What makes a peep Godly?

What makes a man or woman a Godly peep? Some, like legalists and fundamentalists ("fundees" some call them), think that its being moral and ethical, doing the "right" things or at least always trying hard. I don't think so. This may be what other peeps think makes one Godly, but God has other ideas on this.

God redeems all the mess peeps make, we are always guilty of falling below His standard for us. We pick and chose what aspects of our short comings make us "feel" guilty. But we guilty almost all the time in ways we do not trust Him.

A Godly peep is one that believes what God says about Himself and then about the peep themself. A Godly peep trusts that what God put inside them is good and that all He wants is for the peep to play it out with "reckless abandon" (Paul calls it boldly)trusting God for the results.

A Godly man or woman trusts God for their soul's well-being, not what the world provides.

Just saying ......

testosterone and faith: the story of Barak

Now some of you are probably saying now that this old man has finally gone crazy!! Why is he blogging about Obama and what has testosterone got to do with faith? These are certainly good questions and illustrates how our minds are biased to preconceived notions about what someone might say.

First, Barak is a character in the story of Deborah (Judges 4 and 5). He is also mentioned in the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). So his story must be a lesson on faith. Lets' see.

Deborah, a Judge in the story of the Israelites, called upon Barak to deliver their peeps from the hand of oppression. What was Barak's response to Deborah. "If you will go with me I will go, if you will not go with me, I will not go." Barak, man up!! Where the testosterone we would expect to see from a man of faith? He needs help, security, more power? He doesn't have the faith it takes to move out on his calling? How come he is recognized by God for his faith??

Well, the answer to these questions are not explicitly provided in this story. But if I read between the lines and apply what I have learned over 60 plus years, I have a perspective. What I have found in my own faith walk is that when God calls me to move out and trust Him, its not about me getting enough testosterone to be brave, fearless, potent, capable, efficacious, etc.

Its knowing that God thru His son Jesus is doing His thing and inviting me to go along with Him. Its not what I have or can do that matters. Its not up to me and my courage to act. I must respond to God's call to move out with the same response as Barak, "God you must go with me!" Further, Deborah adds that if she goes with him, he will not receive the glory for the victory. Another great lesson in faith. Because our faith did not produce some super human capacity in us, but a full dependence on Him, who BTW gets all the Glory!!

maybe a little different perspective on faith that can cause you to ponder!!

"that your joy may be full"

I cant imagine anyone who would not wish for their joy to be full. But how do we make sense of this? How do we get this to happen? Well here are a few thoughts.

First, what is joy? Is it the same as happiness (a word more familiar to most and a topic of discussion for many). Let me first say that joy is not the same as happiness. The root word for happiness is "hap" which is also root for "happenstance". In other words, happiness is the satisfaction one receives when their circumstances supply what one needs or desires. Joy is much different.

Each Beattitude starts with the little phrase "O the joy of being" not "happy are" (contrary to some translations). The word for joy here is "makarios" which means that satisfying the person's well being is completely self contained, not dependent on anything from one's environment. The statement in the topic of this post is found in scripture, most notably in John 16:24. The word for joy here is "chara", meaning an inner delight. So first we find that joy is an inner sense of well-being or delight.

Full is an interesting word. When I make a coke float I first fill the glass with ice cream until it is full. However, I then pour diet coke in so the glass must not have been full. It was just full of ice cream. Now as I pour in the DC the foam gets to the top but I can still pour in more DC. Eventually, the foam overflows and runs down the glass. At this point the glass is FULL, overflowing. This is the meaning of the word "full" in this passage, completely replete until it overflows. This is the degree in which our inner delight is full!!

Now that we understand the outcome, what is the source. Looking close at this passage we notice that Jesus did not say, "GIVE and your joy will  full" or "SERVE and your joy will be full." Now there is nothing wrong with these actions but that is not what is at the heart of Jesus' call on our lives. He said "ask and you shall receive". There are two words that translate "ask". One focuses on trying to get a person to give us something. That is not this word. The word here for "ask" focuses on the thing we wish to be given. What is this thing? Earlier Jesus says "in that day you will not have to ask." That is, when He returns in His fullest, we will clearly see all that He is and Grace will reign and thus the thing we desire will be there and we don't have to request it.

So the source of full joy is receiving what He has for us by asking Him for it!! Now Steve, didn't Jesus tell the rich young ruler to give away all he has and didn't Jesus tell his disciples to go serve ("wash feet"). Yes, He did, but understand what He was really saying. To the rich young ruler He was saying that to receive eternal life, you must "let go" of what you depend on in this world for your well being. The emphasis here is not "giving" but "letting go." To His disciples He said "unless you receive me washing your feet, you can have no part of me." Once you have me living my life through you, you will naturally go and serve (wash others feet).

What makes one a "child of God", adopted into his Kingdom, available to all the provisions and privileges of the Heavenlies? Not giving, not serving but receiving the Grace that is set before us. Jesus says in John 1, "as many as received Him He gave them the authority to be children of God!!"

The source of inner delight, a soul of well being is receiving from God His Son who transforms us and our minds from carnal to Kingdom and redeems all that robs our joy!!!

something to ponder ......