The Extra Mile

 I went shopping at Walmart.  Something I do as a part of the middle-class ritual.  Sometimes I visit other stores with fewer choices and higher prices just to avoid crowds. But Walmart has most the things I need and I don’t need to worry about what I wear. No one notices.  

 While at Walmart, I thought I would pick up a few items for my diet.  I am trying to lose weight again. Three peaches, two bags of frozen vegetables and a bag of peanuts.  I didn’t think these staples would get me through a football game, but maybe it will keep me out of trouble.

 I was clearly under the express limit of twenty items, so I went to the express check out and got in line.  I stood behind a young woman who was obviously pregnant and had a small child.  She started emptying her cart onto the counter. In all she had well over forty items, including a few cases of coke and a large sack of potatoes. She piled up the counter not once, but twice.

 I smiled and was patient.  The cashier was apologetic that she did not see the woman’s cart before she unloaded it.  Several customers behind me rolled their eyes, groaned, and asked if the girl couldn’t read.  I waited, smiled, bought my items and did not complain. “Maybe she made a mistake and got in the wrong line,” I thought.  Anyway, we ought to give a break to a young woman with a child in tow and a baby in her womb. She is trying to feed and take care of her family.  I am just trying to stay on a diet. I was feeling rather good about myself for not complaining or rolling my eyes. 

 After I got home, I started thinking.  Why didn’t I offer to help the young woman?  I could have lifted the potatoes and cases of coke. I could have helped her with her basket. Maybe I could have offered to pay for her grocery bill.  Was it enough to simply smile and not complain?  I could imagine Jesus saying, “Don’t be so smug. If I had been in your place, I would have helped the girl.” 

 “Okay, Lord,” I said.  “I am listening.” But sometimes ‘going the second mile’ is hard to do.  Not so much because I don’t want to do it, but because I simply miss the opportunities.”

 Jesus gave us the concept of “going the extra mile” in his Sermon on the Mount.  “Whoever compels you to go with him one mile, go with him two,” (Matthew 5:41). He also gave us an example of “going the extra mile” when he told us the story of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10:30-37).   

 Every day we have opportunities to “go the extra mile.” To do something unexpectedly nice for someone.  They occur when we are going about our daily lives, at work, at school, shopping, wherever we go, whatever we do. We just need to stop thinking about ourselves and think about others. We just need to open our eyes and see others the way Jesus sees them.  Little acts of kindness can change the world.

Persecuted

 From the beginning, Christians have faced persecution.  Jesus predicted it.  “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well,” (John 15:20).  Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you,” (Matthew 5:10-12). 

 According to church tradition, all of the disciples died a martyr’s death except John, who suffered torture and exile. Paul, who persecuted Christians before his conversion, later listed the things he suffered for his faith: “beaten times without number, often in danger of death.  Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,” (I Corinthians 11:23-25).

 Most of us have not suffered persecution for our faith. Americans have benefited from the protection of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”  This does not mean that all Christians are immune to rejection. In our increasingly secular society faith in Christ can be a liability. A pastor who recently resigned his church discovered that including “pastor” on his resume automatically removed him from consideration for numerous positions.

 According to the most recent statistics, the level of persecution against Christians world-wide is growing.  Global Christian Relief reports that 388 million believers face high levels of persecution globally.  15 countries now rank at extreme persecution levels. Nigeria remains the deadliest country in the world for Christians. Archbishop Balestrero, speaking to the UN on behalf of the Catholic Church stated that at least 5,000 Christians are killed for their faith every year, more than 13 persons per day. 

 The archbishop went on to denounce other forms of persecution that are “more subtle and often silent forms of persecution,” such as gradual marginalization or exclusion from social and professional life “even in traditionally Christian lands.”

 Knox Thames is an international leader in the area of religious freedom and persecution.  He served over 20 years as a State Department special envoy for religious minorities in the Middle East and South/Central Asia under both the Obama and Trump administrations.  He is currently Executive Director of the Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom at Dallas Baptist University. His recent book, Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom was published by the University of Notre Dame Press.  It is available on Amazon.

 Thames said, “People of faith face violence and persecution on account of their beliefs every day. … “Repression on account of faith is the most personal of human rights abuses, as targeted individuals, both women and men, pay a heavy price for what they believe.”

 May the Lord give us courage to stand with fellow believers who pay the ultimate price for their faith in Christ.  May we be bold in proclaiming the truth of the gospel. May we be like those early believers who went on their way “rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name,” (Acts 5:41).

This is the 8th Reflection in a series on the Beatitudes. Order Bill Tinsley's book, We Beheld His Glory FREE on Amazon eBook, October 6-9.  

Peacemakers

 Our world is desperate for peace.  The media is filled with war and violence, not just Ukraine and Iran but Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan and Somalia, among others.  Organized crime, cartels, terrorists are widespread and global.  Conflict and violence invade our governments, corporations, schools and our homes. Where are the peacemakers? Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

 The peace of which Jesus speaks is not a standoff between adversaries who have stopped fighting but continue to watch one another with suspicion.  This peace is comfortable, built upon trust and understanding.  It is the kind of peace God wants to have with you.  It is the kind of peace God desires for all people in every generation. The angels included it in their announcement when Jesus was born: “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”

 We may not be able to make a personal impact in wars on the world stage, but each of us can be peacemakers where we live, in our communities, businesses, schools and homes.

 Are you a peacemaker?  Do you repeat innuendos and accusations that sow seeds of suspicion and distrust?  Do you side with people when they criticize someone else?  Do you bolster their resentments?

 Or do you hold your tongue? Do you keep confidential and questionable information that might prove detrimental and damaging to someone else?  Do you help others toward a more objective view?  Do you help them see the good in others?  Do you build bridges of trust and understanding?

 Jesus gave us the key to establishing peace in his Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. … For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?” (Matthw 5:44-47). 

 Every person is in need of a deeper peace than peace among men.  We all need to discover and experience peace with God.  In 1954 during its London Crusade, the Billy Graham organization developed a pamphlet entitled, “Steps To Peace With God.”  It has helped millions discover a life-changing relationship with God.

 The first step is to know God loves you and has a purpose for your life. The second is to recognize that we are separated from God because of our sin.  In spite of our efforts at good works, philosophy and religion, we cannot bridge this gap with God.  The third step is to know that God has bridged this gap to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins on the Cross.  He offers us forgiveness and eternal life.  The fourth step is to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior by faith.  “As many as received Him,” the Bible says, “to them He gave the authority to become the children of God;” (John 1:12).

 If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you can become a peacemaker by sharing this simple message with family and friends.

This is the 7th in a series on the Beatitudes. 

