In the new Avengers movie, Loki tells a group of humans, “Kneel before me. I said… KNEEL! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

His quote raises an interesting thought that came to my mind when I was watching the movie. Are we made to be ruled?

Are we made to be ruled? (Yes, I asked the same question twice, because I want us to really think about it.)

Depending on how you define “ruled,” I think we are.

We are designed to function best when we submit. As beings created in the image of God, we are made to submit in community.

You might think, wait, does that mean God submits? I believe God does submit. But the submission is a choice, not a forced situation. Consider what Paul says about Christ in Philippians 2…

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

            did not consider equality with God

            something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

            by taking the very nature of a servant,

            being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

            he humbled himself

            by becoming obedient to death —

            even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

            and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

            in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

            to the glory of God the Father.

Did you catch that? Jesus submitted himself on our behalf. He became a servant to the point of death. And through that submission and death, he was exalted to the highest place.

If Jesus can choose to submit, why can’t we?

I do believe we are made for submission, but it’s a submission born out of love, not fear. Hope, not dismay. It is a submission where we lay down our life for the sake of the other.

Imagine how much different our world could be if we could all learn to submit in this fashion. Maybe then, the world would look a little more like the one that God created in the beginning. Maybe, as Jesus prayed, it would be on earth as it is in heaven.

shine!
Jason

shine!
Jason

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

I think Christians often take this to mean they should attack and condemn those who do not live the right way. We might take the language of “judgment” as an invitation to serve as judge and jury for “sinners.”

What if that’s wrong?

What if we missed the point?

What if Peter’s real point is the just opposite?

What if Peter meant we would suffer for loving the sinner? What if he was telling us to commit to do good to extend grace to the sinner?

Jesus was insulted for eating with sinners and tax collectors. He was looked down on for spending time with prostitutes. He was willing to touch the unclean and socialize with Samaritan women.

The Pharisees seemed offended by his actions and plotted to kill him.

Let’s be honest. The church often looks more like the Pharisees than the one whose name we bear.

Let us proudly wear the name Christian not because we alienate, condemn, or exclude, but because we welcome, love, and embrace.

In Genesis 12, God tells Abram:

I will make you into a great nation,

            and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

            and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

            and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

            will be blessed through you.

Maybe it’s time for the people of God to remember that they are not blessed because they are special, but rather they are blessed because they are chosen to be a blessing to the world.

Jesus came to show God’s people what it looks like to be a blessing. May we have the humility and wisdom to, in the words of Peter, commit ourselves to our faithful Creator and continue to do good.

shine!
Jason

In 1 Peter 2:16,17, Peter writes, “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

Submission frees us to respect people. When we free ourselves from having to be better than others, we can treat them as people, not adversaries. Whether it’s a boss, a teacher, a spouse, a friend, or even an enemy, when we live as servants of all, we can lay down our pride and fear for something significantly more powerful, love.

A little later in the same letter, Peter says it this way…

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Are you tired of being held captive by the need to put others down?

Does always trying to prove you’re better exhaust you?

Is constantly trying to have your way stressing you out?

Then try the path of submission, love, and freedom. It’s a road that reduces anxiety, fear, and captivity.

Sure, it might be scary at first. If it’s not a little terrifying at times, I would be really surprised. When we are so accustomed to fighting for our own way, letting go can feel a little uneasy. But just let go and enjoy the ride.

Living in freedom allows us to break free from the things that hold us hostage; things like pride and control.

You might think, but wait, didn’t that Scripture say to “live as God’s slaves”? Yes it did.

The reality is that we will always be a slave to something. Our decision is, who do we want to serve?

Do we want to serve a master who will slowly kill us with emotions and actions that take life? Or do we want to serve a Master who will continue to resurrect us through thoughts and behaviors that bring life?

Chose the latter and find the life that can only be discovered on the path which sets us free to live the way we were made to live, in harmony and community with the Creator of the universe and the creation he has placed us in. Live so that, in the words of Peter, “you may inherit a blessing.”

shine!
Jason

This idea of being chosen by God is more of a calling than a privilege, more a responsibility than a right. According to Peter, we are “rejected by humans but chosen by God.” (1 Peter 2:4) However, this does not give us the right to reject humans because we are chosen by God.

