Food for Thought

Seen on a church sign:

Not everything that counts can be counted, 

and not everything that can be counted counts.

Can you think of anything that counts, but can't be counted?  How about something that can be counted, but does count? Are you pursing the things that count?

FAQs Monday: How Do the Ten Commandments Begin?

Last week, we answered the question: "Where can we find a summary of the moral law?".  This week, we will begin an in-depth look at that summary, the Ten Commandments.  We'll start by looking at the preface.

What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?

The preface to the Ten Commandments is, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exod. 20:2).

 What does the preface of the Ten Commandments teach us?

 The preface of the Ten Commandments teaches us because God is the LORD, and our gracious Redeemer, his commands are for our good and he does not will for us to depend on ourselves in keeping them, but to trust his grace and power.  It is written,

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? . . .  Circumcise therefore the foreskin of you heart, and be no longer stubborn" (Deut. 10:12-13, 16).

Deuteronomy 30:6 states, "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."

Summary

The preface of the Ten Commandments reminds us that the Lord our God has delivered us from bondage.  By his grace he delivers his people from bondage, both physical and spiritual.  These commandments are not meant to enslave his people, but to liberate them to live in a way that pleases him.  Next week, we will answer the question: "What is the first commandment?".

Sunday Recap 7-25-10

Morning:  The message entitled, "For Between Here and Happily Ever After," explored Ephesians 6:21-24.  In this passage, Paul offers some words of encouragement. He expresses his desires for the congregation he loves. Paul sent them Tychius so that they might be encouraged.  He prayed for them to have peace, love with faith, and grace.  These are the things that enable us to make between here and happily ever after.

Evening: Proverb 26:11.  We looked at four reasons fools return to their folly.

1. They haven't developed a taste for better things.
2. They have a faulty view of God.
3. They love their sin.
4. They are enslaved to sin.


Love, prayer, and patience are the best resources

Life Lessons Learned from Baseball

We are headed to a baseball game this evening with the church.  It is faith and family night at the Bowling Green Hot Rods stadium.  It will be a fun filled night with peanuts, crackerjacks, and baseball.  In honor of the baseball game tonight, I thought I would list a few things we can learn from baseball.

Sometimes, you need to just "Play ball!"  Every human being needs a little bit of play in their life.  You work most of it out when you're little, but there is usually some play left in the corners or closets of your soul.  Get it out, shake the dust of it, and learn to enjoy life.  Go to a ball game, dance in the kitchen, sit around the table playing boardgames with the family, or take a child to the park.  Don't allow the process of growing older make you inert.  At least once a year, laugh so hard that you cry or pee your pants.  Remember, what it was like to be a child, and a have a great time. 

It's just a game.  I know there are a lot of religious nuts who worship at the altar of baseball. Baseball isn't life, it's a pass time.  It is one tool among many that offers a pleasant distraction from the cares of life.  We have to keep our priorities in proper order.  Enjoy it, but don't devote yourself to it.

Keep your eye on the ball.  This is, of course, a figurative statement, not a literal one.  I had the great misfortune of having a softball hit me in the eye during a game once.  Apparently, my hand-eye coordination isn't very spectacular.  In life, like baseball, you have to stay focused and alert.

Never swing at the first pitch.  I'm not sure where I heard this the first time, but I have heard it a lot.  Good things come to those who wait.  Watch. Learn. Swing.

If you're gonna go down, go down swinging.  Don't let fear paralyze you at the plate, because you think you might strike out.  Chances are you will strikeout, but if you don't swing you remove all chances of getting a hit.  Most players strikeout more than they get a hit.  But they still keep swinging.  Who bats a 1000?  After you let that first pitch go, start swinging for the fences.  Who knows, you might tear the cover right off the ball.  Everyone will think that's cool.  Or you might strike out, and everyone will think your normal.  Don't let life pass you by without taking a swing or three.  It's better to have tried and struck out, than to be struck out without having swung the bat.

