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Here are the promised musings for more treasures from 1 Timothy 6. I’ve known this passage since childhood, but must admit that at times I’ve wondered what it really means. It has many layers…not unlike an onion! I’ll use the KJV translation because it more closely follows the Greek concordance. It helps to see what the original words are. My husband has always wanted to be able to read in Greek and Hebrew so he could read the scriptures and translate them himself! Although I’m not that ambitious, it is wonderful to use tools like Strong’s Concordance.
17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Charge them that are rich
The word rich is plousios. It means “abounding in material resources.” What is a material resource? It’s different in different cultures. The Intuits who live in Alaska in igloos have a different take on material resources than we do in modern America. But here in Texas, we can define material resources as: cars, trucks, SUVs, tractors, rollerskates, clothes, pets, computers, houses, livestock, furniture, linens, a stocked pantry, refrigerator, air conditioning, ceiling fans, nail polish, televisions, radios, books, toothbrushes, money in the bank…and on and on. So what that means is…people who are rich in stuff.
In this world, that they not be highminded
This Greek word for world is aion, and it means period of time. Timothy is to warn those who are rich in material resources in this particular period of time on earth that they should not be highminded. What a word! I remember being in elementary school and feeling second rate next to the “rich girls” who dressed in fancy clothes and lived in fancy houses. I always felt like they “looked down” on me because I didn’t wear Armani. But the very fact that I felt lowly in my discount brand jeans means that I was putting too much emphasis on “material resources.” Although God provided for my every need, I wanted more. Talk about being highminded! The Greek word for highminded is hypsēlophroneō. This word means exactly that: highminded, proud.
Nor trust in
The Greek word used for trust here is elpizo and it means “to hopefully trust in.” Not just trust, but hopefully trust in. I well remember the feeling I had when Texas instituted the lottery and I was old enough to buy a ticket. I couldn’t enter a convenience store without “hopefully” trusting that a lottery $1 ticket would yield me some riches — hey, I was a starving college kid! I think many of us have harbored hope for riches when we’ve faced tough times financially…perhaps an unknown rich uncle would die and leave us a million dollars…or maybe someday we’d invent the next big thing and would never have to worry about money again. Or maybe we store all our money away in the bank or 401Ks and give little, if any, away to charity because we’re saving up for retirement. We “hopefully trust” that the money in the bank or the next big thing that we’ve just gotta have will make us happy. I confess that I have what is called “new car fever.” I am seriously praying about this! We do not need a new car. It just seems that throughout our marriage, every time the warranty runs out on our car and it’s almost paid for, I get worried and start thinking about something new. What if the engine falls out? What if the transmission locks up? What if the air conditioning breaks down (a horrible thing in Texas, I assure you!) So what did I find myself doing this weekend? I sat at this computer and researched new cars! Thank goodness I didn’t get up and go test drive one!
The point is, when I get “new car fever,” or “new digital camera fever” or “new kitchen table fever,” what exactly am I doing? On whom — or on what — am I putting my hopeful trust? So I will praise God that my car works and trust HIM (not a warranty on a new car) to provide if a time comes when it needs repairs.
uncertain riches
Uncertain is translated from the Greek word adelotes, and it means just that — uncertainty. Riches in the world are very uncertain. Just look at the falling dollar! It wasn’t too long ago that the Mexican peso tumbled, and people were suddenly struggling to pay exhorbitant rates just for a loaf of bread. And now OPEC is, for the first time, thinking about NOT using the dollar to value oil. Remember Enron? Some people I love lost untold vast amounts of money that they had hopefully trusted would get them through retirement in the Enron scandal. Yes, “material possessions” are very uncertain.
but in the living God
A living God is a God who is zeo — Greek for living, breathing, not lifeless or dead, active, blessed, endless, powerful, efficient, fresh, strong, in full vigor. Friends, what a picture! Our God is not just alive and living…he is active, blessed, endless, efficient, powerful, and vigorous! And He acts on our behalf!
who giveth us richly
Parecho is Greek. King James’ translators said “giveth us” when they translated parecho. But they might have said that He reaches forth, offers, supplies, is the author of, causes us to have, causes to happen, affords from His own resources and power….plousios. There’s that word again that means “material resources.” Do you get that? Our powerful, vigorous God causes us to have and supplies our material resources! So whether you work for Wal-Mart or Blue Cross, McDonald’s or Dillard’s, the government or the schools — the material resources you earn come from our very powerful God!
all things to enjoy
Apolausis is Greek for enjoyment or enjoying the pleasures of.
