WHAT IF ALL YOU OWN WAS TAKEN FROM YOU?

The writer of the biblical book of Hebrews is unknown.

This letter was probably written between A.D. 64 and 68.

“The recipients of this letter were believers (3:1) who had come to faith through the testimony of eyewitnesses of Christ (2:3). They were not novices (5:12), and they had successfully endured hardships because of their stand for the gospel (10:32-34). Unfortunately, they had become ‘dull of hearing’ (5:11) and were in danger of drifting away (2:1; 3:12). This made them particularly susceptible to the renewed persecutions that were coming upon them (12:4-12), and the author found it necessary to check the downward spiral with ‘the word of exhortation’ (13:22).”

[from The Wilkinson and Boa Bible Handbook, pp.455-6]

“Many Jewish believers, having stepped out of Judaism into Christianity, wanted to reverse their course in order to escape persecution by their countrymen.” [Ibid. p.453]

With this background addressed, we can see that this letter was written at a crucial time to encourage new Christians who had been dispersed from Jerusalem to various parts of the surrounding environment. The persecution was growing intense and they were suffering!

The unknown author of this letter is deeply concerned and dedicated to encourage these New Testament Christians. The author seems well-acquainted with the degree and nature of their suffering and wants to encourage them not to give up, but to persevere in their faith in Jesus!

The author writes:

Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. Sometimes you were hurt and attacked before crowds of people, and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. You helped the prisoners. You even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting.   [Hebrews 10:32-34 NCV]

That last line [printed in bold letters] stopped me!

I found myself wondering:

If all I owned was taken from me because I was a Christian,

would I have joy because I knew I had something better and more lasting?

It didn’t take me long to produce an answer.

No. I would be overwhelmed with feelings of injustice, shock, despair and sorrow. I would be looking for some recourse that might restore what was rightfully mine! I would be angry! I would probably be feeling sorry for myself. I can’t imagine myself being joyful in the face of losing everything that I owned!

I would need an intervention! I would need someone – like the author of Hebrews – to give me a strong, direct, corrective word!

I would need to be told:

• God sees you, Hal, and is on your side!
• The Lord will provide!
• He will make a way where there seems to be no way!
• The Lord is your shepherd – you shall not want…
• Put your trust in Him and He will deliver you.
• God is good – all the time!

I would need to be reminded that my true reward will come in Heaven! I would desperately need to recall the truth I’ve known and taught: that something better and more lasting waits for me in Heaven!

I would very much need to hear the author of Hebrews’ very next words:

So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. For in a very short time,

“The One who is coming will come

and will not be delayed.

Those who are right with me

will live by faith.

But if they turn back with fear,

I will not be pleased with them.” Habakkuk 2:3–4

But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.

[Hebrews 10:35-39 NCV]

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TWO THOUGHTS BEFORE WE CLOSE

1.    It could happen!

I’m writing this on the morning after a 23-year-old gunman shot through the windows of a Catholic Church in Minneapolis killing two young children and wounding seventeen others!

Our culture is disintegrating!

The decades-long-assault on the family has produced a generation of youth who are angry. They were not prized and loved. They were not taught and nurtured. Love, honor and hope were not modeled for them. Guardrails were not in place! In many instances, they raised themselves and each other. And we reap what we’ve sown!

As a parallel, the influence of the Church has been waning for decades! The fact that this shooting took place while the victims were attending a mass, screams disdain and disregard for Christianity!

One could easily postulate that the magnitude of these problems will not be solved by an election or a political party.

If this sentiment continues to grow unrestrained and unchanged, we could eventually see the day when we would suffer the same losses as the people that the author of Hebrews was writing to in the first century – just 2,000 years later!

 2.    The hardest thing for us to do!

We live in the here-and-now, but someday we hope to live in the there-and-then!

The here-and-now is real to us! The there-and-then seems ethereal and imaginative. We struggle to think of a place that could go on for all eternity!  It’s one thing to say that we believe our loved ones have gone to Heaven, but where is it? What is it really like? What is life there like? Will we be bored? Will it be like being in church forever? Will I worship non-stop? Will it be a fun place? Will there be humor? Will I be able to travel the universe? Will we eat there? Will my former pets be there? Will I have a body?

So many questions and so few answers.

And yet most of us believe in Heaven – at least to some extent. We may not know specifics, but we do believe there will be ‘something more’.

Perhaps we should invest a bit more in a study of Heaven and its assurances? If it’s all true, then I’ll be there FAR LONGER THAN I’LL BE HERE!

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LORD GOD: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

I want to be faithful to You!

I believe Your Word!

I have accepted You as my Lord!

I’m trying to live my life to honor You!

There is a war going on!

Evil is real and rampant!

It impacts me daily.

I must continually choose You and Your way.

It’s not always easy.

Temptation is real!

I’m not always strong.

I falter and fail.

But You are faithful to forgive!

You always hear my prayers of confession.

Your restore me again and again.

You have many ways of protecting me.

I want to be so committed to You that if I lost everything I own,

I would still choose to be faithful to You and to trust in You!

I want to think of myself in the words of the ‘rock pioneer’, Larry Norman, who sang:

“I’m only visiting this planet!”

I am already a citizen of Heaven!

I read in Philippians 3:20-21

“…our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. 

By his power to rule all things,

he will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body."

