SNS 107: Christ and Going Big

These episodes are posted every two weeks. They are posted on Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m.

Enjoy and do let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you.

 Christ and Going Big

After our last conversation, it took Old Man Tom a few days to get back by the house. But as old as he is, his memory is tack sharp. Indeed, it was he who reminded me that he had wanted to follow up and share what our last conversation had inspired.

He started off by saying, “Good morning, Charles. Hey, have you heard the rumor about the butter?”

“The butter? No.”

“Oh, I’m not going to spread it.” And at that, he started laughing very loudly.

Once he stopped laughing, he said, “Do you remember how we left off our last conversation?”

“Um, oh, yeah. But I’m not going to spread it.”

Ok, what I actually said was, “Um, you said that there was something that your thoughts on Christians being perfect brought to mind. Correct?”

“You remembered!”

I simply smiled; well, no sense in telling him just how barely I remembered. And then I quickly asked him to come inside and have some coffee while we talked.

Now, if you haven’t met Old Tom just yet, despite his being full of such ‘quaint’ jokes, he is a man with uncommon clarity of thought. You might say he is a man blessed with more common sense than many a drug store has pills (despite his being older than dirt). Also, as he is usually a man of few words, I find it is generally well worth the listen when he does say something. So, I was genuinely interested in hearing him out.

Now, as Old Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is Charles. And this is the Coffee-side Chat series here on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This podcast is for those who want a deeper faith, not an aggressively mediocre one. This series is a collection of stories conveying real things about the Christian faith and loving God. Now communicating real things about the Christian faith does mean that Scripture will be referenced, from time to time, in these stories. Honestly, how could it not? But rather than breaking up the flow of the story with chapter and verse listings, I will list them where they occur in the transcript of this story, which will be posted in the show notes for this episode. That way, you can check out all the references for yourself. Also, and this is very important, it should be noted that these stories are being enjoyed while I’m nursing this here cup of coffee sitting on the table right beside me. This is, after all, a coffee-side chat.

Also, before we delve any deeper into this, I do want to mention our sponsor, our book: Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. It is a presentation of the first 72 Psalms that is true to the Scripture and allows the poetry to be seen as poetry. It is beautiful and easy to read, and it does reveal the prayerfulness found in the Psalms. Now, don’t worry. I like you so much that I’ve provided a couple of links for you in the show notes for this episode, just for your convenience. So, go ahead, tell our sponsor that you like this podcast, and collect your copy today.

Now, grab yourself some coffee, and let’s begin with this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

Once we had assumed our usual positions around the kitchen table, with coffee in hand, I said, “Ok, Tom, let’s hear it.”

He said, “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘go big or go home?’”

“Sure, Tom, who hasn’t heard that?”

“Well, last time we spoke about how being perfect means to be maturing, growing up, in terms of loving God and our neighbors. That got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice if God were to help us out with this by telling us how this could be done?”

Now, even I could tell that was a no-brainer, even with this being my first cup of coffee of the day. So I said, “Why certainly, Tom.”

“Well,” he says, “what if I were to tell you he did precisely this? Yes. And I found where he did so in two different places.

“Would it surprise you even more that the first place I found it is in the Psalms?”

“Really? The Old Testament Psalms?”  

“Charles, what other Psalms are there? But yes, in the Psalms, the worshipful prayer book of the Bible. And it is in the very first one, to be exact (Psalm 1:2, 3). Why it’s almost as if God is saying, ‘Before we get started here, there is something you need to know. There is only one way to grow up and mature in love: that is to walk on the pathway of the righteous.’ He then tells us what we need to know to walk this path. We must think on, muse upon, and ponder about God and his teachings day and night. What’s that old saying? You are what you think about. The more something occupies your thoughts, the more it becomes who you are. So, consistently focusing your thoughts on God is the real way to grow up in his love. And not only does he tell us this, but he also tells us that everything else belongs on the path of the not-so-much, the path of non-growth. Or what the psalm calls, the way of the wicked (Psalm 1:4-6).”

“Ok, time out, Tom. Can we slow down there for just a moment? I think I’m following along, more or less, but what has that to do with going big or going home?”

“I know, I know…. Take another sip of coffee while I tell you about the other place I found this instruction, and maybe that will help.”

I nodded and said, “Ok.” But, between you and me, as things were shaping up, that’s going to have to be one big sip.

“The second place I found this is where Jesus tells us how to have his joy in us and our joy to be made complete (John 15:11).”

