Beyond The Rim…

Several days ago I asked a question. “Where do you think all of the things I have been talking about during these Lenten meditations–God’s teachable moments, His inexorable call for repentance and redemption, our attempts to change course in some or all aspects of our lives, and knowing which of the many things we could address to address–are played out?” I answered that question with Romans 12:1-2 and argued that the answer is through our renewed mind, provided we approach everything with a life lived as an ongoing sacrifice to God, or as Paul calls it, a “living sacrifice”.

We all want answers. We want to know what to do. It is the human condition. For Christians, it is even more difficult, because we want to know what God wants, what He expects from us and the more we are committed to our faith, the more serious our yearning to know becomes.

The end of that short passage in Romans gives us hope.

…so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2b (Amplified Bible)

You can prove (or test to find the truth) what God wants for you, that good and perfect thing. That is what we want, isn’t it? To know the right course, to prove that we know what to do, and to rest assured in its goodness for us. This truth, coupled with the great statement of assurance in Philippians 4:7, gives us what we need to meet any challenge, persevere through any difficulty.

And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (Amplified Bible)

And, once we have gotten the foundation right, there are many other assurances in the Scriptures that we can know what we need to know to move confidently forward in our Christian life. For example, James 1:5 assures us “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” John 11:22 says it more simply: “And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.”

God has told us what to do. Sacrifice and submission is the key that begins the process, allowing our lives and mind to be cleansed and then renewed is what moves it forward, and testing the possibilities gives us what we seek. Seems pretty simple when you say it like that. The rub is in the doing.

So, what are you waiting for. To borrow a phrase from Nike, “Just do it!”

Some things are inevitable. History teaches us that everything created by mankind, whether physical, philosophical, sociological, or theological eventually falls apart, either through natural processes wearing on it, or outright corruption.

Science is no different. It does not exist in a vacuum. Since its inception it has lived through the actions of the people who have embraced its methodology. It eventually became important and over the last two generations gained unimaginable power. That power eventually tainted the purveyors of science as they were enticed for gain to turn its processes to specific ends, rather than following truth wherever it may lead. While it may have begun with good intentions, like all fundamental compromises, it is ending badly.

In addition, people with specific agendas entered science with precise intent to twist its power and influence to their own ends. They played on the trust science had built up as the arbiter of truth, the explainer of complex things, to move public understanding and opinion in the direction that would subjugate everything to their agenda.

As science has tried to reassert itself, to question the validity of the new paradigms, to assert the inconvenient truth that real science was producing, it was shouted down, belittled, degraded. Not, mind you, using the results of real science to counter, point for point, observation for observation, those who said the Emperor had no clothes. That would allow truth to assert itself, whatever that truth might be. No, having grasped the power of science they had used that power to create a pseudo-scientific religion that they now use against science itself, stifling anything that threatens their dogma.

So the religion of manmade global warming asserted itself, and is demanding that every knee should bow and every tongue confess to the lie and accept the subjugation it demands, while science, once the handmaiden of the search for truth, is muzzled and now shackled to pull the cart of servitude as its new masters begin marching everyone into bondage and slavery.

We are at a nexus point in history. The door is closing; the chains are being forged. Will you stand before it is too late? Or will you go into subjugation with only whimper?

For an interesting argument on this issue please read How government corrupts science.

We have been answering the questions of where and how we make the changes in our life to become, to be the person, God is calling us to be. We have already looked at Step 1: Offering ourselves as living sacrifices and Step 2: Do not be conformed to this world (see previous posts). Today we examine the third of our three steps.

Step 3: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Transformed. That is more than changed. It means to become different in nature or being. It reflects what happens to a caterpillar when it is becomes a butterfly. There is a fundamental, radical, alteration that goes to what is basic, affecting our innermost nature.

Paul expects this transformation to occur in our mind, our seat of understanding. But it goes further and touches on discernment that is reminiscent of the apostle’s statement to the Corinthians (Amplified Bible).