Pure In Heart

 In a corrupt world, can there possibly be people who are pure in heart?  Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked:  Who can know it?”  Only Jesus was perfectly pure in heart.   Only Jesus was able to see God. “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.”  (John 1:18). 

 But Jesus was not speaking about himself when He gave us the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).  He was speaking to us.  We are all sinners. The one sin that upset him the most was hypocrisy.  He would not tolerate people who lived a pretentious life.  Instead, he exalted authenticity and integrity. If we cannot be sinless, we can have authentic integrity.

 This may be what Jesus had in mind when he met Nathaniel and said, “behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”  It was one of the greatest complements Jesus ever paid any of his followers.  Nathaniel was true and authentic.  What you saw was what you got.  His secret conduct was the same as his conduct in public.   Speaking to Nathaniel, Jesus promised, “You shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

 A pure heart must be a heart filled with love.  Love’s definition in 1 Corinthians 13 gives us insight into what a pure heart looks like. “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails,” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

 Ultimately, a pure heart only comes from God. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh,” (Ezekiel 36:26).  Overcome with his sin and guilt, David cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me,” (Psalm 51:10).

 God has made provision for us that we can have a pure heart through faith in His Son, Jesus. John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure,” (1 John 3:2-3).

 If you want to see God, be authentic in your faith.  Confess your sins. Let Him purify your heart.

To Be Merciful

 Vengeance and retaliation are the themes of countless books and movies. Clint Eastwood portrayed it in Fist Full of Dollars, Dirty Harry and Unforgiven.  Liam Neeson followed suit in Taken and Cold Pursuit.  In recent years, vengeance and revenge have become a major theme in politics. If someone wrongs you, never forget. Get even.   In most of these stories, as in life, the path of vengeance does not end well. The anticipated satisfaction proves empty.  The hatred proves to be a poison that corrupts the soul.

 Jesus called for a more fruitful and rewarding path.  “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”  

 These words are central to his teaching. At the conclusion of his Lord’s Prayer, he reminds His followers, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 6:14-15).  He shocked Peter by expanding his proposal to forgive seven times by saying, “not seven times, but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:22).  In the depths of agony on the Cross He demonstrated mercy toward His torturers, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). 

 At the end of the Civil War the Army of Northern Virginia was trapped and starving.  Robert E. Lee had no option but to surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. They met in Wilmer McLean’s home at Appomattox Court House, the site where the war began almost 4 years earlier. Grant could have exacted vengeance and imprisoned the entire army.  Instead, he chose mercy. He paroled all 28,000 soldiers, fed the starving men, allowed them to keep their horses and return home.

We most often think of mercy as an option for the powerful toward the weak, the dominator toward the dominated, the conqueror toward the conquered.   He who has opportunity to impose retribution and vengeance chooses instead to offer mercy and pardon. 

 But mercy is more than this.  Everyone has the option to express mercy, even the weak and the powerless.  Mercy, as Jesus expresses it, embraces the idea of looking outside oneself, to feel empathy, compassion and concern for someone else.  The opposite of being merciful is being wrapped up in oneself so that all we can think about is our own concerns and interests. 

 This may be a special temptation for the sick, the powerless, the poor and the weak.  How easily we are tempted to think only about our circumstance, our ailments, our illness and our financial needs.   We become resentful of those who are wealthier and healthier and privileged.

 But to be underprivileged, to be overlooked, to be poor, sick and feeble, and yet to remain merciful toward others, this is the mark of authentic discipleship.  It is far easier to practice mercy when you are prosperous and powerful.

 Refuse to live a self-absorbed life. Resist the downward pull of bitterness and resentment. Instead, give yourself in mercy toward others.   When you do this, your life will be enriched with the mercies of God.

How To Prevail In A Corrupt World

 Every day when we tune in for the news we are inundated by stories of corruption, deception, crime, war and injustice.  Occasional beams of light break through the dark clouds of gloom: stories of heroism and self-sacrifice. But the shadows are dark and difficult to dispel.

 Into the midst of this darkness, Jesus introduced the fourth Beatitude.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied.”  What a great promise! 

 Jesus must have had in mind the kind of righteousness that is associated with justice.  There is just too much in the Scripture related to God’s passion for righteousness and justice to think that Jesus was not referring to this. 

 We are not to lose heart in this world when the powerful and the rich subjugate the weak and the poor, when graft and greed are rampant.   God will bring justice and righteousness upon the earth.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’” (Amos 5:24).

 I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s stand against the Nazi onslaught.  On October 29, 1941, when Great Britain faced isolation and possible defeat, Churchill challenged his generation to persevere for righteousness.  In that speech he said, “You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are …  never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

 Jesus must have referred also to another righteousness, the righteousness that overcomes sin. We are all sinners.  No one disputes this fact. We all sin.  Self-righteousness will not save us.  The prophet Isaiah stated the truth we all should know, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away,” (Isaiah 64:6). 

 Righteousness deals with our relationship to God.  More often than not, the prophets link this word with salvation rather than justice.  “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay.  And I will grant salvation in Zion and my glory for Israel.”  (Isaiah 46:13).  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 The Apostle Paul wrote, “ I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord … not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith,” (Philippians 3:8-9).

He is your righteousness and your salvation.  He has become sin for you so that your sin might be removed as the east is from the west.  Hunger for Him and you will be satisfied. 

The Gentle

Most would acknowledge that the earth belongs to the cunning and the ruthless.  The gentle are pushed aside, run over, used and abused by those who climb upon their backs to occupy positions of wealth and power.  How does this square with Jesus’ 3^rd Beatitude, “Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth.”?

You may dominate the earth, in the short term, if you aim for wealth and power.  But in the getting, you will lose.  Jesus sees from a mountain whose heights rise above our mortal measure.  From his vantage point, he sees the ultimate result.  In the end, it is the gentle who will inherit for they are willing to suffer the loss of all things for the preservation of their souls. The measure of success is about character. Not about possessions, fame and power. 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law,” (Galatians 5:19-23).

Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah wrote "He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;   He will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 43:2-3).  Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am gentle and humble in heart …”  (Matthew 11:29)

Martin Luther King Jr., the most effective leader of the Civil Rights movement was strongly influenced in this regard by Jesus and Mahatma Ghandi.  He wrote, “I came to see for the first time that the Christian concept of love operating through the Ghandian method of non-violence was one of the most potent weapons available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom. … This principle became the guiding light of our movement.  Christ furnished the spirit and motivation while Ghandi furnished the method.”

