#BlackHeartsMatter: Getting Our Hearts Right

This blog article originated partly from a social media exchange and partly from a phone conversation.  Both were related to our current national response to the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, on May 25.  During the phone conversation, my friend noted that one or more of her friends had been called “racist” for not including #BlackLivesMatter in their social media posts.

Watching Our Words and Hashtags
My first thought was to remember my own current blend of emotions over Floyd’s death and the passion now on display across America—the mixture of grief, disgust, anger, hate, hopelessness, etc.  These emotions have also embroiled social media.  Even well-meaning posts can erupt into exchanges that express the dark side of our hearts. 

I hope not to add to the tensions that already exist among people online.  But I am trying to make sense of what is being reported in the media, and through conversations I have had recently.  Forgive me, but it helps to write out my thoughts—hopefully, I am not worthlessly “spewing.”

First off, we may agree that virtual conversations involving brief repeated exchanges can easily be misunderstood by our inaccurate wording.  Even well worded sentences do not convey the tone of voice or facial expressions we normally see in real-time, face-to-face conversations.  On top of this, add a “hashtag” and suddenly, a well-meaning statement can become a flaming arrow with a life of its own, ricocheting about and stabbing into hearts of readers.

Today, “#BlackLivesMatter” is a potentially incendiary hashtag that carries with it much of the hurt, grief, passion, anger, and disgust that is driving both peaceful demonstrations and accompanying looting and violence.  I am honestly trying to be sensitive to these emotions.  I also believe there is justification for prolonged expression of these emotions along with respectful, impassioned calls for justice and reform.  However, it is also evident from the instance I cited at the beginning of this article that the use of #BlackLivesMatter (or other similar expressions--e.g. #BLM, the phrase “Black Lives Matter”), because of the connotations it carries, can easily squelch constructive conversation as well as legitimate public demonstrations.

Evaluating #BlackLivesMatter
As I am trying to understand some of the incendiary nature of #BlackLifesMatter, it seems to me that some who use this slogan have given in to the temptation to appoint themselves as the standard for how all others ought to think and act toward “Blacks” (or other ethnic minorities).  With all due respect, they seem to be the self-appointed “high priests of ‘blackness’.”  Therefore, to them, because I am “White” (or “white”), nothing I am writing here carries value or authority.  Neither am I perceived as one who understands or empathizes with Blacks, Black cultural heritage, or the current struggles of Blacks.

Because of my ethic background and my personal experience, I will admit that I have trouble understanding and empathizing with Black Americans.  Nor do I currently experience the kinds of ongoing, subtle or outright emotional and physical causes of anxiety, suffering, and death that have been or are currently being experienced by Blacks.  But then, who is worthy to represent Black lives and to define its mission?  And who possesses the authority to decide when the #BlackLivesMatter mission is accomplished?  And what will the area now occupied by the United States of America look like when the mission is accomplished?  The answers to these questions are not obvious to me but they would appear to be at least somewhat elusive.  In fact, many people wonder whether the Black Lives Matter movement has any consensus as to its actual mission and desired outcome.  For example, here are several points I’ve been pondering.

Biology and Politics of “Black”
First, we would assume “the worthy” person or persons of #BlackLivesMatter ought to be “Black.”  But how “Black?”  Biologically speaking, I have explained elsewhere that humankind is of one race, not many.  How black must a person’s skin be in order to be “Black?”  Or how “White” in order to be disqualified?  According to D. J. Witherspoon, S. Wooding, et al. publishing in the journal, Genetics (176: 351–359 May, 2007), “…most human genetic variation is found within populations, not between them.”  Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall, both at the American Museum of Natural History, conclude, “race is a totally inadequate way of characterizing diverse humankind or even of helping understand humanity’s glorious variety.” [See “Black History 3:  Bible and Biology Erase Racism”].
 

There are many Blacks such as Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson), Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO), and Jack Brewer (@JackBrewerBSI) who disagree with the tenants of Black Lives Matter.  Therefore, some in #BlackLivesMatter dismiss these Blacks because they are not really “Black.”  Legitimate voices from both “Blacks” and “Whites” are rejected or silenced, often by both #BlackLivesMatter and some media outlets, if they do not meet the standard of “the worthy.”  But what constitutes the “standard” for being among “the worthy?”

Individual versus Institutional Sin
Turning our attention to a major source of the passionate cry for justice, our law enforcement officials across the nation, it is clear in at least some cases that there is need for reform, greater accountability, and justice to those who are proven guilty of abuse of their authority.  George Floyd would likely be alive today if Derek Chauvin had been held accountable for multiple earlier violations of proper police guidelines.  But, while it seems clear that Chauvin and his colleagues who were complicit in the murder of George Floyd should be charged and sentenced for their grievous crime, some in #BlackLivesMatter claim that all police regardless of ethnicity, professional record, or character are unworthy to be our protectors or enforcers of the law.  In fact, #DisbandPolice movements are emerging in major cities on the premise that all police are unworthy. 

If Black Lives really Matter, how can anyone who cares about Black Lives support dismissal of entire police departments and leave some of the most vulnerable communities including Black communities vulnerable to what will undoubtedly become vigilante law?  Here we can see the illogic of “throwing out the whole barrel of apples” when one or two “bad apples” are discovered.  It is both biblically and legally justified to condemn individuals who commit acts that clearly stem from bigotry.  It is also right to identify and reform institutions guilty of “institutional racism”—i.e. where one or few “bad apples” have spread their “rot” to the point of corrupting the mission and purpose of the institution.  However, it cannot be either biblically or legally justified to condemn a whole institution for the actions of one or a few.  This point brings us to the social media exchange I noted at the beginning.

