I have Mantrol Issues

I did a lot of driving on the motorway last weekend and I saw quite a few policemen on the road. One thing I always notice with myself and other drivers is how everyone's speed drops by about 10km/hr at the sight of a police car. The sight of the law convicts us.

But what’s more interesting to me are people’s reactions to the amount of Police presence on our roads. Whenever there is a news item about speed cameras or Police check points, reporters always seem to be able to find someone who says “What a waste of taxpayer’s money. Why aren’t the Police going after real criminals?” It is easy to downplay our sin when it doesn't seem to hurt anyone.  "I'm in a bit of rush, why won't this guy get out of my way, I'll just overtake him, it's only a single yellow line."  But who knows when our next "little" offense will be ours (or someone else's) last?   In 2010 over 300 people died on New Zealand roads.  Many of the road deaths were caused by overall good citizens who in one crucial moment choose to be careless and break the law with devastating consequences.  Hence the Police concern about the issue. 

God’s standard for measuring our goodness is infinitely higher than our own. Jesus commands us to “Love our neighbour as ourselves”. If I truly loved my neighbour I would follow the 2 second rule, I would keep to the speed limit, I would drive to the conditions, I would not allow myself to be distracted by my mobile phone etc, etc, etc. But my actions show that I do not love my neighbour as I should, rather I love to rush when I am late and many times I feel like I am the most important car on the road. 

The Police will not forgive me for my traffic offenses (and rightly so.) I'll have to pay the fine,  but my offenses against God are much greater, with a fine too great for me to pay.  Its such good news that someone else has already paid this fine for me and I am no longer under Gods condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)

For another article on the effect of the law on our behaviour: Steeler's James Harrison and the Law

The greatest treasure of all

So the Hub and I were watching obscure Disney movie “Treasure Planet” the other night and I had a law and grace moment.

(****Spoiler Alert****) 

Near the end of the film, would be hero Jim has just discovered the evil Captain Flint’s hidden booty. He climbs aboard a ship wreck lying amongst the gold and sees the Captain himself sitting there guarding his treasure. Captain Flint would be pretty threatening if it were not for the fact that he has no flesh on his bones. This guy’s been dead for a long time. Jim soon discovers that the whole place has been booby trapped and... cue the adventure of a lifetime!

Captain Flint had worked his whole life to gain all the treasure in the world and went to great lengths to stop anyone taking it but ultimately he lost it all; death took it from him. Jesus warns us about a man who stored up for himself great wealth on earth but he died with nothing because his riches were given away to someone else and he had rejected the greatest treasure of all; peace with God. 

How can you get peace with God? You can’t, Jesus got it for you by taking the punishment you deserve for you on the cross. Because of his death you can no longer be God’s enemy, instead He will adopt you into His family and you can be with Him forever. If you think that sounds like good news, you own a treasure no one, even death, can ever take from you.

I ain't that fit and my gosh don't I know it

I walk past a sign outside a personal trainer’s offices on my way to and from school. The sign reads 

“Choice, not circumstances, determine your success”

I think the sign sums up exactly what I call the “law of physical fitness”. All the authorities on the law of physical fitness tell us that if we work hard to be fit and eat the right food then we will reap the rewards: more energy, longer life and rock hard abs. There is no good news for the person who does not keep the law of regular exercise and a healthy diet; who hasn't watched The Biggest Loser?

Perhaps surprisingly for some, the Bible talks very little about caring for our physical bodies. Probably because at the time of the Bible’s writing fast food wasn’t available and everyone did a full 12+ hours a day in the fields trying to grow their daily bread. What the Bible does talk about is the condition of our hearts, not the beating red one, but the essence of who we are. 

As Christians living in a world that glorifies both McDonalds and super skinny models it is hard to resist the idolatry of being obsessed with appearance. We need to keep in mind that the fittest athlete in the world today may have gained the world but he will die when he least expects it. The only good news for all you athletes, slobs, anorexics, yoyo dieters, and healthy average Joe’s is that Jesus died for ALL of your sins including gluttony, laziness and self obsession. His death on your behalf means that when you die God will give you eternal life with Him in a perfect resurrected body that will never again struggle with the idolatry of outward appearance. 

In Christ alone will you daily find the security to say with Him “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt 6:31-33)

Halloween nightmare

I love fancy dress parties. They are so fun! Seeing each person as they come in completely transformed and sometimes unrecognizable is so exciting. So when we received an invitation to a 70’s and 80’s party at a friend’s church I started planning our outfits. I was thinking classic 80’s for myself; tapered pants, loose white blouse tucked in, teased hair, loads of makeup. My ideas for the Hub were a little more over the top; he could grow a mustache, wear a Hawaiian shirt and channel Magnum P.I. Or I could half cut his hair mullet style, or he could sling a gun or two over his shoulders and be Chuck Norris… OK I’m getting carried away, you get the idea.

So I presented my ideas to him thinking that he would be thrilled. Well the reception was less than enthusiastic and I threw a minor tantrum. Don’t fret, we worked it out and I reconciled myself to his outfit: a Pac-man tee (and pants). But the whole thing left a sour note in my mouth, why was I so upset about such a small thing?

Tim Keller has taught me to look behind every sin for the idol lurking in the background. When I looked behind my disappointment with my husband I found an idol alright; the idol of coolness. I realized that part of the reason why I like going all out for fancy dress parties is so that people will think “wow, I wish I could be as bold as her, she is so cool”. And so I was frustrated with my hub because he was not allowing me to fulfill that desire. Lame huh.

