Looking for Life in All the Wrong Places

…the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?”   Luke 24:5

-A junkie stares vacantly into space. His words are slurred but unmistakable: “This is livin’, man. Nobody tells me what to do.”

-A coed staggers from the frat house and the door slams shut. Her clothes are ripped and her body hurts in places it’s never hurt before. She straightens her torn skirt and slaps tears from her cheeks. “I only wanted to have fun,” she whispers.

-A man slumps at his desk and winces at the time. 2 am. Another 90-hour week. His wife is complaining and he barely sees his kids, but his stock has never looked so good. Money is the mistress he chose, so why does he feel so dead inside?

Humanity has always looked for the living among the dead. We seek satisfaction, purpose, and love in all the wrong places. We’re so sure we know where to find it that we refuse to consider anything else. Jesus’ friends did the same thing. They came to the graveyard looking for the dead body of a man. Imagine if they’d found it! Christianity would have ended that day. 

Instead, they discovered a living Savior, the Son of God, the Lifegiver who could not be confined to a tomb. When we try to find life among the world’s corpses, we end up with nothing but regrets. Christ’s resurrection guarantees new life for all who seek Him.  

In what ways have you looked for the living among the dead?

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Do You Need Incentives?

A large crowd of Jews … came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus…   John 12:9 

- “Next week, a celebrity will be speaking in our services sharing about life in Hollywood. You won’t want to miss it!”

 - “I might go to church if I could find one that started later, had a Starbucks, and made me feel good about myself.”

- “So, the Son of God is preaching. Hmm...didn’t He raise Lazarus from the dead? We want to see Lazarus!”

We would have fit right in with the crowd who wanted to see Lazarus. Jesus was about to sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world, yet the people had to have an extra incentive to seek Him. Nothing has changed. Jesus still isn’t enough to attract most crowds. (Consider the turnout for “just a prayer meeting.”) It was the same in Jesus’ day. John 6:66 is as relevant now as it was then. (Look it up). Human nature is always pushing to make the gospel man-centered. The fact that Almighty God took on human flesh and descended from heaven to be tortured to death for us is ho-hum. Our default attitude is often “Sure, God is great and what-not, but what’s in it for me? I’m too busy/tired/angry/distracted to seek Him—unless there’s a prize.” Even when Jesus was on earth healing people, performing miracles, and feeding crowds, few wanted Him for Himself. They only wanted what He could do for them. Like us, they craved the sensational. No magic tricks? No celebrities? No free stuff? No thanks.

Final Thought:  Check your heart. Is Jesus Himself enough to attract you or do you require extra incentives?

Prayer: Lord God, I’m convicted by how offensive this attitude must be to you. I take so lightly the huge sacrifice you made so that I could know you. Please forgive me and help me get to the place where I want Jesus for Himself. In His name, Amen. 

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Cry "Hosanna!"

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”  John 12:13

In Hebrew, the cry “Hosanna!” means “save now” or “help me.” It was a cry of distress but also of intense happiness. The Jewish people were overjoyed that their Messiah had come at last. When He rode into town on a donkey, He was fulfilling the ancient prophesies written about Him (Zech. 9:9). Surely He would overthrow the oppressive Romans, punish the arrogant Pharisees, and establish His throne in Jerusalem. So they cheered with all their might, but those cheers turned to jeers in less than a week when He did not live up to their expectations. His deliverance was not what they had in mind so they turned away.

 “Help me, God!” we cry when the doctor says “No hope,” the IRS says “Pay up,” or the landlord says “Get out.” “Hosanna!” we cry to the Deliverer we imagine. Then the loved one dies, the debts stack up, or we lose our home and we assume our God failed us. This was not what we had in mind when we cried those words, so we turn away. We’re not much different from the crowd that lined the street that day. Maybe we too would have shouted “Crucify Him!” when He did not fulfill our expectations. God’s way of delivering us is often not what we had in mind because His ways are better. They’re eternal. God’s plan restores what sin destroyed. His deliverance is Kingdom-focused, not limited to earthly focus. “Hosanna!” was the right cry, but the wrong motivation. When we understand Who Jesus is and why He came, we can shout “Hosanna!” and trust His answers.