Let’s recap the treasures found in just one verse of Scripture:
Tell those who live in this period of time and who abound in material resources to not be high-minded nor to hopefully trust in uncertain riches, but to trust instead in our very much alive, powerful, vigorous, efficient God who gives to us out of his own power and resources those material resources for our enjoyment. Everything we have came first out of God’s amazing provision!
Stay tuned…we’ll look at verse 18 next!
I give away my approximate age when I say that one of the songs I grew up hoppin and boppin to was Madonna’s Material Girl. I used to watch the music video and sing along with gusto. I remember the silky clothes, the fancy 80s hair, the message:
cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always mister right, cause we are
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
A recent conversation with my mom — and a large dose of the Holy Spirit, I’m sure — is beginning to really open my eyes in the area of contentment. We talked about the new Wal-Mart Christmas wish book which now has stickers that kids can use to mark which toys they want to get for Christmas. I would have milked that for all it was worth when I was a child! I used to scour the Sears catalog in much the same way. Now that I’m a mom myself, I give my daughter catalogs and have her mark the items she’d like to have.
Of course we don’t buy her everything, but when I take a close look at the overcrowded game room, I see that we’ve come pretty close. What am I teaching her about contentment when I shell out the cash (or the credit card!) for the next big thing that catches her eye? What am I teaching myself?
Parents have a natural inclination to want to provide good things for their children. This is a truth that Jesus used as an illustration in Luke 11:
11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
So what is the balance, then? How do we provide for our families in such a way that we all learn to be content — so that we don’t raise our kids into Material Girls and Boys?
I turn to the scriptures to see what God has to say about riches, finances, and contentment. There are over 2000 verses dealing with these issues. I can’t tackle them all at one time…but I have to start somewhere. So…here goes!
1Timothy 6 has much to say about guarding yourself from the love of money:
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Content in verse 8 is arkeo in the original Greek. This word means to be content or satisfied, but it also has other meanings that add a richness to the picture of being content. It means having unfailing strength; being strong; and to defend or ward off. The word is derived from a word that refers to building a wall. So, Paul says that if we have food and clothing, we will WARD OFF any thoughts of incompleteness. I like this idea because I have a lot of thoughts of incompleteness that need to be warded off!
Tomorrow I’ll delve deeper into 1Timothy 6 to see what other treasures are waiting to be discovered.
My daughter has been asking me to post on the hoopla concerning the upcoming movie, The Golden Compass. I’ve received at least four emails from different sources warning me about the movie and about the book series (His Dark Materials) the movie is based upon. So I checked up on the author of the books and came across a quote from him that made me very sad. He was speaking about C.S. Lewis and his series about Narnia. Many children and parents who see the trailer for The Golden Compass with its Narnia-like special effects will assume this new movie is more of the same. They couldn’t be more wrong. The author himself, self-described athiest Philip Pullman, despised C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books:
“I thought they were loathsome,” he said of those books, “full of bullying and sneering, propaganda, basically, on behalf of a religion whose main creed seemed to be to despise and hate people unlike yourself.”
Why am I saddened? I am sad because Pullman thinks that Christianity’s main creed is to “despise and hate people unlike yourself.” He carries this belief into his novels, and children who read these books will be forced to reconcile his underlying messages with what they have been taught about God. If they have been taught nothing, then in the absence of knowledge they will believe that which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Christianity is not about hate. It is about love and has been, even before the time of Christ. Look at Leviticus 19:
17 ” ‘Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 ” ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
What is it about this message that is offensive to Pullman? Is it the not hating part? The not seeking revenge part? The not bearing a grudge part? Or how about the loving part? I’m guessing it might be the rebuking your neighbor part that Pullman and others don’t like. In our culture of moral relativism — where each person determines his or her own morals — being held accountable for something by a neighbor takes on the hue of hatred.
However, holding someone accountable (rebuking our neighbor) does not mean we have evil and hateful intentions. In fact, we are commanded just the opposite in Zechariah:
16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD.
