A DYNAMIC WALK

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The Christian life is a dynamic walk in which no one can ever say “I have arrived.” That’s a statement I have made many times in a variety of contexts to describe what being a Christian is. It doesn’t come from the Bible, but I believe it is what the Bible teaches. It certainly doesn’t say all the Bible says about the Christian life, but it does say a lot. Read it again: the Christian life is a dynamic walk in which no one can ever say “I have arrived.”

Describing the Christian life as a walk suggests a certain amount of effort on our part. You cannot be passive and walk at the same time. When we walk we are going somewhere; even if we are just taking a casual stroll we are moving. To make sure I wanted to stay with the word dynamic to modify walk I looked up the definition. The first definition given was “a process characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.”

To speak of the Christian life as a walk characterized by constant change, activity, and progress implies growth in our Christian lives. I hope all of us who are Christians want to be growing in our walks. It is helpful for me to remind myself that to grow in Christ there are some things I need to stop doing and some other things I need to begin doing or do better. I have no idea what those activities, attitudes, practices, and disciplines might be for you, but I have zeroed in on a few for myself as we begin the New Year. (In my previous post I indicated I want to chip away at pride and cultivate humility this year.)

When it comes to growth and progress in our Christian lives the reality is that we are not always growing at the same rate. There are seasons when we grow rapidly and other times when our progress is slow. In my life there have been and are periods when I make little or no progress; and to be honest, for many of us there are times when we actually regress. What seems most important to me is that if we graphed our walk in terms of time and growth, even though the growth line would be up and down, the overall direction would be up.

One final observation: to say the Christian life is a dynamic walk in which no one can ever say “I have arrived” affirms we never get to the point in our walk when we have no more room for growth. We make progress for sure, but the movement and progress is never completed in this life. Hear how the Apostle Paul says it in Philippians 3:12: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ first possessed me” (NLT).

Heavenly Father, thank you for the call, opportunity, and privilege to walk with and follow Jesus. We know we have not done anything to deserve what you have done for us by your grace. We ask that you show us the way, convict us of things we need to stop doing and show us what we need to begin to do or do better, and help us to grow and become what you have called us to be. We know we will not become perfect in this life, but help us never use that as a reason not to press on. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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IT HURTS!

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I’ve been writing a weekly blog for just over 18 months now and my most read and commented on blog was entitled “It Still Hurts.” The title of this one is similar, but the basic idea is the same. Loss hurts.

A couple of hours ago Jan and I had to put down our cat. She had been sick for a couple of weeks and got worse and worse and nothing the vet did helped. We didn’t want her to suffer and we believe we did the right thing. But believing (knowing?) you did the right thing doesn’t take away the hurt.

Spiff (a crazy name given to her by Jan) had been ours for almost nine years. A couple of months earlier we had taken in a stray dog someone had dropped off at our church property. Then this stray cat starting hanging around our house. I didn’t like cats and discouraged Jan from feeding her, but she stayed. Finally I told Jan the cat could stay in our garage but we were not going to have a stinking cat in the house. It didn’t take long for me to fold and she was welcomed into the house. She and Macy (our dog) hit it off with no problems and I became a cat lover.

I have tears rolling down my cheeks as I reflect on the way that cat became a part of our family and my life. Rob played with her, Jan took care of her, and I loved on her as she sat in my lap as I read, studied, and watched TV. I’m more emotional than I ever thought I could or would be over the loss of a cat! But loss hurts.

It seems a little strange to me that I am writing about my hurt from the passing of a cat when at the same time I have a friend grieving the loss her husband and another friend grieving the loss his mother. Our loss is not in the same category as theirs; but the truth is loss hurts, doesn’t it?

Loss and the hurt that accompanies it are a part of life. But it doesn’t take away the joy, satisfaction, and enrichment that what we lost gave us. If I had it to do over again I would encourage Jan to feed that cat right away and skip the time in the garage!

(If you would like to read “It Still Hurts” you can at https://bobmmink.com/2016/04/06/it-still-hurts/)

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IT’S A NEW YEAR – SO WHAT?

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With the ending of the year this week a lot of us are thinking about changes we would like to make in the coming year. Some will make resolutions, of course, while others will be less specific in considering how they would like to do better. It is true, in a sense, that when we move from December 31 to January 1 this week it will be just another Saturday to Sunday, but it also will mark the beginning of a New Year. I am among those who like to give consideration to at least a few positive changes I would like to make as we turn the calendar from one year to another.

During October, November, and December Jan and I have already made one gigantic change in selling our house, moving to Texas, and making arrangements to buy a new one. I am also using the occasion, as I generally have in the past, to specify a few challenges for myself. A couple have to do with my health, of which I will not bore you, and one is a general spiritual challenge.

