The Blessed Life

The Beatitudes (Mt. 5:1-12) have been described as a passage that turns all conventional thinking on its head. J. B. Phillips, author of Your God Is Too Small, probably said it best when he wrote a widely quoted "converse version" featuring such aphorisms as "Happy are they who complain, for they get their own way in the end." (For those interested in reading the whole list, a Google search for the above phrase will turn up several postings.) Indeed, some Bible scholars have claimed that Jesus intended this description of the "blessed life" only as a theoretical view of the ideal, so antithetical does it seem to what it takes to survive in this world.

If perhaps some of those scholars let their interpretive skills be tainted by an "anything to avoid admitting this could apply to me" attitude, few of us could blame them for it without being found with logs in our own eyes. And it's not always a desire to continue in comfortable selfishness that makes us want to dodge passages like this one. For some of us, it's the fear of failure, of taking on a task too big to handle. And the fear is hardly unfounded. To consistently practice humility, mercy, and the pursuit of God's peace and justice is something that is, quite literally, humanly impossible.

But actually, that's the point. The qualities Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23, which show obvious similarities to the Beatitudes, are called the "fruit of the Spirit," not the "fruit of human effort." In both passages, the underlying idea is not striving to achieve the ideal on our own power, but being willing to cooperate as God remakes us in His image. It's rarely as quick or obvious as we'd like; frequently, it's seriously painful. Jesus said that "a house divided against itself will fall" (Lk. 11:17); and frankly, a serious desire to become Christlike turns the human heart into a house divided: impatient to achieve patience, looking for God's will less from love of Him than from hope our lives will become easier at least emotionally, constantly fighting what we have to go through for our own good, living as perennial bundles of mixed motives. And fall we do, frequently and hard. Often so hard we can't get up on our own.

The Hebrew for "he restores my soul" in Psalm 23:3 can also be roughly translated as "He sets me upright." Yes, just as God is the true Power enabling us to grow in the blessed life, He is the one Who lifts us up and keeps us going when we feel we've reached the point where it's impossible to continue.

He will bring us safely to the land of eternal blessing.

Blessed is every humble soul:
Heaven is their lifelong goal.

Blessed are all the ones who weep:
God will make their comfort deep.

Blessed are all the meek of heart:
Endless wealth will be their part.

Blessed are those who crave the right:
God will make their joy so bright.

Blessed are those whose hearts are kind:
God's own mercy they will find.

Blessed are those whose hearts are pure:
By God's grace they will endure.

Blessed are those who strive for peace:
In God's family they increase.

Blessed are those abused when good:
God rewards their servanthood.

Blessed are all who love God's ways:
He will shower them with His praise!

Thank You, Dear Lord

It's two days before Thanksgiving: what are you thankful for? A church acquaintance, volunteering at a ministry for the homeless, recently posed that very question to a group of clients who had as much excuse as anyone to insist there was absolutely nothing good in their lives. Still, a moment's thought revealed how much they still had: "Thank You, Lord, for my children." "Thank You, Lord, that I escaped a dangerous home situation." "Thank You, Lord, that I am still alive and healthy."

Many hospice workers and many missionaries to the poverty-stricken can tell similar stories. Sometimes it seems as if those who have little are more thankful than those who have much. Indeed, children of extremely wealthy families have a reputation for whining; high-powered executives are notorious for their high stress levels; and we "ordinary citizens" of materially blessed societies seem to have eyes only for the things we lack. I make no claims of immunity. At the moment, I am well along in the process of giving myself high blood pressure worrying about my blood pressure (leaving plenty of "anxiety room" for other health issues, along with financial fretting, business headaches, and fear of spoiled plans)--and full in the face of knowing better. To paraphrase St. Paul in Rom. 7:14-25, my mind and conscience know full well what my attitudes should be, but my emotions (and physiological functions) refuse to cooperate.

Is there any cure? As Paul implies, only the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. God does, however, expect some cooperation on our part. Thinking frequently of "things above, not earthly things" (cf. Col. 3:2) is one of our responsibilities in the process. Being patient is another; rather than making instant major changes in us, God generally prefers to guide us slowly into deeper relationship with Him.

