Doing Good in Politics

I came across this excerpt while reading Wayne Grudem's Politics According to the Bible (page 48):

"Clearly, if we are here on earth to glorify God, we will glorify him (in part at least) by obeying the command, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Matt. 22:39). But that means that I should seek the good of my neighbors in all parts of society. 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' means that I should seek good laws that will protect preborn children. It means that I should seek good laws that protect marriages and families. It means I should seek good laws that protect children from the corrupting moral influences that want to use the classroom to teach that all kinds of sexual experimentation outside of marriage are just fine and that there is nothing wrong with pornography.

"One reason why Jesus left us here on earth is that we should glorify him by doing good to other people in all areas of life. 'So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith' (Gal. 6:10). Certainly that means that we should do good to others, as we have the opportunity, by being a good influence on laws and government and by having a good influence on the political process. Paul says this about Christians:

"'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them' (Eph. 2:10).

"Jesus left us here on earth in part because he wants to allow our lives to give glory to him in the midst of a fallen and sinful world: 'Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven' (Matt. 5:16).

"So, should churches teach their people how to do 'good works' in hospitals and in schools, and in businesses and in neighborhoods, but not in government? Why should that area of life be excluded from the influence of the 'good works' of believers that will 'give glory to your Father who is in heaven'?

"I conclude that Jesus' command that 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself' means that I should seek the good of my neighbors in every aspect of society, including seeking to bring about good government and good laws."

I share Professor Grudem's perspective. Here is a link to a post that complements his views on this matter:

A Disciple's Thoughts: Political Decisions:

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer, a movie based on the true story of a young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, hits movie theaters on April 8. I have heard a couple of good interviews with people involved in the movie. The family's strong Christian faith and commitment to glorifying God sustained them during this difficult period of their lives. It appears that the movie will accurately reflect their faith in Jesus Christ.

As I have heard the family speak about the experience, I have been reminded of this passage from the Scriptures:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock" (Matthew 7:24-25).

This movie has great potential. I'm looking forward to taking my family to see it.

People Who Inspire Me: George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born a slave shortly before the end of the American Civil War. Since his mother was kidnapped a week after his birth, he and his brother were raised as sons by their slave owners after slavery ended in the United States. Intellectually brilliant, Carver grew up to become one of the best-known and respected scientists of his era.

Why does George Washington Carver inspire me?

1. He used his gifts to benefit the poor. He spent his life helping poor farmers in the South. After centuries of raising nothing but cotton on much of the land of the South, the soil was depleted of nutrients. Carver spent his career teaching poor Southern farmers to raise peanuts and sweet potatoes. He also spent his time developing products from peanuts so that a larger market for peanut products would make it easier for the farmers to sell their crops.

2. He gave the credit for his scientific achievements to the Lord. Carver placed his faith in Jesus Christ at 10 years of age. From that time forward, he lived to bring God glory. Throughout his years of teaching botany at the Tuskegee Institute, he taught a Sunday morning Bible class at the request of the students. Even though the New York Times criticized him for crediting God for his scientific breakthroughs, claiming that scientists should not speak in such a manner, he never backed away from acknowledging the Creator for his accomplishments.

3. He was kind in an unkind world. Carver was born a slave and lived the rest of his life under legalized racial segregation in the United States. As a young man, he witnessed a group of white men murder another young black man. However, his environment never extinguished his kindness. His faith in Christ and understanding of the Bible protected his heart from hatred and bitterness. He once explained his outlook on life in this way: "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life, you will have been all of these."

Our son Christopher is outside the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, in the top picture. We visited the national monument and museum last spring. Mr. Carver was born and raised on that land in the 1860s.

Resolving to Do Good in Anonymity

"Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:1, New Living Translation).

Last year, I resolved to memorize the book of Titus. Regrettably, I failed. However, on the positive side, I spent time in Titus every day, trying to memorize it. As a result, I was thinking about its Spirit-inspired words every day.

