Vote By the Word

Proverbs chapter 8 contains a wonderful personification of the nature of Godly wisdom, which can be so important in the decisions we make:
12"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion.13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.14Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.15By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.16By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.17I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

We have the promise of Godly wisdom available to us - if we set our minds to seek out God's perspective for our lives, we can encounter a wealth of knowledge and understanding, that we can apply as we properly discern God's will in any situation.   Not only can we acknowledge the availability of such wisdom, but as we seek the face of God through prayer and careful study of the Word of God, we can see the operation of it in our lives.  We can know the will of God; we can operate in the wisdom of God - but it takes a commitment to seek it out.

In Romans 13, I believe we gain some insight into the proper, God-ordained role of government.   Here are the first 4 verses of that chapter:
1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.2Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.4For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
So, the basic premise here is that government is an instrument to reinforce good and punish evil.   And, in verse 6, we are told that we play a part in supporting the civil authorities by paying taxes:6For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.7Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
We've been given a great opportunity as Americans to play a part in the selection process of our governmental leaders - and tomorrow, you can participate:  it's primary election day in Alabama, and polling places are open from 7am-7pm.  And, there are plenty of slots to choose from:  our state is selecting its statewide leaders, the entire House of Representatives in Washington is up for re-election, so is the entire Alabama Legislature.    There are local races - from county sheriff to school board - that also attract attention.
So, with all these choices, how do we best reflect Christ and make our selection?   Here are a few thoughts:The first thing we can do is choose to participate.   The analysis of the national elections in 2008 and 2012 indicate that about 1-in-4 voters were evangelical.  That's it.   So, there is a decided lack of motivation for Christians to get involved in this important process.   We have a great opportunity as citizens of this nation to exercise this responsibility.
Also, we can pray.  The Bible teaches us about asking for and exercising Godly wisdom.   The choice of elected officials is very important, and we need the leadership of the Holy Spirit in voting.   
And, we can determine or develop a personal agenda to provide the template through which we evaluate candidates.   We can establish what we would look for in a candidate and then select the man or woman in each race that best lines up with that set of standards.   You probably won't find the perfect candidate in all instances, but find the one who best represents your values.  
You can turn to the Scriptures for assistance in crafting this profile.  Here are a few of the characteristics that would be important to me:  one is that the candidate is pro-life, dedicated to the protection of human life, inside and outside of the womb.  That is a bedrock principle, and perhaps is foundational to a candidate's agenda.   In these days also, a commitment to the family is important, devoted to traditional marriage and developing policies that help and not hurt families - this is especially vital in the economic area.   When families face financial challenges and are feeling the strain of excessive taxation, they need relief from those in office.   
I do believe a Biblical approach to financial management is key.  If a candidate has a commitment to resisting the enormous temptation to spend taxpayers' money and can offer financial solutions for financing the necessary work of government without a burden to families, that is an attractive quality.   
And, I believe that we should look for candidates that demonstrate a respect for the practice of religious faith.  I would hope that a candidate would have a relationship with Christ, but that may not always be the case.  And, there are those who profess to be Christians, yet they make decisions that are not consistent with the Word of God.  So, we look for those who are going to uphold our religious liberties and who have a track record of walking and voting in a manner that is consistent with our own deeply-held values.
We have to look at character as one of the criteria for candidates.  In an age where relativism has taken hold of the political process, we must seek out candidates who are, as we might say, statesmen or stateswomen, who demonstrate a high level of character, who can earn our trust and confidence.
Those are just a few characteristics that are important to me.  And, with so many different candidates on a ballot, it may be difficult to process the information on all of them.  But, there are numerous tools available - a Google search on candidates can be helpful.  And, if you really want to dig, you can go to the Federal Election Commission site or the Alabama Secretary of State website and actually see what financial entities are supporting the candidates in various races, especially the legislative ones.  If a candidate is receiving money from entities that do not reflect your belief system, then it may be a cause for concern - there is enormous money involved in elections these days, and the organizations from which a candidate is receiving money may be an indicator of the type of voting record you may expect.  
Proceed with prayer, be informed, and allow God to lead you as you enter the voting booth tomorrow. 

