Month: April 2024

BuzzFeed, an internet site, offers twenty-five shortcuts you can learn from lazy people. The list includes brushing your teeth in the shower and sleeping in the same shirt you wore all day. Why do more work if you don’t have to? I’m not sure the advice is worth the time reading it. Sure, some shortcuts can be helpful but sometimes this leads us to conclusions that aren’t accurate. We look for easy ways to put people into categories. We sort by skin colour, gender, nationality, educational status, income and disabilities. The shortcut, sorting people into categories, is useful because we think it saves us time and energy. Once we put someone in a category, we think we know something about them (since they are like this…then they must do this or believe that.) Based on our assumptions, we make a judgment about that person. When Samuel was sent to anoint a new king over Israel, he saw Jesse’s oldest son. “This guy looks like a king,” Samuel said to himself. “He must be God’s anointed.” He was quickly corrected as God spoke to him and said, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT) It’s a disservice to others when we prejudge based on our categories. God has a totally different way of looking at people and we can’t always see what he sees. That means we have to take the time to get to know someone before knowing what they are like. Most people don’t fit neatly into categories anyway. We are complex individuals who wrestle with the many issues of life. So don’t be lazy. Watch out for how you size people up this week. The Lord is concerned about what’s happening in their heart and in yours.

Last week the price of gold hit an all-time high of $2,431.46 (US) per ounce. Economists are trying to understand what is driving the market. Economic uncertainty is no doubt a part of it. It reminded me of a news article from a few years back. John Waddell’s hobby was to go looking for gold in the abandoned mines that dotted his property in central Arizona. Occasionally he got lucky and found the odd gold nugget. One day, while out searching, he fell down one of the shafts. He was using climbing equipment to explore the shaft when a carabiner clip broke. He fell about fifty feet to the bottom, breaking both legs. During the three days he spent in the abandoned shaft, he fought off rattlesnakes and hallucinations. Thankfully, some friends knew he was missing and went looking for him. They knew the area that John liked to search and were finally able to locate the mine. It took a rescue crew about five hours to get him out. He was badly injured but glad to be alive. It’s amazing what people will risk their life for. Some people search for gold or other forms of wealth. On the internet, it seems like most people are looking for fame. A researcher asked people, “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” People responded with answers like happiness, peace, love, passion, joy, security, and fulfilment.  Everyone is looking for something. But the writer of Proverbs counselled, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” (Proverbs 16:16) Jesus told his followers to, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)  Our desires are not necessarily wrong, but we are reminded that seeking God’s wisdom should always be at the top of the list. When we truly find his understanding, we find everything else we need. 

Two elderly men were venting their frustrations about the woes of modern technology. “I just can’t ever seem to remember my darn passwords,” grumbled one of them. The other one smiled. “Oh really? I can never forget mine!” “How do you manage it?” asked the first guy curiously. “Well, I simply set all my passwords to ‘Incorrect’ so that whenever I’m told that my password is incorrect, I’ll remember it!” It’s always been easy to make fun of ‘old people’ and the aging process. These days I find my definition of ‘old’ is shifting a lot. I’m beginning to realize my own mortality. My body has started letting me know that things are changing. As we age, we are forced to remember that our bodies will someday decay and waste away. Our body is a vessel that carries us through this lifetime. As believers, we aren’t to be morbid about this. God created us for eternity. Writing on this very topic, the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) The aging process is inevitable, but each passing day is another opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. God’s spirit is transforming us and preparing us for eternity and becoming more like Jesus. Rather than looking backward in life, becoming cynical or bitter, we are to grow into the person that God has called us to be. Each day becomes an opportunity for renewal and growth – no matter how old we get.

Sometimes, even the smartest and most spiritual among us can be a little bit dense. We just don’t understand what Jesus is trying to tell us. For example, how would you feel if you were in the boat on the day of this exchange? “But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, ‘Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.’ At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, ‘Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear? Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?’ ‘Twelve,’ they said. ‘And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?’ ‘Seven,’ they said. ‘Don’t you understand yet?’ he asked them.” (Mark 8:14-21) Jesus channels his frustration with the disciples into these nine pointed questions. They have travelled with him, seen his miracles, heard his teaching and still don’t understand what he is saying. I’m sure they felt somewhat embarrassed. When Jesus warned them about the “yeast of the Pharisees”, he wasn’t talking about bread. Jesus was warning them about the evil designs that the Pharisees were planning: the plot to kill him. The disciples had missed the whole point. They were thinking about their stomachs. I wonder how often I read a passage of scripture and do just that: miss the whole point because I’m thinking about something else. I’m preoccupied with my needs, my situation, or my empty stomach and I totally miss out on what God is trying to say to me. After all this time with Jesus, knowing him, his teaching and his miracles, we can still miss the most basic of messages. As you read your Bible this week, slow down and take your time. Listen to what Jesus is really saying. See you Sunday,