Effective Prayer

In his letter, James encourages prayer. Not just prayer, but effective prayer.

He addresses two issues that block prayer. The first is sin. We all experience the presence of sin, and failure to keep God's word. No one will be perfect in this life. The issue comes when we hang onto sin. Sin causes a breakdown in our relationship with God. His heart is still for us. But sin blocks God from expressing his love to us, and four us. If we turn from sin, are honest with wrong we commit, and turn our hearts back to God, he turns his heart back to us.

And if we lean into him with faith, God's heart is to respond t faith. The example James uses is Elijah praying for rain. Because of the wickedness of the king, Elijah prays for no rain. And it stops raining for several years. Then, he prays for rain, and there is a deluge. There is a lot of confusion about God's timing, especially as we see God sometimes respond immediately, and sometimes respond after a long time.

There is a story about a man, who prayed for the salvation of his friends. While he was alive, none of his friends chose to follow Jesus. Then, he died, and all of his friends decided to follow Jesus.

God always responds in his wisdom. God always responds with a heart of love. Our part is to keep trusting, keep praying, and remain patient.

Love Never Fails

This is the last characteristic in this list.

"Fail" in the original language comes from a word meaning to "fall." As in, it cannot stand anymore. I think the idea in both the original, and English, is pretty much the same. Love always works.

Love has the power to bring peace between enemies; to assure people of their worth, and value; to meet all kinds of needs. It attacks poverty. It attacks discrimination. It brings peace. It changes hearts.

Love Bears All, Believes All, Hopes All, and Endures All

When I started this, I had the feeling that these were four attitudes that were sort of associated. So, it seemed better to write one post for the four of them. I am now wondering if that is correct, but I am going to leave the post as is.

Bears All

The picture in the original language is protecting, or keeping, by covering. It acts as a roof over another person.

Love seeks the best for another person by coming along side them as they deal with issues, and gives support.

Believes All

The picture here is similar to English. It refers to being persuaded, or giving credit, to something. But it moves from there to placing confidence in what you are persuaded of.

Love seeks the best for another person by having a positive attitude about them. It has a realistic perspective, but it does not abandon them for their failures. It is committed to their progress, and well-bing. 

Hopes All

Here the picture is a favorable, confident expectation. It is not like the English which has a "maybe" component.

Love seeks the best for another person by always expecting the best from others. Again, it is realistic, but it does not give up, or abandon others. It does not project failure onto others.

Endures All

The picture given here is someone abiding, or bearing, negative issues calmly, and bravely. It is similar to the English patience. They both describe attitudes of peace, and calmness, when facing negative situations.

When considering love, negative input usually comes from other people. So, love seeks the best for others by not giving up, not blowing up, but continuing in peace, and serenity. Losing one temper is not a result of love. Abandoning someone is not a result of love.

Each of these characteristics express love by seeking the best for people, and seeking the best in people, and holding on when the worst in people appears.

Love Does Not Rejoice In Evil, But Rejoices With The Truth

Here we have another two sides of one coin.

One of the premises of the Bible is that God designed, and created, the world. He designed the physical. He designed the spiritual. He designed people. And part of the design is a lifestyle that agrees with God's heart.

He designed it like a road. People can walk in the center, on the right side, or on the left side. This gives cultures flexibility to function differently. But it also gives a definite right and wrong. Right means staying on the road. Wrong means getting off the road.

If we walk on the road, we live in agreement with God's heart. And if we live in agreement with his heart, we live in line with God's intended meaning, and value, for creation.

Because of the presence of sin, no one stays on the road 100% of the time. Some stay on the road more than others. But everyone gets a traffic citation, and we cannot pay the fine. Thankfully Jesus paid the fine for us.

Love seeks the best for others by striving to stay on the road. Love also desires the best for others. Love does not rejoice when someone else gets a traffic citation. It is not the best for them. It is not the best for ones they interact with. Love does rejoice when someone returns to the road. Even if it is only one tire. When someone agrees with God's heart, he agrees with the design of creation, and he lives more in the way of peace, and joy.

Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

People do wrong things. Even followers of Jesus. Since, God says he will transform his follower's hearts. So, he will also transform all words, and actions, because they come from the heart. So, hopefully, they are becoming producers of more love, and less wrong. But there will always be wrong in this world. So, the question is: what do we do with the wrong? Especially wrong directed at us?

Jesus came into the world, and died on a cross. Now, all just condemnation of wrong has the potential to be forgiven. People receive forgiveness by agreeing with God -- they have committed wrongs, and Jesus' death covers the punishment for those wrongs -- and returning to the correct relationship with him -- he is our Father, so he is the one with ultimate authority over our lives.

There is a section in the Bible, where God tells one of his messengers to let people know that he will forgive our wrongs, and he will not remember them. 

The God who knows everything will not know ab out our sin?

God cannot un-know things. Just like we cannot erase a memory of a wrong done to us. Be he can ignore those things, and treat us as if they never happened. And love seeks the best for people by also ignoring any wrongs done, and treating people as if they did not exist. This is what forgiveness is about. There can be no peace at any level, if people hang onto the past.

Love does the best for people by giving freedom from the past, and room to move into the future.

During World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her family were put into a concentration camp for helping Jews living in the Netherlands. Everyone in her family died in the camp. After the war, at an event, a man, who was a guard in the camp, came and asked for her forgiveness. After a short struggle, because of all the bad memories, she forgave the man. She gave the two of them new freedom.

Love is Not Irritable

Being "not irritable" or "not easily angered" is similar to being patient. The word in the original language means: to sharpen, to stimulate to anger, or to provoke.

So, love is not sharpened, is not stimulated to anger, or is not provoked. In difficult situations, love is expressed by remaining calm, and focusing on a solution for any interpersonal problems. And focusing on the value of the person standing in front of you. Being provoked to anger means a person is a focusing on injury, or insult. Love focuses on remaining calm to promote understanding, peace between people, with perhaps a temporary suspension of one's image, or rights. 

Love is Not Self-Seeking

Self-seeking is description of someone, only being concerned with his wants, desires, or needs. Self-serving, or selfish, could be other ways of expressing this idea.

Some self-focus is necessary. We do need to be concerned for our health. We do need to feed ourselves. But, there is a tipping point. Too much self-focus, and we lose sight of others' needs, and how we can be a solution to their problems.

Love seeks the best of others by being alert to other people, their needs, and how those needs can be met. And also surrendering time, energy, and, maybe, resources to meet those needs.

Love is Not Rude

I think most people understand rudeness as acting in a discourteous, or insulting, manner. All cultures have ways for people to interact with one another that communicate:

    - You are a person.

    - You have worth in society.

    - You have a right to be here, to live, and to enjoy life.

Cultures develop these modes of communication, so that every day interactions can be completed smoothly, and peacefully.

There are a number of ways rudeness can be acted out. Speaking boastfully, or arrogantly, for example. Disregarding the presence of another person is another.

Common courtesy seeks another person's best by giving honor to other people in everyday actions. For a follower of Jesus, it demonstrates that God sees you, God knows you, and you have worth in his sight. And we give the world a simple demonstration that we agree with God.  

Love Does Not Boast; Love Is Not Arrogant

I am going to include two characteristics in this post, because I think they are two sides of the same coin.

Boasting is excessively, and ostentatiously, talking about, and stressing, one's accomplishments of possessions. Boasting is a call for people's attention. It is expressing why the boaster is higher and better.

Being arrogant is having an inflated view of one's self. It is one person regarding himself as higher, superior, and more important. And if that person is superior, and more important, then the other people are not.

Boasting puts one's self above others. Arrogance puts others below one's self.

Love is not boastful, or arrogant. Love does not put self above, or others below. Love holds others on the same level. Love treats others equally. Love regards others as equally important, and equally necessary.

