THE MERCY OF FAITH

Mercy triumphs over judgement.
-- James 2:13

James famously lays out an argument for true faith in the second chapter his letter. Faith, he says must do. It must produce. True faith - living faith always does. Faith that does nothing is dead faith. It is not faith. It is anti-faith.

True faith does. 

Remember for a moment that in the original writings there were no chapter designations, there were no breaks with subheadings (and for that matter, there was no punctuation!). Read verse 13 again and immediately move into verse 14. 

One of the products of true faith is mercy. A mercy that is powerful and triumphs over judgement. Faith is the bridge of relationship to the One who has loved us, and loves us. And it is in this relationship with the lover of our souls that we truly understand mercy. God is merciful to those who seek mercy. He is merciful to those desperate for mercy. And we receive his mercy by faith.

And the full circle:

Those who most need mercy... 

those who long for mercy... 

are those who receive mercy.

And they who have received mercy...

Extend mercy.

And in doing so...

Live their faith!

God, be merciful to me; and give me faith to be merciful.

For now...

D

LACKING NOTHING...

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.     -- James 1:4

Happiness and joy are related. But they are distant cousins. One is a result, the other a cause. One is a feeling, the other a choice. One is emotion, the other a state of heart.

The root of the word happiness - hap - was an ancient word basically meaning luck, or fortune. One of the "cousins" we get from the word is happenstance. The idea is that at times (and on some) luck smiles and fortunes are good. At other times (and on others), a frown. The result is that the person being smiled or frowned upon is happy, or not, according to forces completely beyond his control. Therefore, at its origin happy was most closely akin to lucky. 

I am going to make two contradictory statements, but hopefully we can reconcile them. 

• Statement 1: Unlike happiness, joy is not conditional. In other words, it is not based on circumstances.

• Statement 2: Joy is conditional. Struggling with the contradiction? Stay with me. Joy is conditional in the sense that it is based on the condition of our heart. And it is based on our perspective. 

Happenstances, by definition, happen; many within our control, most beyond. Joy however, is within our control. And joy is not based on outward circumstances or conditions (i.e. happenstances). 

Jesus said this about a joyful perspective:
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these other things will be added to you. -- Matthew 6:33
To this Paul added that we are to run the race of life and faith by, ...fixing our eyes on Jesus. 
This is the JOY PERSPECTIVE. 

Jesus said about a joyful heart:
"Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" -- John 7:38
This is the JOYFUL HEART. 

So back to James chapter one. Joy perseveres through all circumstances; through the roller-coaster emotions of happiness and grief. Joy overcomes because it is subject only to our perspective - our focus on Christ;  and our heart - his presence within us. 

I once heard a preacher say:

No Jesus... No joy

Know Jesus... Know joy.

(Not bad)

God, I choose joy.

For now...
D

ACT LIKE MEN...

...stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 
-- 1 Corinthians 16:13

I can vividly picture in my mind a full-page illustration from the first Bible I owned as a child. A menacing and armored giant of a man with a scowl and raised sword loomed over a much smaller young man. The simple young man, with an undeterred - and unimpressed - expression had a resolution that spoke of confidence and courage.

Obviously, the illustration was of the epic, though brief, battle between David and Goliath.

The fact is that Goliath, at nine feet tall, and with hundreds of hand-to-hand kills under his belt, had zero chance. David had weaponry that Goliath couldn't defend. David had courage that Goliath had never faced. David had faith that made Goliath minuscule.

David ... stood firm in the faith, he acted like a man, he was strong.  (To this day multitudes of baby boys are named David, I can only think of groupers named Goliath.)

Paul wrote (and lived), "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," (Philippians 4:13). And though there is a specific context to the verse, there is also a universal principle at work:

What God calls us to...

He empowers us for.

(and I am perfectly aware of ending subsequent phrases with prepositions)

The plain truth is there exists a desperate void when it comes to Christian men. Real Christians... Real men! There exists a need in the church and the world for true men of faith and action. Bold men who, when called upon stand before undefeated giants with sling in hand. Men who ...stand firm in the faith, act like men, are strong. 

God, count me in, and strengthen my heart.

For now...

D

THE POWER OF VISION

Therefore my beloved, be steadfast, immovable... knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. -- 1 Corinthians 15:58

Vision is a powerful thing. Without it, Solomon stated, "the people perish," (Proverbs 29:18). We'll come back to a possibly better translation of the ancient proverb in a moment.

A compelling vision helps us to stay the course in the midst of adversity. It drives us to risk and to attempt. It both stretches and grows our faith. As the author of a jesusculture.com article put it, "Vision gives pain purpose."

A man without a vision is a man without a future. 

A man without a future will always return to his past. 

-- P.K. Bernard

Vision is not just what we see, but how we choose to see it. Impaired vision is not a condition of the eyes, but one of the heart. I say this because first and foremost, the focus of our vision is to be Christ himself.

