Joy and Sorrow

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

—1 Peter 1:6-9

I LOVE to run! I’m not entirely sure why. Yet, for some peculiar reason, I’ve developed the desire to pursue an activity that is quite frequently accompanied by painful knees and strained ankle ligaments. However, the undeniable joy I receive after I’ve run to the top of a peak on a trail in the Rockies—while gasping for the limited oxygen available at 10,000 feet—may possibly rate second to only the inexpressible joy God’s promised me as the end result of my faith. Trail running is indubitably jubilant.

I’m currently reading a truly inspiring book: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by journalist Christopher McDougall. In Born to Run, McDougall investigates the Mexican Tarahumara Indians who seem to possess the ability to run hundreds of miles without injury. In Colorado’s famous Leadville Trail 100 Run—where runners run 100 uninterrupted miles across the rugged Colorado terrain at elevations ranging from 9200 to 12,600 feet—two Tarahumara runners had just passed the 60-mile checkpoint and were witnessed smiling and laughing as they ran up a steep dirt ramp. McDougall wrote the following about the event:

“‘Everybody else walks that hill,’ Chlouber thought, as Juan and Martimano churned up the slope like kids playing in a leaf pile. ‘Everybody.’

‘Such a sense of joy!’ marveled Coach Vigil, who’d never seen anything like it, either. ‘It was quite remarkable.’ Glee and determination are usually antagonistic emotions, yet the Tarahumara were brimming with both at once, as if running to the death made them feel more alive.”

A friend of mine recently posted the following quote on Facebook:

“If joy does not arise out of the midst of tragedy, it will not arise at all…Separate joy from sorrow and there’s nothing left.

—Mike Mason

As we journey toward spiritual maturity, one of the greatest realizations is that transformation, embracing God’s purpose, and ultimately pure joy quite often—if not always—simultaneously and antagonistically accompany pain, tragedy, sorrow, suffering, persecution and difficulty. Success is never void of struggle. In Your Best Life Now, Joel Osteen writes, “No matter how successful we are, we all face challenges, struggles, and times when things don’t go our way. Understand that God has a divine purpose for every challenge that comes into our lives.”

Due to Jacob’s odd, yet successful experiment with genetic engineering, Laban and his sons became hostile toward Jacob. Under direct orders from God, Jacob packed up his family and began his journey back to his native land. Before leaving, Rachel decided to steal her father’s household gods. Knowing that God was blessing him through Jacob and not wanting to lose that blessing, Laban pursued Jacob under the guise that he wanted to give his family a proper send-off as well as retrieve his stolen gods.

Rachel hid the stolen gods in her camel’s saddle, sat on the saddle, and then claimed that it was her personal time in order to deter her father from searching the saddle. Fearing he would become unclean and impure, Laban refused to search the saddle (Leviticus 15:19-23) and came up empty-handed. Feeling falsely accused, Jacob defended himself:

 “I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.  This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.  It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

—Genesis 31:38-42

For twenty years, Jacob suffered at the hands of his father-in-law. Nonetheless, in the midst of that suffering, God was present…blessing Jacob from behind the scenes. Jacob’s success wasn’t entirely obvious. To most, it would’ve appeared that Laban was the successful one, and Jacob was suffering continual hardship and persecution. This misconception explains why Rachel felt it was necessary to steal the very gods that appeared to bless her father. Laban knew that Jacob was his lucky charm, but nobody else did.

Jacob was beginning to realize that God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan often comes to fruition through painful experiences and hardships. When we encounter hardships, we often rebuke the God to whom we’ve placed our trust. We turn to other sources to provide for us; we turn to our household gods…to our money, our possessions, our relationships, and our career successes, and we look to them for our blessings and our joys because God doesn’t seem to care.

Like Laban’s household gods concealed in Rachel’s saddle, our false gods fall short because they are unclean and impure; they’re not the righteous Almighty God. God has a good, pleasing and perfect plan for our lives…even if that good plan simultaneously and antagonistically accompanies pain and suffering. Unfortunately, spiritual maturity often—if not always—is the fruit of despair. Jacob knew that God was blessing him through twenty years of hardship. Transformation occurs when we renew our mind to recognize that joy paradoxically accompanies sorrow.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

—James 1:2-4

The Power of the Mind

“The mind is wavering and restless, difficult to guard and restrain: let the wise man straighten his mind as a maker of arrows makes his arrows straight. What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.”

— Gautama Buddha, from The Dhammapada

Have you ever tried to harness the powers of the Jedi? Perhaps, you’re not into Star Wars, but maybe you’ve seen—and enjoyed watching Matilda, Phenomenon, or Carrie. You’re bored and lazy…sitting on the couch and the remote control is WAY across the room. You want to turn on the television, but you just don’t want to get off the couch. The temptation to attempt telekinesis enters your mind. You think to yourself, “If I could just harness that remote with my mind.” Like Luke Skywalker summoning his light saber while dangling from the top of the Wampa’s ice cave, you attempt to summon your remote control with the power of my mind. Come on! Admit it! At some point in your life, you’ve tried to move something using only the power of your mind.

I’m fascinated by telekinetic power. One can’t argue that supernatural power is intriguing to most people. If it wasn’t, why are superhero, vampire, and wizard books, television programs, and movies grossing billions every year? People love to escape into mystery, the paranormal, the unknown world, and revel in the endless possibilities of the human mind.

The human mind is undeniably more powerful than we often give it credit. King Solomon wrote the following regarding the power of the mind:

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

—Proverbs 4:25-27

The Apostle Paul also encouraged us to be aware of our thoughts…for our mind is a powerful thing:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

—Philippians 4:8

How much power does our mind possess? The Buddha went as far as to suggest that our minds control our lives. Is positive thinking really that powerful?

