St. John Studies

In the previous post I joked around with the “out of sync” Judas Iscariot. For a person like that, we may want to put some distance between them and us. I was joking about Jerry Springer and the idea that some people who watch that show may say things about the people on the show like “I’m not a very good person but at least I am not that bad.” Outrageous behavior gives us a reason to feel good about ourselves and if it is extremely outrageous, we don’t want to be associated with it at all.

We want some distance…

It seems to go both ways. We know of people who are so nice that sometimes their niceness intimidates us. Maybe they seem to be holy and their holiness is beyond our reach. Maybe we feel some distance from those people because we cannot reach their level. And yes, there are those people who scorn very good folks because they resent how good they are. They believe they don’t have a chance to emulate their behavior. Those folks are just “too good” and they feel they are just “too bad.”

Bevere uses Abraham as a perfect example of a man who is so holy that he seems out of reach. He is a man who has Godly fear, a man who chooses God over good.

Where is the evidence that Abraham is the man Bevere claims him to be? First of all, Abraham obeys God instantly. He may have had doubts about killing his only son Isaac but he prepared to do it and was ready to carry out God’s command. He was ready to obey God even though God’s command did not make sense to this man who was given a son so late in life. In a worldly sense, God made no sense but as Christians we have to accept that God’s ways are not our own. Abraham was feeling pain over this command yet he was willing to carry out God’s wishes anyhow. Abraham did not see the benefit but he was willing to obey. Finally, Abraham was willing to carry out God’s command all the way to the finish. You know the story, the knife was in his hand and he had drawn his arm back to kill Isaac when God intervened.

How is it with so many Christians today?

We have to see the benefit of obeying God before we actually obey. It works that way in life in many circumstances. I spent a good deal of time early in every semester proving to students that they would benefit from studying human communication. Salespeople work hard to get customers to see that buying their product will enhance life, increase their status or even fulfill dreams. Authors who want to sell their books point out personal advantages to the reader in a title, subtitle or on the book jacket.

Should personal benefit be the ultimate criteria in obeying our Lord and Savior?

Sadly, most of us want to fit in with societal standards so much that we choose the world over the Kingdom. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” [John 15:19]. “Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” [Romans 12: 1-2]. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” [1 John 2: 15-17].

This is just a sampling of Scripture that speaks clearly about choosing God over the world; choosing God over “good.”

Yes, Abraham is a daunting figure in the Bible. I can’t imagine what I would do if God said I had to sacrifice my son [I too have only one child]. Could I obey God without question?

I couldn’t.

But that does not mean that I have to create distance between this Godly man and myself. Why not admire him? Why not let his love for God inspire me to be a better man? Why not learn from his Godly example…

Why not let Abraham teach me to choose God over good…

When I was at choir practice last night, the man who was working to make us sound the best we can used a phrase that we often hear in everyday life.

“The sound of the choir was ‘in sync’ with the environment that we are singing in.”

In sync: “working well together, in agreement.”

He was saying we were sounding as well as we could sound in the space we were in. It was a good comment, what a choir director and choir want to hear.

The Bible is full of all kinds of people who are in sync or “out of sync” with God. Examples of out of sync behavior abound: Saul comes to mind and his insane jealousy of David and inability to lead the Israelites in a Godly manner and Samson and his brawn and his feelings that he was the source of his own power, not God. The most extreme example of being “out of sync” comes from the life of Judas Iscariot. John Bevere* makes a very strong point about how we can be so distracted by ways of this world that we can even work against God.

Sometimes I think of Judas as a visitor to the Jerry Springer show, you know those people who behave badly and display their bad behavior for all to see on the television screen. We smugly watch the show and say “I may have my faults but I don’t act that badly.” I may be a bad person but I am not as bad as Judas Iscariot!

Maybe Judas just got too wrapped up in his role. He was the disciple who was in charge of the Jesus’ ministry’s money and he became so money-minded that he lost his judgement. Money became his god and he lost his fear of doing wrong.

The result of this showed in his embezzlement of funds from the treasury, lying to Jesus, and lack of interest in caring for the poor. We all know of the story of the wealthy woman who poured a whole bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus. The hypocrisy was so evident when Judas complained that the worth of the perfume should have been exchanged for money and the money should have been given to the poor. Judas declared the act as “bad” and “fleeting.” Jesus called the act “good” and “lasting.”