A few verses later, Peter writes this…

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

In the midst of a verse that can cause us to become conceited about our status as God’s chosen people and special possession, we find a phrase that can easily be overlooked: “…that you might declare the praises of him who called you…”

Being chosen isn’t the end of the journey, but simply the beginning. God is inviting us into relationship so that we might declare his message of mercy to the rest of the world.

So much of Western Christianity focuses on our individual standing with God. Are we saved? Will we make it to heaven? Do I have a personal relationship with God?

While those are important questions, they cannot be the questions that dominate our understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

Notice that Peter is writing to God’s people as a community, not as individuals. While there is certainly a personal, individual aspect of following Jesus, it is in the context of a larger community that God has called us together. We are not a bunch of islands; we are a nation. We are a gathering of people, linked together through the bond of the Holy Spirit.

More important than me being a chosen person, we are a chosen people. A people chosen for a purpose.

God has called us together to be people of mercy. We have received mercy and we are called to show mercy, mercy towards one another and mercy towards every person we encounter.

If we think that we are chosen because we deserve it, we are misguided and missing the point. We are chosen because of God and God’s unyielding love, a love God wants to share with the entire world. Ultimately, we are not reservoirs for God’s love; we are conduits called to share mercy and love with all who we encounter.

shine!
Jason

Here are a few of the definitions I found: Dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred. (of a person) Devoted to the service of God.

I think a lot of people look at being holy as more about what we are not as opposed to what we are. Being holy means you don’t do all of that bad stuff like cuss, have sex, get drunk, etc.

While purity is certainly a significant part of being holy, if that is all we think it is, we are missing so much.

Consider the definitions I mentioned above. What does it mean to be dedicated or consecrated to God? What does it mean to be devoted to the service of God? I would argue that it’s ultimately about acting as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Consider what Peter writes…

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:22-23)

The Kingdom is built on the foundation of love. Holiness and love are closely related. If we are holy, we love with purity. We don’t live for ourselves, but for the other person.

In addition to living for the other person, we live in such a way that our lives are not focused on today alone, but on how today fits in the bigger story of eternity. As Peter writes in the next two verses, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)

While our lives on this earth may be temporary, the Kingdom we are called to serve is not. Live in such a way that your life echoes the voice of the One who saves us and sets us free. And as we do that, we will get a glimpse of the future and offer others an opportunity to see that future as well.

shine!
Jason

God is the God of restoration. His desire to make all things new is centered in the idea of renewed relationships. God wants to heal. God wants to comfort. God wants to rebuild what has been destroyed.

There may be nowhere else in all of Scripture that gets as personal about this as the encounter between Jesus and Peter. Consider Luke’s report about what happened on the night Jesus was arrested…

Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62)

Imagine the shame and disappointment that Peter must have felt in that moment. In a moment, Peter damaged his relationship with this man, this close friend, that he had walked with for over three years. Even when he said he wouldn’t, Peter still denied Jesus.

For most of us, that would be the end of the friendship. If most of us were in Jesus’ shoes, we would have written our former friend off and moved on. But not Jesus.

It was only days later that Peter was finishing up a night of unproductive fishing that Jesus appeared on the shore. Following the miraculous catch of fish, the disciples joined Jesus on the shore for breakfast. It was over that breakfast, at the start of a new day, that the relationship between Jesus and Peter had a new start.

God invites each of us to join him and find restoration. Whether it’s a division between us and God and us and another person, God wants us to find peace and reconciliation. It is through God that we can experience the ultimate restoration that will bless us in this life and the life to come.

shine!
Jason

But it’s not just our government that has a debt problem. According to one study, the average household credit card debt (this doesn’t include mortgage, cars loans, etc.) is nearly $16,000.

There are several times that the Bible speaks to debt. One these is found in the book of Proverbs, where is says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)

Why do we allow ourselves to become slaves to debt?

For many people, it’s the desire to live beyond their means.

Jesus might deal with the same issue in another way…

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-21,24)

Our society teaches us to become slaves to debt so that we can amass treasure in this world. How crazy is that? Even though God warns us not to be slaves to a lender and to serve money, many of us make decisions where we do both.

