Giving Up or Letting Go?

 

In many situations in life, our instinct is to fight it, fix it, and seize control. But very often, the Lord is asking us to do the opposite. He’s asking us to let go.

 Letting Go and surrender is completely counterintuitive. But that’s the nature of life lived God’s way. It runs against our natural instincts. But letting go isn’t the same as giving up.

 Giving up is when the rope is torn out of your bleeding hands. It’s something you allow to happen by a choice of your will.

 God never wants us to give up. But He does want us to let go.

 1. Letting go is an act of acceptance and surrender. It’s also part of life. To let go is to accept those things we cannot change. It doesn’t mean we approve of those things or even like them. But we release them nonetheless.

2. Letting go is an act of love, not defeat. It’s a deliberate decision to place our trust in Jesus Christ.

3. Letting go is the path to freedom. It also opens the door for God to gain what He’s after without interrupting, interfering with, or intercepting the masterpiece He’s seeking to create in you.

The fact is life is a series of losses. We lose friends, relationships, jobs, churches, family members, even our favorite stores, restaurants, games, and preferential subscriptions. The only thing that’s guaranteed is our earthly existence, and even that will be gone one day.

 As difficult as it is to let go, keep this in mind: You’re not really letting go. You’re simply transferring the problem into God’s hands - hands that are far more capable than your own.

 As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God, because He was my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him, in peace, to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help, with ways that were my own.

 At last I snatched them back and cried, “How can You be so slow?”

“My child,” He said, “What could I do? You never did let go.”

Will you?

 

Breathing His Name

 

There was a moment when Moses had the nerve to ask God what his name is. God was gracious enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as YHWH.

 Over time translators arbitrarily added an “a” and an “e” in there to get YaHWeH, first of all because the original pronunciation was lost, and secondly because in English we have a preference for vowels.

 But scholars and Rabis have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without intervening vowels, it actually sounds like breathing.

 YH (inhale)… WH (exhale…)

So, a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God.  A deep sigh calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words.

Even an atheist would speak His name, unaware that their very breathe is giving constant acknowledgment to God. Likewise, a person leaves this life with their last breath when God’s name is no longer filing their lungs.

So, when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name?

Being alive means I speak His name constantly. 

Is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest?

In sadness, we breathe heavy sighs.

In joy, our lungs feel almost like they will burst.

In fear we hold our breath and have to be told to

breathe slowly to help us calm down.

When we’re about to do something hard, we take a deep breath to find our courage. 

When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise. Even in the hardest moments. 

This is so beautiful and fills me with emotion every time I grasp the thought - God chose to reveal himself through this Name that we can’t help but speak every moment we are alive.

Brave New World vs 1984

 

Two defining books - masterpieces and bestsellers at the time and ever since: Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World" and George Orwell’s "1984". Are you familiar with these books? They used to be part of the high-school curriculum. Two different lenses portraying the future for them, which is our present, today:

- Orwell feared that books would be banned; Huxley feared that there would be no reason to ban books because no one would want to read them anyway.

- Orwell feared those who want to ban the access to information; Huxley feared those who give us access to so much information that we became passive, bored and tired because of it.

- Orwell feared that the truth would be hidden from us, and Huxley of the fact that the truth would be drowned in an ocean of irrelevance.

- Orwell feared that people would be controlled through the threat of increasing pain (physical and mental); Huxley that people will be controlled by the temptation of a increasing and addictive emotional pleasure (see also Neil Postman's essay "Amusing Ourselves to Death")

Concluding. Orwell feared that what we hate the most would lead us to doom, but Huxley was rightly afraid that what would cripple us as society and individuals is what we love the most.

I realized that we’ve got people around who are looking up seeing the reality through the lenses of either George Orwell or Aldous Huxley. Are you one of them?

Mark 4:9 - “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Different Kinds of Lies = 3

 

1. First kind: “I Swear to tell the truth” – Lies of Commission

If someone tells you something that is not a fact then we call this a lie of commission. This type of lie is telling someone something that is simply not true. You’re twisting the truth to create a (usually more favorable) version of something that happened.

Suppose I knew it was raining outside and you asked me about the weather. “Oh no problem, it’s perfectly sunny outside!” You would now be making a decision to dress for sunny weather based on the wrong information you were given.

