The “No Matter What” Part of Wisdom

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.  Ecclesiastes 8:6.

 

In the place misery and hardship hit us the hardest and longest is where wisdom’s rubber meets the road.  It’s easy to be “wise” when we live in isolation (wise man or woman on a mountain somewhere in the Himalayas) or life is going so good with no disasters in sight; it’s quite another when tragedy strikes.  Wisdom often isn’t necessarily a given for those who have life going their way, rather its biggest impact is for the time when everything seems to be against us and we’re floundering.

The above text speaks to a person who sticks with a king though the decisions this leader makes create a bad atmosphere or go against all wisdom.  While a person is going through heartache or misery, they still have to live and cope with the world as they find it.  Not every situation allows for either a quick solution or any kind of mutually beneficial resolution.  What we know in retrospect is not what we know without experience.  Even the idea that somehow we should be able to know what only the experience of the now will teach is a fool’s paradise.  Hindsight always plays “what if” no matter what the circumstances faced.  The guilt we all feel when we can’t control the outcome may be palpable and real, yet unrealistic in the grand scheme of things.

Solomon points out that a king’s word is supreme (see why in my previous post) so fighting such power does no good.  Timing based on wisdom becomes the key here to knowing when to act and when to wait.  Yet this isn’t as easy as it sounds.  In my own lifetime I’ve seen bad decisions bring profit, flying in the face of history and all conventional logic.  And, if the truth be known, it wasn’t the decisions themselves which brought the profit but the luck of the draw—that old time and chance philosophy.  The scariest part, of course, is that those involved in the bad decision(s) declare the outcome as justification for continued bad choices, again defying all commonsense.

Some decisions, unfortunately, take a generation or so to see any returns on the investment.  Like in the case of Hezekiah with the Babylonian envoys who came to the Jerusalem to understand why their clocks (sundials) went backwards (read this story in Isaiah 38, 39).  His decision to show off his wealth instead of declaring God’s bounty and grace resulted in his country being a target for the Babylonian armies a few generations later.  What’s so disheartening about this story is his attitude of “at least it won’t happen in my lifetime.”

With this idea firmly in mind, it’s no wonder we see some pretty bad behavior from his successor and son, Manasseh, who is reputed to be one of the most wicked kings in Jewish history.  (His story is remarkable in that later he repented and turned back to God who restored him to the throne.)

We humans love to kick the can of consequences down the road for our immediate gratification.  For instance, no one in their right mind would declare the cars of yesteryear clean burning and non-polluting, which simply means what we are not able to breath and makes us sick if we take in too much of it (carbon monoxide) can’t be good our world.  Yet we hear people arguing that it hasn’t really affected the atmosphere.  Now I’m not a doomsday prophet or anything of that sort, I just believe in commonsense.  If we can’t stand behind a vehicle and breathe normally without getting either nauseous or passing out, then having a 100,000,000 of these things our roads going 24/7 has to do something.  Not to mention all the fuel burning in our fireplaces or keeping our electricity on.

I’m not in any way defending or decrying global warming fanatics, what I am saying is we can’t abuse our world without consequences of some sort.  I don’t know what effect all this pollution has on our planet, but it can’t be good.  Denying the harm is both silly and dangerous.  It takes thoughtful people to invent things like this, granted, but it also takes thoughtful people to build devices and machinery which operate safely and with environmental wisdom.  The wind farms all over the place displace wildlife and hurt birds; coal has already shown its toxic side; solar is awesome but it takes acres and acres of panels to equal just a small portion of what coal and water dams do easily.

Fiscally our country is kicking the can down the road, which will create a huge disaster for our children or theirs.  You can’t overspend and over borrow then expect to get off with a free pass.  And by saying this I’m definitely not defending the Republican viewpoint of the world nor will I condemn it.  In this matter of spiritual truth their view is fairly immaterial.

Jesus said, “Wisdom is justified by her deeds.”  And His wisdom is being proved out in the real world constantly.  A man who loves will continue to do without or without the permission of his king, family, friends or any other entity which holds power over his life.  And make no mistake, other people hold power over us whether we admit it or not.  Anyone in business can tell you how hard it is to get a start up off the ground.  The sacrifices are tremendous, the advantages very few in the beginning, and the pay off costly even in the long run.  If no one comes to a market to buy, the market will cease to exist, thus proving we cannot survive without one another.

A king is simply a man trusted to rule over the people he serves.  That last word is vital to understanding the best way to see power of any sort:  those in charge do so to serve others not themselves.  Unfortunately, too often those in power either live to please themselves or believe in some god-awful philosophy or ethic which makes them force their “good” down the throats of all—much of the time at the pain of death or confiscation of the “opposition’s” property.

Daniel advised Nebuchadnezzar; Joseph served under Pharaoh; Esther became the wife of the king of Persia…Time and again wisdom has been served by those who would not back away from the unpleasant, though it cost them dearly.  Those mentioned here are but a fraction of the biblical heroes and heroines who served God despite all odds.  They influenced Hebrew history because they stuck with their place instead of running away from the awful circumstances they found themselves in.  The message here is clear:  We cannot desert our nation, work, family or friends just because we find sinners there.

We are the salt of the earth.  What does salt do?  It flavors and preserves.  Wars have been fought over rights to salt; whole nations have been destroyed by other nations coveting their salt sources.  Jesus used this parable as an illustration to tell us how valuable we are and to stress that we are the flavor of God in the world set not only to make it palatable but to preserve it.  If the world loses the flavor of His love (which is the essence of His holiness), it will be destroyed as too evil to exist.  I believe this truth is one of the reasons holding back the winds of strife right now.  Many Christians somehow have come to believe they must create heaven on earth through earthly government but the fact is our very lives are salt which preserve the people of earth’s life.

So do not be in a hurry to leave the presence of those on earth, for according to our Master we are the reason it hasn’t been destroyed.  Don’t be in a hurry to leave an unpleasant situation for God can use us anywhere.  Be a light in a dark place.  It’s a waste of time to turn on a light in a well lighted room.  It’s much better to shine where the light will do more good.

Two Wise Men Got into an Argument…

It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.  Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools.  This too is meaningless.

Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.  Ecclesiastes 7:5-7.

