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Trump Cards

January 5, 2011 by bjcorbin

When I was a child, I was very sensitive and emotional; which kind of sounds funny since I don’t suppose that I’ve ever stopped being those things.  But somewhere along the way I figured out that wearing my heart on my sleeve and allowing everything to penetrate my soul, was not the most expedient way to live.  The first step was suppressing the urge to express every thought that came into my head and eventually I began to develop my mind as a way of heading off those powerful emotions.  I learned to anticipate situations and to think my way through them as a defense against getting overwhelmed by circumstances.

 

It is interesting how dramatically that changed the face of who I was.  As a child I was driven by the winds of my feelings, while as an adult I have largely been driven by pragmatism and my own sense of what is “reasonable”.  Though I doubt many men would express it this way, I would guess that most have gone through some sort of similar process.  If you’re ever around little boys, you’ll find that most start out as emotional, expressive and affectionate; while grown men generally exhibit limited evidence that this was ever the case.

 

At the point I became serious about living for the Lord, I immediately found Him pushing me back towards this sensitivity.  I felt as though He said that this was part of how He designed me; that my gifts were wrapped up in that sensitivity and that a childlike heart was the only way I’d experience His kingdom.  While I understand that He doesn’t want me to be driven by my emotions, I have found that He is equally dissatisfied with idea that I would be guided by my rational thoughts.

 

God and His kingdom far exceed the bounds of my natural mind’s ability to understand them and to rely on my thoughts as a guide greatly diminishes the influence He means to have in my life.  To that end, He has graciously given us His Holy Spirit, that we might have the mind of Christ and the heart of the Father.

 

As I ponder all of this, I am reminded of some things my mother taught us as children.  At a very early age she began to play card games with us.  She used this as a way to help us with our number recognition, counting and learning simple arithmetic.  It was very effective.  She started with simple games like “War”, in which we learned that an eight was greater than a seven and that a king beat a jack.  We went on to “Go Fish”, where we learned how to match pairs together.  As she taught us more complex games, we eventually came to the place where we needed to learn the concept of “trump”.  Many card games include the use of a trump suit, which is when one suit usurps the power of all the others (e.g. Spades).

 

At first it seemed a strange concept; after all, we’d just come to understand that a king was greater than a ten, and now we had to grasp that if that ten was a trump card, it nullified the king’s power.   I believe that as we mature as Believers there is a similar adjustment that God means to make in our thinking.

 

As the simple games of our childhood taught us the patterns of counting and arithmetic, so our life experiences give us a sense of the world and how it works.  Unconsciously, we’ve learned these patterns and they’ve formed boundaries within our thought processes as to what is sane, rational, reasonable or even possible.  Maybe we’ve consciously studied things like science, psychology or philosophy, to come to some greater understanding of what the boundaries for man and mankind are, but I’d submit that whatever we might have learned has given us only a small view of a picture that is greater than we can comprehend.

 

As we come into relationship with God, we find that despite all the patterns that life has taught us, He has given us some trump cards, which have the ability to usurp the power of whatever hand we’ve been dealt.  As I prayed I sensed that the three trump cards He’s given us are faith, hope and love, and that the application of any one of these into our situation has the potential to overcome what our mind has concluded to be the natural order of things.

 

As we study the scriptures, we find the power of faith, hope and love, both implicitly and explicitly expressed.  Repeatedly God reminds us of the limitations of our natural mind and exhorts us towards faith as the pathway to cross these borders.  He tells us not to lean on our own understanding; that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours; and that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever imagine or hope for.

 

He warns us that knowledge puffs a man up; and He offers both a peace that surpasses understanding and a love that surpasses knowledge.  He tells us that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  Yet, despite these exhortations, it seems that much of Western Christianity is often more rooted in psychology than in the word of God.  Psychology can only study the pattern of human behavior as it has been, but it cannot hope to reach the possibilities of what we were created to be.  Only the Creator can show us that.

 

Much of the well-intentioned, self-help mentality within the church keeps us bound to finite worldly thinking and at the mercy of the world’s system.  Paul warned us against this when he said, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ”.  Jesus told us that if we had the faith of a mustard seed, that we’d be able to overcome the things that we consider to be the “laws of nature”.

 

Peter further states that love has the power to overcome a multitude of sins and Paul adds that we can possess every spiritual gift, but that if we have not love, we have and are “nothing”.  We must understand that the love they’re speaking of is God’s love and not the self-seeking human strain, which is of little value to the kingdom.  God’s love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres”.

