Life Nourishment Plan

It's amazing how many things are written today about how our lives can be improved. I find it ironic that there are so many health gurus out there, and most of them can't agree on some pretty fundamental stuff. I saw an article yesterday on how actor Ashton Kutcher was taken to the hospital with pancreatic issues for following a "fruitarian" diet (a subset of veganism). He was doubled over in pain. Also ironic is that he was trying to "get into character" in doing so. He is starring in a film about Steve Jobs who (how ironic is this going to get?) died of pancreatic cancer. On the flip side, there's fellow Los Angeles famous dude Kobe Bryant, who follows a traditional diet but makes sure that his beef is grass-fed and his eggs from free-range chickens. He's 35 and still playing ridiculous basketball (which is more necessary than ever for the Lakers these days).

There's also, in contrast to Kobe "Beef" Bryant (hardy har har), guys like Herschel Walker and Tony Gonzalez... vegetarians. Walker is actually pushing 50 and still looks like he could lace 'em up and hit someone. Seriously, he still is (apparently) doing his famous 3,500 sit-ups and 1,500 pushups per day, plus squats and running, and trains in Mixed Martial Arts.

These athletes are amazing specimens. On the normal human side of things (average Joes like myself), we're given a lot of advice on how to be healthy and well-nourished. As I read through Genesis 2 today, I got dwelled a bit on the subject of health. The Man and the earth itself had a nourishment plan.

For people, what is obvious enough is that they were given a basic vegan diet to subsist on at first: fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables (water would be the drink of choice, I'd think). The combination would make for enough protein, vitamins, minerals, etc., to sustain a balanced life. A side note might be added, that is that those plants in the Garden of Eden may not have been like what we have now, so I'm not sure we can compare "apples-to-apples" here (now's plants vs. then's plants). Also, our bodies have likely changed quite a bit. We aren't 14 feet tall anymore and we can't live 900+ years as-is.

Consider how different life would be if that plan was still in place. We'd be a lot... I mean a LOT healthier people. Doctors? No need. Medicine--zippo. I imagine a diet that would be extremely flavorful and colorful. Considering what you have to do to cook anything (destroy something dead for a fire, for instance), I imagine that eating raw would be incredible (compared to today, when the thought of some raw plants doesn't sound appealing at all... raw soybeans, anyone? OK, maybe for some people...).

Also, if there was no predatory instincts. No need to kill anything for food, or prevent life from emerging (such as for eggs). The very relationship between people and between people and animals would be drastically different. I wonder what kind of teeth sharks would have if... well, I digress.

Think of how earth itself was nourished. Dew. Springs of water. Water gives life to earth even today. But how? Rain. Springs have something to do with it, but not like they did in Genesis 2. It says there that God hadn't sent any rain yet. Today, we need rain. But with rain comes calamity. Storms. Lightning and thunder, hail and sleet and snow, tornadoes and hurricanes. And we have to have these things or we don't have any life either.

When I get a glimpse into how good things were before sin, it should make me mourn sin all the more. But it should also give me hope into how good things will be, for the end of the Bible teaches of an earth made new... creation re-newed. To see how good it was is to see how good it will be.

Lord, help me to take care of this body, as much as possible, according to Your plan--how I'm nourished, and how I work and exercise. Help me to also take care of this earth, as much as possible, according to Your plan. Help me to experience the results of doing so, and to see the earth itself around me benefit from this. You gave us something so amazing! Teach me to celebrate it with gusto!

Genesis 2:1-3 - When Things Get Perfect

Sabbath has always had some puzzling stuff attached to it in my life. Growing up Seventh-day Adventist, here are some of the things I heard and experienced. Maybe some sound familiar to you as well.