2. Second kind: “The whole truth” – Lies of Omission

Another type of lie is one where you leave out an important part of information, hence the name lie of omission. In this lies, someone omits an important detail from a statement. These are nasty lies because they’re harder to spot and take less effort from the person who is lying.

Suppose you are buying a used car. You ask the car salesman about the state of the car you’re currently considering. “Oh, don’t worry about that! This car has had all of its scheduled maintenance done!” He fails to tell you, however, about the bottomless pit became in replacing parts and still not reliable. So yes, the car has had all of the scheduled maintenance done, but to sell the car to you, the salesman leaves out some crucial elements… 

3. Third kind: “And nothing but the truth” – Lies of Character

Sometimes people will tell you something completely unrelated to the truth to cover up a lie. This is what we call a character lie or a lie of influence. These lies are meant to make you believe the liar or to make the liar seem like such a great person that they are unlikely to be suspected of lying.

For example - you work at the local store and a colleague has been taking money from the cash registers. It’s your job to find out who it is. You interview Mary and ask her if she took the money. Her response is, “I’ve worked here for 15 years!” This is a typical character lie. By telling you how long she’s worked at this store, Mary is trying to make it seem highly unlikely that she took the money.

Different kinds of TRUTHS: just one kind - truth period.

But But

 

The word “but” is a coordinating conjunction used to connect ideas that contrast. We differentiate between genuine faith and dissimulated doubt, between winning and losing ground in everyday battles, by how we routinely use this tricky "but."

We tend to think and say:

- "The Lord is my Shepherd, but... I can't pay my bills."

- "The Lord is my Shepherd, but... I am not feeling well."

- "The Lord is my Shepherd, but... I am worried about this/that issue."

Instead, we should think and say:

- “Currently I cannot pay my bills, but the Lord is my Shepherd."

- “Right now I don’t feel well, but the Lord is my Shepherd."

- “I am really worried about this/that issue, but the Lord is my Shepherd."

“You prepare a table before me…

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life.”

 

Is He still your Shepherd?

He Is Alive, Talk to Him

 

A few weeks ago around Easter time, a joyful fellow Christian told me something I’ve heard many, many times: “Even if the gospel were not true, I would still want to be a Christian because this is the best life to live.” I get what he means. I just completely disagree.

The apostle Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Christ is not raised, “our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (v. 14). As a matter of fact, Paul wrote, if Christ is not raised, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (v. 19). Why?

First of all, people undergoing persecution for the faith cannot claim that the Christian life, even if the gospel is not true, is the happiest life possible. If Christ is not raised, a first-century woman who lost her husband, her extended family, her social safety net, and all her friends was not living her best life. She was doing so only if she looked beyond the momentary affliction toward something real.

If Jesus’ bones are somewhere in the ground in Jerusalem, then the Chinese believer in danger of arrest or the Sudanese believer in danger of execution are wasting the happiness that can come with the little securities and pleasures of this one short life.

Even those of us with strong community ties, rooted in faith, should see that Christianity simply isn’t worth it if salvation through Jesus isn’t true. After all this would mean that the “Matthew 28:1-8 women” were lying. The apostolic faith would be a fraud, and our community would be merely the bonds of natural affection, dissolved by the inevitabilities of biology and history.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20). He actually is alive! The Gospel story is true. I talk to Him and He answers back to me! 

Amen. The Christian life is worth it. Because of Him. And this is just the beginning of eternity with Him.

It's Not Just About You

 

We wonder why God keeps letting us go through challenges, trials, and obstacles. Sometimes it even seems like He's got something out for us.

But occasionally, I wonder if he allows us to struggle because He knows other people are watching.

My/your challenges aren't always about me/you - sometimes they're about a viewing audience. That audience might be friends, family, co-workers, boss, your kids... Could be anyone.

Especially if you're known as a Christian Bible believer, you can be absolutely sure people are watching. The bottom line is that the way you handle every difficulty, obstacle, or frustration, your experience is being watched by someone else.

Like it or not, they may be learning from your example. Your response to problems can be incredibly helpful or hurtful to the people around you. Remember that next time.

We joke that pregnant women are "eating for two." The truth is, your challenges in life are the same way. It's not just about you. It's about others as well (Matthew 5:16). And most of the times is about others. Period.

