M.A.D.

            Last spring, Kendra and I visited the Titan Missile Museum near Tucson, Arizona.   It was a fascinating tour and I recommend it if you are in the area.  The Titan nuclear missiles were developed as a deterrent in the Cold War with the Soviet Union in the middle to late decades of the 20th century.  Both sides amassed nuclear devices capable of reaching each other’s country in an effort to keep each other from launching a preemptive strike.  The ideology became known by an acronym: M.A.D..  The letters stood for Mutually Assured Destruction.  The idea was aggressively destructive but simple: “If you launch your nuclear missiles, I’ll launch mine and we will both be annihilated.”  There would be no winners in this kind of war -- only losers.

            As the tour guide talked about M.A.D., I thought about some verses in the Bible (I know….it's weird; but preachers do this sort of thing.  It’s a blessing and a curse….).  The apostle Paul devotes the first four chapters in his letter to the Galatian churches to warning them about being pulled back into the bondage of adherence to certain parts of the Old Law for salvation.  Christ has set us free from that kind of bondage.  But in chapter five, he addresses an opposite but equally dangerous problem -- the abuse of the freedom we have in Christ.  Listen again to what he says:  “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13-15).

            When believers choose to live in ways that result in biting and devouring fellow Christians, the result is mutually assured destruction.  As Paul says, we will be “...consumed by one another.”  A local church can become a nuclear wasteland.  No winners -- only losers.

 

God loves you!

Mike 

That's Nonsense!

            “He is not here, but He has risen.  Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”  And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.  But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. (Luke 24:6–11).

            The angels at the tomb of Jesus had some incredible news for the women who had come to attend to the crucified body of their Lord.  The tomb was empty!  Jesus had risen from the dead!  Who could believe it?  And yet, as the angels reminded them, the Lord had spoken of these things before.  When the terrified women reflected on it, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.  They rush back to share the exciting news with the apostles themselves.  Surely these leaders will be excited as well and able to help them make sense of it all.  But the reception they receive is less than enthusiastic.  In fact, as the text records, their report is viewed by the apostles as “nonsense.”

            I realize that the resurrection of Jesus is a one-off event, so I need to be careful as I draw applications from it.  But as I reflect on this text, I pause to consider my own reactions to things that seem unbelievable to me.  Have I been too quick to dismiss as “nonsense” something that needs further exploration?  Perhaps it’s an interpretation of Scripture that seems utterly foreign to me.  Maybe it’s a series of events that doesn’t fall comfortably within my own set of parameters.  In such cases, am I willing to examine the evidence fairly before uncritically filing it as nonsense?  What about you?

 

God loves you!

Mike

Proven Character

“Character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next. The circumstances amid which you live determine your reputation; the truth you believe determines your character. Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are.  Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; Character is what you have when you go away. Reputation is made in a moment; Character is built in a lifetime.  Reputation grows like a mushroom; Character grows like an oak.  Your reputation is learned in an hour; Your character does not come to light for a year.  A single newspaper report gives your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.  Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; Character makes you happy or makes you miserable.  Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; Character is what angels say about you before the throne of God.  Your character is what God knows you to be. Your reputation is what men think you are.” (William Hershey Davis).

This description of character reminds me of the Old Testament story of the young Moabite woman named Ruth.  After a series of devastating events in Moab, Ruth ends up in the land of Israel with her mother-in-law Naomi.  As the story unfolds, she ends up married to Boaz and the couple become the great-grandparents of King David.  It is certainly an amazing story of love and redemption.

In the midst of the story, Boaz and Ruth find themselves in a potentially questionable situation.  Ruth is fearful that her reputation will be damaged.  Boaz seeks to calm her fears by reminding her of her character.  “And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character” (Ruth 3:11 NIV).

            Good character gives us the foundation to withstand the assaults on our reputation.  And, as Ruth learned, it’s often the difficult times that prove most valuable in building character (Romans 5:3-4)

 

God loves you!

Mike