I blurted out, “That’s the um…, I know this, I know this, that’s um… that’s the passage about remaining in him and his love (John 15:1-16).” Right?

 “See, that second sip helped you indeed. Coffee is a beautiful thing. Now, since we must abide in him to know this joy, this abundance, then if we are not abiding, we must be standing on the path of the joyless, on the path of the not-so-much. Right?”

I took another sip of coffee.

He took a moment and slowly smiled before saying, “Well, couldn’t we then say that, in terms of a relationship with Jesus, the idea is that you are either all in or you are not in at all?”

I took… another sip of coffee, and after a moment, I said, “That is intriguing. And it does make so much sense. So this is the go big or go home moment?”

He smiled, “No.”

“No?”

“No. In fact, there is no go big or go home moment. Though it is something similar.”

“Ok…but you said….” Now, I hoped I wasn’t looking as confused as I genuinely was.

Evidently, I was. For he said, “Tell you what, let me briefly recap what we know, and then I’ll share with you what the moment actually is. We’ve seen that to be perfect as God is perfect means to be growing in terms of loving him and our neighbors, and the only way to do this is by abiding in him. Ok, so far?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, here is that something similar, what the Bible tells us is not to go big or go home. It’s telling us to go big; otherwise, we have never left home, to begin with.”

“Whoa.”

“Whoa, indeed.”

“Question.”

“Yes?”

“If there is only one way to be all in, does this mean that everyone has to act the same, think the same, worship the same way?”

“Nice question. No. That would mean that we would all have to be robots. God didn’t make robots; he made people. Many different types of people. He did not make us into carbon copies of each other but as unique individuals. Tell you what. Ponder on what we’ve said today, and give me a little time to gather my thoughts on this, and we'll explore this over our next cup of coffee if you’d like.”

“That would be nice. But one more question.”

“Sure.”

“For all our talk about how God sees being perfect as growing in him and his love, doesn’t this going big thought mean we have to always get things right? You know, being more or less what our ideas of perfection are?”

“Another excellent question. The brief answer to this is also no. But if you give me that time to collect my thoughts, I think you’ll find that both of these beautiful questions will be answered simultaneously.

Now, as I already had a lot to think about, I agreed to muse upon all this until the next time we spoke. And I was looking forward to having my questions answered.

Tom said, “Until next time, my friend. And next time, I’ll even bring the coffee.”

With that, he was out the door and on his way. And I…. I had a lot to mull over. Mull over. No, not like cider; I’m not too fond of cider, no matter how mulled it is. But still—a lot to mull over.

What do you think about all this? Anyway. If you don’t mind, let me know all about it in the comments section for this episode. Click on the link provided in the description of this episode. Copy and paste it if you need to. And once on this episode’s home page, scroll on down, and you will find that comment box and can share away.  Thank you for listening and for sharing. Also, please rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through the podcast service of your choice. Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts, iheartradio, tune in, google podcasts, or whichever you prefer.

Well, until next time then. May you live a life of maturing in God and his love.

  Our Book:
Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation:  

Click here to learn more about our book.

It is available as a paperback and as an e-book. It can be found wherever fine books are sold.

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Follow it to collect this book right away.

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SNS 106: Christ and the Perfect Person

These episodes are posted every two weeks. They are posted on Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m.

Enjoy and do let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you.

 Christ and the Perfect Person

The other day, as I was sweeping off my front porch, Old Man Tom came by and asked me something that caught me slightly off guard. He started simply enough by saying, “Good morning, Charles.”

 But it is what he said next that caught me off-guard. He said, “Did you know the earth is 70% water?”

“Had no idea.”

“It is. And as importantly, all that is uncarbonated.”

I stared at him for a moment. Then hesitantly asked, “And?”

“Well, technically, then, it is flat.”

I had to ask. Sometimes, there is not enough coffee in the whole world.

And I am not sure what he found funnier, his joke or my reaction. Either way, he was laughing so hard that it was a good 20 minutes before he could say anything else. 

Finally, he said, “Ok, I also have a serious question for you. May I?”

“A question, not a joke.”

“Yes.”

“Sure, what is it.”

“Has anyone ever called you perfect?”

I had to ask.

“Well, I was once called a perfect goofball, does that count?”

He laughed some more, shook his head, and said, “No. No, it doesn’t.”