 

As we look at the apostles, we see how these forces came to bear in their lives.  When Herod imprisoned Peter, he was guarded by four squads of four soldiers; with a soldier constantly chained to each side of him.  Our natural minds would say that there was no hope for Peter, but the scripture tells us “the church was earnestly praying to God for him”.  This seems a marked contrast to how the modern western church might handle such a scenario.  We’d likely call a lawyer from the Center for Law and Justice, to defend Peter in court; circulate petitions via the internet, demanding Peter’s release; and maybe even set up a picket at Herod’s palace.

 

We seem to have forgotten that our battle is not against flesh and blood, and that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal in nature.  The early church asserted their faith and appealed to the power that was higher than any natural law and as Peter slept, an angel came, woke him up and walked Him out of the prison.  Our natural minds cannot comprehend this, but the nature of a miracle is that it cannot be explained and is beyond what we believe to be reasonable.

 

We must understand that God’s reality is much higher than ours.  As the church prayed, they invited God and all His resources into the situation; which changed everything.  How often have we failed to invite God into our situation because we felt bound to the world system, and that the outcome was somehow inevitable?  The Lord said that we have not because we ask not.

 

We see examples of this intervention in Paul’s life as well; like the time he and Silas were praising the Lord in prison.  In so doing, they asserted their hope and faith into the situation and the Lord literally shook the earth to free them.  He is no respecter of persons, so it holds true that He will do the same for us.

 

I am certainly not advocating an empty headed walk with the Lord, but we must realize that there is a huge chasm between worldly knowledge and the knowledge of God.  Inherent in the knowledge of God is relationship with Him.  The Pharisees had devoted their life to the study of scripture, but were still unable to recognize the manifestation of truth when it stood before them.  They knew about Him, but they didn’t know Him.

 

God did not leave us to our own resources in this; He gave us His Holy Spirit to be the “Counselor”, the “Comforter” and to “teach us all things”.  He placed at our disposal all the resources of heaven, but in the church today those resources remain largely untapped.  When our natural minds come against a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, they tend to default to fear and discouragement; but God wants the hearts of His children to default to faith, hope and love.

 

When we don’t have the answers for people, He wants us to default to loving them where they’re at.  When situations look negative and hopeless, He wants us to default to placing our hope in Him and to assert our faith in prayer, by inviting Him into the situation.  He is a God who delights in making a way where there seems to be no way.

 

Paul said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your minds in Christ Jesus”.  He also said that one day “fire will test the quality of each man’s work” and I believe when that test is done, all that will remain are those things done out of faith, hope and love.

 

While those without Christ are left only to play “War” with the world, hoping that the cards will fall their way; every child of God possesses these trump cards, which are able to overpower any cards that the world may deal.

Posted in Commentaries, Word Pictures | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

5 Resolutions that Could Change Your Life

December 30, 2010 by bjcorbin

The days between Christmas and New Years are often a time when we reflect on both the year that is passing on and the one that is in front of us.  As we look to the beginning of another year, we often try to stir up some resolve, so that “this year things will be different”.  A decision to make this kind of change is commonly referred to as a “New Years Resolution” and while I’m not necessarily a big fan of such things, I thought of a few that really could make a difference. 

 

1.     Resolve to love your spouse the way that Christ loved the church and gave His life for her:  Though this scriptural mandate is well known, it generally seems to be ignored based on the idea that it is somehow unattainable.  But regardless of whether we ever perfectly execute this directive, there is excellent fruit to be bore out of the sincere pursuit of it.

 

2.     Resolve that your “yes” will always mean “yes” and that your “no” will always mean “no”:  Though many of us would likely claim that this is already the case, some careful self examination will often reveal otherwise.  What we tell the officer who pulls us over for speeding, how we handle the paying of our debts, what we put on our timecards when we’re 10 minutes late for work, what will we decide to report on our income taxes, how will I handle those Sunday mornings that I don’t feel like teaching Sunday school…  Though the truth can be painful at times, living by it will ultimately set us free.

 

3.     Resolve that you will devote some amount of your prayer time listening for the voice of God instead of speaking.  “My sheep know my voice; they listen and they follow.”  “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone ‘hear my voice’ and open the door, I will come in and dine with them.”  God is speaking and what He’s saying to us is far more important than what we have to say to Him.  Let him who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

 

4.     Resolve to literally invite God in on a daily basis and to ask that He make Himself more real to you:  The problem for most of us is that our problems and fears and wounds are more real to us than God is; but God promises that if we’ll seek Him, we’ll find Him and be found by Him.  We simply need to step toward Him and He promises to step toward us.  Even those who’ve walked with Him for a long time need to move closer to Him this year. 

