SNS 046: Treated as You Treat Others, Psalm 18, Psalm Tuesday

In this episode, the Psalmist says many things. But there are two things which stand out to me: 1st:  

With the strong, and the blameless, and the honest man,

You prove yourself blameless and honest.

Yet, to those who are violent,

 You will act violently.

And with the twisted and the false,

You prove full of twists and turns.

For you help the humble,

But the arrogant you humiliate.

That God treats people for who they are. Isn’t that intriguing. And 2nd is that a life of faith is reliance on God while we are doing things. The life of faith isn’t a life waiting around for magic to happen, for a fairy god-father to wave his wand and presto all is right. It is a faith where you work things out, as you do what you can, and simultaneously trusting God to take care of what you cannot. Faith in God is not to be a lazy faith. Well…

Hello. My name is Charles, Charles Yerkes and this is Psalm Tuesday here on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This is a podcast for those who want a deeper faith and not an aggressively mediocre one. Psalm Tuesday is series in which, each Tuesday, we will listen to a Psalm being read in a manner that honors their original use as part of a worship service. In this episode, we are reading Psalm 18.

So, grab yourself some coffee and let’s get started.

Scripture Passages referenced:
Psalm 18

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SNS 013: God Exists; Proof #2

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

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Thank you.

Show Notes

Back in episode 4, we talked about one of the ways I know that God is real. In that episode, we mentioned that we are not looking at physical evidence, rather we were looking for relational proofs; since God is a relational God. Would you be interested in knowing that there is another proof? One that Jesus reveals in the Bible? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 13.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

So, Charles, are you going to share all the passages which talk of the wonders of the universe screaming out God’s glory, or how our being fearfully and wonderfully made is proof of God’s existence? No, for while both nature and the complexity of the machinery in the human cell attest to intelligence that set things in motion, they do indicate a designer; they do not prove who or what that intelligence may be. How can I say that things like the fine-tuning of the universe or the organized machinery in the human cell does not prove who God is?

Primarily, because it is true. Nor does the Bible ever offer them as proofs for God’s existence. They are used to indicate his splendor, power, knowledge, and superiority to the created gods of mankind. But they are never offered as proof of God’s existence; that is always assumed. That is always a given.

If you have listened to episode 4, then you know that one proof I have found, that God is real and who he claims to be, is my growing love and compassion for those who are unlovable (unlovable from my human perspective). It is now time to address an additional proof I have discovered, one that also involves love. Though, this love has nothing to do with me. This is the love that other Christians have for others (both fellow Christians and non-Christians).

It would be one thing if my growing compassion were nothing more than mere sentiment getting the better of me. Yet, it is quite another when the larger body of Christ exhibits this love to others. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know… if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Also, see John 17, where Jesus asks the Father that we may be one just as he and the Father are… “That the world will know you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me... That the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:20-26) 

Love is of vital importance; it is as we love each other that the world will come to know God. That is, they will believe God to exist, and to be who he reveals himself to be in the Bible, as a direct result of seeing his love demonstrated in and by Christians.

Yes, unfortunately, there are many examples of a lack of this love. This is a very sad truth, and it is no wonder that many reject Christ since they cannot believe what they do not see demonstrated. “How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).

Yet, there are many examples of this love. One great example is the Salvation Army. These folks arrive at devastated areas well before the Red Cross. They offer unsolicited aid and ask nothing in return. It is simply what they do. Their love for God compels them. Another example is seen when Christians volunteer their time and money to help those in devastated areas, such as when Hurricane Katrina left many homeless. During this time, many Christians came together from around the country to help those who had lost everything. They took time off work, paid for their own trip and supplies: food, water, and those needed for the rebuilding. And they asked nothing in return.

Yet, as wonderful as these greater displays of compassion are, it is the simple everyday acts of kindness, small acts of compassion, and the rendering of dignity that best offer proof of a relational God. Scripture gives us a good idea of what this looks like. “For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me…. Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me” (Mt 25:35-40). Or as James puts it, “Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction…” (Jas 1:27).

Peter says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). And John says, “He has made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1:6).

