SNS 105: Christ, the Narrow, the Difficult, and the Abundant 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, the Narrow Gate, the Difficult Way, and Abundant Life

The other day, I was speaking with Old Man Tom. Old Man Tom, that’s what everybody calls him anyway. Nobody really knows why. Personally, I 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, on that particular day, the first thing he said was, “Charles, I’ve had an epiphany about how I clean house.”

“An epiphany about cleaning house?”

“Oh yeah. It comes from the saying, “From dust you came, and to dust, you will return.”

“I’m familiar with the saying, but what has this to do with cleaning your house?”

“Well, this is why I don’t dust. It might be someone I know.”

I laughed at that one.

 I said, “I got to give you credit for that one, Tom. That was actually a good one. Care for some coffee?”

He said, “Yes, please. Then I’ll have a question for you.”

How did I know? “Ok,” I said, “what’s the question?”

“As the wise philosopher once said, ‘Coffee first, questions second.’”

“Don’t know who this wise… person is, but I’ll second that. Coffee first, then we talk. Come on in, and I’ll put some on. So, what’s the question we’re going to talk about?”

“Jesus said that narrow is the gate and restricted is the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). He also said that he came to give an abundance of life to those who believe in him (John 10:10). My question is, how does this work? How can the narrow gate and the restricted, difficult path lead to an abundance of life?”

“French Roast.”

“What?”

“French Roast - this is definitely a French Roast type of question. And believe it or not, this will be my first coffee of the day.”

“First of the day? Well then,” he said with a smile, “it is fortunate for you that I came by with my epiphany, is it not?”

Sometimes, it’s best to remain silent and just make the coffee, which is what I did.

Now, as Old Man Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is indeed 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 about 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 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 and it’s easy to read, revealing the prayerfulness in the Psalms. Now, don’t worry because 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 like this podcast, and collect your copy today.

Ok, grab yourself some coffee, for it’s time to begin this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

            Once the coffee was ready, and we were seated at the kitchen table, I said, “All right, Tom, I have my coffee; let’s talk. How do the narrow and the difficult lead us into abundance? For if I know you, you already have the answer, do you not?”

While looking over the rim of his coffee cup, he grinned. Right there, I knew that things were going to get interesting. He said, “Well, to begin with… this coffee is very good. Anyway, to begin with, do you know where we are taught about the narrow gate and the difficult way?”

“Uhhhhhh…. Somewhere in the New Testament, right? In the gospels, something Jesus says, I believe?”

“Good, good guess. But do you know where specifically?”

“Sure I do…. Maybe…. Ok, not really.” Now I know that is not my most eloquent response ever, but in my defense, this was my first cup of coffee.

“It’s from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13-14).”

And I said, “Oh yeah, Sermon on the Mount.” Did I mention that this is my first cup of coffee?

Not suppressing a smile, he said, “Anyway… the other day, this was the passage in my daily devotional. And as I was reading it, my mind went back to our last couple of conversations, and about how Jesus said that he came to bring us an abundance of life. This is where my question came from. For how can those means which seem to be the exact opposite of the desired end be the things which bring about that end?”

“Yo, Tom, first cup.”

“Oh, sorry. Well, as I pondered this, I stumbled onto a passage (John 10:9) where Jesus says he is the gate we must use to enter into this abundance. Isn’t that intriguing?”

“Sure, it’s intriguing, but how does that even begin to…?”

Before I could finish my question, he raised his hand and said, “Patience, grasshopper. Sip on your coffee, and I will explain.”

“Patience, grasshopper…? Have you been watching those Kung Fu reruns again?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

He smiled real big and continued, “Now, if Jesus is the gateway we must enter, then the Sermon on the Mount must be about more than just a set of good moral teachings for us to aspire to, right? Because the narrow gate in that sermon is now a person, Jesus himself. And while a person can be moral, he can never be a moral teaching.”

“And that means…?”

“This means that the narrow gate and the difficult way cannot be merely about keeping a set of moral teachings, no matter how good they are.”

I must have looked more than a little puzzled at this point, for he said, “Now…. Yes, the Sermon on the Mount contains moral teachings, and yes, we are to put these into practice. Yet, even as true as this is, there must be something else lying under the surface of those teachings. Something else that goes hand in hand with all the rest.”

“Tom,” I said, “meaning no disrespect, sir, but all this is about as clear as the coffee in my cup. Which, as you know, is black as pitch.”

He nodded and said, “What I’m trying to say is this. There is something here we must not neglect if we are to make any sense of the narrow entrance and difficult way being the way of having abundance.

“Do you remember our conversation a while back about how Christianity is about living a whole life from our whole life? That it is about loving God with our entire being and our neighbors as ourselves?”

“I remember.”

“Well….”

“Well…?”

“If we are to love with our entire being, doesn’t that sound like we are to be in a relationship with God?”