• We're supposed to keep it and remember it. I didn't really understand what that meant as a kid, and I'm not sure anyone else did either. It was a phrase usually associated with what we weren't supposed to do.
• It was a day that we often went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway or the surrounding areas.
• I remember when once, as a kid, I picked up a football (or something to that effect), and overheard a female adult voice behind me start singing "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy," so I immediately put it down and went back to being bored and counting down the minutes until sundown. By the way, the voice did not belong to my mother. She did a pretty good job of not making me feel like Sabbath had to be like this.
• I remember sometimes heated discussions among youth group leaders and/or parents about what kind of service projects were appropriate to do on Sabbath with the youth group. It almost seemed like we were paralyzed by fear over what we should or shouldn't do to help people on the Sabbath.

Those are a few of the things that come quickly to mind.

I looked at some key words today in Geneses 2:1-3. God has fulfilled creation (finished in most versions) by the seventh day. There's a sense of accomplishment inherent in that word, which is "kalah" in Hebrew. Not entirely something new, but I like the reminder of what had happened, and that it wasn't just that God stopped creating in entirely, but had accomplished the creation.

God rests on the seventh day (Hebrew "shabbath"--where we get the word from). It is to repose, to desist from exertion. But even more, it is a cause to cease and to celebrate. Well, there was only one thing to celebrate in this context: God's accomplished creation. Still nothing entirely new here, but I still like the thought that comes with this as it was written: celebrate. Hey, being bored wasn't the plan after all! Sleeping may be a part of it, but it isn't the crux of the day for sure.

God blesses the seventh day. By implication (in the word "barak" in Hebrew), it is to actually bless God as an act of adoration, and to bless man as a benefit. Adoring God on this day benefits people! It could mean to thank, to praise, to congratulate, or to salute. So Sabbath is to adore God for HIs accomplished creation, and for God to benefit people. It's getting better.

Finally, God makes it a holy day, or he sanctifies ("qadash") it. This got to me. Strong's puts it this way: to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self), __ wholly.

Wow! There's a new idea here: perfection.

The creation as it was happening, God calls good. At the end of the sixth day, He looks at the accomplished creation and calls it very good: land, sea, lights, atmosphere, fish, birds, animals, plants, people. But he never calls anything perfect (which to me is the word that best describes something that is sanctified--made pure and holy by God) until the 7th day when He basically creates nothing at all!

It brings to mind a couple things. First, WE don't make Sabbath holy. God does that. We can defile it, for sure, just as we have defiled just about everything else about His creation. 

Second, Saturday (the 7th day) is NOT holy in and of itself. It did not become holy simply because it existed. It became holy, once again, because of the decision of God.

Finally, what is "Holy Sabbath"? A formula comes to mind: HOLY SABBATH = PEOPLE ADORING GOD FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS + GOD BENEFITING PEOPLE.

We adore God intentionally, not haphazardly. On such a day, we do it by setting aside everything else, just like God did, and intentionally adore Him for what He has done. 

God benefits us, and in adoring Him we recognize He is doing this. He is granting us a chance to repose (that's not an inaccurate description of the Biblical word for rest, but it is incomplete if left by itself). He is granting us renewal. He is granting us even accelerated growth in Him, if you think about it, for single-minded focus on God will always bring us closer in relationship to Him. He grants us cleansing in Him as well, righteousness in Him alone (a reminder that more work does not make us holy).

Why do I love God more today? Because He gave me a day that is beyond anything I could have imagined. Because His creation is so very good. Because in Him I am clean. Because I am loved. May Sabbath become a special reminder of this.

Genesis 1 - Incubation to Creation

This morning I tried reading Genesis 1 with new eyes. I feel God gave me a new perspective today that makes a lot of sense.

In verse 2, the Spirit of God is shown hovering over the face of the waters. I like how The Message puts it. "God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss."

To brood: hover, bulk large, loom, dwell, cover, incubate, hatch, stew, grizzle. The word in the Bible means to "hover above." The idea that comes to mind for me is incubate. It's like a mother who is about to see her own creation--a life that started within her!--come to fruition.

Psalm 139 reflects this idea. "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God--you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration--what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, it by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day" (verses 13-16, The Message).

