David Bahn – Reflections – Page 327 – Light from the Word and through the lens

Redemption

May 26, 2014

Thanks to Jerry Kieschnick for sharing the following story…The interesting attestation at the bottom (from snopes.com) does not take into account an even greater truth: Jesus Christ determined that to show true faith and perfect love for God and man, he would offer himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins. Any sacrifices we make or learn of are truly dim reflections of his great sacrifice. Now he is risen from the dead. Now he reigns on high. He will come again to receive his own whom he redeemed into his eternal kingdom. May we be moved by his faithful love to give ourselves to help others.

Memorial Day

Since we will observe Memorial Day this coming Monday, I thought it appropriate to send next week’s Perspectives article early. So from my file come two stories with an important connection.

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was Capone’s lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block. Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al “Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity.* To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

“The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 calibers blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of World War II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.

WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.

*NOTE: For those who check such things, online watchdog Snopes says: “When Easy Eddie did eventually provide information that aided federal authorities in sending Capone to prison for income tax evasion, it was far less likely that he did it because he had an attack of conscience, wanted to right the wrongs he’d done, or sought to teach his son the value of integrity. More probably he turned state’s evidence because he could see the handwriting on the wall: Capone was going to be nailed with or without his assistance, but by doing the government a favor, Eddie could keep himself out of prison. Some sources even suggest the connections Eddie made by turning government informant were what got his son Butch a berth at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.”

Notwithstanding that grounding of “Easy Eddie’s” story in reality, these two stories demonstrate that even when children are raised in less than desirable moral circumstances, they still have the possibility of becoming people of integrity, valor and courage. Eddie O’Hare was such a man.

The peace of the Lord be with you!

Dr. Gerald B. (Jerry) Kieschnick

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism – Eph. 4:5
Worry about yourself!!!

May 23, 2014

Romans 14:1-12

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

When our sons were growing up, we had two sayings we would regularly provide to them in the throes of arguments or protestations about how each of them were being treated – over against the other, or compared to their friends. One was, “Because the sky is blue when the sun shines” (they hated that!). The other was, “Worry about yourself.” Actually, there was a third one: “I can’t be fair;” we weren’t going to get caught in that trap!

It seems especially important to revisit that second admonition in light of Paul’s reminder here, “…each of us will give an account of himself to God” [emphasis added!]. We each have plenty enough to deal with in our own lives; we really don’t need to worry about trying to manage others’ lives as well. Sufficient unto ourselves is the sin thereof!

When I was growing up my mother would tell me that the bullies and braggarts were insecure and weak. “That’s why,” she said, “they have to brag. They feel bad about themselves and want to make everyone think they’re great. If people don’t think they’re great they have to puff themselves up.”

The two are related: both those who feel they must be in other people’s business (judging others) and those who feel they must brag and bully others suffer from a deficiency of faith in God and fail to recognize that their true place in the universe depends on God’s assessment of them. His assessment – in behalf of Jesus Christ, and for Jesus’ glory – is that we are loved and redeemed. We have standing before the King of the Universe!

So whether you’re in the crosshairs of a bully, or you feel unloved and of no value; whether you are too easily inclined to judge others, or constantly tempted to compare yourself to others, God has a word for you: Repent and believe the Good News! Jesus is your Savior. Through faith in him (even when weak and stretched thin) unites us with God’s love and grace. We become sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus. And when that faith grows dim, remember this word of encouragement to the strong: You are to be welcomed and encouraged. And when you feel you must puff yourself up a bit too much, and make certain you are being treated fairly, hear these words: each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Thank God that those who cling to Jesus’ assessment of us as his brothers and sisters, and his redemption by his perfect, faithful, and obedient life and death and resurrection from the grave the judgment is Not Guilty – for those in Christ.
Urgent Words

May 22, 2014

Romans 13:11-14

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness andput on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

I attended a leadership training event many years ago, led by Lyle Schaller. His simple mantra: “Leaders lead. Leaders speak first. Leaders frame the question.” Ever since then I have sought to have the first word, rather than trying to have the last word. The last word implies the final word…the pronouncement that no one can contradict. The first word sets the target and focuses the conversation.