 

5.     Resolve that you will find a new and tangible way to express the love you have for God, your spouse, your kids, your family, your friends, your neighbors and anyone else that you claim to love:  If faith without works is dead, than what is the value of love that is never truly expressed.  Too many times we wait until we’re preparing someone’s eulogy before we search for the words to say what they have meant to us and by then it’s much too late.  If we are ever to become a people known for the way that we love each other, we’ve got to become more expressive with the love that we have.

Posted in Christmas, Lists | 2 Comments »

10 Lessons Life Tends to Teach

December 23, 2010 by bjcorbin

1.    When you lack self respect, people will tend to follow your lead. It seems as though people who struggle with self-respect routinely put themselves in a position to get walked on (i.e. taken advantage of, neglected, abused).  Though many folks may be willing to step over them for a while, eventually they begin to blend in with the carpet.

2.    Most arguments aren’t worth having.  It is truly rare that two people come to a conversation, with differing viewpoints and a genuine openness to consider a contrasting perspective.  Generally, we enter such discourses with our minds made up, listening only well enough to develop our next counterpoint.

3.    Often times the drive-thru isn’t the quickest path to the food.  We have become so focused on convenience in America that we’ll often take twenty minutes to go through the drive-thru, just to avoid a five minute walk to the counter.  While that might seem to be a trivial matter, it appears to be having a profound impact on generations of kids, who are being raised with the idea that everything should be quick, easy and accessible from a sitting position.

4.    It’s doubtful that anyone is really “out to get you”.  Generally, a person (and/or their circumstance) has to be of consequence before someone is willing to invest the time and energy it takes to conspire against them.  I would suggest that we are more often damaged because people aren’t considerate of our position than we are because people have made a conscious effort to hurt us.  Though this knowledge doesn’t necessarily dampen the pain, it should aid with forgiveness.

5.    Life and relationships pretty much deliver in proportion to your investment in them.  While little is generally expected of a child, the demands of life increase dramatically with age.  Those who are unwilling to work in school will undoubtedly struggle to get a good education; those who are unwilling to work at their vocation, will surely struggle to make a living; and those who are unwilling to invest themselves in relationships will most certainly struggle to be a meaningful member of a family, a community or even a team.

6.    Not everyone who agrees with you is for you and not everyone who disagrees with you is against you.  In this era of political correctness, openly disagreeing with someone is often viewed as being “intolerant” of their beliefs; but there are times when caring for a person dictates that we confront and contradict them.  Conversely, there are those who are perfectly willing to allow you to drive headlong into disaster, as long as it serves their own selfish agenda.

7.    When you keep your own score, you always feel as though you’re losing.  The problem with keeping score is that we naturally tend to under-appreciate our blessings and to have an exaggerated sense of our hardships.  Because of that, people who keep score in life generally feel as though they’re never quite being given their due.  Ultimately, it’s better to simply give our best in any given situation and to let someone else keep the scorecard.

8.    It’s worth the time to read the instructions first.  This is hard fought wisdom for most of us, especially those of the male persuasion.  But after living through a few botched projects, you begin to understand that reading through the instructions, before you begin, is generally a much more reasonable price to pay.

9.   Self pity is the first step toward self destruction.  While self pity can begin as a fairly innocuous emotion, it tends to quickly build momentum over time.  As we become focused on ourselves and our troubles, the balance in our perspective is lost; often causing a rapidly descending spiral.  While most of us would admit to throwing the occasional “pity party”, self pity is an emotion that few of us can afford to indulge for very long.

10.The best things in life cannot be held in our hands or necessarily even be seen.  A young person’s dreams are often rooted in tangible gains, like a mate, income, a career, a family, a home…  But as a person attains those kinds of things, values seem to shift from the tangible to the transcendent.  At the end of a long life, it is things like friendship, faith, love and hope that are ultimately treasured.

Posted in Commentaries, Lists | 4 Comments »

The Christmas Song

December 16, 2010 by bjcorbin

I’ll never forget that day, even though it was long ago.  All of heaven reverberated.  It’s the only time that I remember the Master sending us all down together; normally we go one or two at a time.  He also let everyone see us, which doesn’t happen very often.  I was a little surprised by how startled the Shepherds seemed; I mean didn’t that star let them know that something special was happening.  I’ve been around stars for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that one; it lit up the sky so bright that it shone like day.  I’ve seen the moon like that before, but never a star. 