The writer of Hebrews put it this way:

... let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, 

and let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus... 

-- Hebrews 12:1-2

Back to that famous Proverb (29:18). It might be better translated:

Where there is no revelation - of God himself and his purposes - 

the people lose heart and are discouraged.

(My transliteration considering multiple versions). 

Let's turn the verse around:

When we look to Christ, and seek to know him and his purposes, 

we find joy, meaning and passion. 

1) When our eyes are fixed on Jesus self-focus and selfishness diminish.  

2) When our eyes are fixed on Jesus comparison with others dies. 

3) When our eyes are fixed on Jesus we are powerfully and immovably about our purpose and mission. 

God, open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you.

For now...

D

RIGHT-SIDE-UP...

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts...
-- 1 Corinthians 14:1

The common colloquialism is Getting the cart before the horse. I call it Flying upside-down (I'll explain in a bit).

Whatever terminology we use, the error is at times comical. In some areas of life however, it can affect relationships, impact our purpose and alter our destiny.

I once heard a speaker repeatedly say throughout his message:

THE MAIN THING IS TO KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!

(He focused on Paul's powerful vision from Philippians 4:10-14)

The idea is that our primary objective... our goal... our pursuit must always be clear. We are created for a reason. We must be about purpose. Our fulfillment and joy come as we are on-mission. 

And it is easy at times to Fly upside-down. The idea comes from the vertigo suffered at times by fighter pilots. You can read the posts linked below; but the quick version is that sometimes a pilot's senses will betray him. He (or she) might feel he is level when instead the aircraft is banked. His senses tell him he is climbing when instead he is in descent. Ultimately, he might be completely inverted, while thinking all is well. In other words, he is flying upside down (without knowing it). For brief periods it is dangerous, for an extended period - and at over 500 mph - it is catastrophic. 

http://davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com/2014/12/success-vertigo.html

http://davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com/2014/12/steering-out-of-graveyard-spiral.html

http://davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com/2014/12/diamond-crash-graveyard-spiral-addendum.html

So back to the point: Our life focus must be clear, and our pursuit pure. Paul writes that there are many things we can, and should, desire. But our passionate pursuit must be love. Love is the heart of God. Love is the power of transformation. And when we love, we are most like Christ.

God, help me to fly right-side-up, fixed on the horizon of your love. 

For now...

D

LOVE IS... LOVE DOES...

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (fails).
-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I love my kids. I love the Kansas City Royals. I love God. I love chili.

We toss the word love around pretty nonchalantly. And the concept behind the word - the depth and power of love's reality - can get clouded. The result? Love loses its power. Actually, love never loses power. It is the word itself that loses gusto. And it is our understanding of real love that suffers in the wake.

Read Paul's above description of true love again. It is a description of the character of Christ. It is a picture of how he looks toward us. It is a revelation of the heart of God. And it is a challenge to how we should also love others.

God is love. We are loved. We should love.

God, help me to realize your love and to love more like you.

For now...
D

(By the way... I really do like the Royals and chili.)

THE SELFISHNESS OF SERVICE...

If one member suffers, all suffer together. 
-- 1 Corinthians 12:26

The Christian life is not lived in a vacuum. The life of faith cannot be spent in the ivory towers of religion, nor in the isolation of personal growth (for the mere sake of personal growth).

It has become a bit cliche, but I will state it anyway:

We are created for community. 

(By the way, most cliches become cliche because they are well-known and repeated truths. Truths that have often lost their punch.)

The Christian life - and being human in general - takes place within relationships. We are redeemed through relationship with God in Christ. We are transformed in relationship with Christ's abiding Spirit. We grow in faith in the midst of relationships with other believers. We grow in maturity in relationships with those whom we serve.

In a mysterious and wonderful way, there is 

a relational thread that connects us. 

Throughout the New Testament various metaphors are used to describe this community of faith. It is likened to a house, a family, a flock and a bride. The Apostle Paul's favorite word-picture is that of a body. A body, Paul writes, has many parts with various functions. Yet these parts make up one body. Each is necessary to and for the others. 

Paul writes that each of us is to operate in our God-given gifts and abilities. And there are two distinctive hallmarks of effective Christian service: 1) A love motive, and 2) A selfless desire to build the body. 

So why the title: THE SELFISHNESS OF SERVICE? Well, it's actually a little tongue-in-cheek. The idea is that as we serve, the community of faith becomes more healthy. The weak are strengthened. Those who suffer are comforted. And then these also serve, further strengthening the body - of which we are a part.

I don't mean this in some sense of what goes around comes around karma. Nor should we serve with wrong motives; eg., giving so that we get. Jesus himself said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and to give his life a ransom for many" -- Mark 10:45. And Paul tells us to: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus... -- Philippians 2:5.

No one should suffer alone. Because when one hurts, we all are injured in some way. (For that matter, no one should rejoice alone!)

God, help me to serve others as if I am serving you... because I am.

For now...
D