"... BUT JESUS ONLY"

And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 
-- Mark 9:8

We all have spiritual high moments; sometimes even seasons. They are mountain top experiences of inspiration. These times are important and real. They are however, also temporary.

For Peter, James and John the mountain top experience was literal.  On a high peak they saw a transfigured Jesus (think whiter than white, with heavenly back-lighting). Then along side him were two giants of the faith - Moses and Elijah. (I've always wondered how they recognized the two - there were very few Instagram pics of the Moses and Elijah floating around at the time.) Then came an overwhelmingly thick and awesome cloud, with a voice speaking from it. Needless to say the view was spectacular; both inspirational and terrifying all at once.

As quickly as all this happened it was suddenly gone. No cloud. No heroes of the past. No bright lights. Just the the three guys - and Jesus. Mark writes, "... but Jesus only." 

Though the view from the pinnacle is inspirational, and again, vital from time to time, it is the exception and not the norm. Not for the disciples. And not for us.

Experiences above the treeline help set our perspective. They add vision and focus. They inspire. But at least two things happen down the slopes that seldom occur on the mountain top.

1) Ministry occurs down the mountain. Read the story. The disciples come down with Jesus and are immediately faced with desperate need. And Jesus did the miraculous. In the same way, we are called to - and given opportunity for - ministry down the mountain side.

Peter wanted to stay on the mountain. He wanted to prolong the experience. At least one father and son down the mountain were glad that wasn't the case.

2) Growth takes place in the valleys. This is not fun and doesn't feel good to write or read. But we need the valleys. These are the places of greatest growth. And it is in the valleys that we most learn that God is present; even when (and especially) we don't sense him.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I fear no evil, for you are with me."

-- Psalm 23:4

By the way ... but Jesus only, is enough. And really that's the point. The same ... but Jesus only that shone on the mountain top and was the focus of the heavenly cloud-voice walks with you and me down the slopes and into the valleys. When we have ... but Jesus only, we have it all.

God, ... but Jesus only is enough for me...


For now...
D

Soul Stew...

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
-- Mark 8:36

What is the worth of your soul? Or mine? 

Throwing aside philosophical and religious arguments for the moment, let's say that our soul is the deepest part of us. It is who we are at our core. And biblically, it is the us that will post-date our physical life on this blue-green marble. 

So what is the worth of your soul? Or mine? And what would be a worthy trade (-off) for it? 

There is an Old Testament story of a man's-man named Esau who basically traded away his soul for a bowl of stew (I realize this is a bit of an oversimplification). When we read the story, we scream for Esau not to take the deal. "Don't be so short-sighted!" we exclaim. "It's not worth it!" 

It is easy to see Esau's folly. A soul for stew? Never! Our trade-offs however, are more subtle; money, possessions, a career, a relationship, a reputation, comfort, etc. Daily, we trade the eternal for what is only temporary. If it were just a bowl of stew, it would be an easy call. Ultimately though, anything we trade parts of our souls for is just stew. 

It would be easy for me to now preach on the temporary nature of stuff, and the eternal qualities of the Christian life. That would be easy. But instead I want to go a step beyond; and into the personal. (I touch on this in my posts on Potential vs. Kinetic):

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/11/fixin-to-potential-v-kenetic-pt1.html

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/12/if-potential-v-kinetic-pt2_6.html

http://davidmstanley.blogspot.com/2015/12/if-only-potential-v-kinetic-pt3.html

and the upcoming What If... (that I am for some reason having so much trouble completing)

The idea is that God has wired us - our souls - in such a way as to fulfill a purpose, a divine calling if you will. And anything short of this pursuit is trading the eternal for stew. It is simple to say that a soul-trade for a bigger bank account, for example, is foolish or at best, short-sighted. But what about the trade-off that occurs when we diverge from the path of purpose and step into the comfortable, the mundane? Is it no less trading one's soul for stew?   

OK - I have diverged here (it's a good word, so I'll overuse it) from a normal devotional thought. (And welcome to my brain!) There will be more to come on the subject. But for now...

God, help me to never forfeit (parts of) my soul for anything that smells like stew...

For now...

D

Masks...

"This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
-- Mark 7:6

Jesus spent time with all types of people. It seems in reading the gospels however, that - after the disciples - his time was weighted toward the down-and-outs of society. He touched lepers, ate with "sinners," and had conversations with prostitutes; to name a few. (And it is difficult for us to conceive of the cultural impact of his taboo interactions with these "untouchables.")