Nelson Mandela was born into the South Africa Xhosa tribe. His mother was a devout Christian and sent him to a Methodist school.  While working on a BA degree he taught Bible classes in the local community as part of the Student Christian Association. Later a leader of the ANC that opposed apartheid, he was arrested as a political prisoner and spent 27 years in prison, most of it in hard labor, sleeping in a 5 by 7 concrete cell with straw bedding. Released in 1990 he was elected president of South Africa in 1994. Expected to retaliate against his oppressors, instead he emphasized personal forgiveness and reconciliation.

 “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5). 

This is the third Reflection in an eight-part series on the Beatitudes.

When Mourning Comes

 The suffering of the world is streamed into our TVs, smart phones and iPads every day.  It is global, affecting every nation, people and culture.  We see it on a large scale in the wars in Ukraine and Iran, earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela, flooding in Shanghai and Wenzhou, China.  Natural disasters leave suffering, sorrow and mourning in their wake. We mourn for loved ones who fall victim to terminal illness and accidental death.

 Jesus acknowledged this reality of human existence when he said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

 How would we know comfort if we never knew sorrow?  Our suffering enlargers our standing of God.  He who never sorrows lives life in the shallows.  We only drink from the depths of God when we have suffered and mourned. God will not leave you comfortless.  No tear ever escapes your eye that does not run its course through the heart of God.

 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. … A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness …  Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs.  And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”  (Isaiah 40).

 He who comforts us wants us to comfort one another. “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God,” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our own suffering enables us to comfort others who are experiencing a similar loss.

 Sorrow and mourning will come to us all.  Most children first experience it in the death of a pet. They are inconsolable until gathered in the arms of their mother or father and comforted.  As we age, we will suffer the loss of parents, brothers, sisters, our spouse and friends.  Weeping will come. Mourning will come.  We never fully forget, and don’t want to forget those whom we have loved.  We learn to live with the loss through the comfort we find in others and in God’s promises. The greatest of His promises is eternal life.

 The Apostle Paul wrote, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus,” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

 If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you will find a comfort in your sorrow that the world cannot provide.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.

This is the second in an eight part series on the Beatitudes.

Are You Poor In Spirit?

 Everyone knows that it is the bold, the proud and the strong who prevail.  Not the weak, insecure and unsure.  All we need do is browse the latest economic and political headlines. Be confident. Be strong, relentless and ruthless, if you want to win. Jesus painted a different picture.

When Jesus ascended the mountain slope overlooking the Sea of Galilee and sat down to address the crowd, his first words turned traditional logic on its head. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

With this, Jesus opened the door for people like you and me.  We know that we have not always been strong.  We know our faith has often failed in the moment of trial.  When we have wanted to believe most, we have sometimes doubted. 

Of such, Jesus says, is the kingdom.  Rejoice!  Be happy!  You are included.

The poor in spirit would include Peter, who fell prostrate in his boat and declared, “Depart from me O Lord, for I am a sinful man.”  It would include the woman of Samaria who came to the well at midday, alone, because she was an outcast. It would include the father who begged him to heal his son, declaring, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.”  And it would include the dying thief crucified beside Him who petitioned, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

Mother Teresa’s meditations were gathered into a book entitled “Come Be My Light.”  She wrote, “Do not think my spiritual life is strewn with roses … quite the contrary I have more often as my companion ‘darkness.’  … I need much grace, much of Christ’s strength to persevere in trust, in that blind love which leads only to Jesus crucified.”

Billy Graham, who preached to more people in his lifetime than anyone in history, prayed this personal prayer, “Lord Jesus, you suffered such humiliation and pain for me on the cross. I ask you humbly to forgive my pride and errant ways that nailed you there.”

If the kingdom of heaven were only for the strong, we all would be excluded including the twelve disciples.  How often did their faith fail them? Jesus did not characterize them as firm in their faith or strong in their spirit.  Jesus said to them more than once, “Oh ye of little faith!”   Where was Peter when Jesus was standing trial? Was he not swearing with an oath that he never knew the man?  But Jesus was not surprised.  He had already warned Peter that he would stumble. 

Even when Jesus stood on the mountain in Galilee and delivered the Great Commission, the Bible says, “some doubted.” If your spirit is weak, rejoice.  Yours is the kingdom of heaven.  After all heaven is built on God’s faith, not ours.  

This week’s column is the first of eight in a series on the Beatitudes. 

Tinsley's Novel, We Beheld His Glory is free as an eBook on Amazon August 18-19. 

Teachers Make A Difference

 It is mid-August and already many students are back in school, excitedly finding their desks, making new friends, opening new books. Most teachers have been back at work for a week or  more getting ready for the students who are assigned to their care.

 My wife retired as a schoolteacher more than 10 years ago.  After earning a master’s in early childhood education, her career took her to kindergarten, third grade and secondary education in the  inner city,  metro and rural areas, in Texas and Minnesota.  She concluded her teaching career by teaching a dropout prevention program for pregnant and parenting teens.  Her goal in her final assignment was to help her students have a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth, learn to be a parent, stay in school, and create a future for themselves and their child. On her best year, her students achieved a 98% graduation rate.

 On one occasion she asked her students to tell of the most significant caregiver in their life.  One of her students said she had a happy childhood until age 10 when her parents were both arrested and sent to jail for drugs.  Her grandfather tried to take her in, but they wouldn’t let him because he had confessed to possession of marijuana.  But he continued to love her and check on her at her foster home. She said she remained close to her foster mother.

 One of her former students returned to my wife’s class to visit, a single mom who graduated and enrolled in a trade school.  My wife asked her to tell her story to the others.  She told of how her older brother committed suicide and how she was on the same trajectory but was able to change course and pursue a better life.  The school counselor who was observing that day asked the student what made the difference in her life.  She pointed to my wife as her teacher and said, “This woman right here.”

 I remain proud of my wife and what she accomplished as a teacher.  I am grateful for the many teachers who accept assignment in challenging situations, working with children and teenagers who face daunting difficulties. 

 Perhaps this is one reason our favorite movies are often based on true stories of teachers who persevered and prevailed in the lives of students who otherwise might have given up. Movies like Mr. Holland’s Opus, Akeela and the Bee, Freedom Writers.

 The title Jesus often used to refer to himself was “teacher.”  It was the title others used most to refer to Him, including the 12 who were his disciples. He was the supreme example of the master teacher, teaching by example and illustration, pouring his life into the lives of those who followed him. His teaching and His life changed the world. Two thousand years after he walked the earth, his teaching and His life changed me.

 I hope you will join me in praying for the thousands of teachers who are seeking to make a difference in the lives of children and young adults as schools open and classrooms resume.  I hope you will make Jesus your Master Teacher.