Revisionist History

In Ephesians 2, we see the stark contrast between who we were - the trajectory of a life doomed to destruction - and who we can be in Christ, in light of what He has done for us.
1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...

Contrary to what we might think, our lives are not a clean slate - we are uniquely wired in a certain way when we come into this world, born with a unique personality and a potential to live for God...or not.   Because we are born with that propensity to sin, we have to make that conscious choice to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior so we can experience the life He has in store for us.  Even if we surround ourselves with good influences, engage in positive relationships, and make proper choices, if we get the big choice wrong, we will not be saved - we cannot save ourselves.   So, we can try to be good by human effort or we can allow Christ's goodness to flood our lives.

In 1st Corinthians 6, we are reminded of the change that has been made possible through the presence of Christ invading our lives and radically altering our hearts, changing our trajectory.  Verse 11 says that:
(11) you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
We read on in verse 14:14And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
And this in verse 17:17But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 

Ah, another potential big movie, again from the Disney universe, the category of redeemed or misunderstood villians - how the villianness of Sleeping Beauty actually became who she was, and not necessarily the embodiment of evil, according to the Plugged In review of the film, Maleficent.

The USA Today review of the film says that:

Adults know that characters can have a multiplicity of impulses. Generally, kids get it too (witness the popularity of Frozen and the conflicted queen Elsa). But at a screening, a child voiced her confusion to a parent: "Is Maleficent good or bad?" It's a valid query. In a PG-rated movie, kids should be given a clearer sense of motivation.

We're reminded that:

Familiar to Disney audiences, Maleficent is a horned, witch-like figure who, in her original form, was draped in black and purple and had a greenish face. Her haughty demeanor spoke volumes — none of them good.

Angelina Jolie powerfully conveys her character's menace. Though with red glossed lips and sculpted cheekbones — minus the putrid-green complexion — she's a more glamorous incarnation.

Here, Maleficent's sympathetic side feels tacked-on. No doubt the filmmakers figured fans of Beauty and the Beast and Wicked would be enthralled by a conflicted character. But Maleficent's back story and psyche are more vague and less developed than those of the Beast or Wicked's Elphaba.

The idea of a backstory of a villian is nothing new - George Lucas spent the better part of 3 Star Wars films showing us how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and even more time trying to convince us that there was still good in him.

And, isn't that the point of these revisionist presentations?   The Wicked Witch of the West became the conflicted and misunderstood Elphaba in the very fine musical, Wicked.   The Snow Queen of Hans Christian Andersen was portrayed in a milder sense in Frozen as the tormented Elsa.   And, now we have Maleficent transformed before our very eyes.

In a spiritual way, I'm all for revisionism.  Our very lives can take a dramatically different course when Jesus interrupts our timeline.   A life that began in depravity that can only be partially dressed up by good influences and right choices can be radically changed by the presence of Jesus and our acceptance of salvation.  God can re-write our life story - He can bring clarity out of confusion and delight out of despair.  He provides meaning and purpose; He is our Redeemer, our Savior.   Sure, we will have our struggles and our internal conflict, but God can direct us in working through those life issues that threaten to derail us.

But, we can attempt to revise the story without true redemption, and that's dangerous.   By chalking up our devious ways to being "misunderstood," without the true change of heart and a passion for holiness, we can shortchange the work that God wants to do in us.   We can go easy on ourselves and attribute our degradation to "well, that's just the way I am," or blame harmful people or circumstances.  Or, we can fail to intervene in the life of someone else because we think they are either beyond change or do not need to change.   Truth is, we all need to change - not to gloss over our sinful patterns, but to allow the Spirit to do His work from the inside out.   We can be better, but we have to realize that doesn't come merely by trying to modify behavior through human strength; rather, life change transpires as we realize that we can't truly change by human means - but through the Spirit, we can.

Protect Your Castle: Lead With Humility

The apostle Paul wrote a powerful passage about humility and how we regard others in Philippians 2:
1Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,2fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Our Lord Jesus set a powerful example for us - throughout His ministry, He taught on and demonstrated the power of humility, and ultimately, He humbled Himself by giving His life, bearing suffering and humiliation so that we might come to know Him, that we could be saved.   Now, He calls us to lay down our lives and accept the new life that only He can bring.  By His power and in His live, He also calls us to lay down our lives before other people, regarding their needs as higher than our own.

