Doing The Right Thing?

I recently came to a close on three separate lessons from the Bible; but, I've discovered they all have a central theme: people who thought they were doing the right thing.  These people were trying to help or trying to further God's kingdom; but, they wound up doing just the opposite.

First, I read about Stephen in the book of Acts -- chapters 6 and 7.  He was the first martyr for the Christian cause, being stoned to death for preaching about the Risen Christ. 

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."  (Acts 6: 8-11)

Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.  False witnesses were produced, and at the trial Stephen laid out a beautifully crafted and rational argument for Christ, along the way reminding the Jewish leaders of Israel's nasty record of murdering prophet after prophet (Acts 7: 2-53).  The Jewish leaders were furious and "gnashed their teeth at Stephen", even covering their ears and yelling to block out Stephen's words.  The crowd rushed at Stephen, laid hold of him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.  (Acts 7:59-60)

The religious leaders thought they were doing the right thing.  They believed they were preventing heresy from infiltrating God's people.

In the second study, my small group read the Book of Job.  Job suffered the loss of everything: his family, his home, his "business" (i.e. wealth).  His friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar sat in mourning with Job and tried to comfort him, although they wound up accusing Job of some sins or misdeeds that brought on Job's calamity.  The narrative proceeds through a lengthy debate between Job and his 'friends", as Job maintains his innocence.  In the end, despite the vicious words of his friends, we read that Job prayed for his friends.

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.  (Job 42:10)

(Oh, that I were such a more mature Child of God that I actually prayed for those who've ticked me off!)  Job's friends thought they were doing the right thing, believing that if they should get Job to confess his sins.  Instead, they only added to Job's suffering.

Another person who thought he was helping was good old Peter.  I am presently reading the Gospel of Matthew, and found an interesting correlation to the previous two studies.  In roller coaster fashion, Peter goes from acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ (Mt. 16:16) to trying to prevent Jesus from going to Jerusalem to be arrested.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"  Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."  (Matt. 16:21-23)

Peter thought he was helping -- trying to keep his beloved Master from being murdered.  He thought he was doing the right thing.  However, he did not realize that his desire to protect Jesus was actually conflicting with God's greater plan of salvation. 

I wonder how often I think I'm doing the right thing when instead, like Job's friends, I'm causing another person more grief.  Am I sometimes, like the religious leaders, unwittingly imposing my views on others of how God's kingdom should be?  Do I sometimes run into conflict with God's plan, blindly and stubbornly trying to force things to be as I see fit? 

LORD, let me see with Your eyes, feel with Your heart, discern with Your mind. 

An Interesting Week: Two Very Different Lives

I recall an very interesting and inspirational week I experienced a few years ago.  Within one week, I witnessed two very different mens' lives.  At the start of the week, sadly a very dear man of our congregation passed away suddenly.  Bill was a man everyone loved -- funny, humble, loving, mischievous.  His sudden death left his wife and children devastated.  The funeral drew a huge crowd!  There must have been several hundred people, including members of the local high school choir who got special release that day from their classes to sing at the funeral.  Bill, a big fan of music and the choral arts, had helped many times with the school choir.  I recall thinking to myself that, if I were to have half as many people in attendance at my funeral with half the tears shed, I know I will have lived a very good life.

Later that week, my Red Cross "Disaster Action Team" ("DAT") got called out about 10:30 at night to respond to an apartment fire in a small neighboring town.  It took my teammates and I more than an hour to reach our destination.  As we began surveying the damage and talking to the displaced residents, I recognized one of the men -- a very tall, big-framed man.  Although he and I were both "out of our element", we recognized that we were both members of the same church and had shared a few conversations and even a car ride at one point.  I knew his wife and children, too.  His son and I had a puppy obedience class together.

At first, I had a hard time recognizing him.  I then realized his drug use had caught up with him, causing him to look a bit bloated and creating an odd color to his skin.  He smiled and seemed happy to see me, but he also appeared a bit uncomfortable ... embarrassed.  He knew that I knew.  His wife had told me what had happend to his business and their marriage.  His drug abuse had forced his brothers to kick him out of the successful family business and his wife to leave him.

