Category: Christian Critical Thinking

The Implications of Worry

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The Implications of Worry: A Biblical and Research Discussion
By Shelli S. Prindle, M.A. Educational Leadership

Current brain research demonstrates that students under the distress of anxious thoughts do not learn as well as is possible. Stress and worry have a distinct negative impact on a person’s ability to process and work properly with new information. In fact, Willis (2006) notes in regard to PET scans and fMRI scans,

    [These] reveal significant disturbances in the brain’s learning circuits and chemical messengers when subjects are studied in stressful learning environments. In particular, the amygdala becomes overstimulated by stress, and in that hypermetabolic state, information cannot pass from sensory awareness into the memory connection and storage regions of the brain. (58)

Research is making clear that stress is a disruptor, causing a break in the normal processes of learning. If you will, it is as if the brain process becomes broken when anxiety appears on the scene. The emotional state rises to prominence, and deep and rational connections cannot be made. As Sprenger (2005) notes, “The brain is captivated by the emotion and turns attention to it. When these emotions capture the brain’s attention, working memory is flooded and cannot be effective in working with the task at hand.” In fact, Willis (2006) posits,

    If the state of anxiety and stress is prolonged, it can lead to destruction and loss of critical connecting dendrites and synapses in the hippocampus. This means that new information does not reach the brain regions where it needs to be processed, associated with previous knowledge and experience, and stored for later recall. (60)

Obviously, then, heightened and prolonged anxiety inhibits true learning. Our bodies are designed for optimal learning when a general sense of peace and safety is present. My mind goes to Adam and Eve in the garden, as they were given the entire created world to explore and learn and work. While walking unhindered with their Creator, this process was a beautiful one. However, human rebellion against our God has brought disruption and misery to all the processes of life. This world is now broken; and so are we and all the functions of body and life. Fear floods in when a heart completely yielded to God goes out.

Jesus instructs His followers in Matthew 6:25 (NASB), “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.” The Greek word for worry in this quote comes from a root that means “to be drawn in different directions; to be divided, separated into parts, or cut in pieces.” Wow; to be worried is essentially to have a divided mind! That is precisely what worrying feels like – our mind is cut in pieces so that we cannot stay focused on what matters. We are distracted and irritable and may even begin to feel hopeless. The mind was not meant to be divided, but whole.

Recall that brain research informs us of the dividing nature of anxiety. Students who are under stress simply cannot learn well because the entire process of learning becomes broken. Recall also Jesus’ answer to worry in our lives: “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus tells us here to not allow our minds to be divided by giving undue attention to the basic needs of life. The stress of worrying about these things slices our minds and hearts into distracted pieces; we are no longer able to do what ought to be done – focus on God.

Worry is sin because it goes against the will of God for us. We are designed by God to seek His kingdom and righteousness with all our heart. Jesus proclaims the cure for worry is to unite our mind under one goal: Him! In fact, God promises to add to our life all that we need for daily living as we commit to an undivided heart and mind. If we seek His kingdom first, then He will properly align the needs of life for us underneath the main goal. I have sketched below a picture of the concept. On the left is a worried person having his mind divided by many future cares. On the right is a person trusting in God and focusing on His kingdom. Noticeably, the needs of life are brought to this trusting person by God.

As brain research tells us about classroom learning, so it goes with thinking for all of life. If my mind is to be used for God’s glory – focused on His Word and His will – my mind needs to be united and peaceful. The division of worry destroys the purpose for which the mind was created – to grow in God’s kingdom.

I submit to you another Biblical example of the truth concerning worry and learning. When Jesus spoke to His disciples about their future persecution, He boldly proclaimed in Luke 12:11-12,

    When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

Jesus here tells us that our mind need not be divided because of the future. Jesus is instructing his disciples about a future event, and He wants them to be assured that He is already in the future. When the moment in time comes for the disciples to answer the authorities, God Himself (the Holy Spirit) will teach them what to say. Notice the use of the word teach. We can truly learn when our mind is focused on God and not divided by anxiety.

