Tag Archives: Works

Chapter-a-Day

How are Those Resolutions Coming?

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I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Romans 7:15 (NIV)

So, how are those New Year’s resolutions coming? I laughed the other day when a friend on Facebook confessed that he couldn’t wait for everyone at his crowded gym to give up their resolutions and stay home.

Why is it that we struggle to do the things we want to do and the things that we know will be good for us? At the same time, we continue to do things we know are unhealthy for ourselves (and perhaps others) even though we know we should stop.

This is the crux of the rumination in today’s chapter. There are those who steadfastly believe, or act as if they believe, that God’s favor is earned by keeping the rules, being good people, and coloring inside the lines. Paul’s response is basically: “How are those New Year’s Resolutions coming?”

No matter how good we try to be, we never truly rid ourselves of the human condition. Despite our resolutions we find ourselves choosing the couch over the gym after a couple of meager attempts at self discipline. The five pounds we shed in January (of the 20 we need to lose) is back on by Valentine’s Day. And, we won’t even go there with the nasty little secret behaviors the rest of the world doesn’t see.

The message of Jesus was simply this. You can’t rid yourself of the nature of sin. That being the case, death is the penalty. Jesus did not come to give us a a bunch of Pinterest worthy sayings to motivate us toward good works. Jesus came to die the death that we deserve, so that we might have access to the Life we can never afford by our own efforts.

Today, I’m feeling grateful that my salvation is not dependent on my goodness. I think I’ll keep working on those resolutions, though. They won’t earn me a ticket to heaven, but they will certainly make my journey on this earth a little better for both me and my companions.

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Chapter-a-Day

Faith-full Father Abraham

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What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 4:3 (NIV)

There is no one in history quite like Abraham. He was a wayfarer and a nomad as he followed God’s call to follow toward unknown places. As an ancient man with an ancient wife beyond childbearing years, Abraham was promised that he would be the father of many nations.  He believed. He became the father of the Israelites and the Ishmaelites, both the Jews and the Arabs. The scriptures of Christians, Jews, and Muslims all journey back to the same forefather: Abraham.

And what did Abraham do that was so great?

He believed God at His word.
His faith motivated him to live according to what he believed.
God credited Abraham with righteousness.

In today’s chapter, Paul is making a religious legal argument against those who believe that our good works earn us a place in heaven. Exhibit A was father Abraham. Righteousness, Paul argued, was not rendered by God as payment for Abraham’s good deeds. It was credited (unearned) because of Abraham’s simple faith, his believing God.

In a world in which I must earn my way in almost every respect, it is easy to slip into the religious world view of heaven being earned like a divine 401K plan, just like everything else in this life: “A buck to charity here, refuse to give in to temptation there, and a good deed or two and the Big Boss in the sky puts a credit or two in the Pearly Gates Retirement Plan for me. I just hope I have enough in the account for retirement.”

But God says, “my ways aren’t your ways” and God’s Message is clear. Grace and favor is not about what I have done or not done. It’s simply about me believing what God has done and promised through Jesus. Then my faith will motivate me to live according to what I believe. John makes the link clear in his biography of Jesus when he writes that those who receive Jesus, who believe Jesus, they are credited the right to be children of God.

Just like faith-full father Abraham.

 

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Chapter-a-Day

The Big Lie

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It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land…
Deuteronomy 9:5 (NRSV)

Yesterday I had the privilege of delivering the morning message among weekly worship with my local group of Jesus followers. In the message I shared what I believe to be the most subtle, insidious lie that we are led to believe about God and eternity: it’s about what we do or don’t do. Nothing could be further from the truth:

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Ephesians 2:7-10 (MSG)

Then this morning I read God sharing a similar message to the Hebrews through Moses. I hear in Moses’ message the concern that once the people took possession of the land they would “probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing.” Moses reminds them that it’s all God’s doing, not theirs.