This is truly an example of a disciple who is “out of sync” with God.

It is right after this act that Judas decides to betray Jesus to the authorities. He thinks Jesus is on earth to set up God’s kingdom and Judas is pushing Jesus to act. If Judas forces Jesus’ hand, He will take over and Judas will have his rightful place in the new Kingdom on earth. Bevere goes into the mind of Judas with these words: “I’ll speed up the process. I’m not waiting any longer. I want my place of power, influence and riches. I’ve had enough of being a target of ridicule and persecution by the leaders. I don’t want to be viewed as the companion of a lunatic any longer. If I turn Him over to the leaders, He’ll finally show off His power and set up His kingdom, and I’ll have my place of prominence” [p. 235].

How could Judas be so wrong? Why does he think that he knows God’s plan? How could he be so bold that he feels he can assert his will over God’s Son?

He lost the fear of God and was so desirous of money and power that he could not hear the voice of God anymore. He had succumbed to the “siren song” of the world.

Where are we in this story?

Well, we don’t need to be smug and say, I could never be as bad as Judas. The truth of the matter is that we can get very weak in our dedication to the Lord. Our lives are full of snares that can take our hearts far from God. We have weaknesses that Satan can prey upon every day, desires that are not helpful for our relationship with God. Our own judgement can be easily clouded when we get distracted by the news of the day and the behavior of others.

We can be so distracted that we lose that special ability to hear the voice of God, discernment. Sadly, I would venture to say that some Christians have never experienced discernment, just reacting to life without waiting for God to direct their feelings, thoughts and acts. Many of us have had periods of time when God has been pushed aside for the “bad and fleeting”.

Why not wait for some confirmation that our decisions are Godly?

Why not wait for God’s voice?

Why not wait for the “good and lasting?”

Why not wait for discernment?

*from Chapter 15 “Discernment” in Good or God?

June of 2017…

That’s when I began to blog on John Bevere’s book Good or God?

Since I began commenting on various selections of Christian literature, I have moved through some books very quickly; the content was just not that thought provoking. That’s ok. A person should not have to have brain strain all the time.

That was not the case with Good or God? Every two or three pages, I had some serious response regarding this book; I felt I should try to explain some of his main points. I felt Bevere’s main points were important points.

As I begin to close out my discussion of this book, I want to review big ideas that he has discussed in hopes that my review will help me to reemphasize his work in my mind and maybe yours too.

The first “main point” is Bevere’s emphasis on discernment. Today in Sunday school class I asked my class what discernment means. It is a term that is tossed around in Christian circles but I have never heard too many people really explain it well. The reason it is important in Bevere’s thinking is that discernment is the key to determining whether you are responding to the siren song of our culture, your social group and coworkers or are you hearing from God and doing His will?

My class responded to my question with answers like “wisdom” and “common sense.” Those are not bad answers but I am afraid they don’t capture the full meaning of the word discernment. The Christian can have discernment if they have the gift of discerning spirits [one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11]. When I was in class and listening to their answers, I kept saying “Holy Spirit Wisdom” and “Holy Spirit Common Sense” to their responses, emphasizing that the Holy Spirit is very much a part of the discerning spirit.

Every Christian can have discernment and in fact some would argue that born-again believers have a certain amount of this ability but some people have more discernment than others. The ones who have the most discernment are those who mature as Christians. Sadly, many people confess a belief in God but they stay “babes in Christ.” The maturing believer uses discernment as a means of empowerment, not only using it for determining the difference between good and evil but going way beyond, having the ability to determine what is good from what is better.

One might ask specifically what is this unique ability and how does it manifest itself? For many this can be confusing because this “Holy Spirit Wisdom” or “Holy Spirit Common Sense” goes beyond what is seen or heard. Discerning Christians speak of discernment as feelings in the heart or will say things like “God spoke to me.” That in itself can be a turn off to some people who don’t believe that God speaks today. For Christians with discernment, they know that God does.

A discerning Christian acknowledges the worth of God’s word. The Bible is a main source of spiritual growth for Christians who want to mature. Serious disciplined study of the Bible will pay off for any Christian who believes in the power of God’s word. Hosea 14:9 says “Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.” To grow in righteousness, one must read God’s word.