James tells us that quarrels and fighting come from the evil desires at war within us . The solution he gives us is to humble ourselves before God. That is to realize that we desire lame things like being cool more than God and those closest to us and that God has every right to punish us for that. 

But that’s not the end of the story. When we humble ourselves James promises that God will exalt us. How will He do this? He already has through Jesus Christ! By believing that Jesus died for us on the cross we receive His righteousness and that is always pleasing to God. It is only the love of the true God for us that will crush our idols. Amen!

This is not about Japan

*****Watch the youtube clip to the end before reading this post****

I’ve been doing a Bible study with a friend and we came to this passage in the book of Luke:

(Jesus speaking) “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” Luke 6: 46-49

So Jacqui, what are you trying to say about Japan? Are you saying that the reason they had an enormous tsunami is because they are under Gods judgment? NO, that’s not what I’m about to say and that’s NOT why I wanted you to see the video.

Jesus wanted His listeners to imagine a house being swept away by huge, scary floodwaters. Well you don’t have to imagine anymore, because you just watched it happen. You also saw what happened to the man filming it; he was safe because he was literally standing on a big rock.

When God’s judgment does come to this world (and it comes to all of us at our deaths) it will be as unrelenting as a tsunami through a city. The only people who will be safe on that day will be those who built their house on a rock, that is, Jesus explains, only those who followed His teachings. “Do to others as you would have them do to you… If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also… Love your enemies! Do good to them… Do not condemn others… Forgive others… Lend to them without expecting to be repaid… etc… etc… etc…” Luke 6:36. 

That doesn’t really fill me with a lot of hope.  I can see that those are all good things to do, and I would like to be that kind of person, but if that’s what building your house on the rock means then you can forget sand, my house is built on a foundation more like rotten marmalade jelly, or something. There’s a huge storm coming and unless someone rescues me, I haven’t got a chance…

But that’s just it. There was someone who built their house on the rock by following all of Jesus teachings completely, one hundred percent. It was Jesus himself. He’s got a big ol' house up there on that rock and there is plenty of room inside. Room for anyone who looks at their badly built, junk homes with no foundation and realizes that the flood is going to wipe them out. 

When you realize you need to be rescued from sin, Jesus will save you. Finally you will be safe on the “rock” of His perfection, as safe as the guy filming the video was from the tsunami.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

The Solid Rock (Edward Mote)

I need a day off...

Tim Keller is right when he says that work is an idol and I gave into that sin big time this week. Give me one tight deadline and everything else goes out the window, and I noticed this time that what suffered most of all was my relationship with my little girl. Her best friend last week was Mr. TV and though I felt like the baddest mum in the world I didn’t quit working, I just didn’t like it. 

It got me thinking about idols. The Israelites gave up on their gracious God, the one true God who is full of mercy and compassion to run off with the false gods of the nations around them. Why did they do it? I always assumed it was only because these gods promised them great things, similar to the promises work has for me: money, independence and creative expression. That would have been the start of things for sure but when you mess with idols you get burned. The Israelites found themselves trapped by idols that demanded the lives of their children and other horrible things. They didn’t like it but they had to stay there for fear of what the false god might do. To a lesser extent I found myself sacrificing the good of my child to worship my work for fear of losing my job and everything that comes with it (see above). I realized that idolatry is not always something we do because we enjoy it but we do it because we feel we HAVE to do it (or else).

So what is the solution for me? Surely it isn’t to tell me to stop working and be a good mum, I have already failed at that. Instead it is to tell me about the only God who rescues me from my idolatry, the God who came to earth to die for my idolatry on the cross. His name is Jesus Christ. When I look at the cross I see how selfish I am and how much Jesus suffered for me. The Holy Spirit reminds me of the cross to (slowly) change my heart from serving work to serving Jesus and my family. “For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us when we call on him?” (Deut 4:7).

a God I can love

About once a year the Hub and I break out the 2003 version of Luther: the movie. It’s a wonderful overview of one of the great pillars of the faith. But one quote in particular struck me this week as I was preparing some lessons for kid’s church.

“Martin, what is it you seek?”

 “A merciful God! A God whom I can love. A God who loves me.”

I have struggled for a long time to get a handle on Jesus. I am ashamed to admit that I have for a long time viewed His work for me on the Cross as only a cut and dried legal transaction rather than a work of great love by a huge God. It was only in the last few weeks when I have been forced to examine His life and works that I have been shocked at my feelings of superiority towards my Saviour.

I guess because I grew up in the church I have had a caricature of Jesus in my head. Various pastors have tried to teach me that Jesus was not just meek and mild, He was exciting but then they presented a picture of Jesus meek and mild. And let’s be frank, that’s not too thrilling is it. That’s not a person you can fear or respect. He always seemed more like a pushover to me. 

As a consequence I had not read the first four books of the New Testament in a very long time. And with the deadline for the kid’s church lessons looming I was forced to confront Jesus. What I discovered in the book of Luke shocked me. Finally I found in Jesus the God that Luther found “A God whom I can love” and actually admire.

Jesus has such great power that with one word he can heal a paralytic, still a storm, and cast out a demon. When He raises Jairus’ daughter, He tells her to get up, just as though He were her dad getting her out of bed in the morning. It all seems so effortless, like death is nothing to Him. And Jesus being God and all, of course it is effortless! Duh! Yet for Jesus to be able to forgive sins and conquer death it will cost Him His life. And He did this willingly for us, even arrogant old me.