The Wisest Teacher

"The Karate Kid" (1984) movie was an instant classic.  I remember my brother and cousin rehearsing the final "crane kick" over and over, trying to make it look as real as possible without making contact.  The film had a bit of everything people like in movies:  classic lines, funny moments, and the underdog winning.

My favourite character in the film was Mr. Miyagi, the gruff custodian who had an amazing house, sprawling deck, car collection, and taught karate like a boss.  By looking at him you just knew Mr. Miyagi was a stud and was not to be messed with.  Who sits around trying to catch flies with chopsticks?  When whingy Daniel complained about all the chores Miyagi told him to do after agreeing to teach him karate, he was as surprised of the plot twist as I was - he had unwittingly been doing karate drills all day and into the night when he was waxing cars, sanding floors, and painting the fence.  Miyagi was wise, though Daniel didn't think so as he worked.  The one Daniel likely cursed under his breath of being a lazy, lying, selfish Sensei was the one who was forging him into a champion.

Mr. Miyagi didn't write a book on wisdom, but the methods he employed to train Daniel are similar to the ways God trains His people to serve Him.  In his sweat and toil Daniel grew bitter because he wasn't doing what he wanted to do, and we can act the same towards God.  We have these arbitrary expectations of what God has called us to not realising He desires to do a work in us too.  Many people are impatient to enter into missionary or pastoral work thinking it all begins with arriving in the field or being ordained by men.  Do you find it interesting Jesus did not go to the synagogue or utilise Pharisee Labour Ready to fill His full-time ministry staff vacancies?  He went to fishermen as they mended their nets; He called a tax collector when he was on the job.  In my case, He sought me out after a career spanning a decade in mechanical insulation I genuinely loved and was content.  He had ordained me to be a pastor and directed me and my family to leave my home in SoCal for Australia.  Even Mr. Miyagi couldn't have predicted that.

So you want to serve God in ministry?  Don't be surprised if He has you doing the equivalent of sanding floors and painting fences - things which seem totally unrelated to what your ideas of ministry preparation are.  One thing about Daniel LaRusso we should take to heart is he stuck around.  He had an awful attitude, sour as can be, but he gritted his teeth and did every task he was directed morning to night - even when unsupervised.  And when he couldn't take it anymore, Mr. Miyagi graciously let him in on what he was doing by throwing punches at him.  Suddenly Daniel realised:  there was a reason behind all those chores.  What seemed completely unrelated and a waste of his time was a critical investment in his development.  God requires His servants to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).  Daniel's labours did not earn him the right to learn karate, though that is what it seemed at the time.  Not one of us is worthy to be acknowledged, taught, or trained by God to accomplish His purposes, but the servants worth their salt are those who gladly do the hard yards in obedience to Jesus.  God is much more than a divine "sensei" for the word means, "one who came before."  Jesus existed before the beginning of all things and will endure forever as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last who graciously gives eternal life to all who trust in Him.

I believe there are many people called by God to be His special ministers who miss their chance because they weren't willing to faithfully do the little things God has placed before them.  They are called to preach and teach, not clean carpets and give rides.  They are called to lead worship, not move chairs or update a website.  They are not content to do chores but want the equivalent of a black belt based upon their sense of God's calling alone.  This sort will always fall short of God's potential for them.  If we labour and are useful for the glory of God, it is all of His grace.  No task is too low for a child of God to embrace, for Jesus humbled Himself to put on human flesh, be the servant of all, and willingly died on the cross.  If God has you sanding floors, do that monotonous and back-breaking task with all your might unto Him.  Someday the season of sanding will finish and you will be blown away how God used it to smooth your rough edges.  If Jesus is your Good Teacher, you will discover His ways and methods are higher than yours!  For those who humble themselves to take the lowest place, ultimately God will say to them:  "Friend, come up higher!"

Kindness to the Dead

Naomi was a woman in the Bible who suffered the loss of her husband and two sons in Moab, having left Bethlehem due to a famine.  She returned home bitter and empty years later with daughter-in-law Ruth.  The people of Bethlehem hardly recognised the grief-stricken woman whose only companion was a foreigner.  Though Naomi had forgotten happier days, God had not forgotten Naomi.  He would provide for her abundantly in unexpected ways, and her mourning would be turned to joy.

Ruth went out to glean in a field and was kindly greeted by the owner named Boaz.  He was kind to Ruth, having been appraised of her loyalty towards her mother-in-law and the God of Israel, and invited her to remain in his field throughout the harvest.  When Ruth returned home carrying a large amount of grain, Naomi was pleasantly surprised with her success.  After Ruth divulged she had gathered in a field belonging to Boaz, consider Naomi's response Ruth 2:20:  "Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!" And Naomi said to her, "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives."

Isn't it amazing how God is kind both to the living and the dead?  Without a husband the womb of Naomi was good as dead, and her husband and sons all had passed away.  There was no way the inheritance could be retained in the family, but what is impossible with men is possible with God.  Those who die are beyond our help, but God would show kindness to the dead by providing Boaz as a husband for Ruth.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "Naomi's mind immediately perceived the significance of the situation. Even the dead might soon be blessed, in that the name of Elimelech, her dead husband, could live on through her faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth. Boaz was a close relative, but more than that, he was a kinsman-redeemer. He could act as a redeemer of property and persons."  God's kindness was not only for dead Elimelech and his house, but for the widowed Naomi and Ruth.  God is able to bring life from death.  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead demonstrates His power over sin and death and proves the reality of the Gospel.