But Jesus takes it so much farther! There is nothing but love in his eyes, love for those who are lost. Love for those like Pullman who think that Christ is nothing more than a bully. Matthew chapter 5 records one of the most radical messages ever spoken about love, from Jesus himself:
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Does that sound like a message of hatred? Does it sound as if Jesus hates people who are non-religious? I don’t think he could have made it more plain: we are to love our enemies! Who are our enemies? The Greek word for enemy is echthros, and it means someone who is hostile to or opposes another or who opposes God in his mind. So our enemy in this case is more than just terrorists or robbers. By this definition, an echthros is someone who opposes God in their minds. Based on Pullman’s earlier quote, I think we can define him as an echthros.
What would Jesus have us do with the echthros? It’s interesting that where the NIV tells us to “pray” for those who persecute us, the original Greek word means so much more than just pray. The Greek word is eulogeo — and look at what that word means in English:
… to praise, celebrate with praises,
…to invoke blessings
…to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers
…to ask God’s blessing on a thing
…pray God to bless it to one’s use
…pronounce a consecratory blessing on
of God
…to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on
…favored of God, blessed
Whoa! Hold the phone! Jesus tells us that instead of griping about the Philip Pullmans of the world, we are to LOVE them. Then he expands on that definition and tells us to BLESS them, to pray for blessings to be bestowed on them. That means that if I come across Philip Pullman in a bookstore, I am not to scream at him, ignore him, picket him, or throw red paint on his clothes.
So what else does Jesus tell me to do? Look at this again:
And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?
The Greek word for greet is aspazomai. Let me tell you, my eyes are wide open and I’m feeling some major conviction creeping in now that I understand what this word means. Aspazomai is more than merely greeting someone. It is to draw to one’s self, to joyfully receive and welcome. Blue Letter Bible’s Lexicon puts it this way:
Used of those accosting anyone; of those who visit one to see him a little while, departing almost immediately afterwards; to pay respects to a distinguished person by visiting him; of those who greet one whom they meet in the way; a salutation was made not merely by a slight gesture and a few words, but generally by embracing and kissing, a journey was retarded frequently by saluting.
Receiving/greeting/meeting with joy. Jesus would have us joyfully receive those who oppose God. He would have us LOVE them. Do you do that? I confess here and now that I do not. My “not rocking the boat” mentality would rather just ignore someone who was actively anti-God. Or I’d write a letter to the editor or say a little prayer that God would open their eyes. But most of all, I’d try to avoid them because I’d be afraid of them and what they might say to me. What if they said something mean? What if they persecuted me? What if I couldn’t think of anything to say back to them?
I’m actually a guarded person. When a neighbor stops by, where do we usually speak? If it’s someone I don’t know well, we usually end up speaking on the front porch, with the door closed behind us. Not very welcoming, is it? Not very loving, either. What does that say to others about Christianity? I cringe to say it, but it looks like I’m beginning to see at least one reason why Philip Pullman is so anti-God. It might be because of closed-door Christians….like me.
Jesus ends his statements by telling us to be perfect…teleios. It means being completed. The process of writing this blog has showed me some ways that I can grow to be more completed, more teleios. I have gone from being saddened…to being convicted, to desiring to be more teleios.
What is it about removing planks from our own eyes?
“A malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion; something evil that spreads destructively.”
I just read my nephew’s post on CaringBridge about his dad who has been battling a brain tumor for the past year. This man is a man of faith; God is very present in his life and in the life of his family. The prognosis for this kind of inoperable tumor isn’t great, but to those who dwell in the shadow of the Most High God, nothing is impossible!
I believe that cancer is evil and that it wasn’t present in the Garden of Eden, nor will it be present when we are united with our Father in Heaven. We are assured that heaven will be a gated place, and evil will not be allowed to enter. For some who face the diagnosis, cancer devastates families, drains people of their finances, of their hopes and their dreams. But others see the cancer for what it is: another of Satan’s schemes to try to steal our joy. D. and his family have shared Christ and the news of what belief in Him has done for them all throughout this trial. Several people, even strangers, have stumbled across their story and have become new Christians from D.’s testimony. What Satan had intended for evil, God has used for much good!
