OPINIONS

The other day we were reading about Jesus’ healing of the Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:2-10), & I saw something interesting. 3 opinions were expressed about the centurion. One was how others saw him, another was how he saw himself, & the last was how Jesus saw him.

Notice the contrast between how others saw him & how he saw himself. The Jews spoke well of him because he was a compassionate benefactor. So, to them he was worthy to make a request of Jesus. “He’s such a great guy. Surely Jesus will see him as worthy of help.” When Jesus arrived on the scene, He saw someone who didn’t view himself as a great, deserving man. The centurion said, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have You enter my home.”

Jesus didn’t seem to look at him from either category, worthiness or unworthiness. He saw the man’s faith & marveled at it. In fact, in a remark that must have stung the sensibilities of those who were standing by. “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

The centurion didn’t put his faith in the estimation of others, nor in his own worthiness. He recognized the authority of Jesus. Jesus could simply speak a word & it was done. He saw his own authority as a Roman officer to command others as a reflection of a life-changing truth – Jesus has absolute authority to speak to all creation.

God isn’t impressed by what others think of us, or by what we think of ourselves. But if we can trust in Jesus’ authority to reign in our lives & in all the circumstances that surround us, we can expect to see Him work in powerful & miraculous ways to bring about His plan in our lives & in those we love.

GOD REALLY DOES SPEAK TO JOY BEHAR

Just like there is no end to the making of books, there is no end to the making of snarky remarks. I want to respond to what Joy Behar’s remark about VP Pence. I don’t intend to insult her; I only want to take her reasoning to what appears to be her understanding of faith.

Essentially, she seems to mean that communication or relationship with God is a one-way conversation. We can talk to Him, but if we think that He will talk to us, there is something wrong with us. We live in the “real world,” & faith (whatever we have determined it to be) is a matter for the individual to work out in private. He had better keep it there, too.

Fair enough, in our secularized & individualized culture.

A one-way relationship or way of communicating with God (or, in popular parlance, “god”) is very convenient. It can imply at least a couple of things. First, we get to use God on our terms; He is, or is not, whatever we decide. He might hear us if we talk to Him, but He has nothing to say to us. Second, it can mean that, whatever we think He is, He has no relevance for the “real world” where we live every day.

My belief, & that of hundreds of millions of Christians around the world, is that God does in fact speak to people. He has done this in the past (His revelation to us in the Bible, & also throughout Christian history). He continues to speak to us today thru His Word & thru the faithful working of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. Christians read the Bible, pray, attend worship services, & expect to hear from God in the daily experiences of life.

To take it a step further, God even speaks to those who are not necessarily listening. This happens as He works to reveal Himself to those who are not yet in a personal relationship with Him thru Christ.

The fact is, we all need to hear from Him. Otherwise, we are lost. Lost, just like those who believe that faith is a one-way communication, the parameters of which each individual can determine.

WHO’S THE REAL HERO?

We’ve been reading about Joseph (Genesis 37-47) this week in our devotions. There are all kinds of lessons that can be learned thru his experiences (godly character & integrity, leadership, faithfulness to a God-given vision, etc). You’ve probably heard a lot of preaching or teaching about these topics based on Joseph’s life.

I have a little problem with not seeing beyond these wonderful & helpful insights.

Sometimes, we don’t see the big picture because the snapshot that encourages or challenges us where we are right now seems so powerful to us. Notice what Joseph said to his brothers: “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth” (Genesis 45:7).

Joseph is really not the hero of the story of Joseph. He & his experiences are the snapshot. In the big picture, God is the hero. His redemptive plan in progress is what I’m encouraging you to see.

What was happening in Joseph’s life? God allowed him to be sent to Egypt to preserve the descendants of Abraham, who were ordained to be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:1-3). Later, the Israelites underwent 400 years of slavery in Egypt before being delivered by Moses (whose life gives us another series of wonderful lessons). Joshua victoriously led them into the Promised Land, the Judges guided them during generations of national apostasy & restoration. David united the tribes. Solomon’s son Rehoboam split the kingdom & initiated a downward spiral that eventually ended in national destruction. After their restoration in the Promised Land under leaders like Ezra & Nehemiah, the Old Testament period came to an end.

A few hundred years later, the Gospels were written to give us the story of Jesus. As the son of Mary, He came as a Jew, a direct descendant of the people whom God had used Joseph to preserve.

You see, each part of the Old Testament is a necessary part of the process in which God brought the fulfillment of His plan to bring salvation thru Jesus. That’s the big picture.

Enjoy the stories, glean the lessons from them. But remember, those are just snapshots. Don’t forget the real Hero who is behind it all.