V GENUINE MOTIV TION APR
2011
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN
ARE YOU ADDICTED TO GOD? SIDE-STEPPING THE
SNARE OF HYPOCRISY
SPIRITUAL EXPERIMENTATION
DUDE, YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS!
HANDY DANDY
DISPOSAL TIPS
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN 04
Feature Article: If you can Read This ... You’ve Got 10 Talents
06
On The Couch: The Dark Ninja Within
08
Can You Relate: Side-stepping the Snare of Hypocrisy
10
May God Bless the Hell Out of You: Spiritual Experimentation
12
Cornered by Grace: Why Jesus Wept
14
Press On: Addicted To God
16
The Tool Box: Handy Dandy Disposal Tips
DONNA LEE SCHILLINGER Randy kosloski
thom mollohan
The Merry Monk ROB BEAMES WILL DOLE
Jeffrey Bridgman
a publication of On My Own now Ministries
www.onmyownnow.com
Visit our Archives to View Past Issues of Genuine Motivation
APRIL 2011
Editor In Chief / Rob Beames Art + Creative Director / MIKE MURO & DANIELA BERMĂšDEZ
IF YOU CAN READ THIS
YOU’VE GOT TEN TALENTS
BY
DONNA LEE SCHILLINGER
GM : 04
This year on my birthday I took some time, as many people do, to reflect on my life. I’m happy to report that I think it’s pretty awesome. Not because I’ve lived in three foreign countries and visited 24 others, earned a couple of degrees and won a few awards, or not even because of my cute little family. I thank God for all of these things, but my life is awesome in much more basic ways. Not that I take any credit for this. Almost daily, I pause to think about the grand opportunity that I’ve been given to have this awesome life. If any number of things that are totally out of my control were different, I’d venture to say my life would not be so awesome. For instance, imagine I were exactly who I am, but I had been born in England in the 1600s. I wouldn’t have been able to go to school and use my God-given intellect. Let’s change another single fact: what if I were exactly who I am but had lingered just a little too long in the womb and, denied of oxygen, been born with a limited capacity for learning. Yea, that would have changed a few things. It’s not just me though. If you’re reading this, your life is probably just as awesome as mine.
If you answered yes to these questions, you have 10 talents by virtue of the time, place, circumstance and natural endowments God gave you at birth! A child turning one year old today could—in theory say her life is as awesome as mine! Often, when we take stock of our lives, either on our birthdays, or when some new benchmark comes to our attention—like a friend buys a new car, or a neighbor goes on a cruise to Antarctica —we fail to acknowledge the 10 talents we started out with at birth. Instead, we’re more inclined to identify certain talents we weren’t given, or to completely miss the mark and dwell on stuff and things that have nothing to do with talents at all, evidenced by the fact that we think money can buy them. Instead of correctly understanding that we, as 10-talent people, have more than about 90 percent of the world’s population, we tend to overlook entirely our 10 talents and compare ourselves to everyone else in the 10-talent group. Compared to this elite group, we don’t rank so high and it leaves us feeling deprived. It’s a very clever optical illusion that distracts us from the truth of our privileged position.
TAKE A QUICK ASSESSMENT:
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Were you born in the 20th or 21st century?
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Were you born in a developed country?
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Can you read?
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Do you speak the world’s dominant language – hint: you’re reading it right now?
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Do you have the means and intelligence to access the Internet?
0.8
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Do you live where you can attend a church service without fear of imprisonment or other persecution?
0.6
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Are you reading this while enjoying decent health with functional eye sight?
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Will you turn off lights before you get into an actual bed tonight?
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Will you wake tomorrow morning with a very good probability of having the means to eat three meals?
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Added to all these favorable conditions, do you have at least one talent or skill, such as athletic, mechanical, musical or artistic ability, good organizational, interpersonal or communication skills?
