perfect people

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:  

image of book, Psalms 1-72

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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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: 

image of book, Psalms 1-72

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