SIMPLE DO'S

        These are two pages from one of my exhaustive 
Bible concordances, but the tiny print and compact
columns are probably a good picture of ALL
those 613 laws facing early Jews.

The law library at the University of Washington was my favorite place to study—away from roommate drama—during the two quarters I attended there (1969-70). No, I wasn't a law student (I was completing some journalism classes), but I knew that my need of a quiet study place could happen amidst the tall shelves of thick law books. So many laws! Thousands of tomes to interpret them!

A few years later I learned of an burdensome spiritual number: 613. That's how many commands good Jews of Bible times were expected to obey. Of that number, 365 were things not to do, and 248 were things to do. Of the “police force” (the Pharisees) pushing all those laws on people, Jesus declared, WOE! All of Matthew 23 jabs at the picky-picky laws they felt duty-bound to impose.

I'm grateful God set the “basics” at ten (commandments), not hundreds. And that Jesus augmented the stark “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not” commands of Moses' time with the compassionate do's and don'ts with The Beatitudes (Matthew 5) as well as His other teachings. Also: that scripture includes other parcels of teaching that support and explain the basics of simple, godly living.

One such passage is Psalm 15, by King David. He wasn't perfect, but he loved God. As a warrior-king, not a priest, he couldn't serve in the Jerusalem temple. But he seemed to yearn for a life of devotion such as he observed in the priests who lived and worked on God's “holy hill” (v. 1). The character traits he highlighted are still true for believers today.

*INTEGRITY. David spoke of a seeking a “blameless walk” (v. 2), despising vile lifestyles (v. 4a) and honoring godliness (v. 4b).

*TRUTHFULNESS. His spiritual role models had impeccable speech (“speaks truth from his heart,” v. 2b), and didn't slander or slur another's reputation (v. 5).

*GODLY CONDUCT. For this character trait, David looked at how someone handled money. He commended those who kept their word “even when it hurts” (v. 4), lent money without exorbitant interest (“usury”), and never accepted bribes (particularly, never against “the innocent”--v. 5).

Throughout all three of these character traits I hear echoes of the Ten Commandments and Jesus' teachings about loving and serving one another. And I'm grateful I'm not burdened by more than 600 Levitical do's and don'ts of long ago. The traits David highlighted transcend the centuries. And they can be journey markers until Christ calls us Home—to Heaven, where integrity, truthfulness, and godly conduct are the norm, for everyone there.

MICAH'S NUTSHELL

We know it's fall when the neighborhood squirrels turn our back fence into a narrow highway to rush a neighbor's fallen walnuts to their winter hideouts. Packed into each knobby nut is the nutrition they'll need to survive the winter. I think there's a parallel here with the Old Testament books of prophecy. They have a lot of “woe” and “shame on you” going on in passages that call for a grasp of turbulent ancient history in what we call “The Holy Land.” The problem was, the people weren't preparing (like our industrious squirrels) for a time of deprivation or a better, back-to-God future.

Enter Micah, who lived near Gath, famous for its fallen non-hero, the giant Goliath. Like other prophets, he tried to warn people that God's judgment would come if they didn't turn from sin. In the midst of a negative communication there's a jewel that cries out, “Notice me! Obey me!”

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. --Micah 6:8

To put it in modern lingo:

*Following God is a good thing and it isn't rocket science.

*Be honest and just.

*Be merciful. Life isn't just about you.

*Humble yourself before God.

As for that last command, I think of Peter's similar teaching:

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Context always matters, and especially so here. Micah 6:6-7 shows how twisted the people's understanding of how to approach God had become. You catch hints that they were observing the practices of pagan nations around them—folks whose “religion” required elaborate sacrifices of livestock and even human babies:

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (v. 7)

Instead the message was simple: uphold justice, be kind, obey God. They represent faith in a “nutshell.” The nutrients that can sustain God-followers when times get tough.

BUCKET LISTS

In our times, a “bucket list” is defined as something that we want to do before a certain deadline—perhaps before we die. That's why we read about 90-year-olds tandem sky-diving or going up in a hot air balloon. Or maybe their list includes mending tattered relationships, so they can pass away with a clear conscience. In Old Testament times, the spiritual buckets required folks to render enough offerings or acts of penance in hopes they'd be forgiven their sins and get right with God. By the time of Martin Luther (early 1500s) the church had lots of money-making rules to take care of bruised consciences. And Luther had a problem with that. He felt weighed down by his sin (even as a monk—a real-life “church guy”) and didn't know if he was good enough for God.

Then one day he read Romans 1:17

Die Gerechten werden aus dem Glauben leben. “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Nothing about having to earn it. It came by faith. A gift. And from then on, he risked his life to teach what Scripture teaches, birthing the Protestant movement. And this wasn't just a New Testament concept, for in writing that, the apostle Paul had reached back into an obscure Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk (2:14), to proclaim the forward-looking truth of the mission of Jesus Christ, that “salvation” is a gift, not something earned.

