The Sound of Silence

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

A recent New York Times article noted that, “We live in a culture obsessed with personal productivity. .... We worship at the altar of hustle and boast about being busy.” But busy is not always productive, nor is it often peaceful.

Christians are not immune to the busyness fad that is sweeping our world. We too can be guilty of overloading our life and even our worship with busy-work. Of course we are to be hard workers, diligent workers (Col 3:23-24). But we are also supposed to be meditative, thoughtful people who are not always busy. Sometimes we need to be still.

I believe firmly in the value of daily Bible reading. But what is the value of reading the Bible if we never take the time to meditate on what it says and to consider how it might apply in our lives?

I believe in the need for Christians to serve others. But what message are we sending to others if we are so busy serving that we seem never to have time to savor the beauty and blessings of creation?

Yes, we are to be busy in the Lord’s work, but there are also times to be silent (Psalm 62; Eccl 3:7). I love to be in the Lord’s presence singing his praises; but there are times to sit silently before him (Hab 2:20). Of course our delight in the instruction of the Lord will cause us to tell others about it; but it will first cause us to meditate on that word (Psalm 1:1-2).

We should not always be busy. We definitely should not always be in the midst of noise. We need to balance our busyness with the sound of silence; we need to seek quiet moments and to use quiet moments to listen to our Lord.

No Bananas in Africa?

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25, ESV).

Do not get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for real research and experts who are really experts. But a lot of people in our nation today are claiming to be experts regarding things they know nothing about, and claiming to be able to change what God settled long ago.

Last Sunday was the birthday of one of our grandsons, so naturally we phoned to sing “Happy Birthday.” While talking with him, he told us of a recent encounter with an “expert.”

The family was on vacation in Florida and had toured one of those places where children are supposed to be able to learn about nature. They were in the part of the exhibit supposedly devoted to African fauna and flora. The guide asked, “Tell me something that grows in Africa.” Jacob spoke up and said, “Bananas.” The guide, so sweetly and condescendingly said, “I’m sorry, but bananas do not grow in Africa.”
Well, I am sorry to contradict, but we had bananas growing right outside our house for years. Here was someone posing as an expert on Africa, and she had probably never even been to Africa.

So it goes. Someone is put in a position of seeming authority and they pronounce their opinion as if it is proven fact. In many cases, they may know little, if anything, about the subjects on which they pontificate.

Today (Tuesday, 26 March, 2019) it was announced that Duke University will pay a fine of $112 million dollars because several medical research projects supposedly carried out at Duke never really happened. The “results” were announced and used to sway public opinion and government decisions, but it was all fake.

So, next time someone claims that research has proven something that contradicts the teaching of scripture, just reply “pork fat” or “bananas” or “Duke.”

As I said, I have the utmost respect for real research. But real research does not contradict God. Figures don’t lie; but boy are the liars figuring!

Ukulele Music and Similar Matters

As I type this I am listening to Ukulele music. I like all kinds of music, but rarely listen to anything played on the Ukulele. But I was feeling a little blue, so I did a quick search for happy sounding music, and this is what came up. It is not a cure-all, but it helps. Music affects our mood. So do colors, temperature, and posture. As Screwtape reminded Wormwood, “…they can be persuaded that bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they are constantly forgetting, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls.”

The fact that someone is kneeling does not prove that they are offering a humble prayer. The fact that someone is running does not prove that they are not offering a humble prayer. But, the one position is more conducive than the other. A person might be happy while listening to sad sounding music. A person might be sad while listening to Ukulele music, but the odds are somewhat against it.

When I was in high school the dress codes were beginning to be relaxed. We were allowed to wear jeans to school. Most of the time I kept to the old dress code (dress shirt, dress trousers and dress shoes), but occasionally I wore jeans, a work shirt, and my combat boots. I never got in a serious fight at school, but a couple of times I was tempted to try those boots out on someone. The clothes did not set my mood, but they had an effect on it.

So, what am I saying? Am I judging you according to your clothes? No. No. And absolutely, No.

I am just suggesting that how we dress, what we listen to, our posture, and even the colors around us have an effect. So let’s keep that in mind. If you get down, put on some upbeat music, turn on brighter lights, dress up in your best clothes, and smile. [I tried it just then and it did not hurt (well, not much).] If you struggle to pray, try a different posture, or even a different place. Sometimes getting out into God’s creation can help a lot with this. For certain kinds of prayer, kneeling can sometimes be a significant tone setter.

Screwtape was right. What our bodies do has an effect on our souls. Let be aware of this fact and respond appropriately.

A Good Book Getting Better

I have never cared for the “new and improved” label. Vista was new, but it was not an improvement over XP. The Chevy Vega was not an improvement over the Nova. But the latest changes to Howard Belben’s book The Mission of Jesus will be welcomed. The text of the book is unchanged from the way it was republished last year. But we have added a “reflection and discussion guide” to help those who might use it in a small group setting, or even for individual reflection. The cost is unchanged, it is still $5.75 in paperback and $2.99 in the Kindle edition.