I’ve been thinking a lot the last couple of weeks about the Apostle Paul’s challenge in Ephesians 4:1, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” I don’t think he is talking about a specific “calling” to be a pastor or missionary or whatever, but the general calling to be a Christian—a disciple of Jesus. In other words, the urging to live a life worthy of the calling you have received is for all of us who have said yes to the Lord. But what does it mean “to live a life worthy of the calling” we have received? It certainly can’t mean that having been accepted, forgiven, and saved by grace we are now supposed to measure up by becoming worthy in ourselves.

I looked at a variety of other translations and got some help from Eugene Peterson’s The Message. He paraphrases, “I want you to get out there and walk on the road God called you to travel.” The way I am taking Paul’s challenge for myself is to continually give myself to living as a Christian and making progress in it. And the key for me is the phrase “making progress.” None of us would have to look too far in the New Testament, or think very much about living the Christian life,  to come up with a couple of specifics we could focus on with the beginning of another year.

What I’ve become more convicted of the past few weeks is the Bible’s general call for and Jesus’ specific teaching about humility. Two teachings from Jesus that have my attention are Luke 14:11, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted,” and Luke 18:9, “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.” Clear instruction from Paul that challenges me is in the middle of Romans 12:3, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” I had already been thinking about this matter, and then read in a book last night that living the Christian life is not compatible with self-aggrandizement. I looked the word up and self-aggrandizement is “the practice of enhancing or exaggerating one’s own importance, power, reputation, status, etc.” To me this sounds like what both the Bible in general and Jesus in specific tells us not to do.

I have no idea what specific area or areas you may want to make progress in this coming year, but for me it is chipping away at pride and cultivating humility. I’m using this post as a first step. If you would like to join me I encourage you to read the passages I have cited in their context, especially the two parables of Jesus in Luke 14 and 18. It’s a New Year – so what? It’s an opportunity for us to give ourselves to making some progress in living the Christian life. It’s up to you whether or not you do.

Feel free to leave a reply below or email me at bobmmink@gmail.com; also consider sharing this post on Facebook.

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TRADEOFFS AND CHRISTMAS

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A lot of us will be exchanging gifts this week, but I don’t think any of us considers his or her gift exchanges tradeoffs. To me, a tradeoff is when you give up something in order to gain something. And if it is a real tradeoff, what you give up is something of value. Christmas is about a huge tradeoff that I will return to in a moment.

I’ve been thinking about this matter of tradeoffs since I left Southern California last week to move to the Texas Panhandle. During that two day drive and the first couple of days after I arrived, I was focused on what I was giving up: familiarity, weather, friends, year round golf on many golf courses, a variety of avenues and opportunities to serve, and all that the greater Los Angeles area has to offer. After 32 years I may have drifted into taking it all for granted and I was miserable.

While my emotions, heart, and mind are not fully resolved yet, I am doing much better today. This is the third major move Jan and I have made in the last 47 years. And in the days, weeks, and months ahead I am confident what I will gain in this tradeoff will more than match what I gained in my previous two similar moves. Our daughter said something over the weekend that got my attention. She reminded me that after Christmas this year, unlike the last few, I won’t have to go through the emotional trauma of saying goodbye to my grandsons.

Now back to the huge tradeoff of Christmas. The Apostle Paul clearly lays it out in II Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” What a great image of God becoming a human in the birth of Jesus!

As we come to Christmas this week let’s consider the tradeoff Jesus made. He was rich and became poor so that you and I could become rich. Not rich in terms of money and things, but rich in terms of forgiveness and salvation. The baby Jesus grew and became the man Jesus. And the man Jesus fulfilled the purpose of His coming—that through His poverty you and I might become rich. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” Merry Christmas.

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THE TIMING OF CHRISTMAS

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Have you ever wondered why Jesus was born when He was and not sooner or later? In a non-traditional Christmas passage the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.” Paul is telling his first readers as well as us that it was not just at any time, but at the right time in keeping with God’s plan that Jesus was born.

Jesus was born at the right time, but we don’t know exactly when that time was. As surprising as it is to us, the early church did not celebrate the birth of Jesus—only His resurrection. And when they did begin celebrating His birth there were more than a dozen different dates chosen. It wasn’t until the fourth century that December 25th was settled upon and that date was chosen to counter ancient pagan festivals celebrating the winter solstice. We aren’t even sure of the year in which Jesus was born! But we do know that the timing, set by God, was right.