God allowed Jesus to die on the cross and rise again so all who are dead in sins and believe in Him can be redeemed forever.  We were dead and without hope, but God has given us eternal life through the Gospel!  Ephesians 2:1-7 reads, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  God has not forgotten to show kindness to the living and to the dead.  He doesn't only raise up seed to carry on our family name but raises us from the dead to life to carry on His name as His adopted children.

Blessed be God, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!

Healthy Spiritual Choices

A wholesome diet and regular exercise are fundamental to good health.  Being discerning about what and how much we eat has a far greater impact than mere outer appearance.  Quality nutrition helps our bodies grow, repair, boosts our immune system, aids digestion, and has many other benefits.  Exercise strengthens muscles, burns fat, increases flexibility, and is good for the heart and brain.  Our attention to diet and exercise is voluntary.  For the most part we make the decision to go for a walk, eat vegetables, limit our intake of processed sugar, drink more water, or avoid alcohol.

Knowing food is more or less healthy - or honestly not healthy at all - does not mean making these personal decisions are easy.  It is hard to restrict ourselves when it comes to diet, and it can be difficult to maintain motivation to exercise.  Sometimes we are determined and dedicated to meet our goals, and other times we have no goal except to eat what we want at the time.  This difficult task of balancing our lives for optimum health physically shows the challenges which we face spiritually.  What we eat and drink is often far easier to monitor and control than what what we take in through our eyes and ears from this world we live in.

No one can force you to drink whiskey when you are alone in your room at night, but images which stir the flesh can flash across your screen.  Profane language and cursing can fill our ears through shows on TV or videos.  The problem is, we are passive players in the process.  To eat you must first pick up the food, place it in your mouth, and choose to swallow it down.  Social media, TV, and the internet brings a stream of potentially foul material we weren't looking for.  There are countless things we see and hear which which are not agreeable to our new nature in Christ.  Granted, there are times we do not have a choice in the matter.  But let us not deceive ourselves:  much of the time we do.  We can turn off a device, we can walk away, and we can throw things out.  We are not at the mercy of this world to tell us what we should see or listen to.  That is God's rightful place.

If food or drink we consume has gone bad, our bodies will grow suddenly ill.  Our bodies are created by God to purge out contaminants and to be cleansed from within.  When a person watches smut, reads filth, hears profane speech, or is exposed to what stirs the flesh to fantasise and sin with their body, it has a negative effect on the health of the soul - even as a diet high in saturated fat and sugar is bad for the heart.  Binge drinking of alcohol is hazardous for the health of a person and affects his or her ability to make good decisions, and going on a sinful "bender" of looking at sensual images is troubling to body and soul.  There are no health benefits whatsoever to drunkenness, and there is only suffering and sorrow awaiting those who willingly expose themselves to what lures them to sin.

What we eat and drink has an impact on our bodies, and what we see and hear affects the way we think.  Indulging the flesh by eating too much leads to a temporary stomach ache, but indulging the flesh through what we see and hear wounds our souls.  These inner wounds do not heal on their own but only through faith in Christ expressed by repentance and obedience.  As much as depends upon us, let us monitor our intake - not just of food and drink - but of what we willingly expose ourselves to.  When you scroll, what are you looking for?  Let us be discerning of what we seek and make decisions to honour God rather than satisfying the fleeting curiosity of the flesh which is intent on bondage and destruction.  As a man thinks so he is, and as we make godly choices with what we see and hear it will have a most positive impact on our spiritual health and vitality.  The choice is yours!

Rejoice in Christ Our Peace

When people request prayer, it is usually to seek help in time of need.  So many problems we face in life are bigger than our ability to solve or fix, and God has graciously invited all who believe Him to make our requests known to God.  We can make requests with thanksgiving and through Jesus enter into His rest, knowing God hears us and is able to accomplish all that concerns us today and always.

Have you noticed the frequency, duration, and fervency of our prayers typically rise in times of trouble?  It struck me recently how God uses trials and difficulties to prompt us - even drive us to pray for people normally who are not in our thoughts.  When we hear of tragedies and atrocities across the world we are moved to pray for people we do not know and will likely never meet.  Prayer has the capacity to invite God's aid into every corner of the globe and beg Him to minister on behalf of people who do not even know Him.  How glorious and generous God is, and He redeems trouble by moving Christians to pray.

In a world inundated with bad news, it is easy to lose a godly perspective.  We begin to focus on the problems, man's hollow solutions, and our inability to change the world (or even ourselves!) for good.  But faith in Christ enables us to rejoice in God whatever the circumstances.  Philippians 4:4-7 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Trouble itself has a silver lining when it prompts us to pray.

How good it is, believer, instead of only bringing our concerns or complaints before the LORD that we praise Him for the awesome God He is.  Regardless of our circumstances God remains good and unchanging.  He did not save us to forsake us, nor did He purchase us to disown us.  A good mother will not forget to care for her infant child, and God will never neglect us.  God's love, grace, and magnificent power is beyond anything which threatens us, and His truth cannot be shaken or dissolved by a billion voices who clamour against it.  He has situated our souls upon a Rock of eternal salvation, and we are kept in the hollow of His hand from harm.  Even the young lions suffer hunger, but those who fear the LORD will lack no good thing.  The youths will faint and grow weary, but our LORD does not slumber or sleep.  Let us praise Him, the Good Shepherd of our souls!

We quickly forget how good God is when pains overwhelm us, but God is not overwhelmed.  He is mighty to save, glorious in power, and unparalleled in majesty.  Instead of worrying, let us be praying.  And in our praying, let us make our requests with thanksgiving.  Then we will know something of the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.  Stealing candy from a baby is an easy thing to do, but no trial or trouble can steal our Peace (Eph. 2:14) from a helpless child of God who cries out to Him in faith.