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Every Little Thing

If anyone asks, 'Why are you untying that colt?' just say, 'The Lord needs it.'" Luke 19:31

Imagine this fictional scene in Israel that day…

Jedediah shuffled to the feed shed and set the bucket on the floor. His back protested as it did every time he bent over. Seven decades of hard work had taken a toll on his body. He stood in the shaft of sunlight filtering through the cracks and tried to feel hopeful. Yahweh had been good to him, but always this nagging sense of failure. Life was hard. Jed had been too busy providing for his family to do anything important for his God. He’d been faithful in all the ways he knew, but he would never match the Pharisees in spiritual significance—and they made sure he knew it. Jed couldn’t even read. He had no education, no title, no real skills. What could he possibly offer the God of Israel?

Three young men had approached his animal pens and were conversing loudly with each other. As a unit, they looked his way. One patted the back of Nellie, his best donkey, nodded to her colt, and then walked toward Jed, bowing in respect. “We’ve come on behalf of our Rabbi. Maybe you’ve heard of Him, Jesus of Nazareth? He has need of your donkey.” Jedediah’s heart skipped a beat and a dozen memories flooded his mind. The healer? The miracle worker? The forgiver of sins? He’d heard this Jesus teach in the synagogue and had never been the same. Jed offered the men a toothless grin. “Yes,” he said. “She’s yours.” As he watched them untie Nellie and lead her and her colt away, his heart swelled with gratitude. Of all the donkeys in Israel, the Messiah had chosen his. He lifted watery eyes to the sky. Maybe Yahweh had remembered him after all.

Jesus used a borrowed donkey to teach us that 

no one and nothing offered to God is insignificant to Him.

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Why a Donkey?

Jesus sent two disciples saying… “Go to the village…and you will find a donkey tied there… Matthew 21:1-2

Nathaniel nudged Andrew. “He’s getting ready to do something big,” he whispered. “He’s been hinting at it all week. We’re almost to Jerusalem. That’s where it will happen, I just know it. And we’re gonna be in on it!” Andrew nodded, his eyes on the Rabbi. “Yeah, He might be taking over the palace or maybe the temple…” His hand slipped to his side where the reassuring cold of metal met his fingertips. “You remember how violent He got with those moneychangers? Whoa, this is gonna be good! Is your spear sharp—” His words were cut off as Jesus pointed to them both. “I need you to get me a donkey.”

Andrew’s hand fell away from his spear and he darted a look at his companions. They knew what a donkey meant. In ancient Middle Eastern culture, leaders rode war horses when they came to conquer, but sat upon donkeys when they came in peace. By choosing to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus was openly declaring Himself a King who had come in peace. There would be no more double-speak, vague innuendos, or hidden messages. Jesus was ripping the veil of secrecy from His mission. He had come to conquer, but not in the way that men conquered other men. He would do it through humility and sacrifice. The donkey was a way of publicly announcing that the old ways were gone and a new kingdom had come.

In God’s new kingdom, humility trumps pride, 

peace trumps violence, 

and service trumps entitlement. 

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Choose Your Counselors

Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and…

asked the opinion of the young men… 

1 Kings 12:8

Despite his quirky name, Rehoboam had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Son of King Solomon and heir to the throne, he had enjoyed a life of luxury with his buddies. When time came to make him king, he assumed his young party friends would make good advisors too. What did the gray-hairs know? That poor decision divided Israel and set them up for centuries of internal wars. Because the new king was not careful about who influenced him, he brought down a kingdom.

We don’t always know how our influence is going to affect others. Rehoboam’s buddies probably never realized how their arrogant, unwise advice would affect their homeland. Urging the new king to assert his power may have been just another day in leisure-land for the spoiled rich boys, but they ended up destroying their very foundations. 

“Sure, tell your boss what you think of him!” our friends urge. 

“Dump that husband of yours. He deserves it!” 

“Quit your job, that’ll show them!” 

Friends may never realize the power of their influence, nor do we. 

When we have earned the trust and respect of another, we owe it to them to offer wise counsel, even counsel they may not want to hear. Rehoboam’s friends held the future of Israel in their beer mugs and didn’t even know it. And we, too, may never know the result of our words, so we must use our influence wisely.

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Influence Under Wraps

…many ..would not confess Him…for they loved human praise more than praise from God."  John 12: 42-43 

Elias rearranged scrolls and tried to keep his expression neutral while his fellow priests ranted. That new Rabbi was getting under everyone’s skin and the leaders were becoming agitated. There was even talk about stoning Him. Curiosity had first driven Elias to the countryside to listen to this Man some called the Messiah, but it was conviction that propelled him back again and again. He had seen a sack lunch become a feast. He had watched Jairus’ dead daughter brought to life and heard the mute man speak. Only God could do such things, but saying that would cause problems. So He kept silent. No one could know he believed this Man’s words and that his heart burned for more. The price for confessing his faith was too high.

