If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 2 Corinthians 2:5-7
(If you know the story about Armando Gallaraga, feel free to skip to paragraph 2)
Here is a story for the ages. If you had not heard, the world of baseball was about to have one of its most historic moments as Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Gallaraga was completing something that had only happened twenty times in the 111 years and over hundred thousands of games in the history of baseball by throwing a perfect game, which means to not let anyone reach base for the entire game (27 straight people to be exact). To put it in perspective, you and your family almost have a better chance of winning the lottery than you would of seeing a perfect game. However, as he caught the ball and stepped on first base to record the final and historic out, the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, erroneously called the runner safe, which thus ended Armando’s dream and disappointing the many who were watching sports history. Or at least we would think. On one side, a childhood dream was wrongfully shattered. On the other, one’s nightmare (the umpire’s) was about to begin. A soon to be hometown hero was robbed of baseball immortality. A once favored and respected professional umpire was soon to be robbed of his credible reputation. And then the unexpected happened.
In the midst of something tragic, something noble and good was discovered. The nation and many in the world were about to witness one of the greatest modern day examples of both humility and grace we have ever seen. In a world as competitive as ever and where tolerance for mistakes are unmercifully punished, Gallaraga said to the press of the call made by Joyce with a smile on his face, “Everyone makes mistakes.” Who does that? Who is willing to show that level of mercy when they could have been put on a pedestal that few have ever reached? Gallaraga did, and as a result, he not only gained even greater accolades, but he may have saved someone else in the process; Jim Joyce. A man who humbly felt remorse was given a reprieve and an opportunity to continue on doing something he dearly loved. To me as a Christian, there can be no better lesson learned than that.
We can look at this story and see in it our relationship with God as clear as day. The only difference is we do not just make a mistake once or twice. We do it at times daily, weekly, and/or monthly. We are that umpire who blew the call, and yet like that pitcher, our God shows us grace and forgiveness. As today’s verses illustrate, we too as Christians are called on to be the forgiving and comforting person to one who the world persecutes and punishes. That is what walking the Christian walk is all about; showing love to others because God through Jesus Christ first showed love for us. As the umpire and pitcher met at home plate the following day, we knew that is how the picture of forgiveness looks like. My prayer is that we can remember ask to forgive us of our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Heart to Change
For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. 2 Corinthians 2:4
Change often comes through a revelation that a path traveled was a wrong one. However, there are times forces of status quo and false teaching can cloud which path is a righteous one. Something that can clear our vision to see is not just revealed in our mind. It is often when the path toward righteousness overwhelms our heart and spirit.
A friend and I were reminiscing about the Civil Rights movement, and we took a look at it from a historical perspective. While we knew there were many moving pieces to the struggle, we spent time determining what the turning point was. As we dived into the subject further, I told him of a revelation of sorts. Many who knew the history when asked what the turning point of the Civil Rights movement was might say that it was Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Others would mention it was the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. Some might even point out the burning of the churches down south. However as I analyzed all of the various events and marches, there was one event that was so powerful in its vivid imagery and so clear in its distinct example of blatant racial injustice that it was impossible for anyone righteous to ignore.
I remembered March 7, 1965, when a march was planned from Selma to Montgomery, AL. On this day, which is officially marked as “Bloody Sunday,” peaceful marchers were attacked by Alabama State and Selma local police forces using billy clubs and tear gas. It was indeed a dark day in our country’s history. However as we have learned in scripture, it is often through darkness that God shows His light to all who follow. We are grateful to many of our mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, who looked at the images of men and women being senselessly attacked and abused and said with a unified voice, “No more!” No more will we allow the injustice of discrimination to cloud the judgment of this nation. No more will we tolerate a country that would dare say we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and then say it only applied if you had a particular skin color. No more would we say that the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was allowable only in selected inner circles. Thus change came boldly and swiftly to our nation, and today we are better because of it.