In the case of Paul’s letter to the Romans, his first words were “grace and peace.” What a great way to frame the conversation to follow! Grace is God’s kindness, love, mercy, and good will toward us – apart from anything we have done. Peace is God’s gift that flows from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God’s good will brings us peace – a wonderful gift!

Now that we have that gift of grace and peace from God, we have the call from God to live in a way that reflects that truth. Imagine a person who discovers he is the child of a wealthy land owner. But imagine that person living on the streets, in poverty and squalor. If we fail to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and peace to us, we live in a squalor worse than any slum. Paul’s words here express the urgency of aligning our lives with the grace and goodness, truth and righteousness of God. God’s first word sets the stage for a life that will glorify him and express his work in our hearts. Such is the working out of God’s kingdom in our lives as his people.
When Governments Don’t Govern Well

May 20, 2014

Romans 13:1-9

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them:taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Not many people these days have a high opinion of the government. The old saying, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,” is immediately recognized as a satyrical dismissal of the government’s ability to do anything of real help. One friend of mine used always to say, “Pray for gridlock.” His thought was that if the government did nothing that was better than any other course of action they could take.
Add to our disdain for and little trust of government the current controversies swirling in the halls of both the legislative and judicial branches – gay marriage, public prayer, gun rights, health care, and abortion to name but a few, and one could easily conclude that no government would be better than the one we have now.
That, however, is not God’s conclusion. Government is God’s idea. Jesus taught it: “Render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s” (Matthew 22:21-22). Paul confirms it here in Romans, while having spent significant time in prison or custody of the governing authorities. Both Jesus and Paul were treated as puppets by the governing authorities. But both were used by God for the most powerful impact anyone could imagine. Whether planting new churches or saving the world, neither Paul nor Jesus counted on the government to do anything for their cause. The most Paul ever did to uphold his cause was to use his citizenship and appealing to the governing authorities for fair treatment.
Not once did Jesus or Paul try to change laws or overthrow governments, though they would have had cause to do so. Not once did Jesus teach that the key to the future of the church was good government or even just laws. They simply allowed the laws to stand and subjected themselves to them.
Neither Jesus nor Paul campaigned for good or bad candidates (the thought was virtually unknown at their time anyway). What they did was to entrust themselves to God, realizing that God would settle accounts in due time. In fact they saw any punishment of evil to be an extension of God’s judgment and desire for justice. One might think that if the only experience Paul had with the government was that of imprisonment, or house arrest, he would counsel followers of Jesus to ignore the government or even rebel against it. The greed and corruption of that day was rampant. Instead, however, followers of Jesus are to obey the governing authorities in the confidence that God is over all, and that he will ultimately put things right – all under his Son, Jesus Christ who is King of kings and Lord of lords, forever to be praised! Amen
The Real Deal

May 14, 2014

Romans 12:9-21

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

True, real, and genuine love is a challenging calling, but it is ours in Jesus Christ. The admonition, “Let love be genuine,” has few words, but many implications. The first challenge is that of grounding love in something more than just a kind disposition toward others (it is that, but so very much more). Learning what is evil and good, and filtering love through the filter of what is truly good and evil is the first calling of love. Having true brotherly affection is the second. This is no emotional warm-heartedness, but a strong sense of connection by blood – in this case the blood of our Brother, Jesus Christ the Lord. Being zealous in doing good, fervent in prayer, hospitable – all in service to Christ, through our service to one another.

But wait! There’s more! Look at the list: blessing those who persecute you, rejoicing with those who rejoice, living in humble harmony with others, and being thoughtful toward others, as you seek to let God be God, and the final arbiter of justice. This is no pubescent hormonal reaction, but a thoughtful, willful, deliberate, and intentional attitude and lifestyle of grace and goodness toward others.