My wife had a conversation with a pastor one day [many years ago]. She had several questions of the man [she loves specific answers]. At that time in her life, she was making moves in her spiritual life that would lead to her becoming a born-again Christian, but at that time she wanted all the answers to all her questions to make perfect sense.

God does not do that for us. His ways are not our ways. Some things we will never know until we are with Him. Mature Christians accept that, exercise their faith and go about their lives. I will never forget the pastor’s answer to her that day, his response to her request for specifics. He knew she was on the verge of becoming a “baby” Christian but at that time, she did not have a great deal of discernment.

He did not say this in a condescending way but it makes a solid point about immature Christians: “some people just need a billboard.”

They won’t understand any other way.
discernment…

I was hurt, in fact I was crushed. Someone I truly admired had betrayed me and I just could not believe it, but it was true. I feared my life with them would never be the same.

I remember the day I found out. In fact, I will never forget it. As I walked our cocker spaniel in the neighborhood that morning, I talked…not to the dog but to God.
I asked over and over again “What do I need to do?” “What is my next move?”

My first instinct was to make someone pay, to hurt others as much as I was hurting. I could have easily revealed my problem to friends and family and ruined reputations. I even wanted to do violence to another person when violence was not my normal nature.

Then it happened.

The next move was revealed.

I heard a distinct voice, “Go to work and act like nothing has happened. I will take care of this.”

Ok readers, you are thinking right now that David Carter has gone off the deep end. He is revealing that God has spoken to him. Well, that is what I felt that morning, that God had told me what to do.

It was not the easiest thing, to act like nothing had happened. God asked me to mask my pain. God asked me to not take action at all.

You might ask, why do I think this was God’s directive to me?

John Bevere’s book* gives some insight.

God’s directives need to be obeyed instantly and I did that. I took the command and immediately implemented it. I did carry on with life, acting like nothing had happened.

Obeying The Father is important even if it does not make sense. What God asked me to do did not make sense at the time; some would have told others and would have become violent. That is how many problems are handled but not this time. God said do nothing.

Obey Me even if it hurts. It was hard on me to obey God. Stuffing pain inside does take a toll and I did not understand it but I did it anyhow. It is not on the same level but when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, how do you think Abraham felt? He cried out “What! How can you tell me to do this! You promised me that nations would come through him!” There was no response from God but the next morning he saddled his donkey and took his son to the site of sacrifice.

Obey Me even if you don’t see the benefit. Now here is the catch. After years have passed from this episode, I have definitely reaped benefits. I could not see them on my day of pain but they are real. The list is long of the life lessons this episode taught me. The greatest benefit was the strengthening of my relationship with God. You see, before that day, I never had a word from God, a directive. I guess I thought people who had such experiences were kooks.

Now I knew differently.

Obey me to completion. This outward obedience to God was hard too but it was important for me to do this. You see, going to work and acting like nothing happened was the first in many steps that He wanted me to take. Life did not return to normal just because I did this first thing. I kept asking God what He wanted me to do and He put people and things in my life to help me along the way.

I had a need, a need to know God, a need to know how to be a follower and step by step He revealed all that I needed to know Him more intimately.

I have written about this time in my life before, this falling in love with Jesus. It was just like I felt when I met my girlfriend [my wife]. I thought about Jesus all the time. I wanted to talk about Jesus all the time. I wanted to learn about Jesus so I could know Him even more.

Baby Christians are like that. They sense that God has come into their lives and cleaned them up and it is truly a miracle. You can’t get enough Jesus in your life.

Well, today the hurt has healed. You might say there is a scar but where the scar is, I have a new strength. The scar will never go away but like real scars, the skin where the wound was inflicted is pretty strong, about eighty percent as strong as the original skin. I am not sure I want the scar to go away, the reminder of where I was on that day when I asked God what to do, what my next move was to be.

Without the wound, I would not have encountered God. Without the wound, other areas of my life would not have developed. This is what John Bevere calls “proof of Godly fear.” When God calls on us to obey His commands rather than follow our primal instincts.

The true benefit is hearing God say “I will take care of this.”

All I had to do was obey…

*Good or God?

When I ask how she is doing, she says “just fine.”

When I get her to reveal she is in pain, she says “but that is ok.”

When she prays for those who need her prayers, she prays as if the prayers have already been answered.

