Friday, December 16, 2016

Love God with Your Mind

Originally written for the Oakland Independent Dec. 2016


Love the Lord your God with all . . . your mind. Matthew 22:37

Who is the smartest man who ever lived?

If you know your Bible, you might say Solomon, because it declares him to be the wisest man ever up to that point. If you think through history, then perhaps Leonardo Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, or even Confucius might come to mind. I would argue though that the smartest person ever was none other than Jesus of Nazareth. A man from a small town who never wrote his own teachings down, but whose life and teachings have none the less transformed the world as we know it. In fact, western civilization itself is grounded upon the life and teachings of this young itinerant preacher.

But you say, no fair, Jesus is was not just a man, He was God and therefore had all wisdom, so we cannot put Him in the same category. While that is true, Jesus was also a real human, born as a real hey born, who as a human had to grow in wisdom and strength. Luke 2:52.

He calls us to follow Him and become like Him and one of the ways that we do this is by loving God with all of our minds. Many of the wisest and smartest people in history were specifically motivated by their desire to know God and His world better. Famous mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler said about his own discoveries, "I was merely thinking God's thoughts after him."

Here are some suggestions about how we become more like Jesus and love God with our minds well.

First, read good books, because they help us think about ideas from different perspectives that broaden our lives. Of course, the most read book of history is the Bible, which is actually of compilation of 66 books, so start there. I am constantly reading through the Bible with one plan or another. In it God tells us about Himself, the world, and even ourselves from a perspective that we could never get on our own.

Classic books are another place to find wisdom. They are classics because they had an impact on people that continues. You can find lists of classic books on the internet or at libraries, and many of these books are free in electronic format and from your library. Years ago, I got some lists of classics and have been slowly working my way through them. People like, Austen, Dickens, Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Voltaire, Tolkien, Lewis, and many more, have enriched by life by introducing me to other worlds, times and ideas. 

Second and related, is to find wise people and listen to them. Parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, coaches and community leaders all have a wealth of learning that they can give you. Listen to their stories and ask them about their favorite books. For example, a older pastoral mentor of mine always has book recommendations that end up impacting my life.

Finally,  disciple yourself to learn and study. This means stopping other activities and dedicating time. This is especially true if you are reading classic literature or studying new material that is hard  to understand. Our brains are like muscles and so reading a hard section of the Bible or a Russian author whose style is very different, is like lifting weights for your brain. The more you challenge yourself, the easy it will be, and the rewards will be a healthier mind. 

All truth is God's truth and as Christians we are encouraged to discover the world that God made. In the process, if we let truth found in His Word and His world transform us, we will become more like Jesus, which will make us better humans in all of our endeavors. 

Friday, December 9, 2016

Giving Good Gifts

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.

During the Christmas season, we often focus on the giving and the getting of gifts. This is a great impulse that shows how the Christian holiday still impacts the larger culture. Christmas, after all, is a celebration of the greatest gift ever given, namely God giving Himself to the world in the form of the baby Jesus. The world may have perverted the idea of gift giving into merely a giving and receiving of material gifts, but we can and should continue to give in the way God gives. Here are a few Biblical principles of giving that can help us give like Jesus.

First, our giving should be done willingly and gladly. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 9:7 that each person should give what they want from their heart, and that God loves a cheerful giver. He reminds them how much God gives them, and that they will receive a reward from the Lord for their giving. The reward for giving to the Lord would not necessarily be material, but rather comes in the form of deepened relationship with God and others. Furthermore, while they were giving to God, the actual money was going to poor Christians in Israel who needed material help, so by giving to God, they ended up help fellow believers too.

When we give out of love to other people, we are ultimately giving back to God. This understanding of giving will lessen the transactional nature of giving that our modern society has. Many people give big gifts because they want to see the reactions of those receiving the gifts and to hear the praise about how great the gift was. Sometimes this comes out of an emotional need to be needed, rather than loving desire to see the best for the other person. If when we give, we are simply giving it all to God then we trust Him and have joy in Him regardless of the reaction of the individual getting the gift.