When God sees wrongdoing, He will always provide vision into the injustice so that it may be corrected. In today’s verse, Paul speaks of wrongdoing amongst the churches in Corinth, and the depth his love for all of their people. Note the feelings here; distress, anguish, with many tears. These are the signs of pain and struggle much like you would envision many of the marchers, but for a growing Christian, these are also the signs of growth, strengthen, and enlightenment. Is it any wonder that the saying goes, “That which does not kill you can only make you stronger.” It is with that in mind that Paul noted that his writing was not to cause grief. They were to show depth of love. It is through his love for the people that healing was to begin. Sometimes God will address it within one’s heart to speak of change as Paul. Other times, it is through evidence of wrongdoing that overwhelms the worldly view in our hearts and tears down its structure to erect a view obedient to His will and that of the Holy Spirit. This is very much evident in the change of our nation that fateful day. The bottom line is whether through one or many, God can make a way for us to move what the world might view to be immovable mountains.
God wants both our minds and hearts to be obedient to Him. At times, we can be oblivious to this because our focus can be worldly. While the word of God is an absolute necessity, we should always sensitive to God’s movement in the world, and when He does, our hearts are stirred in such a way that we must act with both passion and conviction for His purpose. My prayer is that through our relationship with Jesus Christ we have solidly built a heart willing to change. Amen.
Change often comes through a revelation that a path traveled was a wrong one. However, there are times forces of status quo and false teaching can cloud which path is a righteous one. Something that can clear our vision to see is not just revealed in our mind. It is often when the path toward righteousness overwhelms our heart and spirit.
A friend and I were reminiscing about the Civil Rights movement, and we took a look at it from a historical perspective. While we knew there were many moving pieces to the struggle, we spent time determining what the turning point was. As we dived into the subject further, I told him of a revelation of sorts. Many who knew the history when asked what the turning point of the Civil Rights movement was might say that it was Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Others would mention it was the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. Some might even point out the burning of the churches down south. However as I analyzed all of the various events and marches, there was one event that was so powerful in its vivid imagery and so clear in its distinct example of blatant racial injustice that it was impossible for anyone righteous to ignore.
I remembered March 7, 1965, when a march was planned from Selma to Montgomery, AL. On this day, which is officially marked as “Bloody Sunday,” peaceful marchers were attacked by Alabama State and Selma local police forces using billy clubs and tear gas. It was indeed a dark day in our country’s history. However as we have learned in scripture, it is often through darkness that God shows His light to all who follow. We are grateful to many of our mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, who looked at the images of men and women being senselessly attacked and abused and said with a unified voice, “No more!” No more will we allow the injustice of discrimination to cloud the judgment of this nation. No more will we tolerate a country that would dare say we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and then say it only applied if you had a particular skin color. No more would we say that the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was allowable only in selected inner circles. Thus change came boldly and swiftly to our nation, and today we are better because of it.
When God sees wrongdoing, He will always provide vision into the injustice so that it may be corrected. In today’s verse, Paul speaks of wrongdoing amongst the churches in Corinth, and the depth his love for all of their people. Note the feelings here; distress, anguish, with many tears. These are the signs of pain and struggle much like you would envision many of the marchers, but for a growing Christian, these are also the signs of growth, strengthen, and enlightenment. Is it any wonder that the saying goes, “That which does not kill you can only make you stronger.” It is with that in mind that Paul noted that his writing was not to cause grief. They were to show depth of love. It is through his love for the people that healing was to begin. Sometimes God will address it within one’s heart to speak of change as Paul. Other times, it is through evidence of wrongdoing that overwhelms the worldly view in our hearts and tears down its structure to erect a view obedient to His will and that of the Holy Spirit. This is very much evident in the change of our nation that fateful day. The bottom line is whether through one or many, God can make a way for us to move what the world might view to be immovable mountains.
God wants both our minds and hearts to be obedient to Him. At times, we can be oblivious to this because our focus can be worldly. While the word of God is an absolute necessity, we should always sensitive to God’s movement in the world, and when He does, our hearts are stirred in such a way that we must act with both passion and conviction for His purpose. My prayer is that through our relationship with Jesus Christ we have solidly built a heart willing to change. Amen.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Spiritual GPS
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I was looking at my GPS and realized how much easier it has made driving for me. Whenever I am lost, need to find an ATM, or am curious of which route is the fastest, I simply need to push a few buttons, and the GPS answers every question how to get from point A to point B in a fast an efficient manner. This is so much more efficient than my old way, which was pulling out my road atlas that I purchased every year, and then methodically spending the night before plotting out my way, which often time had a detour that I could neither anticipate nor navigate efficiently through to get back to the correct route.