How often have you kept your influence under wraps because the price was too high? People might look at you funny. Friends might walk away. You’d get a reputation for being a religious wacko, so you stay silent. Maybe you’ve even joined in when people mocked faith, trashed the Bible, or relegated Jesus to the role of a social reformer. You believe in Him, but the price for letting people know is just too high. Their opinions matter more to you than His approval. So you tell yourself that faith is a private matter. No one’s business. 

Jesus doesn’t agree. He said if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before His Father (Luke 12:8). Confessing does not mean words alone, but a lifestyle of discipleship. Influence under wraps is worthless.

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How Do You Get That Light?

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John… 

they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

Acts 4:13

Maybe you’ve known people like this. There’s nothing remarkable about them on the surface. They’ll never win a Pulitzer Prize, Person of the Year, or even the Publisher’s Clearing House, but they have a presence about them that is compelling. Maybe they never finished high school, but they talk about Jesus like He lives next door. They may have a past that belongs on the post office wall, but they talk about forgiveness and grace like they invented it. No seminary training could produce the glow that lights their faces when they talk about the Lord. They’re humble and astonishingly non-religious, but not afraid of the truth no matter who is offended. There are still Peters and Johns among us who cause the world to take notice.

What is that quality that separates Peter and John from the rest of us? Why do some professing Christians seem indistinguishable from the world, while others exude a radiance found only in the presence of God? Jesus said that radiance is available to anyone. Peter and John were ordinary men, but Jesus told them, “You are the light of the world.” We are too. We get that light by spending much time in His presence and in His word. When we’ve basked in His glory, the world holds little fascination for us. And whatever fascinates us is what people notice about us. No one cares about religious jargon or churchy talk. They notice the light. When Jesus is the strongest influence in our lives, people can tell that we’ve been with Him.

Have you spent enough time in the presence of Jesus that others can tell?

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Stay Salty

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?”  Matthew 5:13

“This chili is awful!” Brad said. “Did you forget to season it?” Mike frowned. “No, same as always. My firehouse chili is world famous.” Brad shoved his chair back and rummaged through the cabinet. “Is this the salt you used?” he asked, holding up a container. When Mike nodded, Brad jabbed a finger into the container and touched his tongue with it. “Ugh! Bland. Look, it’s all clumped. This stuff must be ten years old.” He tossed the salt container into the trash can and picked up his bowl. Dumping the contents back into the kettle he said, “Turn the stove back on. I’m going out for more salt.”

When Jesus compared His followers to salt, He knew we would understand the metaphor. Anyone who has tasted an unsalted meal knows the difference salt makes. Salt not only brings out the best in food, it also preserves food and can disinfect wounds. But when salt has had a long exposure to air and moisture, it loses its effectiveness. It is then good for nothing. Likewise, when we expose ourselves continually to worldly opinions, philosophies, and attitudes we lose our effectiveness for Christ. We no longer bring out the best in the world around us when we have become just like it. We cannot preserve truth, neither can we heal spiritual wounds, when we’ve lost our flavor. Worldly salt is good for nothing in God’s kingdom.

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What's Your Aim?

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned…I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.” 

1 Samuel 15:34

Joanna clattered down the stairs and stopped at her mother’s shocked expression. “What?” she said a bit too loudly, slapping at a long strand of dyed-black hair. A long moment passed before her mother spoke. “I’m concerned about you,” she said. “You’re changing. You’ve stopped going to church…your head is half shaved…lots of new piercings…and, is that a skull tattoo?” Joanna rolled her black-rimmed eyes. “Mo-om, I’ve told you about my new friends. I’m trying to influence them and this is how we…I mean, they, do things.” Her mother slipped an arm around Joanna’s shoulders. “Honey, if you’re changing who you are for someone else, then it is not you who is influencing them. They are influencing you.”

Like Joanna, we fool ourselves. We all have an inborn desire for the approval of other people. That isn’t wrong until we start believing that our worth is based upon what others think of us. Then we are no longer serving Christ. Popularity should never be the goal in our desire to influence because popularity strives for the approval of other people; influence strives for the approval of God. Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We cannot serve both God and popularity because those paths will part at some point. When our commitment is to Christ and His word, the world’s changing whims won’t unseat us.

Are you seeking to be a good influence or seeking to be popular? 

You have to choose one or the other.

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