Be Prepared

In 1995 Scott O’Grady’s F-16 fighter jet was shot down over Bosnia. It would be six days before American forces were able to rescue him, so O’Grady had to survive in enemy territory for almost a week. He had no rations or supplies, yet he was able to get through until his allies came to his rescue. The reason O’Grady was able to survive this trial in his life is simply that he was prepared. 

Anyone who has worn the uniform knows Uncle Sam trains people for every situation, including the art of survival. The military doesn’t just hope for the best, they train for the worst. They realize that danger is a very real possibility, and they do not want a single soldier caught off guard. Everyone who serves understands that trials and hardships come with the territory. 

Why do we think the Christian life should be any different? Trials will surely come. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).” We love the promise that Jesus has overcome the world, but we often ignore the part where we will have tribulation in life. Peter found it odd that some Christians were ill prepared for these trials. He wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you (I Peter 4:12).”

Unfortunately it seems that Christians still think trials are “some strange thing” that isn’t supposed to happen. Many have been deceived by ear-pleasing preachers who tell them to simply live for God and have faith, and God will make sure everything goes their way. Some have subconsciously developed a theology that tells them as long as they live right, say their prayers, go to church, and tithe, then they should expect nothing but good things from God; only sinners go through trials.

This way of thinking causes believers to be blindsided when trials do come. They begin to doubt God, wondering how in the world He could have allowed the hardship. While this column does not seek to explain all the reasons why God allows them, it is a reminder that He does. We need to be prepared for the trials of life because they can come without warning. And yet, we have been warned. In this world we will have tribulation. 

If Scott O’Grady could survive behind enemy lines because of his preparation, then we can survive the trials that life throws at us. Our preparation should include daily time with God through prayer and Bible study, maturing in the faith so that we are not misled, and growing in our relationship with the Father. If we are close to God when the trials come, we will be much better prepared to endure them.     

Without Wax

Many years ago when sculpting was a popular form of art, sculptors found a way to rip off their clients even if they made a mistake. If the sculptor accidentally made an error, he was set to lose a lot of money. He couldn’t just hit the backspace button or grab some white out; he would have to scrap part, or even all, of his sculpture and start over. Then someone realized that wax could be melted and used to cover flaws, such as by filling cracks in the sculpture. Once the wax dried the untrained eye could not tell the difference. 

The customer who purchased the sculpture would later find out about the wax. The sun would shine on it, melting the wax and exposing the sculptor’s dishonesty. For that reason, sculptors began to advertise their art as being sine cere, the Latin words for “without wax.” A customer who purchased a sine cere sculpture didn’t have to worry about finding any hidden flaws once he returned home. 

Did you know the Bible tells us to be without wax in our lives? The Latin sine cere was shortened in English into our word sincere. Think about what the Bible tells us to do. In I Timothy 1:5 Paul said his aim was for us to have a sincere faith; in I Peter 1:22 Peter said we need to have a sincere brotherly love; in II Corinthians 11:3 Paul said not to be led astray from our sincere devotion to Christ. There are certainly other passages, but those three indicate that as believers, we should be sincere in our faith, our love, and our devotion to the Lord. 

We need to be without wax. We need to be genuine, not trying to cover up flaws that we want to keep hidden. We need to be the real deal. What people see should be what they get. It might be tempting to try to cover our flaws with wax; we may be able to convince others that our faith, love, and devotion are sincere, but God knows the truth. There is no point in trying to hide our flaws from God. Instead of trying to cover them, let’s work on being genuine. This doesn’t mean we become perfect and free from flaws, it means that we are honest, admitting our shortcomings, and not simply playing a part like an actor. 

Don’t be a con artist when it comes to your faith. Live your life without wax.

Trees in the Bible

We put up our Christmas tree a few days ago, which is still one of my favorite traditions (getting on the ladder to hang outside lights, not so much). After thinking about chestnuts roasting on an open fire I got to thinking about trees, and ultimately about trees in the Bible. Did you know there is a theme that runs throughout the pages of Scripture?