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him]. 1 Cor 2:14-15 (Amplified Bible)

So we should see that this renewing transformation of our mind is rooted in a fundamental spiritual process that goes beyond (but includes) natural reasoning to include spiritual discernment. That sounds great and it is, but there is a rub, which Paul talks about in 1 Cor 13:12 (Amplified Bible).

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as [e]in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand [f]fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been [g]fully and clearly known and understood [[h]by God]. 1 Cor 13:12 (Amplified Bible)

Despite this marvelous transformation, we are still limited in our ability to understand spiritual things, to do what the conclusion of this Romans passage directs us toward.

…so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2b (Amplified Bible)

This transformation allows us to know God’s will for us, but to take Paul’s other statement to heart, we know that will incompletely, dimly. It means we have to be cautious, patient, and humble. It brings us full circle back to the original sacrificial offering of ourselves. Since we can know only in part, our knowledge of what God wants, no matter how profound, is incomplete, restricted. God has limited his revelation to us.

Yes, He has given us all things necessary for salvation and to adequately navigate the choices we have to make, but we are still ever-dependent on him. We can never say we know and don’t need to continue to ask his advice and understanding. We can never step back from that state of continuous offering of ourselves, that living sacrifice, that all-encompassing submission to his will, not ours.

Tomorrow, I will talk about where that leaves us. Today, just remember that while we have been given wings to fly in spiritual places, God has limited us. I suspect it is because of Romans 7 and the continual battle we find ourselves part of, but in the end, it is all about submission.

May the grace of God in Christ Jesus give you wisdom and discernment and my your heart ever be submitted to Him for his honor and glory.

Amen.

Yesterday we began trying to answer the questions of where and how do we make the changes in our life to become, to be the person, God is calling us to be. We looked at Step 1: Offering ourselves as living sacrifices (see previous post). Today we examine the second of our three steps.

Step 2: Do not be conformed to this world

The Amplified Bible text says, “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs].” At first glance that looks pretty basic and straight forward. Negatives usually do. We think it’s simple; don’t be corrupted by what is out there. Christian bravado says, “Not me. I’m not tainted.” Paul, however, warns the Corinthians: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Cor. 10:12.

It is when we begin to draw lines, to cross or not to cross, that the difficulty begins. How far do we go? After all, Jesus set a very high standard that calls into account even our private thought life, saying there was a moral equivalency between the thought and the act, the willing and the doing. Paul tempers that with the reality that even when we think we are succeeding in righteousness we are teetering on the precipice of failure. That is a sobering actuality.

I have a favorite descriptive phrase that I use when I lead study groups, “the water in which we swim.” It illustrates the many problems we face that are caused by the world, age, social constructs, and environments we have grown in. We pull from what is around us and culture, macro and micro, are not value neutral. All of it influences us in uncountable ways, obvious and hidden, direct and subliminal, to conform to its current state. To say it more classically, we are largely people of our time and place.

Paul warns us that we must realize this and then we have to stop conforming. To do that we must realize that we do have some measure of control. We are not completely at the mercy of our surrounding water; indeed God demands we take responsibility for who are and what we become rather than taking the easy route of giving in and conforming to the “spirit of the age.”

We must never forget who is the ruler of this world/age/system in which we live (not the physical world, but the social/political/economic/religious systems that populate it). The ruler is Satan, the one who offered to turn all of this power and influence over to Jesus if he would just worship him. That is a temptation we all face sooner or later, more often than not. I believe it is not too dramatic to say that this former light-bearer to the Most High does not have our best interests at heart, or to even to argue that his real goal is our destruction and the sooner the better.

That is the water in which we swim and why Paul is adamant that we do not conform, but resist its tainting influence with all of our being. Jesus told his listeners on the Sermon on the Mount that they could not serve two masters, they could not serve God and mammon, or expanded, serve God and the water, the social/political/economic/religious systems under the subjugation of Satan.