I was reading a book about how we are naturally analytical about problems. It could be as simple as which brand of green beans to buy, or something as complex as what kind of car to purchase. The more complex the decision becomes, the more we are likely to spend time weighing all the options. Sometimes, we weigh those options so much that we end up being paralyzed to make a decision and become stuck in a rut. This deals most likely with something that we are trying to change. Maybe we’re trying to figure out the best way to lose weight or how to get our children to behave differently. What it says is that sometimes our problem is not motivation. It can be our natural tendency analyze because our own natural tendencies to just see the problem. Our minds are stuck in the same old beliefs that insist that we are not capable of or too resistant to change. This deals most likely with something that we are trying to change, and in these cases, we need some kind of direction to make a decision.
In our spiritual growth, it is the trust in our Heavenly Father that allows for change in our lives that is transforming. If we lean on our own understanding, we only know of what others or we would say. You are this type of person, and you will always be that person. While many of these things may be true of the person you have been, trusting and acknowledging Him will lead to being a brand new person. People today will look at you as the person you once were, but through continual prayer and habitual acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the leader of our lives, we become reborn not just in word but also in deeds. We become filled with the fruits of the spirit, and the old self slowly becomes a part of our past. Bitterness becomes kindness. Anxiety becomes patience. We become the embodiment of 1 Corinthians 13 (the chapter of Love).
Change is possible, but true life transformational change is not possible without some direction. God is the one partner we have in our lives who is true, just, and without fail. He gives us the necessary direction that is essential for spiritual growth, and our only need is to follow that direction. My prayer is that we remember to trust God to provide us with direction for our spiritual growth. Amen.
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I was looking at my GPS and realized how much easier it has made driving for me. Whenever I am lost, need to find an ATM, or am curious of which route is the fastest, I simply need to push a few buttons, and the GPS answers every question how to get from point A to point B in a fast an efficient manner. This is so much more efficient than my old way, which was pulling out my road atlas that I purchased every year, and then methodically spending the night before plotting out my way, which often time had a detour that I could neither anticipate nor navigate efficiently through to get back to the correct route.
I was reading a book about how we are naturally analytical about problems. It could be as simple as which brand of green beans to buy, or something as complex as what kind of car to purchase. The more complex the decision becomes, the more we are likely to spend time weighing all the options. Sometimes, we weigh those options so much that we end up being paralyzed to make a decision and become stuck in a rut. This deals most likely with something that we are trying to change. Maybe we’re trying to figure out the best way to lose weight or how to get our children to behave differently. What it says is that sometimes our problem is not motivation. It can be our natural tendency analyze because our own natural tendencies to just see the problem. Our minds are stuck in the same old beliefs that insist that we are not capable of or too resistant to change. This deals most likely with something that we are trying to change, and in these cases, we need some kind of direction to make a decision.
In our spiritual growth, it is the trust in our Heavenly Father that allows for change in our lives that is transforming. If we lean on our own understanding, we only know of what others or we would say. You are this type of person, and you will always be that person. While many of these things may be true of the person you have been, trusting and acknowledging Him will lead to being a brand new person. People today will look at you as the person you once were, but through continual prayer and habitual acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the leader of our lives, we become reborn not just in word but also in deeds. We become filled with the fruits of the spirit, and the old self slowly becomes a part of our past. Bitterness becomes kindness. Anxiety becomes patience. We become the embodiment of 1 Corinthians 13 (the chapter of Love).
Change is possible, but true life transformational change is not possible without some direction. God is the one partner we have in our lives who is true, just, and without fail. He gives us the necessary direction that is essential for spiritual growth, and our only need is to follow that direction. My prayer is that we remember to trust God to provide us with direction for our spiritual growth. Amen.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Understanding Submission
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Hebrews 12:9-10
God cannot be understood by logical reasoning but only by submission. – Tolstoy
(This is the first installment in a series called ‘Quotes of Faith’ – great quotes from great individuals on Faith)
Sometimes people can be hypocritical not knowingly but just out of sheer blindness. I have been rather upset with my daughter over something she had recently done. Yes, she knew it was not a wise choice, and it had created some distance between us. When my wife and I talked about it, my anger and frustration grew. The more I reflected on it, the worse it became. There was one point where I began to question whether I had begun to question if I had taught her the right things or was not clear in her upbringing. It was then that I came across this quote from Tolstoy. Yes, my concern was still there, but my perspective had changed. In remembering many of my writings on forgiveness, here I was threatening to hold my daughter hostage to the spirit of anger that had overcome me. I had certainly done far worse in my life that my Heavenly Father had forgiven me for, and here I was showing the very lack of mercy that had been shown me in restoring my relationship with God himself. Realizing this, a calm set over me, and suddenly my anger, frustration, and bitterness soon disappeared. By submission, God took over and replaced my anger with natural and parental love for my daughter.