Here was a man who, as we would say, "had everything" -- great business and career, well respected in the community and the church, financially successful, materially blessed, etc.  Tragically, his drug use took control of him, resulting in losing everything.  He went from a successful life in a nice community to living in a rundown apartment in a tired little town.

Bill, on the other hand, was a man who had financially struggled all his life.  He did make a decent living as a sales rep; but, he did experience a long period of close to two years of unemployment.  But, he somehow still managed to make it through that rough period and come out on top.  Bill was a man that was deeply loved by the community, and it was so obvious at the funeral.  He had touched many people's lives with his kindness, wit, and charm.

I thought of these two men as I started studying the Matthew this week.  Bill was far richer than the second man.  His wealth was one that was stored up in heaven.  From Matthew's recording of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal."  (Matthew 6:20)

As I drove home that night from the Red Cross call, my mind was like a washing machine, churning and spinning those two men and their lives ... what they had done with the time given them. 

My prayer:  Lord, help me to be a good steward of all that you have given me.  Let me never take a single day for granted nor ever fail to lend a smile or helping hand to a single person.  When times get tough, make me tougher, relying solely on You.  May I never thoughtlessly throw away my true treasures: people.  May I blessing to them.  And Lord, please help your child that is so lost in drugs.  Give him strength Lord, that he might find his way back to You -- to real life, to real peace.  Amen.

Why On Earth Another Blog?!?

"Ah, yes!  Another blog!" you say.  Just what the world needs, right?  I've already got a blog over at Hummers & Cigarettes, so why in the world start a second one?  There are ba-zillions of blogs already!!!!!

I've been blogging at H&C for about 3 years now, having started that as a way to vent.  Being a political independent with rightwing leanings working in the world of public education, I find myself frequently choking on the political correctness and blatant leftist politics that pervade my profession.  H&V allows me to blow off steam at that and various PC crappolla I see frequently.

But, I have another struggle.  Faith.  I am a Christian who has been suffering from what I call "spiritual ADD" for more than a decade.  Lately, I have been struggling with getting back up on my feet and "walkin' the walk" once again.  In the past year I have returned to regularly reading the Bible and feebly attempting to get into a prayer habit.  I guess like for work, I need a place to blow off some spiritual steam -- do some processing.

In the midst of this I struggle with the Church -- both with a big "C" and a little "c".  With regards to the "little c church",  I am now "tri-churched" -- active musically at one, attending awesome services and at a second, and recently joined a Bible study class at a third.  This triangle of craziness was spawned by a major falling out with my "home church" a few years ago.  (That's the one where I continue to participate in the music program.)

But, lately I've come to think that there's a blessing in this tumultuous falling out: it has pushed me to work on me.

So, as I make the "church circuit" on a weekly basis, begin new spiritual habits of Bible reading, study, and prayer, I feel compelled to digest and savor these "phantom pains", yearnings, and inklings in written form.  There are many who do likewise, and I am simply joining a vast network of fellow strugglers.  Ha!  In fact, when I tried to register this blog, I had a hard time finding a blog name using "mustard seed", with many responses from Blogger informing me that that name was already taken.

Apparently, there a lot of fellow mustard seeds.

Why "mustard seed?"  It naturally comes to mind when I think of Jesus' words:

"For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."  (Matthew 17:20)

I cling to the belief that my weak faith -- the amount of a mustard seed -- is enough.  "Only a mustard seed" is enough for Jesus.  It is enough for the Holy Spirit to use to grow me.

I am that tiny seed.  You are invited to follow me on the journey ... as I germinate ... lay down roots ... sprout ... grow leaves ... and hopefully progress from there to a sapling and, God willing, a huge tree that produces seeds.  I welcome your insights, too!

Corny, I know.  A theologian I am not.  A sincere seeker, though, I am.