Choosing Your Battles

When I worked for a union shop as a mechanical insulator, I was nominated by my peers to be shop steward.  This volunteer role was structured to be a liaison between the workers and the union to resolve conflicts between the shop and workers.  If the shop violated the collective bargaining agreement to the detriment of the workers, should the shop refuse to address the grievance it fell to me to contact the union so they could step in and resolve the issue.  It wasn't long until I was called upon to act in the best interest of workers who were being taken advantage of.

In my idealistic youth I imagined the union brass would be keen to stand up on behalf of members who were ill-used by their employer.  I discovered quite the opposite, that the union laboured to keep good relations with shops by ignoring issues raised in the fear they shops would go non-union.  During a conversation with a union business representative it was evident he lacked any desire to follow up the complaint and said with a sigh, "Ben, you gotta chose your battles."  Instantly I fired back to him, "Well, I chose this one.  How about you start doing the job the members are paying you to do?"

The approach of "choosing our battles" is common.  We might identify a losing battle, a pointless or an unnecessary battle.  There are many battles which could be justly fought, but we only want to expend effort when we can win and the potential benefit justifies the cost.  There might be a million justifiable battles and because we cannot fight them all we must choose the most worthy ones.  Every battle we fight requires a certain amount of personal investment, whether the conflict involves nations, a union contract dispute, or one of a personal and private nature.  The Bible sheds much light on battles which is foreign to the world.  Because God fights for His people He is able to accomplish impossible victories no one walking in their own strength would ever dare attempt.  In faith in God Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt without a fight, David slew the giant Goliath with a single stone when armed and amoured men fled at his voice, and Jesus defeated sin and death when He laid down His life on Calvary.  God's battles and the way He fights them are uniquely His own.

In the book of Joshua God directed the Israelites to march around Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh day He commanded them to encircle the city seven times:  at Joshua's command the people shouted and God caused the walls to fall down flat.  After this miraculous and astonishing triumph, the children of Israel set their sights on Ai--a small city with only 12,000 inhabitants.  The spies reported two or three thousand men was all it would take to defeat.  Because of sin in the camp the 3,000 who approached the city fled in fear and 36 of them perished.  After judgment of those who troubled the camp, Joshua 8:1 says, "Now the LORD said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land."  Instead of only mustering up a small fighting force for a small city, God commanded Joshua to muster all the fighting men of Israel which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.  Of the entire army made ready a portion of them were chosen to fight as Joshua 8:3 reads:  "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night."

There are many valuable principles in this passage we can apply personally:  to seek the LORD in what battle to fight, to obey God's leading in how to fight the battle, and that we do so with all our might--not only committing a fraction of our resources to the fight.  This walk of faith in God requires all our effort, a complete commitment of readiness to obey.  Because the battle is the LORD's it is always expedient to expend our energies according to His direction, for all our resources and abilities we possess have been provided by His grace.  The battle which we are engaged in is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, against rulers of darkness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6).  In the fight against Ai God directed the children of Israel to utilise military tactics, and though God has given us spiritual armour by the Holy Spirit it does not mean we intuitively know what battle to fight and how to fight it.  Praise God the battle and victory is the LORD's and when He chooses a battle He enables and guides us to contend successfully.

Hope in God's Mercy

Do you enjoy trying to find the perfect gift for someone?  When I wasn't sure what to buy I used to enjoy walking through the shops for ideas.  With enough time and persistence I would nearly always be excited with what I found and look forward to giving it away.  There have been gifts given which were appreciated nearly as much as the giver hoped, but it is especially fun to see people pleased with what they have received.  Some are tough to please, yet many people derive more joy over the person who gives them a gift than in the value of the gift itself.

That is one remarkable thing about God:  though He is perfect, literally has everything, and has the loftiest standards, He is pleased with humble things.  Visiting royals presented King Solomon lavish gifts of gold and precious jewels, spices, the best of oil and wine, and exotic animals--that hardly made a dent in the goods he already acquired.  What could a common person afford to gift a king, much less the KING OF KINGS?  Psalm 147:11 tells us what God takes pleasure in:  "The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy."  God delights in people who reverence Him, who "hope in His mercy."  Mercy is kindness to others from a heart of love.