Today, I pray Ephesians 6 over our family and over families all over the world who are in hand-to-hand combat with this form of the enemy:
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
“To stand” is used three times in verses 13 and 14. The first instance is actually translated “withstand” in Greek as anthistemi, and it means:
…to oppose
…to resist
The other two uses of the word “stand” is from the Greek word histemi. It can be translated in these ways:
…to be kept intact
…to escape in safety
…to sustain the force of anything
…to stand immovable
…to stand unharmed
…to be one who does not hesitate and does not waiver.
In light of those definitions, let’s revisit that part of the verses in Ephesians 6:
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
There is no lying down and letting this foe take D. down, Praise God! D. has been living out this verse — he’s been resisting, standing his ground against this evil with every ounce of his strength. After he’s done everything the doctors have told him to do, he soaks in the word of God and is standing immovable in his faith, even in the face of the Goliath-sized tumor in his head.
For the battle is the Lord’s, and He goes before us. Remember David and the nine-foot Goliath? This story never fails to remind me of the supernatural power of faith. Today I read it and replace ‘Philistine’ with the word ‘cancer.’
45 David said to the Philistine (cancer), “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin (malignancy and fear), but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army (cancer) to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
The Lord has already given death (Goliath, cancer) over into our hands, through the resurrection of Christ. Jesus is the same today as He was 2000 years ago; He Is Victorious! For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will smite this cancer by His very own words and in His own power, for the sake of His glory!
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
My husband is in Pensacola tonight. Although I do enjoy being back in Texas, there is a definite longing in my heart to be back by the ocean. Our time in Florida was very special, and I am so grateful to our God for giving us the treasure of ocean waves and blue skies for a season. Why is it that I feel such a connection to the sea? I am not even a strong swimmer. When I visit the shore, I spend more time sitting in my chair letting the waves wash over my legs than I do actually frolicking in the water. The power of the surge is frightening to me, but still I am mesmerized by the beauty. I remember sitting on the beach with one of my close friends when suddenly I felt overwhelmed by the Lord’s presence. How powerful and majestic were our surroundings — I could smell the salt in the air, feel the warm breeze on my face and the soft sand slipping beneath my toes, hear the thunderous reverberations as the water crashed against the rocks — and suddenly I just knew the Lord was right there, looking at all he had made, saying that It Was Good!
I thought it would be nice to share some photos and some scriptures about the ocean.
Psalm 33
6 The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
Psalm 89
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful. 9 You rule the oceans.
You subdue their storm-tossed waves.
10 You crushed the great sea monster.[b]
You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours;
everything in the world is yours—you created it all.
Psalm 139
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
Isaiah 40
12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Jeremiah 5
21 Listen, you foolish and senseless people,
with eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear.
22 Have you no respect for me?
Why don’t you tremble in my presence?
I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline
as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
Revelation 19
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God,[a] the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to him.
Let us give honor to him, indeed!
The sermon this past Sunday was part of a continuing series about friendships. In particular, we learned about going forth into the world (see yesterday’s blog) to show love to all people…especially to unbelievers.
A chameleon changes its appearance to blend in with its surroundings. When we lived in Florida, I got a pretty up close and personal with lots of skin-color-changing critters! In his intense efforts to help people be saved, the early church leader Paul oftentimes changed the appearance of who he was so that others would be saved. Just as a chameleon with changed skin is still a chameleon, not a lion or a duck, Paul was still a fervent Christ-follower as he “became” like those to whom he was serving.
19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Cor 9
I find it very interesting that the Greek word Paul used that we translate “I have become” is ginomai. Ginomai means become, but it also has another definition: “to come upon the stage.”
Hmmm, so Paul ACTS? I don’t think this term means that Paul is insincere in his attempts to win over people to Christ. Actors and actresses perform best when they are able to draw on their personal experiences to pour into the character they are portraying. They find some way to relate to their character and the ones around them. I think this…essence….is what Paul is talking about. As the New Living Translation words it, Paul “finds common ground” with whoever it is he that he is serving. He finds some way to relate to those he is serving.
But he is still himself. He does not abandon the faith as he rubs shoulders with the unfaithful. Like the chameleon, Paul may change his skin when he’s around spotted people, but he is still the same Paul on the inside.
Can I do the same? What are some things I could do that would get me around other people who I could win over for Christ? I will start by making a list of things I like to do, and then I’ll prayerfully look for new places to do them. For example, I love reading. I could join one of the numerous book clubs around town. Meeting with fellow readers is one way I could befriend those who may not know Christ.