More important than the timing of Christmas is the what of Christmas: “God sent his Son, born of a woman.” Everyone can agree, regardless of what they believe about Him, that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. What makes some uncomfortable is the idea that Jesus is God’s Son and that God sent Him. And perhaps even more challenging in terms of belief, the fact that God sent His Son tells us that Jesus existed prior to His conception in the womb of Mary.

Flowing from the what of Christmas is the why of Christmas. Paul continues in verse 5 concerning the reason for sending Jesus, “to redeem those under the law that we might receive adoption to sonship.” The idea of being redeemed suggests the image of a slave. A slave in the first century in the Roman Empire could be set free only if someone paid the purchase price to set that slave free. As those under the law, before we were redeemed we were slaves. But on the cross Jesus paid the penalty to purchase our freedom. A redeemed slave is no longer a slave. Our redemption in Christ makes us free from the guilt and punishment we deserve.

But the why of Jesus’ coming was more than just our redemption; it was also for our adoption. In the Roman Empire when an upper-class family selected a young person for adoption that person was on probationary status until they proved themselves worthy. If they failed, their adoption would be revoked and they would be kicked out of the family. But if they measured up, eventually they were given full status as sons and would become heirs of the family estate.

In Galatians 4:7 Paul gives us the result of Christmas, “So you are no longer slaves, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Because of what God has done for us in Jesus we are not on probation and we do not have to measure up by showing our worthiness. We have been redeemed and fully adopted as heirs. Not only that, Paul tells us in verse 6 that God has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to confirm that we are His children.

Along with everything else you are doing this Christmas season, I encourage you to take a few moments and reflect on the non-traditional Christmas passage of Galatians 4:4-7. Consider the timing, the what, the why, and the result of God sending His Son. Praise and thank Him for the privilege of being redeemed and adopted as well as having the indwelling gift of the His Holy Spirit.

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A BRIGHT SADNESS

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I am borrowing the title of this post from a chapter in a book I recently finished reading for the second time. As Jan and I carry out our final preparations to move from the Inland Empire of Southern California to the Texas Panhandle my emotions are conflicted and can be described in terms of a bright sadness. I am filled with anticipation and excitement to be near my daughter and two grandsons, but I am also overwhelmed with sadness to leave this place and the people I have come to love the past 32 years.

Jan tells me she is not surprised by my feelings because change has always been hard for me. When we left Cincinnati after one year of marriage and five years of youth ministry at Bridgetown I cried so much leaving the church parking lot I almost wrecked the U-Haul truck. Nine years later when we left the Philadelphia area with 3 year old Audrey and 7 month old Rob to move to California it wasn’t any easier.

Part of me wishes I could say it will be great to get out California, but to do so would be dishonest. I think it is far better to feel some grief when you move than just relief. The 32 years we have lived in Moreno Valley and our current house is the longest either of us has lived in the same place. Going through things, and deciding what to throw away, has been an emotional roller coaster. I have more Ohio State University Buckeyes and Dallas Cowboys shirts than any one person should own!

There is a lot I am going to miss, not the least of which is the weather. Beyond that I am going to miss playing golf all year round and especially the guys I play with. I am going to miss the opportunities I have had to guest preach and those churches. I am going to miss the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Hope International University: the students, the faculty, the administration, and my boss, Joe Grana, Dean of the College of Biblical Studies. I am going to miss the many friends we have made the last 32 years. Most of all I am going to miss Rob, our 32 year old son.

On the other hand, there is much I am looking forward to–most of all being close to our 6 and 2 year old grandsons. Of course it will be nice to be around their mother, our daughter Audrey, as well; but I am more excited about Bobby and Ryan. Please don’t tell Audrey I said that!

My hope is to find ways to contribute whether as a volunteer or part time employee in ministry and teaching of some kind. I’ll be looking into both hospice and hospital chaplaincy, teaching, and church work. I also plan to continue to write a weekly blog, articles for periodicals, and maybe another Bible study book. (To receive email notification of my blog posts click follow at the top of the page and enter your email address.)

I love the image Bob Russell shared from Dr. Lewis Foster “that he looked at life in terms of chapters. There comes a time to close a chapter and move into a new chapter.” Right now Jan and I are closing one chapter of our lives and getting ready to begin a new chapter. I don’t know what God has in store for us, but I trust Him and am looking forward to it. We’ll have a new home, new neighbors, new friends, new opportunities, and much more. And we’ll make new memories!

As usual for me, at this point I am hurting more thinking about what I am losing than what I am about to gain. I’m dreading the drive to Texas by myself and know I will cry a lot. (Jan is going ahead of me; please pray for both of us as we travel.) Right now my bright sadness is sadder than it is bright. Soon, however, the brightness will outshine the sadness.

