David Bahn – Reflections

Light from the Word and through the lens

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In 1968 Jerry Snell opened a door in the hallway outside our first hour chemistry class. He invited me into what I discovered was a darkroom. Soon I was on the school newspaper and annual staff as a photographer. Later I learned that Jerry was a Lutheran who was planning to become a pastor. A few years later I was not only a Lutheran, but I was heading off to seminary to become a Lutheran pastor, too. Jerry followed a year later and served as a pastor in Missouri until his untimely heart attack and death. I thank God for Jerry and enjoy photography still today – not to mention rejoicing in having served as a Lutheran pastor in congregations in Utah, Colorado, Arkansas and Texas. I’ve retired now and serve part time as a Congregational Support Specialist for the Texas District of the LCMS. I also provide coaching and leadership training through various PLI cohorts and with individual congregations and organizations. David Bahn is a follower of Jesus Christ, husband to Diane, father and grandfather. He is an avid amateur photographer. His photo website is “Flowers by God Photos by David” He also publishes a devotional blog DavidBahn-Reflections.com. He and Diane live in Cypress Texas and enjoy visiting their grandchildren who live in the United States and Germany. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 1979, and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1991. Diane, his wife, is now retired from PLI (PLIleadership.org). They have offered presentations on Marriage and Ministry Partnership, Leadership, Changing Your Congregation’s Culture, and Missional Living. They look are working with PLI International training pastors and wives of the ELVD Diocese of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania. David’s personal mission statement is “Leading people to realize Jesus’ calling and plans for their lives.”

  • Mindful Musical Moments

    So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    – Ephesians 5:15-20

    The radio stations have been playing “Christmas” music for weeks now. I easily tire of much of it. I can take only so many renditions of White Christmas, and only a half of a  runthrough of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Please! Aren’t there better songs to celebrate the gift of the Christ Child?

    We are called to learn what the will of God is. Knowing what God isn’t all that mysterious. Part of that is conveyed directly in these verses. Avoiding drunkenness and thoughtless living is highlighted here. Jesus, when asked about the greatest commandment, offered a clarion call, “Love the Lord your God…and your neighbor as yourself.” While it may be a challenge to determine what is most loving in a particular situation, this is a call to thoughtful kindness, and kindly intentionality. That goes for the way we celebrate Christmas and a host of other choices we make each day.

    We are not called to a mail-it-in saunter through a mindless existence. We are called to a life of intentional and thankful love. We are called to give praise to God and encourage others to do the same thing. We are called to be careful in our conversation and expression of praise.

    Christmas time is a great opportunity to put this into action. What is on the top of your Christmas music playlist? Does “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” come even close to “Mary Did You Know,” or “I heard the bells on Christmas Day”? Not to mention the profoundly beautiful “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” or “O Come, O Come, Immanuel.” I won’t call your faith into question if you like the Grandma song, but I might question your tastes.

    From simple carols like “Joy to the World,” or “Silent Night,” to the profound “What Child is This?” we have opportunity during this season to sing praise to God and encourage others to be mindful of the message of this season.

  • Pitfalls

    So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    – Ephesians 5:15-20

    20191019-DSC09863
    Carmelite Father’s Cemetery | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    I was running down the street, heading for a nearby fast food restaurant. It was noon and I had another college class soon. I had to hurry if I wanted to eat. Suddenly I stepped into a hole and turned my ankle. It hurt! But somehow I managed to get to the restaurant and back in time for my class. Only later that night did I discover how badly I had sprained my ankle. It was black and blue and it ached. The next day I could put no pressure on it.

    I hadn’t seen it coming, but I was a bit careless. I should have watched more closely. Then perhaps I would not have hurt myself so badly. I hit a pitfall and suffered for it.

    “Be careful how you live…” are words easily dismissed. We know where we’re going. We know how to get there. If we have a mishap we can call a friend – or a wrecker! So we think. And often we can do just that. Misstep? We can often find our way of the troubles we encounter. Grace abounds, and we’re thankful for it.

    But these words are not meant only to warn us from avoiding pitfalls. These words are meant to alert us to greater possibilities than merely staying out of trouble. In fact if we make the most of the opportunities we encounter we may discover greater challenges than we would have if we had merely watched our step and avoided the pitfalls along life’s path.