A third way to cooperate in our own sanctification is the simple thankfulness described above. Try it this week; instead of limiting "what I'm thankful for" to a one-sentence contribution at the Thanksgiving dinner table, expand your thankfulness over several days. Before every meal and before going to sleep, remember at least one thing in your life that you're thankful for.

And don't just "count your blessings." Say a direct "Thank You" to their Source.

Thank You, dear Lord, for the food You provide;
Thank You, dear Lord, for the needs You've supplied;
Thank You, dear Lord, for our gifts, and each skill:
May we use all, every day, as You will.

Thank You, dear Lord, for the lakes and the sea;
Thank You, dear Lord, for the birds that fly free;
Thank You, dear Lord, for the rainbows and stars:
All of the wonders in this world called ours.

Thank You, dear Lord, for our families and friends;
Thank You, dear Lord, for each joy Your love sends;
Thank You, dear Lord, for each hour that we live:
You give so freely--now teach us to give.

You Have Heard It Said

In Mt. 5:21-48 (NIV), Jesus said six times, "You have heard that it was said [or, 'It has been said']... But I tell you..."

J. B. Phillips wrote a "Most People Think" list presenting the world's version of the Beatitudes: "Happy are the pushers: for they get on in the world... Happy are they who complain: for they get their own way in the end... Happy are the trouble-makers: for people have to take notice of them." (See Phillips's book Your God Is Too Small, p. 92 in the 2004 Touchstone Edition, for the full list.)

So often do our natural, pride-infested human instincts run dead opposite to God's way. In our own society, there's an epidemic of the idea that thinking primarily of oneself is a virtue. While most people do know better than to advocate actually ignoring and abusing others, anyone who states outright that "the convenience/needs/lives of others is/are far more important than mine" (cf. Phil. 2:3) is likely to be pounced upon and chided: "Sounds like you have an inferiority complex." "You'll never get anywhere until you convince yourself you deserve the best." "Don't you know you can't really help others unless you first take care of your own needs?" Admittedly, many have burnt themselves out because they were such people-pleasers or so "driven" that they never said no to anybody. This is really just one more manifestation of "the world says selfishness is good for you": we think that we have to make everyone happy, or our lives will be ruined for lack of popularity and success; and meanwhile God is trying to tell us that our souls are overdue for rest and prayer.

Small wonder we listen more to the world's voice than to God's, since the receivers of our sin-infested souls are better tuned to the world's frequency. No amount of experience seems to teach us that the world's "how to be happy" program just doesn't work.

The only remedy is to "adjust the dial" by studying and following God's guidelines in the Bible.

You have heard it said, "Have faith in yourself,
And believe you deserve the best;
Make sure you get all the praise you're due,
And that medals adorn your chest."
But Christ says to us, "Think not of yourself,
But, in love for the human race,
Live your life to serve, in humility,
And to others reach out in grace."

You have heard it said, "Stand up for yourself,
Or you'll find that nobody will;
Make sure that no one walks over you;
Take no insult just standing still."
But Christ says to us, "Think not of yourself,
But of everyone else's good:
Never take revenge; never grouse or gripe,
But show love as your Father would."

You have heard it said, "You must plan your life,
And set goals for yourself each year;
Always know what you'll achieve each day,
And let nobody interfere."
But Christ says to us, "Only God can know
What the week or year may bring;
Do not clutch your plans as if they were life;
Trust the will of your Heavenly King."

You have heard it said, "You just can't trust God:
He will take away all your fun.
If you live your life for 'Heaven's rewards,'
Here on earth you'll be left with none."
But Christ says to us, "When God lives in you,
All your joy will be complete."--
Yes, the world's own "joy" is a hollow thing,
But God's Heavenly gift is so sweet.