This Scripture passage is particularly amazing to me because of its clear implication: God connects our future needs with His present peace. Because our Lord is timeless, He is not bound to one moment or another. He is with us now, and He is in the future. He has the authority to assure us that our minds need not be preoccupied with future concerns. When the need arises, the power of the Lord for that particular moment will come to light. His available power for our tomorrow is as sure as His available peace for our today.

Teachers of our day ought to heed the Bible first and foremost. In doing so, they will marvel at the alignment of true scientific discovery with God’s Word. An atmosphere of peace and safety promotes better learning than an atmosphere of stress.

Moreover, people everywhere ought to heed God’s command to live a life focused purely on Him. The root of the sin of worry in the Biblical sense is the idea of a mind divided. This division keeps me from serving God wholeheartedly. This division also causes the human brain to function at a reduced capacity; the learning process breaks. God wants us to learn and learn well. Learning of Him and the creation He has graciously given is a blessing we enjoy now, and we will enjoy it eternally in a home of righteousness, if Jesus is our Savior.

References:
Sprenger, M. (2005). How to teach so students remember. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Willis, J. (2006). Research-based strategies to ignite student learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Cure for the Common Christmas Verse

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Oh, the careless treatment we often give the common “Christmas verse,” Matthew 1:21. Regularly presented to us in the month of December, the powerful words are frequently taken for granted, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Since these are the words of the angel of the Lord to Joseph concerning the Son of God and His amazing placement by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, we rightly consider these words momentous. Here stands the announcement that our infinite God has chosen to put on human flesh! And why? The angel proclaims plainly the motivation right at the inauguration of this unbelievable, sacrificial season of God’s plan. The reason is so that we can be saved from our sins.

Notice God did not say, “He will save His people from their low self-esteem” or “from their lack of purpose” or “from their depressive hopelessness” or “from their illness” or “from their loneliness” or “from their economic hardship.” No, God sounds forth the real answer for the human dilemma – salvation from sin.

All other difficulties are secondary to the root cause, which is sinfulness. Please cease looking primarily for Jesus to build your self-esteem or give you purpose or make you hopeful or heal your body or grant relationships or make you wealthy.

Please, please, please . . . run to Jesus for the very reason He entered the bloody womb of a woman and grew to shed His own blood and sacrifice His life – to deliver you from sin.

At its putrid core, sin is selfishness. When I trust Jesus to deliver me from my self-centered plans and desires, I realize I now want what He wants. All other circumstances aside, I can now truly live, because my sin had been killing me.

Here is the clincher. He did not come to save us despite our sins, but from our sins. The Greek root is clear; Jesus came to separate us from our sin nature. He destroys that wicked union. The moment I run to Him, He obliterates the damning attachment of sin to my soul. His ultimate aim in the new world He prepares is to place an infinite distance of space and time between us and all sin’s destructive and debilitating effects.

Are we currently living to be free from sin? Are we as hard-nosed about the mission as Jesus is? I think we suffer so much discontent not because of dismal situations, but because separation from sin – the goal of God – is not our goal.

The most humane thing in the entire world is for a person created by God to have his or her union with sinfulness obliterated. Fear not other maladies, save this: a clinging to sin.

Live for that for which our Savior lives: detachment from sin and attachment to God. All other solutions naturally follow – whether today, tomorrow, or in the place Jesus is preparing.

What determination Jesus had to exit glory and enter this broken world to save us from our sins!

What determination will we have to refuse to gossip, to sacrifice that hour of time, to give that hard-earned money, to smile at that one who hurt us, to choose not to retaliate, to enter a sweet hour of prayer, to turn off the iPod and open up the Bible, to purposefully make Jesus the topic of dinner conversation, to put ourselves on the backburner tomorrow afternoon, to confess wrongdoing and ask forgiveness of a friend, or to distance ourselves from sin in any number of ways?

“Jesus came to save us from our sins,” said the angel of the Lord.

Twice the Courage

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)

We ought to thank Jesus continually for His honesty. The Biblical Christian worldview is the accurate view, because it accounts for all aspects of life – including the trouble. As our Lord was getting ready to go the cross and preparing His disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus reminded His followers that life would be rough. He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” How true! When we repeat this statement of Jesus, we may do so with a tone of affirmation, or meekly through a veil of tears. Why? Because one thing we know is that trouble is part of our lives.