Now, if you haven’t met Old Tom just yet, for all his dad jokes, he is a man with uncommon clarity of thought. You might say he is a man blessed with more common sense than a drug store has pills. Also, as he is usually a man of few words, I have found that it is usually well worth the listen when he does have something to say.

Knowing this, I said, “Tom, this is going to take at least a full pot of coffee to talk about, isn’t it?”

He smiled big and said, “Oh yeah, at least one.”

I said, “All right, come on in, Tom, and I’ll put the coffee on.”

Now, as Old Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is Charles. And this is the Coffee-side Chat series here on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This podcast is for those who want a deeper faith, not an aggressively mediocre one. This series is a collection of stories conveying real things about the Christian faith and loving God. Now communicating real things about the Christian faith does mean that Scripture will be referenced in these stories. Honestly, how could it not? But rather than breaking up the flow of the story with chapter and verse listings, I will list them where they occur in the transcript of this story, which will be posted in the show notes for this episode. So you can check out all the references for yourself. Also, and this is very important, it should be noted that these stories are being enjoyed while I’m nursing this here cup of coffee sitting on the table right beside me. This is, after all, a coffee-side chat.

Also, before we delve into this, I do want to mention our sponsor, our book: Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. It is a presentation of the first 72 Psalms that is true to the Scripture and allows the poetry to be poetry. It is a beautiful read, it is easy to read, and it does capture the prayerfulness found in the Psalms. Now, don’t worry. I like you so very much that I’ve provided a couple of links for you in the show notes for this episode, just for your convenience. So, go ahead, tell our sponsor that you love this podcast, and collect your copy today.

And for the now, grab yourself some coffee, and let’s get started with this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

Once we were seated at the kitchen table, with fresh hot coffee in our hands, I said, “Ok, Tom, what has inspired you to ask if I’d ever been called perfect?”

He said, “Last night, I went out to dinner with the wife. And at the next table, a couple of guys seemed to be having a rather intense conversation. The intensity rose until one of them nearly shouted, ‘If Christians were such perfect people, why do they….’ At this point, he caught himself and lowered his voice again. I have no idea what the conversation was about, and, honestly, I was more interested in conversing with my wifely dinner date than anything else.”

I said, “Probably a good call, Tom.”

He smiled and said, “It was a most excellent call. But anyway, this morning, that phrase came back to my mind. ‘If Christians were such perfect people….’ And I began to wonder about Christians being perfect people. I mean, we both know that nobody is perfect. So, is perfection something a Christian should even be seeking? And if so, what does that look like, and who gets to decide what perfection is? Even Christians cannot agree on this. I mean, looking at the different denominations of the Christian faith, even they cannot agree on all things Christ. So, who decides what a perfect Christian is? If those who know the faith cannot agree, are we seriously to look to those who know little or nothing about it for the answer? Honestly, who decides?

“I was thinking about this when I started my devotions this morning. And you’ll never guess what happened.”

“You found the answer to all these questions?”

“Well, maybe not the exact answers, but a good starting point for a train of thought that is most fascinating and informative. The passage I read today was in Matthew, where Jesus tells us to be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). What did he mean by that?”

At this point. I got up and put on more coffee.

Seeing this, Old Tom smiled and said, “Yes, this could be more difficult to untangle than a poorly handled bait caster.”

“Recent history, Tom?”

“Yeah.

“Anyway, I figured the best way to go about this was to simplify where I could. So I choose to focus only on what Jesus was saying in Matthew, for if I could get my head around that, I figured the rest would sort itself out.”

I was intrigued; I had plenty of coffee and the rest of the day. So, I asked, “How did it sort out, Tom?”

“Well, at first, it was quite the conundrum, really. Hmmm. Conundrum… I like that word. It has a ring to it, does it not? Conundrum. Anyway, it was a perplexing situation. We are not, never have been, and can never be “perfect.” Yet, Jesus says we are to be perfect as God is. That sounds impossible. But then, I thought of our conversations (in episodes 103 and 104) about how God’s thoughts and ways are not ours and how his are the more accurate, purer, more authentic ones (Isaiah 55:8,9).

“And I thought to myself, what if God’s idea of perfection and ours are different? Oh yes. What if, when we say we are not perfect, we mean something different by it than Jesus did when he told us to be perfect?”

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, oh, the eloquence found in cocking an eyebrow while silently lifting one’s coffee up to one’s mouth.