Help me to be more heavenly-minded, Lord!

Help me to look forward to it with anticipation and not to lament those who have left this life after living faithfully for You. Rather, help me to humbly rejoice that they are enjoying You, people, and experiences that I can only long for and try to imagine!

And may I continually remember that none of the things that are so precious to me here will make it through to Heaven! So, I probably ought to worry far less about my possessions. Right?

Amen!

JOY

I had a couple of hours last evening to continue my reading of Dr. Wes Stafford's book, Too Small To Ignore.  I stopped when I read the following:

The poor comprehend that joy is not dictated by the circumstances of life.  Joy is a decision, a very brave one, about how you are going to respond to life.  We in the West tend to be joyful when things go our way and good things are happening in our lives.  For the poor [who make up nearly two out of every three people on earth], such good fortune and good things almost never come.  Yet laughter and smiles abound.  (p.165)

I have lived my entire life (sixty years this week) with the supposition that I have been blessed to have been born and raised in the United States of America.  However, in the last year or so, I've begun to think the opposite.  If life is so good in America, why so much depression, divorce, and addiction?  Why do we consume the majority of prescription drugs issued throughout the world?  ("Americans consumed three-quarters of the ten top-selling prescription drugs in the world." [Health Tracking Trends: "Retail Prescription Drug Spending in the National Health Accounts" by Cynthia Smith])

The assumed joy of materialism and consumerism seems to be eluding us.  How many people do you know who are truly joyful?

"In 1950, the average American single-family home was 983 square feet.  By 1970, that figure had grown to 1,500 square feet.  By 2004, it had ballooned to 2,329 square feet." (p.92)  And, of course, we're so much happier now - as a result!  The home Debbie and I live in would probably house five families in Asia.

Is Stafford right?  Are the poor more content?  Are they happier?  He speaks of playing soccor in the little African village of his childhood.  No field, no shoes, no rules, no teams.  Just an inflated chicken intestine being kicked around the village by kids (and adults occasionally)!  When he was exposed to soccor at a boarding school, he was disappointed with the formalities of rules, limits, skills, penalties, teams, and the concept of winning!  In his village, soccor was played simply for fun!

I'm thinking that there might be some real value in being exposed to the extreme poverty in this world.  I'm thinking that there might be some real value in being exposed to the true joy in this world.  I'm thinking that we've been sold a lie - and most of us have bought into it unquestioningly...

What do you think?

CHRISTMAS TURN-OFF

Upon returning from retreat, Deb and I had dinner at Bob Evans last night and then did a walk-through at the mall.

The parking lot was jammed!  I literally parked facing the outer curb of the massive parking lot!

I hadn't been there in awhile, so I was shocked at what I saw.  In the major department stores tables were stacked high with techie gifts and other attractive gimmick items.  There's an obvious anticipation of selling huge volumes of these things. 

Main passageways were lined with eye-catching items.  Sale signs were everywhere;  I think it's so nice of them to have all these 'sales' right when we're all buying things for Christmas - don't you?

I watched people's faces.  I didn't see many joyful ones.  Most people looked angry or dazed.

I had to wait awhile at the counter in the Yankee Candle Store as the clerk wrapped my gifts.  Several customers were cared for during my wait.  The clerks were so courteous and friendly.  I found that the customers were repeatedly rude.  They treated the clerks disrespectfully.  I was surprised by that!

I would like to report that a number of people wished me a Merry Christmas - including one man who held the door for us as we left the mall!  That was encouraging to me!

Although I enjoyed my time with Debbie, I felt my joy slipping away.  I actually left in a quiet mood.  I felt - - - - embarrassment. 

It's a delusion to think that anything material will bring any measure of long-term joy.  But we seem to have missed that lesson somewhere. 

For those of you who consistently follow this blog:  This is what happens if you read books by David Platt and Francis Chan.  I told you - DON'T READ THEIR BOOKS!

DISENGAGE FROM MATERIALISM

John Wesley (1703-1791) acquired significant wealth as a result of his books and publications;  however, he gave it all away and had the equivalent of $30 upon his death.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 (TM)
Be generous:  Invest in acts of charity.  Charity yields high returns.  Don't hoard your goods;  spread them around.  Be a blessing to others.  This could be your last night.

Selfishness and hoarding come so natural to us.  Generosity seems hard.

All of us know that we can't take any of this stuff with us. 

Solomon (probably the wealthiest man of all history) lamented:  I took a hard look at everything I accumulated on this earth.  I can't take it with me - no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me.  Whether they're worthy or worthless - and who's to tell?  (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19).

Yet, we all want more!  We want the lottery.  We want wealth and possessions. 

We read that the poor are happier than the rich.  And on some level, it makes sense to us - but, nah, give me more! 

We read that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  Again, on some level, we agree - but, nah, I'll keep what I have.

We read of people who live in intentional poverty: Wesley and Mother Teresa;  we admire them - but, nah, that's not for me.

Did you hear the story of the man who got to Heaven?  He was so excited to see the mansion that Jesus had prepared for him!  However, when they arrived at his heavenly address, it was a poorly built shack.  He was shocked!  He asked for an explanation.  He was told that they had done the best they could with the materials he sent ahead!

By giving to others, we are laying up treasure in Heaven! 

So, how's your heavenly house coming along?