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Governing

There is an important national debate underway about the role and reach of our federal government. The challenge to ObamaCare has highlighted the expansion of our federal government into nearly all arenas of business and private life. It seems a far cry from the “limited government” and “enumerated powers” envisioned by the fathers of our nation who constructed our Constitution.

I was reading Psalm 72 this morning and saw there the mandate for ancient Israel’s king. What was he (his national government) responsible for?

Psalm 72:1-2, 4, 13-14 (NV):
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

This passage seems to indicate the king of Israel had three responsibilities:
1) rule justly (with a particularly merciful eye towards the most helpless)
2) defeat the national enemy (Philistines)
3) protect everyone (but particularly the powerless) from abuse and oppression

The Psalmist’s (King Solomon) emphasis on caring for those in need may make some Right-leaning readers uncomfortable. Many of us argue that such social responsibility belongs to the people, not the government. To be sure, our nation is not ancient Israel; I am merely observing similarities and differences. However, the ideas of justice, national defense, & protection from tyranny are present in Psalm 72 and largely understood as legitimate roles for our federal government too.

The problem we are having in this country is defining terms, especially justice (or fairness). I heard conservative talk show host, Dennis Prager, provide some extraordinary clarity on the different perspectives of fairness between the political Right and Left. He argued that for the Right, fairness is about everyone playing by the same rules and allowing the results to differ (based on any number of factors – skill, effort, luck, “acts of God,” etc.). For the Left, fairness is about everyone experiencing the same results; and when the results differ, they want to change the rules to try to manipulate the same results. Sports provide the perfect picture of the absurdity of such an approach – every game and season would end in a tie!

When the king of Israel got distracted from his primary roles, it was disastrous for the nation (e.g. David & Bathsheba). As our government has gotten more distracted from its first order responsibilities, it has been detrimental to our nation – to our economy and our freedom. Like many in our nation, I hope and pray that our governments at every level will focus more narrowly on the roles and responsibilities that only they can do and were established to do, leaving the rest for its citizenry to do, as an exercise of our freedom, faith, and responsibility.

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Tradition

Tradition is one of those unique words that can have both very positive and very negative connotations, depending on the context. Tradition can keep a person or group grounded in their history, connected to their heritage in some good and important ways. At the same time, tradition can stand in the way of progress or innovation. The strange thing about tradition is that it once was innovation and progress – when it was established. Traditions have to start somewhere. When they start, they are almost always intended for good, right? You celebrate a holiday a certain way in your family; it has special meaning; it helps your family celebrate well; thus, you make it a tradition. Fastforward through the years and your descendants feel like slaves to the tradition; they don’t celebrate the holiday or event; rather they are slaves to the tradition. Pretty crazy how that works sometimes.

There’s a story in the Bible (Mark 7) in which Jesus slams the religious leaders for losing sight of the original intent of God’s commands and over-focusing on their traditions. He says, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:9, NIV). Wow! How do people who love God and want to honor him get so far off base? They started their traditions (in this case Jesus is talking about ceremonial washing and the practice of dedicating one’s wealth to God) to honor God and end up dishonoring him through their practice!

It makes me wonder what traditions we practice in the church that started with similar good intentions but have resulted in the modern church dishonoring God. I fear that if our traditions get challenged we defend them, even as the religious leaders of Jesus’ time defended theirs (and killed Jesus for challenging them). How can we have a proper perspective on our traditions when we are so close to them and devoted to them, and at the same time, resistant to those from the outside who would challenge, question, or critique them? I’m afraid I don’t have a good answer to that question, but it is a good question, right?

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New

Someone much smarter than me once said, “Words mean things.” This small adjective, “new,” has powerful meaning; it changes everything. It takes something that might be old, stale, lifeless, worn out, mundane, repetitive, or any other dreadful word you can come up with and breathes new life into it. It’s a new day, full of new opportunities. “New” feels good and smells good and looks good. I haven’t put the first scratch on “new” yet. Are you feeling me?