What I Won't Do For Myself

  Left to myself, I will sit around and vegetate. I know that other people don’t do this, but I do. Several years ago our Pembroke Corgi helped me discover a truth I had overlooked.  When I looked across the room at my dog who followed me from room to room and was happy to be wherever I was, I knew that he needed to walk. So, I got up, put on my shoes, found his leash and off we went. It was good for him and it was good for me. I discovered that what I would not do for myself I would do for my dog.

This little act highlights an important point. We all need to be motivated for someone or something outside ourselves. I have heard it said, “If you won’t do it for someone else, do it for yourself!” But I have discovered that doing it for myself is the lowest and weakest motivator in my life.

Some have assumed that our democratic system works because it is based on self-interest. If everyone looks out for himself, seeks to make the biggest profit and accumulate the most wealth, it all just seems to work out for everybody. But that isn’t true. Our democratic system works because people are willing to sacrifice their own self-interest in the interest of others. The key to American democracy is selfless altruism. Not greed.

Life is not like Monopoly. We don’t win by owning the largest number of properties, raising the rent and amassing stacks of money on our side of the board until we drive everyone else into bankruptcy. That might work for a board game, but even then the players seldom feel good about it. In life we win by giving ourselves away.

We are made in such a way that we must be called to something higher. We will endure great pain, hardship, discipline and even death for people we love and causes that challenge us.

When we live our lives and make our decisions based upon self-interest and self-gratification we are led into dead end tributaries, into a shallow existence that results in isolation and loneliness. When we choose to orient our lives around serving and helping others, we launch out into the deep where we discover meaning and fulfillment.

Howard Hughes, one of the wealthiest men of the twentieth century who spent lavishly to indulge his whims and idiosyncrasies, died a recluse, lonely, isolated and mentally deranged. The FBI had to resort to fingerprints in order to identify his body.

Mother Teresa, who was penniless, spent her life caring for the poor, sick, orphaned and dying. When she died in 1997 the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded, had over one million co-workers serving the “poorest of the poor” in 123 countries. In 2010, the 100th anniversary of her birth, she was honored around the world.

This is why the Scripture urges us to put others first. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4).  Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom.”  (Luke 6:38).

Living Water

For many years I have made it a practice of having a time of devotion early in the morning.  I like to spend this time outside, preferably at sunrise. There have been gaps when I missed.  I have discovered that when I spend time for personal study of Scripture, prayer and reflection on what God wants to say to me, the day seems to go better.  My life has a healthier center and, when the day is done, it seems to be more productive. 

I routinely go out on our deck in Colorado overlooking an open meadow.  I sit beneath the aspen at sunrise and watch the finches, sparrows and chickadees feeding at our bird feeder.  This year it has been unusually hot and dry. We are in the midst of a severe drought. The landscape seems braced for scorching heat that could surge past 100.

After my devotion, I water the potted flowers on our deck: daisies, petunias, chrysanthemums, marigolds and periwinkles.  If I miss a few days, the plants show it.  They become stressed, and, if neglected too long, they wither and die. When I miss a few days of having my devotion on the patio the flowers miss their watering. Their leaves shrivel and the flowers fall from their drooping stems.  They became a spiritual barometer reflecting the condition of my soul from these times neglected with God.

The flowers don’t respond well to alternate periods of draught and deluge.  Drowning them in water once a week, simply doesn’t work.  They need watering every day, not necessarily a lot, just enough to soak in the soil.  Watered frequently in this fashion they thrive, even in record setting triple digit heat.

This may explain why American Christianity seems so insipid, (like salt that has lost its taste).  Many Christians depend on a deluge of spiritual watering for one hour once a week during a worship service at church.  And many more don’t even do this. The spiritual lives of many Christians may resemble the stressed-out flowers sitting on my deck in the heat of summer.

David expressed this truth in Psalm 1. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers”

Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:14) And again, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost” (Rev 21:6).

Take time daily for meditation, devotion and prayer. Jesus set the example, rising early before dawn and seeking a solitary place to pray. 

Flat Earth

 My brother sometimes reminded people of Cliff Claven, the Cheers character who could enlighten, extend and confuse any conversation with his “little known facts.”  The difference between my brother and Cliff was that my brother’s little-known facts were more often correct.  He once rocked my life-long assumptions by informing me that the Greeks knew the earth was round over two thousand years ago and actually calculated the circumference of the earth two hundred years before Christ.  I checked it out.  He was right. Eratosthenes, chief librarian at Alexandria, Egypt, calculated the circumference of the earth to be 250,000 stadia, or 24, 662 miles.  This happened somewhere around 2 40 B.C.  The actual distance is 24, 901 miles.

 Am I the only one that missed this?  When I went to school, I was taught that Columbus sailed bravely westward across the Atlantic, destined, by the prevailing assumptions of that day, to fall off the edge of the flat earth.  But now, I am told every Christian scholar in the Middle Ages believed the earth was round.  The problem, they thought, was that there was nothing in the Atlantic between Europe and India and the distance was too great. Columbus mistakenly thought the world was smaller than it is and accidentally discovered the new world.

 Why didn’t I know this?  How did I miss this little-known fact in my studies of history and science?  How can we spend a lifetime having a false understanding of world history?

 What we believe about history makes a difference.  It changes our actions and our destiny.  The single most important event in human history is the resurrection of Jesus.  This event shapes all our understanding about life and death and forms the foundation of our values.  Yet billions have never heard of Jesus’ resurrection. And millions more live as if it never happened.

 The Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.  But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:17-20)

 Jesus came to correct our wrong assumptions about God and about life on this earth.  He turned conventional wisdom on its head by exhorting us to love our enemies, to help those who cannot help us, to accept foreigners and aliens.  He demonstrated by His life that God loves us and, instead of requiring us to offer sacrifices to Him, He gave His own life as the ultimate sacrifice for us.

 If Jesus was raised from the dead, then life is no longer measured in terms of wealth and power.  With His resurrection, He reset the measurement for success to include how we serve the “least of these” who live among us.  With His resurrection, He declared that death could no longer rob us of meaning and purpose.  Living in a world without the resurrection is like living on a flat earth.   

Cornerstone Marriage

 Fifty-eight years ago, I asked an 18-year-old college sophomore to marry me. I was 21,  a college senior making $240 per month.  She said yes. We were in heaven.  Could not have been happier.  It was what experts now call a “cornerstone” marriage.  Our marriage to one another was the cornerstone upon which everything else has been built.

 We had no idea how we would make ends meet.  We could not predict our future.  I worked for $1.25 per hour, the minimum wage of that day,  trimming grass by hand, drove a van for Lighthouse for the Blind, worked in a factory and was pastor of a small church.  She worked in the library.   Somehow, we stayed in school and earned graduate degrees.   God was faithful, generous and kind.   