Now this is a wondrous thing, that God delights in people who acknowledge and expect to receive mercy from Him!  The prophet Jeremiah said concerning God's mercy in Lamentations 3:21-26:  "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. ²² Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed,because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning;great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."  When Jeremiah and the children of Israel faced the brutal consequences of judgment for their sins at the hand of their enemies, those who feared God were patiently sustained by God's mercies which were new every morning.  Like the manna which sustained the Hebrews day by day in the wilderness, so God's mercies upheld those who faced war, famine, and pestilence.

When we give a gift how satisfying it is to see it joyfully received, and the same is true concerning God:  who is a more generous Giver than He?  His delight is in those who sense their lack and need for His presence, in those who hope in His mercy.  Those who fear God seek Him and receive His loving kindness.  God is not a greedy despot who demands sacrifice to be satisfied but is pleased to see His gifts gladly received and appreciated.  The greatest thrill for a chef, baker, or grill master is to see people heartily enjoy their quality offerings, and God's pleasure is not by what we offer Him but that we happily receive what He freely gives us out of His mercy, grace, and love.

Childish Things

What I learned in English class rings true for interpreting the Bible:  keep the main thing the main thing.  Though some are always on the lookout for "fresh" interpretations to support what is not explicitly said, I believe the deepest meaning of the passage is often in plain sight.  It takes the Holy Spirit and humility to sit quietly and listen to discover profound truths God delights to reveal.

This happened for me the other day as I read 1 Corinthians 13, a passage familiar to many believers.  When I have heard people teach on the second half of it they often wade into debates and conflict concerning whether tongues and prophecy are valid in the church today (which is ironic because chapters 12 and 14 explicitly affirm they are) and what childish things we are to put away.  To use this chapter to debate these topics hijacks the passage from the context and clear meaning of the text which is profound in itself.

On the heels of exhorting people to desire spiritual gifts and not to forbid them, Paul in chapter 13 introduces how God's love is necessary to properly utilise spiritual gifts and how faith, hope, and love will endure after spiritual gifts are eliminated when we are glorified with Christ.  In short, Paul explained the most desirable and useful spiritual gifts today are mere child's play compared to the life which awaits us in eternal glory.  1 Corinthians 13:9-12 reads, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."

We do not need to wonder what Paul meant when he spoke of putting "away childish things" because he just told us by means of a personal example.  As a child he 1) spoke as a child, 2) understood as a child, and 3) thought as a child.  Meditating on each one of these aspects of own childhood (and children we have observed) helps us to understand the contrast Paul struck between operating in spiritual gifts in part and the glorified state in the presence of Jesus Christ when we see Him as He is in fullness.  Let us consider each one of these childish things Paul put away as he matured into adulthood and began following Jesus Christ.

• Spoke as a child:  children have limited diction and impatiently shout things like "Mine!" and "No!" and "I do it myself."  Infants babble and make sounds without meaning as they imitate their parents or siblings.  On the playground they shout, scream with delight, or call other children names.  They may threaten, "If you don't play it right, I'm not your friend anymore."  All this sounds familiar to us I'm sure.
• Understood as a child:  children are very concrete thinkers, unable to process abstract concepts.  Their understanding is limited and is filtered through who they trust:  if dad or mum said it, it's true without question.  They can be gullible and easily frightened.  The meaning of what people say around them goes right over their heads and they pay it no mind.  They have an innocence which comes from ignorance.
• Thought as a child:  the thoughts of children are very simple and often not connected with reality.  I remember my dad telling me a story of when he sank under the water in a public pool and likely would have drowned if the lifeguard had not sprang into action.  What were his thoughts as his life flashed before his eyes?  He was a bit disappointed at the prospects of missing fried chicken night and hoped the beard of the lifeguard wasn't scratchy.  Children are easily overwhelmed and imagine the entire world is ending over an insignificant event, like Chicken Little thinking the sky was falling because a small apple plonked on her head.

Paul went on from speaking as a child to doing so circumspectly with the wisdom of God in love.  He considered who he spoke to and the right way to convey his feelings and used God's truth to encourage, exhort, rebuke, and edify.  Instead of the limited understanding of a child Paul grew to discern good from wickedness, truth from error, and literal from figurative.  He understood the implications of truth claims and how scripture was to be rightly interpreted and applied personally.  Paul matured from thinking as a child to choosing scripture to filter his worldview rather than relying upon culture or tradition to direct him.  He put away suspicions, superstition, and self-centred thinking with the aim to please God, make disciples of Jesus, and love others.

