The Mystery of the #Bachelor

 

Yes, I watched the final episode of The Bachelor last night.

Even though all of America knew who he was going to pick.  Even though no one agreed with his choice of fiance.

There was part of me that bristled at Jake's choice of Vienna, but also there was part of me that celebrated it.  After all, it is his choice, and who better than Jake to choose his own wife.  If they ever get married.

Still, there were a couple of times during the "After the Final Rose" show right after the St. Lucia drama that puzzled me.  Jake completely sidestepped a couple of questions, especially those asked by Tinley, the first "runner up" on the show.  

One concern she had was how Vienna must feel about his proposal, knowing that just minutes ago, Jake dumped another girl who he admitted he was falling in love with.  In fact, he stated that because of his contract, he held back things he wanted to say prior to the sponsor-ridden presentation of the ring.

And my confusion continues.  It's not what I would want to happen to my daughters.  I hope neither of them consider an appearance on this kind of show.  It's totally artificial, but there's another problem with it.

There is a theme in the Bible called "mystery."  It is not like a CSI crime drama where there is a fact that is hidden only because you don't have all the clues.  This type of mystery is kind of like a fence.  You understand what happens and why it happens that way on your side of the fence, but even though you can see the other side, it doesn't make sense.  For Christ-followers, that fence represents our transition from death to life.  From sin to righteousness.  From a world separated from God to fellowship with Him.  

And once we cross to the other side of the fence, looking back and understanding the old way of life is a mystery to us.  It doesn't make sense.

Paul talks about this kind of mystery a couple of times, and my favorite couple of verses about mystery are Colossians 1:26-27:

"the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Here are a few tips for those wrestling with mystery from the side of faith:

1. Understand that things are different.  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)  The kingdom of God doesn't look like what you see in the world, and that's OK.  God has a different idea of what is important and valuable.
2. Celebrate the change God has made in you.  God in His grace brought you over from death to life.  The change meant that the old life doesn't make sense to you any more.  You have a new life to live - a better life, and that's OK.  Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
3. Reach back, but don't look back.  Yes, you left some friends on the other side of the fence.  One role that I play with my "old" friends is to try to show them the love of God.  So I reach back (and I need to do a better job of this).  But I also left my old life there, with its habits, hurts and hangups.  If I look back with nostalgia at the old days and the old life, I am at risk of slipping back into that old life. 
4. Realize that others don't understand either.  Have compassion and patience on your friends who don't share your faith.  For them, what you do and what is important to you looks as strange to them as what they do looks strange to you.

And for those who don't know Christ?  Ask someone who believes.  Yes, things look funny.  So ask.  Discover why they do what they do.  Find out what drives them, what is important to them, what principles guide their lives.  Maybe you will believe in Jesus, accept His lordship and salvation and finally understand the other side of the mystery.

So maybe you were confused while watching Jake and Vienna last night.  But remember, there is a deeper mystery to life than why Vienna and not Ali (yet another mystery) or Tinley. 

Christ creates the mystery, and He also forged a way to understand the other side - the side of life.

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Build Your Faith Muscle

Faith moves.

Reading the great faith chapter, Hebrews 11, I notice that everyone who had faith did something as a result.  Almost all of Jesus' miracles involved human action or decision.

I remember John Maxwell talking about faith.  He used this acrostic to create a helpful, brief definition:

• F - Forward
• A - Action
• I - Inspired
• T - Through
• H - Him

Years ago, when I was a student in Evangelism Explosion  at my local Salvation Army, I heard Anne talking about exercising your faith muscle.  At that time, she was talking about sharing her testimony.  She was talking about sharing the Gospel.

I am living out my faith right now by honoring commitments I made to myself at the beginning of the year.  These "New Year's Resolutions" include exercise, writing and reading.  Because I believe (faith) that these activities (action) will make me a better, healthier, spiritually stronger person, I continue doing them.

I wonder what else God wants me to do - what my faith will call me to put into practice.