After serving Laban for 20 years, Jacob finally said to his father-in-law, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you” (Genesis 30:25-26).

Laban knew God was blessing him through Jacob, so he begged Jacob to stay…even telling Jacob to name his wages and he’d pay him whatever he wanted.

Jacob agreed to stay if he could keep all the striped and spotted goats and all the black, spotted, and speckled sheep; Laban could have all the white sheep and all the white and black goats. Laban quickly agreed knowing most of the goats were black or white and most of the sheep were white.

In an effort to control the breeding results of his father-in-laws livestock, Jacob placed striped branches in front of the strong animals while they were breeding. If the animals were weak, he would remove them and not allow them to breed in front of the striped branches. Apparently, Jacob believed that viewing striped branches while breeding would directly correlate with having striped and spotted young. Oddly, Jacob was correct. Makes you wonder what you should be watching on television the next time you conceive, doesn’t it?

Please, I appeal to you, if Jersey Shore or Toddlers & Tiaras is on your television set the next time you…well you know—TURN IT OFF! The future of our world depends on it!

Jacob’s plan worked because God was behind the scenes working out his good, pleasing and perfect will, not because viewing striped branches while copulating directly affects procreation. There is, however, something to be said regarding the power of the mind. Jacob’s life and his attitude is beginning to transform because he is no longer conforming to the patterns of this world…he is no longer regressing back to his old deceitful ways. He’s maturing and transforming by renewing his mind. Renewing your mind is powerful and transformational. Focusing and dwelling on God rather than those things that drag us down—those sinful tendencies that continuously lure us back into worldly patterns—will help us determine what God’s good, pleasing and perfect will is for our life. Focusing and dwelling on God will carry us back to our own homeland.

I often underestimate the power of my mind. When negative thoughts take over, I’m only contributing to negative situations in my life. Positive thinking truly has a powerful impact, on not only our present situation, but also the future outcome of our life. The Buddha was right on, “What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.” So like Jacob, spiritual transformation begins when we start creating a life that is holy and pleasing to God by thinking about those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

—Romans 12:2

Weak Eyes

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

—Romans 12:2

Ms. Kramer stood in the front of the class taking attendance while Tony, Eric, and I sat in the back of the classroom trying to recall the Spanish vocabulary words for the day and practicing our customary response to the myriad of questions that could possibly spew from Ms. Kramer’s mouth: “no sé!”

I detoured from my Spanish preparation and began drawing a funny picture of a male horse eating spaghetti in order to offend Tony—an over-the-top Rocky fan. Tony wasn’t amused with my depiction of the Italian Stallion; Eric and I were.

Out of the blue, Sara leaned over and asked me rhetorically, “Do you know who you remind me of?”

I shrugged.

“Paul, from The Wonder Years!” she said, answering her own question…not even bothering to wait for my response.

I immediately fired back with insult, because I was greatly hurt. Truth hurts! I did look like Paul Pfeiffer from The Wonder Years. I was scrawny, nerdy, and wore braces.  Furthermore, I consistently took on the role of the “wingman.” My life is riddled with events where I had to accept a certain lot…to stand idly by while the Kevin Arnolds of my life sought and conquered their Winnie Coopers. Frequently, I have stood along the margins…offering my support and banking out of the way when Winnie finally caved to their advances. More than just looking like Paul Pfeiffer…I was Paul Pfeiffer and I didn’t want to be…Sara had struck a chord. I was only 16 years old, yet I was already jaded from standing on the sidelines…from being picked last for kickball…from being the one with “weak eyes.”

After arriving in Haran, Jacob met his cousin Rachel and fell in love with her. Rachel’s older sister, Leah, was also unmarried. Leah had “weak eyes” while Rachel was beautiful and had a nice figure. The Hebrew culture was preoccupied with the eyes and believed that they were windows into a woman’s soul. The eyes were often used to illustrate a woman’s beauty. The lover in Song of Songs writes the following about his beloved, “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves” (Song of Songs 1:15). In the most sensitive way, the author of Genesis is telling us that Leah was so ugly, that when she sat in the sand the cats would try to bury her. Leah knew her lot in life…her father had to trick a man to marry her. Leah herself had to pay in order to get her husband to lie with her. Leah knew what it was like to stand on the sidelines. God, however, did not ignore Leah or let her stand there all alone. God blessed Leah with many children. Leah’s fourth son, Judah, was the ancestor to Jesus. Judah means “praise” because when he was born, Leah praised God for blessing her and recognizing her while she stood in the shadow of her younger sister.

God continues to see us…even when we’re standing in the shadows of those around us…even when we have “weak eyes.” God sees us when no one else does! Jacob didn’t realize that God was going to work out his plan of redemption and spiritually transform him through his own weaknesses and through his weak-eyed wife. Jacob’s transformation would not occur by Jacob’s own strength, power, and conviction. It would only come through his weaknesses.

When Leah’s descendant walked on the earth, He passed through the town of Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. A short man who had made a fortune ripping off his own people wanted to see Jesus, so he climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to get a better look. This man was hated by all…his “weak eyes” had caused him to turn on his family and friends. Jesus saw this man and gave him a chance at redemption. A simple encounter with the Son of God, and the man exclaimed, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).