There's a powerful teaching on leadership in Mark chapter 10.   Jesus is talking about what it means to be great, and we read:

42But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.43Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.44And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Recently, Papa John's founder John Schnatter took a trip to the U.K. He stayed in a castle that had been renovated to become a hotel — complete with oven and steam room.

At a recent National Small Business Week event, according to BusinessInsider.com, Schnatter related, "The next day I said to the manager, 'This is neat, how come there aren't more castles that are hotels?'"

The hotel manager's reply was that if the king didn't take care of the peasants who built the castle, they'd burn it down. But this king took care of the people who did the heavy lifting, so it stands to this day.

To "Papa" John, that was a powerful lesson in management. He told the gathering, "If you don't take care of the people doing the heavy lifting...they will burn your castle down."

Of course, this is an analogy for the management sphere, a reminder to take care of the people who work for you.  Schnatter contrasted what he sees as two management models:  the head coach and the king, or queen. He says that king and queen managers are more adversarial, while coaches work more cooperatively with their employees.  A queen will take all the credit; a coach will spread rewards around the team. Schnatter says that when people are working in a coach-type environment, there's less anxiety and less fighting.
Schnatter says that 15 years ago he managed more like a king. If he or an employee made a mistake he'd "get really down on himself." But if a mistake is made today, he'll approach the incident with curiosity, asking why the mistake happened. This is crucial, he says, given that you can't innovate unless you're willing to make mistakes.

There are some Biblical principles at play here - first of all, Jesus demonstrated a model of servant-leadership - even though He was a king, He taught His disciples to lead by being servants, and He exemplified that.  The apostle Paul teaches us to put the needs of others before our own, to esteem others as higher than ourselves.

So, apparently the castle owners were arrogant and they essentially reaped what they had sown.  That is a Biblical principle as well - if we convey an attitude of pride and we mistreat people, then I believe that we are vulnerable to having the same behavior displayed toward us.  If you cultivate an atmosphere of hostility, it will produce hostile actions.

There's also a degree of learning from our mistakes.   Because we are frail humans, we will mess up - frequently.  But, as Christians who have the wisdom of God available to us, we can rely on the Holy Spirit and the direction of the Word to not only help identify failures, but also to point out ways in which we can improve.  We need not be afraid to fail, but we do need to evaluate where we miss the mark and refine our course.  And, if there's sin involved, if we have walked in disobedience, we need to confess our sins and experience God's forgiveness.

Monsters Among Us?

The Bible tells us that the human heart is desperately wicked.  Jesus said that evil intents proceed from our innermost being and defile us.   The apostle Paul taught on putting sin to death in Colossians chapter 3:
5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
There's more...8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...
There's the answer - we are all born with a propensity to sin, and the sum total of our lives proceeds from that propensity + influences we encounter + the choices we make.  But...the whole equation is transformed by the reliance on the power of Christ - if we are followers of Him, then our salvation results in a changed heart, a new life.  While influences from the culture will still be there, we can develop a greater immunity to being seized by them, and we'll make correct choices, resulting in a life that glorifies God and produces fruit for Him.   The power of the gospel can reverse a negative sum total for our lives.

Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew chapter 15 about the inward forces that defile individuals:
18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.20These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Ultimately, there is one man responsible for taking the lives of 6 people in Santa Barbara, California over the weekend.

But, who knows what influences could have contributed to his demise.  

According to a comprehensive piece by Dan Wooding on the ASSISTNews.com website, Elliot Rodger, this troubled 22-year-old man who carried out his sinister plan on what he had threatened to be a "day of retribution," was the son of "Hunger Games" assistant director Peter Rodger, whose IMDB page shows that he had divorced Elliot's mother and remarried.