Feel free to leave a reply below or send me an email at bobmmink@gmail.com and/or share this post on Facebook and other social media.

Thanks to our daughter for the permission to use the photo of our youngest grandson.

HOMELESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

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Taking my cue from a pretty good TV commercial, the past few days I have been singing “Home for the Holidays” and then adding “but Jan and I will be homeless for the holidays.” I was trying to be funny because Jan and I have sold our house and are moving to Texas, but will not occupy our new home until March. We will hardly be homeless, however, as we will be with our daughter and two grandsons in their home for Christmas, New Years, and beyond.

A couple of days later it occurred to me that what I had been saying wasn’t funny. Jan and I will not be homeless, but there are many who are homeless and will be for the holidays. And I’m quite sure they would not think what I was singing and saying was humorous.

The next day I was having lunch with several friends, and the discussion turned to the homeless. Stories were exchanged about times when we had helped homeless people and one couple shared about their church’s outreach to the homeless in a major city. It was obvious everyone’s actions to help the homeless had been a blessing to them. Needless to say, the conviction I had come to the day before about my humor was cemented.

I don’t have any advice or suggestions with regard to what to do for the homeless, but I certainly think we should care. And I think it is far too simplistic to assume it is all their fault. I’d be willing to get involved in a bigger way, but for now I can give to some. I know there are scammers out there holding up signs and asking for money, but I can’t tell who is or who isn’t legitimate. I’m willing to risk being taken in order to give to someone who needs help. I know what I give won’t solve the problem of being homeless, but it may make a difference.

Since we are in the Christmas season I am reminded that the night Jesus was born His parents weren’t homeless, but they had no place to stay in Bethlehem. And during his ministry Jesus disclosed that He “had no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Jesus understands what it is to be homeless; and not only does He understand, He cares about the homeless. Because He cares, as His followers, it seems to me that rather than belittle or despise the homeless, we too should care.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?

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Some readers know immediately what their favorite holiday is and others I’m sure would really struggle to choose just one. I hope no one is thinking of their birthday as I’m confident it isn’t a national holiday. (My birthday wouldn’t even be in consideration because at my age they come too often!)

I haven’t done any polling, but I would guess the majority would choose Christmas. And Christmas is no doubt a wonderful holiday and celebration. Easter would certainly be in consideration for some Christians,and not because of egg hunts and candy, but because of what Jesus’ resurrection means. Dedicated patriots might opt for July 4th or Veteran’s Day and a few romantics for Valentine’s Day. Some sentimentalists may lean towards Mother’s Day and I would hope a few might consider Father’s Day. New Year’s Eve and Day have a lot to offer and may be the choice of a few. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or President’s Day may be in the running for some.  A lot of people enjoy it, but I doubt anyone would choose April Fools’ Day.

Because I haven’t mentioned it, and because it is this week, I’m sure you know I am going to say my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. More than any of the other holidays, the focus of Thanksgiving (expressing gratitude not the eating or football on TV!) is something we should do throughout the year. As John Stott observes, “Thankfulness ought always to characterize the people of God.”

Having a thankful heart is important to God and not having a thankful heart displeases Him. In Romans 1:21 Paul notes about some that “although they knew God [through creation], they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him.” In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus healed ten lepers and was disappointed only one returned to thank Him and give praise to God. The book of Psalms is filled with both calls to give thanks as well as expressions of thanksgiving.

My favorite passage dealing with this subject is I Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” While all three charges are God’s will for us in Christ Jesus, it’s the third one that I want to underscore. Sometimes people misread verse 18 thinking it says “give thanks for all circumstances,” but that’s not what Paul is saying. We are called to “give thanks in all circumstance.” God doesn’t call us to give thanks for every circumstance we find ourselves in, but He does want us to find things in every circumstance for which we can be grateful.

Whether Thanksgiving is your favorite holiday or not, I hope you have a great day Thursday and use the occasion to express gratitude.

Father in Heaven,

Thank you for the holiday of Thanksgiving. We have a sense of how important it is for us to cultivate thankfulness; how good it is for those to whom we say thanks as well as how good it is for us do so. Help us to be aware of our blessings and help us grow in our desire to express gratitude. Draw us to yourself and fill us with your Spirit that we might walk with You. 

We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you have a favorite holiday reply below and feel free to share this post on Facebook.

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WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

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It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? And how or why it is asked is important.

For example, I’ve heard it asked by people with a “chip on their shoulder” who apparently didn’t like it when they thought someone was staring at them. And the reason they were being stared at, of course, was because of the way they looked. When I was much younger and less mature my inclination was to answer the question, “Obviously, not much.” I’m not proud of that and don’t recommend it.

