The Pineapple of Reputation

During the discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney I recently read The Pineapple Story, a short and humorous tale of how God used pineapple to teach a missionary to give everything to God.  In fighting for his rights over his pineapple garden the missionary became extremely angry.  It was only after he gave the garden to God that he was delivered from anger.  We can be angry, fight for our rights, and scheme with all our might for control.  Anger can be a useful trigger to show us all the things we have yet to commit to God.  Ultimately the story is much bigger than pineapples.  God desires we would hand over every part of our lives to Him in obedience, trusting and rejoicing in Him.  That is the place of true joy and contentment.

One pineapple in my garden as a young apprentice was that of reputation.  When I entered the mechanical insulation trade, I prayed God would make me as Daniel who stood out as excellent among his peers.  God answered my prayer and gave me skill to understand, memorise, and the physical talent to perform the work at a high level.  I was nominated as apprentice of the year and was a standout in the class and in the field.  But one day in class during my second year, I was pulled aside by the apprenticeship coordinator.  One of the foremen I worked for - a man who had signed for me as a new apprentice - had called the union hall and threatened to press charges for insubordination.  I was stunned.  I was told I might need to miss a day of work and make the 1.5 hour drive to the hall to explain my actions.

In addition to being shocked, I was furious.  This was a man for whom I worked hard.  When he showed up late, I covered for him.  When he was away, I continued to work faithfully.  I did quality work and job after job made money for the company.  And now he was threatening to press charges for insubordination?  What had I done besides make him look like a managing superstar?  I had been told from the beginning of my career in the trade, "The reputation you make as an apprentice you will carry for ten years or more."  What was I to do?  How I wrestled with the situation!  I was being unfairly targeted for some reason, and I obsessed over what I might have done or what I could do to exonerate myself.  Even talking face to face with my boss only seemed to escalate the problem.  This was no prank:  the consequences of this situation threatened my career.  Anger and worry became my daily companions, stuffed away inside.  In the darkness the bad feelings multiplied like yeast through flour.

When thinking about The Pineapple Story all those years ago it struck me:  I had never given my reputation to God!  I was angry about my precious reputation being slandered.  God's gentle rebuke came:  "Your reputation?  I thought you said I was in charge of that."  You see, all my thoughts were focused on me looking good, me being a standout. that I would be recognised as a Daniel - not for God, but for me.  This attack exposed my selfish pride.  I was convicted I had not been trusting God to handle this impossible problem.  I realised I had vented my frustration to God but I never sought Him specifically for guidance. I was angry at seeing my reputation damaged and sought to regain control.  But I never had control over my reputation in the first place!  I had asked God to establish and help me, and the fact I was angered by this attack revealed I had idolised my reputation.  Pride in my success had crept into my heart and to see my reputation being spoiled angered me.  After God spoke to my heart I repented of my sinful anger and gave my reputation into His hands.  I stopped trying to pull strings.  I found rest in resigning myself to God's will in continuing - as much as depended on me - to live peaceably with everyone.

My story had a happy ending.  The anger which was consuming me absolutely disappeared seemingly without a trace.  Instead of worry and bitterness joy filled my heart.  The man who threatened to charge me with insubordination suddenly lost interest, and I was told I did not need to appear before the union committee.  The war of bitterness and anger in my heart had been won by Jesus Christ, and I found myself basking in the peace of God.  I was light as a feather, free and untouchable in the protection of God!  I can say with absolute confidence that even if I had been brought up on charges, even if I had to miss a day of work and appear at the union hall, even if I had been fired from my job, the peace and joy of the LORD would have continued to be my strength.  The battle which was tearing me apart from the inside had been won by my Saviour.  Committing my reputation and future into God's hand was an important step to free me from sin so I could walk in Christ's victory.

Giving specific areas of our lives of conflict humbly to God is a way of denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following Jesus.  Jesus did not begrudgingly set His face to Calvary because of the pain He would endure, but because of the joy which set before Him (Hebrews 12:1-2).  In fighting for self and our rights as children of God we fight a battle already lost.  The sinful anger which burns within us and fuels our rage does more damage to our souls than anything another person can do to us.  Anger will consume your life, lead to bitterness and resentment, and defile others.  When we fight for our rights we will always lose - even if we seem to win for the moment.  It is infinitely better to chose the path of giving ourselves and the protection of our rights to God, for He is in control and we are not.  He alone is able to accomplish what concerns you and me today.

Blind For A Season

"So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?"

Exodus 4:11

The God who created man possesses far greater power and abilities than those of men.  He who created the mouth is able to speak light into darkness, and the One who created the eye is able to see all.  God knows exactly what He is doing, even if men believe they can do better.  God made eyes to see as well as eyes which are incapable of sight.  Throughout scripture there are instances where God used seasons or a lifetime of blindness to accomplish His purposes.  One might think only seeing eyes have value, but when ordained by the hand of God even blindness is most profitable.