I so easily fall into the mindset that God will accept me or reject me based on my deeds, good or bad. If I fall into sin I believe God will punish me. If things are going well I get the feeling I must be doing something right for God to be blessing me. So I do extra good things to try and counter balance the bad and earn a little extra blessing. I think in the back of my head that eternity must be based on some giant set of scales that will weigh out the good and bad in my life. If good tips the scales I’m in, if my good falls short of my bad then I’m hosed. But that’s not at all what Jesus taught and what God’s Message says. Here’ another reminder I shared yesterday:

It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. Titus 3:3-8 (MSG)

Today, I’m grateful for all the God has done in redeeming me and thankful that it’s not up to me or my effort, my good deeds, or my ability to earn my way into God’s good graces. God’s gift has restored my relationship with Him and given me back my life.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 9

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Lucas Cranach the Elder: Law and Grace, Gotha ...
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Know this and don’t ever forget it: It’s not because of any good that you’ve done that God is giving you this good land to own. Deuteronomy 9:6 (MSG)

Thus far in life’s journey, I have come to believe that the single-most misunderstood of spiritual truths is that of God’s grace (grace: unmerited favor). Time and time again God’s Message reminds me that His blessing and salvation are gracious gifts made possible by His own love and sacrificial act. I have nothing to do with it other than to truly believe.

And yet, my heart and mind always want to wander back to the perception of God being a stingy behavioral accountant sitting in heaven with his tally sheet of good and bad things I’ve thought, said, or done. In practice, I reduce God to some sort of omniscient Santa who will fill my day with presents or lumps of coal depending on how my behavioral scale is tipping today.

When God speaks to the children of Israel in today’s chapter, He is also speaking right to me: “Tom, remember this and don’t ever forget. Salvation and every blessing you experience have zip to do with you or what you’ve done. It’s not about you.”

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Numbers 29

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“Sacrifice these to God as a congregation at your set feasts: your Whole-Burnt-Offerings, Grain-Offerings, Drink-Offerings, and Peace-Offerings. These are all over and above your personal Vow-Offerings and Freewill-Offerings.” Numbers 29:39 (MSG)

It’s been interesting for me to spend specific times at the lake this summer with children of different ages. It’s amazing to see how kids act and react in the different stages of life from infant to toddler to tweens to teens. For adults and parents, each stage has its blessings and each stage has its curses. As I interacted with all the children in their various stages, I found myself trying to create teaching moments when the opportunity arose.

This past weekend we were at the lake with some great young kids who, nonetheless, found themselves bored and ended up whining about it. During one of these moments I saw a big stack of laundered towels on the floor and I picked them up, asking our bored guest if he would take them down to the towel bin and put them away. There was a point to asking my young guest to do this. In fact, there were a couple of points I was subtly trying to communicate. First, if you’re bored enough to whine about it, we can certainly find something for you to do. Second, there is plenty of work that must be done to ensure that everyone has a good time at the lake and if you can participate in the fun things you can participate in the work, too.

As I read through today’s chapter and the dizzying list of offerings and sacrifices God prescribed for feast days (which was above and beyond those already prescribed), I’m reminded that there was a point He was trying to make with us His children. The point was that no human being can possibly sacrifice enough, offer enough, or do enough to achieve the status of being good enough to be acceptable for God. The impossible system of sacrifices was a giant word picture and object lesson to teach us that we can’t possibly do enough or be perfectly obedient enough to earn our salvation.

That’s why God sent Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of the world. God’s Message says it is by God’s grace and unmerited favor we are saved through placing our faith in Jesus, His sacrifice and resurrection. Salvation is not something we earned ourselves by keeping a system of sacrifices or doing enough good deeds to balance out the bad. Salvation is the gift of God, not the result of our human works or any good works we might think we can boast about. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Today, I’m thankful that I’m free from having to earn God’s favor, and I’m grateful for the sacrifice God made to set me free.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 30

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God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: "Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me—The very thing you've been unwilling to do. Isaiah 30:15 (MSG)

Reading today's chapter I was reminded of this song. I've always loved this song because it makes me laugh and I think it so honestly captures what I believe to be the most common lie that we deeply believe: That on the great balance scales of life, we're basically good people. I'm an alright guy. And, if I put forth a little effort to keep the "good" outweighing the "bad" then God will give me the thumb's up and reward my effort.

The more I read God's message, the more I realize that in the economy of God's kindgom there is no amount of good works that can earn me the thumb's up. God doesn't grade on a curve. It's a pass fail test and only one red check mark guarantees my failure (you should see my list of red check marks – oy!).

I know. It doesn't seem fair. If that' true then no one can pass that test. We've all done something wrong.

Exactly. That's the point.

That's why God sent His son to pass the test for us and, while He was at it, to take the punishment for our failure. We can stop our silly efforts to save ourselves. No more trying to do enough to keep my "alright guy" status. It has nothing to do with what I do. It has everything to do with what Jesus did for me. The reality is that Jesus was the one and only "alright guy" and my dependence on Him is my one and only hope.