⤵
Where 10-talent people rank compared to the world’s population
1.0
0.4
0.0
⤵
0.2
Where I feel I rank compared to the 10-talent segment
GM : 05
A birthday is a great time to step way back, look at the big picture and see that as 10-talent people, we are truly blessed. Recognizing and then really letting it sink in are just the first steps. The bigger issue is this: What are we going to do with those talents? This might be a good time for a short story:
There was a man who was “about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’
GM : 06
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt 25:14-30) NASB
Gads! What a scary ending. It puts the fear of God into ya! Makes me want to be sure to use my talents correctly! My birthday is also a great time to read the ticker tape and see how my talents are doing. What am I doing to multiple each of my 10 talents? This is an entirely different set of questions than the ones we used to identify our talents. If God has entrusted me with these 10 things, how am I using them to His glory? Another way to ask this might be, What have I stored up for myself in heaven? How am I putting to work my God-given capital to build stock in His kingdom? Recall from the story, that as 10-talent people, more is expected of us: we are given our talents according to our ability. If God picked us to be 10-talent people, we can’t worm our way out of being big producers with some measly excuse about our lack of ability. It was according to our ability that we received the talents. Neither, as 10-talent people, can we compare ourselves to five and one talent producers and feel pretty good about what we’re doing. Just as we are inclined to focus on the wrong scale when estimating our talents, we are also inclined to an errant perspective when we analyze how our talents are yielding. We tend to focus on what we are doing with our talents. We could more accurately assess our yield by asking what we could be doing with our talents. We may feel good about using our organizational skills on the church planning board, but could we also be organizing a city-wide furniture drive for the poor at Christmastime? We may feel good that we’re singing in the choir, but what about that song that God gave us that remains in our head when it could be written, published and enhancing the worship experience of thousands of people? I’m no Madonna fan, never have been, but there is something pretty amazing about Madonna that we should all take note of: she’s not that talented. I have personally known a hundred church choir singers with talent superior to Madonna’s, as I’m sure you have. No joke, I probably sing better than Madonna. So what does she have that the rest of us singers don’t? Gumption. And, am I grieved to say, in general, most of us lack gumption. If on your birthday, or any day, you have a nagging feeling that you’ve not quite accomplished all you could or should have by this age, that could be the voice of the Holy Spirit saying gently, “Turn your television off and get to work for me!” Don’t watch TV? Then maybe you’ve allowed yourself to become too busy with things
of temporal importance to the neglect of things of eternal importance, and the HS is saying gently, “Stop working out so much and get to work for me!” Or “Quit that silly job and ‘cuz I have a job for you to do.” Or “Downsize so you don’t have to spend all weekend keeping up the yard and the boat and then you’ll have more time for me.” Or “Move to the inner city, which will cut your commute by two hours a day, housing costs in half and then I’ll be able to better use you as My witness to hurting people.” That nagging feeling of dissatisfaction could be any number of things the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you. The important thing is to pay attention to it, slow down, figure it out, then act on it so you won’t be all “woe is me” on your next birthday. Be careful though. Sin is crouching at the door to redirect that God inspired dissatisfaction and shift your focus to your position among the 10-talent people and to how you rank against temporal benchmarks. Want more out of your life? Here’s the secret: Be faithful with a few things, and God will put you in charge of many things.
WHAT MORE COULD YOU BE DOING WITH YOUR TALENTS?
10 GM : 07
on the couch
The Dark Ninja Within by Randy Kosloski
“…BUT EACH PERSON IS TEMPTED WHEN THEY ARE DRAGGED AWAY BY THEIR OWN EVIL DESIRE AND ENTICED.”
JAMES 1:14
When I was 8 years old I really wanted to be a ninja. I had no desire to go through any of the work required to master the art of ninjitsu, so instead I decided I would just tell everyone that I was a ninja. I became an expert mimicking the moves I saw in movies, making crazy sounds and talking enough talk to convince my friends that I was a ninja. Amazingly they accepted it. Since most of them knew me since I started walking, I’m not sure that they actually believed that the same child, somehow when they weren’t looking, trained to become a ninja master; nonetheless, they humored me. Time passed and I lost my affinity for ninjas, but I found that it wasn’t a simple matter of turning my back on a childhood fantasy. The ninja within was refusing to be ignored! The imposter in me kept kicking his way out even after I wanted to be honest with my friends and just be me. I suppose that I feared my friends would not accept me for who I was any longer. Because the ninja was more interesting, faster and stronger, I felt the need to maintain the image. And thus the battle began.