 

Let’s be honest with ourselves, if with no one else, and just bring it out in the open: all of us can be bought with something.  It might be value by another person we respect, money—which can be for security or pleasure—respect itself, power, and the list could go on and on.  Until we understand where we are vulnerable, we remain a danger to ourselves spiritually—and even knowing doesn’t guarantee the danger is over.  A sinner cannot save or change him- or herself because “Without me you can do nothing,” as our Master made so poignantly clear.  The branch gets its nourishment from the tree or main vine, without which it withers.

The song of fools sounds like a great song title and subject to explore (guess what I’m gonna do with it), but the imagery of the thorns crackling under the pot didn’t make clear sense until I started writing this post just now.  Those thorns under the pot are burning up; they are on fire.  In a way, Solomon might be suggesting anyone looking just to party their life away will burn, and burn out eventually—sooner rather than later.  In the mean time their lives will be a fog, indistinct and numb.  Laughter which doesn’t come from a happy, joyful place internally cannot be serious happiness but is merely a veneer we put over “life” to distract ourselves from whatever we feel is boring, dull or depressing.  In other words, we use the words “really living” to point to the exciting things we do rather than the responsible life we live.  The former are the hilltops; the latter the rest.  Yet “really living” isn’t just the peaks in what we call “life”, it’s the whole journey.

Notice Solomon doesn’t stop with the wise man’s rebuke and the emptiness of a fool’s laughter.  He moves on to tackle a subject most of the powerful would probably rather he leave alone.

A fool is one who is morally or spiritually compromised, meaning doing something shady for their own gain.  A wise person who chooses extortion (which implies not only theft by exorbitant graft but deception and oppression as well) in order to benefit themselves will be transformed into a fool.  It’s foolish to believe we can benefit ourselves at the expense of others and not pay for our sins eventually.  It never works that way because someone always pays.

I know the following thought might not seem comforting but it is for me:  Even the wise like and need to feel good, secure and happy.  I don’t know that they would essentially sell their souls to get any of those things, but since they are human just like the rest of us and crave to matter as well as do something with people who matter to them.  Most of us don’t feel comfortable enough with the opinions or possible reactions of others to confess our constant need for wisdom in all areas.  Some of us have established a line in the sand or built fences as boundaries around ourselves to demarcate what is right and wrong, but it doesn’t stop us from craving or indulging in many of the things we preach against.

I remember hearing about Jimmy Swaggart before his big scandal hit.  I couldn’t listen to him at all because all he talked about was how sinful everything was and the need to repent.  It wasn’t that I disagreed with him entirely but more a sense that this man was obsessed with one aspect of human nature.  When his secret became public I understood who he was preaching to—himself.  His guilt destroyed any amount of joy or contentment he could have as well as creating guilt in thousands of loyal followers in the meantime.  His situation and many since then (and long before) give me the reason to live openly while being cautious with what I reveal.  I am a sinner.  Accept it.  Get over it.  Know I intend to grow.  Also realize that I’m not gonna’ just get rid of all my sin at once and neither are you; that’s why there’s grace, my friends.

We don’t sin because of grace, we have grace because we sin.  I’m not talking about lust, greed, gluttony, lying, etc, but rejecting God as Master and Lord of our lives.  The Pastor at Bridge City here in Milwaukie, OR, said something quite profound that I will have to paraphrase,  “If you believe in any part of you that you can please God or do something to make yourself better by your own efforts, you have essentially dethroned Him as God and placed Him as lower than your own ability.”  There was a lot more along that line, suffice it to say I don’t believe anyone is sinless this side of the re-creation of all things.  Sin is putting us, someone or something else in God’s place as the commander and chief of our choices and actions.  Any time we mess with God’s place, we destroy our ability to depend on Him.

What we can do for ourselves is submit to Him.  That’s the hard work, quite frankly.  Sin itself isn’t the wrong we do, that’s the malignant growth on an organ or body part which is the evidence of it.  No, sin is rejection of God as God.  The reason a wise man becomes a fool is he or she decides to become commander and chief of their own lives.

In this light we have no right or place to condemn (a type of judgment) anyone else for their fallen state.  It doesn’t mean we excuse or support their bad habits or choices, but neither should we place ourselves on any sort of pedestal to shake our moral finger at them.  Without Jesus we are all lost.  Without His saving grace, none of us would know mercy.  Those who understand grace know mercy and practice it.

Approaching God

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.  Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.  As a dream comes when there are man cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.  Ecclesiastes 5:1-3.

 

We humans talk too much.  I know plenty of people who talk wa-a-a-ay less than me, of course, because I’m a wordy fellow, yet I also know that when it comes to prayer silence is not as popular as pouring out our hearts.  This is pretty natural since we don’t dialogue with God very much at all.  Still, though we live in a new dispensation and paradigm, listening is always better than talking.

Confession time:

I talk to God all day long.  I’m always telling Him things I am thinking or discussing the next move at work.  I know it might sound silly to some of you, but I can’t stop the flow (at least at this stage) because words are how I connect.  Oddly enough, I know I listen—even through all the profuse one-sided conversations we seem to have.  How I know I listen is that when thoughts squeeze their way in between the cracks of my profundity, I stop to chew.

I have a long way to go before I’ll be able to use my ears and mouth in proportion.  Thank God for grace to grow!

Yet the point of Solomon’s exhortation isn’t lost even on a person like me.  The main issue is to gain an understanding God’s place in the universe as well as our hearts.  He’s big, bigger than anything or anyone, yet able to inhabit my heart.  The phenomenon of a God who holds all of creation in the palm of His hand being in my heart—or even interested in my life—is amazing enough.  Yet size only matters to those who use it as a means of power over others (or get their value from it.

We talk about God running and sustaining everything yet sometimes just don’t recognize what that means.  Sure He takes care of all the big stuff like planets, nation building and certain people’s careers, but these things are the more obvious things.  Where it really gets interesting for me is that each cell has a power pack inside it that scientists are still trying to unravel.  Why do these amazing organisms continue to operate sometimes long after their host dies?  What supplies them with the life force necessary to keep performing their function?

