Read, Mark, Learn, and Inwardly Digest

When we read a passage in the Bible, we need to see what the Bible says in that passage and make certain we do not impose our preconceived ideas on the text. That is easier said than done. We need to remember that the passage was written to a particular group of people in a particular place, time, and situation, however we also believe it was written for us today and there are theological principles found in the passage that we can apply today from the text. So how do we do it?

Let us look at Jeremiah 29:11, a popular verse with a promise. I find it is good to look at verse in several translations to get a sense of the passage and how the translations differ. I will use the latest versions of three translations that are used in the Bible studies that I am a part of.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV 2016)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (NASB 2020)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV 2011)

The passages are very similar but note the differences: welfare, prosperity, and prosper you, and evil, disaster, and harm you. You can gain additional insight from the differences because translating is rarely a pure word to word translation. The differences should be similar. If they are not similar, you may need to do some more research into why there are significant differences.

The context of the passage is a very important starting point in understanding the passage. What do the surrounding verses say? What is the larger context? How is it part of the book? And how does it fit in the context of the whole Biblical story, which centers on Jesus? How did the original hearers of the passage take it?

Looking at the immediate context around Jeremiah 29:11, we see that this verse is in a letter (Jeremiah 29:1-23) Jeremiah had written to the exiled people in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1). And he was telling them that they are going to have to wait 70 years before they would be able to return home (Jeremiah 29:10), so they should settle down in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-7). God’s 70 year punishment of Israel was not null and void. It was still in effect. At the time of the letter, Jerusalem was still standing but it was going to fall (Jeremiah 29:15-23). They had to wait for their return and endure the exile, but God gave them hope for their future (Jeremiah 29:11-14). And most of them hearing the letter would not be alive in 70 years. God was giving them hope and a future but it was not what they wanted to hear. That is the historical context (and a literary context too).

So the first step is to understand the passage in the context of the original listeners. Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise for those exiles thousands of years ago, but what does it mean for us today?

Once we have the historical and literary context, then we can consider what the differences are between the people back then and us today. Today we are very much individually oriented, while back then they were very much community and family oriented. Back then the community and family ranked above the individual. With today’s eyes, we interpret Jeremiah 29:11 like it was directed at individuals, but instead it was directed at the community (especially since after 70 years most of the original hearers would be dead). Today we expect relatively quick happenings. We do not like waiting a few days, let alone 70 years. The long time frames were more expected back then. Receiving a letter back then was a big deal. Parchment was expensive and it was expensive to send a letter (by a carrier), so letters were rare and carried important information.

The third step is to discover the theological principles found in the passage, noting the differences between the culture back then to the culture today. What are the general timeless similarities that are reflected in the text that are relevant today and back then? I see for this verse that God is in control, and his plans for us are good though they may not be what we have desired. Those two similarities are the potential theological principles.

For the next step, we need to check and make sure the potential theological principles are represented in the New Testament as well as in the rest of Scripture. Some passages that declare “God is in control” are Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 19:26, Psalm 115:3, and Proverbs 16:9,33. Some passages that show “his plans for us are good though they may not be what we have desired” are Romans 8:28,38-39, Luke 18:19, and Psalm 34:8.

And the final step is to put the theological principles we learned into practice. There can be many ways to put the theological principles we uncover into practice. One way to put into practice this verse is to thank God in all circumstances, even the ones we do not like.

This post was inspired by a handout from Rev. Dr. Robin Dugall. Also check out the resources listed in my blog post “Is the Bible Wicked?”.

Self-Determined, Rational, or Directed?

We talk about how we are now entering the Postmodern Era, and before the Modern Era there was the Premodern Era. I feel we could come up with some terms that better describe the eras, especially since the word modern means present day or recent history. The terms I came up with were “Directed Human” for the Premodern Era, “Rational Human” for the Modern Era, and “Self-Determined Human” for the Postmodern Era. Note these are broad descriptions that describe the general description of what a human is supposed to be in that era. It is easy to find exceptions to these general human descriptions, but I feel these descriptions give a flavor of how humans were viewed in these eras.