    Imagine what happens if you stay sober at the Christmas party, and rather than falling prey to an illicit liaison, or causing a tragic traffic accident, you discover someone who is genuinely lonely and invest time there. Who knows what dangers you might have helped your new friend avoid because you were careful how you lived. What if, rather than making a fuss about political issues, you struck up a conversation about holiday traditions? You might inspire someone to take out the Christmas decorations afterall, and brighten his life and home with Christmas cheer that he was going to forego this year.

    Living a careful life has to do not only with avoiding the pitfalls of sin and Satan. It has to do with being available to the opportunities that God puts before you. In the process you will discover a cause for thanks to God – which is a good thing to do.

  • Sometimes Opportunity Knocks Twice!

    So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    – Ephesians 5:15-20

    20191019-DSC09862
    Carmelite Fathers Memorial Cross | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    The word opportunity has some significant etymological roots having to do with the tide and winds coming toward port. And while it is said that opportunity knocks but once truth is opportunity often knocks more than once. Just as the tide comes in and out, and offers the opportunity for a ship to come into port twice in a 24 hour period, so we often discover the same to be true of life. There may be opportunities coming and going in the course of each day.

    An example: You encounter a friend in the grocery store. You’re going up one aisle and down another. So is she. You pass once and you speak briefly, noticing something you can’t quite put your finger on. As you pass later that same shopping trip, you take the opportunity to stop and ask, “Is everything OK? You look troubled.” You had the opportunity twice and this second time you take the opportunity to speak, ask, and probe gently. And you learn: her husband has just gotten a troubling report from the doctor. Now you have an opportunity to pray and encourage and comfort your friend.

    We are to make the most of every opportunity. That calls for us to recognize situations and contexts to speak truth, express love, and offer wisdom. It need not be profound wisdom, effusive love or hard truth. But those stand in stark contrast to taking the opportunity to go out on the town, live in careless abandon, and hit every bar or night spot you possibly can.

    Making the most of every opportunity is a two-fold issue. Living with an awareness of people and needs, situations, and opportunities God presents is the first step. Seizing those kairos moments – when God opens doors, sets people before us, or awakens us to our need for him – is the first step. The second is doing something about it.

    James says faith without works is dead. Opportunities without action are lost. Let’s not lose a one – especially if it presents itself a second time. Sometimes it does.

  • No Time for Fools

    So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    – Ephesians 5:15-20

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    “Blessed are the Dead” Cross at Carmelite Fathers Cemetery | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    I like to use a watch analogy when explaining how logical it is to believe God created the heavens and the earth. Suppose you find a watch and bring it to me. It is a very nice women’s Seiko with diamonds inlaid around the crown, gold color, with date and day display. Very nice watch. You say, “Looks like someone lost her watch.”

    “Well, maybe…,” I say. “Maybe not.”

    You mean someone left it here on purpose?

    “No, that’s not what I mean. I’ve been thinking. There are so many places, so many times, so many options. I think this watch – as you call it – just evolved over time and turned up here for us to discover.” I’m being facetious here, but bear with me for the sake of argument.

    “You’ve gotta be kidding me! There’s no way this just happened,” you rejoin me in utter disbelief. “It surely was manufactured, marketed, purchased, and now lost by someone for whom it was purchased – or who purchased it herself. Look at it! It’s beautiful. It’s functional. It has the day and date.”

    “Yes, I guess so,” I reply. “But you never know. It may just have happened. It could be a fluke of time and space.”

    You would think me foolish to believe that or seriously to order my life around the idea that watches or any other man-made item just happen from time to time. And that, even though you’ve probably never seen a watch factory, or known the person to whom the watch belonged.

    “Don’t live like fools,” Paul says here. To the point: Don’t live as though we are not creatures of a divine being who has crafted this world and everything in it, and still sustains it. Don’t harbor the thought in your heart that there is no God. Don’t believe that you are not created and accountable to the creator. This is the foundation of what follows in these few verses.

    Foolish people live as though there is no God, or that he is involved in our daily lives. Wise people acknowledge God and order their lives in alignment with his purposes, will, values, and commandments. When we factor Jesus into this equation, we conclude that to do so is an outgrowth of our place in God’s heart and family. We are his children. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. He has put us right with God, so our calling is to live that out daily.

  • Everything? EVERYthing?!?

    So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    – Ephesians 5:15-20

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    Cross at Carmelite Brothers Cemetery | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    No I’m not chicken. If you know the book of Ephesians you will know that Paul launches into a profound teaching about husbands and wives in the verses immediately following these above. It take some explaining to 20th century ears in order not to dismiss those verses out of hand. While I usually take 10 to 15 verses and focus on them for a week, this week I’ll take only 5. We’ll delve into the husband/wife issues next week. Or better yet in the New Year. I’ll take up matters of Christmas next week.