Church Discipline or Demolition?
The following is a Facebook post from my friend followed by a response from one of his/her friends:
FRIEND:  The decline of Christianity in Europe and North America, whatever its proximate causes may be, is ultimately God saving the Church from white supremacy.  God can, in his time, rebuild what he tears down. But now is a time for tearing down (Ecclesiastes 3:3).  Let us not be found opposing God’s will.  I’m sure others have already said this, and I confess I am late in seeing it clearly.

RESPONSE:  Yes!!  Thank you, __ (name)!  The church has been one of, if not THE main agent in perpetuating white supremacy.

I love my friend and his/her family.  We have been friends for many years.  I do not know his/her friend.  I also understand and respect his/her genuine concern and desire for the Church to flourish in all of her roles on Earth to proclaim the good news of salvation, release to the captives held by sin’s bonds, to bring man sons to glory, and to glorify our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  But I also understand the tremendous diversity that exists within the true Church and within Bible-based local churches.  Therefore, I resist the pessimism that many seem to have.

Some local churches are almost entirely Caucasian, others are a mix of many ethnic groups, and some are almost entirely Black.  Our church is largely Caucasian.  Therefore, we may be unknowingly naïve or ignorant of ethnic diversity and struggles.  Ignorance is not sin unless we are not teachable and allow it to lead to wrong judgments.  We are fortunate to have a godly Black man who is married to a lovely Caucasian wife who serve on our pastoral staff.  We can learn from their example and teaching, first as our brother and sister in Christ, and secondly from the insights on cultural diversity which they bring to us.  But most of all, where the Scriptures are taught and sincerely followed, and where even biology is understood, there ought not to be a hint of bigotry or white supremacy.

Here, we must return to our question, “Who is Worthy?”  Specifically, who among #BlackLivesMatter is worthy to pass judgment on a local church, or upon “the Church” worldwide?  For those who reject the authority of God and His inspired Word in Scripture, nothing beyond this point in the article will be agreeable to you—I understand your rejection for reasons you can find taught in the New Testament.  If you are currently choosing to reject the teachings of the Bible, please consider what Jesus Himself taught in His parable of the sower and the seed (Luke 8: 5-15) and what the Apostle Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 2: 6-16.  Personally, neither can I discern these truths apart from God’s love and His grace that opened my eyes spiritually.  Regardless of our personal choices, we must be assured of this:  All men and women are created to live under authority—the question is which authority will we choose or allow?  If not our government and our local justice system, then who?   And will that authority have our good interests in mind?  Sadly, anarchist views are being directed toward both local police and toward our children to incite them to defy their parents.  

Church Discipline and Restoration
Based on the authority of Scripture, I also find no teaching in Scripture that licenses an individual to judge a local church or “the Church (worldwide).”  That right is reserved for God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ who condemned proud, corrupt religious leaders (e.g. Matthew 23).  He wept out loud over His holy city (Matthew 23: 37; Luke 19:41-44) and promised stern judgment against apostate and lukewarm local churches (Revelation 2 and 3).

But what if there are indications of bigotry among God’s people in a local church today?  The Scriptures teach the individual born-again believer how to interact in the body of Christ.  We find particularly in Paul’s Epistles instruction for right living for husbands, wives, children, employees, church leaders, etc. The focus is on individual responsibility and accountability before God for how we conduct ourselves in relation to God and toward our neighbor, whether they are a brother or sister in Christ or an unsaved person-- and we are to make no distinction between ethnic groups (1 Corinthians 12: 13; Galatians 3: 28 and Colossians 3: 1-17, especially v. 11).  Bigotry is a sin against God and our neighbor!

The Scriptures give clear instructions that it is the responsibility of mature Christ-followers to confront a brother or sister in Christ who is believed to be living in sin.  Galatians 2: 1-2 states, Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ [which, see Gal. 5: 14, is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves].  Jesus outlined our responsibility as individuals if we are offended to go directly to the offender privately (Matthew 18: 15) and if he or she doesn’t repent and turn from the sin, bring one or two others with you and confront again (v. 16).  If he or she still refuses, then the whole church membership should hear the matter and if there is still no repentance, the offender is to be dismissed from the local membership as a step toward their repentance and loving restoration when that occurs.  When local churches practice godly discipline, individual sin of any kind does not become “institutional sin.”

The question remains, “Who is Worthy?”  Answer?  None of us is ultimately worthy to judge his or her neighbor, regardless of ethnicity or spiritual condition for the purpose of condemnation.  Nor are we worthy to condemn our parents (Exodus 20: 12, the fifth Commandment), our churches, the Church, or our institutions of government for God has placed rulers in authority over us for our good (Romans 13).  Instead of pessimistically judging and condemning individuals and institutions, we are to exercise stewardship, living as salt and light to others—one at a time (Matthew 5: 10-16), even in our dutiful confrontation where necessary.

The Life and Death that Matters Most
In all of these claims, my authority is the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered the most unjust and horrible death imaginable, and He alone is with without any sin.  Read carefully Isaiah 53 and allow God’s Word to speak truth into your heart—Jesus died not only for your sin and mine, but also for our sorrow, our grief, our frustration.  Let us look into our own “black hearts” which can so easily express the fallen tendency of our sinful nature (Galatians 5: 16-21).  At the foot of Christ’s Cross, we see how much He suffered to take away sin from us (1 John 3: 5).  Praise God!  May God help us to adopt a lifestyle of repentance of our sin and arise in new life, yielded daily to the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  He alone can produce the Fruit pleasing to God and a blessing to our neighbor—Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, etc. (Galatians 5: 22-26). 

How About You and I?

Do you and I need to “call ourselves out” to repentance (James 1: 19-27)?  