He smiled and continued, “As you know, I’m not much of a scholar. But I know a guy who is. And he told me something interesting. He said that sometimes our use of the word perfect differs from how it was used in the Greek of the New Testament. Often, the Greek word could simply mean: being complete, fully developed, being an adult, or simply, being a grown-up. So, when Jesus says to be perfect as God is, he could easily be telling us to be mature, to be grown-ups, when it comes to love, even as God is The Grown-up. And when we read the context of the verses around it (verses 43 -47), this makes absolute sense.

“Oh… this also helps us better understand the verse (1 John 4:17), which talks about how perfect love casts out fear. It is a mature, fully developed adult love, one fully grown-up that leaves no room for fear. Isn’t that intriguing?”

Well, I must say that I sat there absorbing this for a moment, then as I slowly put my cup on the table, I said, “So, being perfect is about growing in a relationship with God? It means becoming an adult as we love God first and our neighbors second?”

“Yes, I do think so. I mean, that fits the context of all other Scripture.”

Then we sat in silence for a while to let that sink in. I was just reaching for the coffee pot when a knock came at the front door. It was a message from Tom’s wife; she needed him to come home immediately. It seems as if he had put off cutting the grass a little too long. He had been enjoying the finer things a little too much, fishing yesterday (yeah, the bait caster problem was recent), and coffee with a friend today. All fine things to do, but things still needed to get done at home.

He said, “I’d better be going. But I’ll come by as soon as I can. For I do want to talk about a thought, this has inspired.”

“Sounds good to me. What is the thought?”

“No, if I start that now, I’ll be here all day. Ok, ok, ok, ok, in a very small nutshell, it is what this looks like in real life and how that relates to going big.”

“Going big?”

“Next time, next time.”

And with that, he shot out the door (as quickly as an old man can shoot out of a door.) before getting himself entangled in another conversation. It was probably just as well. I already had a lot to think about.

As for myself, I sat down and finished pouring that cup of coffee and started thinking about it all. What do you think about it? Anyway. What do you think? If you don’t mind, let me know all about it in the comments section for this episode. Click on the link provided in the show notes for this episode. Copy and paste it if you need to. And once on this episode’s home page, scroll down and you’ll find that comment box and can share away.  Thank you for listening and for sharing. Also, please rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through the podcast service of your choice. Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts, iheartradio, tune in, google podcasts, or whichever you prefer.

Well, until next time then. May you live a whole life from your whole life.

 Our Book:
Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation: 

Click here to learn more about our book.

It is available as a paperback and as an e-book. It can be found wherever fine books are sold.

For your convenience, a link are provided below.

Follow it to collect this book right away.

Amazon.com

Follow me on:

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Twitter

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SNS 104: Christ and What Sin Is

These episodes are posted every two weeks. They are posted on Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m.

Enjoy and do let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you.

 Christ and What Sin Is

The other day, a good friend of mine stopped by, Old Man Tom. Old Man Tom, that’s what everybody calls him. Though, I genuinely don't know why that is. Whether that is because he’s a wise old soul or, simply put, he’s just older than dirt. I like to think it’s because he’s older than dirt. But whatever the reason, he is a very sage individual, having more common sense than a drug store has pills.

 Anyway, he came by and said, “Good morning, Charles.”

“Morning, Tom.”

“Charles, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What do you think sin is? I’ll wager that there is more to it than you are thinking.”

I said, “Tom, you do know how early it is, right?”

“I suppose so, and I guess that would make it more than just a bit random. But this is what I’ve been thinking about recently. Anyway, how about a cup of coffee to help you ease into this?

I said, “Yes, yes, indeed. That would certainly help. Well, come on in, Tom. I’ll put some on.”

Now, as Old Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is indeed Charles, and this here is the Coffee-side Chat series on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This podcast is for those who want a deeper faith, not an aggressively mediocre one. This series is a collection of stories conveying real things about the Christian faith and loving God. And communicating real things about the Christian faith does mean that Scripture will be referenced in these stories. Honestly, how could it not mean that? But rather than breaking up the flow of the story with chapter and verse listings, I will list them where they occur in a transcript of this story, which will be posted in the show notes for this episode. So you can check out all the references for yourself and make sure I did indeed have enough coffee before putting it together. Also, and this, my friend, is of utmost importance; it should be noted that these stories are being enjoyed while I’m nursing this here cup of coffee sitting on the table right beside me. This is, after all, a coffee-side chat.