John 9:1-3 reads, "Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ² And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" ³ Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  When Jesus saw a man who had been permanently blind from birth, He explained it was not due to sin in him or his parents.  He was born blind so the "works of God should be revealed in him."  A lifetime was merely a prolonged season Jesus would bring to an end by His grace and power.  Jesus would perform a miracle in opening the man's eyes - not only to the light of day and the beauty of creation - but to recognise His God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Our physical eyes grow dim over time, but through eyes of faith we are able to see clearly for eternity.

God is able to use and redeem something as debilitating as blindness for His good purposes.  The wicked men of Sodom were temporarily blinded and unable to find the door to assault Lot's angelic visitors (Genesis 19:11).  Elisha asked God to strike the Syrian army with blindness.  He led them to Samaria, and God used the kindness and hospitality of the king to end an ongoing conflict (2 Kings 6:18-23).  Saul (who later was called Paul) was struck blind for three days when the risen Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road, leading to his conversion (Acts 9:8-18)  When a sorcerer tried to turn Sergius Paulus from hearing and responding to the Gospel, Paul pronounced blindness upon him which led to the proconul believing in Acts 13:11-12:  "And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord."  I'm sure the sorcerer was impacted by the event as well!  God is able to redeem blindness of one person for the good of others.

Through spiritual blindness of the Jewish people which prevented them from recognising Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, salvation by grace through faith has come to all people.  Paul explained in Romans 11:7-11:  "What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. ⁸ Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." ⁹ And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. ¹⁰ Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always." ¹¹ I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles."  The ability to see is not obtained through physical effort, knowledge, or human wisdom but by the sovereign power of God.

When Jesus opens our eyes, we can perceive people stumbling in the dark.  My natural response is to think I can help them to see because I can see.  But this isn't the case in the physical or spiritual realm!  I cannot open someone's understanding to the Gospel any more than I can open a man's eyes which have been blind from birth.  My role is to introduce others to Jesus and to the truth of the Bible which is able to make men wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15).  Jesus is the Saviour who has come to open the eyes of the blind, set the captives free, and raise the dead to life.  God is able to redeem blindness which has been lifelong or even for a season to accomplish His glorious purposes.  The God who sees and knows all will guide us into all truth.  With our eyes fixed upon Him in faith, we can remain strong and not faint (Hebrews 12:1-3) even when the blindness of others grieves our hearts.  We can praise God even for blind eyes, for through them the works of God can be revealed to all.

On God's Side

Jesus said we display our love for Him by keeping His commandments.  If we call Him LORD and Master, than we need to do what He says.  The world does all it can to allure us and gives us false hope through empty promises.  For those who remain unswayed this world and the enemy of our souls is happy to load us down with sins and weights, tries to intimidate or frighten with threats, fears, and cares, and finally kills those who refuse to yield.  As followers of Christ we must not obey or even entertain voices which earnestly cry out advice from all sides allegedly for our benefit, but heed the voice of our Saviour Jesus who has demonstrated His love by dying for us.

If we will follow Christ, then intentional actions must be taken on our part.  It is our actions - not only our verbal profession or mental theoretical agreement - which show we are committed to honouring God with our obedience.  A great picture of this is seen in 2 Kings after Jehu was anointed king over Israel.  He was ordained and commanded by God to execute judgment on the wicked house of Ahab.  After Jehu killed Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah, he rode on the same day to Jezreel to execute Joram's wicked mother, Jezebel.  She was notoriously evil, practiced sorcery, shed much innocent blood, and embraced idolatry.  When she heard of her son's death and that Jehu rode to her, she painted her face and arrayed herself with a royal tiara.  She was the queen, and she would remain dignified to the end.  Jehu rode into the city, and the queen looked down upon him with disdain to accuse him of treason from a window.

2 Kings 9:31-33 reads, "Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?" ³² And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. ³³ Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot."  God had anointed Jehu as king.  As king and servant of the most high God Jehu was answerable to no man or woman - even the daughter of a king.  Jehu ignored her effort to put guilt upon him and asked, "Who is on my side?  Who?"  He commanded her attendants to her to throw her down, which they did without hesitation.  Like dirty dish water or the contents of a bedpan (2 Kings 9:37), Jezebel was thrown down from the window and died in the street.  Jehu unceremoniously trampled her with his horses and ran her over with his chariot.  Whilst Jehu ate his lunch, wild dogs tore the carcass apart:  a fitting end for a woman who killed righteous men, prophets, and children for sport.