Reports say that by the ninth grade, Rodger was “increasingly bullied” and he stated that he “cried by myself at school every day.” In 2012, Rodger stated that the “one friend I had in the whole world who truly understood” him “blatantly said he didn't want to be friends anymore,” without offering him a reason for abandoning the friendship. He was described as “a serial killer in the making” by users of a bodybuilding online forum of which Rodger was a registered member.
According to the Rodger family's attorney, Rodger saw multiple therapists and was a student at Santa Barbara City College, although the school later claimed he was no longer taking classes. The lawyer also claims that Rodger was diagnosed with “highly functional Asperger syndrome” as a child. Prior to attending Santa Barbara City College, Rodger attended Crespi Carmelite High School, an all-male Catholic high school, but left before graduating. He had a YouTube account, a Facebook account, and a blog titled Elliot Rodger's Official Blog, all of which contained posts expressing loneliness and rejection. His 141-page manifesto mentioned a number of drugs that he was prescribed to use, although how long he was being treated with them and the identity of the drugs currently remain unknown.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, Jr., son of Bill Brown, formerly the head of Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures, told Face the Nation on CBS that deputies from his department first interacted with Rodger in April after a relative expressed concern about his well-being.   Brown said that Rodger told "a very convincing story" to the deputies to make him believe he wasn't going to hurt himself or someone else, and he didn't meet the criteria for further intervention at that point.

The sheriff also stated, "Obviously, looking back on this, it's a very tragic situation, and we certainly wish that we could turn the clock back and maybe change some things...It's very apparent that he was able to convince many people for many years that he didn't have this deep, underlying obvious mental illness that also manifested itself in this terrible tragedy." Sheriff Brown stated that his officials were unaware of the disturbing videos that Rodger had produced until after the tragedy.

Wooding quotes Michelle Moons, writing for the Brietbart California web site, who wrote that David Guzik, Pastor of the local Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, talked about the murder in his Sunday message, saying, “Our community was touched, impacted… wounded.”

Guzik went on to say, “We don’t short sell the presence of evil in this world,” and he continued, “It also tells us something about the courage and the great work of our first responders.”

Guzik further said, “It tells us something about our culture and how the idols of our culture work destruction in the lives of troubled people.”

ChristianNews.net reports on Rodger's final video: 

“You girls have never been attracted to me. I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me. But I will punish you all for it,” he stated, followed by dark, maniacal laughter. “It’s an injustice, a crime. Because I don’t know what you don’t see in me. I’m the perfect guy. And yet you throw yourselves at all these obnoxious men, instead of me, the supreme gentleman. I will punish you all for it.”

He reportedly declared, "I’ll be a god exacting my retribution on all those who deserve it...Just for the crime of living a better life than me.”

Two comments from the pastor in Santa Barbara that I want to seize on:  “We don’t short sell the presence of evil in this world," and “It tells us something about our culture and how the idols of our culture work destruction in the lives of troubled people.”

Elliot Rodger was responsible.   But, the end result of his life was determined by the influences upon him and the choices he made.  His mental illness was a huge factor, of course.  But there are scores of people who are mentally ill that don't stoop to this level:  You factor in wrong ideas and bad choices and you have the making of a troubled individual who obviously thought that violence was the ultimate revenge for the way he had been mistreated.   A Washington Post film reviewer has suggested that entertainment culture was an influence, propping up a false idea of what it truly means to be a man - I do believe that our entertainment choices shape our worldview, and I don't doubt that they would contribute to propelling someone to commit violence...could or could not be a factor.  

Elliot's father has a light resume which includes his work on "The Hunger Games" and his production and narration of a documentary called "Oh My God," which is summed up, according to Movieguide, by answering the question that there is some kind of God and all forms lead there – whether it’s pantheism, Christianity, Islam or any other religion. He states that man needs to create religion and that we all have different names for God.  Peter sees that religion has led to wars as being evidence that religion is not the answer.   Tim Lahaye, Walid Shoebat, Hugh Jackman, Bob Geldof, and other are all featured.   So, there is evidence this child was not brought up in a home environment where the Scriptures were taught and revered.

I do believe that the culture and its extreme influences can contribute to the degradation of individuals, to the extent that they would commit murder or take their own lives.   As the pastor said, there is evil in this word, and the idols of our culture work destruction in the lives of troubled people.  The warning signs were everywhere concerning Elliot, and he was seeing therapists - obviously the steps taken were insufficient.

