Roots

Read: Psalm 1 (again, it will be good for you)

[The happy man] will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, 

Which yields its fruit in its season  

And its leaf does not wither; 

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalms 1:3, NASB

In 2009, an apartment building collapsed in Shanghai in a tragedy so dramatic than many suspected it to be an internet hoax. Nearly completed, it simply fell over and claimed the life of one worker inside. According to the Wall Street Journal, 489 of the 629 apartment units had been spoken for and would shortly have been claimed.

China Daily

Wall Street Journal

The cause? A bad foundation. Soil had been excavated for a garage beneath the building and placed alongside the complex. When the wind and the rain came, the condensed soil shifted and tore at the foundation of the building and there was nothing to hold it up. Externally, the building appeared fine, but beneath the surface was imminent failure.

People, this psalm teaches us, are the same way. Yesterday we studied how certain characteristics and activities keep people from being happy. Today, we look at happiness in a positive light: if I am to be happy, what can I emulate?

Let us look first to experience. Many of us have had the pleasure of knowing certain people who are steady. It seems that whatever happens to them, they do not lose control.

Do not mistake steadiness for the kind of plastic-faced smile that some people exhibit. Poor indeed is the character of a person who never weeps with their broken-hearted friend or never nods sympathetically with the plight of another. A steady person is far less superficial than that. The steady person may not be the first one to point out the light at the end of the tunnel, even when they see it, because they know that there is a time for weeping (Ecclesiastes 3:4). But they do not collapse when trouble comes, but stand tall through it. When you cry, they can cry with you because they know they will not fall into despair. When you laugh, they can laugh with you, without sinking to frivolity. What defines this steady person? Roots.

You see, in contrast to the unrighteous person, the one who is blessed (happy) focuses on the law of God (the Bible). The righteous one thinks on God's promises and God's perfection instead of the faults of others and follows in God's way instead of the way of the wicked. Because this person does not draw their strength from shifting sands, but from the immutable God (Malachi 3:6), they can be happy regardless of their circumstances. A tree with deep roots will survive when the rain stops, because it draws on water you cannot see. The person with a strong private relationship with God will stand strong and prosper publicly. Someone who makes a big show of religion, but has no roots in private prayer and Bible study, will be scorched in the sun and blow away like chaff - this person is wicked, no matter what illusion they give. When we give into the American mindset of self-reliance, we do not develop roots. When we rely on God fully, then we can draw on a strength greater than ourselves. We can be steady in a tipping world. The correlation between this book of Psalms and Genesis is now plain: it is not about our situation, but our source. The God who started it will sustain it to the end, and to seek another source is to face ruin.

May God help us to rely on him and not look to appearances, but to find a happiness which supersedes circumstances. Not an illusory happiness, but a real joy which goes down deep. May we read our Bibles not to pride ourselves on information, but to know God better. Let us pray, not as a magic wand nor a last resort, but as communion with our Lord.

If you don't ordinarily read your Bible, the scriptures referenced at the start of each blog are a start. Pray about them. Ask God to help you apply them and talk to Him about your problems as if you were talking to a friend. It is a discipline well rewarded.

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Smile!

Read: Psalm 1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

Psalms 1:1, NASB

The book of Psalms was the songbook of the nation of Israel. It contains in some places raw, emotional poetry and in others the refined language of liturgy. Psalms is the largest book in the Bible at 150 chapters and is itself divided into 5 'books'. Psalms 1-41 make up the first book, mostly written by King David. It is widely believed that the 5 books correspond to the 5 books of Moses, linking this collection of Psalms to Genesis – the book of beginnings. The relevance of this will become more apparent as we study the Psalms together in the days ahead.

Blessed, the first word of the first psalm, is Christian-ese for a Hebrew word אשׁר (esher) which simply means happy. The first psalm is describing the question that nearly all people face in their lives: how can I really be happy? In the first verse, David explains it negatively, by listing three things which will keep you from being happy. 