I believe God’s life force permeates everything and everyone.  This same power emanates from a being who is not only sentient but intimately personal.  He created one of the most person acts we humans experience then compared it to His own relationship with the Godhead and us.  I know a lot of people who are weird-ed out by God’s claim to be spiritually “sexual” with us, but their problem stems from their lack of understanding not the act itself.  Sex is intimacy not just pleasure; it’s pleasure not just intimacy.  The two go together on purpose for God illustrates through this one act what is in His heart for us.  Now we, on the other hand, have so many issues around sex and intimacy that some (probably many) experience real difficulty when this subject comes up.  The problem isn’t with God, it’s with us.

We pervert the works of God then blame Him for the outcomes.  We twist our natures around pleasure, power, wealth and selfish ambition then resent Him for being bigger than all of us.  All of us struggle to look at pretty much every faucet of life without the cataracts of sin.  It isn’t God’s fault that we’ve perverted intimacy into something narcissistic.  So why can’t we grasp His goals for personal contact with us?  Our twisted POV prevents us from being healthy enough to experience the fullness of God.

Can you picture God’s presence as both overwhelmingly awe-inspiring as well as pleasurable?  The orgasm becomes a mere simile for experiencing God.  The more I know God in His purity, and thus realize my own perversity, the more I know everything within His context is clean, clear, beyond my imagination to experience and full of deep spiritual meaning.  We must get beyond our perverted twists on God’s creation; for if we don’t, we end up with nothing more than Victorianism disguised as piety or going after something for merely the pleasure of it.  Human rules will never prevent the sinful nature from expressing itself nor will we ever find satisfaction in just pleasure.

Jesus changed all the rules of coming to God when He became human.  It’s weird that at first we’re told to be careful when we approach God, then have Him call us friends.  “I have called you friends…I no longer call you servants because a servant doesn’t know his master’s business.  Instead I have called you friends.”  Why?  Because He let us in on God’s mind and plans, that why!  He shared the heart of God rather than just the rules of a boss or king.  Jesus got intimate with humanity to demonstrate the desire of God’s heart—a reconciled friendship with us.

Why did He do this?  Because He wants to be intimate with us!  He shared His very soul in coming to earth by being born, living and breathing as a human.  He experienced everything a man can experience besides marriage.  That should tell us something about the nature of God in relation to humanity.  It should enlighten our dark understanding of the divine and set us on a course for greater pleasure in the presence of the Source of pleasure.  We use the word “joy” to replace happiness because we fear God isn’t concerned with our happiness; yet it was He who created our ability to be happy.  We wouldn’t know the word or emotion if He hadn’t invented it.  We need to get over our perverse self-denial so that we can practice it in the context of heaven’s gift in Christ.

Does it strike you as weird that God invented pleasure?  Then chew on this:  He created foods of all stripes then gave humans taste buds in order to enjoy them.  He created flowers, scented plants and animals then gave humans olfactory glands to appreciate them.  He created colors with so many hues we cannot invent enough combinations to encompass them all, then gave us eyes with brains encoded to be overwhelmed by a sunset or whatever.  He gave us a reproduction apparatus then made it a pleasure to procreate.  He gave us ears and made voices sing, birds warble, lions roar and mountains rumble.

Our God “dwells” in unapproachable light, yet loves us so much in a purely intimate way He sent His own to be one of us.  Yes, we need to be in awe.  Yes, we should be reverent.  Yes, we should be overwhelmed.  Yes we ought to seek intimacy and be pleasured by His presence.

That is just utterly amazing.

Two Are Better than One

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:  There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother.  There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.  “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”  This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:7-10.

 

Living alone by having it thrust on us through circumstances versus choosing to be so are two different things.  Some choose it out of a desire for spiritual focus, some have problems being in close contact with other people, and others just because they don’t want to be bothered by anyone interfering with their routine.  .  To one degree or another, these choices are all based on narcissistic attitudes, if we take that word to mean what makes me feel good as opposed to being in community.  Others chose community in one form or another but ended up alone through the choices of someone else

The man in Solomon’s illustration works hard to gain wealth for himself thinking that he’ll be satisfied at the end of the day.  When he accomplishes his dream he’s left feeling empty because there’s no one to share it with and he’s alone.  Our resident wise man claims this is a case of chasing after the wind and totally void of anything meaningful.

Why?

For the simple reason that all of us need relationships in one form or another.

We were built, designed and set up for community.  The first thing God did was create a community of two.  It wasn’t an accident of evolution or a case of artistic flair but a programmed characteristic which defines the human psyche.  Those who think they can survive without community should just see the roster of counseling appointments treating the social networking woes of thousands of people.  It’s not hard to see how many of us get closed down because community hurts more often than it heals, but that further emphasizes our need for Jesus, in my estimation.

The teachings of Christ were not principally meant for political outcomes or religious piety but to restore relationships.  The song the angels sang at His birth wasn’t concerned about the latest doctrinal stance or treasure trove of things God required, instead their focus was, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men…”  Good will is all about relationship building, which has something to do with the boundaries of love, though very little to do with the minutiae of human laws.  Because we can’t seem to conform to love, we make laws to regulate human behavior—a reason why the laws of most countries are becoming more and more complicated.

Fallen human nature angles for the loopholes on such a regular basis that we begin to think laws and punishment are the only way to curb it.  We’re dead wrong, of course, yet humanity as a whole steadfastly doesn’t want God completely in charge; tending instead to invest in anything but Him.  It’s a failed experiment, this endeavor to find self-actualization and godlike status without the Creator to guide us and temper our pride.  The most anyone can be like God is by imitation; other than that we have no option but entropy and death.

The first time I read this passage it validated marriage for me, since that’s where my focus was at the time.  As I’ve grown in my walk with God it now validates every aspect of human relationships.  We need family, friends and social circles to thrive.  As I said before, no business can succeed without a community to support them.  No painter, musician or actor can continue publishing their art, songs or stories if no one sees or listens to them.  So it validates our relationships in all their glory no matter what the ties that bind.