This tragic incident can highlight for us the opportunity for the church.  We realize that evil is prevalent in this world, and people are making the choice to reject the ways of Christ.  Mental illness will cloud the thinking of many, and fortunately, even within the past few years, churches are taking steps to remove the stigma of mental illness and reach out to try to provide Biblically-based help for those who struggle in that area.   We have to be dedicated to continuing to shine the light of God's truth into a culture that accepts so many ideas that contradict the Scriptures.  And, we have to be sensitive and discerning in order to extend compassion toward those who struggle.  The presence of Jesus can transform a life that is headed for destruction - He has the power to undo the patterns of sin in all of our lives.

Not Lost

We live in a world that needs to know and experience the hope of Jesus.  Hebrews 6 reminds us:
19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,20where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

There has been some discussion about the state of our culture.  Are we living in a post-Christian era?  There is evidence that is true.   But, I would submit that because the church is still here on this earth, that there is great potential for good to be done and for Christ to be glorified.  If we take seriously our calling as followers of Christ and allow His love to flow through our lives, we can be vessels through which the character of Christ can be expressed.    His love is powerful, and He wants to do His work through His obedient servants - He wants to display Himself through His people!

Here's a story from Acts 17, and there's a key phrase that I want to highlight:
2Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,3explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ."4And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.5But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

You may have heard about it - in the time period prior to Easter Sunday, British Prime Minister David Cameron made some rather pointed comments about Christianity and the role of the church. The Telegraph stated that:

In his strongest intervention on religion to date, Mr Cameron said that in an increasingly "secular age" Christians need to be even "more confident" and "ambitious".

He said that he has personally felt the "healing power" of the Church of England's pastoral care and highlighted its role in "improving our society and the education of our children".

He said he wants to "infuse politics" with Christian "ideals and values" such as "responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility and love".

Just before Easter, Mr. Cameron wrote a piece in the Church Times about the value of Christianity to the U.K. today.

Cameron is also quoted as saying that, "I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organisations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people's lives."   He also said that other religions should be respected.

Australian theologian Bill Muehlenberg, in a piece I first saw on Matt Barber's BarbWire website, wrote about a small gathering of around 25 key Christians that met in Britain recently. He said, "At this gathering of around 25 key Christians, I was impressed with how God always has a remnant left for himself. As many of you may know, this once great Christian nation is no longer great, at least in terms of Christianity. It is now a very dark and secular place indeed."

He went on:

Just last month the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams declared England to be a “post-Christian” country. In an interview with The Telegraph he said that Britain is no longer “a nation of believers” and that the Church is likely to decline even further in the years ahead.

His comments follow from remarks made by the Prime Minister David Cameron that Christians should be “more evangelical”.

Muehlenberg then shared about his comments to the group of believers, whom he described as "champions."  Urging them to "keep standing strong," he said:

I mentioned that Jesus had a dozen followers, and that they managed to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). I suggested that with over two dozen present, we had even better odds of transforming our world! I encouraged them to not grow weary in welldoing, nor to let discouragement overcome them.

He proposed that the West may be past a spiritual point of no return, but said that God could bring life out of what he called, "the spiritual and moral ash heap of England."

In conclusion, he wrote that it took centuries to overtake Christianity, and we may need that same time frame again. He says:

A new dark ages has settled over the West, and we are indeed “post-Christian”. But God is still on the throne, and still able to make dry bones come to life.

I mentioned that we certainly do need more people like Spurgeon and Lloyd-Jones and Stott today in London and in England. Let us pray that God raises up such men, for such a dark time as this. But the group of 25 or so I fellowshipped with yesterday gave me very great hope that all is not lost, and God is still at work in deepest, darkest England.

I think there are some key points here to reinforce.  One is that in Christ, there is always hope. Prime Minister Cameron recognized the potential in Christian principles, and even though former Archbishop Williams described a "post-Christian" culture, which we have heard about the culture in which we live here in America, we can still hold fast to Christ and His principles.  Where there is a remnant, there is potential for God to work through it.

I do think that it's encouraging for political leaders to publicly recognize the validity of the Christian faith and its potential to change hearts.   Sometimes politicians will use religion as a veneer to hid behind, and we have to be so discerning when governmental leaders on one hand reach out to the church and on with other embrace principles that contradict the Christian faith.   I don't know what Cameron's purpose was in making these declarations about Christianity, but I think it can serve as a reminder, even to those in the U.S., that Christianity is an incredible force for good in the culture - and we must continue to possess an attitude of being bold for Him.