Love Does Not Envy

Envy is an intense discontent, or resentment, concerning the possessions, or qualities, of another person. For example, one person sees another, who intelligent, or pretty, or has a Mercedes, or a particular group of friends. Seeing this arouses irritation, feelings of discontent, dislike, or irritation with the other person. And negative emotions generally produce negative behavior. For example, he could begin to speak about the other person in a negative, belittling, or insulting way.

But love is not envious. It sees the other person with desirable qualities, or possessions, and, at the very least, it does not raise any intense feelings. It does not cause discontent, dislike, or irritation. 

And, maybe, to formulate it in a positive way, love might generate gratitude on the other person's behalf.

"Gee! It would be pretty cool to have a car like John's. But I am really glad he has one. I am thankful for his good fortune."

Love is Kind

Kindness is another concept that is a little different in English and the original language of the Bible.

In English, it seems like kindness has the connotation of being friendly, warm-hearted, and sympathetic. Although, there is the idea of "acts of kindness."

In the original Biblical language, kindness refers to someone having a heart to promote someone else's good, prosperity, or happiness, in a concrete way. It seems to focus more on service, or practical benefit.

So, kindness seeks another person's best by practical acts of service, or generosity. It surrenders time, energy, and resources for another person's good.

Love is Patient

The first quality on the list of love characteristics is patience. Patience in English is: the ability to wait calmly, and without complaint, amidst negative circumstances. Patience in the original language paints a slightly different picture.

Patience in this case is a compound word. The first part means long. The second part is a picture of the center, or hub, of energy. It can be translated as patience, forbearance, or long-suffering. It is trying to paint a picture of restraint in the face of provocation.

One way of looking at it: it is the opposite of having a short fuze. Having a short fuze is an English idiom, that indicates a person's tendency to get angry quickly when faced with any negative input. So, someone, who is patient, has a long fuze ... a very long fuze.

Patience seeks another person's best by not adding fuel to the fire. Anger tends to stir up more anger. Which will not solve any interpersonal problem. Patience is a mindset that values solving any issue, because the person is valuable, and the relationship with him is valuable.

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God's Priorities

Jesus was talking with a group of people, and someone asked him what was the most important commandment. Jesus quoted a part of the Bible that said we should love God. That was command #1. And command #2 was to love people.

How does one love God? After all, it's not like we can give him a birthday present, or treat him to dinner.

At the Last Supper, Jesus shared with his disciples that we show God love when we keep his commandments. So, in order to keep command #1, we need to keep command #2.

There are a lot of people who call followers of Jesus hypocrites. Many, because we say we are supposed to love people, but we do not. And this is partly true. As followers of Jesus, if we are honest, we know that we continue to sin, because sin is still present in our lives. We are forgiven, but not yet perfected. So, we do not always follow Jesus as we should. 

But, I think we could argue that, because of sin, not one single individual maintains their standard of right and wrong. So, everyone on the planet says one thing and does another. So, everyone on the planet is a hypocrite. 

Just as there are some people who are more moral than others, there are some people who are less hypocritical than others. But everyone has a moral standard, and everyone breaks it at some point. Which ー someone acting contrary to their beliefs ー is the definition of hypocrisy, as I understand it.

Another part is how one defines love. One loves one's spouse, or partner. One loves members of one's family. And one loves pizza. These are all loves, but these are all different from one another.

Scripture recognizes multiple kinds of love: between spouse/partner, between friends, between parents and children, and one that should be expressed to neighbors, strangers, and enemies. In other words, everyone!

Scripture does not give a definition for this love. But it does give a list of characteristics that the author (Paul, in this case) intends to paint a picture of what this love looks like. I am intending to do a series of short posts to examine each of these characteristics. I am hoping to increase our understanding of love, and, maybe, I can grow in loving people better.

The Way Into The Most Holy Place

 As Israel was escaping from Egypt, and returning to Canaan, God gave instructions for building the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was intended to be a connection between Israel and God. It was also intended to be a picture of that connection.

There were areas, and artifacts, that were used to cleanse Israel from wrongs they committed. And there was one place that the presence of God resided. No one could enter that area, because each person's sin cut him off from God's presence. God was with his people, but sin prevented a close relationship.

