Distracted by the Headlines

Taking a break from my studies I walk laps in the auditorium, music from my phone playing in the background. I am lost in thought, distracted.

Social media has exploded with comments about the pro-LGBTQ display during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Some defend, some condemn, some say, “Just watch the games,” and others, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch.” And still others have mixed the parading figures in the opening ceremonies with prophetic imagery from Revelation and declared…. 

(I don’t know what they are declaring. I didn’t listen long enough to find out. I didn’t have to; I didn’t want to.)

Much like the unexpected display in Paris was an unexpected event at the time of Jesus. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate mixed the blood of some Galileans with pagan sacrifices. Some Jews came to Jesus to ask His opinion of this startling headline news. His answer:

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?”

—Luke 13:2 (ESV)

Jesus’ question made His listeners think about God’s judgment. It was a way of asking whether the Galileans who died had received divine judgment at the hand of Pilate for being worse sinners. In reality, all sinners are worthy of divine judgment. Then, Jesus continued…

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (v. 3)

Jesus redirected their focus from the headline news of the day to their individual response to God. They needed to change their way of thinking (repent), or they would perish, i.e., die in their sins, just like those Galilean sinners.

We need to stop reacting to headline news; we need to stop focusing on the inequities of life.

Recall what the Apostle Peter wrote:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

—1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)

Peter was trying to prepare the early saints for persecution, something far worse than being offended by a public display interpreted as ungodly. Why would it be strange that a group/ organization that promotes the glorification of human achievement does not honor God?

Saints, do not be naïve! 

We cannot expect those who do not know Christ to act like Christ! Stop reacting to headline news and the inequities of life. Stop living with your head in the sand engaged in things elsewhere in the world, things over which you have no influence or control. 

Pray? Yes! But wake up!

The words of Jesus echo through the centuries, “Repent!” We must focus our minds on the current year, our current place of residence, and the circumstances surrounding our individual lives. We each need to focus on the kingdom of God. There will be yet another headline tomorrow, another great injustice, another offense. And there will be, for some, true persecution for doing good and standing for Jesus.

On the great day of judgment God’s interest will have nothing to do with your opinion of the questionable things that have occurred on the earth. He will want to know whether you pledged your allegiance to Jesus; whether you remained faithful to Jesus; and whether you went through each day striving to be holy and striving to do good. 

Refocus!

Mark Stinnett

August 4, 2024

Grief in Wisdom??

In much wisdom there is much grief, 

and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
—Ecclesiastes 1:18

Why would Solomon write such a thing? After all, the book of Proverbs is devoted to wisdom. Numerous sections of Proverbs encourage the reader to acquire wisdom. From the opening verses of Proverbs to the end, wisdom is to be highly valued. Life will be better with wisdom.

To understand Solomon’s statement about wisdom from Ecclesiastes the broader context must first be understood. He had just declared the purpose of the book and given a preliminary report of his findings.

Solomon was searching for meaning, but he was limited in his search. He was restricted to the physical universe. (See last week’s blog.) Within the limitations of the universe, he explained that he set out “to know wisdom and to know madness and folly.” (1:18) This is a broad description of the breadth of his exploration.

Wisdom includes all that is reasonable; things that make sense. In great contrast, madness and folly are those things that are irrational. The two can be distinguished further.

Madness is intentional irrational thinking and behavior. It is descriptive of David when he was being pursued by King Saul. He hid among the Philistines (Israel’s enemy) where Saul would not search, but he intentionally acted insane so the Philistines would leave him alone.

Folly is irrational thinking and behavior because of ignorance or stupidity. It is descriptive of those who go through life aimlessly. They live carefree following their instinctive nature.

All of Solomon’s exploration fits under the banner of either wisdom or madness & folly. After detailing some of his exploration, he said, “I realized that this also is striving after wind.” This is Solomon’s way of concluding that it was futile or empty.

After this conclusion he explained, “Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” He could write this only if he grew in wisdom and knowledge. That is to say, Solomon knew what he was talking about.

