Turn Right to Go Left

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped

–Philippians 2:5-6

This passage always struck me as kind of odd for some reason. Why wouldn’t Jesus consider equality with God something to be grasped? Isn’t this verse sort of paradoxical? After all, Paul says it right there - “who, being in very nature God.” This phrase “in very nature God” means having all the specific qualities that make God God. To paraphrase Paul here, he’s essentially saying You should act and think like Jesus, who, being God didn’t consider being God something one (including himself) can do.

It then occurred to me that not only can we not be equal with God, but that shouldn’t even be our goal. Think about those who have professed or strived to be like God. A few come to mind: Adam & Eve, Lucifer… Yeah, it didn’t work out too well for them. God is not a big fan of those who try to be like Him. In fact, he labeled this sin Pride.

Consider instead, Jesus. He humbled himself. He made himself lower than everyone and “therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:9). So God exalts the humble. Sound familiar? Sermon on the mount?

This is one of those upside-down Kingdom concepts. The first will be last and the last will be first and the humble will be lifted up and the proud will be oppressed. This concept does not make intuitive sense to us. Remember Lightning McQueen following the race against Doc Hudson on the dirt track? McQueen turns his wheels to hard and ends up spinning out sending him careening down a cliff. In an act of mercy, Doc lets McQueen in on the secret – you must turn right to go left. It doesn’t make intuitive sense to McQueen so he resists at first and again fails. Then, he begins to understand that Doc’s instructions were correct – he was teaching him to drift – the most effective method for turning on a dirt track. Once McQueen understands this, it helps him be successful and propels him to the lead in the Piston Cup race.

Now, we do have some qualities about us that are indeed like God. We are creative, we have the capacity for love, we are spiritual beings, to name a few. But our goal should not be to be like God. Instead, our aim should be to be like Jesus. Today, let’s try to consider others better than ourselves.

Love Smarts

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. –Philippians 1:9-11

My Community Group is going through the book of Philippians in conjunction with the current sermon series “The Joy Genome.” I came across this passage in the study guide we’re following when it asked the question about what those verses have to do with spiritual maturity. At first I thought it was one of those questions that you had to be in the mind of the person writing the question to be able to answer, but then I thought about it some more.

In this passage, Paul is telling the church at Philippi that he is praying that they will love each other with a love that is filled with knowledge and depth of insight so they can discern what is best until Jesus comes back. It struck me that when we are close to God (mature) we will begin to love like God loves. God shows us his love by loving us in ways that perfectly meet our needs. He knows perfectly how we need to be loved. Paul is praying that the church will also love like that – that our love will be filled with knowledge and depth of insight.

Let’s pray this morning that God will give us knowledge and depth of insight into someone’s needs and then let’s love that person in that way.

One Generation at a Time

But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things…He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 

– Ezekiel 18:14,17b

Ezekiel spends chapter 18 putting to rest a misunderstanding the people had about original sin (the idea that Adam’s sin is passed from one generation to the next). The people supposed that because a father was caught up in a particular sin, that sin and its consequences were passed from him to his sons (and daughters).

Now, we know there’s nothing genetic about sin. Sure, we live in a fallen world and share in Adam’s sinful nature, but we don’t inherit anger or pride from our fathers the same way we inherit their eye color or stunning good looks. Growing up watching our fathers’ habitual sins can wear off on us, however, the same way their accent or disdain for the Cleveland Browns do (go Steelers!). However, we can put an end to the passing down of our father’s sin simply by turning away from it. Just stop. Draw a line in the sand and say, “Starting with me, there will be no more <sin of choice> in my house.” Not only are you repenting of your own sin, but you are increasing the chance your progeny will not continue in this sin because they will not witness you committing it.

What bad habits or sinful tendencies did you “inherit” from your parents or those around you? Draw your line in the sand and declare today that it ends with you.

Lord, thank you for loving me and covering over my sins. Father, help me identify the sin in my life that I picked up from watching others. Give me the strength to repent from it so that future generations and those I meet from now on will not inherit this sin from me. Amen.

You Put Your Right Hand Out

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? – Psalm 74:11

We all get frustrated with God at some point about this – don’t we? Psalm 74 starts by describing the people who are destroying Israel. Asaph (the author) is pleading with God to do something about it. God – how could you allow this to happen to your children Israel? Why don’t you help us? Why don’t you do something?!

Have you ever had a good friend or family member infected with a disease that was destroying their body? Has your family ever been in a circumstance that started tearing your family apart? Why does God allow bad things to happen to those he supposedly loves?

That’s too big a question to answer in the scope of a devotional like this, but our hope comes from the following verse, “But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.” – Psalm 74:12.

God is King. History is the story of his will revealed. God holds our past and our future in his hands. Let’s rest confident today in his power. When God can but doesn’t, he’s got something better in mind. We need to trust him. Be confident today because He is our King, the one who brings salvation to the earth.