I have been in quite a funk lately, wanting something new. I woke up this morning with the phrase, “It’s a new day” on my mind. I kept singing the line over and over again. It’s a line in a worship song whose title and other lyrics currently escape me. Then, as I paused, my mind drifted to the Bible, and phrases with the word “new” in them. God’s mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23); If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17); we have “new life” in Christ (Romans 6); we look forward to a “new heaven and a new earth” where righteousness reigns (2 Peter 3:13).

Reflecting on those passages and the idea of today as a new day gives me hope, not just hope for my far off future, but hope for today. Knowing that today is brand new, that I haven’t lived it yet, and that there are new choices, chances, and opportunities for me – that lifts my spirits. I want to dive into this new day with a new perspective, with new hope, new joy, and new energy.

“New” changes everything. Thank you God for this new day!

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Conflict

I recall the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?” Oh, if it were only that simple. The truth is that the answer to his question is “No.” We are too selfish and too broken to pull it off on our own – either as individuals or as a society. The Bible details examples of conflict, even among godly people. The Apostle Paul and his co-worker, Barnabus, had a “sharp disagreement” that led to their parting ways in their ministry efforts (see Acts 15:36-41).

The question is not one of how to avoid conflict; the question is how to navigate it. There too, the Bible can provide guidance. In Matthew 5, Jesus exhorts one to leave church and find the person who has something against him or her to make it right. In Matthew 18, he instructs a person who has been offended to go directly to the offender to make things right. It seems each of us always has the responsibility to go directly to the person with whom we have conflict – whether the offender or offended. Conflict avoidance is unbiblical and doesn’t solve anything. When we approach another in conflict, if we truly want to seek resolution and reconciliation, there is one thing we must leave behind and one thing we must bring. We must leave behind our pride and bring an attitude of humility. Going to the person directly, in humility, will give you the best chance at navigating conflict. Do you need to go talk to someone? I think I do.

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Action

There’s a lot to be said for doing something rather than nothing. I think the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics has something to do with it. Stuff just won’t get done without someone taking action. I was reading in Genesis today and came across this little tidbit in Genesis 42:1-2 (NIV) When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

 

The choice between action and inaction is not always one of life and death in as literal a way as it was for Jacob and his family (act or starve to death). However, it may really be about life and death more often than we think. Take, for instance, the obesity epidemic in our country and the major life-shortening and life-threatening problems which have arisen are the result of inaction – many people sitting around (dying) letting life pass them by. It’s easy to not act; there’s enough entertainment that requires little or no action. Before you know it, you’re fat, old and then dead. Too dramatic? Maybe.

 

I’m using this post to try to motivate myself to act – at a time that I feel like sitting (and wasting). My research isn’t going to get done unless I do it. My paper isn’t going to get written unless I do it. The fat isn’t going to leave my stomach unless I go to the gym. Wow, I’ve got a lot to do!

 

Isn’t it interesting that 11 grown men were standing around, watching themselves and their families die, and still they did not act ? It took their dad to yell at them to do something. Sometimes people (myself included) need a metaphorical ‘kick in the pants’ to act, even when it should be obvious, even when there should be adequate internal motivation. Why is that? Maybe it’s part of our broken nature.

 

God, I need a ‘kick in the pants’ right now. Anybody else need one too?

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Reputation

What does it take to gain such a strong, positive reputation among people who may be inclined to despise you that they eventually grow to love you? I imagine it is not easy. In the first place, I suspect it is not an achievement you can consciously pursue, because doing so would make you seem insincere, slick, or fake. Secondly, I imagine it takes righteous character demonstrated by consistent righteous action over a very long period of time.

 

Abraham, in the Old Testament, lived as a foreigner among the Hittites. He grew powerful and rich. They could have easily resented and/or hated and/or feared him, since he was not one of them. He was a foreigner. Yet they grew to love and respect him. When Abraham’s wife died, he went to the Hittites and asked to buy one of their burial tombs in which to bury his wife. In Genesis 23:6, the Hittites repiled to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” When he asked for a particular site, the owner offered not only the cave, but also the entire field that accompanied it and only reluctantly accepted payment from Abraham for it. Abraham had earned the respect, admiration, maybe even love, of those who might otherwise have been ethnic, religious, or national enemies of his.