As we gathered together the song just rose up out of us.  It was something that we’d never sung before; something that we’d never practiced.  It was as though the Master put His hand on each one of us at the same time and the song just came spilling out.  It was glorious, even by heavens standards. 

I have to admit that I was surprised that the Master would send His Son down as a baby, especially to such a humble place; but that’s why He’s the Master and I’m just an angel.  In the years that followed that night it got even harder to understand the Masters’ plan; but the day He brought His Son home, we all understood that He had changed everything and that the world would never be without hope again.  When the Son took His place at the Fathers’ right hand, the heavens shook with the celebration. 

The first time that I got sent down after that, I expected there to be great celebration in the world, but I was disappointed to find that most people still chose to live in darkness.  I guess it’s just hard for an angel to understand that.  Even all these years later, I still find myself confused by it.  I remember something that I heard the Master tell one of His servants long ago, it went something like – Who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  That’s really the question isn’t it?  Jesus did it all so that no one ever has to live in darkness again; but who has believed it? 

We’ll gather together again this year, like we have every year since the Master sent His Son and once again we’ll sing that glorious song.  They won’t see us, but those who’ve believed our report will have ears to hear.  To them the words will be loud and clear, “Glory to God in the highest” and “on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests”.  It is a song that the world desperately needs to hear. 

Up here in heaven, we’ve been preparing for a wedding feast and the Master has promised that it will be a day like no other.  He hasn’t told us what day it will be, but I sense that it will be soon.  We’re going to sing especially loud this year, because I don’t know how many more Christmas’ we have to send the report of what Jesus did for the world.  I sure hope someone is listening down there.

Posted in Christmas, Heart of "The Father" | Leave a Comment »

Happy Birthday Dad

December 11, 2010 by bjcorbin

Today is my forty-seventh birthday, and it’s been a good day.  Despite the issues I’m facing in this season on my life, I wouldn’t trade this birthday for any of the ones that came before it.  I’m blessed to have found my soul-mate and together we have four incredible kids, that I love with all of my heart.  We are rich in the things that truly matter.

We’ve been really busy today and I haven’t had much time for reflection, but just now my baby girl (Bekah) hugged me, wished me happy birthday and looked up toward heaven and said, “Happy Birthday Grandpa”.  I almost burst into tears at the realization that today would have been my father’s seventieth birthday. 

One of the great joys of my life was sharing a birthday with my dad and I’m ashamed to admit that I hadn’t thought about him today.  God knows I miss him and would have loved to have shared this day with him.  He was a fine man and incredibly patient with me; unfortunately, I was a kid who required a lot of that.  In honor of him, I wanted to re-post a tribute I wrote for him just before he passed away.  It’s probably not my best writing, but it was (and is) certainly the cry of my heart.  Happy Birthday Dad – I love you.

  

I Never Saw My Father Dunk a Basketball

I never saw my father dunk a basketball

and he never became a CEO

But I saw him live by what he believed

which showed me what was important for my life

*

I never saw my father hit a home run

and he never held a public office

But I saw him serve his wife, children, church, country…

which showed me that life was about something more than myself

*

I never saw my father make his first million

and we never lived in a mansion

 But I never knew what it was like to miss a meal

which showed me the difference between wants and needs

*

My father wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth

and he never won the lottery

But I saw my parents build a life for their family, with little or no help from anyone

which taught me that where you come from is no excuse

*

I never saw my father’s name in the headlines

and he never made it onto a highlight reel

But I watched him support others and be a team player

which showed me that secure people don’t need the spotlight

*

I never saw my father lift a weight

and he never made the Olympics

But I saw him be committed & work hard at every endeavor

which showed me that strength has more to do with character than muscle

*

I never saw my father receive his degree

and he was never deemed a Scholar

But I saw him lead his family through the good and bad times

which showed me that wisdom isn’t what you say, but how you live

*

I never saw my father paint a picture

and he never wrote a song

But I saw him cry & say “I Love You”