Once a year, the high priest would enter that special place, after intense preparation, to offer a sacrifice of a perfect lamb -- one without blemish. The sins of Israel, committed unknowingly, would be covered by the blood of that lamb.

I noted earlier that the Tabernacle was a picture of the connection between God and people. And it has become a picture of God's solution for sin, and the reconciliation of people to God.

We could not enter God's presence because of our sin. But Jesus, the only one without sin, entered the Most Host Place for us, as our high priest. And he entered the Most Holy Place, as the unblemished lamb, for sacrifice.

The high priest brought the perfect sacrifice into God's presence; and the blood of the sacrifice covered the sins of all people. When the sins of people have been cleansed, they now have permission to go directly to God. There is no sin blocking them anymore.

It is written in the Gospels, that when Jesus died, immediately, the very thick, strong curtain, intended to block people from the Most Holy Place, was torn in two. There was nothing to block normal, every day people from moving into God's presence. Each person has the opportunity to stand next to God's throne, to hear God's voice, and to see his face.

Jesus mad provision for this. We do not have this right, or opportunity, until Jesus' provision becomes ours. That's why the Bible talks about faith. God wants everyone to have this close, and intimate, access. And Jesus' death gives us the means to open the door, and use the opportunity. But faith is the open hands to take the means as our possession. And taker the open relationship as our possession. We can say to God, "You have made this opportunity, this gift, available. I want to take what you are giving."

God is still concerned about sin, and about how we live our lives. But because of Jesus, our high priest, and the torn curtain, a whole, new way of dealing with right living becomes possible, and available to those who respond in faith.

What is the Gospel?

 The word "gospel" is derived from old English, which in turn is derived from the Greek work "euangelion". It means simply "good news". 

The gospel is a proclamation of good news, namely:

• Sin has destroyed life and creation.
• Sin is mankind turning away from God and refusing to allow God his rightful position as Ruler over creation.
• But God has a solution. Jesus, who is both God and man, entered the world
• To demonstrate God's heart and character.
• To die on a cross.

In that death, he suffered the penalty for sin, for all mankind, past, present, and future. He offers pardon for sin, if we accept it by faith, and restore God to his rightful, and proper place as Lord, in our hearts and practices. Jesus gives this as a gift, by grace. Grace is God's power, love, and generosity given freely.

This sacrifice, and gift of grace, is effective for reconciling God and man, justifying man for sin -- past, present, and future -- and redeems man back to God. It also brings change into people's lives by changing their hearts, their spiritual DNA, so it conforms with God's heart. People begin to keep God's word, to love, to speak graciously, and to have attitudes that yield peace, joy and hope.

As people turn to God by faith, live by grace, in connection with God through the Holy Spirit, according to God's word, they learn to share the gospel in a winning way. So, grace, faith, and renewed lifestyles begin to multiply. And as people who live by love and grace multiply, it should begin to have an effect on society, and culture. Step one of God's plan to heal racism, poverty, violence, chemical dependence, dishonesty, and corruption is the natural effects of grace, faith, and the Holy Spirit in the heart of God's family interacting, and living together as God designed it to be. Step two is God's family moving out toward the ends of the earth, with the gospel, and the love God plants in their hearts, to be expressed with the help of God's Spirit shining through God's children.

God's Design and Man's Response

 God designed all of life. God designed human beings, a relationship between God and people, and a relationship between people. 

One way of looking at sin: a person thinking, acting, or speaking outside of the design specifications. Moreover, a person could live within the specs, but have the attitude that the Engineer did not make a good design. This person's design was superior to the Engineer's, and this person chooses to live according to their personal design.

Even God's people do not always live by his design specifications.

God's primary spec is love. So, God's people should be especially characterized by love.

Too many of God's people see people living outside of God's specs, and respond with anger.

Love is not happy when people live outside of God's design. Because love wants the best for people, love wants people to embrace God's design. So, love is happy when a person takes a step toward agreement with God's design.