The flesh that we battle against can have various forms in any one person. It is likely that Henry had many ninjas, but Macho Man was his primary enemy. I often wished I could have externalized Macho Man for Henry. If I could have metaphorically pulled Macho Man out of Henry, I could have said to Henry, “Look at what Macho Man is making you do. Your marriages are destroyed. Your son is hurting; his example is broken. Many women’s lives are destroyed... Get rid of Macho Man!” But just as I feared what I might be without my dark ninja, Henry also depended on Macho Man for selfidentity and for his concept of masculinity. With nothing to replace MM, he was lost. The good news of the gospel of Christ, however, is that there is a replacement for dark ninja, Macho Man, etc.
Much like the battle between a geeky, 8-year-old boy and a ninja from the dark side shows, a battle between spirit and flesh affects us all. James 1:14 talks about people being, “dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed.” All people, Christian or not, often do not do the good they want to do (Romans 7:19).
Bruxy Cavey is a teaching pastor at a church called The Meeting House in Oakville, Ontario (his podcasts are free on iTunes and are worth a listen). In a podcast series called “License to Sin,” he talks about this battle between our flesh and our spirit. Bruxy explains how the good in us (spirit) and the dark ninja (flesh) are not equals. If we follow Christ, our spirit is much more powerful than any ninja. Our ability to access that power may wax and wane, but the potential is huge. He goes on to explain that we learn to better access that power by learning to commune with God the Father through Jesus the Son.
Henry possessed a similar dark ninja within. For him it was a more of a macho-man. Father to a young boy, he was a rich, shrewd businessman, as well as a womanizer. He desperately wanted to do right by his son and his wife, but it seemed that no matter what he did, he could not shake this macho-man image.
“IF WE FOLLOW CHRIST, OUR SPIRIT IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY NINJA.”
He grew up under a renowned genius, but uncommitted father, which left Henry to figure out manhood all by himself. Heavily influenced by culture, Henry created a macho-man, ninja-type image for himself. He probably tried to use this persona to impress his father and draw closer to him. When it did not work, he tried even harder to be Mr. Macho Man. By the time he wanted to rid himself of this idiotic image, Macho Man was wellentrenched and would not be ignored. In the wake, Macho Man left behind broken marriages, a struggling son, numerous angry women, outstanding bills, and left Henry in a state of constant insecurity. Barely treading water when he came to see me, Henry needed me to get him through the next two months without doing anything stupid. Fortunately, we succeeded.
My ninja persona eventually slipped away and I cannot say that I ever missed it. God met me where I was as a boy. Despite my lies and deceit, He helped me find talents and friends that allowed me to shape a sense of self-identity which was closer to reality. But the ninja is stealth-like warrior, so I had to be on my guard for several years afterward to be sure that it did not creep back into my life again. And I still occasionally ask myself if the spirit is the real me and not the ninja. My answer is, “God created mankind in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). And that I know of, God doesn’t swing nun chucks and creep around in a black jumpsuit and a ski mask!
GM : 09
★ Can You Relate ★
Side-stepping the snare oF
HYPOCRISY
The world is full of dangers —many that lurk within our own hearts. These stealthy creatures subtly show themselves in our attitudes, speech and actions, seeking to increase their influence over all areas of our lives. Pride is one such foe, as are bitterness, discouragement, envy and the devious fiend of hypocrisy. The bane of real spiritual growth and fruitfulness, this cousin of pride covers our cankered hearts with pretense and seeks to thwart the cleansing effect of God’s forgiveness and the healing power of His grace. Hypocrisy can set up a stronghold within us. Its walls are mortared with satisfaction over our accomplishments—evidence of our worth. Its roof is an overarching sense of having achieved our own righteousness, as if we can somehow placate God with our own goodness. Yet far too many good deeds we have done end up as headdresses of shame rather than the crowns of glory we desire, because we do not acknowledge the hidden agendas and false motives of our actions.