The Greek word for trouble here is one that means “a pressing” or “pressure.” The difficulties and heartbreaks of life press in on us, and Satan’s hope is that we would cave in under the strain. After all, his goal is to destroy us (John 10:10). When the crushing force of tribulation comes, do not give in through thoughts of hopelessness! Refuse to allow your vision to be limited to what is temporal! Trust in the God is who is bigger than the burden!

The answer Jesus gave to the tribulation of His people is not that the trials would disappear. No, Jesus loves us enough to tell us the truth. Things will get wild, my friends. You will suffer and be persecuted. You will face hardships sometimes unimaginable, sometimes just enough to deter your focus.

Here is the answer Jesus gives, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” The original language behind “take heart” is “be of good courage.” In fact, Jesus uses the verb two times in a row here. He actually says, “Be of good courage; be of good courage.” Okay. I need the second reminder. Jesus drives the point home. He does not simply give mediocre courage; my courage in Him is doubly sure!

Our Savior also says, “In me you may have peace.” The Greek gets to the heart of the requirement, as it informs us that we are to “have, possess, or lay hold of” the peace. The unredeemed person may believe that peace is some wishy-washy concept, or that peace is impersonal and just floats down upon people who desire it. Quite to the contrary, peace is strong and personal. Peace can only be found in the Savior, and it is something of which we must really lay hold. We must walk with Jesus and determine to be blessed by His strength in the midst of difficulty.

The kind of peace Jesus offers is real. It is not the blind faith of those who do not know Him and are just “hoping for the best.” Jesus boldly proclaims in this verse, “I have overcome the world.” Indeed, He has! The world can certainly “bring it on” as far as crushing heartache and troubling circumstances, but Jesus has overcome the world. He stands transcendent over everything that happens. He is weaving together the circumstances of the entire universe to fulfill His plan. The word for “world” here is the same word from which we get “cosmos.” God is telling us that He has overcome the aggregate of all things earthly; all the world affairs – personally and nationally – are under His sovereignty. There is no doubt that I will witness His grand deliverance and resolution with my own eyes. This reminds me of the words of the great man, Job, who declared, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-26).

As the pressure comes, trust in the Overcomer of the Cosmos. The courage He gives is doubly strong.

Bad Trees and End Results

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No matter what we say in the name of Jesus or do in the name of Jesus, God discerns the truth of the matter. It is quite possible for someone to prophesy in God’s name and perform miracles without truly being a man or woman of God. Satan has the power to do counterfeit signs and wonders (II Thessalonians 2:9), and that will be one hallmark of the antichrist in the end times.

Jesus made clear to his disciples that they should examine fruit. In other words, we are to observe the end results of the life and work of a person. If my life does not please God, then neither does my purported work for Him. Though it is popular today to have a ministry for the Lord, this means nothing if we do not have a day-to-day way of living that pleases the Lord.

Jesus appeals to basic logic when He reminds us that it is simply impossible for a diseased tree to bring forth healthy fruit. If we are still diseased by sin at our core, our work for God will not heal the disease. The ultimate results of our life will still wreak havoc.

I may appear to do great things for God, but if people walk away from interaction with me disturbed by my spitefulness and rattled by my lack of self-control, then I am not bearing the fruit of the Spirit of God. If the end results of my relationships are destruction and unrest, if I never follow-through in faithfulness, if selfish impatience is my prominent trait, if sadness and gloom surround me always, or if imperviousness marks my every path; I am bearing fruit that is diseased. (See Galatians 5:22-23) The core of me needs fixed. For, “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:18).

To be sure we understand the seriousness of bad fruit, Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23). You see, in Heaven it will not be necessary for people to cast out demons, prophesy, or perform miracles. What will be essential is the love between brethren and all the kindness, gentleness, and self-control that comes with real love.

A grave issue stands at hand. Let us grapple with it. Diseased trees bear diseased fruit. Alleged work for the Lord notwithstanding, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19). It is the truth of our lives that matters, not what we appear to be because of all kinds of ministry efforts. This is a matter of integrity; what are we at the root? Because what we are will come out in the everyday effects of our living.