The emerging “Self-Determined Human” (Postmodern) Era is all about you determining everything. You are the authority. You decide what is true. You look inside yourself at your feelings and desires and decide who you are. You can even decide what gender you are. You determine who and what to believe. It is all about you, and you are free to express yourself as you see fit. The reality is you are not truly self-determined but are influenced by culture. Those feelings and desires that you base your self identity on, they change and are not very stable. Your mental state and expressive self is more fluid, because there are outside influences that affect base, your feelings and desires.

This can be compared to the “Rational Human” (Modern) Era. In this departing era, you used reason to determine the truth. The scientific method was the preferred method to use to discover the truth. The belief was that a rational person using reason will discover the truth. The authority was rational thought or reason. Your goal was to live a rational, reason filled life and to contribute to the progress of humankind. Because of science/rational thought, people today live longer, have more food, and live in better surroundings. Science/rational thought have improved life externally but there was not much progress on the internal lives of people. The focus was mostly on the material things of life and not on the internal feelings and desires.

And before the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation there was the “Directed Human” (Premodern) Era. In this era people were under different authorities. There was the authority of the church who told you how to live. There were the nobles to whom you declared your allegiance to. And your family determined your occupation. If your father was a noble, you became noble. If your father was a peasant and a peasant you became. If you had access to learning, you learned from the ancient Greek and Roman scholars. They were the academic authorities. Every part of life had an authority that you were under. They directed your life choices. You can argue it was quite restrictive, but you knew where you stood. (Becoming a monk or a nun was one way to break free of the restrictions though you then had new restrictions.)

The funny thing is that I am a modern day “Directed Human”. I am under the authority of God and he has revealed his story and made his will known for me in the Bible. Do I use reason? Yes, I do. Am I influenced by the self-determined culture? Yes, I am. But I believe the Bible is the word of God and that is my ultimate authority. In my life choices, I am directed by the Bible because it is God’s word to the world. I have had a good life and have avoided many problems by following God’s direction. I am not as restricted as those in the “Directed Human” (Premodern) Era, because the culture today is one of self-determination (with the emphasis on rational thought and reason fading away in the cultural transition). And I have hope because I know there is more to life than material things and satisfying my desires. God brought me into a relationship with him and one day he will make all things right. Until then I can serve God by serving others in love to improve their lives. I do not need to determine who I am and what is true. I do not need to seek truth with rational thought. God has made himself known to me in the Bible. He made me his own and has in the Bible told me what is good and right. He is the Truth. He directs my steps.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence or AI is here today. No, it is not walking, talking robots that behave like us, but there has been a very significant advancement in the field since 2017 that affects us today. In 2017 a new AI engine was developed that was basically a language model, and since then the model has been improved by a variety of companies in a race to be there first and gain the advantage. There are several positive things about this new AI, but also some very serious negatives.

This Generative Large Language Multi-Modal Model treats everything as a language. So once the model is trained, you can translate from one “language” to another. For example, you can type “astronaut riding a horse” and you get a short video of an astronaut riding a horse. And an AI generated piece of art won first place at the Colorado State Fair. But it goes far beyond that, right now if you show a picture to a person and from their brain scan AI can roughly reproduce that picture. If you talk for three seconds to one AI program, the AI program can simulate you talking and saying whatever input it is given. You can not tell the difference between the AI voice and your own.

All this sounds cool with lots of potential for good things to come out of it (e.g. art, movie cgi, and automatic generation of reports, charts, and press releases) but there are some very serious downsides too. In the last couple of years deepfakes have become more popular, but now it has become more than replacing the head of someone with someone else’s head. You can now create realistic fakes. Here is a possible scenario, you run across a video of a politician spouting something totally offensive. Did they really say that or did someone else create a fake video? Or you are remotely interviewing a person on video chat. Is that a real person or is it an AI program answering your questions? Did the student write the paper or did an AI program write it for him? Content verification has become a problem.