You see, the woman I speak of knows hardship, but she also knows of the goodness of God. She knows adversity but she also knows she has The Lord to help her fight through it. She has experienced difficult circumstances but she has also seen God over and over deliver her to better circumstances.

How can this be?

She knows to be concerned with God’s desires, plans and kingdom more than her temporary discomforts.

Her faithfulness can be summed up in Habakkuk 3:17 “Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God’s rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain!” [the Message].

Ok, I have yet to see her turn cartwheels but I have witnessed her singing joyful praise to God at times when weaker Christians would cower and complain.

John Bevere says that if a believer is seeking to please The Father, then they will have discernment to please God. When a believer fears God, they are motivated to live a Godly life; they want to see the structure in life that will help them in their life decisions, whether the decisions involve career, relationships, finances, social opportunities or any other aspect of life. They are motivated “to cooperate with God’s grace to cleanse themselves from impurity.”

They are able to keep their eye on the main thing…

In my adult Sunday school class, I taught a lesson on Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments. We have all heard that in today’s world the Ten Commandments should be renamed the “ten suggestions.” Too often today we hear believers and even some pastors say that the New Testament idea of grace covers all our sins and we don’t have to worry about those nagging Commandments anymore. I am not sure Bevere would agree. Those commandments are still relevant today, they are a gift from God and if we pay attention to them, we won’t suffer. They are God sharing His wisdom with us to help us live a better life.

Jesus did not come to rid us of the commandments, He came to fulfill them. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 3:31 “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” Jesus states in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
New Testament Christians run the risk of living a life without boundaries if they think that grace covers all their sins and they don’t have to fear God and his Commandments. Romans 13: 8-10 states “Owe no one anything except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet’ are summed up in this sentence, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Keeping your eye on the main thing, fulfilling the law is to love one another.

Sounds simple, but too often in today’s world it seems so impossible to reach this goal. We get impatient and unkind to our neighbors. We are jealous and boastful. We are arrogant and rude. We avoid a fellow human who is different from us. We spread rumors and close our ears to those who provide evidence to our well-established ideas. We pout and pity ourselves. We issue ultimatums.

We must keep our eyes on the main thing.

Today it takes no grace whatsoever to live in peace with our brothers and sisters if they think and feel the same way we do. It is those times when people think differently from us that our grace is tested. Times when the easy thing to do is hate and the real test is to love.

Those times when it is best to be concerned with God’s desires, plans and kingdom more than our temporary discomforts.

Those times of discernment, when we prove to others that we really know The Lord…

Discernment…

This is a word that is tossed around in Christian circles but can often be misunderstood. What is it? Who has it? What are the signs that you have discernment?

John Bevere titles Chapter 15 of Good or God? “Discernment.” He explains that this is a key factor in being able to determine good from evil. His whole book is about Christians who think they are following Godly lifestyles but really they are following society’s standards [not God’s at all].

He opens his chapter talking about spiritual growth vs physical growth. Physical growth is a process of growing from babies until we are physically grown adults. Time and health are the main factors. If you maintain a healthy body, over time you will reach physical maturity.

Spiritual grow is a very different animal. Sadly, I have known some seventy year old spiritual babies in my life, people who have no idea how to lead a Godly lifestyle. Bevere asks “Have you encountered believers who are only one year old in Christ but are more mature than those who’ve been saved for twenty years?”

I have…

According to Hebrews 5:14, discernment occurs when our inward senses can accurately detect the difference between good and evil. Detecting good and evil is essential. Life is about this all-important choice.

But how can you know you have discernment or those around you have discernment? What are the signs of discernment?

Bevere says a healthy fear of God is one key. Godly fear is our motivation to cooperate with God’s grace in order to cleanse ourselves from impurity. People who are not living a Godly life don’t have discernment; in fact their lack of discernment is a major factor in their very frequent struggles. Remember, Bevere proposes that God’s grace is an empowering factor in the Christian’s life, empowering us to have a closer relationship with our Lord. Christians who lack solid spiritual understanding think of grace as a way to “cover” sin.

Christians with discernment are adept at handling adversity. They understand difficult circumstances and know that all people have them. Just because one professes belief in God does not make one immune from trouble. Bevere says “they are more concerned with God’s desires, plans and kingdom than with their temporary discomfort.” Complaining is not a word that applies to this type of person.