How will others know? They must be told. How will they be told? Someone must tell them. I can hear the objection already, “I am not a preacher!” Nor am I. That is not my lane. Yet, we are both still priests in God’s kingdom. Consider this, there may be more than one way to tell others; that is, to proclaim his excellence. How might this be? “By this, all men will know…” Sound familiar? It should, see above, or go straight to John 13:35.

A smile when heated words are expected, a return of too much change when it is mistakenly given, a good tip for good service, a warm greeting instead of chilly silence, the choice to not react when that idiot cuts you off, or even simply to refrain from all forms of gossip are great places to start. Respect given speaks volumes to the ones it is given to. And according to Jesus, it is the best way to allow him to say, “Hi, I’m here.”

Go on, I dare you. Show God to the world:

Love simply, love wisely, love well.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #13, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 012: God, Non-Dysfunction, and Our Faith

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

Last time we spoke of God not being dysfunctional and by the end of the discussion, we noted that we were mainly addressing those who call themselves Christian. How does God respecting our choices apply to Christian peoples? That is what we are going to explore here in episode12.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

As we begin, it is important to remember that first and foremost, we are all human beings. Folks who are prone to be hard-headed and more than a little self-centered. Entering into a relationship with God does change things, but somethings still require a tenacious desire to allow the love of God to have its way in us, or we will once again fall into behavior from which we thought to be cured. Paul said it well when he said, “But I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). That he could still be disqualified indicates that he still had choices to make.

Jesus taught us to pray and to ask for our daily bread (Luke 11:3). Often, we think of this as referring to our daily physical needs. And that is definitely one aspect of daily bread. Yet, here is a thought, what if he is speaking about our spiritual needs. This phrase lies in-between asking for God’s kingdom to come and forgiving us of our sins. It seems strange to say, “God, your will be done, feed me, and forgive me.” It makes more sense if we see 'our daily bread' as spiritual need; “God, your will be done, supply us with what we need to do our part, and forgive us.” Also, in light of Jesus’ response to Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And what he said to the disciples, “I have food to eat that you do not know about…. My food is to do the will of Him how sent me. (John 4:32-34). And again, “My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven…. And gives life to the world” (John 6:32, 33). Reading of ‘our daily bread’ as a spiritual need makes a good deal of sense.

Is this not intriguing? Asking our Father to give us daily what we need to be spiritual, to be holy, to be “one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21). It is a daily choice, a daily prayer. We must choose each day to love.

And God will not force us to love him, to seek this daily need. Examples abound in the Bible, Joshua in making the alliance with the Hivites without looking to God for his provision (Joshua 9:14). David did not seek his daily portion before looking at Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). Jonah did not seek it before running from God’s mission to Nineveh (Jonah 1). Peter did not partake when he held himself aloof from the Gentiles in Galatia (Galatians 2:11-13). And the list goes on and on.

Examples also abound of things that will require this daily need to be met. Examples include: to “be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9); to “bear all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12); to “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12); Or, to “beware, lest being carried away… you fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17). And again, the list goes on and on and on. There is much we must do and we need to choose to ask God each day for what we need.

For all these great tasks we need our daily bread. We need to have our spiritual needs met. We need the love of God as never before. I have mentioned John 15 in several previous episodes. And we discussed what abiding in Christ means and how love is the fulfillment of the law. As such, it is our great need and we must ask for God to meet it daily. Not that we need to ask God to love us, but that he would provide what we need, not want but need, to learn to love; to help us stay abiding in him. That… Jesus' prayer would find fulfillment and we become “one; even as you, Father, are in me and I in you…” (John 17:21). The result would be that His kingdom then comes on earth as it already is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

This post is already getting long, but I would be remiss if I did not mention a negative component involved in our ability to choose, and in God respecting our choices. As mentioned last time, God respects our choice too much to force on us what is best for us; to force on us a vital relationship with himself. If we choose not to ask for this daily sustenance, he will not make us do so. However, if we choose not to love… well, Jesus graciously gives us warnings as to where that choice will lead. Matthew 7; 25 and Luke 13 (Matthew 7:15-23; 25:41-46; and Luke 13:24-30), all bespeak a dire warning for those who wish to claim the name but stay out of the game. These passages speak of those who do religion well, but who do not love; simply put, of those who do not abide in Christ. These passages speak of a time of judgment and those who have chosen not to love are told to depart from God’s presence as he knows them not.