by Thom Mollohan GM : 10
Hypocrisy is revolting to God because it robs God of His glory by shifting the focus to our “righteousness,” and because it hinders others in their pilgrimage to know God. Hypocrisy distorts the perception of God, painting Him with unholy hues that turn away those who do not yet know Him. It also hinders other believers who are genuinely seeking God by dumping an ugly litter of inconsistencies onto their paths. Jesus warned against hypocrisy in the Sermon on the Mount: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-6). Scripture encourages and exhorts us to do good deeds, but it also pointedly reminds us that we perform them for an audience of only One, who will be pleased by our quiet and humble service. If we are sincerely doing our good deeds for God’s glory, we won’t care about getting credit, we won’t feel the need to toot our own horns and we won’t go looking for pats on the back. God forbid that we settle for such infantile spirituality by seeking the immediate gratification of others’ praise. Whereas it is very good to praise others, knowing that such encouragement may help strengthen weary backs for the difficult path of life, it’s no good if our own faithfulness hinges on praise and recognition. It is contemptible to allow idols of selfishness magnify our own accomplishments and then feel good about it. Not only is this bad for us, it’s bad for other believers who may be tempted to criticize us, or worse, make their own selfish idols, emulating someone they mistakenly believe to be more spiritually mature. In the same way, being able to deliver a decent public prayer is not a benchmark of spirituality, nor does it endear us to our Maker. Beware also of undoing the good of a prayer made in private by a prideful, public declaration of it once it has been answered. “You got the job? I prayed that you would!” As if God were waiting for us to chime in before He responded! That doesn’t mean, however, that we should avoid
anything that draws public attention. Public prayer, for instance, is simply one voice representing the petitions of many to the Father. And there are plenty of ways to help others that inextricable from some degree of recognition. We don’t need to obsessively avoid being found out for good deeds; we just need to be careful not to perform them for the benefit of witnesses. If our criterion for good deeds and prayer includes having a witness, then we are not really serving or worshiping God; we are serving ourselves. The service or act of worship that furthers a deeper and more fruitful relationship with God is the one that is done whether or not anyone else ever learns of it. The bottom line for spiritual integrity is this,
“If no one else were to ever know that I prayed or gave or helped another, would I still do it?” God should be so enthroned in my life that the only recognition for which I yearn is to hear these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). Be renewed today with a true desire to know God and to seek His good will above the mundane praises and rewards on which the world thrives.
GM : 11
spiritual
experimentation MAY GOD BLESS THE HELL OUT OF YOU BY THE MERRY MONK
Did you know that on cold nights indigenous Australians used to sleep in a hole in the ground all curled up and snugly with a dingo? If it was a bit colder, they’d sleep with two dogs. If it was really cold, it was a three dog night. Incidentally, that’s where the band Three Dog Night got its name. Apparently their music was supposed to conjure up the experience of being in a dark hole with wild dogs…not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I digress. You know, nobody has ever heard of a three theology book night or a three philosophy book night, unless maybe you’re burning the books to stay warm. Now, I like to read theology and philosophy, but when it comes to my religion, I need way more than ideas about God. I need experience. I need to eat and drink and breathe God—to know Him in the Biblical sense. I want to be a monk the way Anthony Bourdain is a chef. That’s my kind of spirituality—raw, real and sensual. I want to dive naked into the divine and live to tell about it. And yet, as Kierkegaard said, “If I am capable of grasping God objectively, I do not believe, but precisely because I cannot do this I must believe.” However, through belief there is experience. Here’s an example that’s foundational for what I call spiritual experimentation. I’m not a dualist. I don’t believe that humans are spirits trapped in bodies. I believe that we are spiritual physical beings, or a unified whole. We’re essentially living dirt. We’re the nexus of heaven and earth. As a result, when I fast, my spirit fasts. By definition, what I do with my body affects my spirit. As a Christian Existentialist, I also believe that the power of my spirit being united with God’s Spirit affects my body. So, during a fast I can have a real, emotional, physical experience with the divine through belief. From what I’ve read, the digestive system—stomach, intestines, etc. —contains what amounts to a second nervous system that matches the spinal cord and brain in the amount of nerve endings. This second nervous system apparently affects our feelings and sense of well being at the seat of our emotions. Kind of makes sense when you think about the circumstance you’re in when you feel what you feel. Stress and nervousness are certainly gut feelings, and the feeling of love is experienced in the same place we get heartburn. The kinds of things we feed this system affect our moods and emotions, and the occasional flush or pure diet optimizes the system. That could be the sum total of the experience of fasting, but I choose to believe there’s a spiritual reality involved as well.
