Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Kindness Diaries--Jesus Style

Leon Logothetis is the founder of The Kindness Diaries, which has aired on Netflix. He used to be a stockbroker in London but gave it all up to conduct a hands-on humanity experiment of kindness. Leon left “home” to travel around the world showing kindness to others while relying on the kindness of others, too.

During his season one trip, he asked a man named Tony for some help for the night. Tony told him he’d love to but… he’s homeless. However, that didn’t stop Tony from inviting him to stay the night with him on the porch of an abandoned building. Tony didn’t know that Leon had plans of blessing him because of his act of kindness. At the end of the season, Leon helped Tony with a house and paid for his college so that he could fulfill a lifelong dream of being a chef. Today, Tony’s life is a walking testimony of the power of kindness.

Jesus also had a similar mission: to come to earth to inspire people to live to serve. By loving one another, God’s creation would find the most fulfilling peace possible to mankind. Yet, even in Jesus’ ministry, not everyone responded with kindness. How would He respond? Kindness!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:46-48, “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

We’ve been called to a higher standard. Modeled by the Creator Himself. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  When kindness is part of every action we engage in, the world will know (Matthew 5:16); even if their motives aren’t pure or kind. Paul said in Romans 12:20-21, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.”

His kindness was part of the way that Jesus would “set the captives free” (Isa 61), by empowering people to let go of the bitterness, jealousy, greed that seems to prevail in our lives too often. Jesus has “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Let’s go do it!

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Heal Yourself First

In the story of God’s Good News for mankind, Jesus introduces a plan that is designed to bless people. He says in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” A reference to Isaiah 61, which was also reassuring the Israelites that, although they had been “punished” for their rebellion towards God, He still had plans to bless them… someday. As Jesus is sharing this hope with the people of his day, He reveals how God’s blessings don’t always show up in the most expected way.

As we look into the Good News Luke shares, we get a glimpse of the kind of blessing that we’re called to be for our communities.

“Physician heal yourself” (Luke 4:23); is believed to be an ancient Jewish proverb more commonly stated, “Physician, heal your own lameness.” The meaning of that proverb was that a man ought to look at home, and take care of himself, and of those that belonged to him. Obviously, Jesus is talking about their disrespect for Him. Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up, had a population of about 4 00, so everyone knew everyone else. Traits that many historians use to describe the typical Nazarene (based on the trade and Jewish background) were ‘physically robust, strong-minded, practical, respectful of traditional and loyal to family.’ However, not in Jesus’ case.

Matthew 4:13 says when He got back from His 40 days of temptation, that He “withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtal," where He apparently began healing people; but His own people weren’t really convinced.

They either weren’t genuinely convinced, or they despised Him because they had watched Him grow up from a child into a man. The physician, Luke, wanted to begin his story of Christ showing how the Great Physician was someone that people like Theophilus could be legitimately convinced was indeed the Messiah that had been prophesied about.

What kind of convincing would we have needed that the carpenter’s nice little kid was actually the Anointed One promised centuries before? What’s different today? Different things might be the compelling factor for different folks. At some point, there is enough proof that He is who He said He was – will I simply believe it? James 4:6, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Jesus is the Sabbath

The symptoms of overwork are easy to spot. You’re irritable and tired at work, worn out and not much good to friends and family when you’re at home. When you’ve worked too many hours, or too many days in a row, it’s obvious you need a break. Smart managers realize that a “break” can actually improve safety, reduce errors and increase productivity.

According to one research organization, the U.S. spends nearly 2,000 hours per year at work. That’s almost 20% more than countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain or Sweden. In many situations, laws and regulations prevent bosses from doing dumb things. But not in the case of issuing time off of work. The amount of vacation days you are legally entitled to in the United States is Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Let’s take a brief overview of God’s take on the idea of overworking. Thankfully, God designed one into His scheme: the Sabbath.

The fourth command that God gave to the Israelites was to “remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy” (Exodus 20:8). However, that was a concept (during the 1st century) that wasn’t always shared among cultures. What is the Sabbath? How is the idea of rest seen throughout scriptures?

For example, the Day of Atonement, which was a time designed by God to make people stop and reflect on what they’ve done, versus what God’s done. God creates life and peace, man (by the influence of the Devil) takes life and causes division. Leviticus 16:29-31 (MSG), “This is standard practice for you, a perpetual ordinance… In the presence of God, you will be made clean of all your sins. It is a Sabbath of all Sabbaths. You must fast. It is a perpetual ordinance.”

Knowing that God created the cosmos in six days and rested on the seventh and knowing that God instituted seven festivals or feasts throughout each year helps us see that this is an important idea to God. Jesus arrives on the scene to reveal that HE is the Sabbath that the world was celebrating unbeknownst to them. Luke 6:5, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus begins to show how His way is actually like a rest to mankind. In fact, He says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)

Jesus came to give us rest, to set us free, to bring liberty and life. Romans 2:7-11, “to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life (eternal rest); but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”