Also, before delving into this, I do want to mention our sponsor; yes, I am sponsored. This podcast is sponsored; by our book: Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. It is a presentation of the first 72 Psalms, one that is true to the Psalms and allows the poetry to be poetry. It is beautiful and easy to read, and it does reveal the profound prayerfulness of the Psalms. Now, don’t worry. I like you so very much that I’ve provided a couple of links for you in the show notes for this episode, just for your convenience. You’re welcome. So, go ahead, tell our sponsor that you like this podcast, and collect your copy today.

And for now, grab yourself some coffee, and let’s begin with this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

Once the coffee was in hand, Tom said to me, “So, last time we spoke, we talked about how God’s thoughts are different from ours (Isaiah 55:8, 9). Did we not?”

“Yeah, I remember. Is that the source of your question today?”

“Well, this is fairly interesting as this relates to sin, don’t you think?”

“Tom, I’ve not really thought about it before, to be completely truthful about it.”

“Well, then, a good place to begin, then, is what we think sin is. So, what do you think sin is?”

Tom is nothing if not persistent; I’ll give him that. I said, “Ok, well, I know it is about breaking one of the ten commandments or doing one of the things on those lists in the New Testament (Romans 1:22-32;1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 12:20, 21; Colossians 3:5-10; Titus 3:3), right? You know. Don’t murder, lie, steal, slander, cheat, or that type of thing.”

He said, “That is a good start. But what else is there?”

 “What else? Tom, that’s all I know.”

He said, “Come on, see if you can come up with anything else.”

“Ok, what else? I don’t know. Doing bad things… in general?”

He smiled bigger, shook his head, and said something… a little strange. He said, “We’ve been talking about the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27), have we not?”

Ok, that wasn’t the strange part; here is what was a little weird; he said, “What do they tell us sin is?” And with that, he was smiling ear to ear.

Now, I tend to think that I’m a pretty sharp guy, one who has at least three or four of his ducks in a row, but right then, I was, coming up short. So I asked him to hold on while I looked up the passages about those commands (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27). I turned to Matthew and began reading. It said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  But I didn’t see anything about sin there, so I examined two other passages where these commands are mentioned—the first in Mark and the second in Luke. Except for adding the words “with all your strength” to how we are to love God, I didn’t find much of a difference. I didn’t see anything about sin. So I said, “Tom, I don’t see nothing?”

“You don’t see nothing? Charles, I’m so disappointed in you.”

“I’m sorry, Tom. But…”

He then stopped me before I could say anything else, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “Charles. That, sir, is the worst grammar I’ve heard in a long, long time.”

He then laughed at his own joke. And I, what could I say, he was right. Not my most eloquent moment.

 He then said, “But, honestly? After all our conversations, you don’t see anything?”

I said, “Tom, I may not be the brightest bulb in the shed, but I’m also not the dimmest, I don’t think. But I do have to say that I’m not hearing anything God may be saying about sin.”

“Fair enough. Let me take you on a little journey and see if that doesn’t help to brighten things up for you.”

Brighten things up for me…. All I could say was, “Gee. Thanks.”

Anyway. He says, “What did Jesus come to do, abolish or fulfill the Law and the Prophets?”

I said, “To fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). But I don’t see how that question helps reveal what God may be saying about sin.”

“I understand, but follow me for a second. So, Jesus did not come to cancel the Bible. Nor to change or throw out some parts while adding in others. Rather, he came to bring a fullness, a depth of revealed meaning to the Bible. To show the underlying, deeper connection that runs throughout it. With this in mind, read the account in Matthew once more; this time, including the very next verse.”

“All right,” says I, and I read, “love God with all heart, mind, and soul, and the second, love your neighbor as yourself. And the next verse says, all the law and prophets are based on these two commands (Matthew 22:37-40). Having read this, I looked up and Tom and said, “And…?”

He replied, “And… all the law and prophets, all teaching in Scripture, is based on them. You still don’t see it? Well, if all the commands and teachings, including those which teach us what sin is, the Ten Commandments, and all the others, are indeed based on the two greatest commands, then sin is that which does not come from loving God and our neighbor. Isn’t that profoundly interesting?”

I may have looked befuddled at this point, so he continued. “Would it surprise you that Scripture tells us why all other teachings are based on the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:40; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14)? Oh, it does. Let me share with you what one of those passages is and have you look it up and read it for me. It is Romans 13:8-10.”