“So, could not the difficult way, and as Jesus refers to himself as the gateway to this path, simply be referring to a relationship with himself being the only way to this abundance?”

My face must have registered the fact that the light was beginning to break through my mental mist. For he said, “Yes, the narrow gate and difficult way are Jesus and a relationship with him. And it is this relationship that leads to an abundance of life. That is how they go together.”

“Whoa.” That was as eloquent as I could be.

A glint now showed in Tom’s eyes as he saw that mist of mine was indeed slowly burning away. He said, “Whoa, indeed. And relationships, by definition, are somewhat limiting. Are they not? Think about your closest friend, your closest relationship. There are certain limitations you must place on yourself in order to maintain and grow it, are there not? I mean, you know what to do to build that friendship, to help it grow stronger. Right?

“The opposite is also true. You know what buttons to push, what to do to make that person angry. And you know that if you persist in this, you will drive the other person away. And all your relationships are the same. Your relationship with God is exactly the same. You can draw closer to him or push him away.

And all the relationships you have require hard work if they are to be all they can be. They just do. Yet it is precisely doing the hard work that allows those relationships to be one of the most rewarding things on earth. To become more valued and cherished than any other thing we know. So too, with God; for that relationship to be the most freeing, rewarding, and abundance-of-life-giving relationship it can be, you will have to work hard to develop it. You will have to choose the way that limits your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to those which grow the relationship. And this does involve deciding to stay away from those that harm it.”

Sometimes, the most eloquent thing to do is remain silent. So I cocked an eyebrow, raised my coffee to my mouth, and… remained eloquent.

And believe it or not, it is at this point that things began to get interesting. For he said, “This also opens up another teaching from Jesus. The one where he says that if you try to save yourself, you’ll lose yourself. But if you lose yourself for his sake, you will genuinely find yourself (Matthew 16:25). You will be all that you can be if you choose the limitation of a relationship with him. In this friendship, much more is gained than is ever missed out on.”

That caused me to slowly lower my coffee cup to the table as I contemplated it.

“Ohhh,” he said, “and what I say next is really going to blow your mind. To not seek this narrow way, but rather to choose to walk upon the other pathway, the broad and easy one mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13-14), is actually to choose to travel upon the pathway of limitation. For then, you limit yourself from ever experiencing the abundance of life that a relationship with God brings. Yeah, take your time with that one.”

This would take me some time to process: a good bit of time and much more coffee. And always being the astute observer of the human condition, Old Tom saw this and graciously brought this conversation to a close. Saying that, he hoped I wouldn’t mind if we stopped here, but he should probably get moving. He had a couple of errands to run before keeping an appointment downtown. He thanked me for the conversation and the coffee, saying that both were always excellent at my place. A gracious friend is Old Tom. Then, with a wave of his hand, he was off and on his errands. And I… I was putting more coffee water on. 

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 will find that comment box and can share away.  Thank you for doing so. 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 find the abundance of life, found only by entering the narrow gate and walking the difficult way of a relationship with Jesus.

  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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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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SNS 102: Of Christians and Anger

This past week I have had cause to get angry at work. Now, the ins and outs of why are not crucial to our chat. For we all know what it’s like to get mad at work, right? But the anger itself is what is of interest. Because it brought to mind an age-old question; is getting angry a sin? Is it a sign of weak faith? This is what we are going to chat about in this episode.

Now, my name is Charles, Charles Yerkes, and this is the first episode of our new Coffee-side Chat series here on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. As we have been sharing over the past three weeks, the Psalm Tuesday series is taking a small break. This is because I still need to complete work on the remaining Psalms to continue that series. It will come back from vacation once work on those psalms is done. However, this podcast is still for those who want a deeper faith and not an aggressively mediocre one. The Coffee-side Chat gets its name from… well, because there is a cup of coffee sitting beside me, this very instant, and we are currently chatting. Well, technically, I’m chatting; you’re listening. But let’s not get hung up on technicalities just yet. There will be time for that later.

Also, before we begin, I am proud to say that this podcast is sponsored by our book, Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. This book is a collection of the first 72 Psalms, presenting them in a manner that helps reveal the prayerfulness of the Psalms. That is exciting! I’ve provided a couple of links in the show notes for this episode. One to my website where you can learn more about this book and another to where it is located on Amazon.com, just for your convenience. So, go ahead and collect your copy today. 

But for now, grab yourself some coffee and let the chat begin.

If you don't mind, let me know what you think about this? You can do this in the comment box here:


Scripture Passages referenced:
Mark 3:5; 10:14; John 11:33,38 ~ Jesus got angry.
James 1:19, 20 ~ Be slow to anger because your anger will not accomplish what God desires.
Ephesians 4:26 ~ Be angry but sin not.
Ephesians 4:31 ~ Get rid of bitterness, wrath, anger.
James 1:5 ~ Ask God for wisdom and he will amply give it.
 
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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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