As many of your know, a little over a year ago, Michelle and I finished paying off over $33,000 in credit card debt. It was such a freeing feeling. Looking back, I know we spent a lot of money we should never have spent on things we didn’t really need.

One of my biggest fears for young people today is that they will make mistakes that lead them into debt. Our culture tells us that we form our identity based on what we own. We often allow our stuff to define us and at the end of the day, that means that our stuff owns us; we don’t own it.

Don’t allow yourself to become a slave. Remain free from the master that is debt.

I am convinced that one of the biggest obstacles for people who want to do good is debt. Instead of having money to give those in need, they have to make a debt payment. Rather then tithe at church, they are paying 10% or more of their income for the credit card’s minimum payment.

The less debt you have, the more you can do for the Kingdom. It often reduces your stress and releases your money for other things. Here is something to think about…

If the average household credit card debt is $16,000, and your minimum payment is 2% of the balance (a typical amount), your monthly payment would be $320 per month. It would take you 704 months (almost 60 years) to be rid of your debt and in that time, you will pay approximately $46,000 in interest.

Even if we disregard the original $16,000 that you spent, think about how much you could have done to serve others with almost $50,000. Your slavery to debt would have made you a servant to another master and your opportunities to serve the Lord would have been severely reduced.

Decide now what master you want to serve, and spend accordingly.

shine!
Jason

Life is short. Play more.

Just do it.

Hungry? Why wait?

All of these slogans above seem to focus on the same idea. Life exists for your pleasure.

While I believe that God desires for us to live an abundant life, I don’t believe we were created to live a life focused on entertaining and pleasing ourselves.

But you might think to yourself, aren’t those the same thing?

No. But our commercialized, market-driven, consumeristic society would want you to believe that. How else would they convince us to spend billions of dollars every year on things that we don’t really need?

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating that we all have to go home and get ride of every television, video game system, cell phone, and every other item that provides us with entertainment and recreation.

Rather, we need to consider how our spending and consumption align with the Kingdom of God. God has not provided written rules about what you can own and what you can’t. The Bible does not tell you what level of financial accumulation is right and what level is wrong. But, God does have a lot to say about what we do with our blessings, including this parable told by Jesus in Luke 12…

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

The heart of the matter is, well, the heart. Life is not about taking it easy, eating, drinking, and being merry. Rather, life is about being rich toward God. And what does being rich toward God look like?

I would guess it looks a lot like the life of Jesus.

shine!
Jason

Why is it that we so often value stuff over people?

I was raised to respect people’s property. It was one of the key values that I learned as a child. I still continue to live by that principle, but I have to be careful not to let the thing become more valuable that the person.

Living in a society where our value is often determined by our possessions really blurs the line. Rather than valuing the thing because it belongs to another person, we often allow ourselves to value the thing above the person.

Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to our stuff. How often do we allow our things to come between us and other people? Whether it’s coveting what someone else has or being so protective of our own things, we can allow what we have to become more important than another person.

In Act 2:44-45, Luke writes, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”

Imagine how much different things could be if we lived this way. What if instead of every person buying a lawnmower, a group of people bought one that they shared? What if a group of people decided to share a car instead of each of them having an extra vehicle?

Last year, I spent a weekend with the Rutba House community in Durham, North Carolina. This community lives in two houses near the campus of Duke University and they are committed to sharing life as a part of the New Monastic movement. In each of the houses you find a collection of people of different ages and life situations. From young singles to complete families, each house shares responsibilities, finances, and much more, and all under one roof!

I wonder what would happen if we could embrace some of these attitudes in our lives. Our society teaches us to build houses filled with empty rooms and furniture we seldom use. We own things that we could easy share with others, but we are led to believe that everyone needs one in their garage, kitchen, or basement.

We want to be self-sufficient and not have to rely on others, so we purchase possessions to enable us to take care of ourselves. How much consumption and accumulation would be unnecessary if we could change our views on stuff? Not only could it help us own less and be burdened by less, maybe it would help us learn how to live in connected community where we actually learn to value and depend on each other more.

shine!
Jason