I said, “All right.” Here is what I read, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false witness, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”

When I looked up from reading, Tom said, “We know that Jesus came to fulfill the law, and we just heard that love fulfills the law… isn’t that intriguing? But, more to the point, have you begun to see what God includes in his understanding of sin? Ahhh, the light is beginning to dawn.”

People have always said that I have a very expressive face. Anyway, he was right. At least, I thought I was beginning to understand. I offered up this thought, “To not love is a sin.”

And the most genuine smile began to spread across his face, “Yes. Yes indeed. And here are a couple more things for you to consider as you work through this. Jesus speaks of this right after saying he came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. For, just after that, he says that if we stay angry with a brother, we are as guilty of sin as if we killed him (Matthew 5: 21, 22), and if we look lustfully at another person, we are as guilty of the sin as if we had done the deed (Matthew 5:27). Staying angry, nursing a grudge, and entertaining lustful thoughts about someone are not things done from love. Oh, and wait until you hear what’s next. This is really going to blow your mind.

“John tells us that the one who does not love his neighbor does not even know God (1 John 2:4-11; 4:7, 8; 12-21). Now, here’s a question. How can we have faith in a God we do not know? We can’t. How does this tie in? Well, God, speaking through Paul in Romans (14:23), says something that ties this all together. Here, we are told that everything that does not come from faith is a sin. Since we must love to have faith in God, if we do not love, then everything we do is a sin.”

Once again, my eloquence overtook me, and I sat quietly, simply nodding my head as I stared into my coffee cup, thinking about all that had just been said. This was going to take more than a moment or two to process. And thankfully, as I’ve mentioned before, Old Tom, among many things, is an astute observer of the human condition. And seeing that I was going to need more than a moment or two to process all this, he graciously and gently smiled and asked if I wouldn’t mind if we continued this at a later date. For at the moment, he was almost late for a dinner date with his daughter, and that would not do. I said, “Yes, yes, of course. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great dinner. Tell your daughter I said hello.”

He said, “Thank you, I will.”

And with that, he headed out the door and off to dinner. And I… I headed back to the stove to put more water on for another French Press. The French Press makes the best pot of coffee.

Anyway. What do you think about all this? If you don’t mind, let me know all about it in the comments section for this episode. Click on the link provided in the show notes for this episode. Copy and paste it if you need to. And once on this episode’s home page, scroll down, and you will find that comment box and can share away.  Thank you for listening and for sharing. Also, please rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through the podcast service of your choice. Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts Well, until next time then, may you grow brighter in your relationship with Christ, and may your wits never grow dimmer.

, iheartradio, tune in, google podcasts, or whichever you prefer.

 Our Book:
Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation: 

Click here to learn more about our book.

It is available as a paperback and as an e-book. It can be found wherever fine books are sold.

For your convenience, a link are provided below.

Follow it to collect this book right away.

Amazon.com

Follow me on:

Gab
Twitter

Vero

SNS 103 : Christianity and the Whole Life

These episodes are posted every two weeks. They are posted on Tuesday mornings at 8 a.m.

Enjoy and do let me know what you think in the comments. Thank you.

 Christ and the Whole Life.

The other day, I was speaking with Old Man Tom, a good friend of mine; Old Man Tom, that’s what everybody calls him anyway. Though, I truly don't know why that is. Whether that is because he’s a wise old soul or, simply put, because he is older than dirt. I like to think it’s cause he’s older than dirt. But whatever the reason, he is a very sage individual, having more common sense than a drug store has pills. I’m telling ya.

Anyway, he came by the other day and asked me a question; he said, “Hey Charles,” because that’s what everybody calls me, Charles. He says, “Hey Charles, how would you explain Christianity in just a sentence or two?” Then, without missing a beat or waiting for my reply, he answered his own question. “I would say that following Jesus is about living a whole life from our whole life. Isn’t that an interesting thought?”

Well, indeed it was. It was so interesting to me that I asked Tom if he wouldn’t mind taking the time to explain it to me.

He said, “Well, you know, I might be persuaded to do that for a very good cup of coffee.”

Fortunately, I just happened to have some excellent coffee stashed in the kitchen. I said, “Come on in, Tom; I’ll put some on.”

