12May/100

Week 19 Day 3 – The Cost of Doing Right

2 Chronicles 25:1-28

Sometimes God asks us to do things that will cost us a great deal. In today’s story Amaziah had made a mistake. He had hired soldiers from Israel (the disobedient Kingdom to the North) to bolster his own military power.

There are two reasons why this was a wrong decision. First, building up military strength was a demonstration that the king was trusting in his own army to protect the kingdom, rather than in the power of God. We saw that trip up great kings like David and Solomon. Second, hiring Israelites demonstrated that Amaziah was willing to compromise his own values in order to accomplish something that he had convinced himself was right. Too many times we fall into that trap. We will make ethical compromises in our decision making if we believe the end result will "advance the Kingdom." In our success-oriented culture, the church has many times bought into the sub-conscious belief that "success covers a multitude of sins." It was wrong for Amaziah to hire ungodly warriors to fight for God’s people. It demonstrated that He didn’t think God was strong enough to make up for the physical weakness of Judah’s present army.

Before we beat up on Amaziah too harshly, let’s examine our own hearts. It is so easy to evaluate our current situation by purely physical standards. Here’s what typically happens in many churches. We want to accomplish great things for God, so we stop and evaluate our "horse power." Then we realize that we are just a rag-tag group of common folk who don’t have a lot of money, aren’t strikingly attractive, and aren’t bristling with television-quality talent. After assessing the troops we think, "wow, with this sad bunch we won’t be able to do diddly for God’s Kingdom." So, using the same physical lenses that we used to evaluate our own troops, we scour the countryside looking for "10’s" who we can hire to come in and lead us into the battle field. The danger here is that our lenses have already been skewed to the physical realities before our search even started. Then we hire people based upon physical qualities, people who can "produce." The problem is that the "production" is flowing from the physical resources which got them hired. The next thing you know, the church is growing and thriving, but it is bearing the fruit of physical realities.

So what is the alternative?

Let’s revisit the dialogue between the man of God and Amaziah (with a little artistic, interpretive license)

"Amaziah, stop the insanity! Send these soldiers back. Your standards and values are totally whacked and you need to start fresh."

"You want me to do what? Do you know how much I have invested in these soldiers? I’ll lose my shirt if I backtrack now."

"You’ll lose more than your shirt if you don’t do the right thing, right now. Don’t you think that God can cover your loses if you simply obey Him and trust Him?"

Amaziah did obey, and it cost him. He lost money, and he also made enemies...but he did what was right.

This theme comes up again throughout Jesus’ teaching. The rich young ruler was unwilling to give away all that he had to enter the Kingdom. Jesus said that, to be a disciple one had to count the cost. The plowman could not look back when he left the plow. The spiritual pilgrim had to enter the narrow gate and climb the steep and difficult path. It is not easy, or cheap being a follower of Jesus, but it is free.

There are two lessons from today:

We cannot use physical lenses to evaluate the "horse power" of our church. Remember the Kingdom of God is a Spiritual reality. It is a matter of the heart. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. When did God ever use the "qualified" applicant to do His great and mighty work? He gave a son to an elderly couple. He chose a stuttering murderer to lead His people out of slavery. He chose a ruddy shepherd boy to create an eternal dynasty. He became a simple Galilean carpenter, surrounded by a band of backwater fisherman, radicals, tax-collectors and prostitutes, to change the world. It is God’s Kingdom and He distributes His gifts, to the people He chooses, and works through them in the way that He wants. As a church, it is not our job to "make things happen", it is our job to seek the face of God, be filled with His presence, discern the overflow, and jump into it.

Remember that, from physical standards, it will probably cost us everything to walk according to the Kingdom of God. If you are entrenched in a physically dominated mode right now, and you are holding on to your power, possessions, prestige, and profit, then you will have to give them up in order to realign yourself with God’s Kingdom. The alcoholic will have to leave alcohol behind. The sexual offender will have to trash the internet connection and/or cut off the relationship where sex has entered before marriage. The coveter will have to release the idea of ever having anything more than she currently has. We have to give something up, and it will cost us everything. But then...only then, after we have been stripped clean of the barnacles of life, God will open up the storehouse of the treasuries of His kingdom and His glory that far outshines anything that you thought the physical realities you clung to could have ever offered.