    With these verses in mind, I have a confession to make. I am not always thankful. I’m very much like Corrie Ten Boom whose sister Betsy cajoled her while in a Nazi concentration camp to thank God for everything…even the fleas in their barracks. Corrie did not want to thank God for the fleas. But Betsy, on the basis of this verse, “…give thanks for everything…” insisted. Corrie relented and discovered later that there was a great blessing in that action.

    But when I get criticized, or an error or flaw is pointed out in my life, I am not inclined to thank God. I am more likely to become defensive or sullen. When things don’t go my way – from my favorite team losing to a financial or health reversal – I am not inclined to give thanks.

    But there are those words: “Give thanks for everything…” Doesn’t leave much of a loophole for carping, grumbling, or erupting in anger. And as if that isn’t enough, we are to give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus. We are to do this as though Jesus himself was uttering the prayer of thanks.

    Martin Luther speaks of theologians of glory as those who call bad good and good bad. He says that the theologian of the cross calls things what they are. One way to understand those words has to do with fleas, criticism, setbacks, and difficulties. We think of them as bad. But these are messengers from God to remind us that we have no lasting city on this earth. We need God every day every hour. When the setbacks occur we can thank God that he is faithful and good. We can rejoice in him and his unfailing love whatever the circumstance may be. Thank God for that!

  • Today’s Psalms

    Five Psalms for the day – based only upon the day of the month. Today is the 14th, so today’s psalms are Psalm 14; 44; 74; 104; 134. Notice the full range of emotions, feelings, convictions, and the urgency of our needs before God are expressed in these verses. These come from biblegateway.com.

    Psalm 14

    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
        They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
        there is none who does good.

    2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
        to see if there are any who understand,
        who seek after God.

    3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
        there is none who does good,
        not even one.

    4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
        who eat up my people as they eat bread
        and do not call upon the Lord?

    5 There they are in great terror,
        for God is with the generation of the righteous.
    6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
        but the Lord is his refuge.

    7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

     

    Psalm 44

    O God, we have heard with our ears,
        our fathers have told us,
    what deeds you performed in their days,
        in the days of old:
    2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,
        but them you planted;
    you afflicted the peoples,
        but them you set free;
    3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
        nor did their own arm save them,
    but your right hand and your arm,
        and the light of your face,
        for you delighted in them.

    4 You are my King, O God;
        ordain salvation for Jacob!
    5 Through you we push down our foes;
        through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
    6 For not in my bow do I trust,
        nor can my sword save me.
    7 But you have saved us from our foes
        and have put to shame those who hate us.
    8 In God we have boasted continually,
        and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

    9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
        and have not gone out with our armies.
    10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
        and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
    11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
        and have scattered us among the nations.
    12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
        demanding no high price for them.
    13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
        the derision and scorn of those around us.
    14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
        a laughingstock among the peoples.
    15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
        and shame has covered my face
    16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
        at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

    17 All this has come upon us,
        though we have not forgotten you,
        and we have not been false to your covenant.
    18 Our heart has not turned back,
        nor have our steps departed from your way;
    19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
        and covered us with the shadow of death.
    20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
        or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
    21 would not God discover this?
        For he knows the secrets of the heart.
    22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
        we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

    23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
        Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
    24 Why do you hide your face?
        Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
    25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
        our belly clings to the ground.
    26 Rise up; come to our help!
        Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

     

    Psalm 74

    O God, why do you cast us off forever?
        Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
    2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,
        which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!
        Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
    3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
        the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

    4 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;
        they set up their own signs for signs.
    5 They were like those who swing axes
        in a forest of trees.
    6 And all its carved wood
        they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
    7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
        they profaned the dwelling place of your name,
        bringing it down to the ground.
    8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
        they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

    9 We do not see our signs;
        there is no longer any prophet,
        and there is none among us who knows how long.
    10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
        Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
    11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
        Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!

    12 Yet God my King is from of old,
        working salvation in the midst of the earth.
    13 You divided the sea by your might;
        you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
    14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
        you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
    15 You split open springs and brooks;
        you dried up ever-flowing streams.
    16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
        you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
    17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
        you have made summer and winter.

    18 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
        and a foolish people reviles your name.
    19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;
        do not forget the life of your poor forever.