Paraphrasing slightly: Happy is the man who (1) does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, (2) does not stand in the path of sinners and (3) does not sit in the seat of scoffers. I would like to spend a little time considering each of these. 

First, the way we walk can prevent us from being happy. Everyone has been the victim of bad advice, but it seems some people make a lifestyle of it. When we walk in the counsel of the wicked, we allow those who are ungodly to set our path for us. They might (and often do) have the best of intentions for us, but they do not know all of the consequences. A place might not be bad intrinsically, but will be disastrous for the wrong person at the wrong time; any path which is not God's path for our life will be the path of trouble. Trying to walk our own way, which is the way of wickedness, apart from God will prevent us from being happy.

Second, where we stand can prevent us from being happy. Somewhere below our actual activity, standing has everything to do with association. While we should not cut ourselves off from other people (a very important point which I do not mean to understate*), we must remember that bad company corrupts much easier than good company reforms. This does not refer to literal proximity (as Jesus sat with the adulterers, the crooked tax collectors and other notorious sinners and even spent time with them), but to standing in the path of their lives. We should not try and align our situations with those caught up in sin, daring ourselves to be caught up in the same. Thinking we can handle the temptation quickly becomes an exercise in the worship of our own will. Moreover, we almost always fall into the sin we thought we could resist. Like leaning over a deep pit, our intellect ought to override our curiosity. Examples are plentiful: spending time with ill-tempered people puts us in a bad mood (making us ill-tempered), trying to slip into the halls of the greedy makes us focus on the material and fall into greed, et cetera. Usually, people know they are unhappy in certain company, but still are drawn to it, like someone depressed is drawn to a sad song or a moth is drawn to a flame. These things clearly will prevent us from being happy.

Third, and most obviously, is that when we sit in the place of scoffers, we will not be happy. Sitting is more passive than standing or walking, and scoffing is more passive than actions or associations. The scoffer is defined by his attitude. Here is the person who cannot, and will not, be pleased. They are constantly afflicted, but it is never their fault. Everyone is out to get them and everyone is incompetent. When presented a rose, all they see is the single withering petal. Such people usually seem to brag about their illnesses and get pleasure from being unhappy. You know at least one of these people, and might be one yourself. To quote Ray Stedman: “Parents blame the children, the children blame the parents, and they both blame the schools. The schools blame the parents and the government. The government blames the hippies; the hippies blame the establishment. One nation blames another nation.” The plain message of the Bible here is that if you choose to lounge around complaining, you keep yourself from being happy. A critical spirit, while it may bring pleasure for a little while as you build yourself up at the expense of others, will ultimately leave you empty and unhappy.The critical spirit might lead us to associate with the wicked beyond propriety. Association may lead us to walk in their paths. Where you sit affects where you stand and where you stand affects where you walk. Sorrow begets sorrow.

Let us turn away from these things! Let us give up our negative attitudes, the painful associations and the activities that go against God. If we instead seek God first and walk in His ways (Matthew 6:33 and Deuteronomy 5:33), spend time with the righteous and the wise (Proverbs 27:17 – specifically in church: Hebrews 10:25 and Acts 2:42), and look for the good first (Philippians 4:8), we will be happy.

* If you follow this blog, you will see me elaborate on this more another time. The basic overview is this: you want your boat in the water, but you don't want the water in your boat. We can and should spend time with those who need Christ, but we need to be aware of our own weakness and avoid situations which will tip us over the edge. How close is too close? We must have the discernment of God to see this. Remember that in an airplane, you put your oxygen mask on before helping children around you. You cannot help them if you are incapacitated. In general, you know how close you can get, even if you don't want to know it. More to come on this subject at a later date. 

How do you love me?

Read: John 21:1-19

We return today to the beach where Jesus ate with His disciples.

Note that there are 4 Greek words for love:

(1) Eros - romantic love, not found in the New Testament.

(2) Storge - natural affection, like a parent has for their child. 