Here are some steps that have been helpful to me:

1. What do I believe?  Determine where your faith is.  Maybe you need to spend some time here developing a foundation of life-transforming faith.  The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)  Settling this issue in your life will make the biggest difference to you.  It will be the foundation for all your actions and decision-making.
2. What activities will support my belief?  Some activities, while fun, are really not representing your faith.  Don't get me wrong - part of my faith builds rest and fun into life, but there are some activities that are really distractions or downright destructive to my life.  Carefully choose how you spend your time in order to gain ground - not lose it.
3. What is reasonable to do now?  I have been the victim of my own unreasonable goals.  Set some targets that will change your life gradually to your belief system, not discourage you. 
4. Start doing something.  Just do something different in your life.  When you see how your faith works in small ways, you will be encouraged to take bigger steps.
5. Don't let previous failures hold you back.  There are few things more deflating than missing a goal you set for yourself.  We all have missed the mark in the past.  Just pick yourself up, set a new goal, and start moving.
   
6. Talk about your faith.  This doesn't mean making a nuisance of yourself, but it does mean being ready to tell others why you are doing what you are doing.  Let people around you know what your new motivation is.
7. Find others who share your faith.  This "support system" approach means that you need to find other people who believe the same things and are moving in the same direction.  It's like having a running partner who moves at the same pace.  You enjoy the time even more, and you are less likely to give up along the way.  Caution:  You may find it difficult to find people who take action on their faith even in your local congregation.  But keep looking - there are like-minded people out there, and they are worth the time to hunt them down.

I don't know how you are doing on  your New Year's Resolutions, but frankly, I don't care.  And neither should you.  The only thing that matters is what you are doing starting today.

So get out there and start flexing your faith muscle.  It will get stronger and stronger.

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Putting it Together

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the window which hope has opened."  In this brief statement, he gave us a snapshot of what the relationship looks like between Faith, Hope and Love.

After all, as I stated in an earlier post, Faith moves.  It must move, or it is dead.  But without Love, even with all the Faith in the world, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2).  Love has made the connection and created an avenue for our faith to move.

In another post, I explained that Hope sees.  When faith moves, it has a target or a focus for us to concentrate on.  Again and again in scripture, we are encouraged to focus on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 4:18).  When Faith moves, Hope gives it a target.  When I taught my children to ride bicycles, I told them to look at a point down the sidewalk.  It might have been a road sign or a tree, but when they took their eyes off the pedals and looked at their "target," they kept better balance and rode in a straighter line.  We need to use Hope that way.

And Love paves the way for us to hope.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Like what you are reading? Consider the following: 1. Subscribe to my blog (there is a link for that on this page). 2. "Follow" me on twitter. It's a free account, and a great way to meet like-minded friends. My link is: http://twitter.com/tommccomb. 3. Leave a comment (I love your candid feedback and might use your ideas in future posts) 4. Tell someone else about this blog. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon.

Faith is Like a Shark

OK, faith is not scary.  Faith doesn't have sharp teeth and keen sense of smell underwater.  But faith and sharks have a lot in common.

If they don't move, they will die.

I'm not a marine biologist, so don't get upset about anything that isn't exactly accurate about this fearsome fish.  But what I have heard is that for most shark species, they must keep moving in order to live.  I have heard that it has something to do with getting oxygenated water to keep moving through their gills.  No motion means no water movement; which means no oxygen; which means no life.

Does your faith keep moving?  Now with a shark, motion is a condition of life.  For faith, motion is the evidence of life.  James said, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:26)

In about every miracle that Jesus performed, there was some kind of response that either precipitated the miracle or that was a condition of it.  At the wedding feast, Jesus asked the servants to fill the jugs with water.  He told the blind man, "Go and wash."  The hemorrhaging woman reached out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment.

What does your faith move you to do?  After all, each movement we make is based on faith.  I believe there is food in the refrigerator, so I open the door.  I believe the weather is cold, so I grab my jacket.  I believe that the chair will hold me up, so I sit down.

Can others discern from your actions what you believe in?  Can they tell where your faith is lacking?

Maybe it's time to come to God and ask for more faith, deeper faith, new faith.  And then we can see that faith lived out in our actions.

A shark that does not move is dead.  And so is our faith.