There is no question but that Solomon valued wisdom. He wrote that “wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.” (2:13) Yet, wisdom brought him grief and knowledge brought him (mental/emotional) pain. Why?

His wisdom and knowledge brought him to the realization that life is full of inequities. In other words, life is not fair. There are many injustices.

In man’s search for meaning, he has always been concerned with justice. Yet, there are many things in life that are unjust:

• Children die young.
• Some who are wealthy hoard their wealth.
• Honorable people are treated with dishonor.
• Evil people succeed; good people fail.

So, one reason for the grief and pain from wisdom and knowledge is the brutal reality of life’s injustices. In his search for meaning, Solomon kept finding injustices. We live in a world where those without God in their life live by their own sense of justice. And yet, there can be no justice where there is ethical and moral subjectivity. There is no justice when man is making it up!

So, is there justice? Absolutely! Yes!

But you cannot find it within the limitations of the created universe.

Mark Stinnett

July 23, 2023

Love Is Really Unfair

Have you ever thought about how unfair love is?

We all want to be loved. We might not expect everyone to love us, but we would really like someone to love us.

Love is one of those words that means so many things to so many people that its meaning gets blurred: 

     I love chocolate; 

     I love my dog; 

     I love my wife.

Yet, the way we use the word tells us what we really mean. I’m thinking about the “I love my wife” kind of love. 

True love requires sacrifice, and that is costly. 

Sacrifice is not about doing what you are supposed to do as a father or mother or child or Christian. Rather, sacrifice is giving up something that you value highly for something of greater importance. 

Parents may sacrifice their personal desires and dreams for their children. That’s love. 

People may sacrifice financially for a worthy cause by cutting out spending in an important area of life. That’s love. 

Children may sacrifice their time for an activity or event that is meaningful to their parents. They give their time as their own choice and with a good attitude, not by force. That’s love. 

True love forgives, and that is costly. 

Forgiveness accepts the pain caused by another without holding them accountable. 

A wife humiliates her husband by telling something personal that becomes public. He patiently accepts the shame and later embraces her without making her suffer. That’s love. 

A friend borrows a tool but returns it broken. Without an angry word you quietly replace it at your own expense and still consider him your friend with no hard feelings. That’s love. 

It’s the people at work/school. They don’t understand my religious convictions, so they say things and even pull pranks. I’m the but of their jokes. I just go my way and let it go. It drags me down, but I know that they don’t understand. I don’t hold it against them. That’s love.

Do you think you deserve to be loved?

Deserve means that you are worthy, fit or suitable for receiving a reward. Parents are supposed to love their kids. Husbands and wives are supposed to love each other. Christians are supposed to love one another. 

Are any of us deserving...really deserving?

Love sacrifices.
Love forgives.

A baby is born and the parents are immediately filled with love for that child. It doesn’t make sense. That child has made no contributions to the family, provided nothing of value, deserves nothing. Yes there is affection, strong affection, but there is also sacrificial love and, in the future, undeserved forgiveness.

I can read all the definitions of love, approximate its meaning with illustrations, and even study it as a Bible topic. Yet, the words of Jesus still mystify me. I understand the words, but I don’t think that I can ever completely grasp...

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son….

Love is so unfair...He sacrificed His Son...for me.
Love is so unfair...He has forgiven...me.
Love is so unfair...He has given life...to me.

A person begins to sound all high and mighty when he says that things are unfair. But do you know what is unfair? 

Love is really unfair!

Mark Stinnett

October 6, 2019

Kill the Beast

Life is full of inequities. Or, expressed in the words of a child, “It’s not fair.”

How do you deal with the inequities of life? The rich and powerful often seem to take advantage of others. Random events in life often seem to work against people keeping them from achieving their goals. So many people feel like they can never get ahead. Many feel like victims to life and the people in their life.