which let me know that it was OK for a man to do that

*

I never saw my father overpower anyone

and he wasn’t much for intimidation

But I saw him be patient when others struggled

which showed me that exposing others weaknesses, doesn’t make you strong

*

I never saw my father in the pulpit

and he wasn’t one to quote you scripture

But I saw him pray to God

which showed me that God was real & that I needed Him too

*

I never saw my father run a marathon

and he never climbed Mount Everest

But I saw him endure a cruel terminal illness with grace and perseverance

which taught me that you have to keep running until you cross the finish line

*

My father wasn’t above losing his temper

and I saw him take some missteps along the way

But I heard him say “I’m sorry” & watched him learn from his mistakes

which showed me the way I needed to handle my failures

*

My parents didn’t have a perfect marriage

and I can’t say that there was never a struggle

But I watched them stay together for 48 years

which taught me that love is like a garden & it requires regular tending

*

I have often disregarded my father’s advice

and I have many times made disappointing choices

But he never made me feel like a disappointment & loved me anyway

which taught me about the love & forgiveness of a father (& “Our Father”)

*

As I reflect on my father’s life, I realize that he was never what this world tells you that you “need” to be, but that he was in fact what God made him to be. If my father had been rich or famous, I doubt that I would have learned so much and I know that my life wouldn’t have been better. Reflecting on my father’s life shows me that I shouldn’t waste time worrying about what I’m not and what I don’t have; but to make the most of everything that I’ve been given. At the end of my life, I would be pleased if it could be said of me that, “he was a loving, committed husband, father, brother, son, friend…”; “you could always count on him”; “he loved God and tried to live for Him”; “he served his family, his church, his country…”; “he made a difference in my life”. I guess for me it would just be easier to say, “he was just like his father”. Yes, that would please me.

Posted in Personal, Tributes | 12 Comments »

Emmanuel

December 7, 2010 by bjcorbin

Throughout the Christmas season I repeatedly find myself drawn to the phrase, “Emmanuel, God with us”.  For me, it is amazing to ponder the reality of God, the Creator of the Universe, coming to earth and living as a man amongst His creation.  The heralding of the name “Emmanuel” reveals His motivation for coming; which was to be “with us”.  As joyous as that news was on the day of Christ’s birth, relatively few people actually experienced the reality of those words in His lifetime.  But ultimately, God didn’t just come to be “with us” for the thirty-three years of Jesus’ life.  In the scripture He says, “lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” and through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, He is “with us” even today.  There are some who seem to feel as though those followers, who walked with Jesus during His time on earth, had some distinct advantage over the rest of us; but scripture would seem to indicate otherwise.  During the years of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples often seemed confused and unsure of themselves.  It wasn’t until the day of Pentecost that they began to step into consistent truth and power.  Arguably the disciples accomplished more on that day, than in all of their days with Jesus.  Christ Himself told them that it would be better for them that He go, so that the Holy Spirit could come.  This is the same Holy Spirit that powered Jesus’ ministry and the same Spirit that is available to us today.

Before the manifestation of Jesus on the earth, those believing in Jehovah God could only look to the sky; hoping that He was up there and that He was pleased with them.  They clung to their lineages, their traditions and to the stories of what God had done for their ancestors.  It wasn’t a personal relationship, because they had no way of access to Him; and they largely looked upon their circumstances for evidence of how He viewed them.  The coming of the Messiah changed all of that.  Through His perfect sacrifice and by the gift of the Holy Spirit, Gods people need never live that way again; but sadly, many of us continue to exist in much the same way those ancient believers did.  We often live as though we lack some essential ingredient for the victorious life that Jesus attained for us; looking toward the sky and praying that He will send something more, when the very power of God dwells within us.  Just as it was then, we allow our sense of well-being to be dictated by our circumstances, instead of by the Word of God and/or the witness of His Spirit.  Now more than ever, it would seem that we are in desperate need of a greater revelation of “Emmanuel”, the God who is “with us”. 

For those who apprehend the truth of “Emmanuel”, the contrast is startling.  In the 3rd chapter of the book of Acts, Peter seemed to understand that while he didn’t have money to give the crippled man at the temple gate, what he did have was even better.  When that man was miraculously healed, Peter made it clear that it wasn’t him, but the power of God that dwelled within in him.  When difficult times came (e.g. disciples imprisoned, shipwrecked, snake bit, stoned…), the early believers often appealed to their Heavenly Advocate, who often responded with miraculous intervention.  The power of God was tangible to many of them and through those followers it became tangible to the world.  Those same resources have now been placed upon our door step, though many of us step over them on an almost daily basis; forsaking them for more tangible and less viable tools.  Maybe in this Christmas season, instead of organizing yet another boycott over the use of the phrase “Happy Holidays”, we’d be better served pursuing a fresh revelation of the phrase, “Emmanuel, God with us”.  After all, unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.