The earth is made in those six days. God speaks. God made. God saw. God named (some things... earth life he does not name). God blessed (birds and fish, interestingly, and humans). The creation follows a pattern of speaking, making, in some cases naming, and evaluating. The word doesn't say that things were perfect. It says they were good--agreeable, pleasant. After six days, it was emphatically good (still not perfect).

With humans, the plan for their existence is put out there before they are made. They are made in God's image, godlike, reflecting God' nature, male and female. They are given directives after being made, to prosper, reproduce, fill earth, take charge, be responsible. Everything about the creation of human beings shows intentionality and purpose. But I see something else.

Care and concern for the most amazing life made.

The Spirit brooded at the beginning of the story. At the end, God looks over everything he made and calls it very good.

For nine months, two separate times, my wife carried a child inside of her--a nine month incubation period, if you will, before new life emerged. Everything had to be ready before the birth of our children. A room. A crib. Baby-proofing the house. Diapers. Baby food preparers. And that's just the stuff in the house! Inside her, her own body was preparing to give birth and to care for life after it was born. She would give birth with the capability of nourishing that life as long as it was needed.

For nine months she "brooded" over what she couldn't see, as it were. At the end, BOTH of us--mother and father, mommy and daddy--saw that new life and as far as we were concerned, it was VERY GOOD.

I think of the creation week a little differently today. I think of the Spirit brooding over the nothingness that would become the grand "something." I think of God--Father, Son (the Word from the beginning, according to John), and Spirit--looking upon the completed creation and proclaiming it, like new parents almost, VERY GOOD.

We were made with intentionality and purpose. Those ideas are frequently shared and thought about and preached about. Perhaps it's time to also consider, alongside this, the unbelievable and parental care and concern God had for us as the creation formed to not only sustain itself, but to sustain the humanity that would in turn care for it.

This blog is called "Falling in Love Again" (FILA). I'm coming back to it because I am seeking anew the love for God that needs to increase in my life. Today, I fall more in love with Him because of His extreme care and concern and intentionality and purpose for me.

Shameless

"The two of them, the man and his wife, were naked, but they felt no shame." (Geneses 2:25, The Message).

Have you ever had one of those naked dreams? You know, the one where you're sitting in a public place, say an office or a classroom or a park bench, and you realize all of the sudden that you're in the buff? It's the exact opposite of those cool flying dreams. You wake up from the naked dream in a bit of a cold sweat of embarrassment. You wake up from the flying dream wishing you could go back to sleep and get back into that dream. If you have a dream where you are flying naked, well, not sure how I would suggest that might make you feel!

Nakedness is dealt with vastly differently between where we live in the United States versus other parts of the world. Really, even here it's a strange thing. We value covering up parts of our bodies. However, due to the constant barrage of sexuality we are subjected to (through the media and in fashion), even the North American standards for dress and "covering up" have been confused. The display of a woman's breasts, for example, is considered a taboo and sexual thing for almost everyone here (and even if one feels differently about this they still cover up for the most part in front of others). But a lot of us look at low-cut blouses as being provocative. Whole movements exist to back up a woman's right to nurse her baby wherever it is needed without having to find a dingy corner to hide in. Really, if our twisted views of the human body and sexuality were not at play here, you wouldn't even hear about women petitioning restaurants over the waiter that was rude to the nursing mother.

I think that we, as 21st century North Americans, read Genesis 2:25 and it shocks us a little. We even hear the word "naked" and a classroom of unruly teenagers becomes silent and focused! Obviously it was a bit of a shock word to Moses and the Israelites as well (otherwise what is the point of Moses even including this verse?).

But to Adam and Eve? Not even an issue. I feel like the context of this verse gives us a clue. When Eve was created, from Adam's rib (Genesis 2:21-22), and presented to Adam, what were his first words? "Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!" (Genesis 2:23, The Message).  I really like the way Eugene Peterson puts this: "Finally!" Adam had named the animals God created. He had seen incredible works of God's creation. But Adam had "no suitable helper/companion" (verse 20). That assumes that the other animals had one. It's reading between the lines a bit, but it seems like Adam noticed that the animals had companions. Thus he was looking for one for himself that would be suitable, one that wasn't like another animal that he was naming but one compatible with himself.
And then, "Finally!" one came. He was asleep, woke up, and viola! God brought him a woman that was made of the same stuff as he in an amazing, beautiful gift. Relief and joy rolled up into one brief passage.

