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Low-bar People and a High-bar God

The sign for the 5K cross country ski race caught my attention. I was 27 years old, sufficiently athletic, and hailed from Michigan. What advantage could these Ohio people have over me? When race day arrived, I showed up with my fish-scale bottom skis, wearing blue jeans and a sweater. Most others zipped up wind-resistant body suits and carefully evaluated the snow to determine exactly which wax to apply to what skis. (“Uh-oh.”) A quarter mile into the race, I realized I was in way over my head. I thought my lips—already frozen from sucking in large volumes of 20-something degree air—would drop off like icicles and that my heart would pound right out of my chest. Fortunately, there were no casualties that day, except my pride, which kept me going all the way to the finish line where my wife greeted me: “Are you OK? You don’t look so good.”

It’s a common problem borne out of naiveté or pride—we benchmark ourselves to performance standards too low, which leads us to assessment conclusions too high. We don’t comprehend just how good “good” can be until we encounter “excellent,” “elite,” or “perfection.” This happens in a spiritual sense, as well, when we evaluate humanity against our own human standards and conclude people are undeserving of God’s judgment and in no need of a Savior. But God is perfect, and His elite standards mirror His divine nature. We may benchmark ourselves to ourselves, but God’s high bar for us is purity, which reflects His very nature. And against His greatness, our idea of “goodness” is exposed as something far less than what we had thought it to be. As Jesus himself said, “No one is good—except God alone.”1

We are broken people, unable to meet God’s lofty expectations or even our own low ones. And certainly God will judge us, but not as one delighting in some cosmic game of “Got-‘cha.” To the contrary, Paul writes, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”2 In Christ, God stared down our imperfections, declared them for what they were, and then paid their price through the life of His Son. For our God is all about turning sinners into winners.

Father, thank you for imputing the righteousness of Christ to an undeserving me. Fill me with your goodness, that I would be of some good to the people I encounter today. Amen.

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10)

[Read today’s Scripture in Romans 5:6-11.]

1 Luke 18:19
2 Romans 5:8

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Fans Set on High

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject,” quipped Winston Churchill, England’s beloved, wartime prime minister. Does his description bring anyone to mind, your neighbor, for instance, who knows exactly how many days remain until the OSU-Michigan game? Personally, I can’t help but think (and chuckle) about Forrest Gump’s friend, Bubba, and his all-consuming passion for shrimp! (“Shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. . . .”1) Of course, none of us wants to be known as a fanatic, but almost all of us proudly proclaim ourselves to be a “fan” of something, even though “fan” is the shortened version of the word, “fanatic.” Abbreviate the word, and we’re good with it.

The historical book of Acts ends with the apostle Paul under house arrest, living alone under guard, yet still with singularity of purpose. “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”2 Though confined, Paul constrained neither his message, nor the fervor in which he shared it.

So what do you think? Is Paul “that guy” we warmly greet in church but coolly avoid in public? It would be easy to look at him or someone like him and think, “nut job,” “zealot,” or “fanatic.” But think about it for a moment—the only reason Paul talked nonstop about Jesus for two years is that people kept coming to see him for two years! If they stop seeking, he stops preaching, right? Yet something in him drew people to him, those looking for truth and the inner peace it brings.

The point is this: people are hungry for something in their lives, and that something is the truth and hope of the gospel. It is as Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until can they find peace in you.”3 So people keep searching. Then wouldn’t it be great if we lived today in such a way that people could see the hope that we have and experience for themselves the peace of Christ? Wouldn’t it be great if we lived today as fans?

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15)

[Read today’s Scripture in Acts 28:23-31.]

1 Tisch, Steve, Wendy Finerman, Robert Zemeckis, Eric Roth, Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field, and Winston Groom. 1995. Forrest Gump. [Hollywood, Calif.]: Paramount.
2 Acts 28:30, 31
3 Augustine, Saint Bishop of Hippo, The Confessions of Saint Augustine, trans. Rex Warner. (New York: The New American Library, 1963), 17.

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Fair Question?

When he was in the first grade, my brother had a crush on a little girl in his class. Alas, his was an unrequited love, the affections of his heart unreturned. So Eric appealed to the highest authority he knew, printing this impassioned note to the principal: “Dear Mrs. Martin, will you please make Erika Mustermann1 like me?” Nothing ever came of his valiant attempt, of course, except that Mrs. Martin, who was also our next-door neighbor, gave the letter to our mother.

As we grow from childhood into adulthood, our problems get bigger along with us—it’s part of the human experience. Loyalties are breached, promises are broken, and blame is shifted. Friendship is spurned, innocence is abused, and fortunes are stolen. We could go on to include sacrifices unappreciated, responsibility unaccepted, and efforts unrewarded. Then there are the troubles we bring upon ourselves by our own hasty decisions, poor decisions, or indecision. People wound us, and we wound them—a small microcosm of a global reality.

At points in our lives, then, we are tempted to doubt God or even blame Him for our manmade messes. “If God is so powerful and loving,” we ask, “why is there so much suffering in the world?” Is this a fair question? On the surface, it may seem so, but let’s look deeper. On one hand, our inner six-year-old boy wants God to make people be kind and loving. The “Erika Mustermann” in us, however, doesn’t want to be coerced into anything; we want the freedom to think, feel, say, and do as we please. Fortunately, our relational God does not rescind the human liberty with which He endowed us, so like Mrs. Martin, He doesn’t force our decisions, even though we often choose wrongly.

The real question each one of us must honestly consider is, “How does a brokenhearted God respond to such human suffering?” And I think the answer is this: He fills us, His people, with His Spirit, and He sends us to the hurting who await a glimmer of hope. It’s not just theory or philosophy; I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the octogenarian, who still visits inmates in solitary confinement. I’ve seen the woman who tends to the spiritual and physical needs of the trafficked, the gang members, and the penniless in her neighborhood. I’ve seen the retiree who tirelessly visits the sick and dying. You’ve seen it, too.

God cares about the pain and suffering in our world much more than we do, and while we sit around and question His love, power, or existence, for that matter, He is responding to a hurting humanity through those who go and serve them in His name. The question is not a matter of God’s love or His power, but our willingness to act in them. God, grant us the grace to decide rightly.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

1 The name has been changed to protect the completely unaware.