Truth is…we all have “weak eyes” of some sort. We have shortcomings and brokenness that appear to hold us back and keep us from our God-given purpose…and sometimes they do. For years I tried to strengthen my eyes…I tried to rid myself from my Paul Pfeiffer persona because I truly believed my “weak eyes” kept me from fulfilling my purpose. I lifted weights, tried to become more athletic, and eventually, yes, my braces came off reveling gorgeous teeth that are like “a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing” (Song of Songs 4:2). My 20/20 hindsight has taught me that my “weak eyes” only made me stronger. My “weak eyes” taught me more about God’s purpose and calling for my life than my strengths ever have. Transformation typically occurs through our pains, our failures, our faults, our fears, and our worries…our weak eyes. Like he did with Jacob, God also sees us in our weaknesses and he typically works through our “weak eyes” rather than through our strengths, our beauty, our nice figures, or our gorgeous sheep-like teeth to accomplish his good, pleasing and perfect will.

But he [The Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Part 2: Behind the Curtain

Angie gazed down into her iced tea and picked at her spinach salad; the silence was deafening. I didn’t know what to say to my dear friend whose appetite was suppressed from intense chemotherapy. In a subconscious empathetic gesture, I too unobtrusively stared at my cheeseburger and fries without eating a bite. The murmur of conversing truck drivers and sojourners, who hoped to pass through Iowa without having an impact on its fertile soil or formulating a memory, pervaded the dense air. The “tinks” and “tonks” from the dishwasher in the back fetched me from the edge of oblivion.

“You’re asking me why?” I finally responded, shocked that she would even inquire this from me. “I don’t know Ang! Because life sucks! Because God sucks! Because wonderful people still hurt, and still get sick…” I jolted to a stop as my eyes began to well up with tears.

“I have to think there’s a better reason than that, Shawn.” Angie said looking at me with illogical, but endearing compassion.

Angie continued to pick at her salad while imparting a plethora of reasons why God inflicted her with a terminal disease: reconciled relationships, spiritual growth and maturity, newfound perspectives on life and death, to name a few.

“God can bring about those ends through other means.” I said not even considering that I may be crushing the optimistic aspirations of my suffering friend.  It didn’t. My jaded and callous remark had no impact on Angie’s perspective or on her faith in a good and sovereign God who is always there behind the scenes making something good out of evil.  Angie died and was welcomed home into the arms of that good and sovereign God because she didn’t lose heart, hope, faith, or love in a God who had a good, pleasing and perfect plan for her life. Angie knew and fully embraced the spiritual truth that  the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God, and in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:26-28).

One of God’s attributes is that he’s omnipotent. God is all-powerful and is always in control; he’s in control of our life and in control of the world around us. God’s plan never alters, even if we try to take over. Often, after experiencing the presence of God and having a glimpse into his good, pleasing and perfect will for our life, we find ourselves taking over the wheel. We tell ourselves, “We’ve got this. Things are looking good. The road is clear. The destination is in sight.” Often we lose sight of God’s divine driving force in our life. God moves from the driver’s seat, to the passenger’s seat, to the back seat, and then ultimately into the trunk. We keep him around…lying back there in the truck. Perhaps we gag him so he doesn’t bother us, but we don’t leave him on the side of the road. We may need him again someday. Whether we consciously or unconsciously neglect the presence of God, no one can really shove God in the trunk in order to deter his power or gag him in order to shut him up. God will carry out his plan regardless.

After basking in the presence of God at Bethel, and being enlightened as to God’s good, perfect and pleasing plan for his life, Jacob continued on his path toward Haran. Jacob didn’t, however, shove God in his trunk or gag God in order to shut him up. Jacob was beginning to understand that he was on a mission from God. Jacob was accepting his destiny as a man of the Promise…a man through which God would carry out the redemption of the world. How this would unfold was unknown to Jacob, and he hadn’t yet grasped—like Angie had—that God is good and sovereign and is always there behind the curtain, sometimes even making something good out of evil in order to accomplish his plan and purpose.

Upon arriving at Haran, Jacob encountered some lazy shepherds hanging around a well. Knowing that these shepherds had the entire day to graze their sheep and hoping they would help him remove the heavy stone from the well in order to water the sheep of his beautiful cousin Rachel, he told them to water their sheep and then return to the pastures. The shepherds remained stationary, so Jacob decided to remove the stone himself. If you recall, Jacob was no Don Johnson. Some extraordinary strength overcame Jacob that day giving him the fortitude to lift a stone that normally required the strength of several men. You can imagine Rachel’s reaction to this feat of strength; God was there—behind the curtain—helping Jacob impress his cousin Rachel.

Later, Jacob encountered his uncle Laban and Laban’s older daughter Leah…the uglier of the two. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Laban wanted to marry off his ugly daughter and would do anything to make it so. Jacob was about to get a taste of his own medicine. Also, unbeknownst to Jacob, God was going to begin working behind the curtain in order to accommodate Laban’s deceit into his good, pleasing and perfect plan. It doesn’t seem fair. Jacob had embraced his purpose and mission. Jacob was growing and maturing and trying to put away his evil ways and embrace the transforming power of the Spirit. Why was God going to allow Laban to deceive him? Why doesn’t God stop the deceit instead of working through the evil for the good?

Because life sucks? Because God sucks? Because wonderful people still get hurt and deceived?  God doesn’t stop it because we all live in a fallen and evil world. Yet God is good and sovereign and is behind the curtain making something good out of evil. For Angie, her cancer was evil…a product of a fallen world and she fell victim to that fallen world just like anybody else. Angie understood that bad things happen to good people, but God takes those bad things and works through them in order to accomplish his good, perfect and pleasing will. Angie embraced this truth and it shined from within; Angie had been transformed into maturity; Angie was there. Jacob, on the other hand, had a long way to go. Jacob was about to doubt God’s presence in his life and God’s goodness within the events that were about to unfold. Jacob also eventually shined from within because he transformed into maturity; he just wasn’t there yet.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

—Romans 12:2

Part 1

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

—Romans 12:2

What would your name be if you were named for your greatest weakness? What should I call you if your parents named you for that sin to which you are most vulnerable? My name literally means “grace”—wishful thinking on my parents’ part. If my parents had named me for that sin to which I would eventually become most vulnerable, my name should be Rumor or Gossip. Cruel names, but true to the mark. Thankfully, our parents don’t typically name us for our sins. We are born, however, into a sinful world and those sinful patterns that so dominate the world immediately take over our lives and begin to control our every impulse. We naturally conform to these patterns and are in need of transformation in order to fully embrace and traverse the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.