Why would Jesus throw a diseased tree into the fire? Good fruit will never come from it. The eternity the people of God want to enter is a forever of good things. The eternity fitting of our holy God is a forever of righteousness. What is – at its core – not good, must go.

Before the time of Jesus’ teaching what we have briefly discussed, He preached clearly, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). If your soul is diseased and you recognize it, there is hope for you. Jesus proclaims, “Repent.” Turn around. Change your mind completely. Realize the core needs healed. Realize more work will not change you. Decide that you need Jesus to clean your heart. He will. He promises that the kingdom of heaven – of goodness – is right around the corner.

Self-Deception vs. Doing Right

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How easy it is to convince ourselves we are right. How often we try to persuade our hearts that we are the people we ought to be. If each human being were the one responsible for determining right and wrong for himself or herself, we would be in a mess most miserable.

I think of times when I have worked hard to tell myself that I was doing the right thing. What I really longed for was an excuse – a way to get out of doing the difficult work of righteousness and justice. And every single time I refuse to do right – whether justified in my own mind or not – someone somewhere gets hurt. The ripple effect of unrighteousness is occasionally obvious and at times hidden. It may be ten or twenty or one hundred people down the line from my injustice that finally feel the pain of that selfishness. One thing is for sure, when we do not live justly, pain will ensue. How do I know? I see it experientially in everyday living, and God has made it clear in His Word that His way of righteousness is how things were meant to be. Rebellion against the Creator’s way always brings heartbreak, for He is the Designer of how things ought to be.

Proverbs 21:2 makes clear that though we may convince ourselves we are right, God Almighty weighs our hearts. There is a transcendent God who sees us for who we really are. He is not swayed by our persuasive rhetoric and excessive pride. He knows what we are really about. His assessment comes from the outside – from the unbiased perspective of perfection – and He will assess rightly.

This transcendent God has said in Proverbs 21:3 that “to do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.” Wow. The offering of sacrifice in the Old Testament was the heart of the “church” in that day. Is God implying that the action of doing right is more important than pretentious church activity? Remember the context is the deception of one’s own heart for selfish reasons. Yes, it is more important to actually do right as God has commanded than to try to feel right by performing outward “religious” actions that we think will compensate for our disobedience.

My friends, nothing will compensate for a heart that is bent to be unjust through its own self-deception except for one thing: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The problem is that we have to actually quit trying to convince ourselves we are right long enough to admit we are a mess at the core, so that we can accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

Those who know the Lord Jesus Christ will do well to actually go about doing the hard stuff of righteousness and justice. We must quit playing the religious angle to excuse our refusal to hunker down and do right.

It can be difficult to live with integrity. We must tell the truth, not allow the innocent to suffer if we can help, intervene when it is within our sphere of influence to correct injustice, protect others though it cost us our strength, work with those who have been pummeled by life though we do not see reward just yet, expose wicked plans that they may be thwarted, stand up for the ones who have not a voice to be heard, and love even when it hurts.

We must do more than think about our own hearts. We must yield them to our transcendent God for His inspection. We should allow His Holy Spirit to “weigh our hearts” to prevent self-deception and its consequent unrighteousness.

For, to actually do the formidable work of righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.

“Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice.” – Proverbs 21:2-3

Malfunctioning Horror Reflex

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Driving down a road in my neighborhood after dark in late October, I was shocked by a sight that forced me to turn around and take another look. The light of the room behind a window in a house made the silhouette I saw stand out rather oddly. Against a big, living room window, I saw the outline of a cat sprawled out across the window screen from top to bottom. The cat appeared to be hanging on to the screen by its paws, and it seemed its fur was standing on end in all directions. The sight of the spread eagle, terrified cat caught my attention.

My first reaction was to assume the disturbing silhouette was a Halloween decoration, for most of the houses in the neighborhood were adorned with a myriad of frightful trimmings: witches riding broomsticks, witches crashing into front doors, skeletons hanging from trees, decaying arms and legs reaching from the ground, tombstones near front doors, giant spider webs on siding, ghosts and goblins floating in yards, and the like. Naturally, my mind had to wonder if this very odd sight were just part of the Halloween décor. What were the chances that an actual pet cat was hanging for dear life to the screen of a window on the outside of a house? Would it not be much more likely that during the fall season this was part of someone’s “festive” Halloween practice?