God Has Great Blessings in Store for Us

"The trouble with opportunity," says an old quote, "is that it always comes disguised as hard work." The Christian equivalent of that principle is: The trouble with many of God's blessings is that He rarely bestows them in the absence of any action on our part. Not, of course, that even the laziest among us don't enjoy such blessings as air and water (cf. Mt. 5:44-45), nor that the most diligent of us can do anything to earn God's favor; nor, for that matter, that those who seem to be experiencing few blessings are always "lazy" by the normal definition of the word. Workaholics who put in seventy-hour weeks three times a month are as likely as anybody to be whining that their lives are miserable and God isn't doing a thing about it.

Usually what we want Him to do about it is to make things perfect according to our own definitions, to get rid of all frustration and fill our lives with prosperity and happiness--preferably with minimal effort on our part. And we let this shallow dream of "the good life" so fill our vision that we blind ourselves to the far greater vision God wants to give us: a lifelong experience of the incredible excitement, joy, and security that comes only with total submission to our Lord's will. Therein lies the true action we have to take to realize God's greatest blessings: an active submission that not only does whatever He asks of us, instantly without argument or question, but that fills the time between obvious "marching orders" with prayer and Bible study and an ongoing determination to know Him better at all costs.

No, doing this doesn't mean we'll always get the blessings we want. It does mean we'll get the real blessings--the ones God most wants to give us.

God has great blessings in store for us,
And He brings new gifts each day;
And new joys will spawn with each rising dawn
If we eagerly seek His way.
But if we grumble to see the sun,
If we long to sleep some more,
If we dote on rest, we will miss the best
Of the riches He holds in store.

God has great blessings in store for us,
And He longs each life to fill,
And the joy we ask will flow through each task
When we eagerly do His will.
But if we grumble our way through work
And despise all labor brings,
If we live for ease, and ourselves to please,
We reject such amazing things!

God has great blessings in store for us;
And the thankful, humble heart
Will rejoice each day to pursue His way,
And be eager His work to start.
But those who grumble because they want
To take charge of life in whole,
Only rob their days of God's glorious praise
That brings joy to each faithful soul!

Do Not Forget

How many times a day do you say, or hear, "I forgot"? If your estimate has two or even three figures, or if you groaned at the very question--you're probably a typical hardworking American. It sometimes seems that for every megabyte of memory increase in the average computer's brain, the average human brain loses two. Someone somewhere is no doubt trying to blame this seeming increase in dementia on pollutants dumped into our drinking water; but a far more likely explanation is that we allow the world to dump too much information into our brains and too many responsibilities onto our shoulders. When you have 100,000 things to remember, it's hard not to forget some of it.

Many of us aren't even trying to remember things--we rely on our books, computers, and Day Planners to do that. It usually works, providing we don't forget the planner itself. Ask the businessman who loses the time, place, and contact information for that vital appointment it took him eight months to secure; or, worse, who forgot to check his calendar before agreeing to that appointment and now finds he had already reserved that time slot for his most important--and impatient--client. We tend to find out at the worst possible moments the folly of putting too much faith in material aids.

Speaking of misplaced faith: how many of us are making an effort to remember the really important things? My church's last pastor had the habit of telling the congregation, "You don't know the books of the Bible but you know this or that news or pop culture trivia item." I fumed whenever he said that because I was always the exception who knew the former but not the latter--but sadly, the accusation, or its close relative "you don't know ten Scripture verses by heart," would be valid with many a believer. It's sad because another reason why we forget things is that we really don't consider them worth the effort of remembering.

That Bible that not enough Christians know much of talks a lot about the risks of forgetting what God has done for us. There are few worse signs of base ingratitude--and few more effective killers of hope.

"Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God" (Dt. 8:11, NIV).

Do not forget, in times of plenty,
All that you have is from the Lord,
Or you will fall to pride, turn idle,
And come to lose your best reward.

Do not forget, in times of hunger,
One does not live by bread alone,
But by God's Word and all He teaches,
And that He loves you as His own.

Do not forget, in times of boredom,
Blessings God brings are new each day;
Do not forget, when all seems frantic,
God will give time for rest and play.