I’m a firm believer in the doctrine of original sin: that “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). The Heidelberg Catechism states that the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise so poisoned our nature that we are all conceived and born in a sinful condition. If the buck stopped there, that would be depressing…and it was depressing before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul continues in Romans, “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:18-19).

For the next few posts, I’m going to delve into the life and journey of the patriarch Jacob…his shortcomings, his triumphs, and his transformation from a sniveling, deceitful, hairless brat into a true servant of the Almighty God. Jacob went from a man who conformed to the patterns of this world along with his inbred sinful nature to a man who transformed his mind while learning to embrace God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.

We first encounter Jacob when he was in his mother’s womb. Jacob was a second-born twin. Jacob and his brother Esau began struggling with each other when they were still in the womb. In fact, they struggled so much in the womb that their mother Rebekah prayed for death rather than continue with the pregnancy. God told her that the two sons in her womb would always struggle with each other. In addition, each son would become the father of a nation and those nations would also continuously fight against one another. The older son, however, would serve the younger. When they were born, the younger son came out with his hand gripping the older son’s heel, so Isaac and Rebekah named the younger son Jacob, which means holder of the heel. More significantly, “Jacob” is also a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives (Genesis 27:36). For most of his early life, Jacob lived up to his name.

Jacob was a momma’s boy—hanging out in the kitchen, cooking dinner, doing the dishes, and sweeping the dirt in the tent. Esau was a manly man—spending time out in the field, hunting wild game, and getting dirty. Rebekah, for obvious reasons, loved Jacob more than Esau…Jacob was more like the daughter she never had. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob…Esau hunted wild game and met Isaac’s expectations of the “ideal” son. The story that unfolds is a great illustration of what results when families turn on themselves.

In the Ancient Near East, when one’s father was close to death, he blessed the first-born son…giving him power over his brothers and the family’s possessions. Esau was the rightful heir and deserved the blessing. Therefore, Isaac commanded Esau to go out and hunt some game. When Esau returned with wild game, Isaac promised to bless him. Meanwhile, while Isaac was speaking with Esau, Rebekah was eavesdropping from the next room. Rebekah waited until Esau left the tent, and then commanded Jacob to prepare some yummy food. She then told Jacob to serve the food to Isaac while pretending he was Esau in order to steal the blessing. Rebekah is obviously forgetting the promise God had already given her—the promise that Jacob would become the stronger son and Esau would serve him. Instead, Rebekah took matters into her own hands. Esau was a hairy beast and Jacob was a hairless wonder, so Rebekah found some animal skins to put on Jacob’s hands and neck and then she dressed him in Esau’s clothes. After preparing some tasty grub, Rebekah sent her deceiving protégé into Isaac’s room. Isaac fell for the trick hook, line, and sinker, and blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Upon returning from his hunting expedition, Esau received the news of his brother’s deception, and vowed to kill Jacob. Being the brave strong man that he was, Jacob tucked his tail between his legs and ran away to his ancestors in Haran.

Along the route to Haran, Jacob stopped for the night. While sleeping, Jacob had a dream where a stairway connected Heaven to Earth and the angels ascended and descended upon it. Above the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:10-15).

Even though Jacob messed up big time, lived up to his name, and subscribed to the sinful patterns of the world, God didn’t give up on him. God promised Jacob—there in his dream—that someday Jacob’s sin and deceitful ways would no longer separate him from the love and presence of God. God knew that Jacob would find his way back to the path God planned for him. Jacob had a long way to go, but he would eventually be transformed and discover the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.

Followers of Jesus profess that the true stairway from Heaven to Earth descended upon us over 2000 years ago (John 1:51). Because of Jesus, we all now have the amazing opportunity to intimately connect to God. Jesus bridges the chasm caused by deceit, gossip, and all the other sins. Jesus is the stairway between our sinful selves and God. Like Jacob, we too have a long journey ahead of us. Nevertheless, God wants us to move from conforming to the patterns of this world toward the transformation that occurs through his own stairway—Jesus Christ. Through this transformation, we too will know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.

“It’s not fair!” My daughter hollered from her bedroom. “Why does he get some and I don’t?”

“Cuz sometimes some people get and some people don’t get.” I immediately responded.

“But that’s not fair.” She said.

“Fair? I asked astonished. “Life’s not fair Sweetie!”

“Then I get something else!” She exclaimed.

“Huh?”

“Since he got that, I get something else!”

“You think you get something just because someone else got something?” I asked her politely. “That’s not the way the world works. You don’t always get something just because someone else got something.”

“But that’s not fair!”

“You want to know what isn’t fair?” I began to rant. “How about a thirteen-year-old named Richard, orphaned in Uganda, having to raise his two younger brothers by himself because his mom and dad died from a deadly disease? No running water; no electricity; no beds to sleep in; no mom or dad to love him or read him a story; no food for days. Now that’s not fair.”

My child just gawped blankly at my face and said, “But if he gets that, then I get something too. If not, it’s just not fair.”

I immediately threw my hands up in despair as we came around full circle.

If I stop for a moment and meditate on my true desires, I too fall victim to the philosophy that life should be fair. Perhaps we all believe this to some degree. One of the most common assaults on monotheism is the following: If God is good, then why do bad things happen? Even more so, why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? That just isn’t fair! God should make things fair, right?