 Over the years we had three children, and raised them.  The first was born 5 years into our marriage.  The last was born the year I turned 40.  She is now 40.  Our children are now raising our 6 grandchildren, the oldest are finding their way like all young adults must do. 

 Sociologists are telling us that marriage for the younger generation has changed.  Instead of a “cornerstone,” marriage is often considered a “capstone,” the final step after all the preliminary problems have been solved: education, money, housing, cars, savings, financial security. As a result many young couples live together for many years before finally deciding they will “cap it off” with vows of marriage.

 I have to admit this confuses me. It seems to me that marriage is designed to help us form a problem-solving relationship.  The traditional vows, “for better or worse” have meaning.  We don’t know what life will bring.  Sometimes it is better.  Sometimes it is worse.  But marriage is a foundational relationship to celebrate successes and to endure challenges. Of course, some marriages fail. The cornerstone cracks.  The foundation crumbles. Sometimes the entire house falls.

 There is one cornerstone that will never fail. Isaiah wrote, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, (Isaiah 28:16).  And Peter writes, “Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:5-6).  Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone for life and marriage.

When We Die

 I took off my gloves the other day and laid them on the kitchen cabinet.  I had been outside watching working in the yard.  I have had these gloves a long time, several years.

 When I went back to put them on again, I saw them lying there, limp and useless.  They still held the form of my hands, the fingers slightly curved. The thumb in place to grasp something, but they were empty, wrinkled, worn with use and smudged with dirt.

  My gloves reminded me of my body.  The day will come when I will put off this body that has served me for almost eight decades.  Like my gloves, my body was once young and new, without wrinkle, elastic, unscarred.  But over the years it has grown old.  My body groans when it moves, becomes stiff when I sit in one position too long.  It aches. Putting on my socks has become an exercise in calisthenics.

 When I die, I will put off this body like I pull off my gloves when I come in from the yard.  It will still hold something of my shape.  But it will no longer be me, any more than my gloves are me.  When my hand occupies my glove, it can move and grasp things. The glove is filled with my life.  Likewise, my body is filled with me while I still live.  But, someday, I will lay it down. 

 According to Scripture, I will eventually put on a new body, just as I can place my hands in a new pair of gloves.  The Bible has a lot to say about this, especially in 1 Corinthians 15. “It is sown ^[a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;  it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” 

 When my mother was dying, we talked about heaven.  She was 89 years old.  Her body had withered away.  Her back was bowed with osteoporosis.  Her vision was failing.  She had suffered a series of mini-strokes.  She had difficulty walking.  When she was a young girl she was athletic, a beautiful fast runner. She won ribbons in track.  We talked about how she would run again, the wind in her hair, flying through the meadow as she did when she was growing up on the farm.

 There’s a lot I don’t know about Heaven.  What kind of bodies will we have when we get there?  Will our heavenly bodies resemble our earthly bodies?  Will we have different ethnicities, different skin color and racial features?  Will we all look the same?   Maybe we will know each other in a different way, more spiritual and intuitive than visual.  From what I know of God in this world, I would have to assume there will be variety … lots of variety … even more than we see on earth. But all prejudice and pride will vanish. 

 1 John 1:3-2 states, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Bill Tinsley's book, Sunrise Sunset Poems is FREE as an eBook on Amazon July 7-10.  His poems won first place in the Colorado Open Poetry Contest and the Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest. 

Two Hundred Fiftieth

 This week we celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  Only a little more than three of my lifetimes have passed since the signing! Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration.  John Adams and Benjamin Franklin helped edit it. Adams and Jefferson died on its fiftieth anniversary, July 4, 1826.

 At the signing, John Adams envisioned celebrations in every city with parades, fireworks and political speeches “from one end of this continent to the other.”  Two and one-half centuries later, Adams’s dream is a reality.  This week skyrockets and exploding bombs  will illuminate the night skies over cities, parks, and lakes.  Bands will march in the streets followed by decorated floats and mounted horses.  Politicians will address crowds from platforms decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.

 The Declaration of Independence provides the focus for our American ideals: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  When the Declaration was signed our nation was far from the ideals it embraced. Slavery was widespread. Most states limited voting rights to white men who owned land.  Two and a half centuries later we have made progress, but the struggle continues to implement the ideals of equality.

 Robert Kaplan’s Empire Wilderness sought a re-examination of America in 1998.  Visiting a Mexican church in Tucson, Kaplan wrote, “The church conjured up tradition, sensuality, nostalgia.  If only this church were more relevant to the social forces roiling the southern half of Tucson.”  In The Next One Hundred Million, Joel Kotkin painted an optimistic future for America in 2050 based largely on our unique faith. He wrote, “a ‘spiritual’ tradition that extends beyond regular church attendance … persists as a vital force.” 

 We strive toward equality because that is the way God made us.  We are each made in His image and “endowed” with infinite worth. We best achieve equality when we seek to defend and achieve the rights of others.  Jesus taught us to “love our neighbor as ourselves,” to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” that we are greatest when we are servant to others and that service to God is measured by our actions toward the “least of these.” 

 The pursuit of happiness can degenerate into the self-absorbed and destructive pursuit of pleasure.  Without faith in Christ, we are prone to become captive to addictions and sins that easily beset us.  Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin … if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36).  Freedom comes when God sets us free from greed, corruption, lust and addiction.  Real freedom is won when we seek welfare and opportunity for others, especially for those who are not like us.

How Is Your Soul?

 References to the soul seem strangely absent in our churches. But if the churches have stopped talking about the soul, the technological gurus who design apps for our iPhones have not. 

 A few years ago the Huffington Post launched an app called “GPS for the soul.”  The app is based on two truths that say, “that we all have within us a centered place of harmony and balance, and that we all veer from that place again and again. “ Arianna Huffington stated, “There’s a snake lurking in this cyber-Garden of Eden. Our 24/7 connection to the digital world often disconnects us from the real world around us -- from our physical surroundings, from our loved ones, and especially from ourselves. We see the effects of this in every aspect of our lives.”

 The Bible speaks a great deal about the soul.  The soul can be deeply troubled.  David cried out, “My soul is in deep anguish.  How long, Lord, how long?” (Ps. 6:3) and again, “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.” (Ps. 31:7). 

 Our soul can rejoice. “Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.” (Ps. 35:9).  Our soul can be refreshed, “He refreshes my soul.” (Ps 23:3) and our soul can be at peace. “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” (Ps. 62:1).

 Jesus taught that there is nothing in this world more important than the condition of your soul.  “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mt. 16:26). And again, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28). “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29).