There's no "I" in team.  I don't just mean that I didn't get picked to play during my school days.  Great plays have the ability to change the momentum of a game, but unless the team is functioning as a whole it doesn't always change the outcome.  There are many teams, of which we are a part, in life.  We need to strive to excel individually, as well as, develop the ability to work with others toward common goals.

It is never too late to get back in the game.  Unless, of course, the last team at bat has the lead, the bases are loaded, and their power hitter is at bat against your weakest pitcher.  Then, it's pretty much over, so learn to lose gracefully (it's called sportsmanship).  But in every other scenario, hustle matters.  Play hard.  If you realize you've "not really been in the game," work harder.  Give it all you got.  That way, if you fail you'll know at least two things: you gave it your best shot and you need more practice.

Everyone loves a winner--but even losers need love.  When the home team wins everyones happy (except the fans of the losing team).  If one side of sportsmanship is losing gracefully, the other side is winning gracefully.  If you gloat over your victories, you're not really a winner.


When your watching the game, cheer with the same enthusiasm you would want to hear if you were next at bat.  Sometimes in life, it's somebody else's turn to play.  Encourage them.  Maybe you're not up to bat or out fielding the ball, but you can motivate those who are.

Peanuts taste better at the ballpark.  But if you're allergic to them, they're still lethal, so skip the peanuts.

If you leave the game early, you run the risk of missing a major play.  If you checkout too soon, you might miss one of the most exciting and memorable events in baseball history--the kind of play people talk about for decades.   If you have to go, you have to go, but realize what you're risking. You might only miss the last few minutes of the sad end to a poorly played game, or you might miss the comeback of the century.

What lessons do you think we can learn from baseball?  When was the last time you watched a game? Hopefully, I'll see some of you at the game tonight.  And No, I won't be wearing the old uniform.

Some Thoughts

It amazes me how quickly a day can go.  I spent a lot of time yesterday working on a project related to goal-setting.  Today, I spent a good deal of time studying contemporary world religions.  I am sure that both topics will make for useful material in the days ahead.

I know when I am busy, I am tempted cut back on important things like my time with the Lord (prayer and Bible reading), my time with family, exercise, etc.  The only thing I don't struggle with getting rid of is the distractions in my life like t.v. and the internet.  Apparently, I always have time for distractions.

I working to change that, but as for now I still struggle.  I have found in the past couple of weeks, that I have gotten more out of my quiet time when I do them in the morning.  About a week ago, I was able to get up early a few days for Scripture reading and prayer.  My mind, although not super-alert early in the morning, seemed fresher, and more able to think through the implications of the passages I was reading. 

Usually, I do my reading late a night, just before I go to bed.  However, I find that I often rush through these readings, because I am tired and want to get to bed.  Also, my mind has been engaged in some many activities throughout the course of the day, that I struggle with mental fatigue. 

I am trying to shift my schedule, so that I can spend time with the Lord each morning.  When do you spend time with the Lord?  When do you find it the most beneficial? How to you approach your quiet time?  I would really like to hear from you.

Servant of All

"And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all'" (Mark 9:35).

Do you ever find yourself fighting for position?  Maybe you just want to be "recognized." Maybe you think you aren't appreciated enough.  Most of us deal with these feelings at times.  Jesus' disciples did.  It seems they were always fighting for position.

It is during on of these arguments that Jesus confronts his disciples.  They had been "discussing" who was the greatest among them, when Jesus says, "What have you all been discussing." Like guilty children, they all remained silent.  He called them together, and brought a child into their midst.  Taking the child in his arms, Jesus said, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me" (see Mark 9:33-37).

Jesus struck at their pride by telling them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  In other words, service is the key to greatness.  Then, to illustrate exactly what he meant, he brings a child before them and says serve him.  Children were often little more than property in the first century.  They were to be seen and not heard, and certainly not served.