Do not forget, through all your lifetime,
Whatever comes, God cares for you;
He, past this life, has great things waiting
For all who served Him pure and true.

If You Count the Things That You Do Not Have

Are you a natural positive thinker? If so, that in itself is a blessing worth counting. Just please don't look down on those of us who have to work harder at being happy.

Exactly what makes someone a perpetually cheerful soul or a gloom-and-doom pessimist is a question with no obvious or simple answer. Circumstances have relatively little to do with it; there are cheerful cancer patients and miserable socialites. Genetic and chemical makeup are definitely contributing factors; just as some people have natural talent for music or sports, others have natural talent for the sunny outlook. But like most lifestyle tendencies, optimism and pessimism are also heavily nurtured by habit. Feed the mind a steady habit of complaining and looking at the negative--and surround yourself with others who do the same--and soon you'll be hating your whole life as a matter of course.

Considering that the good things in most lives outweigh the bad on any careful examination, it's surprising how many people find it far easier to think negative than positive. Blame advertisers or news reporters if you like, but probably a spirit of dissatisfaction is one of the facts of fallen human nature. And probably nothing that feels so natural makes us so miserable--or accomplishes so little.

God's prescription for curing the gloomy-thinking syndrome? "Count your blessings," as the old song goes. As you go through the list, take time to thank God for each item. Then spend some time thanking and praising Him just for being what He is: kind, all-powerful, merciful, all-knowing, loving, Creator of all... Repeat every time you feel depressed, discouraged, or mad at the world.

When we practice looking at God rather than at circumstances, we better appreciate how much bigger He is than any problem.

If you count the things that you do not have,
You will count yourself ever poor,
Though your savings keep eighteen banks afloat
And gold knockers adorn your door.
For you are a small part of all the world,
So the sum of the things it holds
Always will be far more than what you can clasp,
Though your fate endless wealth unfolds.
So forget the things that you do not have;
Thank the Lord Who made sun and star
For the blessings and treasure He gives to you,
And rejoice in how rich you are!

If you only look at your pains and woes,
They will grow in your frightened mind
Into giants that bar your every path,
And give constant pursuit behind.
But it's not their physical size that counts
In their power to trouble your heart;
It's the size of the doubt that you hold within,
Which just swells once you let it start.
Turn your eyes away from your earthly pains;
Fix your gaze on the Lord of All;
And as you give praise to His glorious might,
You will see life's worst giants fall!

Storms and Rainbows

It's rained quite a bit in Houston the last couple of days--not an entirely unwelcome turn in the weather, considering that the area has dried out a little too much for comfort since last month's hurricane and that the whole of 2008 has been shorter than average on rain. The modern tendency to use "rain" as a metaphor for hard times and misery tends to forget how essential rain really is--and that in the Bible, "rain" is a good thing at least as often as not. Jesus's famous words from Mt. 5:45--"your Father in heaven... causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (NIV)--probably refers not to a blessing versus a curse, but to two complementary blessings.

Still, rain (like sun) can quickly turn into a curse when it arrives in seemingly unlimited amounts. Just about everyone has heard of Noah's flood; and in the same Sermon on the Mount where Jesus mentioned the rain's falling on the just and the unjust, He told the parable of the wise and foolish builders, where rain causes rough times if not total catastrophe.

Incidentally, the famous quote "Into each life some rain must fall" is not from the Bible, but from the nineteenth-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow knew his share of "rain"; twice widowed, he carried for his last twenty years burn scars from the same fire that killed his second wife. Virtually everyone who lives a normal life span will experience at least one real tragedy at some time. For some, the agony is sudden, wrenching, and totally unexpected; for others, it is so long and drawn-out that the tragic end is almost a relief.

It's comforting to know that for Christians, tragedy is never the real ending. A happy final ending is waiting beyond this world.

As the rainbow that was created after Noah's flood symbolizes God's promise never again to send such total catastrophe, the rainbow surrounding God's Heavenly Throne is a sign that no "flood" will ever again reach His servants there.