Paul followed with another example, that "now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face."  Mirrors in Paul's day were often polished metal which were a far cry from seeing someone in person.  With all the spiritual knowledge Paul possessed and spiritual gifting he operated in by the power of the Holy Spirit he resembled a child compared to who God would glorify him to be; looking in a mirror which provided a dull and warped reflection of his own face would one day be lost and forgotten in the clarity which would surpass 8K resolution.  In the presence of the almighty God glorified the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy would vanish, but love would remain as 1 Corinthians 13:13 says:  "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  The almost parenthetical placement of 1 Corinthians 13 between chapters 12 and 14 prevent the folly of downplaying the value and need of spiritual gifts now which are provided according to the will of the Holy Spirit.

I pray you are as blessed (or even more so!) as I was to consider in light of the great things God has provided today by the power of the Holy Spirit we have even more to look forward to when we are glorified in the presence of Jesus.  The ways we speak, understand, and think now resembles well the ways of a child compared to the apostle Paul, ways we will someday put off when we meet Jesus face to face.  A good application of the passage is not just to long for eternity but to recognise childish speaking, understanding, and thinking in us now, intentionally put it off, and put on the new man which is created after Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 4:14-15 makes the point "...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ..."  Through the Holy Spirit God has given us the ability to know and do His will, to speak the truth in love and grow into the image of Christ.

The Matter of Self-Belief

My wife works at a Christian bookstore and occasionally brings home one for me to read.  I am convinced King Solomon's claim was spot on when he wrote, "Of making books there is no end." (Ecclesiastes 14:12)  It seems easier than ever to write a book too, as these days anyone can print their own book without an editor or publisher!

Anyway, I have started reading one of these new offerings on the subject of mentoring.  The premise of the book seems biblically sound, but there were times I felt good reasoning somehow led to incorrect conclusions.  My mind followed the track of logic until the final word of a paragraph!  Here is an example of what I mean:

Every man is living out "The Story of Me."  And I have yet to meet a man who wouldn't love to be the hero in that story--if only he knew how to do it.  But here's the catch:  information alone can't turn him into a hero.  Nor can technique.  Nor can a strategic plan or a set of goals.  Certainly no app can do it, either.  Something has to take place inside the man--inside his heart and mind--that transforms him into acting as a hero would act.  It's ultimately a matter of believing in himself.  (bold emphasis mine, quoting Bill Hendricks in Men of Influence, pages 56-57)

It's certainly debatable what motivates "heroes" to do admirable acts which justify the label, and it is ironic some of the most heroic men and women would humbly declare they have done nothing to deserve such praise:  they simply did what others would have done in the situation.  It is true there are heroes in history who did not profess faith in God, but was it self-belief which saved the day?  To say the necessary transformation inside a heart and mind is a result of "believing in himself" is not the conclusion I expected.  Since no man has the capacity to create himself or transform his heart and mind, it is only faith in God which can bring about this required miracle.

But then I started thinking:  what is the proper role of self-confidence in Christianity?  Does it have a place, what Hendricks calls "believing in himself?"  I would say biblically it has no place whatsoever, but in reality self-confidence can creep in.  The church in Galatia is a good example of this dynamic:  they started their journey of faith well by trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation, but then tried to progress through the efforts of the flesh.  I do not believe Jesus was self-confident, but He knew who He was in relation to His Father in heaven.  Self-confidence is always a snare because it rests in self and pride.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and grow as we humble ourselves and obey Him--not because having a relationship with God gives us self-confidence.

Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  We do not always chose the best option but tend towards what is natural, to place our confidence in other people or ourselves.  But Jesus did not place His confidence in men because He knew what was in them.  Our boldness, strength, and success does not come from believing in ourselves but in the revelation of our God "...according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²  in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." (Ephesians 3:11-12)  At the same time it is good for us to examine ourselves:  is it self-confidence or faith in Christ which moves me to serve God and others?  Am I bold because I am confident in myself or in humility before God?  Self-belief is misguided, but faith in Christ places our confidence in Him.