This is great for scammers. In fact, a recent major break-in has experts worried that the purpose of the break-in is to use the personal information obtained to create deepfake identity scams to get into bank accounts, open new credit cards, and receive government benefits (e.g. social security, unemployment benefits). If the person is dead then it can work without anyone noticing. And at a more personal level, what would you do if you received a phone call saying that your son was wrongly beaten and in jail, and he needed $10,000 right away to make bail. You would be suspicious but it sounded exactly like your son and pictures that were sent show him to be in jail and beaten. The evidence points to him being in jail, but is it a deepfake scam to get your money? Who and what can you trust?

Right now there are several AI chat programs out there for you to use. Companies have rushed them to the market after ChatGPT was released. They do not always give accurate answers and can make up stuff, as two lawyers found out the hard way. Microsoft has quickly baked AI into its search engine, Bing, and Snapchat has prominently displayed its AI chat program for you to use. A researcher pretended to be a girl, who for her 13th birthday was going to romantically meet for the first time with a man 18 years her senior for sex. Snapchat’s AI never once gave any warning that this was a really terrible idea, with only briefly saying to be safe and cautious, instead it supported her decision and helped her make plans. That may be enough for the lawyers, but it is not enough of a warning for a 13 year old girl. These programs need to do much better at giving sound advice and the AI program needs to come with prominent warning labels.

Companies have rushed these chat products to market, because they have learned how addictive social media is. (Social media uses AI to curate posts and news for you). They want to be the company to capture your attention and feelings, so they can end up with the dominant market share. The problem is their main priority is not to have a safe informative chat program, rather to capture you for advertising dollars. They are being too reckless in their pursuit of the almighty dollar. That is why we can not trust the results or advice we get from these AI chat products today. They are not safe.

We can not go back and undo the harm that social media brought, but with AI programs maybe we can slow down AI development by forcing companies to be more responsible for the results and consequences they produce. We need to make them think beyond the profit margin.

This post was inspired by a presentation, “The A.I. Dilemma”, by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin.

P.S. People call this Artificial Intelligence or AI but it is my feeling that these programs are trying to mimic intelligent behavior but are not really intelligent in the way we normally think of intelligence. Intelligence is more than knowledge.

Fake News

Newspaper Boxes (photo by David Resseguie)

There is money to be made with fake news. You set up a website and make up stories with headlines that catch eyeballs and watch the advertising dollars flow in. These fake stories spread mainly on social media (faster than real news) and the social media giants also rake in the advertising dollars. Election time is approaching and these fake news stories seem to ramp up right before elections. Remember back in 2016 when there was a news story that the Pope endorsed Donald Trump. That was fake news. It did not happen, but that fake news spread like wildfire on social media.

The problem is us. We like news that confirms our biases and shocking news is what draws us in. It is not just a few outlier websites with extreme news. Though better, mainstream news will tailor their news to their audience. In the mainstream news there has tended to be a liberal bias, so Fox News got its start to deliver the news with a more conservative slant. However, Fox News got into big trouble after the 2020 election. Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News for continuing to spread falsehoods about their voting systems throwing the election even after they knew the stories were false. Fox News was concerned that they would lose a large percentage of their audience if they stopped reporting the fake news. So right before going to trial, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million and acknowledged that “certain claims about Dominion to be false”. I think that was a large price to pay to try to keep their audience.

So you need to ask yourself where do I get my news? Who do I trust to keep me informed? Is it social media posts? Is it blogs? Is it the websites of various organizations? Is it cable news interview shows? Is it radio talk shows? Is it cable news? Is it mainstream broadcast TV news? Is it newspapers? I put these questions in a rough order from what I consider to be in general untrustworthy to trustworthy? However, even a trustworthy news source can show a slant or end up getting the facts wrong. I consider it less likely for a newspaper to get the facts wrong than a social media post. There is still the issue of slant. The reporter has their own bias that they may or may not be aware of. They decide what the important facts are that will go into the story. And the editor must decide which news to publish. What news do they feel is newsworthy, and what news will their audience like? Those are decisions that can put a personal bias into the news.