Question of the Morning

Last night, Pastor Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, where Megan and I “attend” (I put that in quotes because the word attend doesn’t do justice to our commitment to and involvement in this body of believers and move of God we are a part of) laid down vision for the next chapter in Elevation’s story. It was rather exciting. [I’m going to need to make this brief because my computer’s telling me my battery is about to die :( ]. Pastor encouraged us to ask ourselves What does God want to do through me? That’s a great question for entering this next chapter in our church’s history, but' it’s also a great question to start the day with.

What does God want to do through you today? Maybe He wants to holy-ly mess you up. Maybe He wants to teach you about sacrifice. Maybe He wants to bless you some-kind-of-crazy.

Lord, what do you want to do through me today?

Beamer Bounce

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts – Colossians 3:15

When we hear the verse above, most of us tame it by hearing something more like let the peace of Christ be in (or take up a part of or live in) your hearts. What Paul is really saying here is that we should allow the peace of Christ to govern our hearts. Peace should be king over all other emotions and states of being in our hearts. Do we feel worry or fear or anger rising up? Let PEACE rule. Is self-doubt, hate, or despair making an appearance? Let PEACE rule.

At the beginning of every home game for the Virginia Tech Hokies, the team runs out onto the field to a stadium of fans jumping up and down (the “Beamer Bounce”) to the tune of Enter Sandman by Metallica. That’s the imagery I have as I envision the peace of Christ coming into our hearts and flushing out any other of these destructive emotions. Our spirit is doing the Beamer Bounce as it ushers in the powerful force of Peace to rule in the Lane Stadium of our hearts.

I found a powerful verse I repeat to myself out loud when I need the peace of Christ to be ushered into my heart: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. That is an awesome verse to commit to memory and, as I mentioned, repeat over and over out loud until Peace slaps the Hokie Stone and runs out onto the field.

Quick, Slow, Slow

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry – James 1:19

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this one before, but have you applied it in every situation in your life?

When your kids do something that upsets you – do you immediately raise your voice and get angry or do you take the time to patiently listen to their reasoning for their ridiculous actions? You might find that the humor of their explanation defuses your tendency toward anger.

If one of your coworkers is talking about a topic sensitive to you (faith, social or political issues), do you pipe up and angrily defend your position, or do you hear them out and try to understand where they are coming from?

Today, if you catch yourself getting angry, take the time to think about the scenario you are in. Do you tend to get angry in these types of scenarios often? Next time you are in this same scenario, but before you feel yourself getting angry, remind yourself to listen and not to speak. This is an easy verse to memorize. Memorize it and speak it to yourself repeatedly when you get in those scenarios and you may just brighten your day a little more.

Unique Temptations

But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. –James 1:14

I think of sin and temptation as Satan’s twisted version of giftings. Each one of us is created with a unique mix of gifts from God to perfectly fulfill the unique calling He has on our life. Satan is not a creator – he doesn’t come up with anything new on his own – he just twists what God has already created. Sin and temptation are the twisted version of gifts. In other words, just as we have been given a unique mix of gifts to fulfill the calling God has on us, we also have a unique mix of temptation weaknesses that lead us into sin.

Some people struggle with gluttony, for others, it’s not a big temptation. Some struggle with self-doubt, or alcoholism, or power, or control, or pride, or selfishness, or anger, and more likely we all struggle with some unique mixture of all of these areas of temptation and sin.

The good news is that there are people who struggle with the same things we do. There are people who struggle with it more, and some that struggle with it less, but there are others out there. Even better news than that: whatever our unique cocktail of temptation, Jesus died to free us from the bondage of sin and the broke the power temptation has over us.

We need to learn our weaknesses so we can surround ourselves with accountability and seek prayer and formulate strategies for overcoming.

Your Mom is SO Blessed…

As Jesus was saying these things a woman in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” –Luke 11:27-28

What catches my attention here isn’t what Jesus is saying about those who hear the Word and obey it will be blessed. And it isn’t even what the woman says, rather it was that she said anything at all “as Jesus was saying these things.” Some woman just up and interrupts the King in the middle of His teaching. Sure, she was being complementary. She wasn’t heckling him. As far as we know, she wasn’t possessed by any evil spirits. She was just flat out rude, and Jesus rebukes her. He does it subtly and subversively, but He does rebuke her. Previous to her interruption, Jesus had been teaching about demon possession, so for Him to change subjects and talk about listening and obeying means He was most likely responding directly to her…that and His use of the word “rather.”

Jesus effectively tells her, ‘Maybe you should spend less time talking and more time listening.’

We do it too, don’t we? We begin to pray and ask God to speak to us. Maybe He will start to or maybe we do it before He even has a chance to start, but we’ll cut Him off with excuses or move on to our next request. Today, I think Jesus would have us instead hear from Him. In our prayer time today, let’s spend less time speaking and more time listening. Amen.