From the earliest pages we see Adam and Eve get into trouble because of a tree. They had free reign to eat from any of the multitudes of fruit-bearing trees, but there was a single exception: the tree of knowledge of good and evil was off limits. Once they listened to the serpent and disobeyed God they were evicted from the garden that served as their home. Because they ate of the forbidden tree, they were barred from eating of the tree of life. The tree of life gave them immortality, and if they ate that in their sinful state, there would have been no hope of being forgiven and resurrected to a better life in eternity.

Adam and Eve’s sin meant that something had to be done to destroy the curse. Jesus reversed the curse when He hung on a tree at Calvary. As Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Paul was able to say, “It is written” because he was quoting Deuteronomy 21:23. Jesus, who never sinned, became a curse by bearing our sin in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24) so that we can be forgiven of the sin nature we were born into.

It all comes full circle when we realize we will eat from the tree of life in heaven; Revelation 22:2 tells us the tree of life will be present in the New Jerusalem, and each month it will produce a new fruit that will bring healing to the nations. We missed the opportunity to eat from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, but if we have been forgiven by our Savior on the tree, then one day we will get to eat from the tree of life in the New Jerusalem.

When you look at your Christmas tree this year, let it be a reminder to you of the tree of life from which we will one day eat, and know it is only possible because of the tree that Jesus once hung upon.   

Separation

In the Bible’s opening chapter we see God create every tangible thing in the universe, but He also created some intangible things. For example God created time, days, the seven-day week, and the Sabbath concept of a day of rest. But He also gave us a glimpse of something that would prove to be the imperative doctrine of separation.

Notice the repetition of the verb separate in just five verses of Genesis 1:

6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so…14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…17 God set [the sun and moon] in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

Four times in five verses we see separation. I believe God inspired Moses to emphasize this separation because it was a foreshadowing of salvation and the Christian life. Separation is synonymous with holiness, and God is holy. God is completely unlike anything in the universe, so we can say that God is separate. He is separate from Allah, separate from Buddha, separate from Zeus. That is why He declares, “I am Yahweh, beside me there is no other (Isaiah 45:5).”

In order for us to be saved we must also become separated from the world. The Father instructs us to “Come out from among them and be separate…Do not touch what is unclean (2 Corinthians 6:17),” and “Be Holy for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16).” We must chose to become so unlike the world that we stand out like a sore thumb.

Holiness, the process of separating ourselves, remains an ongoing work as long as we live down here. A third synonym for separation and holiness is sanctification, which Paul stated was the will of the Lord for our lives (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The more we are sanctified the more the world will notice our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Just as the Creator separated light from darkness during the first week, He will one day separate the sheep from the goats. To the former He will say, “Well done;” to the latter He will say, “Depart from me.” Separate yourself from the world now, or you may be separated on Judgment Day.

Vigilance

After the October 31^st terror attack in New York City you may have seen Ray Kelly on the news talking about the incident. Kelly is the retired NYPD commissioner (if you have seen the show Blue Bloods, think Frank Reagan) who spent more than twelve years at his post. He was named acting commissioner for a short span in 1993, just in time for the first World Trade Center bombing, and then became commissioner in January 2002, fewer than four months after the 9/11 attack.

Kelly understood something that many overlooked throughout the nineties and early part of the new century, and that is terrorists must be addressed differently than carjackers and domestic abusers. In agreeing to serve as police commissioner, Kelly insisted on enhanced police presence around certain areas, and he created an NYPD counter-terrorism division, with detectives placed undercover in Europe as well as in strategic areas of New York City.