(3) Agape - sacrificial love, consuming, unconditional love. This is the love of John 3:16, 1 Corinthians, etc.   Often described as a godly love, this is an error. It is also the sinful love for the world in 2 Timothy 4:10. It is the kind of love we ought to have for our enemies - not based in their worthiness, but unconditional. It is the love for God commanded in Mark 12:30. This is also the love Jesus had for the apostle John (the disciple whom Jesus loved). 

(4) Phileo - brotherly love, a strong liking (as in Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love). This world comes form the word philos, which means friend. God is said to have a phileo love for His people in Revelation 3:19. We are also commanded to have a phileo love for God in 1 Corinthians 16:22.

Studying the Greek language, it is apparent that phileo means love in the sense that I love chocolate chip cookies or the color blue. It refers to an affection. If we take Peter's conversation with Jesus and translate agape as love and phileo as like, this is what we get:

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" 

He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I like You." 

He *said to him, "Tend My lambs." He *said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" 

He *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I like You." 

He *said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He *said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you like Me?" 

Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you like Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I like You." 

Jesus *said to him, "Tend My sheep. "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, "Follow Me!"

- John 21:15-19, NASB  (my edits in color)

Place yourself in Peter's shoes. You denied your Lord 3 times, after bragging about your love. He asks if you love Him more than the others do, and you say yes, you have a strong liking for him. Again he asks, and again you answer the same way. The third time, He asks if you like him strongly, and you realize what has gone wrong. 

Peter, it seems, really believed that the phileo love he felt for Jesus was better than an agape love. He felt that his fondness for his master was something great. In one sense it was, as we are to phileo God. But God deserves both. We must love Him unconditionally and steadfastly (agape) and love Him for who He is and what He has done (phileo). It is phileo love that made Peter jump out of the boat when he saw Jesus on the beach, but it was agape love that placed Isaac on the altar. As Baptists, we usually want to have just an agape love. We believe a steadfast love for God is the end-all, but we are wrong. God demands the passion that phileo love brings and the steadiness of agape love.

May God help us to love Him completely and without reservation - in every way. If we lack phileo, let us look to the cross and see all that Jesus did for us. If we lack agape, let us realize that we must grow in maturity, or risk this:

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:74-75 KJV

How much do you love me?

Read: John 21:1-19

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?"

- John 21:25, NASB

 The scene is a beach on the sea of Tiberias, a crystal clear body of water 12 miles wide by 7 miles long. The risen Jesus, master of heaven and earth, conqueror of death and the grave, has just sat down in the dirt and cooked his disciples some fish to share for breakfast. After they had eaten, Jesus looks at Peter - the one who had denied his Lord three times, and asks a painful question: Do you love me more than these?

Remember, Peter had said that he loved Jesus most of all and would stay by Jesus even if everyone else abandoned Him. Peter, however, instead denied Jesus even while Jesus was led to the cross to die for Peter's sins.So Jesus asks: Do you love me more than these? Do you really love me as much as you claim?

The kind of love that he had claimed (a sold-out, Jesus-or-nothing devotion) was the morally right thing.  Peter had been told before that he must love Jesus most of all, by Jesus Himself:

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. "

Matthew 10:32-38,  NASB

The dilemma was not whether Peter should live up to his claims, but whether he did. He had compared himself to the love of the other disciples before, but now he knows better. It is not about how much anyone else loves God, but how much you do. 

Jesus poses the same question to us today. Do you love me more than your breakfast, your brethren, your mother, your father, your spouse, your children and all the rest? Would you give up everyone you care about if God asked you to? Often times we do not and we cringe at the thought: A parent who loves God more than their child? A husband who loves God more than his wife? A child who loves God more than his family?

That is the kind of adoration God demands. He says "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me," and he means it.

Is it hard? Yes. It is easier to love the ones we can see and touch than it is to love the God we cannot. But we must love Him for who He is - completely. This is an area where we can all do better, myself especially. It is easy enough to pay lip service to "God first." It is much harder to actually have that heart.