Posted in Christmas, Commentaries | 1 Comment »

Covetousness

December 2, 2010 by bjcorbin

            Recently, the Lord reminded me of some things that He’d impressed upon me years ago about “covetousness”.  At the time, I realized that I’d never really given it much thought.  I understood that to covet meant to have an inordinate desire for something (e.g. to lust or to crave) and that there is a commandment against coveting our neighbors’ wife and/or their goods.  But as I prayed, I began to sense that this is a much bigger issue than I’d previously recognized.  As I re-read the commandment, I recalled that it actually covered “anything that belongs to your neighbor” and I sensed God challenging me to take a fresh look at all of the commandments.  To some extent, I guess I’d believed that God commanded against coveting as a way of preventing us from falling into temptation for things like adultery, stealing or idolatry.  And while there may be some truth to that, I began to see that He really covered those issues with commandments of their own.  It seemed as though He was showing me that coveting isn’t just a problem if it leads to other sins, but that the act itself is destructive to our soul.  Undoubtedly, there are those who might want to quibble about where the line between simple desire and inappropriate desire should be drawn, but ultimately only God’s perception really matters. 

            The first step in coveting is simply to get focused on a particular object or person.  That may seem like a harmless thing and, by itself, it could be; but if we keep our eyes fixed on one thing for very long, we quite naturally begin to discern things, make judgments and have some sort of emotional response.  In those moments, a spiritual doorway often opens as well.  As members of a highly competitive and materialistic society, the things we find desirable are prone to quickly spur us toward covetousness.  Of course, we don’t call it that.  We tend to justify a lust for position and prestige as being “goal-oriented” or “career minded” or “ambitious”; cravings for a more extravagant lifestyle are generally passed off as “pursuing the American Dream”; while yearnings for the perfect relationship are characterized as, “looking for Mr or Mrs Right”.  To someone born into Western society, these things are simply natural features of the cultural landscape; but in the eyes of God, I suspect that they are little more than well dressed covetousness.  In truth, the constant craving for more (i.e. bigger, better, newer…) has become a trademark of our national character.  All forms of popular media consistently bombard the average person with images meant to titillate and stir our cravings; and it’s doubtful that any society has been more responsive to those promptings than ours.  We are encouraged to peek into our neighbors’ windows (e.g. reality shows) and to covet whatever we find of value (e.g. their stuff, their looks, their career, their mates, their children…).  Indeed the criterion for success in this culture is most often how we compare to other people.  We’ve kidded ourselves into believing that if we’re “just looking”, and not necessarily acting on the resultant feelings, we are somehow blameless; but Jesus tells a different story.  He said that to look upon a woman lustfully is to have committed adultery in our hearts.  While we might understand that principle in regards to sexual feelings, how often have we lusted after other people’s homes, relationships, lifestyles…  In the scripture, God groups all of these cravings into the same category of sin.

            As with all sin, covetousness short-circuits Gods plan to give us abundant life.  He wants us to find the extravagant provision that He’s made for us, while the enemy of our souls seeks to keep us connected to a sense of lack.  Since we don’t tend to covet what we already have, the act of coveting keeps us focused on what we don’t have.  Pursuit of those things generally blinds us to the blessings we already possess and becomes little more than a vain attempt to gain our lives.  It is Satan’s treadmill to have us waste the precious time and resources that we’ve been given chasing some elusive promise of fulfillment.  In those instances when we are successful in attaining the coveted object, we most often find that it is not nearly as satisfying as we’d hoped.  In these times the enemy generally begins to dangle “the next big thing” in front of us and soon we’re off and running again.  This picture is in stark contrast to the scripture.  The book of Hebrews tells us to keep our lives free of covetousness and to be content with whatever we have.  Paul also testified that he’d learned to be contented in all things.  This is the same freedom the Lord means for us.  We’re told that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of the other things will be added to us.  As with so many things, we in the church are often more conformed to the culture than to the word of God.  Sadly, the consumer mentality is rampant in the church and covetousness is a sin that is openly committed without repentance; even Pastors transparently covet other Pastor’s facilities, congregations and callings.  I sensed the Lord saying that covetousness has become so widely and openly accepted in the western church that it isn’t even really considered a sin anymore.  The Lord led me to Ezekiel 33, which says, “With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain (i.e. their heart goeth after their covetousness – KJV)”.  God goes on to tell the Prophet that, “Indeed to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice”. 