If we do, repentance will help us rightly discern the error in the spirit behind #BlackLivesMatter.  Perhaps we will be directed to live by #BlackHeartsMatter, being among those who look first into our own hearts, taking the log out of our own eye first before pointing to sin in our brother or sister (Matthew 7: 3-5).  Above all, we must never forget that no one is truly Worthy except our Savior, our Redeemer, our Counselor, and our Friend.  Why not take time, as I want to do again, to read carefully the Scriptures I have cited in this article, especially Colossians 3: 1-17. Let's allow God’s Spirit to speak His Truth to our hearts?  I would recommend while you read, to listen to Chris Tomlin’s lovely song, “He is Worthy.”  Indeed, only Christ is Worthy!

Love and Forgiveness Can Overcome Injustice

Just when many of us thought we were beginning to emerge from the separation of the pandemic and gaining a sense of “normal” again, we heard the tragic report from Minneapolis on Monday, May 25.  George Floyd, also known as “Big Floyd,” was mercilessly asphyxiated under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, while other officers stood idly by and bystanders begged Chauvin to stop.  Floyd, who was described as “always cheerful” and “the gentle giant,”  had been laid off from his job as a bouncer at Conga Latin Bistro when Minnesota was placed under the pandemic lock down.

The report of George Floyd’s murder spread faster than Chauvin was charged for his alleged crime.  Within hours demonstrations began in Minneapolis, eventually spreading to other major cities.  Now, over a week after this senseless murder, America is embroiled in yet another national tragedy, piled on top of our continuing anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Law and Order Is Needed for Reconciliation
We should note that lawful demonstrations to express grief and grievances is a legitimate and historic part of our First Amendment rights.  Unfortunately, this precious freedom of expression comes with a responsibility to respect both law and order and those who seek to enforce it.  When this responsibility is dismissed for the selfish pursuit of material gain, then the looting and destruction of property begins and the original cause for the demonstration is lost in violence and destruction.  In addition, far left, anarchist groups have crept in to incite legitimate protesters to join in destructive behavior for the purpose of destroying the foundation of American government and society. 

It is clear from a biblical understanding of the nature of man that there can be no meaningful expressions of grief, compassion, repentance, or forgiveness unless human communities are maintained with law and order.  Yet, while destructive behavior can be forcibly quelled, police strong-arming can only provide the structure within which the emotional and spiritual roots of violence can be addressed.  The widespread violence and destruction of property suggest that many Americans simply do not know what to do with their anger over what they perceive as yet another grave injustice toward a Black American at the hands of a law enforcement official. 

Biblical Meaning of Justice
According to Scripture, all of us have a God-given sense of right and wrong, and a desire to see justice done for wrong committed.  Even when we were children, we sensed when we were unjustly (and justly) accused.  And, while it was unpleasant at the time, when discipline was applied and we recovered emotionally, we were relieved at having paid for our wrong and experienced restoration.

The Bible reveals what God says about law, law-breaking, our conscience, and just judgment.  The Apostle Paul reminded the Jews that, although they were favored by God by being given the Law in the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God on tablets of stone (Exodus 31: 18), God wants to write His law on the hearts of all mankind, both Jew and Gentile (“non-Jew”).  In Romans 2: 14-16, Paul writes (emphasis mine):

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

When Derek Chauvin saw what he had done to the life of George Floyd, assuming his conscience was not totally seared, he knew something terrible (which God’s Word calls sin), had caused his horrible action.  The same sense of guilt and shame was there in the heart of Cain when murdered his own brother, Abel (Genesis 4: 8-13).  Cain’s sin was so grievous that the Scripture says God heard “the voice of [Abel’s] blood crying to Me from the ground (v. 10).”  From that time on, every time Cain looked at the ground from which he earned his livelihood, he would think of his brother’s blood spilled there.  His response to God, “My punishment is too great to bear (v. 13)!”

God’s Answer to Hate and Violence
For every murderer since Cain right down to Derek Chauvin, and for those who have become murderers during the recent riots in protest of George Floyd’s murder, the same is true—“the punishment is too great to bear.”  It is also too great for all of us who have not murdered outright but who have responded in anger—perhaps toward Derek Chauvin or another person who has aroused our sense of right and wrong.  Jesus said, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty [of murder] before the court… (Matthew 5: 21-22a).” 

By God’s standard, we have already committed murder in our hearts when we are angry at our neighbor.  My anger against Derek Chauvin or against the masses who have risen up to plunder and destroy lives and property puts me right there among those who actually commit murder.  Indeed, I was also there among the jeering crowd at the Cross of Christ, angrily accusing Him of being just another sinful criminal.  My heart was full of anger, hate, and murder when I once thought that Jesus Christ was no different.  The Prophet Isaiah wrote the following description of Christ on the Cross 500 years before the coming of Christ (Isaiah 53: 4-6, emphasis mine):

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles
were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Jesus Christ’s death was the most unjust murder of all because He was totally sinless and blameless.  Who knew?  We thought He was getting what was coming to Him!  Yet, He yielded up His life as an atoning sacrifice, bearing the penalty of our sin that He might bring to God all of those of us who will repent of our sin and ask in faith that His blood cleanse us of our sin and cover us in His righteousness (1 John 1: 9). 

Love and Forgiveness:  Unique to Christ-Followers

Our conscience is too unrelenting of an accuser to allow us peace as long as our sin is unconfessed and unatoned.  And the punishment is too great for us to bear.  Only Jesus, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, can take away or sin and cleanse even our “conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9: 14).”  Only by the love of God can the sinner be forgiven (John 3: 16).  And, once forgiven, we ought to have a new compulsion to love God and love our neighbor.  Just hours before His brutal death on the Cross, Jesus spoke the following intimate words to His disciples (and to us):

A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another:
just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know
that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
               –  Jesus (John 13: 34-35)

In these few words, according to Ellicott (Ellicott’s Commentary), Jesus gives His disciples “a bond of union, by which they should always be linked to Him and to each other in the principle of love.  The followers of great Teachers and Rabbis had their distinctive marks. Here was the distinctive Christian mark, which all men should be able to read…, not in any formulary or signs, but in the love which asserts the brotherhood of man.  The Pulpit Commentary adds that this love “…is new to the human race: and it is the power which has revolutionized thought, society, and life.”

