RISK

Friday, July 28, 2023

And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour?  For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily.  

1 Corinthians 15:30-31a

Apostle Paul faced risks many of us would avoid like the plague.  He did it so others might know of God’s Good News, the salvation message of Christ.  Author Leo Buscaglia wrote about risk:

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.  The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.  He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.  Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.  Only a person who risks is free.[1]

People take all kinds of risks in life.  There are risks abounding at the casinos in Las Vegas, mountains and valleys to be explored, and (as my daughter did on her 40^th birthday) planes to be jumped-out-of with nothing but a few pounds of silk and string to slow-down your fall. 

Those fun and exciting adrenaline-rush risks are at one end of the spectrum of reasons why one would risk life and limb.  At the other end of the risk-spectrum are more noble and substantive explanations why reasonable people put themselves in harm’s way. 

·       Firefighters run to the fire, while everyone else is running from the fire. 

·       Soldiers strap-on up to 120 pounds of Kevlar flak jacket, munitions, helmet and weapon when they face the risk of enemy fire. 

·       Line repair for the electricity that powers your toaster is done by risk-takers, 30-feet off the ground, daring 13,800 volts of power to behave itself. 

·       The list is endless.

The thin line of risk walked by Apostle Paul was life or death at the hands of those steeped in the kind of power human ego uses to oppress that which threatens their power.  Before he met Jesus, Paul was one of those people.  When he met Jesus his life was turned from oppressing the followers of Jesus, to fugitive-on-the-run to preach Christ’s love and hope.  Those who pursued Paul had him falsely accused of sedition, imprisoned, and eventually executed…martyred. 

Paul was (and is) a study in how to daily abandon self, and lay it all down for the Kingdom of God…or as Jesus put it:  take up your cross daily, and follow me.[2]  That is hardly suicidal…rather it is the invitation to let go of the old life of death, and be introduced to the Grand New Life which only Christ can give. 

For You Today 

In 1945, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from a Nazi prison, just before facing Adolph Hitler’s hangman:  When Christ calls a man, he bids him ‘Come and die’.  That may seem a bit on the risky side…but it’s guaranteed by the blood of the only Son of the Creator and King of the Universe.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Leo Buscaglia, Living Loving and Learning, Souvenir Press Ltd, 1983, English Literature & Linguistics

[2] See Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34

When Wax and Wick Meet Fire

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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.  You know everything I do.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.  You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!  Psalm 139:1-6(NLT)

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.  For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.  1 Corinthians 11:27-29(NLT)

Sometimes my worship gets lost in the details.  Usually when I receive the Lord’s Supper I am also serving it.  Personal reflection gets lost in a flurry of details about the next step in the liturgy.  When attempting to provide a meaningful offering of the table for others, those who serve must come to that table having already self-examined, or they run the risk of coming away from the table empty.

A group of preachers, all of whom I call friend, meets every month for the strength one derives from accountability, fellowship, devotion, and worship.  We share the Lord’s Table together.  The times I do not serve are particularly meaningful, and this month was no exception.  During the liturgy I focus my attention on the elements of the table.  They are simple; one loaf, representing one Lord, and one cup, representing the blood shed for all.  There is a single candle, the wick and wax meeting the flame, reminders of God’s Spirit, present and alive in this sacrament. 

As the liturgy progresses in Great Thanksgiving there are remembered parts to speak, and those flow from my lips with little loss of focus on the table and the cost of that blessed meal to our Lord. 

This time my eyes could not leave the wick and flame; I was captured by the aura of light and the wax of the candle, once hard and cold, now warm and flowing, melting away, constantly changing to a new form.

Pictures captivate me, and this meeting of wax and wick with flame took on metaphorical significance for my life with Christ.  As I watched the wick yield itself to the flame, I reflected on how the heat causes the waxen host to also yield, and this allows the flame to continue, offering heat and light to everything around it.  But in the process, there is a change.  The flame does flicker, but remains; the wax and wick, however become less, and changed.

The metaphor is, of course, our bodies.  The apostle Paul told the Roman church to present their bodies as living sacrifices ^{(Romans 12:1-2)}.  Jesus said becoming His disciples would be nothing less than denying ourselves and following Him[2] (much like the wax and wick submit themselves to the flame).

Ultimately the meaning of this can be taken to extremes, and I’m not suggesting that.  However, it is a good reminder that, just like the candles get used up, these mortal bodies of ours will not last long.  What remains is the light and heat we share in relationship with others while we are here. 

A candle (wax and wick) is hard and cold by itself.  We also will not bring light or warmth to anyone if we remain an unlit candle without the flame of God’s Spirit.  But, my what a difference when we submit to the flame!  He will shine through us, warm others around us, and we will be changed in the process.

For You Today

It’s important to remember that living the surrendered life of a disciple means being on the lookout for the Adversary; like any enemy, this fireman from Hell is just waiting to turn a hose on your fire…so keep surrendering the wax and wick of your life to the Spirit; let Him keep the candle burning!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Mark 8:34

Welcome?

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Friday, August 31, 2018

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?  Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?  Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.  Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.  Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts.  Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.  Such people will stand firm forever.  Psalm 15:1-5^(NLT)

The Psalmist poses a question most people don’t want to think over too closely before answering:  Who is welcome at your church?  Without checking what Scripture might have to say about the answer’s possibilities, the company line spills forth:  Everyone!  David may suggest otherwise here.  (In fact, it’s much more than a suggestion!)