Asking Jesus the Right Question

 Mark chapter 11- it was the last week of his earthly life and Jesus spent time on social media of his day. He’s teaching in the temple but rather than authentic interaction he ends up getting a ton of silly questions that aren’t real questions - they are just meant to trap him. Tweets about authority, taxes, marriage, etc.

I saw these words in Mark 12:6 and I was gripped: “They will respect my son” It’s heartbreaking. It’s words in the parable of the tenants of the father sending his son to the people. But they say, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”

The religious leaders knew exactly what this parable meant. They were rejecting God’s plan A. That’s why they wanted to see Jesus thrown in prison and eventually dead. They wanted him done with, because they understood he was talking about them. He’s the son that they aren’t listening to - they’d rather kill him than listen.

How do you get to that spot? Especially if you are a religious leader of some sort. You’ve given your whole life to studying God’s Word, to being pleasing to God and then you end up saying, “here’s the son - let’s kill him.” How does that happen?

They recognize the Son. They see that he comes from God but they don’t like him and so they want to have him done away with. What is happening is that their foolish hearts are being darkened. They actually think they can trap Jesus because they’ve convinced themselves that they are more “in the know” than the Son of God. Their quest isn’t about finding truth - it’s about escaping God’s ownership of them. It is unbelieving-doubt.

Barney Piper says this:

“When unbelieving-doubt poses a question, it is not interested in the answer for any reason other than to disprove it. Unbelieving-doubt is on the attack. It is much more interested in the devastating effect of the question itself to erode the asker’s belief and hope in what is being questioned. The asker is not asking to learn; she is asking in order to devastate. She does not want to progress to an answer. She wants to show that there is no answer. Unbelieving-doubt is not working toward anything but merely against belief.”

And this is the kind of thing we see played out on social media, in the news, in a Senate commission etc. on a daily basis. Truth doesn’t matter as much as “gotcha” questions.

Jesus’ last week as the Man from Nazareth is consumed with unraveling all these “gotcha” questions. Jesus masterfully navigates the questions and pulls believers back to the kingdom of God. This too is part of His mission of making all things new.

The Good Question in the Midst of Noise. I think there is one more person that Mark wants us to notice in this narrative. In the midst of all these dumb “gotcha” questions is a scribe who actually asks the important question. “What is most important, the greatest commandment?”

Jesus answers by combining Deut. 6:4-5 (the Shema) with Leviticus 19:18 and essentially says the Law comes down to loving God perfectly and loving others totally. His answer puts him in a unique camp because there is no evidence that before Jesus these two commandments were combined. Jesus, as usual, is in his own camp.

The scribe affirms what Jesus says and even adds a bit of his own flavor saying that Jesus is correct that love is more important than sacrifice and burnt offerings. Which is essentially saying that relationship matters more than the religious practices and rituals of his people. And Jesus tells this guy that he is not far from the kingdom. He’s not saved yet. He doesn’t fully understand that to love God means to embrace Jesus. But he is at least walking down the correct road.

This special season, are you walking down the correct trail or the unbelieving-doubt highway?

Transactional Love

 

When I was a kid, it seemed the adults in my life - my teachers, church people, and, sadly, sometimes my parents - liked me more when I was good. I get it. Who wants bad behavior? I learned that if I could bring myself to sit still, stay quiet, and wait to pass notes when my teacher was at the chalkboard, everything went more smoothly.

We didn’t learn better behavior, just better tactics. When I hit the mark, I didn’t feel like such a nuisance. I felt like I was wanted. And I wanted to feel wanted. Who doesn’t?

That pressure to perform… It wasn’t intended this way, but these things confirm our biggest fears:

In this world that we are not loved for who we are but for what we do, how we act, how things appear.

We’re loved if we make life easier for the people around us. We are loved as long as we hide our mistakes. We are loved as long as we’re not an inconvenience. This is transactional love: we secure it as long as we hold up our end of the deal.

Here’s the thing: God said we are loved and belong because we were born. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

God says it doesn’t matter whether we lose the game with a strikeout or hit it out of the park for the win - we are loved. He’s not keeping score in the game because in Christ He already secured the win for eternity.

God doesn’t want us to just behave better. He wants us to be transformed into His likeness. Now go and sin no more.

Question: What would change if you believed what God said about you?