The world is violent place, pretending it’s not causes no end of heartache and trouble.  What’s the quote, “Evil men succeed when good men do nothing” or something to that effect.  We miss the point when we figure love should conquer all.  It does, but sometimes we have to use the stick of love instead of the helping hand.  There are people out there who are not damaged, abused or neglected but selfish to the core and uncaring about who they hurt as long as they get theirs.  Denying these people exist will only hurt all the more when they run us over.  Every macro culture and micro culture will contain a selection all types of people.  Hopefully, there are more of the type who construct and sustain than those who destroy or drain it.

My point being, no matter how we slice it, we still need to continue in community with one another.  All the wealth in the world and toys it brings will not replace solid loving relationships.  The man or woman who works hard and is successful will feel more so when there’s someone else to share it with and appreciate his or her efforts.  Loneliness sucks, folks.  In contrast, however, the person who cannot seem to get it off the ground no matter how hard they work will also feel better about life when they share it with someone who cares for them and for whom they care.

Circling the Block

Whatever has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past into account.

And I saw something else under the sun:  In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”  Ecclesiastes 3:15-17.

Let’s digest this together for a bit, what ya’ say?

Before we go on I need to declare my belief and faith in this book as intrinsically factual and true.  This is an important statement because what comes next flies in the face of convention.

When we say we need to take an account of some part of our lives, business (social, economic or religious practices) or possessions/wealth, it’s the same as saying “take stock of…” in another context.  To check the accounts of financial records simply means adding and subtracting the ebb and flow of it in order to see if they balance out on the side of profit or loss.  It’s not that deep of a concept, really.  The phrase “take stock of” just needs to be dissected minimally to see from where it originates:  The stock house or room.  To check the stock means (I’m really not trying to insult your intelligence here, just focusing on why we use these phrases) to count what’s available or lacking.

Ok, why was that word study important to our take on the judgment?

God will take the past into account, meaning weigh up the good with the bad, right?  So if this is true, then what has to happen for the “financial” (in the spiritual sense, of course) to be in the black or at least even?  I can answer this from two perspectives, I think, with ease, but first let’s work with Solomon’s question from his worldview.

Habits are behaviors or attitudes which come back around on either a regular basis or when a stimulus of some sort pushes a specific habit button.  What has been will be again.  Though Solomon is probably speaking about inventions, conventions and human relationships or accomplishments, his words can also apply to our deeds.  Why else would he include the subject of the judgment in a discussion of things going around in a circle (or cycling back around) to reinvention?  But what caught my attention was how he looked at the judgment, so let’s dwell on that, since we’ve already discussed the repetition of history.

In the Jewish economy the law provided forgiveness through sacrifice, yet it required restitution through either paying four times the amount stolen, a payment of some type to those wronged by rape, accidental death or debt, and, finally, death in extreme cases where premeditated murder or violent theft occurred.  But in every case, repentance did bring mercy from God; the debt to Him could be paid through sacrifice.  I don’t know what happened in Solomon’s case since we aren’t given anything past this book and the accounts of Kings and Chronicles, but the book seems to suggest something happened at the end of his life to turn him back to his God.  Oddly enough this works for me, given the copious examples in Scripture of some real scoundrels receiving mercy.  A man who lived most of his life in pursuit of pleasure and wealth found it all to be meaningless at the end of a race he won by all accounts and standards.

From the perspective of one whose life is now hidden with Christ in God, it seems to me to be easier to find grace in the sludge of human relationships—at least from the One who counts.  In this case we know a grace Solomon could only hope for but had no chance to see.  If I stand on my own in the judgment, my life is weighed by how my deeds balance out.  The bad thing is:  If I sinned even once in my life, the sin outweighs everything else good I did by God’s accounting, so I’m lost anyway; so one tiny sin or an excessive amount matters little when coming to the judgment.

Yet here’s where it really gets good:  if I’m like the thief on the cross, about to die for a life of crime and violence, and repent with a sincere heart, the blood of Jesus covers me like a white wedding garment and all my stinkiness is erased.   In other words, His good outweighs the world’s bad by the infinite power of the death and resurrection of Christ.  His good is weighed on the scales of the nature of His being, the Son of God; which makes Him God as well (see John 10:31-38).  The infinite nature of God outweighs by infinity the rebellion it takes to deny Him, which is the essence of all sin.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord prevails in the accounting.  Like a good friend of mine, Jerome says constantly, “When someone asks me how I made it into the kingdom, I’m gonna’ say,  ‘I don’t know.  I’m with Him!’”  then he’d point over his right shoulder to signify Jesus.  That’s all we get in the judgment; it’s the all or nothing clause; it’s a winner (Jesus) take all (anyone who submits to Him and all creation) situation.  Nothing can be added to Him and certainly nothing taken away.

But there is one final addendum to this subject I’ve just begun to understand.  The issue of the reward for the righteous never really made it on my radar until a few years ago when I read it again in the book of Revelation.  I’m not going to go into this in depth right now, but what came out of it and every other text which speaks of this subject is that our salvation is guaranteed by the blood of Christ.  The crown and rewards in the kingdom however are based on the trend of our life in His service.  If the good outweighs the bad, we receive a reward; if not, we squeak through the fire of His judgment saved, but with the sludge of sin burned away and all that remains of our entire lives is the foundation of Christ and the apostles (refer to 1 Corinthians 3 for Paul’s illustration).

I’m good with that, how about you?

Love Peace; Hate War

…A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:8.

 

 

I can hear the howls of consternation and offended sensibilities from many of my Portlandia friends and neighbors.  No one in their right mind would consider hate and war as having any virtue whatsoever.  But I don’t believe Solomon is giving them value as we think of it, instead he’s acknowledging they are sometimes unavoidable and even preferable in certain situations.

The difference between love and hate, war and peace, can be compared to mixing oil in water knowing they don’t blend with each other; or trying to get two South Pole magnets to attract each other.  Yet this is exactly what is happening in this statement of seeming polar opposites being in the same sentence.

For instance, I absolutely abhor violence against women or children and I have no tolerance for those who tolerate it either.  I don’t exactly hate these people who practice such things but I would fight them tooth and nail if they tried to legalize or justify such foolishness in my presence.  I also see no reason to tolerate dictators who use up the resources of their own country then attempt to take over another so they can rape and pillage it.  In this case, war is the only option.