In the short book, the apostle Paul emphasized the importance of believers engaging in good works because "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works" (Titus 2:13-14). It's a way of honoring Christ and showing his glory to the world.

While continuing to try to fulfill last year's resolution, I want to add to it by resolving to find some way to do something good every day without drawing attention to myself (Matthew 6:1). Instead, my goal will be to draw attention to God (Matthew 5:16).

Of course, I will not be posting any of these deeds on my blog, since it would defeat the purpose. However, I'm posting my resolution today so that perhaps someone else will join me in doing something similar (Hebrews 10:24).

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

An Update on the Weekend to Remember Contest

Last month, I conducted a contest on this blog. My wife and I paid the registration fees for two couples to attend FamilyLife's A Weekend to Remember marriage conferences.

Last night, one of the winning couples let me know that they attended one of the conferences in New England last weekend. They were grateful for the opportunity to rebuild their relationship with God and their marriage. They let me know that the conference exceeded all their expectations.

I was thankful for the update. God had used my blog to help others and to honor his name.

I don't know how many people read this blog, but I suspect that it is relatively few. I don't know how either of the contest winners even found my blog. But I am thankful that God has used this blog to bless a few other people and to show people a little more clearly his goodness.

I want to add this encouragement to any fellow bloggers who may stumble upon this blog: Please don't waste your blog. Concentrate on blessing other people and glorifying God with your blog. You don't need to be a professional minister to make a difference. (I deliver the mail for a living.) You don't need to have many readers. You can make a difference with what God has given you.

"...grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Ephesians 4:7).
Use it to honor him.

Use Words if Necessary?

Francis of Assisi has been credited with saying, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

I am not certain what he intended when he said those words, but I have seen the quote used to justify being silent about the gospel of Christ. The problem with such an application of Francis' words is: It's always necessary to use words to preach the gospel.

If one concentrates on doing good deeds without telling others about his motivation (the gospel), he risks stealing the glory away from God. Christ should be honored by the Christian's good deeds, but how will anyone know to honor Christ if the Christian is silent about him? As Max Lucado has said, "If we ever get to the point where our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful person,' we're missing the mark. Instead, our goal is to have people say, 'What a wonderful God this person serves.' Our task is to have people say, 'Tell me about your God,' and to point people to him." As Jesus Christ said, "(L)et your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

If someone is helping the poor and caring for the vulnerable, he may be doing God's work. However, if he is doing those things without letting anyone know about what Christ has done, he is not doing God's work. He is doing something that, at best, helps someone temporarily. At worst, he is doing those things to feel good about himself. In either case, he falls short of glorifying God. He sins.

The goal of Christians' good deeds is "so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (Titus 2:10). Good actions and attitudes enhance the credibility and attractiveness of the gospel, but they do not replace the gospel of what Christ has done. They are not intended to place the focus on Christians. They are intended to shift the focus to the Savior who has motivated and empowered us to love others.

In dying for our sins and being resurrected from the dead, Jesus Christ has done something worth mentioning to others. In ascending into heaven and promising to return, he motivates us to tell others about his accomplishments and promises. In sending the Holy Spirit to live in his people, he empowers us to lead God-honoring lives that point people to him as the Savior and Lord.

People need to hear about what Christ has done for them. Many are living in frustration, struggling with their sins, addictions, and inadequacies without help from above. They need to hear about the hope of heaven and the warnings of hell. They need the opportunity to believe. They need the opportunity to repent. They need the opportunity to bury their lives of futility and to be born again with a real reason to live.

We are doing no one any favors by remaining silent about Jesus. He has done something special, and everyone needs to know it.

Use words. They are necessary.

"He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16).

Encouragement Through Hardship

"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Philippians 1:14).

I find Christianity to be most attractive when I see faithful Christians enduring hardship with God-honoring attitudes and actions.

When I read about a man who went to jail and ministered to fellow inmates rather than agree to stop offering pregnant women positive alternatives to abortion, I was encouraged.