Mammon is not money itself but avarice and greed in the service of the enemy of God. It is masked as something good, something we should just breath in, swim through, allow to become part of us. Gordon Gekko, the ruthless antagonist in the movie Wall Street, illustrates the problem clearly in his “Greed is Good” speech.

I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.

Isaiah warned in the strongest terms against this deception, this twisting on its head of what is right and true.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Isaiah 5:20-23

We are not to conform. We are not to be influenced, changed, controlled, motivated, guided, or directed by the world (system) in which we live. It will call evil good, it will corrupt us It is, in the end, a honey trap that we must diligently avoid. Instead, it is God in whom we are to live and move and have our being, not the water polluted by Satan’s rebellion.

That is hard to do. It is a really difficult task, one that all of us fail from time to time. However, the call is not optional since if we offer ourselves to God, we must remove ourselves from the world’s system around us, break the ties of conformity, and free our souls from the entrapment. We are citizens of heaven Paul argues and to God we owe our allegiance.

May God bless your day. May He open your eyes to the bindings that hold you down and give you power to begin breaking free from the corruption that taints your every decision. We can do this; we can work out our salvation, because He is at work in us, to will and to do that which brings Him pleasure, pleasure in us.

Amen.

Question: Where do you think all of the things I have been talking about during these Lenten meditations–God’s teachable moments, His inexorable call for repentance and redemption, our attempts to change course in some or all aspects of our lives, and knowing which of the many things we could address to address–are played out?

While you are considering that, let me say that the what is not at issue; it is everywhere. God is not shy about His demands, about what we should do. That resonates from every page of Scripture. The difficulty is not in the what, but in the where and how. I remember early in my Christian life crying out to God, “How am I supposed to do this? Where is the answer?”

Eventually I found Romans and the one scriptural passage that has the definitive answer to the where and how of actually doing something about our lives for God. The following is from the Amplified Bible, which helps flesh out the full flavor of the Greek.

I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:1-2

That is where everything starts; the place the how and where are laid out. Paul details a three step process, which comprises a whole that is much more than the sum of its parts. This is the only place in Scripture I know of that lays out the where and how in straightforward and unambiguous terms. Today we will look at the first step.

Step One: Offer yourself as a living sacrifice.

In our modern Christian emphasis on the “born again” experience, we need to note that this is not a singular, one and done, decision. While it may begin that way, Paul makes it clear that this is an ongoing, continuous dedication, a constant effort for as long as you are alive. To place it in the context of what I have learned over the last few days requires us to understand the immediacy of the demand. It is not a sometimes, when I get around to it, or when something happens to get my attention kind of demand. It is a living sacrifice, a raw, moment to moment, continuous rendering of who we are (members and facilities) to God. It is the ultimate demand, from which, once understood, there is no place to hide.

Interestingly, Paul says this is both reasonable and our true spiritual worship. It is not unfair, or too demanding, or only for the special people, but it is a reasonable demand that God makes on all of us, from the greatest to the least in the Kingdom of God. There are no alternate paths, ways around, fallback solutions. We are all called to follow our elder brother, His Son, and say, “Not my will, but your will be done” and lay our bodies, hearts, and minds on the altar of sacrifice, to pick up our crosses and journey with Him through whatever lies ahead. We may fall; he fell; but he got up, so we will too and continue our journey.

The Apostle James told his readers (James 1:27) “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Religion is the outworking in the world of our true spiritual worship. Pure worship has a giving heart that remain undefiled. It’s where one’s left hand does not know what one’s right hand is doing; it doesn’t do things to be seen, but because it is the right, reasonable, and godly thing to do. It gives everything, but not to get back. It lives out Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44b-46.