Jesus was accepting and gracious to them as people. This does not mean he accepted their limiting beliefs and actions. He never excused sin. But Jesus always loved the person caught in its snare. He still does.

Jesus saved his harshest words for a singular group of people: Hypocrites. These were the self-righteous. They were outwardly religious people with darkened hearts.

Hypocrite comes from a compound Greek word. Hypo, meaning "under" and krino, meaning "judge." It was a common word used to describe stage actors of the day. The idea conveyed was that of a performer wearing a mask.

It is an apt description of the self-righteous; wearing masks that conceal what is beneath. Portraying themselves as religious, they are faithless. Saying one thing, they do another.

I am at times a hypocrite. (Don't stop reading... you are too.) We hide behind masks, hoping others will not see the hurt, or sin, or ugliness that is beneath. But when we remove the masks, we find acceptance both from the God who loves us and from fellow reformed actors.

It is easier to be religious than it is to be faithful. It is easier to wear masks. It is easier to honor God with our lips, while our hearts are far off. But Christ desires to touch the untouchable and accept the unacceptable.

We must remove our masks before God and people. It takes guts.

But when the masks are gone we suddenly realize how much 

more freely we can breathe and how clearly we see. 

God, I leave my masks behind...

For now...
D


P.S. Several years ago, I wrote a post entitled MIND THE GAP. It refers to what I call the Hypocrisy Gap. It's a little long, but I've reposted it here:

http://dmacstanley.blogspot.com/2010/08/mind-gap_23.html

MIND THE GAP...

Americans refer to the underground trains that run the labyrinths of tunnels beneath our metropolises as subways.  Londoners affectionately call theirs the Tube.  Anyone reading who has spent time in the Tube already hears the voice; "Mind the Gap."

Though veteran Londoners have long sense become desensitized to it, any visitor to London's Tube is left with the audible imprint of the polite yet authoritative British voice.  The voice speaks to riders just before each stop (or on the platform as one awaits the incoming train). "Mind the Gap."

I encountered the voice on my first trip to London about 15 years ago, and I still manage to bring Mind the Gap into conversation at least once a week.  That could be due to the fact that I have very little creative conversational ammunition; or it could be, as I believe, that the voice made its impression.

The voice tells us to mind the Gap because when riding the tube - or the American equivalent - there is a Gap that must be minded.  The Gap is the void that exists between the train door and the platform (or vice versa).  If one were not to mind the Gap and step clumsily into this void, he would be horribly killed or disfigured (or at least twist an ankle) due to his lack of attention to the voice. Therefore the rider is reminded again and again, stop after stop to Mind the Gap. 

As leaders we are often unaware of our Gaps; or possibly worse, we are unconcerned by them.  This is a problem that cannot simply be chalked up to naivete.  The Gap exists as the void between who we perceive ourselves to be and who we really are. Trust me, those whom we lead are aware of our Gaps even if we are not.

I have also at times referred to the Gap as the Hypocrisy Gap.  This speaks more to the distance between what we believe and how we behave.  Character, or the lack thereof, is discovered both in the breadth of the Gap and the proactive and humble awareness of its existence; e.g. “I know it’s there and I am committed to working to close it.”  It is often well said that reputation is a reflection of how we are perceived by others, but character is who we really are - another example of the Gap. Pride tends to gloss over our GAPS and makes us consciously or subconsciously unaware and unconcerned.  We see this scenario again and again on national and personal levels, often with tragic consequences.  Headlines and homes are filled with stories of those who have failed to Mind the Gap.

Even more subtly, and long before failure - or tumbling into the void, to keep with the metaphor - the leader’s Gap creates tension.  The pressure builds both internally and externally (the former most often leading to the latter).  This tension is the telltale sign that we are putting a foot out into the abyss, where there is no platform or train.  The unspoken tension manifests itself in the teams we lead, eroding the foundations of communication, trust, and common vision.  The leader’s Gap creates dysfunction in multiple arenas when it is not Minded.

There is hope.  It is found in the simple yet profound statement, Mind the Gap. The road to recovery begins through the tollgate of admission.  The leader must be humble and introspective enough to take inventory.  “Where are my Gaps?”  “How big are they?”  And, “What (undesirable) cultural effects are they creating in the teams I lead.”  If we are humble and persistent in asking - and those whom we ask have no fear of consequences - it won’t take long for the Gaps to present themselves.   The bigger the Gaps, and the longer they have been left un-minded, the more difficult this process will be.  Trust, as Rome, is not built in a day, but burns easily.  However, authentic humility will eventually win the day.  These qualities – authenticity and humility – are the stuff of great leaders, and serve as the most important pillars in bridging the Gap.