They felt no shame over their nakedness. They didn't think of their nakedness as an evil or shameful thing. They didn't even know what evil was yet. It is a picture of innocent bliss, happiness, and discovery.

Little children, before a certain age, will strip down without a thought or care as to who sees them. I wonder if this isn't another reason God loves children so much. They don't even think about that stuff, and in not caring they act more like He might remember the first humans acting before they ate the forbidden fruit, with simple joy and innocence.

As I read the creation story again, I am struck by how much better God's plan is for me than anything else going. What does He desire for me? A life of joy, of happiness, of discovery, and of innocence. A life that doesn't include sin and what that has done to my perceptions and attitudes. I am grateful that such a life awaits me. The story reminds me of how much better life will be in His kingdom. If you want to know what heaven will be like, go back to the beginning!

There is ONE in charge...

Do you ever wonder who is really in charge?

I've been around a lot of creative people in my lifetime, people with big ideas, fun ideas, ideas that seem like they'd be incredible (on paper at least). You know where a lot of big ideas find their downfall?

No one is in charge. Or the wrong person is in charge. This could be someone who thinks they're in charge and is driving everyone nuts asserting so-called authority.

Such seems to be the case with a character in Daniel, a book of the Prophets that I'm starting to study in the Bible: Nebuchadnezzar. In his world, he was in charge, a position he thought was well-protected by his god.

I started studying just the first two verses in Daniel 1. Nebuchadnezzar's name means, "Nebo (or Nabu), protect my territory (or crown)," or "Nebo, protect your servant." Nabu was the Babylonian patron god of wisdom and writing. He was their god of revelation, the son of their primary god, Marduk (although Nabu appeared to be more popular than Marduk at this time). Nabu was the keeper of the "tablets of destiny," in which the fate of mankind was supposedly recorded. It's interesting that his name means "Speaking," and he was purportedly married to a goddess named Tashmetum, which means "listening. So, men, if you think it's your place to speak and your wife's place to listen, consider which god your copying!

We find references to Nabu in popular culture today. "Dr. Fate," from DC Comics, received his superpowers from the mythological figure named Nabu. I have not personally verified this with George Lucas, but there are some who think he got the idea for the planet "Naboo" (from the Star Wars movies) from this same god.

When you compare the names of two kings in Daniel 1:1-2, it gives some pretty good context to the rest of the book. Jehoiakim's (king of Judah) name means "Yahweh (YHWH) raised up." Israel was, at one time, a kingdom to be reckoned with. They had the reputation of the ones who cast off Egyptian dominance and enslavement, made their way (circuitously) to Palestine, and established a dominant kingdom of their own. They subjugated or destroyed kingdoms that stood in their way. They were a feared nation (that was supposed to, one day, be a blessing, according to Genesis 12). So "YHWH raised up" vs. "Nabu, protect my crown" makes for an interesting battle when history is accounted for.

Daniel 1:2 tells us that the Lord ("adonai," master/lord) gave Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. The Lord also gave articles of the Temple over into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, which were taken to the treasure house of Nebuchadnezzar's god (presumably Nabu). From Nebuchadnezzar's perspective, it would seem that Nabu was the superior god. But Daniel offers a different perspective.