It rained in the time of Noah
Forty days and as many nights,
Till the mountains were under water
As it rose to unheard-of heights,
And it washed away earth's corruption;
So God gave a fresh start to all:
And He set in the sky a rainbow,
To bring hope after each rainfall.

It rained in the time of Jesus
Over many a shore and coast,
Leaving many a house in shambles
To give lie to the builder's boast.
Jesus told us to choose foundations
Made of rock to withstand the storm:
Human spirits are filled with rainbows
When we trust Christ to save from harm.

It rains in each life that's human,
Through real weather and floods of pain,
Till some feel life is drowned forever,
Blown to shambles by hurricane.
But what first seems to be disaster
Can bring cleansing to start anew,
If we look to God's Heavenly Rainbow
And stand strong in His Light so true.

Living Water

Today's poem is another lengthy allegory (check last week's "Crossroads" for an earlier example), this time on the topic of spiritual refreshment and rejuvenation, what Jesus called "living water" (see John 4:1-41).

The phrase "living water" appears seven times in the NIV, always in reference to God's blessings and power pouring out on His people. But the first two occurrences, in the book of Jeremiah, are used in a negative sense: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.... O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water" (2:13; 17:13).

Jeremiah 2:13 is fairly frequently quoted, perhaps because most of us need to hear it so often. Like the child who wails for root beer when offered a glass of fresh water, we prefer immediate pleasure to maximum benefit. Every time we say, "If God won't heal my asthma/find me a marriage partner/get me a better job, I'll have to do something about it myself," we are digging our own cisterns. Then we're surprised when they leak: the "miracle asthma cure" turns out to be so much snake oil; the impulse marriage goes sour; the better-paying job extracts a high price in long hours and cutthroat office politics.

Impatience is usually a key factor. We not only want things to turn out the way we prefer, we want them to do so right away. The second our throats feel dry, we convince ourselves that we must have immediate liquid--and that only the showiest bottle holds real liquid. The truth is that we're rarely so desperately thirsty as we think. A person literally dying of physical thirst will hardly care if the water offered is lukewarm and flat and served in an ugly glass. It's those who are still reasonably well hydrated who grumble about petty details.

Ironically, God's living water--so cool and luscious and beautiful when fully experienced--often comes in what we see as ugly containers, the exact opposite of what we think we want in circumstances. That's why He often fills in our broken cisterns--so we can get thirsty enough to gladly take His best.

(Incidentally, there's another irony in a Houstonian's writing about the blessings of "water" today, with half the city tensed for what may be imminent hurricane-induced flooding. But what better circumstances under which to remember that God's water is better than the world's any day?)

A traveler lost in the desert,
Struggling on over rock and sand,
Had long since drained his water supply,
And his eyes the horizon scanned
In a desperate search for an oasis,
As the pain in his throat burned dry--
Till at long last, on the stretch ahead,
A blue gleam caught his weary eye.

He struggled along toward the shimmer,
His heart growing light as a boy;
He could almost taste that liquid drink,
And the thought filled his soul with joy.
But as he drew near that blue water,
His heart sank with a bleak despair,
For the vision vanished before his eyes,
A mere trick of the desert air.

He made his way on through that wasteland,
His hope sinking with every pace,
Till he crossed the top of a rocky hill
And a smile lit his sweat-streaked face,
For he saw at the ridge's bottom,
Trickling onto the desert floor,
A stream of water and a tiny pool,
And down the steep hillside he tore.

But the water was salty bitter,
And it burned his throat at each sip,
So he turned away with an aching heart,
And continued his painful trip
Over sand and rock and sharp gravel;
His thirst now consumed his all,
And his eyes were dim, and his skin now dry,
And his legs were about to fall.

Then suddenly he heard a trickling
That soon grew to a deafening roar;
And he came to the edge of a clump of green
And he saw, spreading out before,
An oasis of blue refreshment,
A grand waterfall spilling down,
Down into a pool of pure, fresh, cool drink,
Like a glimmering silver crown.

