Suffering

Readings for today: 1 Peter 1-5

It is the fundamental assumption of the early Christians that following Jesus would involve suffering. They knew their faith would make them different. Set them apart. They knew they would not be welcomed in either Jewish or Gentile societies. The Jews would consider them heretics. Blasphemers. People who dishonored God by claiming Jesus as Messiah. The Gentiles would consider them seditious. Traitors. People who dishonored Caesar by claiming Jesus as Lord. As a result, they had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. There was no place they could go for safety. So what did they do? They endured and they trusted God would use even their suffering for their good and His glory. Listen to how the Apostle Peter, a man well-acquainted with suffering himself, puts it. “You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith, more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Suffering is not just external. It’s also internal. We battle not just forces external to us like the world, human society, and cultural norms. We fight a spiritual battle against our own sinful nature. Once again, Peter puts it in stark terms. “Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles  to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.” (1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Every day we face temptations. Every day our flesh tries to draw us away from God. Every day the enemy attempts to get us to indulge our sinful desires. It could be greed. It could be selfishness. It could be lust. Sex, money, and power tend to be the biggest draws. But we must resist these desires and live holy lives before the Lord and before our friends and neighbors in the world.

How do we do this? Especially when our flesh is so weak? When our strength is so small? Once again, Peter gives us the answer. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil  is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.” (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬) I can’t tell you the number of times God has used these specific verses to encourage and challenge me. The reality is I battle temptation every day. The needs that come my way as a pastor are often overwhelming. I find myself coming face to face with my own inadequacies on a regular basis. And there are times when I start to lose hope. Start to lose heart. Especially when I spend time with my friends around the world who are suffering under intense persecution. It is in those moments that God reminds me the battle belongs to the Lord…not to me. It is the God of all grace who restores, establishes, strengthens, and supports…not me. It is the mighty hand of God that holds all my anxieties and fears…not mine. And I can trust Him. He will be faithful.

Readings for tomorrow: Hebrews 1-4

The Power of God’s Love

Readings for today: 1 Peter 3-5, Psalms 34

I am convinced there is nothing stronger than God’s love. There is nothing more powerful. I have staked my life on God’s love. I have pushed all my chips to the middle of the table to bet on God’s love. I have made it my aim in life to love fiercely and faithfully and unconditionally because I believe that’s how God loves me. Make no mistake, loving like God isn’t always easy or comfortable. It is often costly and takes you into all kinds of challenging situations. It forces you to forgive when you’d rather hold onto bitterness. Reconcile when you’d rather cut someone off. Let go when you’d rather hold onto hurt. At the same time, loving like God is transformational. It truly covers a multitude of sins. I have experienced this in my own life.

My father passed way last March. For the last forty years or so, my father battled alcoholism. Thankfully, he wasn’t abusive but he wasn’t easy to love. When he was drunk, he could be mean and hurtful. He could be overly critical and shaming. I often got into it with him. I would get angry and frustrated. There were times when I considered cutting him out of my life and might have done so if it wouldn’t have impacted my mom. Having said all that, God really challenged me to love my father. Especially over the last twenty years. He challenged me to love my dad unconditionally which didn’t mean giving his bad behavior a pass. He challenged me to love my dad faithfully which often meant hard, honest conversations with him. He challenged me to love him fiercely and courageously and boldly which meant sharing Christ with my dad and praying for my dad and even hugging my dad and telling him how much I loved him every time we saw each other. What happened as a result? I got to see my dad change. I got to see him soften and grow more tender. I got to see him drink less and less as the years went by. And miraculously, I got the opportunity to baptize my father in the Jordan River when we went to Israel together. It was amazing.