Looking forward to hearing how you ginomai with unbelievers!
As a homeschool mom, I am finding it very tempting to be an isolationist. When the pastor tells me that my missionary field is right around me and that I need to go out and share Jesus with those unbelievers in my life, I sit and strain my brain trying to think of somone I know personally who doesn’t know Christ. My “friend base” is made up mostly of Christians who homeschool. I admit I find it vaguely scary to seek out friendships with people who don’t know Christ. What if their unbelief rubs off on me? So I close myself off. I listen to Christian music. I read fiction written by Christian authors. I do not go out of my way to seek out friendships with people living outside my “comfort zone.” Am I speaking to your heart? If you are blessed with an extroverted personality and haven’t met anyone you couldn’t befriend in an instant, then hang on, and leave me some suggestions and comments later! But if, like me, you are tempted to hang back on the fringes, remaining mute with or avoiding unbelievers…let’s go to the Word and see what encouragement we may find.
Jesus was and still is a revolutionary. He spared no words for ‘holier than thou’ Pharisees who lived in isolation from ’sinners,’ which they perceived to be anyone not like them. He knew about the secret things we think about those who are different from us, and he wanted us to love them all, as he loves us all. He – died – for – us – all! If we really get that deep down in our souls, sharing that good news will become as natural to us as breathing.
We find Jesus the Revolutionary talking about these things at the end of Luke chapter 11, spilling over into chapter 12. He’d been invited to dinner with some Pharisees. These guys got all offended when Jesus didn’t wash his hands the ceremonial way before he ate. They whispered and pointed fingers because he wasn’t adhering to the customs. And did he ever give them a tongue lashing I’m sure they never forgot! He’s talking to us, too, when we hold ourselves above others. Let’s listen in:
inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! 40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? 41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces. 44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.
For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
While Jesus was giving the Pharisees a piece of his mind, the crowd swelled to thousands. There were so many jostling to listen to him that eyewitness Luke tells us that people were stepping on each other! He turns to his disciples and gives them this little tidbit about Pharisees….and about how to talk to others about himself:
“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. 2 The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!
“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.
“I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels. 10 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.”
This version reads “don’t worry about.” The original Greek words used are merimnao, which means to be anxious or troubled, or to care for, and apologeomai, which means to defend one’s self, to give a full account of. So, a more literal translation reads “take no thought of what thing ye shall answer.” Don’t even give it a passing thought!
My mind is turning that one over in my head. The Holy Spirit will teach me what I need to say, when I need to say it. I just have to be open to rubbing shoulders with anyone the Lord puts me in contact with.
I ask for your prayers that I will indeed open myself up and be obedient. I ask for your prayers that my conversations with people will be “full of grace, sprinkled with salt.” I pray the Lord will provide an opening for me to share what knowing Jesus has done for me with those he places in my path.
I am standing on Jesus’ word — that the Holy Spirit WILL teach me, and you, to say what needs to be said at the right time, to the right person.
Today my daughter and I went on a field trip today with our homeschool group to the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid. The video we watched was heartbreaking; my eyes weren’t the only wet ones in the crowd! Even the little ones were taken aback by the absolute joy they saw shining in the eyes of the children who were receiving new shoes on their feet.
We cut off price tags, removed paper stuffing, and used zipties to hold the pairs of shoes together. We sorted them by size and gender. Working together, our group processed four huge boxes full of shoes.
My heart has always had a hole in it when I think of the children in our world without parents. I wish I could take them all into my home! But at least for today, I handled little shoes that will soon go on little feet.
Who will wear the tiny, size 4, bright pink infant girl tennis shoes? I held them in my hands and prayed for that tiny baby girl. What little boy will feel the solid sole of these Nike Air tennis shoes, big-kid size 3? I prayed for him as I removed the paper stuffing and strung a ziptie through the shoelace hole. Cadi stuck notes in some of the shoes. She wrote poems and notes of encouragement. Other kids drew pictures. I mentally tucked kisses inside each shoe. I pray the Lord will spread my kisses and that these children will feel loved.
The Bible verse I immediately thought of is the famous one from James. You’ve probably heard it in the NIV version. Here it is:
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27
Word-crazy me…I just had to dig deep to find out more about what those words mean. What is pure? What is meant by the word religion? What is faultless? Who exactly are orphans and widows, as the original writers saw them? And what does it mean to be polluted by the world?
