Leaving 99

"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices."

Luke 15:4-5

I have heard this passage taught many times. I have read it many more. Yet I did not fully understand it until I became a teacher.

Teachers are entrusted with so many responsibilities and hopes for their students. Both inside and outside the classroom, we see them trying to learn and find their way. I have the privilege of serving at a Christian school, which gives me the freedom to express not just my hopes for them academically and socially, but also spiritually.

I will be honest: I am not perfect. I have wasted opportunities. As God has been working in my life lately, I am trying to do better; in doing so, I am getting a deeper understanding of this passage and what it requires.

First, it requires love. My friends who are parents understand this on a real, urgent level when they cannot find their child. The shepherd has to love the sheep, otherwise he would not care to pursue it. But more than love is needed. 

A shepherd must also be strong and courageous. Without these qualities, he would not brave the unknowns of the wild in order to find the sheep. He would be unable to lift the sheep from any snares and the carry it back to the flock.

That all sounds good, but why are we talking about it? Our culture needs shepherds. It needs parents, teachers, pastors, coworkers, neighbors, and friends who will be loving enough to watch over it, courageous enough to pursue it, and strong enough both to carry it towards safety and to lead it in the way it should go. It needs shepherds who will protect it from the thieves that come to harm it. It needs men and women who get what Jesus was talking about and who are striving daily to follow in the example of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).

Can we be those shepherds? May God enable us by His Spirit for this purpose.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Continuing to Grow

As we mark our first anniversary of The Landing, I have just finished rereading a book that I read almost a decade ago as I was entering my first semester at university. I have been wanting to do this for about a year now, and decided that this was the perfect time to again read The Heart of the Artist.

In my copy of this book there were many highlights and notes from my first read and our class discussions. Now there are many more. It is amazing how much more we get out of things the second time around, as we have grown with age and experience. Today I would like to share a quote that I found particularly challenging:

"Growing in Christ doesn't mean that we acquire a bunch of head knowledge. It means that we grow in areas such as moral excellence, intimacy with Christ, self-control and discipline, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love" (39).

From the beginning of our work here at The Landing, our goal has been to participate in a global, digital society, working to fulfill the Great Commission: "make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). The last year has wrought its fair share of changes in each of our lives, but that goal remains constant.

As you read this post or others that are available through our archives, we hope that you do not leave only with information. Thanks to the rapid growth of the internet, information can be found anywhere. Rather, it is our prayer that you are challenged in your faith. In the aforementioned quote from Rory Noland, he points out that discipleship is not just learning new data; instead, discipleship is taking what we learn from Jesus and letting it make a noticeable, tangible difference in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I look forward to continuing to write here at The Landing. With so many distractions online, I pray that this will continue to be a quiet place where we can be challenged towards spiritual maturity in Christ.

Though I may never have met you, dear reader and friend, know that I am praying for you. As Spring approaches and 2015 continues, I pray that you would come to know God in a deeper way. I pray that He would empower you to make a difference in your family, workplace, and community for His Name's sake.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Thessalonians 5:28)

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Noland, Rory. The Heart of the Artist: A Character-building Guide for You and Your Ministry Team. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999. Print.

A Reflection on Psalm 37

The other day I was reading Psalm 37, which is subtitled in the NRSV as Exhortation to Patience and Trust.

There are many things in life that cause us stress: situations, people, and any combination of the two. We often cannot control these things; instead, we can only control our reactions to them. Here are some of the things that David advises throughout this text:

• "Commit your way to the Lord" (5)
• "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (7)
• "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath" (8)
• "Depart from evil, and do good" (27)
• "Wait for the Lord, and keep to His way" (34)
• "Mark the blameless, and behold the upright" (37)

Yes, life is chaotic. However, David's counsel is very different from the frenzied responses which we so often take to moments of stress or uncertainty. He tells us to wait on God, committing ourselves anew to Him and His purpose. He also challenges us to refrain from anger, wrath, and evil; instead, we should do good and pursue good things.

I will not pretend to know the struggles you face. I can only speak for myself. As I face challenges, it is my prayer that God would help me to follow David's advice. So often I do not. I want control, or I want it to be resolved at my tempo; however, I am not God.

Verse 39 begins the concluding thought: "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord..." We should not become arrogant in this. The righteousness in question is that which David has been describing throughout the whole text. It is found by waiting upon the Lord, not in our acting and reacting according to our own imperfect and biased standards.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

The Responsibilities of the Disciple in Regards to Sin

"My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All men must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads."
Galatians 6:1-5

I love being challenged by Scripture. The author of Hebrews tells us that it "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" and "it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (4:12). It does this by the power of the Holy Spirit, continuing to teach us as we follow Jesus. How amazing is this continual act of God's love?

Then we come to a passage like the one given above. This passage can be considered challenging, because of how it begins and ends. The issue: "Bear one another's burdens" vs. "All must carry their own loads."

At first glance, these two statements stand in direct contradiction. Biblical exegesis, however, shows that his is not the case. Let us begin by looking at the differences between the two nouns, translated into English as "burdens" and "loads." The first, burdens, is transliterated in Greek as baros, which can refer to weight, burden, or difficulty. The second comes from the Greek phortion, which is a burden, load, or cargo. J. M. Boice says that the difference between the two is that the first are burdens "more than a man should carry," while the second is "a common term for a man's 'pack'" (502).

Taking this subtle nuance into consideration, as disciples of Christ being filled with the Holy Spirit we are obliged to help our brothers trapped beneath the burden of sin. In his commentary on these verses, John Calvin offers an insightful reflection on this: "When we perceive a brother to have transgressed, let us consider that he has fallen into the snares of Satan; let us be moved with compassion, and prepare our minds to exercise forgiveness. But offences and falls of this description must undoubtedly be distinguished from deep-seated crimes, accompanied by deliberate and obstinate disregard of the authority of God" (171). No sin is to be ignored or swept under the rug, but this passage refers explicitly to those brothers or sisters who are habitually and willfully choosing sin over the new life which Christ has offered.

