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If your favorite basketball team didn’t go to The Finals, then this time of year is the consolation prize. This is when teams draft some new talent and start shopping for free-agents. I end up reading a lot of condensed bios for players that are rumored to be coming to my team. I want to hear inside scoops about what they’re like in the locker room, how they’ll play with the guys already on the team, how much money they want, and the rest. I suddenly have a deep interest in the three point field goal percentage for a guy I didn’t watch more than five minutes of last season. It’s a little odd being a sports fan sometimes.

I’m always impressed when I read about the gym rats. That’s the preferred term for the guys who show up early, stay late, and come in on weekends to practice. These are the guys the coaches have to kick out of the gym. These are the guys that wear out the assistants that work with them. I love hearing about that kind of dedication. It takes a special kind of discipline to stay at the top of your game both when the lights are on and you show up on ESPN highlights and in the middle of the summer when you’re the only one in the gym and everyone’s talking baseball. That’s impressive.

We need to think in a similar manner about how we follow Christ. We need to discipline our minds and our bodies to be followers of Him when it’s easy and when it’s hard. We need to be consistent whether it feels like you against the world or just you alone with nobody else around. That takes work:

“For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,” Romans 8:13

“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

It takes physical discipline to avoid the natural tendencies.

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.’ ” Jeremiah 17:9-10

It takes mental discipline to avoid the natural bent of the human heart.

Above all, it takes the power of the Holy Spirit to make any of this possible. The discipline is about you letting Him work and not trying to do it on your own.

Discipline yourself. Just like the players who are known as gym rats, become a Jesus rat.

One little word, three little letters, and so much controversy: Yom. That translates into English as “day”.

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

Many learned Christian writers, including John Calvin, hold to a twenty-four hour day.

“The increase of his house will depart;
His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.” Job 20:28

“for He says,
‘AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.’
Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION’ ” 2 Corinthians 6:2

The same word, Yom, is translated to mean, allegorically, a time period. Augustine held to this view.

We don’t all agree about how God intended the inspired Word to be translated, but we can all agree that it was inspired, as is all of Scripture. Don’t be afraid of this type of situation. Don’t let it erode your faith. God has the power to make the earth in twenty-four hour days with the apparent age assigned to all living things. He could do it in a nanosecond, if He chose. He may have chosen to do it differently. Just because we don’t understand the exact definition in every case only means that we don’t understand, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. Scripture is not meant to explain everything, but it is meant to teach and to keep us on track.

It is very easy for someone to bring up a point like this. Remember that it’s easy to ask a hard question on the fly, but not so easy to answer it in twenty-five words or less.

I am online for a variety of reasons most of the day. I’m either answering email, looking for answers in a support forum, reading news about the world or my industry, or just catching up with friends. I will admit that conversing online has one major drawback: it encourages incivility.

It’s not like I’m snapping at people all day, but it is very easy to say something that can be easily understood to be rude, insulting, or just dismissive. There is no reading body language or assessing the tension in the room. You’re just working with words written by (mostly) amateur writers which means they aren’t good at communicating emotion with their words. And, in fact, it makes it easier to say things without the logic or evidence to back it up because you know you’ll have time to research a response later. You don’t have to defend yourself on the spot.

Anyway, I say all this because I found myself tied up in a somewhat heated discussion about an event that had some political overtones. The political angle was snagged by my discussion partner and the heat began to rise. It isn’t over yet, but it seems clear to me that this is going to boil down to some radically different views about how the world works and how we should act in it.

I find that it’s easy for me to get wound up about a senator, a piece of legislation, or even just a speech by the President. I am constantly forming opinions about what’s right and what’s wrong and why. I can get emotionally invested in these conversations.

While I’ll never stop forming logical opinions and gathering evidence, I do need to keep things in perspective. I’m arguing over the deck chairs on the ship when I know how the cruise is going to end.

“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” Zechariah 14:9

This cools me off in a hurry. These arguments are infinitesimally small compared to the direction fallen man is going and the rescue plan God has enacted. I’ll keep discussing my opinions, but it’s more like arguing over who the better Super Bowl champion was. It’s interesting, but not worth getting worked up over anymore.

I’m looking forward to one King so we’ll all know that He is doing the right thing at all times.

Schadenfreude is the German word for deriving pleasure from someone else’s misfortune. It’s a selfish feeling and it doesn’t surprise me in the least that human beings are not only capable of it, but experience it regularly. This happens when we see the unlikable co-worker get demoted or fired. This happens when we see the playground bully get expelled. This happens when we see a politician from the “other” party caught up in a scandal. This is more than the joy at seeing justice. This is actually being happy at misfortune. What makes this feeling so cruel is that the observer gets no actual benefit from the misfortune. He just enjoys seeing someone else’s pain and trouble because he doesn’t like that person.