The same thing goes for any of the classic spiritual disciplines: meditation, contemplation, solitude, prayer, silence, service, celebration, etc. All involve the whole person, and through belief they can provide an experience of union with God. But mention spiritual disciplines and people usually think of monks flogging themselves. That’s why I’m into spiritual experimentation. Experimenting is just more fun than spiritual discipline or spiritual formation. How many people would have experimented with drugs or lesbianism in college if their friends were like, “We hope you will join us for our weekly marijuana discipline group on Saturday and our lesbian formation group on Wednesday.” Experimentation lacks any real commitment. The pressure’s off. With it you’re not signing up for a way of life; but if you don’t try it, you’ll never know if you like it or not.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SPIRITUAL EXPERIMENTATION, AND THE EXPERIENCE OF THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH ME, HAS BEEN LIKE MAKING A LITTLE TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF REALITY. ONCE YOU TAKE A PEEK THROUGH THAT LITTLE HOLE, YOU INEVITABLY MAKE THE TEAR A LITTLE BIGGER SO YOU CAN SEE
MORE.
So why not give it a shot? Try meditating for 30 minutes every day for a week. Just sit with the awareness that God is all around you and in you. I’ll bet your perception during the other 23.5 hours will start to change appreciably. Then dabble with solitude or silence or my favorite spiritual discipline, celebration. Share your results with me at TheMonk@TheMerryMonk.com, or share them with other experimenters and learn from more experienced dabblers. Maybe that tear in the fabric of reality will get so big and so much light will come through that you’ll realize you are living and breathing in the very words of God. Maybe you’ll see Him speaking to you through crape myrtles and dinner parties. And maybe when life gets cold and dark, the embrace of your heavenly Father will keep you warm through the night. Maybe...then again, maybe it’s all nerve endings and an overactive imagination. In that case you might want to try some dingoes.
GM : 13
WHY JESUS WEPT JOHN 11:35
CORNERED BY GRACE
by Rob Beames
GM : 14
For being the shortest verse in Bible, it’s amazing how many lengthy discussions it’s inspired. Maybe we just like to complicate things, especially when talking about God, or maybe, as men, we’re fascinated with what looks like a character flaw in Jesus. Whereas there’s plenty to discuss about this verse, it’s really not that complicated. Simply stated: Jesus wept because His heart broke. There’s really no need to take it any further than that. For some who have difficulty connecting with their emotions, it may not make much sense; but for everyone else it’s simple. His heart breaks and the tears flow. There’s also a simple reason why we try to complicate this verse: It’s because it’s impossible to wrap our minds around the concept of God. That is as it should be. God’s incomprehensibleness is part of what makes Him God. We may struggle to balance the divine nature of Jesus with His human nature, but in fact, it’s more than a struggle, it’s genuine futility. And yet we keep on… in an effort to reach a comfortable conclusion. One of the explanations for this verse is that Jesus wept because sin introduced death into our world, and it was not intended to be this way, so this saddened Him. Hmm, I don’t so. How much sense would it make for Jesus to be pondering the ramifications of sin’s effect on the world while He hugged His beloved friend Mary as she violently sobbed with grief? Imagine your best friend coming to you in a time of great sorrow saying, “I’m sad, because it isn’t right that there is pain in the world like yours.” What kind of friend would that be? No one is ever comforted by a philosophical world view. We are comforted when people allow our pain to break their hearts because they deeply love us. We are encouraged when people care enough about us to suffer along with us, even though it’s not their struggle. We are moved by a love that takes the heavy burden of grief on its shoulders when it could just walk away. When Jesus looked into the face of His dear friend Mary, she must have pierced His heart with her intense, painful gaze of grief for her brother’s death. Being 100 percent human—not simply cloaked in humanness as a disguise— Jesus felt Mary’s pain. He hurt because of her anguish.
