The problem is us!

DOUGLAS RILEY, COMMISSIONER

There’s a parable of a master who hired laborers to work in his field. He hired some in the morning and said that he would pay them at the end of the day. At noontime, he hired others to work right alongside the first workers. He said, “I will pay you what is right at the end of the day.” Then, near the end of the day, he hired a few more workers and said the same thing. At the end of the day, the first workers screamed, “This is not fair.” The master said, “Did I not give you what I promised?” They replied, “Yes, but…”

Well, March means spring training for Major League Baseball (MLB). The other day, I watched a 60-minute documentary on the worst umpire calls in MLB. It is estimated that there are 34,294 incorrect balls and strikes called each year by umpires. With the instant review process in place, many calls are immediately viewed by the fans and experts, but it comes with an overwhelming sense of humility, heckling, boos and fierce anger from fans on both sides of the call. They say every time an umpire makes a close call, they earn a friend and a permanent enemy. Fractions of a second separate the distinguishing factor and even though you might be next to perfect, it’s that small percentage that is remembered forever.

As I watch the world around us today and the news, it’s clear we make these same instant judgment calls. There’s no replay, but ruthless choices are made each and every day. It’s all about what we think is fair and just. We make thousands of judgment calls every day. Many of those could have a similar outcome: earn a friend or make an enemy.

Yet, amid watching the worsts in these umpires, I forget to consider the pressure of the moment of an instant call, split second, at a blink of the eye—and yet the result is final. It is in that emotional state, attitude or disposition our judgment is made not based on our spiritual values, but those around us and our human error. A judgmental call could be correct or incorrect but suddenly we become prejudiced. We prejudge waiting for the instant replay to prove us right.

Often, we are much like those umpires in our view of the world and the unfairness that pervades our culture. We begin to judge people by using the world’s standards of life, not a biblical standard. We set ourselves up as umpires thinking we know the “right” call of what people deserve or don’t deserve, trying to tweak the final outcome. What is right and wrong, what is acceptable and what is not, fair or unfair. And, like an umpire making an instant determination on a call in the game, we too make those calls every day of our lives and we, too, make mistakes.

Romans 2:1-4 says: Now if you feel inclined to set yourself up as a judge of those who sin, let me assure you, whoever you are, that you are in no position to do so. For at whatever point you condemn others you automatically condemn yourself, since you, the judge, commit the same sins. The problem is not them, it’s us! We are looking at the problems and sins of the world all wrong.

Some say our society is morally drifting downward, and at the same time, we are refusing to see the same thing happening in the Church, and worse, in our lives. It’s not about being fair. It’s about being true to God’s Word. The church is guilty of pointing the finger at the world and proclaiming foul. The church is to be salt and light!

But, as we compare ourselves to anything other than the Word of God, we make the call on our own motives, which need to be reviewed. (Instant replay might be needed in our lives!) Often we, all of the sudden, without realizing, have a new distorted opinion and it leads to being an umpire— making a judgment call and ultimately, not being Christlike. That’s our problem. God doesn’t compare us and nor should we.

It is interesting that we never stop to thank an umpire for the thousands of correct calls that are made, but we are quick to judge those that were missed. So let us realize God’s love and kindness that leads us each to repentance. His tolerance, his patience, his unconditional love. Unlike the TV show that focused on all the worst calls, let us focus on good and what is admirable and of Christ. And let us show it, live it and breathe it in our lives for others. We need to use the Word of God as our standard for living. NFC

FUTURE OFFICERS ‘FIND PURPOSE’

Published by The Salvation Army USA Western Territory 30840 Hawthorne Blvd. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 General Information 562/436-7000 Commissioner Douglas Riley, Territorial Commander Colonel Eddie Vincent, Chief Secretary newfrontierchronicle.org new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org newfrontierchronicle @nfchronicle

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Themed “Find Purpose,” the Future Officers’ Fellowship (FOF) took place on the Crestmont campus Feb. 10–12, with 80 potential candidates from all nine Western Territory divisions, plus divisional commanders, divisional youth secretaries and CFOT staff. Along with three main sessions, the delegates attended classes, Evangelism and Discipleship, Crestmont Life, Spiritual Formation, and a Crestmont campus tour. The FOF leadership team included Captains Emmanuel and Jennifer Masango, Territorial Candidates’ Secretaries; Major Nigel Cross, CFOT Training Principal; and Major Amy Reardon, CFOT Assistant Principal.

BY BRIAN PEDDLE, GENERAL

This Easter comes as Salvation Army leaders from around the world have been called together to elect a new General. The privilege of serving in the role of international leaders is now coming to an end for Commissioner Rosalie and me, and we seek to complete what we had set out to do. Soon we will need to say, “It is finished.”

So when I reflect on Easter, I am drawn to the words of Jesus on the cross: “It is finished.” But how much more profound are those words on Jesus’ lips as recorded in John 19:30. His earthly life and ministry—the greatest of all human lives and the most far-reaching of all ministries—was complete.

It is finished.

But the words “It is finished” take on yet deeper meaning when we consider that Jesus spoke them in his own language of Aramaic, so the word he used indicates complete submission—completed before he died. In Christ, God-who-could-not-die voluntarily and completely submitted to becoming human. In so doing he experienced pain, suffering and death itself. Paul echoes this in Philippians 2:5-8 (NRSV) when he writes, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” Jesus clothes himself with our humanity. He understands us. He experienced the extremity of a public execution with all its humiliation. His identification with us in the human experience—including pain, suffering and death—stands completed.

It is finished.

When John later wrote his Gospel in Greek, he recorded “It is finished” as the last words of Jesus, using a word from the world of finance meaning “paid in full.” So the evangelist reminds us that, in Jesus’

His earthly life and ministry—the greatest of all human lives and the most far-reaching of all ministries—was complete.