 John Ortberg, in his book, Soul Keeping, writes, “We live in a world that teaches us to be more concerned with the condition of our cars, or our careers, or our portfolios than the condition of our souls. … What if I don’t get a promotion, or my boss doesn’t like me, or I have financial problems, or I have a bad hair day? Yes, these may cause disappointment, but do they have any power over my soul?  Can they nudge my soul from its center, which is the very heart of God?  When you think about it that way, you realize that external circumstances cannot keep you from being with God.”

 What is truly important is not our possessions. Neither is it our physical strength or beauty. Nor is it positions of influence, power or fame.  What is truly important is our soul, the essence of who we are. Although our bodies may wither with old age and disease, our souls can continue to grow in grace as we experience God’s love while loving others.

Father of Lights

 Few stories are better known than the Prodigal Son.  Jesus first told it in response to those who criticized him for associating with known sinners. For 2,000 years the story has been repeated: a young man impatiently asks for his inheritance from his father. And, once granted, leaves home in search of adventure, finding it in a “far country.”  For a time, he is surrounded by new friends. As long as the money lasts. Once he has gambled and partied away all of his wealth, he is left penniless, destitute and friendless.  The only job he can find is tending swine in a pigsty.  He is so hungry he considers eating the food he feeds the swine.

 Out of desperation he decides to return home, ashamed, hoping to find a job on his father’s farm. To his surprise his father embraces him, replaces his rags with clean clothes and orders a welcoming feast.  He is stunned.

 The central figure in this story is not the prodigal. The central figure is the father.

The father, out of his generosity, gives his young son his inheritance.  It is the father who also gives him his freedom.  He can choose to go where he wishes and do whatever he desires with the inheritance.  It is the father, who sees his son in the distance, clothed in rags, shoulders slumped, depressed and defeated.  He does not stay where he is, waiting for his son to drag himself to him. He runs, as quickly as his aging feet will carry him, and throws his arms around his son, welcoming him with joy and tears.  He does not require penance.  He does not make him grovel for acceptance.  Instead, he orders a feast of celebration.

 Jesus told this story, not to help us see what we are like. We are, for the most part only too aware that we are sinners.  We have often failed and made mistakes.  He told this story to help us know what God is like.  He is our father!

 Jesus said, “ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

 This changes everything.  The Creator and Sustainer, the Master Designer, the Ground of All Being is for us.  God is our Father.  As we gather this weekend to celebrate fathers, let us celebrate the Father of Lights, our Father who is in Heaven who loves us and gave His Son that we might have life.

Bread of Life

 Bread has become a delicacy.  When my wife sends me to the store for a loaf of bread I stand dumbfounded in front of the shelves.  Which bread to buy?  There’s white bread, whole wheat bread, gluten free 7 grain bread, garlic bread, rye bread, and a dozen others.  Then there are bagels: plain bagels, blueberry bagels and everything bagels.  And what about donuts?  I think donuts are included in the bread family.  Okay, I choose donuts.

 From ancient times “bread” has represented the staple of life.  Even today, in all its various forms, bread is still the most widely consumed food in the world.

 Scholars have found evidence that people started baking bread 30,000 year ago. But the first breads were “flat.”  They lacked leaven. It is the leaven that makes it rise, light and fluffy and sweet. Historians believe that the Egyptians were the first to develop leavened bread, somewhere around 1000 years before the great pyramids were built.  The most famous “unleavened” bread was the Passover bread, cooked up in a hurry by the Israelites to escape Egypt. 

 In 1917 Otto Rohwedder invented the first bread-slicing machine. He set the standard for all other inventors who searched for an idea that would be “better than sliced bread.”  In spite of Rohwedder’s invention, there is nothing quite like pulling apart a fresh steaming loaf of bread and adding butter.  

 Jesus referred to bread to help us understand who He was.  “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:35).  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, ” (Deut. 8:3; Mat. 4:4).  God nourishes our soul and satisfies our innermost emotional, personal and spiritual needs, a nourishment more important than the nourishment of our bodies.

 Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Just as God provides for us daily the nourishment that is necessary for our bodies, He will provide for us each and every day the nourishment that is necessary to replenish our soul. 

 When Moses led Israel in the wilderness, God provided bread every morning so that “he who gathered much had no excess and he who gathered little had no lack.”(Exodus 16:18).  They could not store and keep the bread. It had to be eaten when God gave it.

 Like the Israelites in the wilderness, our relationship with God is daily and constant.  We cannot put our faith in a religious box to be taken out occasionally.  Just as our bodies need bread in order to live, our souls need a daily and constant conversation with God, the bread and substance of life.

The Anxious Generation

 A couple weeks ago my 15-year-old granddaughter suggested I read Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.  I was stunned.  Over my lifetime I have experienced several technological revolutions that have transformed the way we live: color TV, the personal computer, internet, email,  mobile phones, smart phones.  In every case I was an early adopter. But I missed the rapid and ubiquitous spread of social media.                                      

According to Haidt, a recognized social psychologist, Gen Z, those born between 1995 – 2010, is the first “phone-based” generation to experience a “rewiring” of the brain through social media.  A professor of psychology at NYU’s Stern School of Business, he says, “I have seen the rising levels of anxiety and device addiction as my students have changed from millennials using flip phones to Gen Z using smartphones.” Access to social media coupled with adolescent mental, social and psychological development has been devastating.

 Haidt writes, “Children born in the late 1990’s were the first generation in history who went through puberty in the virtual world.  It’s as though we sent Gen Z to grow up on Mars when we gave them smartphones in the early 2010’s.” Since the introduction of smartphones and social media, Haidt documents a 145% rise in depression among teenage girls since 2010, and a 161% increase among boys. Along with this, Emergency Room visits related to self-harm increased 188% among girls and 48% among boys since 2010. This is recent and rapid. 

Interestingly, Haidt, who claims to be atheist, finds promising solutions in spiritual terms. He draws on a book by David Steno, a social psychologist, published in 2021, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion.  He names six practices that can help all of us in our age of anxiety and fragmentation: shared sacredness, embodiment (rituals), stillness-silence and focus (meditation), transcending the self (inspiration), being slow to anger and quick to forgive, and experiencing awe. He leaves out faith however, the key element that makes all of these work.

 These healthy elements are found in the life and teachings of Jesus. He emphasized the importance of community.  “Where two are three are gathered together in my name, there I am, in the midst of them.”  He established the Lord’s Supper when He shared bread and wine with his disciples the night before His death saying, “this do in remembrance of me.” He taught us to transcend self, “If anyone desires to be first he shall be last of all and servant of all,” (Matthew 9:35).   Regarding anger and forgiveness, He said, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not murder,’ but I say to you he who is angry with his brother without cause is in danger of the judgement.”  “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 6:15). As to awe, John wrote, “We beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14).