I turned around because I wanted to be sure this was not an actual cat in danger. If it were, I wanted to help. Amazingly, as I drove past a second time, I saw a young girl reaching for a cat that was now halfway down the screen to the windowsill! A household cat really did – somehow – manage to get stuck outside the house on a large, second floor window. Strange as it was, that feline sprawled out and clinging for dear life was a real cat. Its fur really had been standing on end. It actually had been in danger.

I nearly discounted the danger because of the prevalence of Halloween decorations. During these few weeks in late October, I am so accustomed to odd and gruesome sights that I almost did not take an actual horrifying situation seriously.

Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” I fear that we as Christians have grown too accustomed to comfort with sin. We are so willingly exposed to things with which we ought to have nothing to do. We regularly get too close to selfishness, greed, indecent television shows, graphic language, gossip, bitter hearts, godless philosophy, etc. Our refusal to obey Ephesians 5:11 has left us in a place where we are no longer horrified when we should be.

And so the enemy proceeds in slicing away at our vitality. Sometimes we Christians begin to think we are invincible. We are not. These fruitless deeds of darkness are in our own “spiritual neighborhood” – our houses, our hearts, our social circles. Prolonged exposure – which is, by the way, rebellion against God’s Word – leaves us confused and unable to react as we ought. Our “horror reflex” is not activated as it should be. Sin begins to creep in every corner, with all its nasty consequences.

Had I seen the spread eagle cat on the window screen in the month of April, I most likely would have never doubted the immediate danger the cat was in. It was the proliferation of appalling sights at Halloween that made me hesitate.

Dear Lord, please keep me far from fruitless deeds of darkness. May I be so accustomed to Your light and Your truth – and so uncomfortable with sin in and around my life – that I react quickly to the horror rebellion against You brings.

Jesus Can’t Be Your Example Until He’s Your Savior

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Recently I perused some children’s books that had been labeled as “Christian.” While reviewing these works, I was reminded of how subtly the truth can be undermined.

One of the children’s books was a survey of major stories of the Bible. Each two-page summary of a Biblical event was accompanied by colorful drawings and a quick prayer to summarize the heart of the message. Most unfortunately, the author missed the main point of many of the Biblical accounts.

As I read through the pages dealing with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, I was gravely disappointed to realize that the book did not refer to Jesus’ work as our Savior. It recommended that children look to Jesus as an example about how to forgive others and how to reach out to others, but it did not mention the fact that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins. In fact – to the best of my examination – the book never mentioned the word “sin.”

How tragic. What would be even more catastrophic is if adults reading the book did not realize that sin was not mentioned. This inconspicuous removal of anything related to the sinful nature of humans and our need for redemption is eternally harmful.

The message the powers of darkness would like us to believe is that we can simply follow the example of Christ and other “holy” people. The lie is that Jesus is only the role model that all of us should employ when making decisions. To naturalists, He is mistakenly a fully self-actualized human, to new age believers He is wrongly assumed to be a person genuinely in touch with His divinity and having reached the higher plane; but – in truth – He is God come to earth in flesh to save humans from sin.

Weary people – who are bound by sin, and burdened by the wrong thoughts and behaviors that we cannot escape on our own – need a Savior! We do not require a fine example – or even a perfect example – of how to live; we need a God who can enable us to live. Once the Savior delivers us from our sin nature, then – and only then – can we begin to live rightly.

The apostle Paul said it wonderfully in I Timothy 1:15 (NIV), “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” This, my friends, is why Jesus came. He came to endure the wrath of God for our sins that we might be free from the sin curse.

It may not be fashionable in today’s culture to seemingly downgrade the human condition this way, but it is certainly the truth. And every person who feels the weight of sin knows another example of goodness is not what they need.

Jesus simply cannot be my example until He is my Savior! To be bound by sin is to be spiritually dead. Dead people cannot follow examples. Dead people need life. God – through Jesus – gives dead people life. After He does, then these people can do right.

