The funny thing is that when we try hard to make a name for ourselves it does not stick. Think about it- did you ever want to be called by a certain nickname? When we try to establish nicknames for ourselves it seems like it never works. Nicknames come from others. Nicknames come from our quirky human tendencies. Nicknames come from the observation and affection (or malice) of the people around us.
Even at your job or your business, if what you really focus on is making a name for yourself it more often than not turns out in disaster. But, if you concentrate on doing good work, putting out a quality product, or achieving some level of proficiency or excellence, then the whole "make a name" thing takes care of itself.
In Genesis 11 we see that whole process at work. These people described in the chapter decided that they wanted to make a name for themselves. As we discussed Sunday, they were actually, whether they knew it or not, going against God's intent for mankind. God had "commanded" or "instructed" that mankind should "fill the earth". These people we find in chapter 11 decided they did not want to be spread throughout the earth. So they took root and decided to "make a name for themselves". They tried to establish or find their identity in what they did and what they made and what they accomplished by the work of their hands. It became their whole goal and focus. And it worked out about as well as when we try to make our own nicknames- it didn't last.
As I have reflected on last weeks discussion and thought about that issue I have found myself reminded that my true identity is / needs to be completely wrapped up in who I belong to. My identity needs to be all about the fact that I have been redeemed by love and that I have been created by a loving God. And I need to be satisfied with that. Now don't get me wrong- I think that striving for excellence in the things we do is valuable, commendable, important, admirable... the list of positive adjectives goes on and on. But, like so many things in our walk with God, it comes down to our motivation for being excellent. If our true motivation is, indeed, to make a name for ourselves, then we will ultimately fail. We may enjoy popularity or profit for a while, but it will not last and it is not eternal. But if we strive for excellence because we feel it is our responsibility to use the talents God gave us to the fullest- if we want to show the character of God by doing all we can to do things well- if we want to show the world the goodness of God and not the goodness of self- then we move, I believe, in the right direction.
Perhaps rather than making a name for ourselves we should allow God to make our name for us.
Just Keep Swimming!
Jon
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
And We All Come Tumbling Down...
It seems so unfair to me...
God set up this perfect existence- the garden, no work, no guilt, no shame, no disease... perfect. And then the whole incident with the serpent and Eve and Adam and choice and sin and... arg!!! They blew it! They had it perfect and they blew it!! And they didn't just blow it for themselves- they blew it for all of us! It just isn't fair! I have to inherit this "human sin condition" because Adam and Eve couldn't keep their hands out of the cookie jar? Come on!
What's that? What did you say? You say I would have probably done the same thing if I had been there? Um.... you're right. I most likely would have.
But it is interesting to think about. I mean, in chapter 1 and 2 of Genesis you have this perfect creation and everything is moving along just the way it was designed. Then, in chapter 4 you have murder and jealousy. So, chapter 3 becomes the "black box". What happened? Things were fine and then they weren't!
Well, we pretty much know what happened, but it is interesting to look at how it happened.
Chapter 3 brings up a lot of questions that are not answered right in that chapter- questions like "Where did Satan come from" and "Why was there any evil around anyway?" I am not really going into those questions right now. The thing I want to look at briefly is the approach of the serpent. There are three things I find especially interesting about how the serpent approached this whole thing.
The first thing is the serpents statement- it was erroneous and he knew it! He comes to Eve and says, "Did God really say you cannot eat from any tree in the garden?" That isn't at all what God said! God made a prohibition about ONE tree. The serpent misspoke God's words on purpose. When Eve heard the incorrect statement she felt obligated to straighten things out, but it also brought the one forbidden thing right to the front of her mind. We have all seen it. When you tell your kids they cannot have something, they want it. It is not because the really want it. Five minutes ago they could not have cared less about it. But as soon as they find out they "can't have it", they want it. They want it more than anything else. Sometimes to the point of distraction. The serpent (Satan), knew exactly what he was doing, and he still does today.
Another brief but important thing about how the serpent ran his scam is that he (the serpent) is certainly not an Atheist. He did not say, "Oh God is just a myth." or "God does not exist", or "God is not really in charge". The serpent did not deny anything about God's existence, presence, or even authority. He just misrepresented what God said. That tactic is alive and well today in Satan's arsenal.