This was the weight which broke the heart of Jesus—no more, no less. Undoubtedly God is saddened by our sinful existence here in this life, but we don’t need to explore His sovereign attributes in order to explain His human reactions. In fact, we may miss the most potent message of this seemingly insignificant verse if we travel too far down that road. The amazing theological implications of these two words are quite simply boiled down to this: Although Jesus never ceased to be God, at one specific point in time, He also became entirely human and walked the earth. He became human enough to die and human enough to have His heart broken. That makes Him human enough to be intimately acquainted with our agony, hardship or deep-seated grief. Maybe what throws us off track is that we know Jesus planned to bring Lazarus back from the dead. He cited it as the reason He delayed going to him for two days, so that the Son of God would be glorified. Why cry if you know the end game, right? We should not let this truth overshadow the fact that Jesus lived bound by the confines of time and biology. His knowledge of the future would not have shielded Him from the intensity of grief, any more than knowing we will rise again protects us from grieving one of our own deceased loved ones. This is part of how Jesus is not only perfect as God but also perfect in the human sense. His comfort for us in this life is sufficient and complete; it is based in the foundational experience of a heart utterly broken. His tears flow with ours out of His great love for us—a love as great as it was for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Knowing the end game doesn’t shield Him from sharing the pain of those that He deeply loves. Our God not only suffered for us but suffers with us until the perfectly appointed time at which He will right all things. Don’t overanalyze it. Jesus wept because He cared deeply then to the same degree He cares about us now. (I believe He wanted me to remind you of this.)
JESUS WEPT
BECAUSE HIS HEART BROKE
GM : 15
ADDICTED to god PRESS ON BY WILL DOLE
GM : 16
In Psalm 42:1-3 King David said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” David was a man who longed for God, comparing his thirst for God to that of a deer dying of thirst. He is broken to the point of despair. His longing for God is so great that he cries day and night. Now that is a fervent desire for God. I am part of a men’s Bible study that meets weekly. This past week our leader made the comment, almost in passing, that we ought to be addicted to God. While the comment was not meant to spark a discussion, that’s exactly what it did. This group of men, ranging in age from 17 to 59, has a lot of experience with addiction. Bondage to alcohol, sex, drugs, pornography and various other addictions have left a mark on these men’s lives. So, the concept of becoming addicted to God was an intriguing thought in a group like this. The more I have pondered this word picture, the more I like it. Yet, it isn’t perfect. As do most analogies, at some points it breaks down, but in general, it enlightens how we ought to relate to our God. I found three key correlations between addiction and following Christ.
1. People who areN'T addicted can't make sense of it. Ever notice that addiction appears foolish to those not experiencing it? We have difficulty making sense of a loved one struggling with alcoholism. We can easily see the cause and its devastating effects, and we come to the reasonable conclusion that the addiction is a problem. We understand that it is simply illogical to continue on such a destructive path. So, if we are addicted to following Christ, it makes sense that unbelievers will see our actions as absurd in the same way we might consider the ways of an alcoholic absurd. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 1:18-19: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’” Few would look at the life of a true believer and say, “That makes sense. I need to do that. Let me lay aside my goals, priorities, my wealth, and receive no earthly reward for it. What a great idea!” It doesn’t make sense, because unless we have been given—by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit—eyes to see the glory of Christ and the insignificance of all else (Philippians 3:8), a life transformed by the Gospel appears foolish.