Some scholars point out that the way Daniel wrote the Babylonian king's name communicates something to his readers. His recording of the name could also be translated, "Nabu" (wisdom), "kad" (jar), "nasar" (preserve, keep watch, or watchman). Wisdom Jar Watchman. Hmm... A jar was something that took a lot of work and care by the jar maker. Later in Daniel 1, what gifts would God give to Daniel. Wisdom. Knowledge. Learning. The ability to interpret dreams and visions. Could it be that the name, biblically, could mean something else? God was working hard and caring for Daniel and his three friends. Could it mean, biblically, that Daniel's God was at work, that "wisdom is a preserving/watching-over vessel/jar"? That may seem a bit confusing, but considering what Daniel was--a prophet gifted by God with wisdom and understanding--and that His wisdom alone would preserve His people... It becomes a pretty compelling name!

Furthermore, while Nebuchadnezzar thought his god was in charge, Daniel clearly presents another idea. He says the Lord gave Jehoiakim and the articles into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. This use of "gave" is, in Hebrew, a word that indicates that something happened in the past through a process. The process used was the siege of Jerusalem and the taking of the king and the people and the articles to Babylon. The end goal of the process? I think it was that God will preserve His people, His message, and His purpose!

Nebuchadnezzar thought that his god was in charge. There will be other instances of this kind of thinking later on. But here's the truth: he wasn't! God was!

There have been plenty of times when leaders have made tragic decisions, choices that have cost others dearly. This is part of life. People, when in charge, will always think more highly of themselves than they ought. They will do things without thinking through the consequences others will have to suffer, or they just don't care. They will make decisions you will not agree with.

"But guess what?" Daniel might say. "God alone is in charge! And He will work through whatever circumstances you are facing to bring about the result He wants, the best result there is! And He will preserve you for the life you were meant for, and a life for Him forever!"

• How have you seen God leading in your life through difficult circumstances?
• What has been the proof to you that God is in charge?
• How does this help you fall more in love with God?
• What else is God teaching you these days? How are you responding?

Mark 10:26-31

Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it." (Mark 10:27, The Message)

This pretty much encapsulates the whole conversation. Are you trying to pull off eternal life on your own? Or are you surrendered and surrendering daily?

This is about as bluntly as Jesus could have put it. It is some of the beautiful simplicity of the gospel. Salvation is found in Christ alone. Not to overuse a very popular saying right now (and I hope it stays that way): Jesus. All.

Not "Jesus and." That's nothing but a demonic fraud that deserves a quick trip to the garbage heap. "Jesus and" might salve pride, but it accomplishes nothing. Pride points back to who? Me.

Peter takes a different tack in this conversation and points out that they left everything to follow Jesus. Well, sort of. Some disciples did have wives (and possibly families since that kind of goes hand-in-hand much of the time) and homes, although many of them would lose those things eventually as they pursued their lives of dispossessing of themselves for Christ's sake. I again have to wonder, though: was Peter's motive in saying this much better than that man Jesus had just been talking to?

The only chance we have is "Jesus, all." Yet even Peter's statement seems to show him trying to do something, and it almost sounds like he is justifying himself a little. "Well, uh, commandment keeping (which is what we've thought would do it since birth) isn't going to do the trick, so then giving up everything is what we have to do." Sorry, Peter. Go back to verse 27.

Jesus does, however, uphold what Peter actually says, so perhaps Peter's statement is more sincere than it first looks. Anyone who gives up won't lose out. They'll get it back many times over, plus eternal life (plus big troubles on earth). It's interesting that "eternal life," in The Message, is called a "bonus." The meat of the payback is being with Jesus, whether in this life or the one to come.

My takeaways...

• Surrender salvation to Jesus. "Jesus, only" can accomplish eternal life. I have no chance through commandment keeping, my efforts, or even my action of dispossessing of what I have. If it has to do with what I do, it falls woefully short of acquiring it. Every chance in the world is found in complete, daily surrender.
• Surrender all I have to Jesus. Really, all I have is what He gave me in the first place, so do I really have anything? I'm but a caretaker for a little while. Marriage? Children? Extended family? Friends? Pets? Home? Everything inside that home? Car(s)? Job? (we can't go far enough with this). None of it's mine to begin with. If it's getting in the way of following Jesus, I've made something terrible of it and abused the privilege. The solution? Surrender it back to Him. That might mean losing it completely. This is a matter of intense prayer. I believe, however, when we put anything we have before One, He'll help us know what to do with it, even to the point of walking away from it, and He'll give the strength necessary to do it. I'm actually thinking that it would be wise to do this with my dearest possessions on a daily basis. Surrender them. Ask the One what I should do with them. Listen. Obey.