This isn’t a new concept. King Solomon declared this same complaint before the Lord, “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 8:14).

It’s interesting. After sorting through everything in the world that was meaningless and unfair, King Solomon came to one solution—one philosophical approach to this unfair world:

Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.

—Ecclesiastes 12:13

When reading Genesis, you come across several men and women who followed this philosophical approach.  One man, in particular, caught my attention.

When Abraham was really old, he said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh.  I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,  but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:1-4).

We don’t know much about this “senior servant.” He was most likely Eliezer of Damascus, the one who was to inherit Abraham’s wealth and property if Isaac hadn’t come along (Genesis 15:2-4). When Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, most would expect this man to have contempt for Isaac, the promised child who took his inheritance right out from under him. This servant may have been one of the two servants who traveled with Abraham to the region of Moriah in order to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain. One can imagine Eliezer’s disappointment when Isaac returned with his father from the very altar upon which he was to be sacrificed. Now, Abraham was asking him swear to the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth to go find this spoiled brat a wife.

“What about my wife?”

“Why does Isaac get this and that and I don’t get anything?”

“It’s not fair!”

That’s how I would have responded to Abraham’s request. That’s because I’m a spoiled brat. Eliezer was not. Eliezer is the kind of servant leader I want to emulate. He pledged to find Isaac a wife, he expectantly prayed that God would send the right woman for his master Isaac, and he praised God when his prayers were answered. Eliezer humbly accepted his role as a servant leader and understood that life’s purpose—and his duty to all humankind—was to honor and obey God, period.

According to the Midrash, Eliezer was rewarded by Hashem [God] and allowed to enter Paradise alive, in the company of such people as Enoch and Elijah.

Where the Midrash is a collection of commentaries from ancient Rabbinic literature, and isn’t scripture, I hope this commentary on Eliezer is correct…because that would be fair. Honestly, however, to the honor of Eliezer he didn’t care about fair.  He understood what it meant to be a servant and what it meant to honor God. Fair wasn’t a word in his vocabulary.

Right before Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, two of his disciples—James and John—asked Jesus to let one of them sit at his right and the other at his left when the kingdom was established on earth.

When the other ten disciples heard about this they ran up to Jesus and said, “If James and John get to sit with you, then we get something too. Otherwise, it’s just not fair.”

So Jesus called all twelve of his spoiled little brats together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:35-45).

Life’s not fair and Jesus called every one of his disciples—including you and me—to accept that fact and serve the world humbly and honorably while fearing God and keeping his commandments. Eliezer did just that…without any promise of reward or recognition. True servant leadership is to accept the unfairness of the world, and when we do, the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth will welcome us into his family as his beloved son or daughter…and that’s the kind of “fair” I’m willing to accept.

I wrote the following poem to my Grandpa Vander Lugt twenty-five years ago:

The Promise

The times of fun
The times of tears
Scooping manure in your tractor
Fishing in the lakes of Minnesota
Building forts in the ol’ haymow

These times left when your sight did
I had not known
The dog’s shampoo that you used as yours
I should have known
But I was as blind as you

That night of chaos
That night of fear
“What is wrong with Grandpa?”
“He hurt his brain,” my parents said.
Over and over again

The night had come to visit him
He promised me the promise:
“Fish, play catch, build forts again.”
That promise was never kept

My grandfather died from an aneurism when I was five years old. I hadn’t quite grasped the complexity of my faith or the significance of Christ’s resurrection when I wrote this poem nine years after his death. To be honest…I still haven’t.

When Abraham’s wife Sarah died, he went to mourn and to weep over her. After mourning, Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites saying, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead” (Genesis 23:2-4). Abraham recognized that he was a stranger in a foreign land. Abraham knew that there was more to life after death and he had faith that God was preparing a place for him and for his wife Sarah. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God… admitting that he was a foreigner and stranger on earth. Abraham was longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called his God, for he has prepared a city for him (Hebrews 11:9-16).

Paul wrote the following to the church in Corinth:

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

—2 Corinthians 5:1-5

John wrote the following to the seven churches of Revelation:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

—Revelation 21 3-4

When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, Jesus said the following to Lazarus’ grieving sister Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-36). While this is true, it didn’t prevent Jesus from mourning the loss of his friend. When Jesus saw his friends weeping and mourning, he was deeply moved and troubled and he wept with them.

Death is sad. We cry and mourn and go on living without an individual who was and continues to be a significant part of our lives. John Irving wrote the following powerful statement in my favorite novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany:

“When someone you love dies, and you’re not expecting it, you don’t lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time—the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes—when there’s a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she’s gone, forever—there comes another day, and another specifically missing part.”

Death is part of life, but it hurts desperately. Jesus mourned and cried when Lazurus died, and Jesus knew that in a matter of minutes he was going to raise Lazurus back to life. Jesus understands how death impacts us all. Like Abraham, when someone we love dies, it doesn’t matter whether he or she believes in the Lord, death is heartbreaking, our spirits are troubled, and we are deeply moved to mourn and weep for the one we lost. Nevertheless, life doesn’t stop at the grave for those who believe. Abraham recognized that he was a stranger in a foreign land. Jesus affirmed that those who believe would truly live. Those who believe would be resurrected to new life. Death could not contain Jesus Christ, and it does not contain those who believe in Jesus Christ.

I’m thankful for this platform, because I can now re-write my poem to my grandfather and I can write it with a much happier ending:

The Promise

The times of fun
The times of tears
Scooping manure in your tractor
Fishing in the lakes of Minnesota
Building forts in the ol’ haymow

These times left when your sight did
I had not known
The dog’s shampoo that you used as yours
I should have known
But I was as blind as you

That night of chaos
That night of fear
“What is wrong with Grandpa?”
“He hurt his brain,” my parents said.
Over and over again

The night had come to visit him
He promised me the promise:
“Fish, play catch, build forts again.”
Would that promise ever be met?