But how do we express the love of Christ in us?  One distinctively Christian way is through forgiveness.  When we are wronged by someone else, we ought to remember the love of Christ expressed on His Cross when He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23: 24).”  Before His death, Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this, "Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who fails in his duty to us (Luke 11: 4, Weymouth)."  There is no greater power on Earth than the love of God expressed through forgiveness on the part of dedicated Christ-followers.

F. B. Meyer wrote, in Our Daily Walk (May 7),
Forgiveness is the exclusive prerogative of Christianity. The schools of ancient morality had four cardinal virtues—justice in human relations; prudence in the direction of affairs; fortitude in bearing trouble or sorrow; temperance or self-restraint. But they knew nothing of mercy or forgiveness, which is not natural to the human heart.  Forgiveness is an exotic, which Christ brought with Him from Heaven. As long as He abode on earth, He forgave, and He left it as an injunction and example that His people were to forgive even as they had been forgiven.
 
Neither the grieving Floyd family, nor the protesters, nor those trying to maintain law and order can ultimately bring peace of mind and conscience to us as individuals or to our divided America. 

However, maintaining law and order is essential to healthy communities where people can express grief, compassion, repentance, and forgiveness as appropriate.  We need restored human communities and especially Bible-based churches because our struggle is ultimately in our hearts (James 4: 1-10).  Jack Brewer has rightly pinpointed the source of our current struggle in America as a spiritual battle because of the evil in our hearts (video clip).  Only if we yield to the love and forgiveness of Christ and then express His love and forgiveness to one another will we gain the victory and bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2: 10).

How About You?
While we all observe the unfolding of demonstrations and associated violence, each of us face the same challenges as the any of the participants we observe.  How do you and I deal with perceived injustice, our need to control anger, offer forgiveness, seek forgiveness, or just plain understand people that are difficult to get along with?  As for myself, today is the birthday of a family member very dear to me, a person with whom I have sought reconciliation for several years.  I mention this person only to emphasize that we all need God’s love and forgiveness and to be channels of this love and forgiveness to others.  How about you?   Your “Comments” are always welcome.  

Helpful Resource:
“The Risk of Forgiveness:  What It Means to Forgive”   by Gary Inrig.  Discovery Series, Our Daily Bread Ministries.   Available at the above link or in booklet form.

LOVE: Part 6 – Humbly Received, Graciously Given

Valentine’s Day helps us focus on the love we share with special people in our lives.  We express our love by sending cards, candy, flowers, or more extravagant gifts.  In most cases we do not create the gifts.  We purchase them, add a few tender words, and share them with our love.  In doing this, we are acting out the meaning of stewardship—i.e. handling things which we didn’t create and which ultimately do not belong to us.

If we agree that buying and giving gifts is a form of stewardship, we might say that being loved and loving others is the ultimate core of stewardship .  As explained in LOVE Part 2: “It’s Out of This World”, love does not originate from us.  Like a Valentine gift that we didn’t create, love enters our lives and relationships from God.  God’s love (agapeo and phileo), like the sweet fragrance from a flower, is the central essence of His character. As 1 John 4: 8 states, God is love.  God’s inspired Word and His actions continually express His limitless love for His creation and humankind--expressed ultimately through the Life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Since Christ’s resurrection some 2,000 years ago,  His Spirit has been transforming sinners into Christ-followers who submit to the authority of God’s Word.  These who follow Christ, do so as stewards of the gifts of His Spirit, including love—or, as 1 Peter 4: 10 states, we are stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Reverential Fear of God, Repentance, Forgiveness
Christ-followers demonstrate by their love for God and for one another that they have died to self, have submitted to the Word of God, and have yielded to the rule of Christ as Lord of their lives.  This submission begins a life of repentance, humble confession and rejection of sin and selfishness.  These spiritual disciplines are motivated by our reverential fear of God our Supreme Judge, and by our emersion (baptism) into His love.  [See LOVE: Part 2 – It’s “Out of this World.”]  In love and mercy, God responds to our repentance, cancels our “sin debt,” and withholds His harsh judgment of us as rebellious, undeserving sinners.

The psalmist understood the relationship among three elements: 
(a) God’s holiness and justice,
(b) His mercy and forgiveness, and
(c) our reverential fear of God.  In Psalm 130: 3-4, we read (emphasis mine),

LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.

But, how is that?  How do Christ-followers "fear” a loving, forgiving God?  If this seems contradictory, see LOVE: Part 5 - Is God-Fearing Love a Contradiction?

Our Motivation to Love:  God Has Canceled Our Debt.
Forgiven sinners, freed from the burden of their sin, in reverent fear and submission to God’s Spirit, offer the sweet aroma of God’s love (fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5: 22) back to God.  They also extend this love to their neighbor.  If we truly love God, then according to 1 John 4: 21, …he who loves God loves his brother also.  Christ-followers are empowered to love God and neighbor out of a spirit of thankfulness for all God has done and continues to do.  Their remembrance of God's forgiveness causes them to extend mercy and forgiveness toward others, even their "enemies." 

Love originates from God and transforms humans and
our relationships to God, neighbor, and creation.