    20 Have regard for the covenant,
        for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
    21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;
        let the poor and needy praise your name.

    22 Arise, O God, defend your cause;
        remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
    23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
        the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

     

    Psalm 104

    Bless the Lord, O my soul!
        O Lord my God, you are very great!
    You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
    2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
        stretching out the heavens like a tent.
    3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
    he makes the clouds his chariot;
        he rides on the wings of the wind;
    4 he makes his messengers winds,
        his ministers a flaming fire.

    5 He set the earth on its foundations,
        so that it should never be moved.
    6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
        the waters stood above the mountains.
    7 At your rebuke they fled;
        at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
    8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
        to the place that you appointed for them.
    9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
        so that they might not again cover the earth.

    10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
        they flow between the hills;
    11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
        the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
    12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
        they sing among the branches.
    13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
        the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

    14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
        and plants for man to cultivate,
    that he may bring forth food from the earth
    15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
    oil to make his face shine
        and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

    16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
        the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
    17 In them the birds build their nests;
        the stork has her home in the fir trees.
    18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
        the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

    19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;
        the sun knows its time for setting.
    20 You make darkness, and it is night,
        when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
    21 The young lions roar for their prey,
        seeking their food from God.
    22 When the sun rises, they steal away
        and lie down in their dens.
    23 Man goes out to his work
        and to his labor until the evening.

    24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
        In wisdom have you made them all;
        the earth is full of your creatures.
    25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
        which teems with creatures innumerable,
        living things both small and great.
    26 There go the ships,
        and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

    27 These all look to you,
        to give them their food in due season.
    28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
        when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
    29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
        when you take away their breath, they die
        and return to their dust.
    30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
        and you renew the face of the ground.

    31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
        may the Lord rejoice in his works,
    32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
        who touches the mountains and they smoke!
    33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
        I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
    34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
        for I rejoice in the Lord.
    35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
        and let the wicked be no more!
    Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    Praise the Lord!

     

    Psalm 134

    Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
        who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
    2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
        and bless the Lord!

    3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
        he who made heaven and earth!

    English Standard Version (ESV)

    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

  • Pleasing God

    Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

    3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

    6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

    10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

    “Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

    Ephesians 5:1-14

    20191019-DSC09855
    Bridge Post | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    I don’t know anyone who has followed Jesus all the way to the point of death. I am aware of the 21 men who because of their faith and confession of Jesus were beheaded on a beach by ISIS radicals. Twenty of them were Egyptian Copts and one was a Ghanan who professed his faith in Jesus. I am aware of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian who were martyred in the Ecuadorian jungle by members of the Waodani tribe they went to serve.

    I know people who have sacrificed comfort in order to share the message of Jesus. I know missionaries who have forsaken the American dream of worldly success in order to serve the cause of Jesus’ reign and rule. I know people who have sacrificed large sums of money because they believe in Jesus and want to support the work of his church.

    All these people have done so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for them and the whole world. They are obeying the command to

    Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

    Jesus’ death was pleasing to God because he died in faith. He never failed to entrust himself to God. He never abandoned God’s ways. He remained steadfast and obedient. He was perfectly obedient to God in every situation. He suffered sacrificially for us, giving his life as a ransom for you and for me. All this pleased God.

    Those who deeply know this love and sacrifice have not only an example, but also a Savior, and One who encourages us onward in our life of sacrificial love. Ours may never approach the extreme love he gave and loss that he endured.

    God will never be impressed with our sacrifices. We cannot earn his attention or his favor. And even the greatest sacrifice without faith has no place in God’s heart. But whenever we experience even the smallest loss for the sake of Jesus we reflect his perfect sacrifice. If we do this in faith we please God.

  • Imitation: the best form of flattery

    Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

    3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

    6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

    10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

    “Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

    Ephesians 5:1-14

    20191019-DSC09850
    Turnbuckles (with some “saddled dead horses”) | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    My mom told me, “He’s just insecure. That’s why he shows off so much.” I didn’t believe her. I was certain that he was so ultra cool, this bigger-than-life classmate. I saw nothing of insecurity in him. I was insecure. Not Mark (not his real name).

    Mark was an imitation. He wasn’t the real thing. He was cool to some of our classmates. But others thought little of him at all. Some completely ignored him. Others were oblivious to him. His coolness was in his own mind. He was an imitator, a pretender. I’m sure, however, that he was imitating someone else. He, no doubt, wanted to be like a big brother, favorite uncle, or famous person.