But anger is contrary to patience. Ignoring, or refusing to work for someone else's benefit, is contrary to kindness. Giving up on someone is contrary to hoping all things.

God's people need to agree, and abide in God's design in all matters, and all situations, in thought, internal agreement, and practice.

The First and Second Commands

God’s first commandment is to love God. God’s second command is to love people. I have speculated before that those are God’s priorities.

What if someone says “Some people are terrible. So, I won’t show love to them. But I will still love God.” This could be the rich, the poor, other ethnicities, other religions, other branches of Christianity, criminals, or other segments of society, or cultures.

For a true follower of Jesus, there are a few problems with that. One, Jesus said to love your enemies. Which would seem to imply that everyone is under the same umbrella. Jesus’ followers should love everyone.

But, a bigger problem is that Jesus said that if you love God, you will obey his commandments. So, you can’t keep the first commandment, if you don’t keep the second commandment. And Scripture further says if a person keeps these two commandments, that person is keeping the whole Law.

A follower of Jesus cannot obey the first command, if they are not patient, or kind to other people. If he/she looks down on other people, expects only bad from them, or for them, they are not obeying the first commandment.

The first and second commandments walk together hand in hand. They cannot be separated. To practice one, one must practice both.

God's Wisdom

 In one of Paul's letters, he encourages us to live wisely. Knowledge is having a list of facts. Understanding is grasping the what's, why's and how's. Wisdom is taking knowledge, and understanding, and applying them to situations, that meets the needs, satisfies the situations, or solves the problem. Wisdom could be a ridiculously simple step. Or it could be a long, complex, and obtuse process.

We know God designed, and created, the world. We understand that, in the design, there are laws, principles, and forces in effect that should be agreed to, and followed, to make living pleasant, worthwhile, profitable, and beneficial. Wisdom sees, and walks down a path, that agrees with God's design.

Paul says that, if we are wise, we will know, and understand, God's will. Then we will agree, and follow, it. And he gives four ways to agree and follow.

He begins with "don't get drunk." I do not see Scripture absolutely forbidding alcohol. Jesus created wine. Both the Passover, and the Lord's Supper, have wine included. There are Christian groups, who after witnessing the damage alcohol can produce -- car accidents, addiction, disease, and broken families -- choose a policy of avoidance. One way to solve, what can be a big problem.

But Paul did not say, in this passage, to avoid alcohol. He said do not move to a place where it controls you. Instead, he says we should agree with God, so we are controlled by something else.

A person is controlled by whatever fills them. If they are filled by alcohol, it controls them, and affects how they live. If the Spirit fills them, he controls them, and affects how they live. If alcohol fills them, they bear the fruit of the alcohol. If the Spirit fills them, they bear the fruit of the Spirit.

The second way is to speak Scripture to  one another. If we share Scripture, we have our hearts filled with Scripture. If we fill our hearts with what God says, it must flow from our hearts.

Filling our hearts with Scripture, fills our hearts with God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out. Sharing Scripture with others helps fill their hearts God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out.

Growth does not come from merely, and only, hearing God's Word. Obeying God's Word is required too.

The third way is to sing in our hearts. If we consider all that God has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us  (he has chosen us, he has given us life, and new life, he has brought into his family, he loves and blesses us, he made us his heirs, he has forgiven, justified, redeemed, and reconciled us, and this is a short list!), joy and gratitude will be, and should be our response. And celebration of God, his character, and his acts, ought to naturally arise in our hearts.

The fourth way, also, ought to be a natural reaction: giving thanks in everything. I do not think that means we thank God for everything. We should not thank God for what is not his will. (Abortion is not his will. Racial injustice is not his will. Death is not his will. Disunity in his family is not his will.) 

We should be thankful for everything that is his will. And for those situations not in his will, Scripture says he can, and does, use them to promote, advance, complete, and perfect his plans. So, we can be thankful his will is advancing.

Maybe something happens, and we can see something good resulting from something bad. We can be thankful for that something good.