Not The First Generation

We live in a dark and sinful world. It is discouraging. But we must remember that we are not the first generation to live in a climate of spiritual and moral decline. The world is dark and sinful, but no more dark and sinful than it was when “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” That is the last sentence in the book of Judges. When the context is considered, it may be the most discouraging verse in the Old Testament. What many of them considered right was clearly wrong – very wrong.

The next sentence in the Bible reads, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.” That is the first verse of the book of Ruth. Truly, there was a terrible famine in the land at that time – spiritual as well as physical. But the LORD, unseen by human eyes, was working through the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz (and even through the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons). God was preparing the man who would become the benchmark leader for the nation. Several generations would pass before David became king. But the faithfulness of the few, people like Boaz, would help to prepare the way for David.

We are not the first generation to face discouragement; ours is not the first generation to struggle against spiritual and moral decay. The Hebrew writer remembers those who were tortured and those who suffered mocking, flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. He says that “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy…” (Hebrews 11:37-38, ESV).

J.C. Ryle wisely pointed out that “It is not ‘the good and successful servant,’ but ‘the good and faithful servant,’ to whom He will say, ‘Enter into the joy of your Lord.’”

We may not be successful in trying to brighten this dark world; but let us be faithful. And let us remember that while we are to be the “light of the world” (Mt 5:14) Christ did not mean that any one of us could brighten the whole world, or even our whole community. Sometimes we have to merely brighten our little corner.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, ESV).

Which is the Bigger Issue, Opportunity or Attitude?

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” (Eccl 9:10)
Many years ago I read of a young man who grew up in a poor neighborhood where there was very little to do. He wanted to stay in shape, but had no money for a gym membership. For exercise the young man used to push a car up and down the street.

Eventually he went from pushing the car to tackling running backs. He was pretty good at it. My brother once had the opportunity to speak with NFL running back Ron Johnson. He asked him, “What is it like to be tackled by Dick Butkus?” If I remember right the answer was, “A lot like being run over by a train.”

Dick Butkus could have become bitter about his lack of opportunities. Most American kids have more than a junk car to entertain them. But then, most American kids do not sign a contract for $200,000 as soon as they leave college. Most do not end up with a net worth of 8 million.

What is the lesson here? Perhaps the lesson is that sometimes our lack of opportunities, if responded to properly, become our opportunity.

So, if you do not have the opportunities that you wanted and prayed for, if God does not seem interested in giving you the gifts and ministries that you sought, maybe you should find an old car and push it. I am not suggesting that it will lead you to a net worth of millions, but I am sure that it will lead to something better than you will find by crying over the lack of opportunities.

If you cannot do the big jobs, do the small ones. If you cannot find the jobs that will gain you notoriety, do the ones no one will notice. But whatever you do, do it with your might – the best of your ability. Even if no one else notices, the Lord will know. Deep down you will know also, and you may in the end find more satisfaction in the simple and homely tasks than you really would have in the things you dreamed of doing.

A Balanced Perspective

The following is a statement that I have heard and even used myself. It is, within the right context, a very true and useful statement. “If one has done his best, no one can do any better than that.”

Sometimes we have tried our best but things have not gone well. Sometimes we lack the skill for the task at hand. Sometimes factors beyond our control kept us from succeeding. In those situations, the words of J.C. Ryle are helpful, “It is not the good and successful servant, but the good and faithful servant, to whom He will say, “Enter into the joy of your Lord (Mt 25:21).”

But while all of the above is true, it could be over-extended and misapplied.

On July 11, 1970 I attempted to preach a sermon about heaven. I collapsed a few minutes into the sermon and never finished it. I had done the best I knew how at the time; but frankly, it was not a good sermon and it is remembered only because I fainted, not because the content was worth remembering.

I had done the best I could at the time, and that is okay. But it would not have been okay for me to have taken the attitude, “That was my best and God will accept it.” Surely, if that had been my attitude, it would have been a sinful attitude. Surely, while taking some comfort in the fact that I had done my best at the time, it was only right that I should desire to improve my best.

In preaching, teaching, singing, praying, in giving, serving, and in all that we do, it is one thing to say “I did my best” and something very different to say, “I did my best and God will have to accept it.” No!!! As soon as we add that second part to the thought, we have said too much. If we are not striving to improve on our preaching, teaching, singing, praying, giving, serving, and all that we do, then we are sinning and God decidedly will not accept it.

Dr. Bob Whitaker, assisted by my oldest son, attempted a brain surgery. Dr. Whitaker was not a brain surgeon. But the man was going to die if someone did not do something, so Bob tried his best. The man died. But Bob did not take the attitude, “Well, I did my best and I will do the same again next time.” Living where he did, he knew that this would come up again. So he asked Dr. Charles Branch (a neurosurgeon) to teach him how to do the surgery right.

God may accept our best, if it really is our best. But our best should be getting better. If it is not, then probably it is not really our best.