When trumpets sound; when He returns
No more weeping; no more tears
No more pain; no more blindness; no more dog shampoo

Grandpa and I will play catch again
And fish the streams of Heaven
Forts designed by the King of Kings
The promise will then be met

The Anguish of Faith—the Joy of Providence

“You can do it! I’ll be right here once you enter the depths! I’ll lift you out…you won’t be under for more than three seconds. There’s nothing to be afraid of!” I encouraged my daughter while treading water under the three-meter diving board at the All Seasons Center in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Her knees knocked together as she stared fearfully at the water below.

“It’s not as high as it looks. I’ll be right here! Don’t worry. You won’t be under for long!” I yell up to her again.

With fear and apprehension, she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, plugs her nose, and steps off the board into the great beyond. As she enters the water, her short, yet significant life flashes before her eyes. Fear, panic, and anguish take over. With those same eyes still closed, and with one hand still plugging her nose, she frantically searches for the arms of her father with her free hand. She’s praying for salvation…for her father’s love and promised providence. She thinks to herself, “He said he’ll be there, to lift me out of the depths.”

I reach out for her, and lift her to the surface where she jubilantly gasps for the life-giving oxygen above the surface of the deep. Glorious light and joy fills her eyes…her heart…and her soul for she has faced her fears and experienced the joy of living.

Most of us can recall our first trip to the high dive. The distance between you and the small diving area below transforms from ten feet to fifty in an instant. You convince yourself that everyone who jumped or dove before you were trained Olympiads, and you would be immediately obliterated the second your feet hit the water.

Watch Mr. Bean’s trip to the high dive:

Like making that first phone call to a beautiful girl my sophomore year, I remember the trepidation I felt as I debated whether I should step off the end of the diving board. Like teaching my first 8^th grade Bible class, I recall the fear I felt the first time I plunged into the abyss. Like the exhilaration and excitement I felt when she said “Yes” or the class was finished, I recollect the joy I encountered when my head surfaced and I splashed my arms against the water knowing that I was OK…I was safe…I was alive!

Scripture doesn’t tell us how Abraham felt when God commanded him to take his son—the one son he loved—to the region of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2). I have to believe, however, that Abraham was confused and in great anguish. For decades, God had promised Abraham that he would have a son through his wife Sarah. Several years before, that promise had been fulfilled with the birth of his son Isaac. Now, God was asking Abraham to sacrifice that very son. How could God do this? Why would God want him to kill his son?

Abraham didn’t know whether God would make him kill Isaac, but we do know that Abraham had faith in God’s promises and he trusted in God’s provision. Before heading up to the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham was convinced that God would either provide a replacement for Isaac at the last minute or raise Isaac from the dead after Abraham sacrificed him on the altar. He fully expected to return to his servants and his donkey with Isaac alive. Abraham had faith in God’s providence, but I have no doubts that he was full of anguish as he answered Isaac’s inquisitive questions, walked up those final switchbacks to the top of the mountain, and raised the knife to slay his beloved son. Furthermore, I can only imagine the joy Abraham felt when the angel of the Lord stopped the sacrifice and when God provided a ram to replace Isaac as the burnt offering.

When I read this passage, I can’t help but be reminded of an event that occurred 2000 years later very near to this mountain in the region of Moriah.  Another beloved Son was on his way to be sacrificed, and this man was full of anguish as he prepared to take a step out in faith and trust in God’s providence to raise Him from the dead. The night before Jesus died on a cross, distressed and troubled, he took his friends Peter, James and John and said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him (Mark 14:33-35).

Jesus was full of anguish when he stepped into the garden that evening. Jesus was about to step off the high dive and take a plunge into the abyss of death. God was treading water below him saying, “You can do it! I’ll be right here once you enter the depths! I’ll lift you out…you won’t be under for more than three days. There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

In ten days, we’ll rejoice and celebrate that day when God reached out for his only Son, and lifted Him to the surface where He jubilantly gasped for the life-giving oxygen above the surface of the deep. Glorious light and joy filled His eyes…His heart…and His soul for He had faced the anguish of death and God His Father raised Him to new life.

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

—Acts  2:22-24

Taking a step out in faith can be terrifying, but when we do encounter the amazing gift of God’s providence, our fear is quickly turned into joy because God our Father will be there to lift us out of the anguish and raise us to new life. When we believe in God’s beloved Son, we step off that springboard in faith. Faith can be frightening. However, we can be confident that God is there, treading water below. We can also be assured that God will catch us…freeing us from drowning in the agony of death, because Jesus made it impossible for death to keep its hold on us. So often, we’re tempted to act like Mr. Bean…cowering on the edge in fear…afraid to jump off the high dive. Instead, take the leap, and rise up to a new and glorious life of joy within the providence of God.

It was abnormally warm for Yosemite National Park in September—hot actually. Thankfully, our route was following a flowing steam through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. For the first two days on the trail, fresh living water continuously flowed beside us as we sojourned westward through the canyon; we never ran short; we were never thirsty.

Around three o’clock in the afternoon, we reached a state of pure heat exhaustion. We were thirsty and the sun was sweltering. As we traversed the side of a cliff, we fell upon a deep pool at the base of a massive rock-face over which the river flowed. For over one hundred yards, the rock served as a smooth natural water slide. Halfway up, the river pooled under a five-meter rock precipice for our diving enjoyment. Water World doesn’t hold a candle to God’s secluded water park there in the confines of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. Like 13-year-olds at summer camp, we stripped down to our shorts, jumped and dove off of God’s diving boards, slid down God’s water slides, and sunned on God’s granite deck—it was pure heaven; we were refreshed, rejuvenated, revitalized, recharged, and revived.

