminded to change the batteries in our smoke detectors.  This is a government program that actually makes sense.

Evidently Malaysia has no such program.  It is being reported that one reason Flight 370 has not been discovered in the past year is that the battery on the jet’s underwater locator beacon had expired.

I don’t mean that it had died and lost its charge in recent days before it took flight.  Not at all, the battery on the beacon attached to the Flight Data Recorder had expired in December of 2012.

Flight 370 was a Boeing 777 that had a price tag somewhere in the neighborhood of $261 million. Do you have any idea how much the battery cost?  Admittedly, the pilot or mechanic could not have stopped at a Walmart or Radio Shack and picked one up on the way to work, but it only cost $750.

While $750 isn’t exactly pocket change, it is a drop in the bucket compared to $261 million.  It is a small investment to make when you are trying to track a very expensive jet that is full of precious human cargo—mothers, fathers, sister, brothers, aunts, uncles, and children.

Neglecting small details can have catastrophic and costly results.  If you don’t put oil in your vehicle, the motor will seize-up and die.  If you don’t drink enough water it can lead to dehydration.

You may easily understand this fact when it’s discussed in the context of the mechanical or the physical, but the same is true for the spiritual.  If you fail to take the small steps, disaster may be lurking in the shadows.

alarm-clock-vector_GyJTaxwOOne of the secrets to the rapid growth of the early church, was they developed the habit of doing the simple things:  “They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).”

I do a very simple task every night before I get into bed.  I plug my cell phone into the charger, so it will be powered-up for the next day.  When I get up the next morning, I make a cup of coffee and sip it in while I power-up for the day ahead, and I recharge my spiritual battery by putting Acts 2:42 to practice.

I encourage you to plug into the God’s Word and to power-up through prayer—it will keep you flying when you encounter turbulence in your life.

Water: An Essential of Life

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

kenya-water-crisis-projectI think it was Abraham Lincoln who said that, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”  Whenever I think of this quote, the subject of statistics comes to mind.

People use statistics for different reasons. Someone has said that, “Figures don’t lie. But all liars figure,” and I think it was Vin Scully who said, “Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination.”

Some statistics are profound and purposeful, while others are simple and of little value.  I’ll let you be the judge as to the value of the list below:

  • Studies show that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population.
  • More than 10 people a year are killed by a vending machine.
  • The most children born to one woman was 69, she was a peasant who lived a 40 year life, in which she had 16 twins, 7 triplets, and 4 quadruplets.
  • During the first year of its life, a new baby will deprive each of its parents around 350-400 hours of sleep.
  • The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.

I think this second list contains some statistics that are truly worthy of your attention:

  • 783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water. 37% of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • According to the World Health Organization, for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between $3 and $34.
  • Nearly 1 out of every 5 deaths in children under the age of 5 is due to a water-related disease.
  • 1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.

When I washed my truck today, I wasn’t thinking of the few people who die because of a vending machine.  I did, however, wonder about what I should do to help the 283,710,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa who don’t have access to clean and safe water.

I also thought of something else.  It was the discussion that Jesus had with a woman who was drawing water from a well.  In His typical fashion, Jesus used a common site and a traditional practice to teach a spiritual truth:  Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).”

Based on what Jesus said, 100% of all people need to look to Him for salvation (John 14:6).  Take a close look at Him; study Him intently, and drink the cup of salvation that He offers you.

The Meaning of LIfe

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

meaning-of-life-37When you first see the word, you may wonder if you will remember how to spell it.  When you try to read it, you may think you will mispronounce it.  The word is Ecclesiastes, and it is one of the Wisdom books of the Old Testament.

Ecclesiastes is a record of Solomon’s attempt to find the meaning of life.  When you get to the last chapter of the book, Solomon makes a summary statement:  “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

There are some places in this book where you will find a phrase is repeated several times.  The fourth chapter is a good example:

  • 4:1: “the oppression that is done under the sun”
  • 4:3: “the evil work that is done under the sun”
  • 4:7: “I saw vanity under the sun”

The three repeated words, “under the sun,” reveal the key to Solomon’s frustration.  His attempt to find meaning in life was difficult.  “Under the sun” places the emphasis on a horizontal perspective at the expense of the vertical dimension.

What Solomon initially failed to grasp, was firmly gripped by Paul.  Notice how he accentuates the vertical perspective of the Christian life: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth  (Colossians 3).”

Paul’s use of the word “above” calls attention to the vertical perspective and contrasts it to the “things on earth,” or the horizontal realm.  Which one of these orientations guides you?

The answer to this question is found in what you wear:  What have you put off and what have you put on?

  • Paul said you should, “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.
  • Once you have put off the horizontal, you are ready to put on the vertical: “Put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created you.”

There were times when I was a kid that I would frustrate my parents and they would ask:  “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”  That’s not a question you need to answer; however, you might think about this:  How are you living under the sun, and what have you put off and put on?

It’s The Time of Your Life

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

google-calendar_logoBeing on time and staying on schedule could be a difficult task for me, but it isn’t.  Google Calendar is an application I use every day to help me manage my life.

Each morning when I start my day, I have an email from Google waiting on me.  When I open it, I find my schedule for that day.  I don’t have to wander through the day wondering what I am supposed to do.  Thanks to Google, I already know.

The person who waits for the right time to do something fails to realize that time is a precious commodity that quickly rots when wasted and spoils the opportunity of the moment.  It doesn’t make any difference if you think you are living in the best of times or the worst of times, this is the only time you have—it is the time of your life.

You have 60 minutes in every hour; 1,440 of them every day; 10,080 of them every week; and a whole bunch of them in a year.  If you will manage the minutes of your life, the hours will take care of themselves.

The time of your life is so important, the psalmist said:  “Teach us to number each of our days, so that we may grow in wisdom (90:12).”  The idea is not that you assign a number to each day of your life.  The concept is that you get the most out of each day, so you are living it for the glory of God.

Carl Sandburg captured the essence of this discussion when he said:  “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”

It is the time of your life, so spend it wisely.