Father, my life is Yours. I surrender. I depend on Jesus only today. Transform me, and remove anything in my life that hinders that process and the life of following You. Take me to the cross, but bring me through a resurrection experience today. Holy Spirit, baptize me and give me a completely different life, enabled to walk away from anything of the old existence and into the new.

Fling laboring harvesters into Your harvest field. Begin with me!

Mark 10:17-22

For once a wealthy individual approached Jesus without a seeming thought to test Jesus, but to seek Him. At least his heart was open to something Jesus might share.

His approach is so like the tact many take today. "What must I do to get eternal life?" (Message). Two words belie his theology: get and do. These also belie this man's own internal struggle: have I done enough? Don't tell me you haven't ever thought like this... I think we all have.

Well, there is an answer, and Jesus spells it out pretty plainly. Keep the commandments. But we have to realize that to Jesus, commandment keeping looks different. If its true, as 'll my righteousness (commandment-keeping) is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), then it must mean that even my keeping the letter of the Law is inadequate and empty. I'm going to feel this way even if I never break a commandment, and it seems to me that this was this man's issue. "Teacher, I have--from my youth--kept them all!" Well, if he had done this, why bother continuing the conversation? If commandment-keeping was enough, then as soon as Jesus told him to do that to get eternal life, the fellow should have said, "Well, cool! I've done that! See you in heaven!" But he didn't. He kept going with the conversation, seeking the answer.

I think Jesus loved this man (as it says) because he came to the conclusion that Jesus hopes everyone will come to. That is, "My righteousness, my commandment-keeping, my [fill in the blank] will NEVER BE ENOUGH to 'get' eternal life." In fact, eternal life isn't something you just get... you don't do something to acquire it or earn it. There is always going to be something, this side of heaven, that puts you in the category of law-breaker. Without total and complete surrender to Christ--His death, resurrection, will, and plan--we are all in grave trouble. It's about surrender and acceptance, not acquisition and earning. This is an incredibly hard thing for most humans to grasp. We aren't raised with this kind of mentality. Ergo the man's dissatisfaction.

What was this man's "something"? Looks to me like it was riches. A sense from this man that he "had it all" and had achieved ultimate success. He may have kept the commandments, but it looks like he kept them to acquire eternal life, just has he had worked to acquire riches (or maybe he inherited those--makes it maybe even more confusing to figure out how to earn something). Maybe, if he inherited his riches, he was thinking about why he didn't just inherit eternal life as well, since he'd inherited everything else (born with a silver spoon in his mouth).

Either way, his "something" had to be surrendered. It's not about earning. It's not about achieving or conquering. The way of Christ is surrender.

Today, I pray to know what my "something" is that I need to surrender. Maybe it's more like "somethings" (plural). God has much to do with my heart yet, and surrender is daily and it is sometimes really hard. Maybe there's a series of questions I need to ask today:

• What is the absolute most dearest thing to me in my life? (wife, children, relationships, a possession or possessions)
• Am I clinging to the dearest thing as though it's my own? (it isn't)
• Am I tempted to do something today out of a sense of obligation to Jesus, as though I need to earn His favor? Or do I think to respond to His love?
• What do I need to dispossess to enable me to follow Jesus more fully? Does this mean to literally put it out of my sight and reach, or does it mean to surrender it's use to Christ?

Father, walk with me today. Son, transform me today. Holy Spirit, reveal my "something" today that I need to surrender. May I follow You and act out of a loving response, not a desire to earn eternal life. I surrender my life to You. I surrender my dreams and intentions to You. Thank you for loving me so perfectly.

Fling laboring harvesters into Your harvest field today. Begin with me!