The next morning, we left the river behind and set off to climb 2500 feet out of the valley. We planned to camp at the edge of the canyon overlooking the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir—one of the primary sources of water for the San Francisco Bay Area. Before leaving the valley floor, we filled up with water. We were unsure whether there would be water at our next campsite. In fact, we doubted whether we would find water at all once we left the river. Our packs were laden with full water bottles and bladders. The extra weight only added to the difficulty of the climb and to our reminiscing of the previous day…to our desires to dwell within the cool clear waters of God’s living river below.

Upon reaching the campsite, our load had lightened because we drank half of our supply. We were worried, however, that we wouldn’t have enough water to cook our dehydrated food and still have drinking water for the remainder of the trip. As we positioned our available water around a rock in the center of the camp, we crashed upon the dusty ground and sat motionless…listening to the wind as it coursed through the canyon. We all heard it simultaneously—a small trickle in the back of our minds. It wasn’t, however, wishful thinking. The trickle didn’t exist in the back of our minds…it was real. A tiny mud bog with a dribble of living water cascading down a rock was beckoning us from behind the trees just beyond the trail. We didn’t have to ration our water. We could eat, drink, and be merry!

God followed us up the mountain and provided for us…even though we abandoned his water park—his grand canyon. We tried to take his providence with us, but it was running dry. Bottling up God’s sustenance could only last so long. Without a river from God…a well of living nourishment, our lives would have eventually ebbed away. Thankfully, God provided…he found us and delivered us from the scorching heat and the surety of death.

Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, had a good thing going. He was fourteen years older than Isaac, Abraham’s son by Sarah, so he really didn’t have to worry too much about anything. Ishmael surely enjoyed the comforts of Abraham’s prosperity and the joys of being one of Abraham’s beloved sons. By the time Abraham throws Isaac his weaning party, Ishmael was at least 16 years old—he was old enough to drive the family camel and go out on dates with the local Canaanite women. I’m not sure why Ishmael was compelled to make fun of his two-year-old brother—perhaps he was jealous of Isaac’s awesome weaning party. More than likely, Ishmael was bothered by the fact that this toddler who could barely walk was the chosen one who would receive their father’s inheritance. Ishmael, therefore, felt it was necessary to trip Isaac and then laugh when he fell on his face.

Ishmael’s behavior did not bode well with Sarah, so she made Abraham kick Hagar and her son out into the desert for good. Being the obedient husband that he was, Abraham provided Hagar with some food and skin with water and kicked her to the curb. When the water ran out, Hagar left Ishmael beside some bushes, hungry and thirsty, and then walked away to die…sobbing to herself. God heard Hagar’s cry and sent an angel to comfort her. “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink (Genesis 21:19).

A close friend recently asked me if the Church has left me jaded. My answer was that it has. When I was 23 years old, I walked away from the Church and any semblance of a community composed of believers in Jesus Christ. The Church, as I knew it then, had left me jaded, confused, and bitter. I thought that I could leave the church and the community of believers and still maintain a solid faith in God. My Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, and Soteriology had no need whatsoever for Ecclesiology. Church was a non-issue because Church—in my personal opinion—was broken beyond repair.

I’m still not completely convinced that the Church isn’t seriously broken, and I’m still quite jaded. However, I’ve realized that the body of Christ is necessary in order to fully manifest the Spirit of God. As the Apostle Paul says in several of his letters, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5; see also 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Colossians 3). The Church does not save us, the grace of God found in Jesus Christ does. However, without the body of Christ to guide us along God’s path and provide us with the resources to remain within God’s graces, we can easily run dry. This, of course, is not always the case. However, frequently when we venture out into the wilderness to fend for ourselves, our skins full of water eventually run out, and we find ourselves dying beside a bush crying in the dust.

This is what happened to me. After several months on my own, I was hungry and thirsty for the Word of God. I thought I could manage my faith on my own, but I was deceived. I needed to hear that trickle. I needed to see that well of water.

I was hurt and wounded, and I took it out on the Church as a whole. I had a good thing going…and I decided to trip a two-year old and then make fun of him when he fell over. I had a constant flow of living water, granite diving boards, and natural water slides, and I abandoned them for a temporary skin of water that quickly ran dry.

Thankfully, God found me in the wilderness and by His everlasting mercy and unconditional grace, He opened my eyes and I saw a well. I realized that my faith could not survive if I simply relied upon myself. I needed the covenant community and the grace of God to thrive. Today, being amongst God’s covenant community is not always an exhilarating natural water park. Sometimes it’s barely a trickle into a muddy bog…and I often scowl from the aftertaste I receive when the Church does something stupid. Nonetheless, I have to trust in Jesus’ choice of his bride…even when the removed veil reveals some ugliness beneath. My Savior adores her…and therefore…so should I. Soon she’ll be made pure again, and then I can eat, drink, and be merry for all eternity.

“Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,”
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
“he will lead them to springs of living water.”
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

—Revelation 7:16-17

For three years in college, I managed the work-study employees of the maintenance department for the main campus facilities such as the dining hall, student services, common area, and business classrooms. Upon accepting the position, I pledged to place the responsibilities of my position over and above everything else. One responsibility was that I had to be readily accessible in order to fill-in for absent work-study personnel on the weekends. The university often rented out their facility for weddings and anniversary parties on the weekend, and our maintenance department was responsible for setting up and tearing down the tables, chairs, and the dance floor for these particular engagements. These events would tear a hole in any co-ed’s weekend plans. Therefore—as you can well imagine—my “loyal” employees were quick to drop the ball if even a slightly more interesting opportunity arose, thereby passing on their former responsibilities to yours truly.