No juice ever tasted sweeter
Than the water he then drank there,
No Olympic-size pool ever cooler felt
Than the spray from those falls so fair;
And he would not have traded one moment
Of his joy in that desert place
For a year as the richest of men on earth,
Or the warmest sensual embrace.

We are all like that desert traveler,
Seeking water to quench our thirst,
And we chase mirages to horizon's end,
All the things that seem bright at first;
Or we settle for salty water,
While within us burns to the core
Deep conviction this never can be enough,
That we somehow were meant for more.

Then the One Who walked upon water
Calls to us, "Come, and drink of Me:
I offer the water that satisfies,
The flood that flows pure and free."
And once we taste His refreshment--
The one drink that can satisfy--
We will not trade a lifetime of fleshly joy
For the fountain that flows from high.

His Ways Are Not Our Ways

"'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Is. 55:8-9, NIV). This passage is fairly well-known, but those who use the verses-stand-alone approach to memorizing Scripture may not realize that the full context of Isaiah 55 focuses on abundant blessings, prosperity, and hope. "God's purposes are higher than ours" is not a truth to be used solely in attempts (which are rarely all that successful anyway) to comfort those who are reeling from tragedy. Even more should we remember it when tempted to wonder why God accepts the undeserving, keeps after the stubborn, blesses the repentant-but-still-ragged, and thinks in terms of restoration before restitution. We should be glad He doesn't work on the merit system, since none of us "deserves" anything good from Him!

Of course, when disaster has struck, when it seems we have plenty to worry about, or even when we're just tempted to curse our "bad luck" over some everyday annoyance, we do need to remind ourselves that "God knows best and we don't." But even that is better handled with a focus on abundant blessings. A resigned "I guess I'll have to trust God" attitude tends to lead to glum stoicism.

But focusing on the positive--all we still have, and all God has yet promised--is the key to true joy.

God does not condone disorder--
Neither is He neat and tidy.
Though He lets us make our messes,
Do not doubt that He is mighty.

God is never in a hustle--
Never late, yet never early.
Though your soul may grow impatient,
Do not nag at Him to hurry.

We are foolish, as mere mortals,
To believe that we know better;
Though our Lord made all Creation,
We would keep Him on a fetter.

Even time is His creation:
He sees all the days of history
All as part of one great picture:
Future holds no trace of mystery.

Trust your Lord; allow no worry
To distract you, nor life's testing.
You need never feel abandoned;
God is working a great blessing!

Lord, Let Me Be a Blessing

The first prayers children learn usually involve asking God to bless someone or something: "Lord, bless this food." "Lord, bless Mommy and Daddy." Most of us continue prayers along this line all our lives: "Lord, bless the missionaries." "Lord, bless our church." Lord, bless our family."

Not that there's anything inherently wrong with asking the Giver of all blessings to pay special attention to those we love; but how often do we consider that He may want us to help bring His blessings to pass--not only for our families and churches, but also for acquaintances and strangers who may be quietly desperate for a touch of Christlike love? A kind word, a hand with a difficult chore, a bottle of water may mean the world to some hurting soul.

Ask yourself: How can I embody Christ's blessing to someone today?

Lord, let me be a blessing
To others on my way,
A word of cheer and comfort,
An answer when they pray;
For Jesus was a blessing
To all who crossed His path;
If I would be His servant,
I must extend His grasp.

By the One Who called me,
Who blessed me with His power,
Let me be a blessing, Lord,
To others every hour.

Lord, let me be a blessing
To everyone I meet,
For Jesus charged His servants
To be His hands and feet;
To carry on His blessing
Of love to hurting souls,
And where the Master beckons
His servant always goes.

By the One Who called me,
Who blessed me with His power,
Let me be a blessing, Lord,
To others every hour.

Lord, let me be a blessing
On every day I live;
As you gave me a lifetime,
So I must also give,
Through toil or age or illness,
Through any pain or loss,
As Jesus gave His blessing,
Gave even from the cross.

By the One Who called me,
Who blessed me with His power,
Let me be a blessing, Lord,
To others every hour.