 

As I reflect on the current situation of the Tim Tebow phenomenon (admittedly, of far less historical consequence), I can’t help but wonder if or how long it will be before Tim wins over his “enemies,” his haters, through his long-term, consistent, righteous behavior. Some cynics think his praying and praising God is a joke or act, but those who know him know Tebow’s sincerity; it really is who he is. That being the case, it seems only a matter of time before even his detractors give him the respect and honor due to a person of influence who lives righteously among the people, even though he is a “foreigner” among them.

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Protests

I’ve been amused and slightly annoyed by all of these “occupy” rallies around the country. I’ve heard some of the interviews; many people have no idea what the protests are even about. I ask myself, “How can this be?” Then, I read Acts 15 this morning and found a similar scenario:

 

27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together…. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

 

Talk about a confused group of misguided citizens caught up in an emotional group-(non)think experience! It makes me wonder what kind of leadership failure (or human brokenness) can create an environment for people to simply join the riot/protest/crowd.

A simplistic answer is to say, “Let’s just sit down and discuss and reason with one another.” That doesn’t always work either. Paul experienced that problem a little earlier in this story:

 

 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them.

 

It seems there are times to talk and times to walk away. There certainly are times to protest as well (e.g. Civil Rights Movement). Oh to have the wisdom to know when to talk, when to rally, and when to walk away! Each choice requires leadership and vision; otherwise, it’s just noise, confusion, and wasted energy and resources.

 

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Endings

I’m reading a book right now, Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. It’s really challenging me on some things. I get that there are seasons and cycles and that some things in life and business have to end, but he’s challenging me with some different perspectives. For instance, Dr. Cloud makes this statement, “accept that life produces too much” (p. 39). I really resisted that idea! He likens it to a rosebush, which produces more buds than it can successfully sustain / nourish; thus, some of the living buds need to be pruned, so that the remaining ones can truly reach their full potential. I can see that. I can even see it in business, where a business can get busy doing so many “good” things, it neglects what it can do “best.” But life producing too much?? I didn’t want to believe it – until he broke it down for me.

“accept the reality that life produces more:
-Relationships than you can nurture;
-Activities than you can keep up with at any significant level;…
-Mentors who once ‘fit’ but whose time is past;
-Partners whose time has past;…
-Stuff than you have room for and can store” (p. 46).

It makes me wonder what parts of my own life might fit in this category and could use some pruning. What things need to end so that what remains is healthier?

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Vision

Wow! My last post was a real downer. This one won’t be, but I hope it doesn’t come across as cliche’ either. It seems to me that “vision” is the key to sustaining motivation. Many of us have heard that vision is “a picture of the preferred future.” While that may be true, vision is much more than that. I recently heard Dr. Paul Borden speak, and he said this about vision: “Vision is God’s way of talking about or offering hope.” He connected it to the Bible passage that reads, “Without vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV). They don’t literally die, they just lose hope.

As I reflect on my lack of motivation, I see how easily I can redefine it as hopelessness. I am most unmotivated when I lack hope, when I lack a clear picture of me/my life on the other side of my current situation. It’s funny – I know how important it is for me to continually paint the vision/hope picture for those I lead, but I sometimes forget that I need to do it for myself, as well. That’s an important part of self-leadership.

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Motivation

“What’s my motivation?” I remember that question from my “acting days” – high school, when I wanted to be an actor. I went to a theatre magnet school one summer. That question dealt with acting a particular role; now, for me, it means something totally different.

What keeps me grinding out this PhD coursework? I feel so unmotivated, and I’m not sure I remember why and how I was ever motivated to do this in the first place. Is “I don’t want to be a quitter!” a legit motivation? What about, “I’ve already invested too much to quit”? The problem with those answers is that they aren’t positive. They don’t propel me forward. At best, they keep me from falling too far behind (barely).

The Apostle Paul exhorts followers of Jesus to do everything for the glory of God – even eating and drinking. Even homework and research? I’m guessing he’d say, “Yes, those too.”

I hope God’s okay with grinding it out when it’s hard to see the joy in something. That’s better than not obeying at all, isn’t it? Maybe. I guess I’ll have to ask Him about that…after I do some homework.