…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

So, it all begins with our reciprocal response. Christ sacrificed himself for us while we where still rebellious, unrepentant sinners. He gave his all. Now we in response do the same. We give God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our all, in every moment of every day that remains to us. That is our call, our reasonable and spiritual worship, which will be reflected in the living out of true sacrificial agape religion in the world.

Grace and peace to your day. I pray that you are able, with me, to take step one today. To, as a popular advertisement says, just do it, to lay your life, heart, mind, body, soul, desires, hopes, expectations, possessions, talents, successes, and failures, everything that you are and hope to be, on the altar of sacrifice to your God and Savior, remembering what David said about this One to whom we offer our all:

…a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17b

Amen. Amen. Amen.

From “teachable moments” to the requisite testing, I have moved on from my initial experience examined yesterday to the logical and expected follow-on: the test. Isn’t that normal? You get taught, then you get tested. Why would God be different? He could be, but he’s not. It is after all, his choice.

…so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4b

God teaches us; God tests us; we succeed and move on or we fail, repent, and relearn the lesson. Sounds pretty straight forward, doesn’t it. It isn’t, because more often than not, as I pointed out in God’s Teachable Moments (scroll back one posting), we aren’t listening and the lesson is then wasted on our deafness. So, there is nothing to test. We missed it.

Today it began. Had I begun listening? I hope so. This afternoon there were some tests. I think I met the situations better because of my new openness, my greater willingness to listen, to hear what God is saying in the situation. It was a teachable moment, followed pretty quickly by a test; how would I react; how far would I push; what would I hold onto and what would I let go of and why?

It was different, this new sensitivity, this willingness to hear, to listen, to work out what to do in conjunction with my Heavenly Father in a way that beyond my previous experience. There was/is an immediacy to it all that is hard to explain. At the same time, this is dangerous and scary stuff and it reminds me of Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

It will be an interesting journey, this commitment, this willingness to be open to the immediacy of God. The afterglow of the original experience is finally diminishing. Soon there will be just the doing of it. That is not to say I won’t be given other, similar moments, but they are not the goal and when they come, they will come unbidden, part of the grace of it all. It is the choices that are central, the will for the doing of the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. The other is a bonus, which can never become a temptation unto itself.

I guess that is part of the test too, seeing how well I can keep my balance and my focus. Good. Hold only God tightly, be willing to let go of everything else, and move along. After all, we are travelers on the road to what we will become and getting there is a journey not a destination, at least in this life.

Grace, peace, and blessings to your day and say hi when you see me on the road.

As I settle in and integrate my experiences from this past weekend (Steven’s great teaching, insights from the other authors, my musings and reactions) I am in the midst (as I am writing this) of an unexpected revelation. I was thinking back over the other people who I have interacted with over the years and I suddenly realized that God has been trying to give me teachable moments all of my life. I was just too [insert pig-headed adjective of choice here] to listen and learn.

As I explored the sudden explosion of possibilities, I realized how little, how very little, I had been listening to that still small voice trying to instruct, help, guide, and direct my steps. I have missed so many significant opportunities to grow in grace, to build up the new man in Christ. Surprisingly, some of the more important lessons were offered by wormwoods (people who reject Christ or even God). Despite my appreciation of Balaam’s story, I failed to learn from it.

As I sit here writing this, I am overwhelmed, but also saddened at the missed chances. I have turned my back so many times to God’s gentle promptings that I am ashamed. This is interesting because the initial preface of my novel deals with this issue of listening to God’s whispers. I enclose it below for your understanding of where I am coming from.

Prologue: Signs

Life for the people of Egypt was filled with signs and omens sent by their gods. Almost anything could be a divine voice, trying to get their attention. The flight of a bird, the movement of the wind, or on a larger scale, the size of the yearly inundation of the Nile could be a divine message. Something as simple as the timing of an event could have special meaning, because the gods caused circumstances to work together for a purpose. Sometimes it was a sign; other times it was a message, or possibly an omen or warning. It might signal something good, signifying a blessing, or warn of an ill wind that preceded judgment.