But Jesus didn't care what the culture said.  He came to serve.  His life was given for men, women, and children.  It was given for Jew and Gentile.  The fast tract to greatness is a life of service to others--all others, even the small and insignificant.  Even the culturally marginalized. 

I think children were actually given to parents to teach them how to become better servants.  A child, even one as beautiful, intelligent, and grateful as mine, continually wants more than they are given.  If you give them an hour of your time, they want six.  If you play one round of a game, they want three.  If you give them two cookies, they want ten.  Sometimes they thank you, sometimes the throw a tantrum.

Children are in a perpetual state of need.  They need someone to prepare their food, wash their clothes, help them in the potty, etc.  With each opportunity, a choice is given.  We can hone our skills as a servant, or we can blunt the blade with resentment and selfishness.

Training a child trains the parents as well.  The process of caring for a small child prepares your caring for your aging parent or spouse.  The impatience of a child can teach you how impatient you are when you realize you were about to throw a fit because the kids interrupted your favorite t.v. show.  The way a child is free to laugh at themselves can teach you not to take yourself to seriously. And so on.

Your pride wants to be first, but it doesn't want to pay the price.  Pride wants a kingdom without a cross. Pride is like gum on the sole of your shoe, it's messy and impedes movement.  You got to scrape it off, and throw it away.  As long as you are prideful, you can never be great in the kingdom of heaven.  It is only when we stop wanting to be "first," that we ever have the potential to truly become great. 

Having children won't necessarily make you a better servant (and not having children won't keep you from becoming a servant).  It will all depend on how you respond.  Are you really concerned with their needs?  Are you serving them in the love of Christ?  Does serving them make you more joyful, than being served yourself?

I know from personal experience just how difficult cultivating this mindset can be.  I find myself straining against it a thousand times a day, and 990 times I fail.  Serving others, for their benefit and God's glory, is a task that requires supernatural strength to accomplish it.  God must work in us to will and do his good pleasure.  And he does, but often we impede the process.

If your children can't get you to serve, God might send more difficult people your way.  The more we stumble, the more God sends difficult people our way for us to serve.  Because when we receive them (and serve them) in Jesus name, we're not only receiving (serving) them, but Jesus, too.  And we're not only receiving (serving) Jesus, but the Father, too.  Would you agree that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of our service?  Then dare to become a servant of all. Because it's all about being conformed into the image of Christ.

As You Wish

If you have seen the movie, The Princess Bride, you are familiar with the characters Wesley and Buttercup.  If you haven't seen it, how did you discover the internet.  You should crawl out of your hole, and go buy a copy of it.  No, don' t rent it, you'll just wind up wanting to rent it again.  It's that funny.  All kidding aside, it is a great movie--you should see it.

Anyway, Wesley is a young farmhand who is deeply in love with his master's daughter, Buttercup.  Wesley reveals his love to Buttercup by simply responding to her orders with the expression, "As you wish."  In time, Buttercup realizes that Wesley loves her and she loves him.  It's a touching story, with a lot of humor thrown in.

I was reminded of the story this afternoon when Sophia asked for a peanut butter and marshmallow (cream) sandwich.  Yes, I am aware that they are probably not very "good" for you, but they taste really good.  So from time to time I make her one.

I realized, as I was making the sandwich, that I enjoy serving her.  I find my spirits lifted in the act of serving others.  As her father, my desire is to give her the desires of her heart.  Yet, I know that I cannot give into her every wish--like marshmallow or pizza for breakfast.  Nor can I give it to her every time she asks.

At times, I feel crushed by the urgent.  There is so much to do.  Then a little voice calls to me, "Daddy, can you play with me?" The temptation is to think that what I am doing is more important than play time, but much of the time it isn't.  She needs me to serve her in this way.

So at times, I smile, put my stuff to the side, and say, "As you wish."  Because I know one day, she'll understand it means, "I love you (more than me)."