The crux of the matter is spelled out simply in Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV), “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

My prayer is that weary sinners find new life in Jesus as the Savior. I also pray that God will cause us to see where truth is lacking, or only half-proclaimed. People’s lives depend on it. God, please help us.

Does Everything End with Us?

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Genuine Christianity results in a radically countercultural worldview. There is no way around this fact. The heart of Biblical Christianity is “God first.” The heart of today’s culture is “me first.” One need not be a philosophy scholar to recognize the law of non-contradiction at play here. Either it is God first or me first, but it cannot be both at the same time.

I recently fell into the cultural trap when I found myself praying that God would reveal to me what His plan for my life was in reference to certain circumstances swirling about me. I basically kept begging God to show me what he has for me. Feeling stressed and at times sorry for myself, I wanted to know how God would help me. This seems innocent at the surface, but the truth hit me like a brick after many months of praying in this general way and not receiving peace. The Lord then showed me, “Shelli, it’s not about what I have for you, but what you have for me,” He seemed to say. I realized that God was impressing on me this thought, “My life is to be spent for His sake – no matter the cost. The answer is not in finding how God fits into my plan and my life, but how I fit into God’s plan!”

Stepping back from my own encounter with the false worldview of self-centeredness, I began to ponder what has happened in recent times. Most of the marketing to which we are constantly exposed urges us to buy what will help us feel better about ourselves and give us a sense of fulfillment of our self-determined needs. We are prodded to buy gadgets that can be customized to our lifestyle and our personality, and that can satisfy our every whim. As Christians, we need to discern the empty philosophy behind this strategy, and boldly determine to think as God will have us think – even if that means dismantling in our own lives the pull of the marketplace. I know it can be difficult to imagine that the general marketplace could be wrong, but remember that we do not use the world as our compass. God’s unchanging Word is our standard.

What is the source of the “me first” culture in which we find ourselves? I believe it can be traced back to a pantheistic view that followed the period of modernism. A New Age type of thinking recently invaded our culture. The crux of this pantheism is explained well by Dean Halverson (2003, 177),

    As the existence of a transcendent God who created all things is denied, which is what the New Age movement does, then the objectivity – the solidness, the otherness – of external reality is diminished. When that happens, then the role of the individual in shaping reality increases in importance.

Pantheism is a belief that everything is God. Divinity is one, and people are an emanation of that “oneness.” Pantheism dangerously says that God is not “other than us” or “outside of us,” but that He is the same as us. Since we are divine (of course, it takes much contemplative meditation and striving to realize this), we have much to do with reality. In fact, Pantheists believe that we – in essence – create our own reality.

A pantheistic framework flowed easily into the idea of hyperindividualism that is so prevalent today. Matthew Vos (2010/2011, 22) explains,

    Another social change influencing schools and students hails from the hyperindividualism saturating the Western world. Television advertisements promote products that can be created, customized, and ordered to reflect the “real you.” Cars, iPods, computers, and pizzas can all be fashioned to your image and to your liking.

The culture’s worldview shifted easily from a general paradigm of pantheism to the specific problem of hyperindividualism. We humans have a much too inflated sense of ourselves and our role in reality when compared to God and His role in reality.

People in general have largely come to believe that the stuff of life is supposed to reflect us and be what we want it to be. We have come to feel that everything ends with us. Actually, we are not the end of the line. We are designed to point to God; the purpose of our lives is to glorify Him. Though we are yet sinners, we were created in His image (Genesis 1:26). The point of living is to make God the most important thing. It follows that the stuff of life is to reflect Him, too. Romans 1:20 declares that the entire creation tells us things about God.

Do we see the difference in thinking presented to us? It is not that the stuff of life points to us, but that we point to God. In turn, we harness this creation and use all He has given to bring glory to Him.

I realize now that the purpose of my life is to be used by God for His renown. My purpose is not to conform my experiences and circumstances to fit what I deem as a good or comfortable life (hyperindividualism streaming from pantheistic thought). The culture can present to me whatever slick marketing messages it wants, but I know that the Maker of Reality is my Maker. I am not an emanation from God; I am a creation of God. My life will be spent bringing glory to Him for as long as He gives me the strength to do so in this world, and then He will supply the strength for me to do so forever in the world to come! May we quit trying to manipulate circumstances to “create the reality” we desire, and –instead – gratefully endure all things as God is exalted.