Habakkuk's name means “embrace” or “ardent embrace”--which has been taken to imply “wrestler” or big-time hugger. He had “wrestled” himself with his nation's plight. The wicked, strong, proud Chaldeans were getting the upper hand and ready to overthrow the southern kingdom of Judah. God answers that yes, they will prevail, but not forever. Judgment will eventually come. Our role is to trust and obey. Yes, amid the failures of Old Testament laws, and the threats of vile enemies--the extravagant hope of a Savior.

For a lot of people, the “minor prophets” like Habakkuk are hard to understand and boring. There's so much warfare and questioning and plain old doubt. But Habakkuk, fifth to the last of the Old Testament prophets, looks toward the dawn of hope that erupts in full glory with the birth of a Savior. As he wrote, things looked very dim. Crops were failing: figs, grapes, olive. Ditto livestock. But he looked up: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights!” (v. 3:19).

It's also the vibrant, hopeful New Testament message: Jesus died for my sins. I am forgiven. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

TASTE AND SEE

I'd stirred up some brownies from a box mix and could not resist a childhood pleasure—of licking the spoon and spatula. Yum, yum. Into the oven a pan would go, later to bear “number” candles for my son's latest birthday. That's right, brownies instead of a cake. His little boys eagerly tasted them and declared they were good!

I think of that sensory pleasure when I read Psalm 34:8:

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

As children, when confronted by a new and strange food, we'd often be told, “Taste it, you'll like it.” That wasn't always true for limited and inexperienced palates! (Definitely NOT true of my first experience with liver!) But we often use the same ruse in introducing people to Christ. “Give Jesus a try—you'll like Him.” The problem is that Jesus isn't like the food samples offered by ladies in smocks and hairnets at the local big-box store. He's not in competition with another “product.” He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life—the only way to truly know God (John 14:6).

“Taste and see” is a warm invitation to know the living God—not a product evaluation. Once in a vital relationship with Jesus, we understand. And it gets better.

As a pre-teen introduced to the church sacraments, “communion” seemed such a mature mystery. At that time, my family attended a liturgical church where we came to the semi-circular altar rail, and the pastor served each of us: “This is the body and blood of Jesus.” I remember gripping the communion rail, trying to bridge the gap between something that tasted and Someone who sacrificed. As I grew and participated in communion services in other denominations, that mystery remained. And even though churches differ in how to explain this holy moment with long, important words, the bottom line seems to be this: we remember. The cross. Gratitude for being loved so much, for Him to endure so great a painful and sacrificial death.

Perhaps “taste and see” is the right way to phrase it. We can't experience Christ by looking in from the outside, no more than I could savor the chocolate left in the mixing bowl by leaving it untouched on the kitchen counter. Christ is not a display. He is a lifestyle, one defined and empowered by an undeserved, prophesied, willingly-entered-into and lovingly completed Death to conquer the Enemy's grip. His gasped words, “It is finished,” rocked across the millennia of history.

We taste...and know...that He is good. “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). We know through how choices play out in circumstances and relationships. And we know through that deep, inexplicable sense that Jesus is, indeed, the Presence within that truly satisfies.

In the church I now attend, communion is passed in trays down the rows, not served a few at a time at the altar rail. As I hold the little cup and wafer, I remember, and ask God to again make this a holy moment: “This is MY body, given for you, MY blood, shed for you.” I am to taste and know that He is good.

RESTING

 A monthly series on a great hymn of the faith

J. Hudson Taylor, known for his vision to evangelize all of China, had his share of faith-discouraging hard times. That especially included the trials and losses of the 1899-1900 “Boxer Rebellion,” so named because the Chinese rebels were known for their boxing and martial arts skills. They killed nearly eighty of Taylor's missionaries during that bloody time.

One of the slain missionaries was brother to Jean Pigott, an Irish poet and hymn lyricist. Though she lived to only age 37, her legacy included the lyrics to “Jesus, I am Resting, Resting.” That hymn reportedly brought Taylor great comfort during his greatest trials as a missionary leader. It's said that when the worries and losses of leading the mission nearly overwhelmed him, he'd go to his little reed organ and sing the hymn that expressed his greatest need.

The hymn also expressed in music and lyrics the Biblical truths from John 15, about abiding in Christ—illustrated by vines “abiding in” the branch (Jesus) and finding their strength there. A fellow missionary had written Hudson a note of biblical encouragement, sharing how he'd come to realize the power of “abiding” in his own struggles. The friend wrote: “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by resting on the Faithful One.”

The hymn impacted Taylor so much that he often had his missionaries sing it with him. It didn't take away the bloody political problem. It's estimated that 100,000 died (including 200-250 foreigners, mostly Christian missionaries) during the Boxer Rebellion. But the hymn lifted their eyes from the discouraging political situation to the One who created and called them, and Who promised eternal life.

The words that Miss Pigott used to express “abiding” are worth thinking about. She wrote about resting in the Lord, gazing on Him, being satisfied at the deepest level through contemplating His presence and gifts. The hymn begins:

Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness of thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And thy beauty fills my soul,

For by thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole.