Worship is for those who wish to acknowledge God as Creator, those who are willing to draw the harsh line between being self-willed as opposed to surrendering their will.  Worship itself is a matter of being discipled into the pattern of Jesus, Who, according to Paul, emptied himself and became like us, humbled to serve the Father’s will[2].  Jesus also declared that we must be willing to deny self-will, pick up our cross and (then) come along as He leads[3].  There is something very true here about not being able to have your cake (sins) and eat it too (come to worship as if nothing needs to change).

King David doesn’t seem shy about drawing that line in bold red.  He is willing to admit into the sanctuary those who are blameless truth-tellers, sincere in heart, refusing to gossip or harm others, or even speak evil of friends.  But, he narrows the opening of the church doors by refusing those who never speak up to call sin what it is, and honor Godly behavior.  He slams the church door in the face of rich people who use their wealth to oppress others.  Bad behavior and wrong attitude limit your access to God!

David would not be the evangelism director in just about any church today!

So, if you’ve had a bad attitude, lived in this sin or that, and generally not lived a faithful Christian lifestyle, does that mean your sins can not be forgiven?  Does it mean you are barred from the church club forever?  Does it mean you’re not welcome at my church?

Quite the contrary; the doors of the church rightly remain open as an invitation so that whosoever will may enter.  That’s how Jesus said it should be:

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.  Matthew 10:32-33^(NLT)

Everyone DOES mean EVERYONE; but notice, just coming inside the church house will mean nothing if there’s not going to be any change when you leave the church house.  Worship is all about acknowledging Christ as Savior and Lord, and then backing it up by surrendering your plans – your life agenda – your self-will – and inviting Christ to change all of what you do, think, and are…your life is His from that moment on. 

A decision to follow Christ carries with it the responsibility to live the Christ life.  That’s when you can call Him LORD; He is the Lord over your will, and all you do!

For You Today

You are always welcome at church, but only if you’re serious about following and serving Christ; that’s different than the bylaws of any social club.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Philippians 2:8

[3] Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23

Walking Under the Ashes

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Mark 8:34 (NRSV)

This verse contains three conditions of becoming a disciple or follower of Jesus.

1.             Follow Voluntarily

If you “want” to be his follower…that is a condition – it is your decision; Jesus will not load you up on the next Gospel bus.  Each account of Jesus calling someone to follow indicated an offer, never a command.

Following voluntarily presupposes that the opposite is also a possibility – that some choose to not follow.  Those who choose so are called “the lost”.  The rich young ruler went away from Jesus and the supposition is that he was lost.  Judas began to follow, but was lost.  Following or not following is a personal decision.  This is the “entry-level” of Christianity. 

For those who choose voluntarily to follow, there is a second condition:

2.             Follow Empty-Handed

Jesus was probably speaking to almost exclusively a Jewish crowd.  They would have heard and understood Jesus to be talking about the process of proselytizing, or becoming a convert to Judaism.  When a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism he had to renounce all his previous beliefs and separate himself from past friendships and acquaintances, even family.  He had to promise to never turn back.  He was then considered “newborn,” a person of new life. 

Jesus was demanding that we “trash” our old thinking and just follow him like our Gospel song, nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling. 

3.             Follow as HE Leads

Have you ever danced with someone?  Now, I’m not talking about the kind of group dancing that is popular in clubs; we’re talking ballroom stuff.  In the groups, everyone does his own thing; in ballroom forms there is a lead and the partner follows. 

This is the kind of relationship we have with Jesus.

Here’s Jesus’ lead – take up your cross. 

The disciples knew what Jesus was saying.  Twenty years before there was a rebellion against Roman authority in a little town called Sephoris.  It was only 9 miles from where Jesus lived.  A man named Varus, a farmer of Galilee, organized the farmers of the area into a rebellion army.  They attacked and killed all the Roman soldiers of the garrison at Sephoris. 

Rome sent in the armies, and scattered the armies of Varus, about 10,000 men.  Most of them went back to farming.  But the Romans captured about 2,000 of them.  The historian, Josephus, records that they were going to teach the rebels of Galilee a lesson not to be rebels.  They took them, one by one, along the road out of Sephoris, and crucified them.  They would put one on a cross, and then walk down the road until almost out of sight, and then crucify another. 

They went in every direction out of Sephoris, all over Galilee, until they had 2,000 rebels on 2000 crosses.  As you walked the roads of Galilee you were never out of sight of a crucified rebel. 

None were allowed to be taken down; they were to rot there on the crosses.  If anyone took one down, another Galilean citizen would take his place.  Jesus was 10 years old when this happened.  He knew what he was saying about taking up a cross. 

Jesus is not interested in leaders; He needs disciples who will give up their lives.  Are you willing?  Are you really willing to step up and offer your life in exchange for His?  Following a God like that is a big decision!

There is a story about the artist Rodin, who one day saw a huge carved crucifix beside a road.  He immediately loved the artwork and insisted on having it for himself.  He purchased the cross and arranged to have it carted back to his house.  But, unfortunately, it was too big for the size of the house.  So, of all things, he knocked out the walls, raised the roof, and rebuilt his home around the cross.[1]

How big is YOUR God?

If your God is not big enough to place first, before everything you know, and have him re-design your life, He’s not the God of Scripture.

Is YOUR God big enough to re-design your home, your family, and how you spend your days? 

That’s’ what it looks like when you walk under ashes.

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[1] Dr. Mickey Anders, Cross Bearing, (Best Sermons 3, Harper & Row, 1990), p.115