 I am encouraged by reports that many in Gen Z are turning to faith.  The magazine Relevant describes it: “This isn’t the next wave of megachurch Christianity or the rebranded youth group hype of the early 2000s. There are no flashy social media campaigns, no celebrity pastors, no big marketing push. What’s happening is quieter, rawer and—to the surprise of many—far more compelling. Gen Z isn’t leaving faith behind. They’re leading a revolution.” We can pray that the entire world may be revolutionized by faith that is found in Jesus Christ.

Bill Tinsley's Sermon on the Mount Devotional Book is FREE as an eBook on Amazon June 2-4. 

Dealing With Rejection

 Everyone has felt rejection.  For many it is first encountered on the playground.  Children choosing their friends or choosing teams until one remains, unchosen, unwanted, rejected.  We discover life can be like musical chairs.  When the music stops there is no place to sit.  All the included places are taken.

 Sometimes it comes with our first applications for college. For a few, colleges and universities line up with scholarships and offers, but most must deal with rejection.  Most of us have known the uncertainty of a job search.  The series of rejections from interviews can be devastating to our ego.  Forced into a situation where self-confidence is essential, we become anything but.

 Door-to-door salesmen are familiar with rejection.  It is part of the job.  So are politicians and would be writers.  How many ways can we be turned down and rejected?

 Perhaps most devastating of all is a rejection by those who are close to us.  The rejection of a mother or father, son or daughter, or spouse. These can cause wounds that last a lifetime.

 It might help to realize we have company. When we are rejected we are not alone.

 When Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick, his work was turned down by multiple publishers. It was finally accepted by Bently & Son who asked, “Does it have to be a whale?”  Nevertheless they published the classic on the condition that Melville pay for the typesetting and plating himself.  When 25-year-old Hemmingway wrote The Son also Rises one publisher responded, “I find your work both tedious and offensive.” 

 Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. Paul was rejected often, stoned and left for dead, driven from city to city and imprisoned.  Jesus’ own brothers refused to believe in Him and  His closest disciples abandoned Him.  He was “despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3).

 But, when we experience rejection by family, friend or the world, we can rest knowing that there is One who will not abandon us.  “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.  Behold I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

 Jesus constantly included those who were rejected:  the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, the blind beggar, the woman caught in the act of adultery, lepers and the Gadarene demoniac.  Though others might reject you, Jesus will by no means turn you away.  If we come to Him in simple faith and confession, He will receive us.

 We can say with the Apostle Paul, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,”   (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Bill Tinsley's book of poems, People Places and Things is Free as an eBook on Amazon May 26-29.  His poetry has won first place honors in the Colorado Open Poetry Contest and the Mississippi Valley poetry contes. 

Authenticity

 I stepped up to the counter and handed the cashier my twenty-dollar bill.  Paying with cash today is rare, but I thought I would try it.  I think the people standing behind me rolled their eyes. The cashier glanced at me, lifted the bill up to the light, squinted and examined it, then laid it on the counter. She whipped out what looked like a felt tip marker and marked it. After a long second, she placed it in the cash register and gave me my change.  It seemed simple enough. But it made me wonder. 

 What made her think my twenty might be fake?  Did I look dishonest? I reminded myself that it was standard procedure.  She had been taught to check every twenty because you never know who might pass a counterfeit.  You can’t recognize honesty or dishonesty by a person’s looks.

 Wouldn’t it be nice if it was just as easy to discern fake people as it is to recognize a fake twenty?  What if we could hold people up to a light, squint and examine them for watermarks, or just swipe them with a pen and watch for discoloration?

 Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.

 Sometimes the people we trust the most disappoint us. That was the case with Richard Nixon. After winning the presidency by a landslide vote, the Watergate investigations revealed a man far different than the public image. One of our great difficulties today is the widespread doubt that no politician can be trusted. They seem more intent on vilifying their opponents and promoting their own agenda than engaging in sincere dialogue.

 We all know that no one is perfect.  We are all human.  We are all sinners and we all make mistakes. We are not looking for perfection.  But we are desperate for authenticity. We are desperate for authentic parents, teachers, employers, employees, preachers and politicians.

 Jesus ranked authenticity among the highest of virtues. His harshest words were leveled at those who pretended to be what they were not. Speaking to people of his day, Jesus said, “You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.” (Mt. 23:27-28, The Message).  He warned his disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1).

 What really gets scary and complicated is to examine ourselves. Am I authentic?  Is there any hypocrisy in me?  Are we being open, honest and authentic with one another? Someday, of course, there will be a test. God will hold each of us up to the light. He will examine us for authenticity. Are we people of authentic faith living authentic lives?

Tinsley's book, We Beheld His Glory, A Novel, is FREE as a eBook on Amazon May 19-21. 

Why Go To Church

 Given the secular focus of our culture with sports dominating Sundays, it is easy to conclude that very few people still attend church. But, according to the best research, that is just not the case.  More people attend church than we might think. 

 Estimates of church attendance on a given Sunday vary.  According to Gallup 30% of Americans attend  churches weekly or almost ever week.   The Pew research estimates 33% attend at least once a month and 25% at least once a week. Pew also mentions that the long-term decline in church attendance has slowed or stopped.  62% of Americans identify as Christians. The Barna Group notes that Gen Z and Millennials are driving a resurgence in church attendance.  

 This, it seems to me, is remarkable.  What other voluntary activity could attract this many people on a regular basis?  According to the most conservative estimates, between 50 million and 85 million people attend church every week.  By comparison, the average attendance per week to all MLB games combined totals less than 500,000.  Although the percentage of those attending church has declined over the years, church attendance is still a huge part of our lives. 

 As I have thought about it, I have asked myself the question, “Why do I go to church?”

 

I go to church because, down deep, I believe in Jesus.  I think it is what He would want me to do.  Even though the Jewish authorities turned against Him, it was Jesus’ custom to attend the synagogues.  (Luke 4:16).  And even though churches are seldom what they ought to be, I need to follow Jesus’ example.

 I go because I need to be encouraged in my faith and I want to encourage others.  While I have been disappointed by some pastors and church leaders over the years, I find that going to church lifts my spirits.  Other believers take an interest in me and pray for me.  And I seek to do the same for them. (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25).

 I go to church because churches make the world a better place. All churches, as we know, are flawed. Someone once asked me if I knew of any churches that did not have any problems.  I asked if he knew of churches that didn’t have any people.  Where there are people, there will be problems. But most churches seek ways to feed the hungry, help the poor, comfort the grieving and care for the aging.  Churches pull us outside ourselves and call us to a higher and better world.