Week 5 Day 2 – Sfumato!

We are starting a new book today. You may want to read the introduction to Leviticus

Leviticus 1:1-17

It is a very rare and wonderful occasion when my wife and I are able to take an actual overnight get away alone, without the kids. On one such occasion we were slowly browsing through the quaint shops of a little lakeside village in Minnesota and we happened into a little book store. As soon as I entered the shop the book began to call my name. It sounds strange, I know, but it was as if I was drawn directly to this book from across the shop. I followed this urge and walked right to the lonely white book on the bottom shelf, picked it up, and read the title, How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci. Without hesitation I knew I had to have this book, so I purchased it and began reading.

Being an artist and a lover of learning, Leonardo has always been one of my heroes. This book was marvelous. The author was also a Leonardo fan and had spent much of his life in the study of this great Renaissance thinker. Through the study of Leonardo’s life and writings, the author observed seven principles by which Leonardo lived, and through which he was able to unlock his creative genius.

So, what does that have to do with Leviticus 1? One of the principles that Leonardo lived by was what he called Sfumato! This is an Italian word that means "up in smoke." Say the word out loud in the best, expressive Italian accent you can muster...it’s just fun to say...Sfumato! The principle is based upon the realization that nothing in life is permanent. Things constantly change. Even the best and most wonderful things will eventually come to an end. You could be in the most wonderful, mutually edifying marriage relationship. You could even be married for 75 years. Yet, even that, as truly good as it was, will eventually end when one partner dies. Leonardo observed that most people spend their lives clinging on to things that won’t last. They believe that things like money, power, position, and pleasure will bring them great happiness. This observation makes great sense when we realize that Leonardo was living in Northern Italy during the time when the Medici family was ruling the financial and political climate. Even then, in the late 15th century people were chasing after and holding onto temporary things in an attempt to fill an eternal hole.

In light of this observation, Leonardo said that the only way to experience true freedom, peace, and creativity is to realize that everything in life is Sfumato! it will go "up in smoke." You think you have a sure thing and then, poof! it’s gone. Most people experience depression and despair because they have placed their assurances on these smoky shadows and have watched everything disappear in the puff.

So, if everything will go up in smoke, then where is the hope? Why should we put any effort into living at all? The answer to this is found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. If we cling to the eternal Kingdom of God, and build our lives on the things that will not pass away, then we will know true peace. Leonardo’s practical principle was that we should do everything we do in life with the intensity of believing it is the most important thing in the world, but then step back and say, Sfumato! it doesn’t really matter. What was important about the project was the creative process of working on it, not the product itself. It was in the creative process itself that the image of God was being realized and the intersection between God and Man could take place.

So, the question still remains. What does this have to do with Leviticus chapter 1? The first half of Leviticus is all about burnt offerings. Why did God require burnt offerings from His people? Why did He ask each family to take their most prized bull, a real cash cow (literally), bring it to the altar, and then watch the entire thing be burned into a puff of smoke and ashes? I believe God was trying to connect His people, and us, to the principle of Sfumato! That bull, that thing that you think is so important, that thing that you think will provide for your family and bring security to your life, that thing is nothing more than a puff of smoke in light of eternity. As Christians we need to be willing to take all the things that we hold on to in this life -- our financial, relational, and emotional security -- and light them on fire. Yes, those things are necessary for living in the physical world. Yes, we need to be good stewards of them and work hard at them. But we also need to be able to authentically step back and say "Sfumato! God, I lay all these things on the altar. They came from you and they are for you. Take my stuff and burn it up if you want to. All I want to do is be obedient to you."

What are your "sacred cows" that you cling to; those things that you are just not willing to give up out of fear of being without them? God looks at you and says, "Do you trust me enough to lay that thing on the altar and strike the match?" Poof...Sfumato!