    Imitation is the best form of flattery. We imitate those we look up to. We imitate those who are good examples. We imitate those who are valued and honored by others. But therein lies the danger. Not all the world considers God as worthy to be imitated. Not everyone  believes that God is truly good.

    We who know and believe that God is good are called to imitate God. We who recognize God’s complete goodness seek to be like him. We have considered God’s complete goodness, and his true hero status. He is like no one else. His love, purity, power, kindness, mercy, justice, and faithfulness are those attributes that make him worthy to be imitated.

    God does not need to be flattered. We don’t need to butter him up. We who recognize God’s goodness will certainly want to imitate him as much as possible. That is, after all, our calling.

  • What Pleases You?

    Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

    3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

    6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

    10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

    “Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

    Ephesians 5:1-14

    20191019-DSC09816
    Arkansas Lake | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    My favorite Martin Luther movie has Luther in the classroom teaching his students about justification by grace through faith. He makes his point that nothing we do attains salvation or merits God’s grace. It is only by God’s grace that we are forgiven and saved. It’s part of his grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone, and Christ alone emphasis.

    One of the students is incredulous. “You mean we can do nothing to gain God’s favor?”
    “Nothing.”
    “You mean all sins are forgiven by God?!?”
    “Yes.”
    “You mean I can do whatever I please?”
    “Yes. And what pleases you? Make faces at the Duke? Spend the week in a whorehouse?”
    And so it goes between Luther and his student.

    What pleases one who is a child of God? We might think a season of wanton thrills, and profligate wild living is just the order. But not according to our identity as children of God. We might think we should judge others and tell everyone the way things ought to be. But not as a child of God. The child does not tell the Father how to run the household, at least not in healthy families.

    So what pleases you? Have you sought to understand what pleases the Lord Jesus? Micah puts it this way:

    He has told you, O man, what is good;
        and what does the Lord require of you
    but to do justice, and to love kindness,
        and to walk humbly with your God?

    Micah 6:8

    It’s time we wake up to the way of life that pleases our Lord. Not in order to become his children or gain his favor, but because Jesus is our brother and God is our father, and we are his children. We please him when we live out our true identity by loving God, obeying his commands and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

  • Will the Real Jesus Show Up?

    Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

    3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

    6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

    10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

    “Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

    Ephesians 5:1-14

    20191019-DSC09808
    Arkansas Lake | Hensley, AR | October 2019

    We were at a Billy Joel concert just two years ago. He is a talented musician, although his music doesn’t reflect the best Christian virtues. That, however, is not the reason for mentioning him. Near the beginning of the concert, Billy looked up at the large Jumbotron screen above the stage. He did a double take, and then said, “Hi Dad!”

    I know the feeling. There are also times when I look at my face and see my dad staring me in the mirror. I’m not really sure how I feel about that – except that he was a good father, husband, and Christian man. He died when he was 64 so I’ve outlived him by several years already now.

    God wants us to be his imitators, reflections of his character and attitude toward people and the whole of creation. We don’t really know what God looks like. In fact, it’s likely that we don’t really have a good idea of what Jesus of Nazareth looked like. But I’m almost positive that he did not look like a caucasian with blond hair and blue eyes.

    I remember when I first encountered a picture of a black Jesus. I was incensed. How dare they!?! Interesting that I never had that reaction to a white, blond haired blue eyed Jesus. Some researchers have concluded that Jesus may have looked like this construct based on anthropological and archaeological studies.

    real-Jesus
    What the real face of Jesus might have looked like based on research of 1st century skulls. It’s all speculation, but interesting nonetheless.

    Who knows what he really looked like. And no one has seen God apart from Jesus – God in the flesh. We are left, therefore, with a call to imitate God as a call to reflect his nature, character, desires, and purpose in the world. We’ll never do that perfectly, but the calling is clear.

    This is why we are to avoid sexual immorality, for such behavior only uses other people. It is not true love.

    This is why we are to avoid crude language and rather give thanks to God, for he is the giver of everything, and we honor him when we acknowledge as much.

    That is why we are to shine the light of God’s love and truth on ourselves and the world. That way we expose our need for the mercy and forgiveness of God, and enlighten the people around us about truth, grace, love, kindness, holiness, and justice.

    I have been told that my sons bear a strong likeness to me. I suppose that may be true. I hope, however, that they bear an even greater likeness to my love for God, my faith in him, and my hopes for their and their children’s eternal wellbeing.