I think all leaders need take a trip to London if for nothing else, to by a Mind the Gap t-shirt - they really are sold in about every souvenir shop.  We should wear them daily, probably in mirror image so that we can read them every time we take a look at ourselves.  After all, that is where true leadership begins – with a  look in the mirror; and a decision to Mind the Gap.


For now...
D

Leftovers...

"You give them something to eat... How many loaves do you have? Go and see."
-- Mark 6:37-38

God often uses the incredibly mundane to do the incredible. He uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. For Moses it was a staff. For David it was a slingshot. And for thousands of hungry people committed to hear every word he would speak, Jesus made a feast from a boy's sack lunch.

No resource is too small when placed in the hands of Jesus. 

The fact is, God doesn't NEED our resources in the first place (and ultimately, they are his anyway). But God honors our faithfulness in the small things. And he uses what we offer up to him.

The story is recounted in all four gospels. Hungry people, worried disciples, a boy willing to give what he had, and a God who does the extraordinary with the ordinary; the incredible with the mundane.

When I envision the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 on the hill, I picture Jesus quietly laughing to himself (with a silly grin) the whole time as the astonished disciples keep coming back for more fish sandwiches to pass to the people.

The question: Will we offer to Jesus what we have?

It is what he asks of us. And he gives us the opportunity to take part in the miraculous.

Oh... and better bring some extra baskets - there will be leftovers!

God, I give you what I have to do with as you please...

For now...

D

My name is Legion...

"My name is Legion, for we are many."
-- Mark 5:9

Sometimes we feel we are facing (a) Legion. Our circumstances or problems or failures seem insurmountable. We have tried all we know to do. And yet, we are unable to produce the power to overcome. It seems we cannot muster the will to battle another day.

Many had tried to subdue the man we read about in Mark 5:1-20. They tried to control him. They tried to bind him. They tried to ignore him. All attempts failed. It is one of the stranger stories in a book filled with strange stories. A possessed man (soon to be free)... a herd of pigs (soon to be both possessed and drowned)... frustrated people (soon to be in awe) ... and a God who is (as always) in control.

And that is really the point. God is in control. He is in control of demoniacs and pig herds. He is in control of your situation and mine.

What is it that you face today? You have bound it and fought it; you have attempted both to control and ignore it. Yet it is there. It is real. And it is affecting the way you live. It is stealing your sense of joy and hindering your purpose.

Jesus is the undefeated champion who wants to fight for you. Ask him. He will come through. He is in control. (Sorry pigs!)

Not by might, nor by by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord... 

-- Zechariah 4:6

God, it is out of my control, I place it in your powerful hands...

For now...

D

Ears that won't hear...

He who has ears, let him hear.
-- Mark 4:9

It is one of the Jesus' most often used phrases. He is quoted in the gospels as saying it seven times. And he uses a close variation seven more times in speaking to the churches in Revelation chapters two and three.

During the course of his three year ministry, multitudes of people heard Jesus speak. Tens of thousands listened live as The Word Become Flesh spoke words of life. On hillsides, in synagogues, in the temple, on beaches, in houses - they heard his voice. They all heard, yet many didn't hear.

He who has ears, let him hear. 

Reactions and responses to Jesus' words varied radically. Some heard and were filled with joy. Some were convicted, leading to life-change. Some were healed. Some were restored. Some followed. Some were perplexed. Some were offended. Some were angered. Some walked away saddened.

They all heard, yet many didn't hear. It is the same today. It is the same for us.

How is it that we can have perfectly good ears, and yet at times, be so deaf? (In the same way we have 20/20 vision and yet can be so blind - sorry for the mixed metaphor).

The fact of the matter is this; how we hear and what we hear is a reflection of the condition of our heart. Our ears (at least spiritually speaking) are tied directly to our hearts.

When our hearts are filled with anxiety, we cannot hear.
When our hearts are filled with self-centered pride, we cannot hear.
When our hearts are filled with anger, and bitterness, we cannot hear.

Deafness, spiritually speaking, is a condition of the heart. And humble hearts are hearing hearts.

He who has ears, let him hear. 

God whispers all around us. Do you hear?


God, give me ears to hear...

For now...
D