Loving God and loving our neighbor falls short unless we love what God also loves.  God loves our neighbor, but also His creation (Genesis 1: 31).  As I have explained in Fundamentals of Conservation, Part 1, our stewardship of creation is an integral part of our obedience to God’s plan.  Thus, loving our neighbor should include adopting a lifestyle that rejects materialism, needless consumption, and waste that can adversely affect soil, groundwater, air, community health, and conservation of creature habitats.   That said, Christ-followers must be wise in evaluating current assessments of human impacts on the environment, or creation. Thankfully, God has lovingly commanded that we observe a weekly Sabbath rest to enjoy His provisions and to take stock of our purpose and place in His plan for us.  [See Creation Care– Doing It Our Way?]

God’s love calls us to remember the Cross on which Jesus died.  Our regular focus on the Cross of Christ serves to impact and so permanently mark His followers that we become forever grateful.  Juanita Byrum’s song, “Forever Grateful,” should express our response:

And I'm forever grateful, Lord, to You
And I'm forever grateful for the cross
And I'm forever grateful to You
That You came to seek and save the lost

Still, I’ve been asking myself how it is that God’s love can become more real to me each day. 
God’s Spirit answers my question through His inspired Word—Man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the  mouth of God (Matthew 4: 4).  We “feed” the life of Christ in us by “eating” (reading, studying, meditating, memorizing) God’s Word which reveals the Life of Christ and His teachings.  Through both His Life in us and His teachings, we learn how to love others.  For example, a parable of Jesus known as the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant,” recorded in Matthew 18: 21-35, teaches me three things: 
(a) the infinite magnitude of my sin debt
(b) the infinite mercy shown when God cancelled my sin debt
(c) the proper response—my love shown by thankfulness and forgiveness of others

The parable tells of a servant who owed him the equivalent of several million dollars in today’s market (Matt. 18: 24).  Jesus wanted us to understand that this debt was larger than the servant could ever hope to pay off.  The master …commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made (v. 25).  The servant’s response was to fall down and beg his master for mercy, 'Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all (v. 26).'  He was so desperate and fearful of the consequences of not being able to pay that he promised more than he could ever do.  Jesus wants sinners to realize from this story of the unpayable debt that we are great debtors facing a similar fate. 

Our Motivation to Forgive:  Realizing the Magnitude of Our Debt
Psalm 49: 7-9 helps us realize the human impossibility of paying our “sin debt” to God: 

Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
to live forever and never see the grave. 

Now, back to my question—“How can God’s love become more real to me each day?”  I must focus on the Cross of Christ where I realize the great love and mercy of a Holy God who made possible the cancellation of my sin debt, thus sparing me of eternal judgment.  In light of this realization, my love for God and my neighbor ought to flow freely—loving God in return, and loving others through patience, mercy, and forgiveness.  This is not a small task for me in day-to-day human relationships with spouse, family, friends, and frustrating world and national news—especially, because relationship challenges reveal my own lingering selfishness.

Beloved pastor-teacher, Timothy Keller, refers to a scene from his favorite novel, Lord of the Rings, to illustrate the habit of remembering the costly suffering and death of Christ for our salvation.  Keller asks us to picture Pippin, a Hobbit, standing at the gate of the city which is about to be attacked and destroyed by the demon king.  But then, there is the sound of horns from the Riders of Rohan who arrive in the nick of time to save the city.   But the cost was great. The King of Rohan gave his very life in the battle.   Pippin’s greatful reaction is a model for us:

Pippin remembered the sound of the horn.

“For the rest of his life, Pippin could never hear a horn off in the distance without bursting into tears. Why?  Because every time he heard a horn in the distance it reawakened the memory of his salvation and the memory of the one who died for him.”  Keller then asks his audience (and all Christ-followers): 

“How do you listen to a distant horn?   What are your distant horns?”  What music, people, places, activities, or Scriptures helps reawaken in you the memory of the victory that Christ purchased for you there on that rugged hill?

Back to Jesus’s parable, the unforgiving servant represents those who forget the King and the sound of His horn.  The unforgiving servant’s desperate plea melted the heart of his master who then forgave his multimillion-dollar debt—entirely!  Jesus does not describe the response of the servant to this life-changing show of mercy and forgiveness.  If the forgiven servant had any gratitude, it was shallow and soon forgotten because we read that the unforgiving servant immediately went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him [a few thousand dollars]: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

Just that quick, the unforgiving servant had forgotten the love and mercy his master had shown him.  So, he suddenly became unforgiving and merciless to his fellowservant.  Jesus ends the parable, warning us that we will not receive mercy and joy of forgiveness if we refuse to forgive our brothers and sisters from our heart (v. 35).  Genuine repentance and acceptance of God’s mercy ought to give us true joy and make us loving and forgiving of others.  Matthew Henry writes, “How justly will those be condemned, who, though they bear the Christian name, persist in unmerciful treatment of their brethren!  The humbled sinner relies only on free, abounding mercy, through the ransom of the death of Christ.  Let us seek more and more for the renewing grace of God, to teach us to forgive others as we hope for forgiveness from him.”

I am thankful for God’s provisions that help us remember what He has done for us:  His commands (really, loving invitations) to worship together on the first day of each week (Acts 20: 7; Hebrews 10: 25) and to regularly observe the sacrament of Lord’s Supper.  These are essential disciplines that bring us into communion with our Savior and with fellow blood-bought brothers and sisters in remembrance of the wonderful Cross.

Of course, Valentine’s Day provides an annual reminder to express love to God and to our friends (and enemies).  Since Valentine’s Day last year when I wrote about love and marriage, in Valentines and a Better Love, I have been reading and thinking much about “true love,” hopefully from a Christian worldview.  As I conclude this sixth part in my series on LOVE, I confess that I haven’t even scratched the surface.  Nor has my stewardship of sharing God’s gift of love reached anything like the fragrant love that emanates from Jesus.  But, my prayer is that you and I, and all who come across these writings will be drawn closer to Jesus the Source of this Love and to the Cross where Love met God’s judgment of sin, and prevailed! 