You have your own personal biases and that can create some blind spots. Do you believe news because you want it to be true, and not because it is true? Fake news preys on people’s desire for the facts to align with their wishes. You need to be aware of your own biases, and you need to verify the truth of the stories, especially the ones that seem too outrageous to be true. Remember Pizzagate. On December 4, 2016, a guy entered a pizza joint armed with an AR-15 style rifle looking to rescue children from Satanic ritual abuse and a child sex ring. He had a blind spot and he acted on fake news. Fortunately no one was hurt, but he spent some time in jail because of the fake news.

So who do we trust to deliver the news that is truthful and where do we find the most unbiased news? There is a lot of distrust today. But I find that professional journalists have standards that most of them hold too, and there is enough competition that they will correct each other’s false statements. It is in their interest to get the facts right. They are more trustworthy than a talk radio show host. If the content of the article or video is sensational and/or the content is getting you emotional then I would guess that there is a strong bias in the content with possible false statements.

What are your news sources? Is there a strong bias? Are they accurately reporting the facts? There is a company that scores news organizations on their bias and their reliability/accuracy. You can check it out and see where your news sources fall. I like AP News and Reuters, because they are in the business of selling news stories to news organizations. Their audience is broad so their bias is small and they tend to be quite accurate in their reporting.

This post was inspired by the book “Beyond Fake News” by Justin P. McBrayer.

Is Capitalism Bad?

I was very surprised to find out in April that Colorado’s largest teachers union, Colorado Education Association (CEA), passed a resolution that states

“The CEA believes that capitalism inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources. Capitalism is in opposition to fully addressing systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy (gender and LGBTQ disparities), and income inequality.“

So is capitalism bad? It looks like the majority of the delegates at the CEA convention believe that capitalism is bad. This really surprised me, especially since all the economically successful countries of the world use capitalism to a significant degree. We have seen almost all communist (i.e. pure socialism) countries become capitalistic. Communist countries could not provide a standard of living that the mostly capitalist countries could. Capitalism works. Pure socialism has not worked.

It needs to be noted that there is a spectrum of economies that exist between pure capitalism and pure socialism. Pure capitalism or laissez faire economics allows market forces to run free with no government interference in the economy. Pure socialism (e.g. communism) has the government in full control of the economy. Almost all country economies are not pure capitalist or pure socialist. The economies are a combination of both. China’s economy leans heavily toward a socialist economy, but it is also very capitalistic. The American economy leans heavily toward a capitalist economy. However, almost all economies today you can treat as capitalist economies, even the Chinese economy. It is effectively a capitalist world, so I am surprised that this resolution passed because it looks to me that capitalism has already won.

Colorado’s governor, Jared Polis, in response to the resolution, defended capitalism. “It’s the great economic engine of capitalism that creates the prosperity that funds our schools,” Polis said. “Capitalism keeps teachers salaries up, funds our schools, and leads to the great prosperity we have.” Well said! That is the reality.

So why does the passing of this resolution bother me? With the majority of delegates, who I assume to be mostly teachers, supporting this resolution, I wonder what those teachers are teaching in the classroom. We must be careful not to take a broad brush and paint all public school teachers as anti-capitalists, but I do find the passage of this resolution to be very concerning. There is definitely an anti-capitalist bias among many teachers. One tweet praises the fact that the CEA can now lobby the state to pass anti-capitalist policies. They see the world very differently from how I see it. I believe it is their worldview that is why they are anti-capitalists.

That different view of the world is what bothers me. It is upside down from the Christian Faith, and I believe it is harmful. They assume they are by nature good. They look inside themselves at their feelings and desires to determine who they are. They look outside themselves and see a world full of problems. They believe it is out there in the structures of society where the problems exist. So they think that if they control society, they can fix the problems and with the right education and training create something that resembles an utopian society. I believe that is their worldview.

Instead the Christian will look inside and see that we are self-centered, selfish, and altogether broken. Our feelings and desires are not trustworthy. The Christian recognizes that the problems in the world are all the result of broken sinful people. The Christian also looks out beyond the world to find a God who loves each and every one of us and wants to begin a restoration process so to save ourselves from ourselves. Christians, who recognize they are forgiven and loved by God, can fix the problems and change the world. It has happened in the past and it still happens today.