And, don't discount that God may be raising you up or placing you in an important position where He can use you to speak His truth and to demonstrate the compassion of Christ.   We may have a tendency to underestimate ourselves, but with the power of God and a willing heart, we can make a mark on the world for Him.

Not Special But Unique

In Romans 12, we are told to have an accurate view of ourselves, not viewing ourselves as the center of the universe, or possessing a conceited point of view.   Verses 2 and 3 say that:
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

It's so important that we make Jesus the center of our lives and recognize that the ability to accomplish - well, it's given to us by Him.  The life that we have - it's a gift from God.  The blessings we receive - I believe we attribute them to the hand of the Lord.   The wholesome qualities that we should desire - only through recognizing His presence in us and acknowledging that without Him, we can do nothing.  He gives us the power to live a fulfilling life, to walk in His love, and to please Him.

There's a difficult passage in Luke 17, where Jesus taught the virtues of selflessness and service and not seeking the praise of men.  He said:

7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?

8But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?9Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.10So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "

It's graduation season, so I thought I would highlight a speech that took place a couple of years ago to remind us of some Biblical truths consistent with that passage.

The teacher took the stage to address the students of a Massachusetts high school at their graduation exercise.   After a comment about commencement being life's ceremonial beginning, he launched into statements...like...this:

Normally, I avoid clichés like the plague, wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but here we are on a literal level playing field. That matters. That says something. And your ceremonial costume… shapeless, uniform, one-size-fits-all. Whether male or female, tall or short, scholar or slacker, spray-tanned prom queen or intergalactic X-Box assassin, each of you is dressed, you’ll notice, exactly the same. And your diploma… but for your name, exactly the same.
All of this is as it should be, because none of you is special.

You are not special. You are not exceptional.

Contrary to what your u9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you… you’re nothing special.

Whoa - that's not exactly what you think you might hear in such as setting.   But, Wellesley high school teacher David McCullough, Jr., son of the famous historian, was far from finished.  The transcript was posted on The Swellesley Report website.   He took aim at the entitlement mentality that he feels too many students possess and blew it to shreads:

Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You’ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You’ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie...

But do not get the idea you’re anything special. Because you’re not.

I am not endorsing the 2012 speech, and I certainly can't agree with it 100%.  But, he makes some very good points.   Take, for instance, this morsel:

Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That’s 37,000 valedictorians… 37,000 class presidents… 92,000 harmonizing altos… 340,000 swaggering jocks… 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs. But why limit ourselves to high school? After all, you’re leaving it. So think about this: even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you. Imagine standing somewhere over there on Washington Street on Marathon Monday and watching sixty-eight hundred yous go running by. And consider for a moment the bigger picture: your planet, I’ll remind you, is not the center of its solar system, your solar system is not the center of its galaxy, your galaxy is not the center of the universe. In fact, astrophysicists assure us the universe has no center; therefore, you cannot be it.

And, in closing, he says: "Exercise free will and creative, independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you, but for the good they will do others, the rest of the 6.8 billion–and those who will follow them.  And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you’re not special."

This reminded me of content that parenting guru John Rosemond and I discussed on The Meeting House. And, I located a piece he wrote that sounds strikingly similar to McCullough's contentions.   By the way, McCullough has released a book centered around that speech.

I located a column that Rosemond did back in 2012 that emphasizes courage over self-confidence. From The Courant website, we can read:

Teachers were told that constant praise would elevate academic performance, but social scientists have found that people with high self-esteem consistently underperform. They believe anything they do is worthy of merit; therefore, they tend not to put forth their best efforts. It is worth mentioning that as praise in schools has gone up, test scores have gone down.

And so, and once again, we discover that there is nothing new under the sun. The traditional ideal of humility and modesty appears to be the most functional state of self-regard. That should humble folks who believe that new ideas are better than old ones (but it won't).

History is replete with humble and modest people who accomplished great things. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are two outstanding examples. Their accomplishments were not the result of thinking highly of themselves, but of dedication to causes much larger than themselves.