Maybe something happens, and we can only see something bad resulting from something bad. We can be thankful that God will act in it, and his mission will advance from it. And we should return to the third way, and remember all that he has done, is doing, and will do ... and celebrate!

Agreement With Father

Jesus said his food was to do the Father’s will, and to complete the Father’s mission. (personal paraphrase)

He meant that he gained life by living in agreement with the Father. He lived in agreement with the purpose, and design, of the world.

But he also lived in agreement with the Father’s mission. He lived in agreement with what the Father was trying to accomplish in the world. His heart agreed with the Father’s heart.

What was on the Father’s heart? What is on the Father’s heart?

There are a lot of ways to understand the Father’s mission, and the Father’s heart. One way is to say he intends to build, and complete, his family.

There are people, who he has declared to be his children. And he wants them to live as his children. And there are a few different results of this.

One, they act as his children. They choose to live in agreement with God’s design. They choose love as the primary value. And, as they choose, they are changed, and live closer, and closer to how Jesus lived.

Two, they have a self-image as his children. Children are loved, and accepted, for who they are, and what they are. Faults and deficiencies are not ignored. A father’s heart envisions, encourages, and trains the best decisions and lifestyles. But acceptance, and love, are not given on the basis of how completely one accepts the design plan(*) nor how faithfully, thoroughly, and completely one keeps, and practices the design plan.(*)

God declares: I love you. You are my child. I want you with me forever, so that I can demonstrate my love, and favor, top you. But you would live the best life, if you followed my plan as closely as possible.

Three, they have the same heart as the Father. They want what the Father wants. They are motivated by what motivates the Father.

Father wants a family. He wants close relationship with his children. He want his children to have close relationships with one another. And the original plan, it was intended for all mankind, every single person ever born, to be part of that family.

Mankind chose, and continues to choose, to reject relationship with Father. So, mankind is cut off from God.

So, Father planned to bring people back into his family.

And Jesus was born into the world, and chose to go to the Cross, to bring anyone, who gives allegiance to the Father, Son and Spirit, into God’s family.

So, if we have Father’s heart, we will want what he wants. We will want God’s children to walk in agreement with God’s design. We will want God’s children to See themselves as God sees them. (Accepted, loved, and chosen.) And we will want an ever increasing growth in the number of people in God’s family. 

(*) I almost on accident coined a new term: design plan. I am trying to express the life lived in agreement with the Father. “Design” refers to the principles and structures built into the fabric of the world. “Plan” refers to the individual expression of the design. All buildings must deal with gravity, weather, and be suitable for people. But buildings are different: stores, houses,  

God's Plan: Family

God gives grace, because his primary characteristic is love.

God is holy. He cannot live in the presence of sin. He will punish sin, and rebellion.

But God did not create mankind to have law-abiding citizens, faithful followers, or obedient servants. God created mankind to have a family.

There is eternal love, giving, and honor, between Father, Son, and Spirit. Such love, that it could not remain within that circle. So, God expanded the circle.

God created people, so he could include them in the circle of love. And when the first people sinned, rejecting God’s love, his invitation to eternal relationship, to the eternal family, he punished their sin with curses that broke the God-man fellowship, broke man-man fellowship, and allowed evil to be birthed in the world.

But he also began the process of restoration. He offered grace, so mankind could choose to reunite with God’s family, and God’s circle of love.

So, those who accept God’s invitation of restoration, give him allegiance, now stand as his family in the world. We are not just kingdom citizens, followers, soldiers, and servants. We are family. Part of God’s circle of love. And part of that God-impulse to share, and spread, his love over the world.

One writer says that God’s intention for his family is to: live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and leave what Jesus left behind.

What did Jesus leave behind? People who became part of his family, living as he did, loving as he did, and bringing more people into the family. This live-love-leave is part of the new spiritual DNA, the Holy Spirit injects into our being.

We will probably have different places, and different roles, in the family. But we all have responsibility in the live-love-leave continuum to maintain, and increase, God’s family. We all have responsibility in God’s restoration process.