This will also help us learn the second lesson of giving, namely that we need to learn to give sacrificially just as Jesus did for us. Many of us in America are very wealthy compared to the rest of the world and people throughout history. We can give a lot and not really feel the loss in any real way. Thus we need to learn how to give up something of value to us for the sake of giving to others. In Mark 12:41-44, we see Jesus pointing out that a poor widow who only gave a few cents to the temple actually gave more to the Lord than did the rich people because she gave all that she had to the Lord. 

I have often experienced that people who have the least are often those who are most generous. In my first ministry, the poorest family in the church always had and open door and was always willing to have you join them for a meal, while the wealthiest family never had me in their house in the three years even though I was on their doorstep several times.

To learn how to give sacrificially, we need to examine the areas of our lives, both time and money, to which we hold on the tightest. We then need to give those areas over to the Lord and ask Him how we might give these very things away to show His love to others. Perhaps you can find a needy family have your whole family give them Christmas presents. Operation Christmas Child, Angel Tree, and many local ministries focus on the needs of people who might otherwise not get gifts. You could also spend time helping at a mission or find some other way to serve your community. In these ways, we can both learn to give up our time and money and also help people who have real needs.

Finally then, if our giving is really to be a reflection of the love of God, then we need to give wisely. God desires to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11), but He does not always give us what we want. Rather when we ask, he gives us what we need.

So when we give we need to make sure that we do not give gifts that may end up being harmful. For instance, giving a pocket knife to three year old would not be wise, but giving a cellphone or gaming console to a preteen may be just as harmful if they do not have the discipline necessary to set limits on their time or the content they watch. We could also end up hurting our family or ourselves if we go into debt to give gifts. We are not loving others well if in buying the present we give away the future. 

By learning these biblical principles of giving we become more like the ultimate giver of good gifts and become part of giving His love to the world. 





Friday, December 2, 2016

Can you Bring Joy to God?

A favorite Christmas songs is Joy to the World, where we sing about Jesus coming into the world to bring God's joy to a dark world where joy is lacking. During the Christmas season, I have often reflected on how much I need joy from God, because I am sad or I have been trusting in things that bring momentary happiness, but do not bring lasting joy. Because of what Jesus has done, God does give us great and lasting joy through our worship of Him. But is the reverse true, can I bring joy to God?

Having grown up in a religious household, I knew it needed to behave to please God, but I never really felt like my life could possibly bring Him joy. My focus was on how far short I fell of God's expectations. Therefore, I have always struggled believing that God liked me, because I was unconscously convinced that His favor was dependent on my behavior. I have met many people from small towns and good Christian homes who have felt the same.

Therefore, when I read a verse like this:

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst;
he is a warrior who can deliver.
He takes great delight in you;
he renews you by his love;
he shouts for joy over you.

I do not immediately feel the impact of it. Here God is talking to a group of Israelites who are humble and meek, and who God has brought through a time of judgment that others in their nation had faced because they did not want to follow God. In other words, these are people who wanted to be children of God and now God comforts them by telling them that He will watch over them and delight in them as a good father does his children.

A good comparison to God's love and delight during the Christmas season is the delight you take in giving your kids and grandkids presents. For me, I get much more joy from showing my love by giving gifts than receiving gifts. Likewise, God loves to give good gifts to His children (see Matt. 7:11), and He does it not because we have done anything for Him, but rather simply because we are His kids.

God's greatest gift is Himself, in the person of Jesus. He offers this gift to everyone, and like the ancient Israelites, we have the opportunity to accept this gift. When we do, we too become His special children in whom He delights. His love renews us and He actually shouts for joy over you!

I am so encouraged by this incredible truth. Not only is Christmas a time to be reminded that God came to bring us joy, but we can take more joy in the fact that by accepting His gift we can bring joy to God our ultimate good father.