In this story I see myself and all people as those eunuchs who were commanded to make a choice in an instant:  they had to choose if they would remain loyal to queen Jezebel (and likely die with her), or to choose Jehu's side by obeying him as king. As Christians, Jesus is the King who has chosen us, and we have also chosen Him as our King.  Whatever He says to us we must do it.  In following Jesus there is not only one defining moment of choosing to obey Him as those eunuchs obeyed Jehu on that day:  there must be many!  If we will follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.  We must be willing to throw aside all sins, idols, and things which master our flesh at His command - not so we can prove to Jesus we are faithful followers - but so we can be.  If those eunuchs valued the life of Jezebel as precious on that day they would have forfeited their own.  We are saved by grace through faith, and real faith works.  We are called to daily work out our own salvation, for in so doing God will work in and through us.  As it is written in Philippians 2:12-13, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

God asks all today:  "Who is on my side?  Who?"  It is obedience to His commands which provides our clear answer.

Whose Side Are You On?

One interesting aspect of Australian culture, especially when it comes to sports enthusiasts, is liking one sport means you don't like another.  This applies to similar sports or different forms of the same sport.  If someone is a massive AFL (Australian rules football) supporter, I have not found a person as equally enthralled with NRL (Rugby league).  People who are gridiron (NFL, American football) supporters look at Australian Rules Football with confused smirks, and rugby purists hate how slow gridiron is:  "The game that always stops."  It is the same with cricket.  In Australia there are three common forms of cricket, and those old-school sorts don't consider anything other than "Test Cricket" real cricket at all.  Then there are those who like T-20 cricket and despise the boring pace, unable to see anything thrilling or remotely interesting in those drawn-out tests.

This mentality is not limited to sports, politics, or religion.  It spills into pop culture with the ever-rising current of modern superhero films.  It is the age-old question among youth and old comic collectors:  DC or Marvel?  A DC film which pits Superman against Batman has fans debating without end about who would win in a "real fight."  Yesterday I saw a shirt worn by a young man which placed comic superheros against popular Anime characters which read, "Which side are you on?"  This same slogan has been used extensively in promoting the recent popular Marvel release, "Civil War."  The statement infers one cannot remain neutral but must choose a side.  And what would be the motive for choosing one side over the other?  Perhaps the side which stands for doing what is right.  More likely it is the side which is seen as stronger and will win.

In the ancient world, the mythological "gods" were similar to modern superheros, in that they had a backstory and a particular area of power or expertise.  Zeus as lord of the sky and rain would fire his thunderbolts, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and fertility, Dionysus was the god of the harvest and wine, and Hades was the god of the underworld.  Those these mythical beings were gods, there was a limit to their power and varied versions were adopted by different cultures.  In cultures rife with idolatry, the more gods the better.  The gods through sacrifice or ritual worship could be placated or their power sought for personal gain.  But like Superman or Spiderman, for the most part they had strengths, weaknesses, and at least one nemesis.  Every Superman has his kryptonite and nemesis Lex Luthor.  Without a genuine weakness the human connection is lost.  Immortality makes the fight pointless.

The interesting thing is the Almighty God of the Jews is different than any mythological figure.  He is not like a man with weaknesses or a limit to His power:  He is supreme in authority and power, over and above all.  He has no nemesis, no one who can muster any real challenge to His rule.  All the mythological ancient Gods and all the heroes in the DC, Marvel, and Anime universes cannot mount the smallest attack upon Him.  After God spoke the universe, stars, and our planet into existence, He created man and caused all manner of life to flourish and grow upon the earth.  How would the almighty I AM reveal Himself to men upon the earth?  As a giant of a man, armoured or wearing a flowing cape, slowly descending to the earth and demanding worship?  No:  God came to earth as was supposed the son of a humble carpenter and seemed ordinary in every way.  He retained all power, but instead of using force He preached of the kingdom of God, healed the sick, stilled storms, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead.  When people sought to kill Him he passed through the midst, untouchable and unruffled.  Yet when His time came, He laid down His life on Calvary as an innocent sacrifice for sin.  Jesus became weak and went to the grave so He might rise again the third day in everlasting glory, proving He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

The question "Whose side are you on?" is a fitting one when speaking of God.  Every other god, deity, hero, and common man stands opposite and below Him.  If you will be on the side of the Almighty God, then He will be on your side.  If you place your trust or allegiance in anyone else but Him, you take the side against Him.  Debating the hypothetical strength or powers of superheroes is one thing, but God is interested in your allegiance to Him actually affecting the desires and affections of your heart.  It is a decision only you can make, and the life you live will display your decision.  Joshua urged the people of Israel in Joshua 24:14-15, "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! ¹⁵ And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  The strongest demons and forces of the universe are like empty mythological tales compared to the actual power and love of God.  He kills and makes alive.  As for me, He is my God.  He is immortal, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and has absolute control over all.  Rack you brains how to defeat Him if you like, but the fantasy will never be satisfied logically or practically.  The only way to find satisfaction is to choose to deny self and your own ideas and to follow Jesus Christ, loving Him, and obeying Him.  In Him is truth, righteousness, and victory.