            The life that God ordained for us is one in which we are led by the promptings of His Spirit, not by our cravings.  It is not wrong to have goals, as long as those goals are established by God; it is not wrong to have a vision for your life, as long as that vision is given to you by God; it is not wrong to have ambition, as long as that ambition is rooted in fulfilling God’s will and purpose for your life.  Covetousness keeps us focused and bound to the things of this world, while God calls us to be focused on the eternal things.   It seeks to satisfy our soul through the feeding of our flesh (which is perishing), while God seeks to satisfy our soul through the feeding of our spirit (which is eternal). In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells them not only to refrain from covetousness, but to disassociate themselves from those who are.  He also includes covetousness, along side issues like homosexuality and adultery, on the list of things that will prevent a person from inheriting the Kingdom of God.  While it is unlikely that most congregations would tolerant blatant displays of sexual sin, how much more prevalent and apparent is covetousness within the church.  As I meditated on these things, I found myself praying as the Psalmist did, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain” (i.e. covetousness-KJV). “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word”.  Amen.

[NOTE:  It is worth mentioning that the word “covet” (coveting, covetous…) is translated many different ways and seems to be featured most prominently in the King James Version of the Bible.  For many of the passages that I referenced, I used that version of scripture.]

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Thought for the Day – The Truth, the Life & the Way

November 29, 2010 by bjcorbin

The longer I live, the more I understand how essential the journey is toward achieving destiny.  Ultimately, the truth only comes to life along the way.

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Mary’s Song

November 24, 2010 by bjcorbin

In these days leading to our celebration of Christmas, I find myself drawn to the words of “Mary’s Song”, from the gospel of Luke (1:46-55).  Within this passage Mary is responding to her cousin Elizabeth’s extraordinary greeting as she exclaims, “my soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior”.  As I’ve meditated on those words, their profound nature has become more apparent to me.  I find myself wanting to understand exactly what it is to “magnify the Lord” and to truly abide in His joy.  While I’ve certainly walked with the Lord long enough to give a passable explanation of these things, I have to wonder if I’ve ever actually experienced them first hand. 

The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength and while few of us would consider ourselves to be deficient in the area of joy, how many of us have complained about our fatigue (e.g. stress, burn out, exhaustion…).  It is unlikely that we as Christians would describe ourselves as joyless, but that seems to be a common adjective used by Non-Christians to describe us.  I believe that part of this can be attributed to the fact that we generally mistake happiness for joy; but happiness is a fleeting emotion that is driven largely by circumstance and is easily changed.  Joy on the other hand is experienced in our spirit and is rooted in our response to God as opposed to our circumstances; this makes joy more profound, transcendent and sustaining.  Happiness is generally something we pursue, while joy is found in our surrender to Gods plan.  Mary had surrendered to God’s plan and the joy that she was experiencing caused her own cousin to view her in a totally different light.  Undoubtedly this would be the effect on our family, friends and neighbors if we similarly succumbed to the joy that the Lord has afforded us.

Arguably the concept of “magnifying” the Lord is even more vital than that of partaking of His joy.  The scripture tells us that our destiny is to be transformed into the image of Christ and that He is faithful to complete the good work that He has begun in us.  Based on these verses it would seem that the committed Christian should expect to grow more Christ-like with each passing year of their journey, but from my experience that is rarely true.  As I ponder the reasons for this, I wonder if this is even one of our goals and I shudder at the thought of what our souls are magnifying if it is not the Lord.  The idea of magnifying is that a clearer, more defined picture will emerge from our interaction and that begs the question of what picture is emerging from the worlds interaction with the church.  Jesus is the “light of the world” and He’s called us to reflect that light to a fallen world; but how will that ever be accomplished if His light cannot be seen in us.

Mary understood that something of heaven had been deposited within her and that Gods intent was not simply for her to enjoy the sensations of the baby in her womb or to bestow upon her honor amongst women; but that it was to bring forth that life when the time came.  The same is true of believers today, as the Lord has once again deposited Himself within us, not just for our own edification, but so that we will allow Him to come forth at His appointed times.  This Christmas I pray that His people everywhere will respond as Mary did when she told the angel, I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said.  I pray that we will truly magnify the Lord and genuinely rejoice in Him.  God bless you and your family this Christmas.