 I go because I want my children to go.  Even though my children are grown and gone, I still want to be an example to them, as I sought to be when I was raising them.  Going to church is a discipline. Sometimes I don’t feel like it. But I have learned over the years that the best things in life require effort.  Worship, Christian fellowship and service are disciplines that I believe are worth passing on to the next generation.  

 I am sure there are many other reasons why people attend church.  There are other reasons why I do as well, but these are the ones that stand out the most in my mind.

 If you haven’t been attending church.  I hope you will do so this week. 

Mother's Day

This week husbands, sons and daughters will elbow their way to the greeting card displays in search of the perfect card to celebrate Mother’s Day.  Florists will put on extra staff to handle the demand. Restaurants brace for business.

 Countries around the world set aside a special day for mothers. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the U.S. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, Brazil, Germany, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day an official holiday starting on May 8, 1914. Still other nations honor mothers on different dates.

 Regardless of our nationality, ethnicity or gender, we were each carried in our mother’s womb, given birth through her labor and, in almost all cases, nursed and nourished to life by her care.  

 No office and no position wields greater power and influence over the future of humanity than the influence of a mother.  The memories and lessons given in infancy at a mother’s hand surpass every other classroom and instruction.  The faith of a mother inspires and instructs more effectively than any pulpit or pen.We see it in history, and we see it in the Bible.

 In a log cabin in Kentucky, Nancy Hanks Lincoln recognized the early gifts in her child.  She not only taught him to read, but instructed him in the principles that would shape his life.  Without Nancy, and Sarah, who became Lincoln’s step mother after Nancy died, it is unlikely that Abraham Lincoln would have ever surfaced to lead our nation in its greatest hour of crisis.

 If it were not for Moses’ mother, the world would have never known the great law-giver who led Israel from captivity and gave us the Ten Commandments.  It was she who hid him in the reeds at the river to save his infant life and it was she who cared for him in Pharaoh’s court. 

 How many mothers have petitioned God for the birth of a child, as Hannah prayed in the presence of Eli, the prophet?  Without her prayer, Samuel would not have been born, and would not have been present to anoint David, the king of Israel.

 In the fullness of time, in an obscure Galilean village, another young woman lifted up her eyes to heaven and sang, “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His handmaiden; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For He that is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-49).  Without Mary we would never have known Jesus, and the world would remain lost in its sins without a Savior.

 Paul referred to the importance of a mother’s faith when he wrote to his young protégé, Timothy: “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”  (2 Timothy 1:5). 

 This Mother’s Day we honor all mothers who have shaped us and made a better world

Are You Forgiven? Do You Forgive?

 After 2,000 years science and psychology are finally catching up with the teachings of Jesus.  A recent article in the Washington Post reported that psychologists are discovering the power of forgiveness for health and well-being.  “A new analysis spanning more than 200,000 people across 23 countries and published in NPJ Mental Health Research, a Nature publication, found that forgiveness may be more than a moral ideal. It appears to function as a psychological ideal as well, across cultures.”[i]

 The article went on to say, “Scientists call this dispositional forgiveness, and the idea marks a growing shift in the field that researchers believe has the potential to reshape not only our family and romantic relationships, but also our workplaces — and even geopolitical dynamics. … what happens when forgiveness becomes an ordinary, practiced way of moving through the world.”

 Forgiveness is a major theme in Jesus’ teaching.  He taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  He concluded the model prayer by saying, “For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses,” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15).

 Peter might have felt proud of himself when he asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus’ response must have shocked him, “I do not say to you forgive up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven,” (Matthew 18:21-23 KJV).

 Following Peter’s question, Jesus told a story about a man who was deep in debt.  His master was going to have him sold, along with his wife and children to settle the debt.  He begged for mercy and his master forgave the debt entirely.  That same man found another who owed him a paltry sum. Instead of forgiving, as he had been forgiven, he attacked his debtor and had him thrown into prison.  When the master who forgave him found out, he said, “‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses,” (Matthew 18:23-35).

 From the Cross Jesus cried out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” He gave His life that our sins might be forgiven. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,” (1 John 1:9).   We who have been forgiven must forgive others. Forgiveness is essential to all human relationships as well as our relationship to the Father.

 My wife and I have been married 57 years.  When people ask her the secret to a long marriage, she always quotes Ruth Bell Graham and says, “Two good forgivers.”

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[i] Washington Post, April 23, 2026

 

When God Calls Your Name

 For 14 years we were the owners of a tri-color Pembroke Corgi named Buddy.  We adopted him from Corgi Rescue, a stray picked up on the streets.  They told us his name was Tex.  But, when we got home, he told us his name was Buddy. His story is available on Amazon, Buddy The Floppy Ear Corgi, “just the way he told it to me.”  Unfortunately dogs don’t live as long as we do and we had to “lay him down” a few years ago.

 He knew his name. Whatever he was doing, whether napping (one of his favorite pass times) or checking out “pee mail” on a bush.  When I called his name his head jerked up with ears alert and he came.  

 Sometimes he came when I first called him, running at top speed, which was not all that fast.  Sometimes he loitered around, distracted by new smells and sounds. So I called him again.  Occasionally I had to clap my hands.  Sometimes he came at a very slow walk, grudgingly. But he eventually came when I called.

 It seems to me that I am a lot like that with God.  There are times when I sense God’s call, and I come running. But there are other times when I am distracted by other interests, worries and concerns.  I don’t listen for his voice as I should, and I don’t come as quickly as I should.  Sometimes I come grudgingly.

 When I was a child my parents took me to church.  At the end of every service the church offered an “invitation.”   We all stood and sang a song while the preacher waited at the front to talk with anyone who wanted to make a decision for Christ.  Sometimes we sang an old hymn.

 Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling

Calling for you and for me

Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching

Watching for you and for me.

 

Come home.  Come home.

You who are weary come home.

Earnestly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling, O sinner, come home!

 One day, I let go of the pew in front of me and went forward.  Those first few steps made all the difference. When He called, I came.  Ever since that day, I have been listening for His voice. I have never heard God speak audibly, though I do not doubt God can speak audibly to whomever He chooses. For me, it is an inner voice.  Sometimes His voice acts like a compass, pointing the way forward.

  Even when we wander away, drawn away by smells and sounds of the world, He is always calling, waiting and watching for us to come home to God.

 Jesus said, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”     (John 10:2-3, 14-15).

 In Psalms the Bible says, “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”  (Psalm 147:3-4).  God knows your name. He knows mine.  If we listen, we can hear him calling.