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah.
-- From Reckless Love, by Cory Asbury

How About You…and I?
This Valentine’s Day, I am asking myself:  Do I truly love God, my Creator and Savior, even though at times He seems distant?  Do I love my wife as God’s gift for nearly 50 years, even when one of us is grumpy?  Do I love my family, my friends, many of whom pray for us and encourage us every day?  Do I love and pray for our leaders and for Christians living under very hard, dangerous conditions; and for the millions who are homeless, both locally and internationally?  The answer rests not on me alone but on Christ alone, by faith alone, in His Word alone, by His grace alone.  For it is not that we loved Him but that He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5: 8).  Christ demonstrated His love through His death, resurrection, and promises of His return.  Until that time or until He takes me home, I want to be a good steward of His love.

Compelled by Christ’s Love for a Cousin

I know a man in Christ who is mourning the loss of his beloved cousin. He was several years younger than her.  They had grown up together on neighboring farms managed jointly by their fathers.  His father tried to lead his family on a Christ-centered foundation; but her father gave little or no effort toward leading his family to faith in Christ.  As they entered adulthood, their communication ceased except for rare conversations at family gatherings.  These brief encounters revealed that the girl he had once known had become hardened, saddened, and without a God-centered source of hope and joy.

Then, three years ago, the two cousins reestablished more frequent communication when he initiated regular phone conversations and sent cards and letters.  This year, during the month of August, she mourned the death of a man with whom she had lived for over 40 years.  During her mourning, she granted her cousin a visit to her home, and she received his sympathy and comfort.  She listened politely as he humbly spoke of God’s unfailing grace and love that is available to all who open their hearts to Him.  He encouraged her to establish a daily routine of rest, good nutrition, and regular reading about God’s love and comfort found in the Bible he had given her.  He remembered emphasizing the theme, “Hope in God because He cares for you.”

She lived barely two months after the loss of her partner.  Aside from occasional contact with her neighbor, it appears that her only close companion was her dog.

All of us experience the loss of loved ones through death.  But, this man that I know in Christ remained deeply concerned about something that was missing in his cousin’s life--something that would likely determine her eternal destiny.  What was it?  And why was he so deeply concerned?  Finally, how could this man be so sure that his cousin would not have gone to heaven when she died?  What follows is my effort to answer these questions based on what I learned from the man that I know in Christ.

What Must We Do to Be Saved?

“Why,” I asked him, “are you so concerned about the eternal destiny of your cousin?”  He reached for his Bible and asked me if I would agree that the Bible is God’s inspired revelation of Truth to mankind.  I nodded “Yes.” Then, he read the Bible’s own self-declaration of its authority:  …All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and trains us for a life that has God’s approval  (2 Timothy 3: 16, New Living Translation, and God’s Word Translation).

Knowing that we agreed on the authority of Scripture, he then referred me to 2 Corinthians 5:1 which states, …if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  He explained that each of us has a soul, representing our personality which resides within our physical body, or “house.”  According to this verse, when we die, our soul leaves the “house” which then decays (“is torn down”).  With an expression of sadness, he explained that his cousin’s neighbor had found her dead in her home.  Yet, according to Scripture, her “person” had already departed at her death; only her body was found.  According to Hebrews 9: 27, God’s judgment will decide her eternal destiny-- And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.

I responded to his mention of “judgment” with a shiver that he must have sensed.  He reminded me that God does not send anyone to Hell.  People choose this place.  Indeed, God is not willing that any should perish (be separated from God), but that all should come to repentance (turning from our sin and living in agreement with God’s Word) (2 Peter 3: 9).   Then, we read Romans 6: 23:  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We agreed that each person is responsible to accept God’s gift.  In other words, God desires that we “choose Life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

Next, he referred me to Romans 10: 9-10 (emphasis mine) which explains how a person responds through faith to God’s transforming power, resulting in His righteousness (approved standing before God) and salvation from our sin:

 …that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

The man I know in Christ then explained that if his cousin had confessed that she is a sinner in need of a Savior and accepted the free gift of God provided through Christ, God would see her as one who is clothed in the righteousness of the sinless Christ Who died in her place on the cross.  He smiled as he summarized this Gospel (“God’s good news”) of Christ as if there were a ray of hope that she may have accepted God’s gift.  Then, his sadness returned and I wondered again how he could be so deeply concerned about her eternal destiny?

Compelled by Christ’s Love

In a busy world where so many things compete for our attention, this man I know in Christ seemed almost fanatical to express so much concern about “the hereafter.”  Why was he so compelled to share the Gospel of God’s love with his cousin?  My answer wasn’t long in coming as he opened his Bible to Luke 16: 19-31.  There, Jesus recounts the story of two men, one rich the other poor.  Both men died and their souls were transported to very different places.  The rich man ended up in Hades, not because he was rich but because he had rejected God during his life on Earth.  There Jesus described him as being “in torment… [and] in agony in this place of flame” (v. 23, 24).  The poor man, named Lazarus, a man of faith in God, “died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom” (v. 22).  There, Lazarus was “being comforted” (v. 25).

In this unusual account, Jesus Christ, the God of Eternity, reveals to us a partial view of the reality of life after physical death.  First, we learn that our eternal destiny depends upon how we respond to God’s gift of salvation while on Earth.  Second, we learn that we do not sleep or cease to exist after death.  Instead, the souls of those who have died physically are very much alive and able to experience their surroundings, whether in a place of torment or with God and other people of faith.  When they die, the unrighteous--those who have rejected God’s gift of righteousness--will be separated from the righteous by a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us (Luke 16: 26).