They failed to show up repeatedly. When an employee didn’t show, my boss would notify me on my gargantuan pager (This was 1995). I would have to forgo my plans, report to the dining hall immediately, and begin staging the upcoming gala. I couldn’t fire my employees. First, the maintenance department was the bottom of the work-study caste system. Second, I knew they were no better or worse than anyone else was. Failure was inevitable…it came with the territory…and it was up to me—as their manager—to cover for them when they chose to play quarters in their dorm room instead of doing their job.

Whatever the case may be, the inadequacies and failures of my work-study staff could in no way interfere with the outside opinion of our university. My job was to maintain the facility and my staff, but also maintain the shining image of our university. When the guests arrived that evening, the tables were set, the chairs were arranged, and the dance floor was ready for their boogie shoes. I kept my promise and fulfilled my pledge, even when my employees failed to keep theirs.

When it came time to recommend the man or woman who would take my place, I tabbed through my mental Rolodex and tried to recollect who consistently showed up to their scheduled weekend assignments and who didn’t. Who could we hire because he or she earned it? Who was responsible, mature, and would be available at the drop of a hat if need be? Whom would I recommend if no one consistently showed up to work? Who deserved recognition? Who was entitled?

The message of Christ is that no one deserves anything…no one is entitled to anything…especially the Promise of God’s redemption, forgiveness, and complete reconciliation. God’s Promise is that no matter what we do—good or bad—God will never abandon us, forsake us, or sweep us under the rug. God will forever be our God, and we will forever be His people. This Promise from God is a gift. We don’t deserve it. We are rotten employees, who would rather play quarters in the dorms, than show up to work. Thankfully, God is always there to cover our missing butts.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24).

Take Abraham for example. By Genesis 20, Abraham should have been at a mature and sophisticated place in his faith journey, right? Out of anyone in the Bible, our father of faith should have been crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s of “faith” by this point. Well think again. Once again, Abraham travels to a foreign land. And once again, Abraham tells Abimelek, the king of that region, that Sarah was his sister. Abraham loves this little lie. So much so, that he eventually teaches his son Isaac the same ruse (Genesis 26).

Abimelek took Sarah into his harem. Thankfully, before he went near her, God paid a visit to Abimelek in a dream and said, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman” (Genesis 20:3). Defending himself, Abimelek told God that Abraham told him that Sarah was his sister. Aware of Abraham’s wife/sister problem, God let Abimelek’s malfeasance slide as long as he returned Sarah to her rightful husband.

The next morning, Abimelek returned Sarah to Abraham and asked Abraham why he would lie and say that his wife was his sister. Instead of confessing, Abraham gave three reasons why he lied:

1)    I was afraid you’d kill me because of my wife.

2)    She really is my sister…my half sister…but still.

3)    Sarah and I have been doing this for a long time now. It’s sort of our thing!

Nowhere in this passage does God chastise Abraham for sinning. Nowhere does God abandon Abraham or make excuses for him. Abraham embarrassed himself, but God stood beside him. One response to this passage would be to judge Abraham as a hypocrite. A second response would be to recognize God faithfulness to His promise regardless of Abraham’s actions. In this event, Abimelek witnessed a God who saves by grace through faith…not by any act of goodness or virtue from Abraham. David Kidner wrote the following about Abraham’s encounter with Abimelek:

“But the episode is chiefly one of suspense: on the brink of Isaac’s birth-story here is the very Promise put in jeopardy, traded away for personal safety. If it is ever to be fulfilled, it will have to be achieved by the grace of God.”

Paul also commented on this event in his letter to the Romans:

“So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.”

If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.”

—Romans  4:1-5 The Message

Salvation is just that…a sheer gift! I think today’s society doesn’t quite grasp the significance of grace as much as people did in the past. The Pharisees and Sadducees Jesus faced believed they were entitled to certain benefits because they followed the law and made few, if any, mistakes. The grace found in Jesus Christ was revolutionary. No one is entitled to redemption! No one can cross every t and dot every i. But guess what? You’re still saved nonetheless. This was incredible news….an undeserved gift.

Today, unfortunately, many individuals believe they’re entitled to the gifts of the world whether they deserve them or not. We live in an “Entitlement Nation.”

Psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, recently wrote the following about the current “entitlement” trend in America:

“As if to keep up with the unreality of media and technology, in a dizzying paroxysm of self-aggrandizing hype, town sports leagues across the country hand out ribbons and trophies to losing teams, schools inflate grades, energy drinks in giant, colorful cans take over the soft drink market, and psychiatrists hand out Adderall like candy.”

Dr. Ablow sheds light on an interesting point. In the past 25 years, our society has transformed to one that rewards effort but recognizes that perfection is unattainable, into a society that simply rewards regardless of one’s effort and believes one can achieve perfection by simply flicking a switch. Technology provides a platform to where we can artificially manipulate how we appear to others without actually having to do anything at all. With our Wiis, we can become equal to record-breaking athletes. With Facebook and Twitter, we convince ourselves that we have hundreds of friends who care what we’re saying or doing (even though most of them are hiding us or laughing at us instead of with us). We watch reality television so we can pretend that we’re engaging in “real” relationships or experiencing “real” romance. We’re rewarded, even though we actually lose. We’ve become a society of people who honestly believe that we’re entitled to reciprocity, reward, recognition, and a weekly paycheck. We believe we’ve earned everything we have and that we’re entitled to nothing less than the best of the best.

Salvation by grace through faith has lost its significance. God help us, when the gospel is no longer “good news”…it’s just expected.