I know, I know, it sounds like I’m justifying war—and you’re right, I am.  I hate starvation and all its causes.  I hate political systems which exist to serve themselves rather than the people they are supposed to represent.  I believe war is preferable over slavery.  I would rather go to war than be under the rule of a dictatorship which attempted to rule my conscience.

Oh, and did I mention I hate war?

I love-love, hate-hate, love-peace, hate-war.  I am willing to go by the name Christian precisely because I hate the misery of death, disease, war and hate.  The timeliness of each is important.  I don’t go around bombing funeral homes as part of my protest against death and disease.  I don’t live a negative existence just because I’m angry at what these things do to our world.  Instead I’ve chosen to think about a possible reason they exist and the solution to them.

Jesus commanded us,  “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you…”  His instructions sounds like He’s talking out of both sides of His mouth if you consider that He’s the One who dictated the OT to the prophets and scribes.  If this latter statement is true, then it makes His command to be peaceful that much more confusing for some.  It’s like a dichotomy that won’t go away unless we give into the Spirit of Truth.

You see, God used a lot of methods in the past that didn’t work—not because they weren’t effective, but due to the dual nature of the human race.  He wasn’t and isn’t defeated by our nature, though, that’s not what I’m implying here; rather His attempts to provide a safe place through war with the nations in Canaan came up short because Israel chose another path.  The same could be said of us with both His Word and will.

Jesus started off saying,  “You have heard it said,  ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies,’ but I tell you, Love your enemies.”  His reference isn’t to the law which never told the Hebrews to hate their enemies and love only their countrymen, but to a common practice among humans in general.  The law never told anyone to hate their neighbors instead it instructed them to do good to the foreigners and strangers.  I’ve often wondered why God allowed slavery in the OT and basically struck it down in the NT.  As I pondered (such an intellectual word, huh) this it came to me that in that era and society the only way one could guarantee conformity was subjugation.  The Israelites could own slaves from other nations but they couldn’t enslave one of their own.  This set it up so that the foreigner had to be involved in the household traditions, and if the family practiced the law, the slave would be affected by the atmosphere of the house—and hopefully not the other way around.

Unfortunately, it never worked out that way because Israel, like most of us, found the exotic nature of the gods and goddesses of the nations around them alluring and enticing.  It’s hard not to see God’s allowance for slavery as inconsistent but the perspective of maturity must constantly recognize the need to compromise with even the worst options.  I don’t like slavery nor will I condone it, so I’m not justifying it even now, rather the intention is to show God’s handling of the cards He had to play with—sin in the mix creates an imperfect dynamic.  We created the scenario through choosing to live without Him, as a counter move He comes back with a deal to rescue the relationship.

So how do we relate this flat lining statement about love and hate?

Timing is everything.  I don’t have to hate anyone but I can hate what they do, what they’ve become through bad choices, the results of those choices on others in their world.  I can hate and love at the same time.  I’ve heard of studies which suggest that even saying the word “hate” brings up negative responses in our bodies—blood pressure rising, anxiety, things like that.  If this is true, we weren’t built for sustained hate because it will kill us; however, if we hate something, then to acknowledge and express it is about choosing the right place and time not avoiding the truth.  In the meantime, burying the emotion as undesirable is not a healthy response to it.  The best way to handle any of these negative emotions is to set them aside as realities rather than denying they exist—putting them in a box of our own making, sidelined like a player in the game the coach must bench.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the word “hate” here because we don’t deal with it enough—or may it’s just me.  I don’t like the emotion or the word.  Most of the people who practice hate do so in such a destructive and counter productive manner that I want to avoid it altogether.   But that’s the point.  Try another subject as an example:  Just because someone can’t handle marriage in a healthy way isn’t a reason to destroy the institution or deny the need for it.  Again, just because someone uses war as a means of stripping another country of its wealth isn’t a reason to forego war to protect the invaded; instead I see it as a warning not to repeat the evil.  I can hate the sin without hating the sinner.  Hating the sinner dehumanizes them without quarter; hating the sin acknowledges the act as “hateful” without suggesting the person who perpetrated the act or attitude is irredeemable.  The thief on the cross cries out against those who would condemn the most sinful as irredeemable.

War is necessary when the rights, freedoms and lives of other people are at stake.  We don’t need to go into the enemy camp and cut them down to a man, instead by showing mercy, grace and a willingness to restore them we demonstrate the higher calling of love.  Hate what is evil, cling to what is good; again, war on warmongers in order to protect the helpless.  In this way we use war as a response to an extreme evil rather than a preferred method of dealing with every problem.  When the perpetrators are subdued, it is time for peace to weigh in and take over.

Embracing the Time

…A time to embrace and a time to refrain…

 

Some people never embrace anything or anyone—except may be their reserved sense of propriety.  It’s quite fascinating to me that we look at life through such a variety of lenses which affect how we see the world.  If a person looks at everything as “sin”, there will be nothing safe—nowhere secure to step at all.  If they look at nothing as “sin”, there’s still dangers only now they have blinders on and do their level best to deny the fact there’s something wrong.

I guess that’s a little off the subject, though, huh.

I looked up the word “embrace” to see the nuance and found out the word used here means to “cleave to” or “clasp”.  The significance being there is a time we should “cleave to” things or people and sometimes we hold onto them long after we should let go.  This isn’t just about affection between people or demonstrative love, rather it points to clinging to something or someone.  Solomon wants to point to the need for holding onto things or people for a time then releasing them.  Paul told the Galatians,  Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Then in the very next verse we’re told each one should carry his own load, which says to me those who cling to each other for too long lose something in the action.  If we are to carry our own load, then the burden is merely a time based load not one’s entire life.  The “load” in Paul’s illustration must signify a person’s life instead of the incidental circumstances or situations we find ourselves in.

The odd thing is most people get this without realizing its truth in such clear terms.  I find it sad now more than ever that some people expect to be carried throughout their entire lives placing a burden on others they are unwilling to bear.  I doubt this type of person considers what they are doing beyond their selfish ambition of not having to be responsible for his or her self.  In fact, they probably never really think of it in those terms because all of us lie to ourselves and exaggerate either our importance (or lack there of) through smoke screens of reasoning which allow us to think how we wish.