Ready to dig in? The Word of God has such depth it can’t be anything but supernatural!
I got this information — for free — from Blue Letter Bible online. The Strong’s Concordance uses the King James Version translation, so here are those verses in the KJV:
26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
I’m going to break these verses down to see if I can get a bigger picture.
If any man among you seem to be religious
Religious — threskos, meaning fearing or worshipping God; trembling before God
bridleth not his tongue
bridleth not — chalinagogeo, meaning to guide, hold in check, restrain
but deceiveth his own heart
deceiveth — apatao, meaning to cheat, beguile, deceive
heart — kardia, meaning heart, soul, mind, will, and character
this man’s religion is vain
vain — mataios, meaning devoid of force, truth, success, result, useless, no purpose
The next verse tells us how we make our worship successful and truthful:
Pure religion
Pure — katharos, meaning clean, clear, pure
Religion — threskeia, meaning ceremonial observance, worshiping
and undefiled before God and the Father is this
Undefiled — amiantos, meaning unsoiled, free from deformity or impairment, pure from sin
Father — theos, meaning father, parent, nourisher, protector, upholder
To visit
visit — episkeptomai, meaning to look upon or after; to examine with the eyes in order to see how someone is or to help or benefit that person.
the fatherless and widows
fatherless — orphanos, meaning bereft of parents, teacher, guide, or guardian; orphaned.
widows — chera, meaning widow, implying barren, sterile
in their affliction,
affliction — thlipsis, meaning a pressing together, pressure, oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress
to keep himself
to keep — tereo, meaning to attend carefully, to guard
unspotted from the world
unspotted — aspilos, meaning spotless, free from censure or vice, unsullied, irreproachable
world — kosmos, meaning the present condition of human affairs in alienation from and opposition to God.
Based on this word study, I see that James 1:26-27 has much to teach me. First, my worship of God is without force, truth, or success, and I cheat my heart, soul, mind, will and character — when I do not hold my speech in check. And second, clean, pure, and unspoiled worship of God my protector happens when I do two things: look after orphans and widows (see how they are doing, help them when they are being pressed, benefit them), and when I carefully keep myself from being polluted (alienated from God) by the world.
How do you keep yourself “unspotted?”
In a roundabout, had-to-be-Spirit-led way, God has me pondering words again. This time he caught my surprise when I read Psalm 4:1. Just eight small verses, yet somehow they are capturing my interest this week:
1 Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
I began thinking about what it means for God to have mercy on us. What is mercy, really? The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines it this way: Mercy is compassion shown especially to an offender; it can also mean a blessing or divine favor. Mercy implies compassion that abstains from punishment even when justice demands it. Another meaning is compassionate treatment on those who are in distress.
The Bible uses several different words that are translated as mercy in English. Let’s dig in and see what treasures the Lord has for us today as we learn more about mercy in God’s plan for us.
In Genesis 19, we see a big picture of God’s mercy towards Lot in the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels came to the city to warn Lot and remove him and his family to safety. Abraham had asked the Lord to spare him, and spare him is exactly what the Lord did.
16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.
The Hebrew word for merciful is chemla, from chamal, which literally means “to spare.” So one way God shows us his mercy is by sparing us. What is the Lord sparing you from today? He spared Lot from the utter destruction that rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Another use of the word mercy is found in the same story. The angels want Lot to go to the mountains, but for some reason he thinks they would be the death of him. So he asks them:
“You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. “
The word we read as kindness in English is the word checed in Hebrew. It means mercy, kindness, favor, or good deed.
But mercy doesn’t just mean to spare or show kindness. The Hebrew words racham and the related word racham(with an accent over the first a) wraps up an entire connotation of intense love — specifically, the love a mother has for her child that is still in the womb. It’s a tender love that shows compassion. With that in mind, look at these verses from Isaiah 49:
9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12 See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.
Wow. I am nearly speechless with emotion at the thought of this kind of tender mercy the Lord has for us…that the Lord has for me! And then look at this treasure from Isaiah 54:
10 For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
It is hard to get my mind to wrap around the BIGNESS of the love that is expressed in racham — mercy.