The other thing that really hit me with this account when I read it this time was that the serpent managed to shift Adam and Eve's focus from God's provisions to God's denials. Let's face it- there are certain things that are prohibited. God has drawn lines. There are things that we are not to be a part of- if for no other reason than "God said so." But, in the case of Adam and Eve, (and for us as well), they had been given EVERYTHING and denied ONE thing. They had been given infinitely more than what had been denied! It would seem that would be enough! They should have been happy! But NOOOO! But I am the same way. There are far too many days when I spend time thinking about what I don't have and what I can't have and forgetting all about what I DO have. I have been given EVERYTHING. Whatever has been prohibited has been held back for my own good. I can't always get that through my head.
I welcome discussion and thoughts on these first verses in chapter 3. There is so much more that we could discuss!
Looking forward to Sunday!
Just Keep Swimming!
Jon
God set up this perfect existence- the garden, no work, no guilt, no shame, no disease... perfect. And then the whole incident with the serpent and Eve and Adam and choice and sin and... arg!!! They blew it! They had it perfect and they blew it!! And they didn't just blow it for themselves- they blew it for all of us! It just isn't fair! I have to inherit this "human sin condition" because Adam and Eve couldn't keep their hands out of the cookie jar? Come on!
What's that? What did you say? You say I would have probably done the same thing if I had been there? Um.... you're right. I most likely would have.
But it is interesting to think about. I mean, in chapter 1 and 2 of Genesis you have this perfect creation and everything is moving along just the way it was designed. Then, in chapter 4 you have murder and jealousy. So, chapter 3 becomes the "black box". What happened? Things were fine and then they weren't!
Well, we pretty much know what happened, but it is interesting to look at how it happened.
Chapter 3 brings up a lot of questions that are not answered right in that chapter- questions like "Where did Satan come from" and "Why was there any evil around anyway?" I am not really going into those questions right now. The thing I want to look at briefly is the approach of the serpent. There are three things I find especially interesting about how the serpent approached this whole thing.
The first thing is the serpents statement- it was erroneous and he knew it! He comes to Eve and says, "Did God really say you cannot eat from any tree in the garden?" That isn't at all what God said! God made a prohibition about ONE tree. The serpent misspoke God's words on purpose. When Eve heard the incorrect statement she felt obligated to straighten things out, but it also brought the one forbidden thing right to the front of her mind. We have all seen it. When you tell your kids they cannot have something, they want it. It is not because the really want it. Five minutes ago they could not have cared less about it. But as soon as they find out they "can't have it", they want it. They want it more than anything else. Sometimes to the point of distraction. The serpent (Satan), knew exactly what he was doing, and he still does today.
Another brief but important thing about how the serpent ran his scam is that he (the serpent) is certainly not an Atheist. He did not say, "Oh God is just a myth." or "God does not exist", or "God is not really in charge". The serpent did not deny anything about God's existence, presence, or even authority. He just misrepresented what God said. That tactic is alive and well today in Satan's arsenal.
The other thing that really hit me with this account when I read it this time was that the serpent managed to shift Adam and Eve's focus from God's provisions to God's denials. Let's face it- there are certain things that are prohibited. God has drawn lines. There are things that we are not to be a part of- if for no other reason than "God said so." But, in the case of Adam and Eve, (and for us as well), they had been given EVERYTHING and denied ONE thing. They had been given infinitely more than what had been denied! It would seem that would be enough! They should have been happy! But NOOOO! But I am the same way. There are far too many days when I spend time thinking about what I don't have and what I can't have and forgetting all about what I DO have. I have been given EVERYTHING. Whatever has been prohibited has been held back for my own good. I can't always get that through my head.
I welcome discussion and thoughts on these first verses in chapter 3. There is so much more that we could discuss!
Looking forward to Sunday!
Just Keep Swimming!
Jon
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Caution- Merging Traffic...
Excuses, excuses...
There has not been a post on this blog for a couple of weeks- this I know. There are reasons, but not excuses. The reasons include the final production blitz of the 8th Grade Video project - a project about which I tell myself every year that I am going to "spread the work" throughout the entire school year and never do- and, the whole Great Swelling of '09.