Now, as Old Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is indeed Charles; that’s why everybody calls me that. And this is the Coffee-side Chat series here on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This podcast is for those who want a deeper faith, not an aggressively mediocre one. This series is a collection of stories conveying real things about the Christian faith and loving God. Now communicating real things about the Christian faith does mean that Scripture will be referenced in these stories. Honestly, how could it not? But rather than breaking up the flow of the story with chapter and verse listings, I will list them where they occur in the transcript of this story, which will be posted in the show notes for this episode. That way you can check out all the references for yourself and, you know, make sure that I’ve had enough coffee before starting any of this. And it should be noted, my friend,   that these stories are being enjoyed while I’m nursing this here cup of coffee sitting on the table right beside me. This is, after all, a coffee-side chat.

Also, before we delve into this, I do want to mention our sponsor; yes, I am sponsored. This podcast is sponsored; by our book: Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. It is a presentation of the Psalms that allows the Scripture to be Scripture and which allows the poetry to be poetry. It is a beautiful read and easy to read, and it does reveal the prayerfulness found in the Psalms. Now, don’t worry. I like you so much that I’ve provided a couple of links, just for you, in the show notes for this episode. And I have done that just for your convenience. So, if you want to, collect your copy today, go ahead and do so.

But for the now, grab yourself some coffee, and let’s begin with this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

Once his coffee was in hand, he said, “Now, before getting into this, did you hear the news?”

“What news, Tom?”

“About the hockey player from the New Jersey Devils. It seems he went to Atlanta and was arrested for stealing a fish from the fish market. Yes, according to the police report, the Devil went down to Georgia and he was looking for a sole to steal.”

“Ha… ha… ha…” Ok. Apart from the dad jokes, he has a lot of common sense.

Anyway, after he’d stopped laughing, he said, “Ok, so, living a whole life from a whole life. Where should I begin?  Do you remember Jesus saying that he came to give us an abundance of life (John 10:10)?”

I said, “Sure I   do, Tom. Well, technically, I remember reading about it. I mean, I am just a little too young to have actually heard Jesus say this. You know what I’m saying?”

Ok, I admit, that is not my best joke ever, but I’m proud to say it made him miss a beat or two.

He said, “Clarification noted. Anyway, he came to provide us with more life than we have ever had before. If he came to provide more, then what we had before must have been incomplete. Right? 

 “Simply put, he came to bring us that which was missing in us. He even uses a beautiful illustration for this; he says he is the doctor who comes to heal the sick (Mark 2:17), and mind you, at some point, everyone is among the very sick.”

“We are sick?”

“Spiritually speaking, we all have been very sick. Gravely so. And he came to make us healthy once again, to give us a healthy, a complete, or, as I have said, a whole life. So, you see, following Christ is about living a whole life.”

Now I have to admit that brought me up short. I put my cup down on the table and said, “Tom, well that makes so much sense. Ok, but what about the second half of your phrase – from our whole life, where did you come up with that?”

“Well, before I can explain that, you need to remember that there is wholeness to the Bible. It is all God’s word; everything it says builds upon and agrees with everything else it says. Right?”

I was not sure where he was going with that. So, I very eloquently said, “Ummm… Yeah?”

 “So, when we are looking at one passage or teaching, we must do so through the lens of the rest of the Bible to truly understand what is being said.”

“Oh,” I said, “Yes. Yes, of course.”

“Well,” he says, “to understand what I mean when I say, from our whole life, we’ll need to view what I share next through the lens of the entire Bible in general and a couple of other passages in particular. The first one is in Ephesians (3:18, 19), which says that God’s love surpasses our ability to fully know or understand it. And the next is in Isaiah (55:8, 9), which states that God’s thoughts, ways, and manner of doing things are simply not ours. His, of course, being the higher, the purer, and the more accurate ways.

“Looking through this Scriptural lens, let’s look at the passages from which I have formed my statement. These are the ones that tell us what the greatest commandments are; those are in Matthew (22: 34-40), Mark (12:30, 33), and Luke (10:27), three of the four Gospels. The first command, of course, is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. And we are told that these are the basis for all the other commands and teachings found in Scripture.”

He paused for a second, perhaps waiting for me to say something else very eloquent. But as I had no earthly idea as to what to say, I was eloquently silent.

He then said, “I know. I know. There is a fine line here that must be walked.”

Ok, I wasn’t expecting that, and I must have looked a little puzzled because rather than waiting for a response, he continued.