A whisper from the gods was most common, since they usually employed subtle methods to express themselves, seeking the listening ear among the multitude of their followers. Most of these quiet efforts were lost in the daily clutter of life, because hardly anyone was looking or listening and would see or hear these hushed murmurings. The gods used these faint expressions to identify the true believers, those who sought out their voice, from the masses who only pretended to serve them.

When necessary, the gods raised their voices and spoke through intermediaries. Whether birds, or animals acted out their message, or they used people who received prophetic dreams and visions, these divine communications were often cryptic and difficult to interpret. Long debates ensued, but one thing all of Egypt agreed upon: ignoring the raised voices put the listener at peril.

On the rare occasions, when their message was so important, so significant they did not want any one in Egypt to miss what they were saying, the gods shouted. They used heavenly messengers associated with events that shook the earth and the nation. The people knew great calamity or great blessing teetered on their response, so they clamored for interpretation.
It was not unusual for an Egyptian to be concerned with the will of their gods; Egypt was considered the most religious nation in the entire world and its reverence for the gods permeated everything about its life.

The Hebrews, who had called Egypt their home for almost 400 years, had similar beliefs. Their God, the invisible, nameless one, spoke to them as well, often quietly, sometimes in dreams and visions, and on rare occasions, with thunderous events.

During this fateful day, there will be many whispers and numerous raised voices, all enveloped by a resounding shout. Some will pay attention to the soft-spoken signs. There will be arguments over the raised voices that many will try to use to their own ends. The shout, however, will overwhelm everyone, making it difficult to hear anything with clarity afterward. When this day is over, events that will change Egypt, the Hebrews, and all of history will be set in motion.

I need to rework that and make it tighter, but you get the idea. If we are honest and committed to following God, we will be attuned to his whispers, to his still small voice. Not just when we are searching for something, an answer to a problem, but every moment of every day, in every circumstance and every interaction. That is life-changing and I expect this is what separates the historic “saints” from the rest us who follow Christ.

When Paul argues that we should bring every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), I had always viewed that as a negative thing, a necessary limiting, restricting view to avoid sin. But with this context added, it can be so much more. It is liberating, enervating. We have a real life coach, a loving Father and Brother who want the best for us (yes, they may call for extreme sacrifice), to assist us in every way possible to work out our salvation. We are never alone and every moment is a teachable moment with God.

Wow! This changes everything. It alters every second of my remaining life. Everything, and I mean all of it, is now part of the training program, part of my path. My eyes are open (finally), my attention focused in a way I never before appreciated. I have been coming to this revelation for a long time, or maybe better said, I have been resisting this revelation for my whole life in Christ. Now I need to embrace it, live in it, use to drive my living forward along the path God has for me.

This change will not be easy, and I will fail, but He knows that and does not give up on me, just as I will not give up on myself. My hand is to a new plow. This is so cool.

So, dear reader, I pray this revelation for you also, that you will be able to see clearly what He has revealed to my heart. May it be yours also. As they say in sports, this is a game changer. Hallelujah! My eternal adventure has just entered a whole new arena. Thank you God!

Grace and peace to your day and may you be filled with the same joy today God has unexpectedly given to me. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Postscript May 4: Upon rereading this, I realize some of you may not think this is all that big a deal. We should all know this and understand its demands. In other words, it is basic. True, yet not true. I have known the principle but never experienced it in such an all-encompassing way. It is hard to explain. This is the difference between intellectually understanding what it will mean to be a father and holding that new life in your arms. That is the best I can do at the moment, but trust me, God has just put me in deep water where before I was walking on wet pavement.

I got back from Johnson City, TN last night after spending four days at Steven James’ Novel Writing Intensive seminar. It was one of those seminal events you experience periodically in life that can change everything that happens afterward and was what I had been looking for years to find. Thank you Steve.