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.” Proverbs 24:17-18

There’s an opposite feeling, too, of being unhappy at someone else’s good fortune. That’s just plain envy. Again, the observer has had no change in his situation, it’s just anger that someone else had something good happen.

Do you think the older brother of the prodigal son felt these feelings? I can only imagine that he felt schadenfreude when hearing about his little brother’s downfall. We know how he felt upon his brother’s return:

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” Luke 15:28-32

For the lost in the world, Jesus is telling them that they are like the prodigal son and can be welcomed back. For those who are saved, Jesus is warning us to not be like the older brother. If you are more than a couple of years into your walk, you are in danger of becoming the older brother. We need to watch our expectations for recognition and rewards for serving God.

We serve our God because He is God. We don’t serve to earn anything. We don’t serve to receive accolades. We serve out of gratitude that He saved us when we didn’t deserve it.

The truth is that we were all the prodigal son at one point. If He was willing to welcome you back, you certainly can’t argue that He should accept anyone else.

I was listening to a very good debate between two very civil people on the topic of Intelligent Design versus Darwinism. The debate was lively and insightful until the proponent of Darwinism caused me to react like the AFLAC duck with his now famous exasperated head shake. He statement was, and I am paraphrasing, that if anything being studied cannot be done so by gathering physical data and replicated in the lab, then science, by its very nature, cannot consider it as a possible solution.

Is it just me or is that like saying we are going to play baseball and the winner of the game will be declared right on the chosen subject. However, one side will never be allowed, under any circumstances, to run to third base. Just because the truth of the matter cannot be reached using man-made rules doesn’t mean it’s not the truth. Complain all we will to the umpire, but he just counts the other side’s runs while our team keeps getting hits and getting stuck on second base. If something is a mystery, it simply gets put on hold at second base until some physical, testable evidence becomes available. In the meantime, they keep gathering runs based on their rules.

Mysteries are nothing special. There are many that we speculate about all the time:

- Why do some people do terrible things?
- Why do some people give their lives for strangers?
- Why can some people paint a picture?
- Why cancer?

We speculate about all of these things and arrive at conclusions based on some science and some history. That’s not allowed with the origin of the universe because only so-called hard evidence is allowed. No history that doesn’t fit the man-made rules is allowed.

Daniel and Paul are two examples of many that could be called “people of mystery”. History tells us that God spoke directly to them and gave them answers that were true. Add to that Mary, her husband, Joseph, the magi, Moses, Joseph, the son of Jacob, Nathan, and so on. These are all historical people with written and archaeological evidence that cannot be taken into account because their encounters cannot be replicated on some university campus.

“But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.” Daniel 2:30

“but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;” 1 Corinthians 2:7

If there is no such thing as a mystery, why do we have a word for it? A mystery, by its nature, means that not only do we currently have no so-called hard evidence, but we may never have it. Mysteries are true!

When my son was young, he would get himself into trouble from time to time. It was no more than the average child, but it did happen. Of course, most of those episodes were repeat offenses for things he had been clearly warned to avoid. After a few times being punished for the same crime, I’d start to explain to him that he had lost his last chance and now the punishment would be handed down. Realizing that I was serious, he would often plead his case by asking me, “Please, give me one more last chance!”

The humor, of course, is in the idea that your last chance isn’t really your last chance. If this approach works, you can keep getting “one more last chance” indefinitely.

I read this parable today and thought of his “one more last chance” phrase:

“Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?”

“Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ‘ ” Luke 13:6-9

I read this parable in a couple of ways. The tree could represent the unsaved person who needs to begin producing fruit (following Christ) or he will be cut down (going to hell). The tree could also represent the cold believer who needs to begin producing fruit (walking with Christ) or he will be cut down (set aside until the final day).

Either way, the idea of the caretaker asking for one more last chance is Jesus buying us time. We can’t miss the opportunity to accept Christ and to follow Christ. If you skip the opportunity, eventually the caretaker will have to cut you down.

Don’t attempt to string out the last chances forever. Eventually, it really will have been the last chance and you’ll be out of luck.

Take advantage of your “one more last chance”.

I am of the opinion that, as society turns more progressive, the population, by nature, turns more inward. That is to say, the individual comes to rely more on self for spiritual matters and not on any outside source. This trend is easy to spot in the secular world as one only needs to do a little channel surfing to see the emphasis on physical looks, things, and fulfilling the perceived need of flesh and money. It is a little more subtle in the church as pastor teachers use phrases like, “The Holy Spirit gave me the meaning to this verse,” or, “The Holy Spirit laid this on my heart.”