References:

Halverson, Dean. 2003. The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers.

Voss, Matthew (2010/2011). “Kids These Days” in a World of Change. Christian School Education, 14 (1), 21-23.

God Is Bigger Than The Plan

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Lately I have been pondering plans. You know – plans of all kinds – long term, short term, strategic, five-year, selfish, unselfish, corporate level, personal, realistic and unrealistic.

We live in a world of plans and schemes and hopes and dreams. Encouraged at every turn to map out our lives and careers, we devise many scenarios. We feel pressured to articulate the steps of next week, next month, next year, and so on and on and on.

Orderliness is of God. The mathematician in me cries out on behalf of logic and regularity. As human beings created in the image of God, we ought to strive for order and design. However, we need to remember that we are just that – created in the image of God.”

God alone stands transcendent, above and outside His creation. He is, therefore, unable to fail, never confused, unaffected by wrong passion, clearly able to see the future, powerful enough to clear obstacles, wise enough to differentiate between obstacles and blessings, and loving enough to desire our best even when we cannot understand His working.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) declares, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

Our plans originate in our hearts. God’s purpose originates with God. I am the created. He is the Creator. I have many plans. He has one purpose.

The only way my plans make any sense is as I seek to align them with His will. And even then, in my limited understanding, I can misinterpret the will of God. I can selfishly confuse what I want with what God wants.

Let us therefore be sure to put God before the plan. To us, the plan seems so big. But the plan is so much smaller than God.

Having recently earned a graduate degree in educational leadership, I know the value of strategic plans. Having been created by a transcendent God, I know He is bigger.

If my plans come to pass because God sees fit to bring them about, so be it.

If God’s purpose supersedes what I had in mind, so be it as well.

If I exalt my ideas above His, I am hopeless.

If I exalt Him above my ideas, I may just see my ideas coordinate with His purpose!

Shark Bites Or Dog Bites?

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Shark bites or dog bites? Burglaries or identity theft? Americans killed by terrorists or Americans who die from seasonal flu?

As Newsweek reports in its “Back Story” of the May 24 & 31, 2010 issue, “. . . much of what we worry about today is based on hype rather than reality.”

The same Newsweek edition notes that while 28 Americans suffered shark attacks last year, 4.5 million suffered dog bites!

2.2 million burglaries occurred in 2007, while 8.3 million people had their identity stolen in 2005!

In 2008, 33 Americans were killed by terrorist attacks around the world, while 36,171 died from seasonal flu!

Perhaps our concerns in this world are often misplaced; so, too, in the realm of the spiritual.

The statistics above demonstrate that we often dread extraordinary things while the ordinary destroys and kills. We become accustomed to exalting hype. We forget to pay attention to the seemingly mundane . . . until the seemingly mundane proves its exceptional nature by actually giving us something with which we must reckon. We may fear a terrorist while the flu kills us.

Speaking of fear, I am quite concerned that we Christians have misplaced apprehension. We are so busy worrying we might not have or accomplish what culture expects of us; all the while, we are losing the battle with the powers of darkness. For the Christian, the real and daily battle is in the world of the spirit.

We all know Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” But do we realize that while we are busy worrying about how our houses and cars compare to the neighbors’ possessions, demons of hell are tearing our souls apart at the core because we don’t perceive the danger of refusing to pray incessantly?

Do we shun the social stigma of not keeping up with the latest prime time television shows more than we care about the dark authorities and powers who have made it their aim to destroy our wholehearted devotion to Jesus and our determination to study His Word?

While most fear cultural hype, we ought to have a healthy respect for the spiritual battle taking place each moment that we live!

Only a fool would fear shark bites more than dog bites as he walks through his neighborhood each day.

And only foolish Christians would fear the death of worldly aspirations more than the death of our faith.

God, please help us discern the real battle.

Disturbing News About the Millennial Generation

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In this post, I refer to the April 27, 2010 USA Today article by Cathy Lynn Grossman titled, “Young Adults Less Devoted to Faith.”