Discerning Christians do not approach worship as a duty. Worship is not something that you must do on a weekly basis and after you have fulfilled your hour, you go home and feel good about yourself. You want to participate in Church, you want to attend Bible study, you want to help your church in projects to serve others. You want to grow and you know that Church can help you do that.

In a related idea, discerning Christians know they don’t know it all. God’s intelligence is not man’s intelligence and when we don’t understand, we must act on faith. Immature Christians get “legalistic,” declaring anything that they don’t understand as evil, mysterious and “of the devil.” I once knew a mature Christian who threw his hands up in my Sunday school class and declared “God’s ways are not man’s ways.” He was mature enough to admit his limitations.

Mature Christians are not easily offended. They know that people have needs that are not just like their own. There are different points of view in this world and to be an effective witness, one must exercise flexibility, empathy and understanding. Conversing with someone who has different views does not mean they are wrong and they must be discredited. Learning another’s view can be educational and at least, helpful in knowing the other person.

Discerning Christians can delay gratification. Here is where abundance or lack of abundance is not a problem. Whatever you have is a blessing from God and is appreciated. Greed is not a factor as the source of abundance is acknowledged. Envy is not a factor if lack of abundance is where you are at the moment. Bevere says it best “resources, riches, wealth and abundance are good. But if those are your target, you’ll lack discernment to recognize if the means to acquire them are evil.”

Last but not least, discerning Christians have the capacity to have intimate relationships. The mature Christian cherishes relationships and is able to have fulfilling, long-term connections with others. Christians who are immature cannot maintain relationship in friendship or even marriage. They have issues of brokenness that must be addressed and they leave behind a trail of botched relationships. I have heard it said that their friendships “barely make it out of the kiddie pool.”

If discernment is a key to Christian maturity, as Christians we should all want it, shouldn’t we?

Just as a mature person wants solid food instead of pureed baby food, we should want to know God more intimately. Then Hebrews 5:14 makes a lot of sense “Solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.”

shinelight.info

My other blog. Yes, St. John Studies is not the only place where I share my thoughts. I was told that expressing my journey of recovering from trauma is good psychology, so I have done that at shinelight [shameless promotion, sorry].

Really, I bring this up because I did not choose the name shinelight on a whim. I wanted my thoughts to help others trying to recover. I wanted my little light to shine in someone else’s life, someone trying to bounce back from a setback.

Jesus declared as Christians we are to be “the light of the world” [Matthew 5:14]. He did not do this just once; see also John 8:12, Acts 13:46, Romans 13:12, Ephesians 5:8, 14, Colossians 1:12, Philippians 2:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:5 and 1 John 1:7 and 2:9-10.

Many Christians are content to put their light under a basket or so many Christians are willing to let others shine their light for them as they are perfectly happy to sit on the sidelines, just enjoying a comfortable spot as “observer.”

This sideline view is not what God intended for you. Romans 11:36 states “For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore.”

There you have it. A Christian exists in order to glorify God. That’s your purpose. That is why God created you.

When a Christian is content to do nothing or almost nothing to further God’s Kingdom, he or she has decided not to shine their light, not to fulfill their purpose.

What can little ole me do? I have no great skill. I am no student of the Bible. I have no ministry.

With that attitude we will never break out of the status quo, we will never surpass the norm, we will never influence others for God. John Bevere in his book Good or God? says: “Not only are we to rise above the adverse circumstances of life, but we’re also to outshine those who don’t have a covenant with God. We are to be leaders in the midst of an unenlightened world.”

The power is there.

Why don’t we try to use it?

It is not from us; it is from God.

“When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth” [Acts 1:8].

Bevere cites Daniel as the Bible character who exemplifies the believer who turns to God for his power. Daniel was taken captive from the tiny nation of Israel and sent to Babylon, one of the most magnificent civilizations of his day. The Babylonians had the best economy, best political system, the best military, best scientists, artists and educators. In the midst of this culture, Daniel and three other Israelites were put to the test. They were asked to perform in the same circumstances as other young men from Babylon. They were given the same food and drink and then compared to exemplary Babylonian youth.

In short, they thrived, they compared favorably, especially Daniel.