So far I’ve learned that God spares me (from the destruction I deserve). He shows me kindness. And this kind of mercy, the racham kind of mercy, means that He cherishes and loves me with the same kind of love and compassion (and, shall I say expectation?) that I felt for my child as she was growing in my womb.
But there is another meaning for mercy. Remember Psalm 4 I quoted earlier? David asks God to “have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Mercy in this case is the Hebrew word chanan, which means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior, or to favor or bestow.
So now we get a picture of mercy as our God bending low to us, stooping down to our level to show us kindness. I know who I see in my mind’s eye — the Lord Jesus, taking on the form of a servant even though he was one with God! I see Him stooping down, washing his disciples feet. I see him mercifully scooping me up when I fall down and make yet another mistake.
Speaking of Jesus, the New Testament is also full of references to mercy. We encounter the Greek word eleeo in Matthew 5:
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Mercy in this case means to be compassionate by word or deed. It also means by divine grace. So…God blesses those who are compassionate by their words and their deeds. Moving along in Matthew, I see that showing mercy is something that the Lord specifically calls us to do. Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple. But Matthew was a tax collector — someone the Jews considered to be scum-of-the-earth. They would never consider associating themselves with “tax collectors.” I imagine they whispered the words, not wanting to dirty themselves with speaking even the words “tax collector.” Sort of like we might whisper “look at that prostitute” or “that guy is just a crackhead.” So they were extremely taken aback when Jesus had dinner with Matthew and other “disreputable sinners.” Would there be consternation in your house if you brought home a transient to dinner tonight?
After Jesus called Matthew to be his disciple, here’s what happened:
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?[d]”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’[Hosea 6:6] For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
The word Jesus used in this case is eleos, and it has a special meaning to me. It doesn’t just mean compassion and tender mercy — it is an active tense. It means showing active compassion and tenderness. In Hosea 6:6, God said he didn’t want our sacrifices — he wanted us to show love, to show mercy. Jesus said that he didn’t come for those who are healthy, but for those who need a doctor. I don’t know about you, but I sure need His kind of healing to take away my ‘holier than thou’ attitude at times!
The Pharisees were not showing love at all when they wondered why Jesus would eat with “scum.” They were also in need of a doctor, but they were so full of themselves that they didn’t realize their own sin. But is that much different from the way we behave? Seriously, if you were at a McDonald’s with your kids and an odiferous homeless person slid right next to you on the bench and struck up a conversation, what would be your reaction? Would you sit and chat, ask him about his faith? Find out what he needed? Or would you tell your kids that they could finish eating in the car and hightail it out of there? Or sit there and talk while carrying on an internal, fearful conversation with yourself about the safety of what you were doing? What would be mine?
To wrap up today’s musings about mercy, let’s look in the book of James. James 2:13 mentions mercy several times using different Greek words. James writes about the danger of playing favorites — giving the “best” seats to the well-dressed and making the poor sit on the floor (ever been to a restaurant like that?).
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name[c] you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[d] 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”[e] So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
The first mercy we see in verse 13 is from the Greek word anileos. It is the negative of the Greek hileos, which means propitious, cheerful, or God be gracious in averting calamity. So we see that God will NOT be gracious in averting calamity for those who have not shown mercy to others. What kind of mercy? The second word for mercy is that active word again — eleos, which means actively showing compassion.
I like the joyous connotation in the NIV translation for verse 13:
13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
When we are actively merciful, we triumph over judgement! God WILL be gracious in averting calamity (ie, the judgement we deserve) when we ourselves show mercy to others.
What does that mean to you? Do you have any ideas on how to show eleos (active mercy) to those the Lord brings into your life?
I remember one day at McDonald’s a homeless person sat down with a cup of water across from us. I bought him a hamburger and gave it to him, but inside my heart was pounding and my mind was racing. What if he had a disease? Or what if he was a lunatic about to pounce on me and Cadi? He didn’t seem interested in talking, so I quickly gave him the burger and scooted out the door. On this side of heaven I’ll never know what that man thought about me giving him a hamburger. I cringe to think of what God thought about my thoughts. But in his great mercy, he protected us as we showed mercy. God is just like that, isn’t he?
My prayer this week will be that my eyes and yours will be opened to those around us who are on the fringes of our society…that we will see them as real people with real souls who the Lord desperately loves as a mother loves her unborn child. He just might use us to show them racham — cherishing, tender love.