I guess the title of the article begins to tell the tale. True Christians are not devoted to faith so much as we are devoted to God. Somewhere along the way, we as Christians have failed to communicate that we are not adherents to a religion; we are partakers in a relationship. I believe the root of this failed communication is not our failure to tell the truth of the core of Christianity, but to live the truth of the relationship.

In a world of relational disconnectedness despite a technological link to nearly everyone and everything, people long for an intimate relationship with the One in whose image they are made. Please remember, God is triune; Father, Son, and Spirit have been loving One another and relating perfectly to One another forever. God is relational. I find it no accident that the enemy of our souls is demeaning relationship and promoting shallow contact.

Josh McDowell said it well in Beyond Belief to Convictions (2002), “The core of Christianity is far, far more than a set of true propositions; it is the news of ‘a God who is passionate about His relationship with you.'” (p. 86) It seems we Christians have neglected reflecting that passion. Are we living like we have truly received that passionate love from God? Are we showing the people around us that we love to hear God’s voice through His Word, that it is crucial to us that we talk to Him always, that His plan is at the forefront of our daily decisions, and that He gives us joy to live?

The USA Today article sadly reports the following absolutely unbelievable facts:

  • 36% of 18-29-year-old people who “believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior” RARELY OR NEVER READ THE BIBLE!
  • 68% of the same group DID NOT MENTION FAITH, RELIGION OR SPIRITUALITY WHEN ASKED WHAT WAS “REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE”!

Herein lies the problem: The devastating statistic about Bible-reading held up to the light of II Thessalonians 2:9 (NASB), which says, “. . . and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”

This pivotal verse does not say that people die because they refused the truth. It says they perish because they refuse the love of the truth.

Perishing because we do not receive the love of the truth.

The Bible is the only tangible communication we have on earth from God to hold in our hands and have saturate our minds. It is the link to the One we say we love with all our hearts. God’s Spirit promises to illuminate its truth to us. And yet, 36% of people who claim Christianity rarely or never read it. God please help us.

Let us ask these questions today. Where is my Bible? How worn are its pages? How much are its words hidden in our hearts? How often do we carry it with us? Who sees that we love the truth?

Only Two Options

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“I’d rather die than be watched all the time.” REALLY? Because those are the only two options. No kidding.

There exist only two ways a person can live: in alignment with God’s will or out of alignment with God’s will. And let me tell you, God’s will is going to prevail. God’s way is the only way that lasts, and I will explain why shortly.

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6, NIV)

There it is. Black and white. Straightforward. One way – that of righteousness – is watched over. The other way – that of the unrighteous – is destroyed.

If you think about it, the reason is simple enough. I mean, even now, we see God’s natural law (His way of working in this natural world) operating constantly, tirelessly, relentlessly:

  • The law of gravity, for example, always wins out over my rebellion against it. (I wish someone would have told me that when I was five years old and tried to fly!)
  • The laws of logic and mathematics are the statutes according to which we must construct massive buildings and expansive bridges if we wish them to be safe. (Jeremiah 33:25)
  • The laws of planetary motion continue on – night and day – producing the natural rhythm of seasons and days. (Genesis 8:22)

The dependable nature of God’s natural law hints to us of the impeccable reliability of His spiritual law! Jesus once said to a seeker, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak to you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)

God’s moral law is right because it is the way He intended things to be. His “watching over our way” is our hope, not our threat! When I live according to the Bible by the power of God’s Spirit, it will go well for me now, and perfectly for me in the next world.

All rebellion against God’s way ends in ultimate misery. Turning against God begins to make things messy. Then – finally – one day Jesus will come back to clean up the mess of sin and make a home of righteousness that works right and feels right because it is right!

It is not only the wicked who perish; it is the whole way of the wicked. If that way of living lasted forever, things would never be right.

It is not only the righteous God watches over; it is the way of the righteous. Since that way will ultimately prevail, I want to be carefully watched and helped in that way now.

If you need to find that Way, His name is Jesus. Please let Him save you and watch you. It is an understatement to say that the alternative is bleak.