When I heard about a cancer patient who thanked God for his cancer because he was able to share the gospel uninterrupted with his doctors and nurses, I was encouraged.

When I heard about a manager who lost his job for refusing to falsify records and spent the rest of his life in a low-paying job because loyalty to Christ was more important than money and status, I was encouraged.

Those men never compromised their faith. They accepted disgrace, criticism, and disruptions to their lives because they saw the glory of God as far more important than their physical or social discomfort. In doing so, they encouraged fellow believers and attracted the attention of unbelievers.

You Have God's Permission to Enjoy Life

"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25).

"God isn't displeased when we enjoy a good meal, marital sex, a football game, a cozy fire, or a good book. He's not up in Heaven frowning down at us and saying, 'Stop it--you should only find joy in me.' This would be as foreign to God's nature as our heavenly Father as it would be to mine as an earthly father if I gave my daughters a Christmas gift and started pouting because they enjoyed it too much. No, I gave the gift to bring joy to them and to me--if they didn't take pleasure in it, I'd be disappointed. Their pleasure in my gift to them draws them closer to me. I am delighted that they enjoy the gift.

"Of course, if children become so preoccupied with the gift that they walk away from their father and ignore him, that's different. Though preoccupation with a God-given gift can turn into idolatry, enjoying that same gift with a grateful heart can draw us closer to God. In Heaven we'll have no capacity to turn people or things into idols. When we find joy in God's gifts, we will be finding our joy in him.

"All secondary things are derivative in nature. They cannot be separated from God. Flowers are beautiful for one reason--God is beautiful. Rainbows are stunning because God is stunning. Puppies are delightful because God is delightful. Sports are fun because God is fun. Study is rewarding because God is rewarding. Work is fulfilling because God is fulfilling.

"Ironically, some people who are the most determined to avoid the sacrilege of putting things before God miss a thousand daily opportunities to thank him, praise him, and draw near to him, because they imagine they shouldn't enjoy the very things he made to help us know him and love him.

"God is a lavish giver. 'He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?' (Romans 8:32). The God who gave us his Son delights to graciously give us 'all things.' These 'all things' are in addition to Christ, but they are never instead of him--they come, Scripture tells us, 'along with him.' If we didn't have Christ, we would have nothing. But because we have Christ, we have everything. Hence, we can enjoy the people and things God has made, and in the process enjoy the God who designed and provided them for his pleasure and ours.

"God welcomes prayers of thanksgiving for meals, warm fires, games, books, relationships, and every other good thing. When we fail to acknowledge God as the source of all good things, we fail to give him the recognition and glory he deserves. We separate joy from God, which is like trying to separate heat from fire or wetness from rain.

"...Every day we should see God in his creation: in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the friendships we enjoy, and the pleasures of family, work, and hobbies. Yes, we must sometimes forgo secondary pleasures, and we should never let them eclipse God. And we should avoid opulence and waste when others are needy. But we should thank God for all of life's joys, large and small, and allow them to draw us to him" (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, pp. 177-178).

Merging the Message with the Ministry

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments'" (Matthew 22:37-39).

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Sometimes we have a tendency to separate what God has joined together in our lives. We can be so consumed with the spiritual condition of the world that we exert all of our energy on spreading the message of salvation in Christ, neglecting people in physical need. On the other hand, we can be so consumed with the physical needs of our world that we exert all of our energy on relieving physical suffering, neglecting spiritual needs among the people. We can even attempt to justify our neglect by saying, "The only real good that can be done is by preaching the gospel" or "I preach through my actions." Neither excuse justifies us. When we proclaim the good news, we are not exempt from caring for people's physical needs. When we show mercy, we are obligated to point people toward Jesus Christ, the source of true mercy. Otherwise, we are tempted to show mercy for the wrong reasons: to make ourselves feel good about ourselves or to enjoy the praise of people.