What was the secret? Daniel made sure that he was ritually clean even though he was surrounded by a culture that encouraged him to adopt new ways. Daniel turned to the Lord for guidance even though his new culture did not want him to pray. He prayed anyway, even when they made a law banning his daily prayers. In Bevere’s paraphrase of this story he writes: “These [Babylonian] leaders were baffled and probably consulted each other, saying ‘we don’t get it! We were trained by the most knowledgeable, most gifted and wisest teachers, scientists and leaders in the entire world. He’s from this insignificant country, so where is he getting these ideas? How is he so much better than us? It must be the praying’” [217].

Maybe it was that Daniel made himself available. He worked hard to hold to what he knew to be true and he said to God “lead me.” He believed and felt nothing was impossible. He put himself in God’s hands and accomplished the “immeasurable and unlimited.” He allowed his light to shine.

Instead of saying “What can little ole me do?” Daniel says what can I do today, God? I have always felt that the most powerful three word prayer in the world is this—“use me God”.

God will find a way to use you the best that you can be used in your sphere of influence. You will find yourself glorifying God through your life.

Dallas Willard [one of my favorite authors] wrote the following words that challenge all Christians to do better: “Live your life the way Jesus would live your life if He had your life to live.” Shine your light.

Glory be to God.

I just lost a good friend, a Christian brother. Yesterday morning I heard of his passing. I did not expect to be writing about him but his death dovetails so well with what John Bevere is discussing in his book Good or God?

I had known him for about twenty-two years and over the years, his life concerned me. When he first became my friend, he was struggling with a very personal issue, what he considered a grave defeat in the eyes of the Lord. Over the years I have had my share of defeats too, but as another friend told me one day, “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on.”

My friend struggled with the picking up, the dusting off and the moving on.

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things that you sometimes have to do. For some people, forgiving self is the toughest.

Over the years, I knew he also struggled with health issues; a smoker, diabetic and toward the end of his life I think he had lower extremity vascular issues. He was struggling to quit smoking but diet was another matter. Bless him, he loved meat and when I ate with him, he passed any vegetables on to me.

About a year ago, I [along with many others] pestered him to go to the doctor to get checked out. He had a morbid fear of finding out bad medical news, even though he knew he had problems. The news was not great and he was less than satisfied with his medical care.

At his passing yesterday, I just gave into the temptation to look on Facebook and I saw that the day before his death he was at a local mission center distributing food to the poor. There he was, with some other church members. He did this every week no matter how bad he felt.

I should not have been surprised to see how he spent the day before his death. He founded that local mission center, gave it a name and was the director for several years, receiving such a measly salary that he once told me he lost money by the time he paid his taxes. He just shrugged and kept going to the mission center.

He preached at two churches in my area, churches that are difficult to pastor. On any given Sunday, his congregation was often two or three, four with the pastor. Being a speech communication teacher, I know it is hard to get too excited about facing a crowd that small. He prepared his sermons, got up early on Sunday no matter how poorly he felt and preached there anyway.

I got the distinct impression that life was hard. His struggles kept him under the cloud of depression and no matter what I said, it was rare for me to see a smile on his face.
But he kept doing what he could do.

What all this is leading me to is that so many Christians just totally give up in the face of difficulty. When the cost is too high, they just refuse to pay it. When too much time is required, they say “too busy.” When they get older, the words are “Let the younger ones do it; I have done my part.”

That is not the life he led. He never refused to do his part, even though I wondered if maybe he should do less because he felt so bad.

Bevere writes as Christians “We are to break out of the status quo, to surpass the norm. We are called to influence.” What would most people do in light of the challenges my friend faced? They would just quit, sit at home or maybe even just go to bed and stay.

However, my friend knew that the life he led was a sermon unto itself. His perseverance was the strongest message he could preach and he was intent on preaching it.

In Galatians 5: 22-23, it says that if we love Jesus, His character will be revealed in our lives. As we know, we live in a world that is filled with anger, selfishness and hostility. What a message we can send to others if we exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The way to become a credible witness for Him is not by declaring some oath of allegiance to Him but rather by loving one another. My friend knew that the quality of his efforts at life preached to people who did not know Jesus.

