Fourth of July

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Gal 5:1

Graduating

It seemed like the iPod of my era, when I unwrapped that little plastic transistor radio at Christmas. Suddenly, I could listen to my own music. I even had an earplug for privacy. The radio is long gone but the memories are still clear.

Memories were cascading yesterday as we celebrated the life and legacy of our dear Wilma. She graduated to heaven on Sunday, drifting away in her sleep. It was the way we all wanted her to go, if she had to leave us.

Wilma had three specific directions for her funeral. She instructed our pastor, in her soft Oklahoma drawl, these things:

• "Keep it short, Kelly."
• "Don't have one of those open mikes where people come up and say stuff about me."
• "And don't put any hootch in the punch."

And now, a little like spiritual orphans, we step onward.

But Wilma's instructions fascinated me.

First, keep it short. Wilma seldom missed a gathering. She loved people and would have watched our embraces and tears with a prayer and a pat on the back. But she didn't want us to linger in the grief we were feeling.

Because this life wasn't about her. That's what her second direction meant. She didn't want us to idolize her. Our pastor called her an arrow, pointing to her blessed Savior. She was a humble servant. Our memories of her ought not to puff her up, but to direct us to God.

Regarding her third instruction, trust me: there was no danger of hooch in the punch. But she reminded us all to lighten up. Life with the Lord is joyous and a frequent laugh makes the days more, well, Wilma-like. Wilma laughed a lot.

Gifts aren't ours forever. But they can make our lives so much richer and stronger.

We'll spend years discovering the treasures that Wilma, our gift from God, has buried in our memories.

Corrupting power

In yesterday's post, I discussed the nature of theocracies. Clearly, those of us who follow Jesus would find a theocracy wise. If God, with his wisdom and power, were calling the shots, we'd be as successful as the Israelites going into the Promised Land.

The issue isn't God's wisdom, but our own corruption. As George Orwell said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Look at the first king of Israel, King Saul. Chosen by God to be the nation's king, Saul was expected to obey God. In a sense, we see a theocracy once-removed. God, through Samuel, instructed Saul. Saul gave those instructions a quick glance and then did what seemed practical to him.

Saul's reign began with a great military flourish as he defeated the Ammonites miraculously. We're told clearly that God was with him, winning that battle. Ironically, his end came on the same battlefield against the Philistines. God was not with him this time. God did not speak to him because of his disobedience.

Samuel's farwell address contains fascinating guidelines to the people he ruled. Samuel did not direct their attention to obedience of their new king but notice what he said:

If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good!
1 Sam 12:14

Israel thought they had moved into a monarchy by demanding a king. God chose their king and made clear that their ultimate obedience was to follow the Lord their God. God has not handed off the reins and headed to a new galaxy to dabble with some other civilization somewhere else.

He is still here. Even as he allows governments to operate, ultimately he expects obedience to be to him. We can't lose sight of that fact: God is here, ruling still, and our job is to obey him.

Samuel closed his farewell address with encouraging words:

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.
1 Sam 12:24

No matter how our earthly governments rule, our job is to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all our hearts.

Supreme power

Theocracies - those nations supposedly governed by God - are a strange animal in this world. Look at modern-day Iran, for example.

The Ayatollah in theory has the power to overrule the democratic institutions of the nation if he feels their actions run counter to Allah's will. That may be what happened in the recent elections there. It appears that many voters have challenged his supreme authority.

Historically, the Christian Church of the 1300's and 1400's had something of a similar hierarchy. The Pope had ultimate power to influence governments. Monarchs needed the Pope's approval for major decisions.

The popes, in those centuries, became more and more corrupt. They formed an international powerhouse that was subject to no one - but they were not ruled by God's principles. Their reigns were based on political alliances and manipulation that might make our heads spin today. Or not, considering our current politics.

When Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt's slavery, we see a working theocracy. Moses met with God and conveyed God's commands to the people. God led the people.

However, when the Israelites finally reached the Promised Land of Canaan, the theocracy which continued soon collapsed. If you've ever read the book of Judges, you know the theme of that book is "each man did what was right in his own eyes."

More specifically, Judges shows us that we need a king. We don't do so well on our own. Often, theocracies have a Wizard of Oz look, where the show is impressive but it's all run by a guy behind the curtain.

How is God involved in government? Tomorrow, I'm going to search some biblical texts for principles to apply to our political leaders.

Thinning the beets

Still rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we leaned on our garden hoes in the early morning cool as Dad gave his annual description of how to thin the crop. Dad was a sugar beet farmer and, in those days, the technology didn’t yet place each little beet seed at the proper distance from the others.

So they had to be thinned.

“It might be hard to take out a healthy plant,” he told us, “but if it’s right beside another plant, neither one will grow well. They’ll both steal from the other and we won’t get much from either.”

So we learned to pluck a plant when it crowded in on another. We pulled healthy plants to make room for less hearty ones, because the lessor one was in the right place to grow well. And, given the room to get sunlight and water, those usually caught up quickly.

We had to anticipate how large that sugar beet would one day become, and leave room for that growth.

I was thinking about the same thing yesterday as I thinned some carrots in my garden.

“You thinned the carrots??” my daughter said. “I like carrots.”

“That’s why I did it. Those carrots were like grass, too thick to grow very large,” I told her.

But really, yesterday, I was thinking about priorities. I have been guilty in my life of being unwilling to thin my crop. I allowed activities and interests to crowd in on me, to steal away time and resources.

The activities often looked healthy and good.

But what I’m trying to learn is, like crops that need thinned, too many activities keep any from becoming mature.

You don’t get a good crop from carrot grass.

But seek first the kingdom of God

Matt 6:33

Our Christian nation

Although this country has drifted from its roots, there's little doubt that we founded this nation "under God," fully intending to operate by biblical principles. Some today try to disclaim - or dilute - that intent, but changing history in speeches doesn't change it in fact. We must stand up for truth and not wilt in the face of withering opposition.

If you haven't seen this video yet, take a look:

Introducing....

We sometimes feel like we're surrounded by those who deny God and live by their own rules. Their gods are not our God and we may feel weak and powerless.

But this is not the first time in history this situation has even happened. In the first century, Paul wrote to people in the same kind of situation. They were new believers surrounded by pagans who pressured them to abandon their new faith for the religion of the masses. Why fight the crowd when it would be so easy to tolerate every belief system?

My new book, Set Apart: Living Today in a Pagan World, addresses the issue of maintaining our faith in the midst of cultural opposition. Click here for Set Apart's website. I hope you'll take a look!

Yesterday, I mentioned Bible quizzing because the quiz material for the 2009-2010 year is 1&2 Corinthians and Titus, the same material covered by Set Apart, which makes it a good companion book for quizzers as well.