The man I know in Christ was now teaching me about life after death, and he now had my rapt attention. There was one more powerful truth that we can glean from Christ’s revelation.  In Luke 16: 27-31, Jesus reveals that the rich man in torment asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his family of the impending judgment and eternal torment awaiting them if they do not respond to the message of the God’s love and salvation.  According to the words of Abraham, God has made every provision through His revelation in creation and in Scripture so that those who reject His Gift of righteousness while living on Earth are without excuse when they die (see also Romans 1: 16-24).  Yet, according to this account many will reject these revelations of truth and will remain unbelieving even if someone were to die and be resurrected from the dead.  In fact, many remained unbelieving even after watching Jesus raise another man named Lazarus from the dead (John 11); and then, Jesus Himself was resurrected from the dead (Luke 24:6).

I now realized exactly why this man had been so compelled to share the good news of Christ with his cousin and others in the family.  As if to further inoculate me with his sense of urgency about those yet living who have been rejecting God’s call to them, he invited me to read more of the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5.  This time, in verses 10-11, I read,

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  Therefore, since we know what it means to fear of the Lord, we persuade men…

We continued reading the rest of 2 Corinthians 5, including verse 14-15 which states that …the love of Christ compels us…so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  Upon hearing this verse, I begin to feel within my own heart the power of Christ’s love lifting me out of my self-centeredness to share this man’s concern for lost souls.  I was especially challenged by the way Paul’s words in verses 20-21 (emphasis mine) placed my sense of urgency into a call to action (emphasis mine):

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

After a period of time to think about these Scriptures, I felt a calm assurance in my conscience that it was my faith in Christ, not my own good works that had made me acceptable in God’s eyes.  But also I experienced reverent fear of God’s power and His perfect justice that decides the fate of every person.  How could I not share in the passion, the compulsion, and the same sense of urgency that this man I know in Christ has shown for others? How could I not help but want my loved ones and friends to know the joy of walking with Christ daily and being assured He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13: 5), even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23: 4).

Not Willing That Anyone Should Perish

I sat with the man I know in Christ for awhile; neither of us spoke.  Then, his face beamed with an expression of hope as he turned and began to share a new insight.  Could it be that his cousin had avoided the place of eternal torment.  Maybe she is now in the presence of Christ.  We both believed that as long as a person responds to God’s invitation for salvation before death comes, they can be saved.  As the Apostle Paul writes, [God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit…(Titus 3: 5). 

If we are saved, not by works, but by faith, then a life-long rejecter of God’s love and mercy can be saved if they admit their need of forgiveness even in the final minutes of their life?   While pondering this amazing truth, we each remembered an important conversation among three men who had been crucified by the Romans as common criminals Luke 23: 39-43). 

Jesus Christ and two criminals had been sentenced to death.  According to Luke, each man was nailed to a wooden cross where they suffered horribly.  One of the criminals was rudely mocking Jesus.  But the other criminal rebuked the abuser saying, "Do you not even fear God?”  Then, he reminded him that they both deserved to die for their crimes, but Jesus was innocent.  After saying this, the repentant criminal turned painfully to look at Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"  And Jesus replied, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

How amazing is the love and grace of God through Christ that would welcome this criminal in the final minutes of his life to be with Him in paradise for eternity.  Neither criminal had performed any works to merit Eternal Life.  But one of the criminals had looked to the cross of Christ, repented of his sin, and asked Jesus to take him with Him to Paradise.  This conversation between Jesus and a criminal from their crucifixion crosses underscores the biblical claim that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3: 9).   Truly, God is not willing.  But, before I can be saved I must be willing—willing to (1) agree with God that “I am a sinner,” (2) be willing to repent (turn from a life of sin), (3) believe that the death and resurrection of Christ occurred in order to take away my sin, and (4) invite Christ to come into my life and control my life through His Holy Spirit.

One truth had become very clear to me and to this man I know in Christ:  If his cousin had at some point before her death been willing to accept by faith God’s gift of Eternal Life, then we could be sure she was now with Jesus in Paradise.  The decision had been hers to make. 

But, on the other hand, had the God done His part to make His Good News clear to this dear cousin?  I watched his face become very somber as he related to me how he had explained God’s love to her in spoken word and through his cards and letters.  In one phone conversation, after his cousin’s partner had been diagnosed with cancer, his cousin’s partner asked him, “Where is your God when I need Him?”  This angry plea became an open door for the man I know in Christ to graciously respond that, “Many people in pain like yours have asked this same question.” Rather than speak at length on the phone to this angry man, he excused himself and later wrote a letter to both his cousin and her suffering partner that included the following words:

My answer to “Where is God when you need Him?” is found in God’s Word, the Bible.  Psalm 145, verses 18 and 19 tells us,

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.

God is very near and knows all about us.   God’s will is that we “call upon Him in truth.”  God’s first concern for us is not in keeping rules like going to church.  Instead, we develop a relationship with God by spending time with Him (worshipping and learning more about Him from His Scriptures).

But, God will not badger us.  He has revealed Himself through creation, in the Bible, through Jesus, and through the love and concern of other people.  It is up to us to “let him into our lives.”  You must have heard this before, but in Revelation 3: 20 we read Jesus saying,

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him,
and he with Me.

God is very near, and His Son, Jesus is knocking at the door of our lives.  One artist painted the scene as he imagined it.   Notice in the painting, there is no knob on the door!  God waits for us to open the door of our lives.  He expects us to think for ourselves.  When we are hurting we can cry out to Him….”Where were you God when I needed you?”  God will not break when we shout at Him.

The man I know in Christ explained that he had closed his letter with a short invitation to his cousin and her partner to talk more about this with him.  He also included a tiny “Personal Bible” which provides an excellent sequence of Scripture verses on the nature of man, God’s love for man, and man’s sin and need of a Savior. 

