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Published: 23 April 2015

I have read some books by well-meaning believers that leave me feeling terrible. I welcome the Holy Spirit's conviction (most of the time ☺) but the conviction of other people with an agenda just leaves me with a bad case of "yuck." According to certain segments of our population I am guilty for most of the evils in our modern world. I live in a "development," drive an SUV, mow my lawn and I even have a chainsaw. I am a white, middle-class, American male...oh, and I own a few guns. How much more guilty could a guy get? Virtually everything from slavery to global warming is my fault. Maybe I should just sell everything and give it all to the poor. That's what Jesus said right? If I take Him seriously, I should just sell the house, the Jeeps and all our stuff, give the money away and go live under a bridge. The world would be a far better place if I just did that and Jesus would be happy...OR WOULD HE? Is that really what He said? It might shock some people to know that Jesus was supported by people who loved Him and had money. It might ruin a few books if we understood who Jesus was actually talking to and what He actually said. For example, in our text for Sunday, the rich young ruler was not a disciple. Jesus never told him that the requirement to follow Him was selling everything. The rich young ruler was arrogant. Jesus wasn't telling him how to be saved He was pointing out that he needed to be saved. Jesus wanted the rich young ruler to understand that his self-righteousness and wealth were not enough to gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. When you are counting on self-effort to get right with God, that news can be quite a blow to the ego! The young man had been extolling his own virtues and Jesus simply said, "If you want to go all the way with this perfection business, then sell everything and give it to the poor." Jesus was pointing out the man's idolatry not giving a universal call to asceticism to all followers of Jesus. One book I recently read that blessed me deeply is called "Ordinary." In it Michael Horton writes, "...phrases like "living the gospel," "being the gospel," and "being partners with Jesus in His redemption of the world," are dangerous distortions of the biblical message of good news. The gospel is not about what we have done or are called to do, but the announcement of God's saving work in Jesus Christ." That's what the rich young ruler needed! Nobody gains standing with God by selling everything. We are justified through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. If gratitude for that marvelous provision of eternal life moves you to simplicity of living, generosity with your time and money and a loose grip on all things temporal, you will be happier because your treasure will be in heaven. You will find it easier to die because everything you really want has been sent on ahead. You will think less about thieves, rust and moths and more about the souls all around you. The thing is, you might even figure how to use what you have to make more money to bless more people for more eternal benefit. So, maybe you better not sell everything just yet. It's been a cold Spring ☺.

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Published: 16 April 2015

I’m not the best person to write about this. I apologize at the beginning for what I’ve skewed or flat-out missed. I hope you know my heart. I don’t ever remember entertaining the thought that I might not be married. Diane and I met when she was 16 and I was 18 and we were married two years later. Looking back, that seems crazy. What were we thinking? But, after almost 34 years, I have no regrets. Yet I would not recommend the choice we made for everyone. Not because I don’t like being married but because of the words of Jesus. In our text for Sunday (Matthew 19) Jesus reminded the disciples that some people can “accept” being single and some cannot. (It appears the weak ones get married :)). The problem in “church culture” is that we sometimes try to normalize what Jesus never normalized. I mean by that statement that sometimes we try to “fix people up,” we try to “help them along” as if there was something wrong with being single. Jesus was single! According to the 2014 census, singles outnumber married people in the USA. Since our principal identity is not based upon our marital status, we should be careful about how we speak to those who have chosen to be single. There are a lot of reasons people are single, don’t try to figure it all out. It should go without saying but in this culture we have to say it; to be single should mean sexual abstinence. Marriage and sexual activity go together. Singleness and abstinence go together. That’s God’s plan. He made us and He knows what is best for us. Being single, like being married, has advantages and disadvantages. We should receive our “lot” in life and “bloom where we are planted.” There are ministries for singles that married people could never consider. There are opportunities for singles that married people only dream of. The danger for any of us is developing a hard heart about where we are in life. Discontentment and/or boredom with our current state makes us vulnerable to the enemy’s lies. There is something worse than being single…ask some married people! Let’s pray for the singles in our church…not that they’ll get married but that they will love God with a whole heart. Pray they will find Jesus to be all that the Word says He is. Pray that they will maximize this time of their lives for the glory of God and the good of others. Pray that they will become the kind of people who flourish in life, “like trees planted by rivers of living water.” If you’re single and you are a believer, you are a dearly loved child of God. You are welcome at Calvary. You are not “second-class” or a person “in-waiting.” You are an image bearer of God and you can be as whole a person as anyone on this planet. We want you and we need you. Pray for us married folk and we’re praying for you. Blessings! Here are links to a couple of blogs that are written by singles…they might sting a bit. http://www.christenacleveland.com/2013/12/singled-out/ and http://sarahthebarge.com/2015/01/7-reasons-why-its-hard-to-be-single-in-the-church/