Clean Slate

"God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things

- and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are,

so that no one may boast before him."

Lord, help me to be foolish - to forget the wisdom I think I've gathered. I don't want to understand or comprehend things my mind can grasp. I need to rely only on your understanding, only on your wisdom, only on your truth.

Lord, help me to be weak, to relinquish any strength I've acquired through my efforts. My strength is insufficient, it only prevents me from relying wholly on your strength. Take away my own ability to stand, to fight, to run and leave me only with the strength to love as you love.

Lord, make me lowly and despised; set me apart from the things of this world, from what is valued and praised, from the things people expect and appreciate, from what is proper and predicated. Remove me from the good graces of society and take me into your grace.

Lord, end me. Make me not. Take away my life and replace it with yours. Give me a clean slate, a new foundation to build from, to love from to fall on. Change me.

Distinct Fools

What does it mean to be salty? How do you describe something that's salty? It's not hot, it's not spicy, it's not sweet or sour or bitter or bland. Something that is salty is just that salty. There's no other description that really fits. Salty is salty. It is different, unique, it is identifiably different. You never confuse salty with spicy like you may confuse rosemary and oregano. Salt is salt. You can blend it with other seasonings, you can mix it with garlic or vinegar, but it is what it is - it stands out.

So, what is Christianity's problem with this concept? Why aren't we salty? We have we forsaken this commandment? Why don't we stand out? Why do we try to blend in and be like everything else?

By definition we are unique. By definition we don't fit it. By definition we are what we are. Our central hero is an anti-hero, crucified, beaten, humiliated - a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but our source of power. Yet we try to fit in (or don't try to stand out.)

We must embrace our unique position. We must be willing to stand out. We must love those the world won't love. We must stand where the world sits. We must act where the world does not and refrain where the world acts. Our saltiness cannot be an activity or a job or a way of life, it must be our identity. It's time for some life change.

Richer

"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way - in all your speaking and in all your knowledge - because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you." 1 Cor 1:4-6

When we talk about life change we can think about loss. We think about erasure and deletion, that everything must go and something new must completely replace it. Here, Paul talks about life-change in a different way. He says that Jesus doesn't erase or delete who we are, He enriches who we really are - what we know and what we say. There are some things that fall away, but the core of who we are, who we were created to be, remains and is strengthened, bolstered and fortified. We become more than we were and more of what we can be. Our sins are washed away, but they were never what we truly are.

A Different Perspective

I can't help but listen. I'm really trying not to. But, one of the boys they're talking about is name George and it is impossible to ignore.

It seems to be a single dad and the manager of a nanny service. They are discussing the situation Dad is having with his nanny (Anne). She wants more money or less hours so she can get another job. That's not a big deal. $50,000 nannies with 401(k)s and benefits is a different world than the one I know, but still not a big deal.

What is a big deal is the role this nanny plays in Patrick and George's lives. She's the one who knows what homework is due, she's the one who plays tennis with them. She's the one they want to go to the lake for the weekend with. She's the one they have a relationship with. She's the one to whom they offer incentives so she won't leave until Pat and George leave for college.

Dad (and the nanny whisperer) know that it is important to have consistency for their kids (plus, "You have to go through the work of finding a new one. You know this is my third?"), but it is not important enough for them to provide it themselves.

I don't know these people and I am sure that I am making gross assumptions, but where is the love here? What will these kids think about having a paid-for role parent? What is truly important for these kids - providing them with everything they want in life and a house big enough to hold it all or providing them with what they need?

As true today

There is one central message that runs throughout the book of Hosea. Despite the unfaithful wife and the strangely named children, the main point is about Israel's relationship with God. God blessed them, took them out of Egypt, cared for them and they chose not to reciprocate. The people chose to do whatever they wanted, to ignore God and live as if he didn't exist.

The book of Hosea is God saying, "Okay, I'll do the same. See what life is like without me." The result is a book filled with the promise of future violence and darkness. The people have turned to the Assyrians to help them in their time of need and it is those Assyrians who will one day carry them off into slavery. They have picked their god and now they will endure the consequences.

The same can be said of us today. What god have we chosen? When we choose to turn to something other than God, we can expect to get exactly that. We choose ourselves, our own power, wealth, talent, understanding. We choose the government to take care of our needs. We choose others, not as compatriots or partners, but as saviors to do the work to save us. We should not be surprised when we find that after making such a choice we are left with exactly what we chose - imperfection, pain and darkness.

Hosea's message was not one of total darkness, however. Our God is a God of hope and love, after all. Hosea offers the same chance that the other prophets did, the same chance that we have today. Repent. Turn from our own desires and pursuits. Follow God instead of yourself. Make His face what we earnestly seek. Then we will find the peace, comfort and freedom that we were created to enjoy.

Oblivious

"It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness; with ties of love;

I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them."

There's no such thing as a self-made man.

There are only people who don't acknowledge the help they have received.

Twofold

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."

"But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength..."

Sin has twofold consequences. The Lord comes and showers righteousness on us, erasing the cosmic legal punishment we deserve for the things we do wrong. What he doesn't do is erase the physical consequences we face here and now. We we sow sin, we reap pain - for ourselves and for those around us.

Why doesn't God, if he is so all-powerful, erase those physical ramifications of sin too? Why doesn't he just clean up our messes for us? Why doesn't he make the lions lie down with the lambs here and now?

Then what would we do? What would our mission be? Where would we find our joy and fulfillment? Our twofold job is to Love God to address the legal ramifications of our sin and to Love People to help each other deal with the physical ramifications of our own sin and theirs - together.

If we aren't loving people through their tough times, we're missing our mission. If we are depending on our own strength, instead of relying on the God-provided strength of others, we're interfering with their mission.