I believe the reason pure socialism or communism failed is because we all are selfish and self-centered. Those in power selfishly took advantage of the rest. They looked after themselves and not the good of their country. Capitalism allows people to pursue opportunities to grow their own wealth. Selfish self-centeredness can be the motivation to improve one’s well being. Unfortunately, it also can be a reason to oppress one’s workers and one’s competitors. I believe that is why we do not have pure capitalism. At times, the government needs to step in and stop any bad corporate behavior..

It is my opinion that this non-Christian upside down worldview, that is being taught by many teachers, is harmful, especially to the young people. Puberty is a time of great change. It is also a time when the young person is trying to find their identity and figure out who they are in the world. It was true for me. These concepts of gender identity and oppressive structures in society can be unsettling and confusing. I believe this is why teen mental illness and teen suicide rates are up. It is an unhealthy worldview that is being promoted.

Yes, there are many problems in the world. Yes, there are societal structures that need to be fixed. Yes, there are many inequalities that are unfair. All these things are not right and need to be fixed, but the problem is not capitalism. The problem is us. With God’s help we can make progress against these problems. Christianity has been a strong force for good. (Unfortunately, it is not always the case because Christians are broken people too.) I truly believe the world is a much better place because of God working in and through Christians throughout the centuries. With a right worldview, a Christian worldview, we can make a positive difference in the world.

Forgiveness

The Christian Faith is all about forgiveness. What does forgiveness look like? Let me explain forgiveness in a story.

You invite a friend over to explain why you have to do an unpleasant task. You explain why it is necessary and your friend grudgingly agrees, but he leaves angry and in his car he purposely backs over your mailbox and then drives over it again before speeding down the road. To replace the mailbox will cost at least $100. This is a debt your friend owes you. The monetary debt is not the only debt. Your relationship is also broken. You have feelings of anger and sadness at how things turned out. Those are debts too. You have been wronged. You want vengeance. He needs to pay. He owes you and you have a desire to even the score.

However, you decide to forgive. As a Christian, you forgive because God has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). You are no different than him. You both are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness (Romans 3:23). You forgive because you have been forgiven much (Matthew 18:23-35). With the Holy Spirit in you, you have the power to forgive. This is the first dimension of forgiveness. It is upward and looks to God.

You internally forgive your friend. If you do not, your friend and this event will have power over you. By not forgiving, you will let this event influence you in the decisions you make. By forgiving, you decide not to demand the $100+ from your friend. You will also treat him well and will not extract a payment in any way for the mental anguish he caused you. If you do not, your unforgiveness will bind you and you will take actions solely because of what he did. Forgiving will free you from this bondage. This is the second dimension of forgiveness and it is inward (Mark 11:25).

The third dimension of forgiveness is outward (Luke 17:3-4). You go to your friend to reconcile with him. You confront your friend about the wrong, the destruction of the mailbox and his anger. Most of the time, it is not 100% his fault. You likely had a part to play in the wrong. No matter how small a part it was, you should apologize and ask him for forgiveness for your small part. That will help with the reconciliation. Now you have confronted him with his wrongdoing. If he takes your admonition to heart, forgive him and let him know that you will not hold anything against him. If he does not and refuses to repent, then you still can be open to restoring the relationship as much as it is possible (Romans 12:18). Even without his repentance, you have internally forgiven him so you can and should still treat him with love and respect, however the relationship is not what it once was.

If things are serious, you may need to involve the police. You should consider whether having the police involved is the best thing for him and for others in contact with him. Out of love for him and for the others, you need to consider what is best. Note justice and forgiveness are not mutually exclusive. Your internal forgiveness frees you to do the best thing possible without any need for revenge, and that may mean involving the justice system.

So how does justice play into this idea of forgiveness? Looking at God’s forgiveness for us, we start with the knowledge that God is both forgiving and just. On the cross, out of love, God reconciled the world to himself by paying our debt (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19). He could not ignore our sin and let it go. Justice required a payment for our sins and Jesus made that payment on the cross. So justice and forgiveness need not be exclusive to each other.