“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭CSB) I have learned to embrace this kind of love as a way of life and God has blessed me in so many ways. My wife and I no longer sweat the small stuff. We no longer let the minor irritations get in our way. I text my adult children two to three times a month just to tell them how much I love them and how proud I am of them and how I am praying for them. It opens doors to all kinds of wonderful, life-giving conversations. I am learning to listen more attentively to my colleagues and friends in ministry. I am learning a ton as a result and becoming a much better pastor. I am intentionally seeking to build bridges with those who are different than me. Culturally, ethnically, economically, politically, and as it relates to matters of faith. I am growing in so many ways as a result. My life is so enriched by every single one of these relationships and only God’s love is powerful enough to hold us all together.

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Peter 1-3, Psalms 35

The Tyranny of Self

Readings for today: 1 Peter 1-5

We find ourselves in the midst of a massive cultural shift. For a millennia or more, Western Culture has largely aspired to the ethics of Jesus. He was the gold standard. His teachings formed the bedrock of our moral, religious, political, and legal codes. The way He lived provided the definition of the “good life.” Yes, we never got there. Yes, there were many abuses along the way. Yes, there are many times and seasons and even decades and centuries where the West engaged in gross and even monstrous hypocrisy. But the way of Jesus remained the governing paradigm for a life well-lived. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Many now believe the way of Jesus to be outdated and old-fashioned. Many believe the way of Jesus to be phobic and abusive. Many believe the way of Jesus to be immoral and even evil. Why the change?

Human beings are naturally oriented towards “self.” We are naturally focused on making sure our wants, needs, and desires are satisfied. In this way, we are naturally “selfish.” Meaning we are self-focused. Self-absorbed. Self-protective. Self-promoting. This makes perfect sense when one stops to think about it. After all, we live in a world that is violent and painful and full of injustice and evil and suffering. In such a world, we have to look out for number one because no one else will do it for us. We have to naturally look out for ourselves and guard our hearts and minds and protect our resources and assets or we might become victim to all sorts of nefarious, unhealthy, and toxic forces beyond our control. All this is the consequence of the Fall. It’s the primary symptom of original sin. It’s the root of why there are such vast disparities in our world when it comes to access, opportunity, resources, etc. We naturally do not sacrifice for each other. We naturally do not serve each other. We naturally are not generous towards one another. Yes, we might be able to do these things for a season - if enough cultural pressure is brought to bear - but, by and large, on a day to day basis, we are not wired for selflessness and this is tragic. It’s why the history of the human race is filled with so much horror and pain and suffering and violence and evil. We are not good. Not by any definition. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Jesus came to wage war on the tyranny of self. He came to overthrow the kingdom of self. He came to set us free from slavery to self. I love how the Apostle Peter describes it in our reading from today, “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.” (1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The reality is we are all “tyrannized” by our selfish desires. We are all enslaved to our insatiable appetites. No matter how much we achieve or how much we gain or how much we experience or how much we accumulate…it is never enough. The dopamine rush eventually wears off, leaving us craving more and more and more. The more we seek to feed our selfish desires, the more depressed we become. The more we seek to serve our “selves” primarily, the more impoverished and broken our relationships become. The data on this is overwhelming and unequivocal. What else can explain the sharp rises in rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation? What else can explain the accompanying rises in drug use whether it’s recreational marijuana, opioids, and other narcotics? What else can explain the dramatic rise in the need for therapists and psychologists? We are all seeking to address an existential hole in our hearts but we keep going about it in all the wrong ways. The answer is not to focus on self but on others. The answer is not selfishness but selflessness. The answer is not to be served but to serve. And if that last bit sounds familiar it’s because it’s exactly the antidote Jesus provides.

Jesus knows the tyranny of self. He has suffered under its yoke. He’s knows how challenging this world can be and how tempting it is to turn inward. Jesus faced all these temptations and more when He walked the earth. Thankfully, He never succumbed to their pressure. He refused to bow the knee to Self. He refused to use His limitless resources and abilities to serve Self. Instead, He gave Himself away and He calls us to do the same. If you want to live a life filled with joy and peace and grace and beauty and love, there is only one way to do it. Follow Jesus. Learn to think like Him. Learn to act like Him. As you do, you will be set free to live as God created you to live and be the person He created you to be.

Readings for tomorrow: Hebrews 1-4