Confirmation Bias

 

Confirmation Bias is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories. My liberal acquaintances share and “amen” articles, videos, and memes that fit their pre-adopted left-leaning narratives. Conservatives share and “amen” articles, videos, and memes that fit their pre-adopted right-leaning mindset.

It’s so easy to fall into this “confirmation bias” thing. If something sounds true (meaning, it seems to fit what we already believe) we accept it as true without corroborating. It is the widespread epidemic of confirmation bias that has given us the “fake news” problem.

What is the bias of all other biases? That “me” is the center of the universe. That my happiness is what is most important in life and that my preferences ought to be the law of the land. So, whatever fits this bias must be “true.” And whatever does not, is rejected.

Signs that even your Christian life has become hijacked by Confirmation-Bias:

-  When you hear a particularly challenging or convicting sermon, you think mainly of who else it ought to apply to: ”I really hope my spouse/ child/ friend…  is listening right now”, instead of how it might apply personally to you.

- You don’t pray much for God’s forgiveness, but mainly to get His blessings.

-  You constantly rehearse the failings of others in your mind and imagine dialogues with them in which you “put them in their place” and this way you “win.”

Remedy according to the Unbiased Holy Book:

1. Self-examination daily. Our biases are embedded in who we became, they felt “natural.” So we aren’t typically conscious that we’re doing these things. Paul tells Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself” (1 Tim. 4:16).

2. Repent, taking up the cross daily (Luke 9:23)

3. Press the gospel reset button daily remembering that Christ’s mercies are new every morning for us (Lament. 3:22-23). This mercy is meant to be shared, not hoarded. How? Loving our unbiased God with all our heart/mind/soul and our biased neighbor as we love ourselves.

 

Shimmering Shimei

 

In his book “Letters from the Mountain”, Ben Palpant writes that he asked his grandfather how he endured all the criticism he received during his years as a big Hospital administrator. The grandpa, a man of faith, relayed the account of David’s interaction with Shimei in 2 Samuel 16.

Shimei was cursing David and literally throwing stones. Abishai, one of David’s warriors, wanted to cut off the cursing drunk’s head. David was, after all, the anointed one of God.

David’s response here is in line with Jesus in Samaria with James and John or with Simon Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane: a call to put away the sword. What’s fascinating, in this case, is ] the reason. David said that maybe Shimei was right in his views of David, so why spend time contradicting him? Moreover, David said - maybe God will use his cursing for good in my life.

That counsel is, of course, easier to read than to carry out, easier to apply in the abstract than in the middle of a situation. But it’s good counsel nonetheless. When people are “pushing our buttons” about our look, our faith, our vaccination status, our eating habits, our family, our church teachings, etc. what should be our response?

The advice seems clear - do not retaliate with the same intent to hurt these people who are bullying us for what we are. But wait a minute here, how are we going to read this Scripture? Proverbs 26:4-5:

    A - v.4 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.

    B - v.5  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

Contradiction?

Q 1 - Are you acting more like A or B?  Circle your answer, please =>   A     B

Q 2 - Who/ What is your “Shimei”? Write your answer here: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

Apologizing Without Agonizing

 

The Buttons

 

I heard the other day that some of the buttons we have to push don't actually do anything. Like the button to change traffic light so you can walk across the street. Or the one to make an elevator door close faster. 

They put those buttons there so we feel like have some control over our lives, when we actually don't.

We might think we've got everything in hand, but the reality is that it's only an illusion. Here's the thing: we encounter God all over again every time we're desperate enough to realize we're not actually in charge.

Fear and uncertainty launch us toward God, and He's always there to receive us when we arrive.

Q. What are you feeling uncertain about that you can bring to God in prayer? 

Test Test Test

 

The following moral and ethical dilemma type of question was actually used as part of a job application process for a large corporation:

“You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

   1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die

   2. An old friend who once saved your life

   3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about

Which one would you choose to offer a ride, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?”

 You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again. Think before you continue reading. What would you do? Who will you choose? How will you solve this problem?

 The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer:

“I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the old lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.” Cool huh? Think outside of the box.

 Now, we are facing the same type of challenge in our daily life. Strangers, acquaintances, friends, family members, charities, institutions… all of these are seeking our help. But we’ve got limited resources and time. What to do? The same thing – choose to ride the “bus” with the partner of your dreams – Jesus. He is going to tell you exactly when and where and to whom you should “give your car keys”.

 Think and act inside of His grace.