Submission is one of those things that we all know about, but in the heat of the moment can be so easily forgotten. When that car cuts us off unexpectedly, we might have that feeling of anger and resentment. Perhaps we feel hurt because of something another person did to us or someone we know. Perhaps we have found an enemy, and the enemy is us! We may be struggling with something in our lives that distances us from God, and feel a level of shame and guilt. In all of these cases, we are in some form or another not in submission to God’s will. Whereas our initial reaction to the car is with anger, submission wills us to respond with understanding. When our hurt drives us to avenge, submission requires us to show love and forgiveness. And when we are struggling with sin, submission pushes us to rebuke and discipline ourselves to move forward and grow in our faith.
Tolstoy clearly had a keen insights on God’s will, and put it in such a way that its meaning challenges not only those who are not believers but also those of us who are fully fledged Christ followers. God‘s asking may not be the most logical thing from our perspective, but we know He is just and righteous. He is perfect in all things, and it is through our submission to His will that we gain true knowledge of not only His presence in our lives but also His divine wisdom. No one said it would be easy, but anything worthwhile rarely is. Let us rejoice in realizing that God neither expects us to be perfect nor does He expect us to understand everything. He only asks us to submit, and in submission as Tolstoy said, we will find understanding. Amen.
God cannot be understood by logical reasoning but only by submission. – Tolstoy
(This is the first installment in a series called ‘Quotes of Faith’ – great quotes from great individuals on Faith)
Sometimes people can be hypocritical not knowingly but just out of sheer blindness. I have been rather upset with my daughter over something she had recently done. Yes, she knew it was not a wise choice, and it had created some distance between us. When my wife and I talked about it, my anger and frustration grew. The more I reflected on it, the worse it became. There was one point where I began to question whether I had begun to question if I had taught her the right things or was not clear in her upbringing. It was then that I came across this quote from Tolstoy. Yes, my concern was still there, but my perspective had changed. In remembering many of my writings on forgiveness, here I was threatening to hold my daughter hostage to the spirit of anger that had overcome me. I had certainly done far worse in my life that my Heavenly Father had forgiven me for, and here I was showing the very lack of mercy that had been shown me in restoring my relationship with God himself. Realizing this, a calm set over me, and suddenly my anger, frustration, and bitterness soon disappeared. By submission, God took over and replaced my anger with natural and parental love for my daughter.
Submission is one of those things that we all know about, but in the heat of the moment can be so easily forgotten. When that car cuts us off unexpectedly, we might have that feeling of anger and resentment. Perhaps we feel hurt because of something another person did to us or someone we know. Perhaps we have found an enemy, and the enemy is us! We may be struggling with something in our lives that distances us from God, and feel a level of shame and guilt. In all of these cases, we are in some form or another not in submission to God’s will. Whereas our initial reaction to the car is with anger, submission wills us to respond with understanding. When our hurt drives us to avenge, submission requires us to show love and forgiveness. And when we are struggling with sin, submission pushes us to rebuke and discipline ourselves to move forward and grow in our faith.
Tolstoy clearly had a keen insights on God’s will, and put it in such a way that its meaning challenges not only those who are not believers but also those of us who are fully fledged Christ followers. God‘s asking may not be the most logical thing from our perspective, but we know He is just and righteous. He is perfect in all things, and it is through our submission to His will that we gain true knowledge of not only His presence in our lives but also His divine wisdom. No one said it would be easy, but anything worthwhile rarely is. Let us rejoice in realizing that God neither expects us to be perfect nor does He expect us to understand everything. He only asks us to submit, and in submission as Tolstoy said, we will find understanding. Amen.
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