A few times I have also witnessed the question being asked of someone who seemed to be staring at a person dressed in a way that was not easy to ignore. Sometimes it was the person being stared at who asked, and sometimes someone with her or him who asked. While I have witnessed such occasions, I don’t remember it ever happening to me. And I don’t foresee it happening in the future.

What got me to thinking about this matter was a return this past Sunday to the biblical account of the anointing of David. You may or may not remember that God had rejected the first king of Israel, Saul, who had been chosen by the people. God told the prophet Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons the LORD had chosen to be king.

When he saw Jesse’s first son, Eliab, Samuel was convinced he was God’s choice. But he wasn’t. Then Jesse called six more of his sons to appear before Samuel, but the LORD did not choose any of them. Finally Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse to send for him and they would wait. As we know, it was David who was the youngest and was tending the sheep. When he arrived the Lord told Samuel, “Rise and anoint him, this is the one.” It’s one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament and there is so much for us to draw from it.

Let’s go back in the account to God’s response when Samuel first saw the eldest son Eliab and was convinced he was the one. In I Samuel 16:7 the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Of course we look at the outward appearance—that’s all we can see at first! And even though later we can tell more about a person by the way he or see talks and acts, we never have the ability to look at someone’s heart. Only God can do that. What can we make of all this?

Appearance is important, but isn’t what is most important. I think it would be a mistake to study this passage and conclude that it doesn’t make any difference how we dress or how we look. After all, people do look at the outward appearance. Nevertheless, it seems to me that we should be careful about our judgement of others solely based on the way they look. Not only that, even though we cannot look at a person’s heart as God does, it would be good for us to make the effort to try as best we can to discern another person’s heart.

Perhaps we should ask ourselves a couple of questions. One, what are we looking at? And two, when God looks at us and our hearts, what does He see?

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WHAT ABOUT OBEDIENCE?

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Sometimes in our zeal to stress the Gospel message that we are saved by grace, we neglect Jesus’ call to obey His teaching. I think the reason this happens is because we are committed to making sure people know they are saved by grace through faith and not by what they do or don’t do. In his letters the Apostle Paul is uncompromising in his teaching that salvation is not by works but by faith. Two of his strongest statements are in Romans 3:21-31 and Galatians 3:1-14 if you would like to review them.

To believe and teach that salvation is by grace through faith, however, does not mean that obedience is unimportant or optional. No one is saved by “works of law” or obedience. Faith, repentance, and baptism are not works we do to earn, win, or deserve God’s forgiveness and acceptance. Yet in His teaching Jesus is clear that He wants and expects His followers to obey Him.

A window is opened for our understanding of the place of obedience in Jesus’ farewell instructions to the apostles in Matthew 28:18-20. After affirming that He has the authority to do so, Jesus instructs them to go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything He had commanded them. Wouldn’t it be an interesting study to go through the Gospels to note and study everything Jesus commanded His followers?

While we come to Christ for salvation by God’s grace through faith, we give ourselves to obeying Him because we have been accepted and forgiven. He tells us to teach those who become His disciples to obey the things He has commanded. Obedience to Jesus does not earn salvation, but flows from it. We are not saved because we obey Jesus, we obey Jesus because we are saved.

In addition to His farewell instructions, Jesus also underscored the importance of obedience during His ministry. One of my favorites is in His closing parable of two builders at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-27. Both a wise as well as a foolish builder built houses: one on the rock and one on the sand. When the rain, streams, and winds came the house built on the rock stood while the one built on the sand fell. The difference between the two builders? Both heard Jesus’ words, but only the wise man put them into practice.

Another of my favorite examples of Jesus stressing the importance of obedience is in John 13 when He washed His disciples’ feet. During the evening meal Jesus removed His outer garment, wrapped a towel around His waist, and washed their feet. When He finished he put His clothes back on and returned to His place. He told them that He was their Lord and Teacher and that He had set an example for them to follow because no servant is greater than his master. What gets my attention is verse 17 when He told them: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Don’t miss the point that obeying Jesus blesses our lives.

Jesus’ strongest statement about obedience is in John 14:15: “If you love me, keep my commands.” So simple, and at the same time equally profound. Nothing is more important than loving Jesus. That’s why even though we often let Him down, because we love Him, and with His help, we make the effort to obey Him. We obey Him not to earn His love and forgiveness, but because we know He loves us and we love Him.

I’m interested in what you think about this subject. Feel free to leave a reply below or email me at bobmmink.com, and share this post on Social Media.

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