I am very sorry for the way last Sunday turned out. No one has any good medical explanation for why my face would wait until 4 days after a minor out-patient procedure and then balloon to Cabbage Patch proportions. I think I know why it happened though- it is related to the aforementioned video project. I think that God knew that there was no way on this green earth that I was going to finish that video if I had to go to school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this last week. So, in His inimitable style, He arranged circumstances that allowed me to be home with good reason and to continue work on the project.
Anyway, my appearance is now just about as good as it ever is, and I am merging back into the flow of human traffic. And thus, on with Sunday School we go!
This week we will get to work on our study of Genesis. I am hoping to make this a 6-8 weeks study of some major points in the book. There are 50 chapters and that is a little much for a chapter by chapter study right now (not that it would be a bad thing- its just a little long)
This week we will look at some things to get us started. We have to have a reference point. I want to look at how the book is divided, why the book is important to us, and a little about how Genesis is interpreted by different groups of people these days. This discussion will help to set up where we are headed in the next handful of weeks.
Looking forward to getting back at it!
Just Keep Swimming!
Jon and Melanie
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Nothing Like Late Pasta...
Wow. Busy week. And, I am afraid it may not get any better for a couple of weeks. Anyway, let's squeeze in a few bites of pasta before we get together again for another round...
Last week, because of some stellar group work, we summarized chapters 22-26. In case you were not there, we split up, took chapters, and worked on summaries, key verses, and important teaching points from each of the chapters. Remember that this is the part of the book where things turn pretty narrative in nature and the book of Acts becomes much more like a "story".
The big thing we find in these chapters is the account of Paul being "on trial" or at least in a "hearing"- making his case for the gospel and for his actions over and over again. This series of trials and hearings gives Paul the chance to testify about the truth of the gospel to a number of audiences, all of which include some powerful people. Hmm... think God had His hand in this? I think so!
It is interesting to note that in chapter 24 we find that Paul has been referred to Felix in Caesarea, and that whole change of venue and the ensuing proceedings lasted for 2 years! When Paul was promised that he would make it to Rome, I am guessing that he did not think it would take place exactly like this. Then again, maybe he was smarter than me, (well, ok- I know he was WAY smarter than me), and did not really develop any expectations about exactly how God would get him to Rome. Darn those expectations!! They are the source of all of our disappointments!
I just like the way God continues to show himself as sovereign through all of the process that we read about. I guess some people might read that account and say, "Gee, God sure had trouble getting Paul to Rome! What did it take- like three years or something?" I look at it and say, "Paul got to Rome just the way God intended for Paul to get to Rome." And, because Paul did not get focused on circumstances, but rather stayed focused on the gospel, all kinds of people heard about Jesus on the way. Hmmm.... anyone else seeing a bit of a lesson for all of us here?
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
Last week, because of some stellar group work, we summarized chapters 22-26. In case you were not there, we split up, took chapters, and worked on summaries, key verses, and important teaching points from each of the chapters. Remember that this is the part of the book where things turn pretty narrative in nature and the book of Acts becomes much more like a "story".
The big thing we find in these chapters is the account of Paul being "on trial" or at least in a "hearing"- making his case for the gospel and for his actions over and over again. This series of trials and hearings gives Paul the chance to testify about the truth of the gospel to a number of audiences, all of which include some powerful people. Hmm... think God had His hand in this? I think so!
It is interesting to note that in chapter 24 we find that Paul has been referred to Felix in Caesarea, and that whole change of venue and the ensuing proceedings lasted for 2 years! When Paul was promised that he would make it to Rome, I am guessing that he did not think it would take place exactly like this. Then again, maybe he was smarter than me, (well, ok- I know he was WAY smarter than me), and did not really develop any expectations about exactly how God would get him to Rome. Darn those expectations!! They are the source of all of our disappointments!
I just like the way God continues to show himself as sovereign through all of the process that we read about. I guess some people might read that account and say, "Gee, God sure had trouble getting Paul to Rome! What did it take- like three years or something?" I look at it and say, "Paul got to Rome just the way God intended for Paul to get to Rome." And, because Paul did not get focused on circumstances, but rather stayed focused on the gospel, all kinds of people heard about Jesus on the way. Hmmm.... anyone else seeing a bit of a lesson for all of us here?
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
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