Harold Shank, Anthony Wood, and Ron Bergeron wrote, "Jesus served people in holistic ways...He sought to serve people physically and spiritually. Only when we adopt his mission, casting aside our own world-supplied agendas that fracture our ministry, can we hope to find a holistic approach to the lost and the poor. Anyone who claims that the Christian mission includes only the spiritual, needs to read again the simple conclusion of James about spiritual ministry: 'Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world' (Jas 1:27). Any who limit the Christian mission to the physical must note Jesus' own calling: 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose' (Luke 4:43)" (Up Close and Personal: Embracing the Poor, p. 85).

John Piper wrote, "(Y)ou dare not choose between the motives to love people and glorify Christ. They are not separate motives. Acting on one includes acting on the other. Thus, if your aim is to love people, you will lay down your life to make them eternally glad in God. And if your aim is to glorify Christ, who is God incarnate, you will also lay down your life to make people eternally happy in God.

"The reason for this is that any good-hearted goal, without the desire to give people eternal joy in God, is condemnation with a kind face. Love always wants what is best for the needy, and what's best is enjoying God fully and forever" (Don't Waste Your Life, p. 159).

Let's care about people in every way possible while giving God the credit in every way possible. In doing so, we will also be loving God in every way possible.

The Church's Elite

I read an amazing sermon today by John Piper at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1992/790_Receiving_Children_in_Jesus_Name/.
In the sermon, John Piper reveals the identity of the elite (but far from elitist) members of God's church. It could be a worldview altering message.

Enjoying Life to the Glory of God

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live" (Ecclesiastes 3:12, NIV).

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:9-11, NIV).

Rubel Shelly has a good piece at http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?CID=19803 about enjoying life to the glory of God.

Speaking of enjoying life, my wife Janet has written a short post on her blog about our 5-year old son Christopher leading a song at the Contact Church last Sunday morning. It may be read at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-CLo4pSAlcaXgi2dhLKNo?p=84. I'm not sure that anyone enjoys life more than our son.

Doing It All for the Glory of God

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV).

During his sermon last Sunday at the Contact Church of Christ, Ron Babbit asked the congregation, "What is the purpose of the church?" Several answers came from us. "Sharing." "Helping people get to heaven." "Helping each other." Those are good answers, but someone gave the best answer: "To give glory to God." I do not know who called out that answer, but it was just what Ron was listening for, and it led to a great sermon about giving glory to God.

Since Ron's sermon, I have been asking myself, "How can I give glory to God? How can I make him look as good as he is? How can I show people how kind and just he is? How can I demonstrate how powerful he is?" I don't have a complete set of answers to my questions, but here are a few of the thoughts that have come to me:

*I can be thankful to God (even for little things like what I eat or drink).
*I can pray to God. When he answers, I can give him all the credit.
*I can trust God when circumstances should make me anxious instead.
*I can put in a good word for Jesus in everyday conversations.
*I can be kind because of the way God has shown kindness to me.
*I can admit my sins and failures as I rely on the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ to make things right between me and God.
*I can read the Bible, acknowledging my need for God's wisdom.
*I can take the time to help someone who needs help, recognizing an opportunity to be used by God to bless another's life.

I would like to be able to give God all the glory without drawing any attention to myself, but I do not know how to do it in most situations. In most of my examples, some of the glory could be deflected to me very easily. However, I must not let it stop me from attempting to give God the glory in my life.

Do you have some ideas about how you could give God the glory in your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

The Purpose Driven Life

Janet gave me a copy of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life as a gift some time ago, but I have been slow about starting to read it. That has been a mistake. Mr. Warren writes clearly, concisely, and wisely. These are a few of my favorite quotes so far (but I'm only on day 11 of 40):

Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity. Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to be remembered when they're gone. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says. (p.33)

Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather! He even watches the simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a piece of trash, or when you're polite toward a clerk or waitress. (p. 43)

What is the glory of God? It is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence. God's glory is the expression of his goodness and all his other intrinsic, eternal qualities. (p. 53)

Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse for laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It may mean the exact opposite: sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. God often calls surrendered people to do battle on his behalf. Surrendering is not for cowards or doormats. (p. 80)