When we allow ourselves to become worked up over the current issues of the day, whether personal issues or those on a larger national or global scale, we lose sight of reality. We forget our Savior and the power of our God. We forget that we have not been promised a problem-free life; rather, life will be filled with inequities. We forget that God is patient, even with evil people, even when they hurt other people.

We sometimes become so disgusted with the inequities in life that we want to lash out. We want someone to be held responsible. We want to ‘kill the beast’ who is heartless, ‘kill the beast’ who is arrogant; ‘kill the beast’ who hides behind wealth and power. Yet, when we allow ourselves to lash out, we become united with the beast. Then we react without any rational thought of our own.

     When my heart was embittered,
          And I was pierced within,
     Then I was senseless and ignorant;
          I was like a beast before You.
     —Psalm 73:21-22

It is as if the Psalmist has looked into the human soul. He sees us as we are. In the first verse of Psalm 73 he writes, “Surely God is good to Israel.” It sounds like a simple declaration of truth. Then, he writes, “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling.” He knows the truth, God is good!, yet he feels that his world is an exception: inequities loom. Life is not fair. (He might stumble.)

The Psalmist sees the rich, the arrogant, and the wicked and he knows their evil character. Yet, he finds himself envious. They simply do not have the same troubles as ordinary men.

The Psalmist sees them mock God and treat people unkindly. He sees how easy it would be for him to be like them, but that would be betrayal. That would be going against the very things he believed to be true; the things he had taught his children and others.

So, how did the Psalmist resolve his dilemma?

     When I pondered to understand this,
          It was troublesome in my sight
     Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
          Then I perceived their end.

He realized that he could only make sense of the inequities of life when he turned to God.

When he turned to God’s divine counsel he was able to see beyond the inequities of this life. He was able to understand the ultimate end of the arrogant and the wicked. He was able to look beyond himself and beyond his problems and find refuge (peace and security) in God.

His confidence in God was restored. He better understood life. He realized why God was patient with the ungodly and he accepted that God will deal fairly with him and with the ungodly. In his mind he had solidified the truth of his opening statement. There was no longer any doubt based on his circumstances.

     Surely God is good to Israel,

     To those who are pure in heart!

Through faith, we must 'kill the beast' within ourselves.

Enjoy the security of living in peace with God through purity of heart.

When I "Looked" Like a Child

Parents often act as referees (judges) for their children. 

“Mommy, Billy hit me!” (Four-year-old sister.)

Wisely, Mom finds Billy to hear his side of the story. Sure enough, Billy hit his sister, but she kicked him first, because he took a toy from her, because she screamed in his ear. (You get the picture. Neither one was really innocent.)

With children, the vocal one is often the one who started the problem. When they tattle on the other child, their own fault is often revealed.

Solomon advised:

     Do not go out hastily to argue your case; 

     Otherwise, what will you do in the end, 

     When your neighbor puts you to shame?

                                                 --Proverbs 25:8

Have you ever approached a friend and (with a cloudy disposition) immediately began telling him/her how you were mistreated by a co-worker or boss or friend? You expected your friend to listen and accept every word, side with you, and then verbally acknowledge the injustice you had experienced. You expected them to 'cloud up' with you.

So, what happens when the other person tells ‘their side of the story’? Do you still appear to  have been so mistreated, so innocent?

Solomon continues his advice in the next two verses:

     Argue your case with your neighbor, 

        And do not reveal the secret of another,

     Lest he who hears it reproach you, 

        And the evil report about you not pass away.

The simple lesson is to apply self control. It is true that life is full of injustices, but sometimes we are not completely innocent.

Sometimes “I” am the cause of the problem...
Sometimes “I” misspeak...
Sometimes "I" do something questionable...
Sometimes "I" forget something...
     ...and "I" start the chain reaction of injustices.

Before jumping to conclusions and ‘arguing your case’ with others, go to the person involved and try to work it out. Otherwise the truth of the situation might be revealed to your friends and you might be partly to blame! 

Shame!

A little self-restraint along with a measure of wisdom might keep you from looking like a four-year-old child.