Let the disciple beware, however. Paul warns caution against temptation as we strive for our brother's restoration. He even encourages warning against two conceits: (1) the believer thinking he is more important than he actually is, and (2) the believer comparing himself with others (Boice, 502). It is in the context of this latter conceit that we come to the final thought in the Scripture: "For all must carry their own loads." The English, in my opinion, presents the timing of this with much less clarity than the Greek or even the Latin, which uses the verb portabit, a future tense verb. In the end, each disciple will carry his own pack of works when he/she stands in the presence of God. J.V. Fesko notes that

"We can either look to Christ by faith and receive his righteousness and perfect obedience, or we can try to stand on our own. However, if we lean on our own devices, there will be no one else to blame when we fall. We will have to give an account for every one of our actions. There will not be any justification by guilt, by poor parents, by weakness, or by any other excuse we may try to conjure up" (188-9).

At the end of the journey, we will be responsible for our own actions. There will be no excuse that can be given. At the same time, we are responsible for coming to the aid of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they too wrestle with sin. We must do so in humility and kindness.

I myself am still working through the implications of these things, both as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as an educator. It is my prayer for each of us that as we allow God to teach us through His word, He would show us practical opportunities to apply this passage in each of our varied situations.

Bibliography

Boice, James M. "Galatians." Romans through Galatians. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976. Print. The Expositor's Bible Commentary with the New International Version.

Calvin, Jean. "Galatians." Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians. Trans. William Pringle. Vol. XXI. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009. 170-76. Print. Calvin's Commentaries.

Fesko, J. V., and Jon D. Payne. Galatians. Powder Springs, GA: Tolle Lege, 2012. 183-89. Print.

Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger, and James A. Swanson. Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1999. Print.

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Contemplating Sin and Our Relationship with God

Lately I have been thinking much about my relationship with God. In seeking Him, I have been challenged to think much about another issue: sin.

I realize that in our postmodern society, clearcut right and wrong can be hard to find. When we choose to submit ourselves to Christ, however, this becomes a well defined issue with which we must reckon.

King David offers the following prayer in Psalm 51:1-5.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and blameless when You pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."

David, who is elsewhere in Scripture acknowledged by God as "a man after My own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22), recognized the reality of this issue of sin. He himself wrestled with it, and was honest about his struggles. When David sinned against God, he sought restored relationship with God through repentance.

After quite some time contemplating this issue, I found myself at this thought: we wrestle with sin in direct proportion to our relationship with God. When I do not care to pursue God as a disciple of Jesus Christ, sin is not so bothersome. In fact, it's mostly enjoyable. But when I am drawing near to God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, sin becomes a major problem. Instead of feeling nothing, I am able to acknowledge that a part of myself is dying in darkness because of sin. And I can only know this because of the light of truth which Jesus Christ provides.

"For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (Ephesians 5:8-14)

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Everyday Journeys

Recently I stood for the second time in the Sistine Chapel.

It was almost exactly two years since my first visit. It amazed me how much things had changed. Not about the Chapel itself, but about me.

You see, when I was there the first time, I was undergoing information overload. I think that this happens to many of us when we encounter a new place or situation. I remember visiting quietly with my colleagues and students for the majority of the time that we were in the room, discussing the images displayed magnificently before us. I walked around the chamber trying to frantically observe every panel during the short time we were there.

This time I found a seat on a bench along the side wall. And I sat.

I thought.

I reflected.

I prayed.

I sat. And it was perfect. I allowed the quiet and beauty of the moment to challenge me as I considered God and His redemptive work throughout history.

This moment was a renewing challenge: to be still and reflect on who God is. Everyday life is remarkably busy, and I know that often I put far too many things on my plate. We are our own worst distractions. But this is not our only choice.

This morning when I woke up, I read these verses:

"But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:24b-25)

In the same breath that God tells us He has been hurt by us, He says that He forgives us according to His divine character. AMAZING!

You see, today I do not have the luxury of the Sistine Chapel. Right now there is only God's word, a computer, and me. And I still want to marvel. I still want to be challenged. That, friends, is my hope and prayer for us all: that wherever we are at, we would be aware of God's presence shining through the moment.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.

Reflections

The times... they are changing.

It has been some time since we last communicated. I hope that you and your family enjoyed the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and that you are looking eagerly to 2015. I know that I am; I cannot wait to see what adventures lie ahead!

Two years ago, I was spending New Year's Eve on my own. My wife was travelling with her side of the family, and my parents and sister were all travelling as well. When I had gotten on the road from dropping my wife, Rachel, off with her parents, I did so with the intent of driving back to Little Rock. However, it was mid-afternoon, and it would have been a very late arrival. I decided instead to go back and stay the night at my parents' house, and start fresh the next morning. As I was driving, I called my grandmother to see what she was doing. She invited me out for supper.

I ended up staying out at her house until after midnight. We watched football, visited, and laughed. It was a truly enjoyable evening, one which I will never forget. Within six months, she was diagnosed with cancer. Six months later (almost a year ago to date), she passed away.

I love and miss my Nana. She is not the only one that I lost this year. But 2014 also had some truly incredible, unforgettable moments: a family vacation with my parents and sister, a march through Washington DC on the fourth of July, and countless other personal and professional highlights.

In the end, 2014 was a sobering reminder to cherish every moment. And that is our challenge looking ahead to 2015. Love God, love others, and savor the beauty that is life.

Happy New Year!