I tend to fall off the road in being too lenient; I’m actually a very soft touch. Some are more inclined to be skeptical and hard-hearted. Jesus was the perfect embodiment of this balance for whom we can all give thanks. As we seek to show love toward others, we can keep in mind that our calling is to mediate God’s love – shown in Jesus – and in doing so, overcome the evil one with the goodness of God. That is no fluffy sentamentality, but the real deal to which God calls us out of his love and grace to us.
Grace Propulsion

May 13, 2014

Romans 12:3-8

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: ifprophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Have you ever had the experience of a store clerk who was spouting the company line, “Thank you for shopping at our store…” with little or no enthusiasm, and body language that he was anything but thankful for your business? Contrast that with my experiences at Chick-Fil-A(R)! When I say, “Thank you,” they say, “My pleasure,” and seem sincerely to mean it. It seems to me – most of the time to be a genuine expression of delight to be able to serve me: Refreshing!

The Christian life of loving service to our fellow man should be much like the latter and seldom or ever like the former. There is a powerful energy behind the servant’s heart of a follower of Jesus. That energy is God’s grace. Grace is God’s goodness and mercy toward us by his initiative and from a giving heart. Grace is kindness and generosity flowing from God to us even before we ask or admit that we need it. Grace is love and tenderness on the part of God toward you and me. Grace is God’s gift through Jesus Christ, his redemption and our salvation.

When grace hits the heart of the believer we are compelled to look toward one another in the body of Christ, to appreciate each other for who we are in Christ, and to use the gifts and talents God has given us for the good of others. Just as grace has many facets as it intersects our lives, so it works itself out in many ways into the lives of others.

Has God’s grace flowed into your heart? Is if flowing from there into the hearts and lives of others?
Mercy’s Power

May 12, 2014

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

One of the statues in a side chapel of the Co-Cathedral in downtown Houston

Mercy seems such a weak thing. It shows lack of resolve to cause pain, to bring justice. It gives in to the pain and weakness of others. It shows a vulnerable heart on the part of the giver. It is costly.
No one knows that better than God himself. His mercy opened his heart to the pains, failures and even the rebellion of man against himself and his laws. The pain that God opened his heart to was brought on by man’s own failure to follow the path of life. But God’s mercy moved him to sacrifice his own Son for rebellious sinners. Weak: How about the King of the Universe on a cross? Vulnerable: How about God becoming a baby? Open heart: How about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem?
There is a power in God’s mercy. It changes hearts and lives. It redeems and transcends all sin and provides a way of life beyond all imagination. By that mercy’s appeal we are called to live differently. By God’s mercy we are able to rise above the fray and distractions of the world to see God’s ways, and know what is truly good.
God’s mercy is a powerful thing. By God’s mercy may we know and do God’s will.
Yay God!

May 7, 2014

Romans 11:32-36

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Sometimes peoples’ motives are veiled so well, that we do not even see how they intend to help or harm us. As one of my favorite Proverbs (27:6) says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Friends will tell you the truth – even when it hurts. Enemies glad hand and otherwise try to butter you up so that they can stick the dagger into your heart – just when you’re least expecting it. I’ve known both kinds of people and I greatly appreciate the former.

With God, however, there is not only no ulterior motive, there is a great storehouse of grace and favor awaiting all who would recognize their need and seek his mercy and love. Paul concludes this section of Romans with what seems to be an almost ecstatic expression of glory and praise to God. Having spoken at length about the future disposition of the Jewish people, he makes the point that God’s ultimate goal is to show grace to all people.

I believe the key to the meaning of the universe is found in the phrase from Ephesians 1:6, “to the praise of his glorious grace…in Christ Jesus.” Paul has apparently caught the scent of that grace as it wafts by on the reality of God’s glory and goodness. He extols God. How about you? Ought this be a “Yay God” moment as you consider his loving grace to you?
BHAGS & Moving Beyond Human Utilitarianism

April 24, 2014
Romans 10:18-20

But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

I am prone not to tilt at windmills – unlike Don Quixote. He would ride his mule and joust with windmills in a futile attempt to conquer or prove his own metal. I am pretty well committed to avoiding such foolishness. There is obviously no point in taking on a task that is impossible or foolish. But sometimes daring to dream the impossible dream, or taking on a challenge that can be met only with God’s help is our calling.