Years ago I worked for an agency called S. L. Start and Associates where the primary objective centered on integrating disabled people back into society.  We didn’t concentrate on children but adults or teens who lived institutionalized most of their existence.  I watched some thrive and gain the desired independence which met the company’s stated goals, while others played the disability card to the hilt.  It surprised and educated me that those we consider mentally incapable of strategic thinking came up with some of the most ingenious ways to manipulate the system or their caretakers.  Watching the clientele function as a microcosm of society as a whole, I realized those of us who probably don’t have disabilities such as these did are far more clever at disguising our dishonesty with both ourselves and the world around us.

Looking at marriage in this light, we come to the conclusion no one is meant to be codependent in the relationship because each is supposed to carry the load of their lives.  Marriage makes this subject a sticky wicket because most of us find it difficult to discern dependence from codependence.  But there is a clear distinction.  Codependence declares the other person’s presence and assistance as desperately needed while dependence merely expects them to carry their load while shouldering the common burdens of the relationship and shared life.  Codependence will cling and suck someone else dry; dependence expects the other person to be an individual and make time for personal pursuits.

I could go on but the illustrations above should be sufficient to get the ball rolling in the right direction.  The time to release one’s embrace is definitely at the point where we begin to feel threatened or desperate by the departure or independence of another.

To illustrate it another way:  A broken leg dictates those who experience this trauma will need help with daily tasks for a time until they heal, after which the therapists will encourage them to exercise the leg to get it strong again.  The same goes for emotional or heart damage.  Recovery in heart injuries may take years to fully recover from just like a broken leg, but putting ourselves into an isolation chamber socially won’t accomplish it as fast.  Sure the risk of being hurt again is out there, but the risk of not recovering at all and wallowing in our sorrow takes on the epic risk of shutting down our entire future for the sake the past.  This is futile thinking and void of any wisdom.

The Active Faith

I greatly rejoice in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.  In deed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need for I have leaned to be content whatever the circumstances.  Philippians 4:10, 11.

 

Between the first two sentences it seemed to me at first that Paul corrected both his thinking and wording about their concern for his situation.  At first glance, it might appear that he’s almost guilt tripping or remonstrating them for not expressing it sooner, but now that I’ve taken my own presupposition and emotional reading out of the way a bit, I get a different read.

True concern for someone else expresses itself in action not just words or emotions.  In other words, if I’m genuinely worried about you as a person going without food, I will work some way out to provide you with it.

Paul isn’t chastising the Philippians for not sending him supplies and money for he even declares they had no opportunity to show it.  In this portion of his message he’s revealing that concern (or any other emotion, etc) doesn’t make any difference to the person or situation unless it’s followed by action.  The flip side of that coin, however, is the opportunity to deliver must also be present.  Having the means but no way to get it to the beneficiary is just as good as not having anything to give them.

The main point Paul focuses on once he makes this acknowledgment of their concern and expression is his unshakeable contentment in Christ.  In spite of the fact these people supplied his needs of the moment he wanted to help them understand his internal recognition of God’s grace and supply.  His contentment grew from a spiritual security in Christ not what he held in his hands or stored in warehouse.  They were part of God’s work to meet his needs.  The very fact that these people acted generously displayed God’s work in their lives too.  Their concern for Paul’s wellbeing grew out their relationship with Jesus and him so that when they expressed it their gift became more than mere words.

Great faith is followed by action.  Great love is followed by action.  Great joy is demonstrated in action.  Getting the theme of what it means to live out the Christian life?  Action is the fruit of the Spirit; I say anyone who claims to know Jesus intimately must demonstrate the fact of it in their actions toward His creation.  Dormant goodness is of no benefit to anyone at all—even its host.  Dormant faith atrophies without exercise; dormant love eventually dies or morphs into something else.  What we are now, and hopefully becoming daily, expresses itself either by bleeding out of us or glowing for all to see.  Jesus warned us through the apostles, “Whatever I have told you in secret, proclaim from the rooftops.”  And in another place, “Anyone who is ashamed of me on earth I will be ashamed of on the Day of my return.”

Are you catching the theme here?  What we believe about Jesus must be lived out loud for all to see or it’s worth nothing.  Any of the above ideals without action becomes mental masturbation—pleasuring oneself through good thoughts.  Without expression these good things dam up in the heart to set it on a course of spiritual hedonism and self-gratification.  Everywhere in Philippians the ideal is always followed by action.  Jesus’ attitude went from ideal to the cross.  The work of God in our lives becomes a work for us as well.  We work out our salvation—actively pursue it, live and share it—through letting be seen.