The man that I know in Christ had given his cousin and her partner all of the information needed to understand and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Indeed, his zeal and passion to reach the soul of his cousin in a loving way seems to have been driven by nothing less than the power of God, making him an ambassador for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through him as he pleaded to his cousin on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Was his beloved cousin, by an act of believing faith in Christ, set free from the sin and bondage of her troubled life on Earth to find a freedom in Christ she had never known?  Or, did she continue to reject the love and mercy of God all the way to the end of her physical life?  Regardless of the answers to these questions, the man I know in Christ now rest assured on two important truths.  First, he knows that God had used him at least in part to make His loving appeal to this cousin.  And second, he was assured by his faith that God is good and just, and is unwilling that any should perish.

How About You?
You may have read this article and are left with a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and even fear.  If you have never encountered the “Good News” or Gospel, let me help.   The “Good News” is summarized in an outline called “Steps to Peace with God” which explains God’s love, our predicament (sin and separation from God), what Jesus has done to address our predicament, and what you can do by faith to receive God’s righteousness (right standing with a Holy God).  If you have additional questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.  Just post a “Comment” below or e-mail me at silviusj@cedarville.edu

Injustice All Around Us—But Where is God?

The Nativity scene on our neighbor’s lawn was decimated.  Mary, Joseph, angels, and stable animals were strewn about, and an adult figure of Jesus was partly covered with the collapsed stable roof.   Just the day before, we had watched as a grandfather, father, and son assembled the Nativity and added lights for nighttime viewing as a testimony of their faith in the virgin birth.  But now, it seemed that their labor had been in vain.

Who would do such a thing?  What’s more, how could God allow this to happen? 

On the same day of the “nasty Nativity,” the news from northern Iraq added more gruesome details of how the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had continued in its pillaging of villages, brutalizing and killing residents, and carrying off women and children.  All the while, the opposing factions remained committed to defending their homes and villages, many willing to die for their faith in Christ while using limited weaponry to fight off the ISIS pillagers.

What kind of people would do such a thing?  What’s more, how would God allow this to happen? 

As I pondered these questions, I wondered if there is any place on Earth where one can truly find sanctuary, a place of refuge where a person can be safe and accepted among friends and family.  Is there any place where one can be encouraged in things that are “true, honorable, right, and pure?”  Then, I remembered an unfortunate situation that occurred in a place that should have been a safe sanctuary.  According to the story, a husband and wife had just been saved and had rededicated their lives toward loving and obeying God in obedience to a newfound power of the Spirit within their hearts.  Wanting to share the joy of their walk with Jesus, they invited a lady friend to come to church with them.  This lady had had a hard life because of some bad decisions she had made—some would say she had a “shady reputation.” 

When our newly revived couple introduced her to their pastor hoping she would be drawn closer to God through his encouragement, he greeted her politely, but later called them aside and said, “We don’t want her kind in our church.”  How devastated they were!  Wanting to be the hands and feet of a welcoming Savior, they were instead crushed in their faith. 

What kind of pastor (shepherd) would do such a thing?   How could God allow this to happen?

As I’m writing, a grey squirrel frolics in the branches of the oak tree outside my study.  The cute little fuzz ball reminds me of another puzzling event that I witnessed recently.  While raking leaves in our front yard, I observed our neighbor’s cat walking stealthily across the front of our house and disappear around the corner.  In a few minutes, I heard a raucous outburst of protest from squirrels in the backyard.  I looked toward our house and saw the cat returning with her prey—you guessed it, a squirrel hanging limply from her jaws.  Meanwhile, what seemed like angry protests in squirrel language continued to sound from the backyard.  Then, all was silent, except for a pathetic, solemn utterance from one squirrel that repeated every 10 seconds for another 5 minutes.  I paused and listened to what seemed to be an expression of mourning, perhaps by a mate for her lost companion.

Gray Squirrel "mourning" the death of  her mate?

What kind of world gives us frolicking squirrels punctuated so quickly by mournful death?   And, what kind of a Creator would allow life to be snuffed out so quickly without warning?

Perhaps a disheveled Nativity scene in the eyes of the boy and his family is a small thing.  After all, it can be restored.  But such events have a way of lodging in the memory of a child and could plant a seed of doubt or confusion.  Is this how the world, or God, responds to the good intentions of a family?

On the other side of the world, Syrian and Iraqi Christians must wonder whether their commitment to Jesus Christ is worth losing their homes, their children’s lives, or their own lives to the murderous actions of terrorists.  Where is God Who promised never to leave us or forsake us?

All around us are Christians who extend a hand to help a neighbor only to be misunderstood.  Or who invite a friend to their church only to experience disappointing behavior from supposed “people of God.”  Where is God’s power in His church where people ought to hear His invitation to come unto Me all of you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest… (Matthew 11: 28)?

Even God’s creatures seem to convey the message, “Something is wrong.  Something is not quite right.”  Where is the promise of a loving, caring Creator Who asked His disciples, Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father (Matthew 10: 29). How can  God be attentive to the minutia of His creation without being deeply touched by the mournful sound of a squirrel at the death of its mate?

Christmas is a season of contrasts.  It has been that way since the night of Christ’s birth—a light piercing the darkness; a King born in a lowly stable; a Child of God being hunted down by a powerful and murderous king.  These contrasts seem to us to represent a chasm between “what is” and “what ought to be.” But Jesus was well aware of this chasm, and He declared, in the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16: 33).  And so we wait, and we wonder how many more storms, personal trials, and deaths will occur before Christ returns to establish His kingdom in justice and righteousness on Earth. 

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.   – Romans 8: 22-23

Reader Comments Welcomed:   How do you reconcile calamities in creation or in the daily news or in a person’s life, with the notion of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and personal God?   If you are a Christian and are awaiting Christ’s return, how do you balance your wait with work so that each expresses the faith and power of God’s Spirit within you?   How might the season of Advent be a good time to bring biblical faith to bear on these questions?