The meaning of the Bible is the same for everyone. The application might be different as everyone has different circumstances confronting them. To be sure, the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word, but that is because He inspired it, not because there is some mystical key needed that can only be revealed when you have the magic decoder ring. Now, get this, the thoughts you have while reading the Bible are not inspired. The words you are reading are inspired. Don’t read between the lines because there is nothing there. It is alright to draw conclusions and make assumptions from reading the Word, but treat them for what they are and be prepared to change your mind when confronted with more or better evidence. I see no evidence of God revealing Himself in the shape of food, clouds, relics, or icons.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Now, there will be those who say, “Look, Allen, I know what God has said to me!” To which I reply, “I know what He has said to me also. It’s right here in the Bible.”

We met with our house church earlier this week and there was a moment when all three of us were fighting the urge to laugh. You see, we were sitting in the back row and while one of the other folks there was describing his prayer request, he began to ramble. Sitting near us was a two-year old who is quite good at sitting quietly. But, just as I looked over at him, he tilted his head forward and put his hand over his eyes. It had the perfect look of someone saying, “Oh, man, will he ever stop talking?”

We were biting our lips and trying not to crack up. Just great timing. It turns out that he wasn’t making a commentary on the speaker at all, but he was hiding. You have to love the logic of a two-year old that concludes that if you cover your eyes, nobody else can see you. Always great for a laugh.

Oddly, though, we seem to think we can get away with it, too. Somehow, if nobody from church sees my sin, it didn’t count. Or, if my wife didn’t complain, it must be okay. This is not really any different from closing your eyes and deciding that God can’t see you.

” ‘Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:24

That’s a rhetorical question.

I almost laugh when I find myself in that situation now. I have this image of a guy hiding in an alley looking over his shoulder. If he hurries and can get back into the crowd quick enough, nobody will ever notice what he was doing. Surely God won’t notice since he was so quick. He doesn’t realize that God may as well be standing right next to him the whole time.

Take your hands down from your eyes. Open them. God is still there. He saw it all. There’s no point hiding. Repent, ask for forgiveness, and get on with the plan.

Confession time: I had a pretty serious bout of jealousy yesterday. One of the software developers I manage came to me and gave his two-week notice. He had been offered a job for a little more money with a company that is effectively virtual. He would get to set his own hours and do the majority of his work from home.

I’m normally very levelheaded when I’ve had to say goodbye to good employees. I told him I was sad to lose him, but that I wished him luck in his new job. I was happy for him that he was able to find a better situation for himself. Inside, though, I was jealous. For years, I’ve wanted what I consider the “perfect” job where I’m writing software at home for what I’m being paid now. It has never materialized. Here was one of my guys getting the kind of job I’d been lusting after for years.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

After some reflection, I think I’ve settled on just being happy for my future ex-employee. The truth is that knowing the entirety of his life makes me much less jealous. He is not saved and this job change is a bright spot in what’s been an otherwise unhappy series of events over the past year. I don’t really want his life.

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.” Proverbs 23:17

I may not be where I want to be, but it’s where God wants me to be and I want to be where God wants me. Therefore, not being where I want is exactly where I want to be.

I know God will do better things with His plan than I can with mine. I’ll just keep pursuing Him and give a pat on the back to the ones that get what they want.

I am amazed at how we have turned our lives over to technology. Under the guise of science or pseudo-logic, we have, in many cases, given up our decision-making process to pure data. This approach is fine as far as it goes, but it will fall short on the issues where there is no computable conclusion. For example: many are fine with thinking that because there is one God all religions must be acceptable because we cannot possibly figure out which one is the right one. Going on, they conclude that we are all going to serve Him and why worry about our differences as long as we accept one another in peace, love, acceptance, fuzzy warm blankets, teddy bears, hot chocolate, and all the rest.

We want all the answers to everything before we take a stand because we might be wrong. So, we give in to the idea that there is no objective reality. Whatever happened to coherent thinking? The mind of man designed all technology and, now, his pursuit seems to have dropped logic unless it is mathematical. How can you claim to be a Christian and not follow Christ? For crying out loud, you cannot spell the word without using His name!

I have nothing against living in peace with all religions, but I will never lose sight that my efforts must be in changing the hearts and minds of the non-believer the same way Christ did. It will always be that Muslims and Christians are in competition and not complementary to each other. Their belief systems cannot co-exist because they make opposing claims. It is incoherent to believe that both are right. It’s dumb and stupid! This line of thinking is just as cockeyed as allowing a child to drink drain cleaner instead of milk because they both come in a bottle. It isn’t the same things about our belief systems that are critical, it’s the differences.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’ ” John 14:6

This verse does not end with “and all the other ways listed in appendix A”.

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