People, who do not like forgiveness, often point to abusers and oppressors for their reason not to forgive. They think you are letting them get away with their wrongdoing. In most of these cases of abuse, power dynamics are involved. The abuser or the oppressor twists the relationship so that they are in control and they have the power. It is not a healthy relationship. It is best for others and for the abuser/oppressor that they receive justice that will protect society. A slap on the hand is not going to change their behavior. They need a sterner punishment for their own good and for the good of society.

The purpose of forgiveness is to restore and create a good healthy relationship. Internal forgiveness makes it possible for the relationship to be restored. The repentance of the offender with the proclamation of forgiveness then allows the relationship to be restored. This restoration is a process that can take some time before the relationship is fully restored.

This post was partially based on Timothy Keller’s book, “Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?”.

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

This sentence has meant a lot to me in my spiritual walk. I try to be intentional and disciplined in strengthening my relationship with God, and this sentence along with Bible reading and study, and serving God by serving others allows that to happen. I believe this sentence with the 3 humanly impossible commands can help set our attitude and can help us build some good habits.

Pray Without Ceasing

I am going to start with continual prayer since I believe it is central because it focuses us on God. I have a whole blog post on “God Awareness” where I show the importance of prayer to remind ourselves of the presence of God. By praying as often as possible we can keep God in our thoughts and it makes us aware of God at work around us and in us. God is at work in us rewiring our brains so that we can be more like him. I believe this habit of praying is one of God’s ways he uses to change us.

So what does this continual prayer look like? For me it is made up of mostly short bullet prayers. When I think of a person I try to say a short prayer for them right then and there. Also many times I pray “Thank you, Jesus” when I recognize something to be thankful for or I am reminded of what Jesus has done for me by dying on the cross. Another short prayer I say many times a day is “I am yours”, in which I acknowledge God is my master and I surrender myself to him. In a day, there tends to be many periods of dead time. One significant dead time is when you are driving in a car somewhere. You can use that time to sing praise songs in the car along with the radio, or you can also use the time to pour out your concerns to God. I recently used the time waiting for a dentist to pray for people. The point is to use the dead time in the day to connect with God.

Continual praying allows us to further develop that intimate relationship with God by recognizing his continual presence in our lives. He is always there for you with his love and we can respond to his love in loving prayer.

Rejoice Always

When we recognize God’s continual presence, his goodness, and sovereign control, we can rejoice. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is dependent on what is happening around us. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and is not influenced by circumstances. The Apostle Paul describes himself “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10), so one does not have to be happy 24/7.

So what does it mean to rejoice always? One definition states ‘“rejoicing always” is a conscious attitude of contentment, hope, and happiness that comes from deliberately focusing on Christ and the eternal treasures that we have received freely from Him.’ And Kay Warren defines joy as: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.”

Note the focus is on God, his work, his goodness, and his sovereign control. This means we can rejoice even in our trials and sufferings (James 1:2-4). Because of this attitude, Paul and Silas were able to rejoice and praise God even though they had been illegally beaten and thrown into jail (Acts 16:16-40). When we focus on God, what he has done, and what he is doing, we can rejoice.

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Because knowing of God’s goodness and knowing that God is in control, that is he is working out all things for our good (Romans 8:28), we can give thanks in all circumstances. It is easy to be thankful for the good things that happen to you. When you are in a tough situation it is harder to be thankful. To be thankful in a tough situation, you are forced to trust God and to see his hand in directing you through the tough situation. Just making the effort to be thankful will help you to connect with God. 24 years ago, I came down with Gillian Barre. I missed 6 months of work. I was in the ICU for two weeks. It was a tough situation. Yet because of that illness, I have a greater awareness of God’s goodness and grace. It also helped Gail and I to bond. I can be thankful for that illness. I have had several blog posts on being thankful. The awareness of God’s goodness allows us to give God thanks.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

God wants to be in that intimate relationship with you. This continual prayer with thanksgiving and rejoicing allows us to grow closer to God and recognize his goodness and love for us. He desires the best for us, and developing the habits of continual praying, rejoicing, and thanksgiving will bring us closer to him. It will rewire your brain to be more focused on God. It requires you to be intentional and disciplined. I fail daily in my attempts. However, I have learned to not think of the failure as a test that you have failed, but rather to remind yourself that you are in training while God is doing that brain rewiring. Remember God is at work, changing you to be more like him.