Nobly Serious

…Whatever is noble… Within the will of God I find a strange dichotomy which plagues the way we think about Him. Here is a Being who accepts the sinner but not the sin; who condemns evil but works in ever increasingly bizarre ways to save those who rebelled and who basically crave just to live forever doing whatever they want when they want. He loves every person who has ever lived with a passion we can’t even fathom. Yet He will destroy those who remain harmful to creation when the time for this age is over. For a long time, I struggled to grasp why a loving God would destroy anything. It seemed out of character until I realized that love desires safety, happiness, wholeness…the list of good things goes on and on. Good is the antithesis to evil. This truth plays out in all our myths, legends and modern stories as well as life itself. God desires the good and hates the evil, therefore if someone continues to practice evil even after He offers them good, what choice does a love have but to eliminate the threat to good? Look at sin as a disease which destroys its host then destroys itself. When an outbreak of some disease strikes a nation or community, those in charge of the cure will give a medicine designed to destroy the disease itself without killing the person or host. The problem is some people are so consumed by the disease that they can’t be cured and die as a result. In the case of small pox or the plague, once these people died, everything that touched them during their illness had to be burned so the disease wouldn’t spread. God knows sin as a disease. We don’t see it that way because to us it just seems normal. Unfortunately, most of us have identified with the disease for so long we don’t see the discoloration of our spirits as abnormal anymore. The only way to recognize the contrast is to be able to see Jesus. Once we look into His perfect light, our dark and smelly reality becomes all too apparent and is abhorrent to us. Unless, of course, we reject what the light reveals. However, the whole of our condition is not revealed in just one look, for if we saw the whole problem sin causes within us all at once, we would be overwhelmed by despair. So Christ gives us a glimpse of the reality first in order to set us on the road to treatment and recovery. A person who refuses to acknowledge the disease and thereby rejects the treatment eventually becomes the disease itself—or a proponent of it at least. Once this stage is reached all hope for redemption or cure is gone and God is left with no other choice but eliminate the threat. In other words, in order to destroy the disease, the host who refuses to relinquish it is destroyed with it. Sin brings with it harsh realities. First, it separates us from the Life (Jesus); next it deceives those fooled by its tantalizing glitter into believing they are the masters of their own fate. Lastly it brings death in numerous ways and death produces futility. Humans have fought this pointlessness by having their name carried on from generation to generation in order not to be forgotten in death. The problem is the reality of their identity is forgotten until all that’s left is myth and legend. God offers eternal life where the legend is the person rather than myths that raise up around their exploits and character. A living legend is better than a myth about the dead. So God has no choice but to eliminate sin if He desires a clean universe without death as an option again. Those who refuse the Way, Truth and Life find by default they have refused to live—probably not by desire but by rejection of the Son who gives life freely to all who ask. And, of course, they hate this truth and resent God for “forcing” such a choice on them as if it’s His fault…which it is. He designed the game and its rules, meaning the outcome also comes from this design as well. So what does this have to do with being noble? I looked up the word translated “noble” in the NIV and “honest” in the KJV. Vine’s p. 309 says the best translation of the word would probably be nobly serious. To call someone “noble” is more often than not a term for character. Of course the word is also used for those born to the ruling class where monarchies still exist, but usually we mean someone who possesses outstanding qualities in character and what they do. Basically the word noble covers all of the traits Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:8. The rest of the list merely expands and explains his first point. Yet, the KJV’s interpretation does place a twist on our understanding when it uses the word honest. In our modern world, honest means something different than noble. The original word came from the Middle English in a mixture of Anglo-French, which in the original Latin form was honestus and first used in the 14th century, meant honor or honorable. Paul is using a Greek word seminos to encourage us to be nobly serious or honorable in our pursuits. The contrast couldn’t be more clear: Those who follow Christ develop a taste for noble pursuits. In other words, they seek things which are honestly honorable. We who follow after Jesus pursue those things which not only honor Him, but reflect His character and by default infect us with His light. We grow to enjoy His company, which infuses us with Himself. If rejection of God is a disease we must choose, then the cure is His presence. No more noble pursuit could be sought after than Jesus in us. We develop a serious desire for all things noble, honest, honorable because of His presence in our hearts.

Without Complaining or Arguing

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.  Philippians 2:14-16.

Now that is one heavy instruction and darn near impossible to accomplish.  Imagine the church doing everything without complaining or arguing, where is Paul from Pluto?

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, put ten theologians in a room discussing a subject and you’ll get an argument from nearly all ten points of view.  When a person is working with information in the dark, it’s pretty obvious some of the details will get misrepresented.

There’s an ancient story from the Orient about seven blindfolded monks being asked to describe an elephant from one touch from as single given position around the animal.  The conclusion of the story should be pretty clear:  7 different descriptions about what the object or animal might be from their various perspectives.

What I get out of this story, of course, is that it takes all of our perspectives to arrive at even a partially clear picture of God.  Sure, there will be those who give such a forceful one-sided view of Him that we’re tempted to reject their conclusion outright, but without careful consideration our reaction would be foolish.  For one thing, these single-minded types might have a valid point along with the ax they grind, so rejecting their truth based on their attitude is just as wrong as the superior approach they practice.  It sucks that we have to accept them as possibly valid but that’s the way it is.  Just because the feet and armpits stink and certain parts of the body emit methane doesn’t mean they aren’t a part of the body.  Those areas speak to the rest of the body loud and clear of the need to bathe or what’s happening in our digestive track, right?  Ignoring the smell just makes the problem worse and eventually causes everyone around to be standoffish.

The best way to conquer an enemy is to divide them.  Get all the factions fighting over either the minutiae of the gospel message or rules of conduct and you have an entity which becomes ineffective and basically preoccupied with itself.  I’m thinking about the over two-thousand denominations which exist today despite Jesus’ explicit command to love each and be one.  While I don’t object to the diverse viewpoints represented by these various factions within the Christian ethic, I do find it sad that our message is one of preference over substance.

There’s an old saying I believe is attributed to Martin Luther which goes,  “On essentials, unity; on non-essentials, liberality; in all things, charity.”  The reality, however, is one of infighting and quarrels so sharp or vehement denominations form and wars break out.  What this type of behavior says to the world around us is that our message of love and unity is bogus.

Paul gives one reason (among many) for this unity and love, though, by including what such an attitude produces:  light.  Those who imitate the Master without complaining or arguing shine like stars in the darkness of night.  We may not be as bright as the sun/Son, but we do reflect His light and that’s enough.  How can these people help but shine?  They contrast the rest of Christendom so drastically they stand out.  The only sad truth about their light is that like stars they are small lights relative to the darkness in which they stand out so brightly.  Yet all is not hopeless for a good navigator will be able to find the way by using such lights, as any good sailor will tell you.

The wording of the first sentence strikes me as especially significant.  The way to becoming blameless and pure is to avoid complaining or arguing…or, at least, this is the first step to such a state of mind.

Why would complaining or arguing cause our light to dim or be tainted?

Despite all the miracles God performed on their behalf, the Children of Israel continued in their faithlessness and complaining to the point that a whole generation of them died before they could enter the Promised Land.  All the way through the history of Israel the majority continued with a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” attitude.  The human species without God in charge find themselves always at an impasse when they reach the crossroads of trust or apostasy.

Later in history the Jews held the repository of God’s message in their Torah yet either missed or rejected the Messiah when He arrived.  Does this reveal something about human nature to you?  We are so contrary in our pursuit of being little gods we cut our noses off to spite our faces.  What is it that drives us to be obnoxious about our beliefs?  I hear so many Christians criticize or outright condemn the Muslim faith yet many of them ignore the wars the so called “Christians” in our past started in the name of spreading the gospel.  If I remember my history right, however, most of this crusader spirit usually devolved into a grab of wealth in the form of land or gold.  Even in recent history we can read examples of people supposedly going by the name of Jesus declaring violent war on those who held a different POV.