Yesterday was a difficult day as I came to grips with the sudden death of my friend, my Christian brother. Mark Jones on the “Desiring God” website says Christians can know death more than other groups of people because we have spiritual bonds with our brothers and sisters and it is inevitable: we are all going home to be with Jesus. Brothers die. Today in church I tried to teach my adult Sunday School class but we veered off the topic to talk about going home to be with Jesus and we talked about my brother.

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” [John 13:35].

This was the life he led.

That was John…

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7

“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

Need we go on?

There is so much more God could do through each of us but many of us don’t quite reach our potential. Maybe it is our fault; we set our own constraints. Maybe we think we cannot do as much as we can.

Maybe we can do so much more…

In Ephesians 3:20 it says “My grace in you can go far beyond the border you set up.”
Bevere says “Our boundaries—what we can contain—decide how much we will partake of the unlimited supply” [211].* More importantly, Bevere has written about each of us as holy containers; with this as our basic idea, it begs the question, how much can your holy container hold of God’s blessing? We must keep in mind that this ability to accept God’s blessing is dependent on our ability. We have the ability to accept His blessings but will we? Will we request the power from God that is available?

None of us can say we can accept God’s blessing based on our own merit. We all have that “sin thing” hanging over us. We all fall short of the glory of God. We have to have God’s help, God’s grace, and it is there for the taking. Romans 5:17 states “All who receive God’s abundant grace are freely put right with Him and will rule in life through Christ.” If we accept His grace, we are empowered to overcome any obstacle this world throws at us. Bevere states “Life on this earth is not to get the best of us; we are to rule over it.”

He cites several examples of opportunities to be empowered. In the medical field, [by God’s grace] you have the ability to discover new and innovative ways of treating sickness. As a web designer, your designs could be trend setting as others seek to emulate your work. As a public schoolteacher, your abilities can be expanded as you discover creative ways to impart knowledge. No matter your purpose here on earth, business person, musician, researcher, athlete, scientist, policeman, flight attendant, stay-at-home mom, military member or television personality, there is no reason for us to struggle in life. Through God’s grace, we can thrive.

Where do we get the idea that we have to have just enough to get by? As Christians, why do we subconsciously think we aren’t supposed to have too much?

I have written about it before but God has no problem with abundance. Maybe He figures if we have abundance we can do more to further His kingdom here on earth.
Here is what God has a problem with: abundance that possesses us. When we become obsessed with possessions, finances, and power we are making grievous errors. In Matthew when it says “To those who use well what they are given, they will have an abundance” does not mean that we should forget who we serve, our Lord and Master. If we have abundance it is not entirely for our own lives; it is for others and what we can do in the name of God.

Truly there is nothing wrong with asking and expecting to receive, knocking on the door and expecting it to be opened or even experiencing joy as we receive God’s blessings. As long as we remember this scripture: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”**

That says it all. Indeed we can be empowered but we have to ask and when we ask, we can expect that we will receive more than we deserve. As we receive, it is important to remember where our blessings come from, not from our own power, knowledge or skill…

But from God. Let our abundance reflect that.

*John Bevere Good or God?

**John 14:13

I want to take a moment to post a thank you to all of the folks who wished me well on my 66th birthday.

This past year was not in the plan.  When I fell off the 12 foot ladder on October 18, 2016, last year’s birthday was to say the least, altered.

More than one year out, the bones have healed and slowly but surely, the strength is returning.  Every thing that  has happened this year is quite a contrast to last year and I am thankful.   I remember the days when I could not get out of bed without assistance, walk without a walker or shower without a shower stool.

Yeah I remember how unhappy I was on my 65th birthday.

Too often I have taken so much for granted.   I was busy and did not appreciate the little things in life…until the little things were taken away.

No one wishes trauma on themselves and of course I would like to avoid future trauma. But in reflection, my 65th year was a learning experience.  I learned a lot from what happened to me.  The day after surgery at Vanderbilt I had a man who prayed with me and he recommended a book called Upside by Jim Rendon.  On November 29, 2016, I thought Rendon’s book was crazy, that trauma can change lives for the better.

One year out, I am beginning to get his main points: that inner strength can increase, closeness to family and friends can happen and life can be reoriented to more fulfilling goals.  Suffering can push people to change their lives for the better.

In past years, I was blessed by birthday greetings from my facebook friends but this year is different.   I want you to know I truly appreciate all of your sentiments.

Thank you all…

David Carter