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Giving Thanks

November 19, 2010 by bjcorbin

It’s amazing to realize that “Thanksgiving” is already upon us.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that while the days don’t pass any quicker, the months and years seem to fly by.  This year has moved by so rapidly that I feel as though I’ve missed much of it.  As we come into what ought to be a special season, I can already sense the dread that many people feel during this time of year.  On the surface it all seems bright and shiny, but in recent years I’ve begun to notice how few people really seem to enjoy it.  Though our calendars fill up with “special” activities, I don’t sense much “peace on earth”, “goodwill toward man” or “joy to the world”.  Even within the church, I don’t see a lot of genuine excitement at what should be, for Christians, a time of worship and celebration.

Sadly, we all tend to get caught up in the busyness (e.g. cooking, baking, shopping, holiday parties, traveling, guests, holiday programs…) and miss much of the richness this season has to offer.  While we’ll be the first to proclaim that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, He doesn’t always get a place of prominence in our holiday activities.  So as we launch into yet another holiday season, God put it on my heart to stop long enough to gain some perspective.

I believe that at the root of much of the seasonal angst is unfulfilled expectation; whether that comes in the form of past disappointments or the present dissatisfaction with where we find ourselves.  The inherently nostalgic quality of the season can often stir up more painful memories than warm thoughts.  Those who grew up in dysfunctional homes often come face to face with that dysfunction again, whether it is gathering with their families or intentionally avoiding the pain of such a reunion.  Those who are in the midst of difficult situations often feel more isolated in this time, because presumably everyone else is full of holiday cheer.  Those of limited means struggle, because we’ve all come to believe that Christmas cannot be complete unless it comes with boxes and ribbons.  Many of us wrestle with the notion that if we can’t give our kids what all the other kids have, we’ve somehow failed them.  For others, it can be the uncertainties of a new year that keep them from partaking of the joy set before them.  Ultimately, if we are dreading the holidays, we will almost certainly have a dreadful holiday season.  For those who are in the world, these are simply the seas which toss souls about; but what about the children of God?  Are these the forces that should be shaping our perspective?

If we could look at the reality of where we are today, apart from the disappointments of the past and our fears for the future, we might see that we are a genuinely blessed people.  Regardless of our situations, God has provided for us and continues to sustain us.  We may feel as though we have lack, but if we can see past what we don’t have, we will likely find that we have unnoticed abundance all around us.  The Psalmist spoke of how God wants to teach us of His ways and he beseeches that we not be like the horse or mule, which must be controlled using a bit and bridle.  That picture is one of needing to use pain as a way to get our attention.  I believe that if we will look for the blessings He’s laid aside for today, we will find them; if not, we often must suffer a painful lose before we can understand how truly blessed we were yesterday.

Do we really have to become homeless before we can be thankful for a warm house; even if it isn’t as big or as nice as we’d like.  Do we really have to lose someone we love before we can be thankful for the other people in our lives?  Do we really have to get sick before we can be thankful for our health?  Do we really have to become fugitives or prisoners before we can rejoice in our freedom?  Sadly, most of us tend not to appreciate what we have until we lose it, but this season offers us an opportunity to live differently.

Truthfully, this season was never really meant to be about us anyway.  We’ve unconsciously allowed the world’s thinking to distract us from the central issue, which is Jesus.  While some might regard that as rather obvious, I would guess that most of our holiday attitudes don’t reflect it.  When we talk about the sacrifice that Jesus made, we most often speak of the cross.  Rightfully so, but before His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus sacrificed His deity; not only to become a man, but to become a man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief.  He sacrificed His perfect fellowship with the Father to come to this earth as a sacrificial lamb.  He sacrificed the glory of heaven for a manger, the rejection of man and a cross.  Make no mistake; the sacrifice Jesus made at Christmas is no less profound than the one He made at Easter.  It was the day that our redemption was set in motion and it certainly warrants a seasons worth of rejoicing.

So as we step into this season, I feel the Lord challenging our motivations and asking what will drive us in this time.  Will it be the hurts and disappointment of seasons past; will it be the struggles that we’re facing today, or maybe our fears about what awaits us down the road.  Maybe it will be the vain hope that if we just find the right combination of songs & gifts & food & people & decorations, we’ll find the joy of the season.  I’d submit that the Lord would like this season to be a season of awe and wonder at the love of our Father in heaven; a season of gratitude for all that He is and all that He’s done for us; a season of renewed relationship with Him and those He’s brought around us.

Who knows what the New Year will bring, but as I stand here today, I am blessed and thankful.  He has given and done more than I ever deserved and more than I ever could have hoped for.  I pray that you and your family will find His joy and have a wonderful holiday season.  God bless you

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