Besides, I will propose that courage, not self-confidence, is what parents should be attempting to help their children develop. The research strongly suggests that self-confident people either are (a) hesitant to take on challenges unless they believe they are going to succeed, (b) so sure of succeeding that they foolishly expose themselves and others to high risk situations.

The Bible teaches not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.   Jesus acknowledged that without the Father, He could do nothing.  Applied to the Christian life, I believe the one of the principal lessons for us from McCullough and Rosemond would be consistent with the call to deny self and live in the power of the Spirit.   A productive and satisfying Christian life is predicated on responding to God's call to be selfless.

And what about being special?   Well, you are unique, fearfully and wonderfully made, created by God - so in that sense, you are shaped in a special way.   But, in the sense of being entitled to praise and deserving of special privileges, well, not so much - and that's a point of McCullough's speech.   He is calling young people away from an attitude that they are entitled just because they're human, the "center of the universe" mentality. When we take our eyes off ourselves and place them on the Lord, who will direct us to the needs of the people around us, then we can discover the joys of the surrendered life.   The world does not revolve around us, but we are called to allow our lives to be centered on Jesus and our relationship with Him.

Renewal of the Brain

Our posture in prayer can be powerful, as we call upon the God of heaven to intervene in our lives.   God is calling us, I believe, to a greater intensity in prayer, concentrating less on the things of this world and focusing our minds on Him.    Jesus talked about coming away and praying to Him in Matthew 6:
5"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.8Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

I think about that secret place with Christ.   A place of refuge.  A location of solace, where we come away from the challenges we face each day, where our view of our troubles can be transformed by an encounter with Almighty God.   Our minds can be at peace, and our spirits can soar - our perspective of those concerns in our lives can be changed because God will shape our thinking as we pray, and we can experience the power of God as the resources of heaven are released in response to a surrendered prayer.

In 1st John 5, the writer encourages us to come before the Lord and gain confidence in His love and faithfulness:

12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.14Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Could your activity in prayer can actually have a physical impact on the brain?

The Christian Post reports on a new study by Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of research at Thomas Jefferson Hospital and Medical College in Pennsylvania, who led the study in which MRI brain scans proved that there is power in prayer or meditation. The study also found that prayer is much like a physical workout for the brain.

According to South Carolina-based WLTX 19, Newberg said, "When we look at how the brain works, it looks like the brain is very easily able to engage in religious and spiritual practices. … It only makes sense if God is up there and we are down here that we would have a brain that is capable of communicating to God, praying to God, doing the things that God needs us to do."

The article says that test results revealed that the benefit of praying or meditating can actually shape the brain.
"There are multiple parts of the brain that seem to get involved and it really does look like the brain is easily able to have these experiences," Newberg said. "It has something to do more generally with how we can improve the function of the brain that these kinds of practices can actually help with."

Back in 2012, The Huffington Post reported on another study by Newberg that found the ways in which prayer and meditation affect the human brain. His research proved that when a person engages in prayer, there is an increase in activity in the frontal lobes and the language area of the brain known for becoming activated during conversation. He found that for the brain, praying to God is similar to talking to people.

To conduct this study, he injected participants with a harmless radioactive dye while they were deep in prayer or meditation. The dye then migrated to the parts of their brain where the blood flow was the strongest.

He concluded that regardless of religion, prayer created a neurological experience among individuals.

"It helps us to understand that at least when they (participants) are describing it to us, they are really having this kind of experience. ... This experience is at least neurologically real," Newberg said.

This makes sense - prayer is a wonderful practice that God has given us the opportunity to engage in, where the limitations of earth reach into the unlimited resources of heaven.   And, while you may think of prayer as strictly a spiritual practice, I believe that it has holistic effects.   So, I would think that we are affected physically by our prayers.  I believe prayer can contribute to our emotions being transformed. And, as we call upon God, our awareness of His love and expectancy of His faithfulness increase.

I do believe God is calling us to a greater intensity in our prayer life.  Think about Newberg's dye injected into the brain - the experience of intense prayer created a tangible change in brain function.  And, when we are focused on God and His resources, abiding in Him, not only are we affected spiritually, but we can have the confidence that God hears and answers our prayers.   Prayer enables us to come apart from the influences and challenges of this world and to experience the presence of the God of the universe.