To be innocent of evil and shine like stars in the universe we have to live in contrast to everything the world represents.  In all our dealings with the body of Christ, first, then the world at large we have to be different in every aspect which Jesus instructed us.

Paul called the age in which he lived wicked and depraved not as a derogatory comment because his goal had nothing to do with superiority or setting himself above anyone.  No, his comment referred to the nature of Christ as it stood out in contrast to the world.  Another passage we just studied referred to Jesus as not seeking God-status or to advance Himself in the eyes of anyone preferring instead to be thought of as nothing over acclaim, beauty or any kind of advantage over others.  Who He was stood out so brightly His own people tried to put out His light because it hurt their eyes.  We cannot hope to shine like Him without His presence permeating every part of our being, but if we do in just a minute way, we will experience the same reactions.

Complaining and arguing is about either getting what we think we deserve by griping or fighting for it with words—or at worse weapons of death.  In other words, we fight for what we think our rights are or what we think we deserve rather than being like Jesus.  Instead of becoming like the heart of God we seek to change our circumstances or environment.  Those who follow Jesus change both by default as they choose to be like the Master.  If Jesus refused to let anyone have power over Him because He knew human nature (John 2:23-25), what should our choice be?

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Now that is one heavy instruction and darn near impossible to accomplish.  Imagine the church doing everything without complaining or arguing, where is Paul from Pluto?

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, put ten theologians in a room discussing a subject and you’ll get an argument from nearly all ten points of view.  When a person is working with information in the dark, it’s pretty obvious some of the details will get misrepresented.

There’s an ancient story from the Orient about seven blindfolded monks being asked to describe an elephant from one touch from as single given position around the animal.  The conclusion of the story should be pretty clear:  7 different descriptions about what the object or animal might be from their various perspectives.

What I get out of this story, of course, is that it takes all of our perspectives to arrive at even a partially clear picture of God.  Sure, there will be those who give such a forceful one-sided view of Him that we’re tempted to reject their conclusion outright, but without careful consideration our reaction would be foolish.  For one thing, these single-minded types might have a valid point along with the ax they grind, so rejecting their truth based on their attitude is just as wrong as the superior approach they practice.  It sucks that we have to accept them as possibly valid but that’s the way it is.  Just because the feet and armpits stink and certain parts of the body emit methane doesn’t mean they aren’t a part of the body.  Those areas speak to the rest of the body loud and clear of the need to bathe or what’s happening in our digestive track, right?  Ignoring the smell just makes the problem worse and eventually causes everyone around to be standoffish.

The best way to conquer an enemy is to divide them.  Get all the factions fighting over either the minutiae of the gospel message or rules of conduct and you have an entity which becomes ineffective and basically preoccupied with itself.  I’m thinking about the over two-thousand denominations which exist today despite Jesus’ explicit command to love each and be one.  While I don’t object to the diverse viewpoints represented by these various factions within the Christian ethic, I do find it sad that our message is one of preference over substance.

There’s an old saying I believe is attributed to Martin Luther which goes,  “On essentials, unity; on non-essentials, liberality; in all things, charity.”  The reality, however, is one of infighting and quarrels so sharp or vehement denominations form and wars break out.  What this type of behavior says to the world around us is that our message of love and unity is bogus.

Paul gives one reason (among many) for this unity and love, though, by including what such an attitude produces:  light.  Those who imitate the Master without complaining or arguing shine like stars in the darkness of night.  We may not be as bright as the sun/Son, but we do reflect His light and that’s enough.  How can these people help but shine?  They contrast the rest of Christendom so drastically they stand out.  The only sad truth about their light is that like stars they are small lights relative to the darkness in which they stand out so brightly.  Yet all is not hopeless for a good navigator will be able to find the way by using such lights, as any good sailor will tell you.

The wording of the first sentence strikes me as especially significant.  The way to becoming blameless and pure is to avoid complaining or arguing…or, at least, this is the first step to such a state of mind.

Why would complaining or arguing cause our light to dim or be tainted?

Despite all the miracles God performed on their behalf, the Children of Israel continued in their faithlessness and complaining to the point that a whole generation of them died before they could enter the Promised Land.  All the way through the history of Israel the majority continued with a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” attitude.  The human species without God in charge find themselves always at an impasse when they reach the crossroads of trust or apostasy.

Later in history the Jews held the repository of God’s message in their Torah yet either missed or rejected the Messiah when He arrived.  Does this reveal something about human nature to you?  We are so contrary in our pursuit of being little gods we cut our noses off to spite our faces.  What is it that drives us to be obnoxious about our beliefs?  I hear so many Christians criticize or outright condemn the Muslim faith yet many of them ignore the wars the so called “Christians” in our past started in the name of spreading the gospel.  If I remember my history right, however, most of this crusader spirit usually devolved into a grab of wealth in the form of land or gold.  Even in recent history we can read examples of people supposedly going by the name of Jesus declaring violent war on those who held a different POV.

To be innocent of evil and shine like stars in the universe we have to live in contrast to everything the world represents.  In all our dealings with the body of Christ, first, then the world at large we have to be different in every aspect which Jesus instructed us.

Paul called the age in which he lived wicked and depraved not as a derogatory comment because his goal had nothing to do with superiority or setting himself above anyone.  No, his comment referred to the nature of Christ as it stood out in contrast to the world.  Another passage we just studied referred to Jesus as not seeking God-status or to advance Himself in the eyes of anyone preferring instead to be thought of as nothing over acclaim, beauty or any kind of advantage over others.  Who He was stood out so brightly His own people tried to put out His light because it hurt their eyes.  We cannot hope to shine like Him without His presence permeating every part of our being, but if we do in just a minute way, we will experience the same reactions.

Complaining and arguing is about either getting what we think we deserve by griping or fighting for it with words—or at worse weapons of death.  In other words, we fight for what we think our rights are or what we think we deserve rather than being like Jesus.  Instead of becoming like the heart of God we seek to change our circumstances or environment.  Those who follow Jesus change both by default as they choose to be like the Master.  If Jesus refused to let anyone have power over Him because He knew human nature (John 2:23-25), what should our choice be?