Through the Lens of God’s Love

Two women talking (Christina@wocintechchat)

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

As Christians we see the world differently. When we look at the world, we see the world through the lens of God’s love. Out of gratitude, we love because of God’s love for us (Romans 5:10). He loves each and every one of us unconditionally (1 John 4:9-10). God loves us so much that Jesus gave himself for us by dying in our place (John 3:16). God did not wait for us to get our act together. No, he did it for the ungodly, that is for sinners like us (Romans:5:6-8).

So as Christians, we imitate God and love all people (Ephesians 5:1-2). We walk in love. What does this love look like? First, love is more than words. Love expresses itself in action. Second, love is sacrificial, meaning that you put the needs of the other person ahead of your own and do what is best for them. Third, you actually care for the people you are loving.

Because of our relationship with God, we recognize that we are in the same situation as everyone else. We all are broken, self-centered sinners in need of God’s love and forgiveness (Romans 3:10-12). God loves everyone fully just as we are, and wants to bring us in relationship with him. God loves us so much that he does not leave us the way we are, but instead he works in us to improve us and to make us holy. In the same way that he loves us he commands us to love one another (John 13:34-35 ). God has called us to love not just the people we like, but also our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). This is how we can respond to his amazing love.

I am certain the average American does not view the world through the lens of God’s love. Many Americans view the world in terms of power. Many times those terms of power are expressed in terms of oppression. Viewing the world in terms of power is divisive because doing so divides the world into winners and losers, oppressors and the oppressed, liberals and conservatives, etc. I believe this is one of the main reasons why things are so divisive today.

As Christians, I believe we can make a difference by showing love to people we disagree with. I believe this is the best way to change minds and unite people. However, I also believe loving takes time. We need to be in it for the long term and be patient. I believe it is the main way God wants to use us to change lives. We need to be wise in the meekness of the wisdom that is from above (James 3:13).

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18)

And we can make use of the fruit of the Spirit that we have been given.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

Acting in love, using Godly wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit, looks very different from the way the world acts, but I believe acting this way reconciles people and brings peace. It does not carry with it the added problems that arise from having a power focused worldview. We can make a difference in the world today by loving others.

Similarities Between My Cat and Me

I look at our cat, Frodo, and I realize my relationship with the cat is similar to my relationship with God. I love our cat, I look after our cat, and I provide for him, but he can be demanding and at times he even attacks me. He wants the good moist cat food early. He does not want to wait for the proper time to be fed. There are times when I think he is in a foul mood and he feels the need to assert himself. That is when he will attack and put his claws and teeth in my leg. I then will yell at him and stomp my feet. He will run off afraid, but he does not seem to learn that biting me is bad for him. There are times when he has to wait because I am not there. I wonder how impatient he is. And he expects me to walk him to his cat dish. Is my walking to the cat dish an assurance for him that there will be food? There are other times when he wants to go outside and it is raining or there is snow. He will look at me and I think he is telling me to fix the situation. Even though I provide for him, he thinks he is the master and he should be the one in charge. And yet I still love him.

I see a lot of similarities in my relationship with our cat, Frodo, and my relationship with God. I am much like Frodo, the cat. God, out of his love, provides for me. I have all I need, but there are times when I want more and I want it now. I am not satisfied with what I have. I want to be independent, master of my own destiny, and at the same time I want and expect God to provide for all I desire. There are times when I assert my independence and do things that are bad for me. I do not listen to God and I sin and bear the consequences of my actions. I did it my way instead of God’s way. In these times, I like to think I am in control and in charge, when nothing is further from the truth. And despite my sin, my wanting to be like God, God still loves me and desires me to be in a relationship with him. And God was willing to go to extreme measures to bring us back to him.