2. It doesN'T happen overnight. Addictions are not instantaneous, generally, and most people do not set out to become addicted to something. It begins as a simple, conscious decision to try something to see if it satisfies. It may not even be something we enjoy in the beginning. We might be merely trying to fit in, but as time goes on, it becomes something we need and our desire for it builds. Take the way most people become addicted to caffeine, for example. We grow accustomed to the caffeine buzz and in time may not even notice it, but when we forget our coffee or Red Bull in the morning, we realize later— around noon—how severely we miss it. This was not true when we first began consuming the drug, but our reliance on it grew steadily from day one. After a while it becomes necessary to our daily function, as was David’s desire for God in the above Psalm. Whereas a new believer may not experience thirst at all if he misses a day or two of communion with God, as one deepens in his relationship, the longer we go without communion with God, the more intense the thirst for Him.
3. The more we get, the more we want. Anyone who has ever had an addiction will readily identify with this. We can quickly get to the point where a little bit no longer satisfies; we have an all-consuming desire for more. As it relates to God, we might echo the words of David, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1 ESV). Addiction to God will lead us to longing for Him. The word “addiction” is most useful for bringing to mind a very real picture of dependence. To be addicted to something is to rely on it, or to greatly value it. It is essentially an act of worship. Our fullest worship, or our strongest addiction, should be to our glorious God. Only then can we sing with David as he continues in the above Psalm, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (Psalm 63:2-5). And that point, about being fully satisfied, is where the addition analogy breaks down. Only when we long for God, will we find our satisfaction in Him.
GM : 17
THE TOOL BOX
HANDY DANDY DISPOSAL TIPS
Danger, warning, corrosive, flammable, irritant, hazardous, poison, explosive, harmful, and yet, right under your sink, or in your garage. You’d be surprised how many household items have those words on them. From leftover paint to used cooking oil, and all kinds of batteries in between, there is just a whole lot of trash you can’t throw in the can. Okay, you can, but it’s neither legal, ethical or moral to do so if you know to do otherwise. You don’t have to be a tree-hugger to do right by your garbage. Here are some common sense tips that can keep the harmful impact of our modern chemistry at a minimum. Think twice before you buy. Maybe you don’t really need a high-powered chemical; can you get the job done with a little more elbow grease? Or maybe a less “powerful” product, like soap or laundry detergent? If the answer is no, purchase the smallest amount of product that will do the job. Here’s one time when paying for 12 ounces and getting 16 is not a great idea… if you only need two ounces. Also check to see if there is a formula that is less toxic. Lots of companies are becoming environmentally responsible and cutting down or out all together on their use of the worst of the worst still-legal pollutants. Make it good to the last drop. If you do buy, making sure you use all the product before throwing it away helps keep harmful ingredients away from the environment. Give it some thought, it’s not the packaging that’s a hazmat, it’s what’s inside. The residue of harmful chemicals won’t do as much harm as a partial or full bottle would. If you find yourself stuck with a product you really only needed for one occasion, try taking it to church to give away, offering it to a neighbor, or if it’s not prohibited by law in your state, selling it at a garage sale for a quarter.
BY JEFFREY BRIDGMAN
Get ready to hurl. There are some things we can do to prepare chemicals for disposal. For example certain glues and paints become safe if you let them dry out first. Examine labels for how to properly dispose of the product. It’s a boring read, but it’s the responsible thing to do. Some items can be returned to the store when you are done. For example, when you buy a new car battery, they normally recycle the old one for you. And did you know that you can take old rechargeable batteries to Radio Shack, or old printer cartridges to Staples? Find a recycling center and inquire if they have a household hazardous waste (HHW) disposal day. A student organization I’m in hosts an electronic waste disposal day twice a year on our campus. Your area may have similar events. Log on to Earth911.com, type in what you’d like to recycle and your ZIP code to find a nearby location. For batteries and cell phones check out www.call2recycle.org. Just enter your ZIP code to find a nearby recycling location. The City of Phoenix has an excellent guide on how to properly dispose of various household products, explanations of why they are dangerous and
recommendations of nontoxic alternatives. And what about alternatives? Grandparents can serve as an excellent resource for this sort of thing. Ask them what they used before modern cleaning products. You can clean a lot with simple solutions using cheap and readily available ingredients like baking soda, salt, vinegar and borax (yes, you can buy borax at the grocery store!). The Sierra Club has a downloadable pamphlet with some simple recipes and uses.
GM : 18