Jesus Christ Blog

The need and capacity to serve was in us from the beginning. Adam was immediately given the job of naming the animals and subduing the earth. This did not change after disobedience took its course and banished him and Eve from the garden; it just got harder to do. Eve was given the job of being his helpmate and that definitely got harder to do! But nonetheless, we all have jobs. Not the job you get paid for, but a job to do in relation to your existence – a job to do in service to those around you.

The more we are conscious of this purpose, the easier it will be to figure out what this job is at any given time. Suffice it to say, it is primarily found in focusing our attention on others. This is in stark contrast to “getting the most out of life,” which has become the modern mantra of a “me” generation. This would be more along the lines of “giving the most out of life.”

Deep down inside, every one of us wants to leave something behind. We want to leave a legacy. We want to be significant. We want an epitaph with substance. God put this desire in us because it is one of our purposes in life. If your epitaph were written today, where would the significance lie? Who would be better off because of your life? If you’re anything like me, the current answer to that question makes me glad I still have time to affect it.

Think today of what you can add to someone’s life, not take away. Think of leaving situations better than you found them. Think of whom you can serve – of how this can be a better day for someone because of you. This is important. It’s part of your legacy. Let’s be careful to “give”  the most out of life today.

Look for evil and it will find you.  Look for good, and with some effort, you will find it.

Job argued with God. Moses bargained with him. Jacob wrestled with him. Nehemiah changed his mind. What do these amazing stories tell us about God if it isn’t that he wants a relationship with us probably more than we want one with him? What does it tell us about God if he is willing to be persuaded, cajoled, bargained with, and wrestled? It tells us he created us like him so we could participate in a relationship with him that means something in terms of integrity. It’s no small thing that God can be swayed by a puny human being, but such is the wonder of his will.

The Psalmist declared a similar wonder when he wrote, “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you have set in place – what are mortals that you should think of us? For you made us only a little lower than the angels, and you crowned us with glory and honor. You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things – sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.” (Psalms 8:3-8 NLT)

In other words: What’s the big deal here? We’re the big deal. Does this bring us glory? Yes, but that only brings him more. That he would create us with this much power and authority says a lot about our Creator and what he created us for. He created us with intelligence and emotions. He created us like him so he could relate to us and we could relate to him. And he gave us the right to refuse him, accept him, argue with him, badger him – even tell him to get lost if that’s what we want to do. Think about that. Even unbelief has integrity. What kind of God would create a being that might not even believe in him? A God who wants a relationship with that being when he does believe, that’s who.

That’s why the very next verse of this Psalm reads, “O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8:9) We are part and parcel of God’s glory. That he would do it this way – that he would create a world, populate it with beings like him, and then give them authority over that world, and even give the opportunity to believe him or not – says as much about him as it does about us. You and I are a big part of God’s glory.

Remember the famous 1980s sitcom that launched the career of Michael J. Fox? Family Ties became one of the most popular family shows in American television in the tradition of Ozzie & Harriett, Leave It to Beaver, Donna Reed, and Father Knows Best.

Then shows like Married with Children and Rosanne introduced the dysfunctional family to television with unabashed bravado, bringing large doses of reality and yet still with the capacity to touch us with charm. Love managed to break through now and then. Indeed, it was the total lack of this redeeming quality that made audiences tire of the Ozzy Osbourne family’s version of “reality.”

Those old enough to remember may feel nostalgic about the happy families of bygone television days, but in truth, those families were sorely idealized, even by the standards of their day. It was all about appearances then. Were families any less dysfunctional in the 50s & 60s? I think not. It’s more a factor of how much truth society will accept at any given time.

But regardless of whether it is Homer and Marge Simpson or Ozzie & Harriett Nelson, what touched us about these shows was the commitment. It’s all about commitment. In spite of how bad it might get, no one’s leaving. If the ties are strong, we can put up with almost anything (with the obvious exception of abuse).

The real key to all these shows is not how perfect the families are, but how committed they are to each other. How much are they tied together at the end of the day? The shows that last and continue via reruns are successful because no matter how hurtful the members of these families might be, by the end of each episode, they are tighter than when they started. Love wins out over all obstacles.

As a member of the family of God, you have a family that is short on grudges and long on patience and love. This is a family with the grace to accept every member and the love to see through any situation. It doesn’t mean we aren’t dysfunctional as a spiritual family, it means we are tied together by an invisible cord that nothing can separate. These are the true family ties in the family of God that will never break because it is God who ties them.

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? … No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:35-37 NLT)

God never promised us an Ozzier & Harriett existence. Yet he did promise that nothing can ever break us apart. That’s because through it all, Father does know best. And that makes for pretty strong family ties.

The more we get an Eternal Perspective on life, the more deeply we will be committed to this life and those around us.

Courage comes when you care enough about someone that you will face into your fears on their behalf.