How sad, to dedicate yourself to learning things and doing things, but never learning to relate to God. Never learning to abide in the love of Christ; not learning to love. “The one who does not love does not know God” (1 John 4:8).

Do you see now how choosing to love applies to those calling themselves Christian as much as to those who do not? It does so because it applies to every human being. And every individual is, after all, merely human.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #12, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 011: God and Non-Dysfunction

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

Isn’t it truly amazing how much spiritual life is reflected in real everyday life events? For instance, the other day, I had cause to take note of a woman not being interested in a certain young man. To put it simply – he wanted to take her on a date and she was not interested in the least. Pretty straight forward; interest by the one does not have to equate to interest by the other. But this story isn’t about that couple, it’s about us relating to God and his love. This is what we are going to explore here in episode11.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

So, boy meets girl, the girl couldn’t care less,  and the boy lets it go. Now, here’s the thing; he is still interested in her. Yet, being honest with himself, he and admits that she is not interested in him and that she has left no indication that she ever would be. This honesty has left him in an interesting frame of mind; for now, he willingly leaves her alone because she does not want anything to do with him. Oh, he is still desirous of her becoming interested in him and may, from time to time, float an invite her way. Yet, he respects and honors her wish to not have anything to do with him. He believes it would be wrong to force his attentions on her. Indeed, if he did so, we would call him something much worse than a jerk. 

“Ok Charles, I thought you said this was not about this couple, why are you still talking about them?” Well, it’s just that... Is it not strange that we often expect God to do what we would blame another for doing? Track with me for a moment.

God, for some strange reason known only to himself, wants a relationship with each and every one of us. You, me, the dweeb next door, all of us. Yet he leaves it up to us whether a relationship is started or not.

He sends invites and makes the initial overtures, yet he will not force anything. He will not push – if you say no, no it is. He honors your choice. Such is the love and respect he has for you.

Yet, there are only two possible destinations. One that leaves us in the presence of God and one that does not. In other words, there is Heaven and there is Hell. If like the girl in our story, you say "no" to him here, he will not force himself on you there. For how would he be loving, holy, or anything else, other than a manipulative dirt-bag, if he used your disadvantage (your death) to force himself upon you?

Yet sometimes, it sounds like this is what we want. You hear it all the time, “Do whatever you want here, God is love. He won’t hold anything against you or send you to hell. How could a loving God do that? Everyone gets into heaven.” What is this but an unwitting desire for God to force a relationship upon you? Do you really want him, if you have said no to him all your life, to turn around and force you to live in his presence? To force you to have to deal with him forever?

Why cast God as such a manipulative low-life; one who forces us, against our wishes, to relate to him in the afterlife? If we want nothing to do with him here, why would we want to live in his presence there? Why would we desire him to dishonor our choices and force us to live with him there? Hmmm… manipulation by one and the desire to be dishonored by the other…. There is a term for that, dysfunction.

So, why would we want to live in the presence of a dysfunctional God? One who could only provide a dysfunctional relationship in heaven, one where love and respect do not matter? That does not sound like heaven to me. Most of us realize that living in a dysfunctional relationship is pure misery. Why would we want that to go on forever?

There is enough dysfunction in this world, isn’t there? Shouldn’t heaven be a better place? I think so, don’t you? And the good news is that God is truly loving and not dysfunctional. He will honor your choice to relate to him or to not do so. So, choose today and choose well. By the way, I am speaking to those who call themselves Christian. Not who you had in mind? Oh... well…  we will have to explore this connection next time.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #11, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 010: Learning To Love, In Quick and Easy Steps?

Thank you for visiting.

Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

With all this talk about love, the question arises, “So what can we do to love as we should?” I mean, if we could just be given some quick and easy steps… the world would be a better place, right? Here’s the rub, we don’t all love in the same way. We are unique individuals with different needs and different views of what it means to be loving. So… what can we do? That is what we are going to explore here in episode10.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go 

So… steps to take… I think I have found a good illustration of the problem of steps to take from the world of physical fitness. Say you want to get in shape and the trainer you go to says that the best way to get in overall good shape is to run. And he sets up a series of steps for you to take in order to get in shape by running. Week 1, run for 1/8 of a mile, and you will do this every other day. Week 2, run for ¼ of a mile. Week 3, ½ a mile and week four ¾ of a mile. And so on until you are able to run a marathon and be in great physical shape. This is a good series of steps to take. Granted a bit simplified, but this is an illustration and not a training program and it does highlight the problem with steps. What problem? The problem is this, how do these steps help one get in shape if they have bad knees and can’t run? Aren’t there other ways in which that person can get physically fit? Of course, there are.

How does this apply to learning how to love? One of the most amazing, enriching, and infuriating things I have experienced, in terms of God’s love, is that God deals with each of us as the unique individuals that we are. Meaning, that as God deals with each of us as we are and we must realize that the specifics of our lives will not always be the specifics in the lives of others. I am reminded of Jesus’ words to Peter concerning how he deals with others, “What is that to you? You follow me” (Jn 21:22).

And it is interesting that his teachings and commands always address us on levels that are deeper than that of mere action, of mere physical steps to be taken in order to reach a given end. For instance, his teaching that to be angry with a brother earns the same judgment as murder and that to look with lust is to commit adultery. (Matthew 5:21 – 28). As for a command, he says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another” (Jn 13:34). That is just about as step specific as it gets. So, what can we do?

Where do we go from here? Is there nothing to guide our way? I think there are two things we can safely say are rock-solid steps, much like, in the illustration about physical fitness, we could say that there are two rock-solid steps: to exercise and eat well. These are 1) to ask God for wisdom in learning how to love, for he gives this freely to all who ask for wisdom (James 1:5), and 2) to read the Bible. I mean, if we are asking him for wisdom, it might prove a good thing to listen to what he has to say. I know, I know… Crazy. But it might just prove informative.

For instance, check out this passage I stumbled upon. I found it in 2 Peter. In short, it says that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. As we learned in episodes 2 and 3 of this podcast, this does involve love; loving Him and loving others. It doesn’t stop there. It also tells us what we need to be doing if we truly have accepted what God has given. We need to be adding to our faith, goodness; to goodness, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if we do this in increasing measure, we will be kept from being unproductive and ineffective in our knowledge of Jesus. If we don’t do these things, we will be near-sighted and blind. (2 Peter 1:1-11). If we do these things, we will never fail in our faith. This fits the gospel message perfectly. We come to Christ by faith, then life begins. Then we can start to learn to love (again, as we discovered in episodes 2 and 3). So, if we do these things, we will not fail to learn how. 

Notice too, that these are not steps, these go much deeper than mere actions to take. These touch on the development and growth of the new person Christ transforms us into (2 Corinthians 5:16 – 18). It’s about the development of character, of us as individuals as we grow in our relationship with God. And as we grow not only will we not stumble in our faith; we will also be partakers in God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Which, resonates as true in light of John 15, the chapter about abiding in, remaining in Christ and his love. If we remain in his love, we will keep his commands, which is to love (John 15: 8 – 12). Doesn’t that make you head spin? And I’m not done yet.

For I also stumbled on to something quite intriguing in the book of Job. Yea, Job, the Old Testament. Oh yeah. In the passage I found, God tells Job to man up in order to have a conversation with Him (Job 38:3). A slight paraphrase, but isn’t that profound. “Man up Job and we’ll talk.” It seems that what we need to do is to become grown-ups. As mature adults we are to seek God’s promised wisdom and help in working out the salvation he has put in us; that is to work out how to love both him and our neighbors. 

I find it interesting, that in almost every other area of life, we as grown-ups do not need everything explicitly spelled out for us. Indeed, we can get more than annoyed at someone for doing so for us. We can, do, and even like to connect the dots and fill in the blanks with other things we have learned.

Perhaps God has given the list in 2 Peter in honor of this. Perhaps, as they are pondered and applied, he expects us to connect the dots, fill in the blanks, and learn how to love those he puts in our path. Perhaps by giving us this list, he is also giving us the wisdom and help we need to do so. What an intriguing thought.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #10, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.