Because of the seminar (It was wonderfully exhausting. 7:30 breakfast to 9:30 at night) and my prep for leaving, I have missed my Lenten Meditations. This is not to say God and I haven’t been working at things,we have. I just haven’t been writing about them.

I had to make a lot of choices about my writing, my in-work novel, what I was willing to commit to because of the seminar. The under-girding premise I have always relied on is that this is something God is leading me to do. I continue to think that. For example: I have an interview tomorrow, and if successful it means I will start work as early as Wednesday. That is significant. My last job ended mid September, which allowed me to go to the Blue Ridge Christian Novelist Retreat - “Autumn in the Mountains,” which is where I met Steven James. My regular work bookended what I needed for my novel. I learned what I had to do and had time to begin putting it into practice. Now, thanks to this last seminar and Steven, I have all the tools I need to accomplish my goal. Thank you God.

There is one additional thing necessary and that is persistence. I have been working on this novel since 1992. I have finished it and re-edited it twice. Now I am starting a massive re-edit based on everything I have learned over the last five months. I can only accomplish this with a dose of biblical persistence, or as Paul would say, by keeping my hand to the plow.

That fits nicely with Lent and with its sacrificial nature, since for most of us, writing takes sacrifice and persistence. On my company web site I have a statement: Writing is rewriting. Steven often rewrites scenes a hundred times and considers his success directly linked to his willingness to put in the work, to persistently do what needs to be done. That is my goal, especially for the remaining Lenten period.

I covet your prayers. Grace and peace.

I am out of town at an intensive workshop and cannot finish or post my writings. I will do that beginning on Monday.

May God continue to touch you during your Lenten experience.

Grace and peace.

We are examining the Parable of the Prodigal God (the father in the parable about the dissolute and proper sons - Luke 15:11-32) as discussed by Timothy Keller. What he wants us to learn from this passage turns on the context.

The Pharisees are complaining that Jesus sits and eats with tax collectors and sinners, so he tells three parables that are all related to the situation. The first is about a lost sheep, which the shepherd leaves the flock to save. The second is about the lost coin that the woman finds. Both of these are about seeking out repentant sinners.

Then Jesus tells a third parable where there are three characters: the father (representing God), the profligate son (representing the tax collectors and sinners) and the proper son (representing the Pharisees).

The first two are simple and are resolved simply. In both what was lost was found, the sinners who had lost their relationship with God were brought home. The third is not resolved and we are not sure of the outcome, other than the profligate son repents and comes home. What happens next we are not sure. However, historically commentators and preachers have made this person the purpose or illustration of the parable.

Keller argues that the real target is the Pharisees who are represented by the proper son. They have missed the whole point of repentance and redemption and are only concerned with money and possessions (Luke 16:14-15) just like the son who stays with the father. He is upset with his father’s extravagance when his brother returns seeking forgiveness. Is response is essentially “where is mine?”

The issue being illustrated here is the center piece of the Lord’s prayer and Jesus’ discussion with Peter on forgiving. Where is the compassion, the agape, the willingness to forgive, not just once or seven times, but the seventy time seven Jesus commanded. This story is an indictment of unforgiveness, where concern over money and property trump everything else.

The Pharisees, like the older brother, have missed the point, not just of the situation, but of life itself, which is redemption of the lost for all have sinned, not just the tax collectors and obvious sinners. These self-righteous men have forgotten Ezekiel’s prophecy about what God would do as an act of redemption.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19.

Their hearts, like that of the older brother were cold hard stone and they liked it just fine, thank you very much.

During our study on Sunday, one of the questions that we looked at was which son do you identify with and we all agreed both. There were times we played the part of each one, but the hardest failure to deal with was the stoniness. Sinners know in their heart, like the younger brother, that they need to repent. Stoney-hearted Pharisees on the other hand, usually don’t see their failure until God whacks them upside the head and sometimes not even then.

With that in mind, grace and peace to your day as you consider how your life reflects this parable.