Then there is the BHAG (Pronounced bee-hag), a term proposed by James Collins and Jerry Porras in their 1994 book entitled, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. My favorite example is that of Granite Rock Company of Watsonville, CA. They decided to be the premier company of fairness and customer service – a rock company of all things! To accomplish that goal, they chose to implement a radical new policy called “short pay.” The bottom of every Granite Rock invoice reads, “If you are not satisfied for any reason, don’t pay us for it. Simply scratch out the line item, write a brief note about the problem, and return a copy of this invoice along with your check for the balance.” Commitment to this remarkable policy, propelled this company to remarkable levels of customer service. If you don’t embrace fairness and customer service as a core value you don’t work for Granite Rock Company.

What does this have to do with Romans 10? Look at what God does: He champions lost causes! People don’t listen, refuse to believe, or reject him? He continues to come to them with a call to repentance and offer of his love and grace. People who don’t even seek God end up finding him. And those who thought they had the market cornered on God and true faithfulness discover they need desperately to repent.

I have a BHAG beginning to percolate in my heart. It involves the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation – October 31, 2017. Five hundred years after Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Think 500. Think 500 again. Then connect it to the 500th anniversary:
- 500 cities worldwide;
- 500 expressions of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the central theme of the Bible: God’s love in Jesus Christ; in celebration of the
- 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
There is much to flesh out in regard to this particular BHAG, and that is yet to come. But it is in the spirit of God’s relentless pursuit of his lost people, and his go-to-the-cross commitment to make that happen. The word has gone out to all the world, yet God keeps calling, inviting, showing himself to lost and rebellious people. Perhaps this will be one more way that he does that.
Everyone Who Calls

April 23, 2014

Romans 10:13-17

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Do you know someone who desperately needs to believe in God; struggling with life and with God? I know of such a one, (I’ll call her Jenny) and my heart goes out to her. I pray for Jenny. I yearn for her healing in Jesus. I’m not certain what that healing would look like; there seems to be a mountain of challenges laid against her: financial, emotional, employment, relational. I’m not even certain how to help her. For Jenny the issue seems to be one of surrender. She has heard of God, of Christ, and has even been baptized. But as I consider her situation, she seems totally lost. And the reason for this lostness has little to do with knowing in the sense of head knowledge, and much in the sense of the surrender of repentance. That surrender is a matter of faith. Somehow she needs to hear the word of God and embrace it in her heart to “repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15).

Then there is Ali. He runs a dry cleaners where I recently took my pulpit gown for cleaning before Easter. I asked him about whether he celebrated Easter, and he said no. He is a Muslim. I asked him about special celebrations this time of year and he spoke of the observance of Ramadan (which begins June 28 this year). He confided that he does not observe Ramadan – especially the requirement that no drink is consumed between sunrise and sunset – not even water!

I hope to find a way to talk with Ali during Ramadan about the faith in Jesus which I embrace. While there are significant implications of believing in Jesus, and obedience is certainly an outcome of our relationship with God through Christ, the Christian faith is not about doing things to be right with God, but about celebrating all that God has done for us.

Jenny needs to surrender to Christ’s call, not to gain God’s love, but to experience and embrace the life he has for her. Ali needs to learn of God’s love for him and all people, and the freedom we have in Christ. In either case God’s word is the only means by which faith will come. I’m praying for opportunities to share that word with these dearly loved people.

PS: I need to say this for my own benefit… I’ve started a rather challenging physical exercise routine. Part of that has to do with a new practice of getting out every morning for a walk or a workout in the gym. That has cut into my time for quiet reflection in the early morning. For that reason I’ve not published my blog posts for a couple of weeks. Today is an exception; I am spending the first 90 minutes (got up very early!) in the old way of easing into the day. What’s the conclusion of all this? I’m not certain. I need to get moving in the morning, and I need this time for reflection as well.

Romans 10:1-17

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.