At least two tunes are associated with this hymn. This video features a menu's chorus singing it with the traditional music.

Jesus I am Resting, Resting - Bing video

The other tune with beautiful scenery can be found here:

Jesus, I am resting - Bing video

JUST LOWLY SPUDS

We'd gotten a bag of potatoes that were rejected by the produce company for size, including this mammoth one that I decided to name “Bud the Spud” before I peeled, cooked, and mashed it for dinner. I gave it some fake “eyes” (though it had a few of its own, au natural) for its portrait....and thought of a game from my 1950s childhood that featured a plastic potato. The aim of the “Mr. Potato Head” game was to decorate it with all sorts of plastic “items,” like mustaches and hairdos. I guess, the uglier the better. But don't laugh: those half-a-century-ago game spuds sell now for $175-225 on resell sites. I find that... incredible.

I guess I shouldn't, as there's something in our culture that thinks “the bigger, the better.” The more luxurious, the lovelier. The flashier, the favored. The more “decorated” (as in military medals or academic degrees), the more desirable.

Paul turned that tendency upside down when he described what should characterize a Christian:

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

He went on to describe the various ways Christians live out their faith, according to the “giftedness” with which God has endowed them. Some are gifted in declaring God's truth. Others serve, teach, encourage, share resources with those in need, lead, and show mercy (vv. 6b-8).

The walls of my little office/sewing room have some award certificates given me as a writer and speaker. The recognition was affirming, but I have learned that they aren't the whole picture of God's call on my life. Some days I really feel like a lumpy old potato, wondering if God can still use me. Then I remember: He specializes in new recipes as He “grows” a servant. In my cooking life, I can transform a “spud” with recipes for baking/twice-baked, scalloped, mashed, hash-browned, and fried. Similarly, God knows what's best for the rest of my years on earth.

And who knows what God can do through the raw material of a human being? Pastor Charles Stanley of our times has said, “God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to him.” Nineteenth century evangelist D.L. Moody said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God's help, I aim to be that man.” Missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Our culture tends to elevate and even worship celebrities. That's not God's usual way of doing things. He seems to delight in reaching down into a mesh sack and pulling out the most unlikely candidate to prepare for His work. Like me.

Curious about the world's biggest potato? Here's a whopper that looks like a curled-up gnome:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/giant-potato-may-have-smashed-the-world-record/ar-AAQmFQk

BOOSTER SEAT

The grand-boys had come for dinner, and as little Jimmy (then 4 ½) stood by “his” chair, he touched the strapped-in “booster chair” and said, “Nana, I don't need this anymore.” Oh, another milestone of growth. First, he was a babe in arms. Then he sat in a high-chair where he slopped his food all over the tray. Finally, he was promoted to the “big people table” in a booster seat next to his brothers, with his own plastic dishes and place mat.

Hearing his request, I unstrapped and removed the booster, and he sat down, way down, so that his chin was almost even with the tabletop. Knowing he wouldn't want to resume the “booster seat” era, I found a thin foam pillow for him to sit on to give him a little height. That suited him just fine. Growing up with stair-step older brothers, he's tried hard to keep up with them. And even a little matter of outgrowing the booster seat was important to him.

Someday, even, he will grow out of the “foam pillow” boost, and his chin will steadily rise from table-level. Someday, that chin will have whiskers! I'm not sure I'll still be around for that, but for now, I'm glad I can encourage his desire to “not be a baby anymore.”

Later on, that incident got me thinking about “baby Christians” and the need to grow past the basics of accepting Jesus' death for our sins, and growing in the faith. One of my spiritual mentors years ago (a godly senior – the age I am now!) challenged me with her faith-walk and consistent scripture memory program. For some reason, this verse she recited to me—with a tear in the corner of her eye-- stands out from all the others:

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

Even at her age, this godly woman didn't consider herself Christian "enough” to coast with her current faith-walk. She was always growing, always praying, always reading and memorizing scripture. And it showed—in her eternal confidence and compassion for her family and the bigger needs of the world. She was into the “real meat” of scripture and into the “real heart” of prayer. I loved her and learned from her.

I think her distinctive spiritual character was that she loved her Jesus and she loved the scriptures. Her Bible was so well-used that it seemed molded to her lap. Such intimacy with God's Word doesn't come from haphazard reading or a quickie in a devotional. As I observe today's media culture (computer/smart phone addiction to gaming, social sites, other entertainment) capture the hearts of this next generation, I wonder: where will be the spiritual giants? Will they succeed in saying “no” to excesses of entertaining videos or social media to cultivate the most important relationship of all—that with the Lord Jesus? Will they grow out of the “baby habits” of a snitch of scripture here or there (if any) and really “chew” on mature spiritual food? Will their lives show it?

Such questions I ask myself: have I moved on from baby food to real spiritual meat? Is it making a difference in my life? Does scripture “give me a boost” to love my Savior even more?