He said, “Whenever I talk about love being the greatest thing we need to do, I tend to get pushback from some individuals. From those concerned that love is simply not enough, those who feel that to focus on mere emotion is to become misdirected because faith is more than mere emotion. But I have never spoken of love as merely an emotion. Others say that what’s truly important is to learn and use our minds in order to give rational answers to anyone who asks for them. While yet others say the most important thing is to follow the commandments, do the right religious things, and, as importantly, or more importantly, avoid doing the wrong things.”

Here he paused for a moment. As for me, well, I also discovered a very   profound truth. There is great eloquence in the simple raising of an eyebrow while simultaneously bringing a coffee cup to one’s lips.

He then smiled and said, “Using the lens of the whole Bible, and specifically speaking here, the lens of the books Ephesians and Isaiah. We can see that even as God’s thoughts are different from ours, so too, his concept of love will be different from ours.”

“Now that’s truly interesting,” I said. “But, how does this help?”

He said, “As I look closely at the greatest command, it seems to convey that God does not view love as an emotion. No, I’m serious; these verses show that it is much more than mere emotion.”

“Ok. How so?”

“Are we told to love with our heart only? Here in the greatest command? No. It is with our heart and mind and soul and strength. See, we must engage our heart; that is, we must engage our emotions and desires if we are to love. Isn’t that intriguing? We are to love with our emotions. Love can’t be an emotion if it is what is done through the use of emotion. Now, yes, you and I, we do, understand love as an emotion. But even as God’s thoughts and understandings are not ours, there seems to be more to love than we think. That, my friend, is worth a second thought. Next, we must engage our mind, our intellect, if we are to love. So, yes, we must learn and know whatever can be learned and known. We must be able to give thought-out answers to anyone who asks for them.

“Next, we must engage our strength, which does mean the things we do, the actions we take, if we are to love. And finally, we must engage our very soul if we are to love. Back in the day, this referred to all that is within us, our character, or, if you will, the who of who we are.  Since all four of these things must be utilized in order to love, love cannot be any one of them by itself.”

Thankfully, he then paused to let this soak in. Then he asked, “Are the dots beginning to line up for you?”

Now I, very profoundly, said, “Yeah… I think… maybe.” I guess that not even all the coffee in the world could help me be eloquent at this point.

“Well,” he said, “maybe this will help. Love is more than mere emotion, more than mere intellect, more than mere actions taken, and more than the who of who we are. And love is only found if these are united and working together. Based on this, we could say that love is not truly love, it is not God’s love, if it is not from our entire being, our whole life.”

Oh… now  that got my thoughts spinning. “A whole life from a whole life….” Yes, the light was beginning to dawn.

“And there is even another passage that is a lens we need to look through, 1 Corinthians (13). Which spells out for us that love is greater than any one of these four aspects. It mentions how love is superior to knowledge, controls emotions, and matters more than mere actions. And so, without it, we are much less than who we could be.

“Now, I know what you are going to ask next because everybody does. And the answer is no. It does not say here that to love is good and that everything else can be forgotten. The message from 1 Corinthians is not that these things are unimportant but that, while important, they are worse than meaningless without love. And if they are meaningless without love, then they, themselves, are not love.”

I had never made this connection before. I said, “Our emotions are worthless without love?”

“As are your character, intellect, and actions. But it does take all these, working in harmony, to love. It takes your whole life. So, you see, Christianity is about living a healthy, a whole life from our whole life.”

Now, I just sat there, gazing into my cup of coffee, while nodding my head. And I was very thankful that, in addition to being very wise and full of common sense, Old Tom is also a very astute observer of the human condition. He saw that I was going to need a lot of time to absorb all this. So, he kindly brought our conversation to a close by saying, “Well, that’s probably enough to sip on for the next week or two, and ooooh, look at the time; I’m afraid I need to be running along. I’ll catch up with you next time, my friend, and thank you so much for this conversation and the most excellent coffee. Perfect as always.”  Then with a wave of his hand, he was out the door and on his way home.

If that conversation isn’t worth a second cup of coffee, I don’t know what is. Anyway. What do you think? If you don’t mind, let me know all about what you are thinking in this episode’s comments section. Click on the link provided in the show notes for this episode. Copy and paste it if you need to. And once on this episode’s home page, scroll down, and you will find that comment box and can share away to heart’s content.  Thank you for listening and for sharing. Also, please rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through the podcast service of your choice. Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts, iheartradio, tune in, google podcasts, or whichever you prefer.

Well, until next time then. May you live a whole life from your whole life.

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