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

These verses are foundational to the Christian Faith. If you do not get that God loves you and wants the best for you, then you do not understand the Christian Faith.

God created the world (Revelation 10:6) and it was very good (Genesis 1:31), but Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to be like God, that is to be their own god (Genesis 3:1-6). They became self-centered and everything went downhill from there (James 3:14-16). Adam and Eve harmed themselves and the world, but God still loved them and had a plan to bring them back to him and restore the world (Genesis 3:14-15; John 3:16). We are their descendants and we carry the same broken sinful nature that they ended up with (Romans 3:23).

Jesus is at the center of that plan. He came into the world to live the perfect life that we cannot (1 Peter 2:22). He came to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins (1 Peter 1:18-19). He then rose back to life from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). And through the Holy Spirit he gives us life, and not just any old life but an abundant life (John 10:10) that is eternal (Romans 6:23). One day everything will be restored and made right, and we will live forever with him (Revelation 21:1-5).

Reality is found in the Christian Faith. I have a good life because of my Christian faith. My faith has made a difference in every aspect of my life. Let Jesus change your life.

The Chosen

Jesus Christ Statue Photo - Myriam Zilles

“The Chosen” is a television-like series of shows on the internet that tells the story of Jesus. I like it, because it fleshes out the characters and brings them to life. I see this series as an example of what I call good historical fiction. Good historical fiction tells a story in a historical setting and keeps the historical details correct while adding fictional details to create the story. Most historical fiction is mostly fiction using history as the backdrop for the story, but some historical fiction is about telling the historical story by fleshing out the history with added details. I think “The Chosen” does a good job of keeping the facts straight while fleshing out the story with fictional details.

An example of bad historical fiction is the “The Da Vinci Code”. There is even a separate Wikipedia page showing all that is wrong with the “The Da Vinci Code”. Dan Brown rewrote history to tell his story, and to make matters worse he claims it all to be true at the start of his book on the “Fact” page.

So one needs to be careful reading or watching historical fiction to keep in mind what are the facts and what are the added fictional details. Moses most likely does not look like Charlton Heston, and Jesus most likely did not look like the blue eyed blonde Jesus that the Northern European painters portrayed. A good historical drama follows the facts and tries to have the fictional details be plausible. The added fictional details need to fit in with the known facts. Oftentimes good historical fiction will bring out the implications of the facts known in the story. This means there is a lot of research that goes into creating good historical fiction. Good historical fiction illuminates the story with historical facts from a variety of sources. I think “The Chosen” does a good job of this. It does not mean they have it all right but they do present a reasonable possibility.

Let us look at a bit of an episode from “The Chosen” and compare it with the account in the Bible. Looking at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:1-21 and the corresponding part from “The Chosen” series, you notice that what John had recorded is only about a 2 minute conversation, whereas “The Chosen” expands it to a 10 minute conversation (and that with the last 3 verses not being included). And my guess is that the actual conversation was even longer. “The Chosen” creates a fictional backstory that brought Nicodemus to Jesus. There is also conversation that included why Nicodemus came at night and an invitation from Jesus for Nicodemus to follow him. All this is added detail that may have happened but maybe not. It is a reasonable possibility. I like the end of the conversation where Nicodemus, being hesitant to commit to following Jesus, kneels before Jesus, kisses his hand, and quotes the first part of Psalm 2:12, and Jesus then gives Nicodemus a word of grace and encouragement by quoting the last part of the verse. That too was an added detail along with the added details that include things like the scene taking place outside on a rooftop.

I like “The Chosen” and I would recommend it. I think it follows the accounts of Jesus well. It has sparked my imagination of what it was like back then and who the disciples were. It paints a good picture of Jesus and the disciples. However, it is not the Bible and is not a replacement for the Bible, but I do consider that they have been faithful to the text of the Bible in the episodes I have seen. It is a worthy depiction of the Gospel story of Jesus. So again I recommend that you watch “The Chosen”. Seasons 1-3 are available now for viewing.