In his book Vigilance, Kelly describes the sixteen terror plots in New York City that were thwarted on his watch. Sixteen times his city could have been attacked—from the Brooklyn Bridge, to the metro system, and even a coordinated effort to attack multiple synagogues—but New York’s finest rose to the occasion each time. The theme of his book, as the title suggests, is that the good guys must always be on guard. Evil doesn’t take a day off, and Kelly’s team had to always be ready. They were able to combat the enemy because they understood the enemy.

Peter had the same idea when he wrote to the believers in Turkey, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).” The first way to withstand the attack of the devil is to know that he is on the offensive. He never takes a day off. We must remain on guard at all times, knowing that giving him an inch in our lives can have disastrous results.

As foolish as it would be to police New York City with a pre-9/11 mentality, it is just as foolish to live as if the devil doesn’t. Keep your guard up at all times. Be sober. Be vigilant.  

Intellectual, Yet Idiot

In his new book Understanding Trump, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich talks about a group of people in government, journalism, and academia that he says are hurting the country. Borrowing a phrase from author Nassim Taleb, Gingrich derides the “intellectual yet idiots,” or the IYIs. Idiot is admittedly a harsh term, but it may serve as a wakeup call.

The IYIs are people who are intellectual—they are great at taking tests and writing essays that professors love—but they are idiots at the same time in that they have never actually done any of the things they write papers about. Gingrich uses the illustration of a flat tire, saying they could write beautiful reports on how to change a flat, but if the flat were on their own car, they would have to call AAA to come to their aid. These IYIs are writing and reporting on new regulations and policy that will effect business, but they have never run or worked in business themselves, making them the least qualified to create policy. Sitting around discussing things is pointless; they need to have some skin in the game.

My fear is that the Speaker was unknowingly describing people in the church. There are people who can sit around discussing and debating the finer points of theology, yet they never go out and do anything; they can explain salvation in great detail, but they have never led an unsaved person to the Lord.

When I was in college I remember other Bible majors engaging in hours-long debates, quoting tons of Scripture to support their Calvinist or Armenian beliefs. They would argue about who initiates salvation, but not compelling others to be saved. They would debate pre- or mid-tribulation views of the rapture, but they wouldn’t put down their Starbucks and warn an unbeliever that a rapture is coming.

Being intellectual is half the battle. We need to “be ready at all times to give an answer to every man that asks the reason of the hope that lies” within us (1 Peter 3:15); but that is only half the battle. All that knowledge is worthless if we don’t do anything with it. Let’s get some skin in the game and look for someone today with whom we can share the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s be biblically intellectual, but not idiots.

Ant Farm

My wife and I decided to teach our 4-year-old daughter a letter a week; our goal is for her to be able to write the capital and lower case letter and know the sounds the letter makes. And for each week we are doing a project that reinforces the letter.

We just finished week 1, so to demonstrate the letter A in action I thought it would be fun to make an ant farm. But making an ant farm on the fly can be difficult when there is no terrarium around. I grabbed a clear storage tub with a snap on lid, but after filling it with fire ants I realized that there was enough room for the ants to crawl out around the handles, so I started over.

Next I used a clear bowl we use to store leftovers. One shovel full from an ant bed overfilled the bowl, so I had to press the lid down very tightly. In the morning I realized that (1) there wasn’t enough room for the ants to displace dirt to make tunnels, and (2) most of the ants were dead. My 3^rd attempt finally yielded some decent tunnels. I also got about a dozen ant bites on my hands throughout the experience.

Did I mention that I’m allergic to ants?

I was going to make that ant farm even if it killed me (and it could have!), and once I was finished, my daughter was not impressed. Not only was she not excited about my meager ant farm, she didn’t even realize what I went through to make it.

So many people wander through life oblivious of what Jesus went through to offer them forgiveness. Some people know about the cross, but they aren’t impressed. What a shame it is that some people will die in their sins, never having received the free gift that God offers them through Jesus.

If you have received this gift, stop and thank Jesus right now for what He endured to make that possible. As I reflect on Him right now, a handful of ant bites hardly seems like something to complain about.

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."

1 Peter 2:24