Building Up or Tearing Down?

TEARING DOWN OR BUILDING?

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town;
With a heave-ho and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and a building fell.

I asked the foremen, “Are these men skilled,
And the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave a laugh and said, “No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need;
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

This little poem by Roe Fulkerson (Church Bulletin Bits) may sound outdated and trite, but it carries a valuable message. The apostle Paul wrote it this way: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph. 5:29 NIV).

I am thinking here of how we talk about fellow Christians. I am also thinking of how we discuss family members, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, church leaders, and, yes, government officials. Not that most of us intentionally spread false rumors or accusations. It is easy to use the truth like a wrecking ball – to swing it in a way that benefits no one and builds nothing; instead it lowers others and (we think) elevates us and serves no God-ordained purpose.

Do we think God doesn’t care about the other person (even if He is displeased with them)? And if He does care, what does He think of our insensitivity to His feelings? Of our destructive attitude and damaging words? How does He feel when we eagerly tell what we know, when we enjoy the power of the wrecking ball, when we thoughtlessly shatter someone else’s image? What does God think of us then?

Agape love does not delight in evil (1 Cor. 13:6). It doesn’t enjoy dismantling reputations. But love is not the natural way, or the quick way or the easy way. The discipline of building up everyone we meet and casting the best possible light on those we talk about is hard-learned and often a slow process – just as the builder requires longer training than the wrecker.

But it’s the assignment we’ve been given. The design for Christ’s members. The way of love.

We Can Wait

When I was in high school, I read The Status Seekers by popular social critic, Vance Packard. In it I learned something that still comes back to me from time to time.

Packard wrote of a study that had been conducted, involving children from both rich and poor environments. As I remember it, all the children were offered the choice of a small amount of candy or coins that they could have immediately, or a significantly larger gift if they would be willing to wait three days to get it.

What Packard found was that the poorer children tended to choose the gift they could see and hold and enjoy right then. The fear of hunger and deprivation, the uncertainty of tomorrow, and the lack of faith in the promises of others made the lure of instant gratification impossible to resist.

The wealthier children, however, were more inclined to recognize the benefit of waiting for the more valuable gift. They were much more likely to turn down the proffered candy. They could postpone gratification. They could wait.

Whatever that means for society in general, I’m thinking of it in spiritual terms. We are children of the King! God has promised to “graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32 NIV). Jesus has lavished the riches of God’s grace upon us (Eph. 1:7-8), and promised to take responsibility for our earthly needs if we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. We who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation are the “rich kids.” We were reborn with a silver spoon in our mouth. We are loaded daily with benefits (Ps. 68:19 NKJV). We are set for life… and beyond.

But we still struggle with this instant gratification things. Everybody around us, it seems, is biting into their handful of chocolate candy and smacking their lips with pleasure, while we back away, shaking our heads. No, we will sit out that choice of entertainment. No, we will wait til we can afford it to buy this or that, to go here or there. No, we will forego that recreation because we’ve committed those funds to advancing the Kingdom.

We don’t feel rich sometimes. And we certainly don’t look rich to those watching. But this week’s sermon reminded us that we are rich, nonetheless. We are heirs to all that is Christ’s. God is making us rich in faith (James 2:5), rich in good deeds (1 Tim 6:18), rich toward Him (Lk. 12:21). We are storing up treasures in heaven. They can’t be seen right now. They can’t be held in the hand or displayed in showcases. But they’re real, and they’re eternal, and they’re waiting for us.

So we can say no to things that would gobble up the financial margin in our lives – because we have already said yes to eternal treasure. We can delay gratification because we trust the One who is keeping that treasure. We have confidence in His promises; we have no fear of lack (Ps. 23:1). And we have been given a Spirit, not of weakness and selfishness and lack of self-discipline, but of power and of love and of self-control. We’ve been given margin! We can wait!

The Price of Resisting Margin

And now the ultimate for all who resist margin in their lives… the Villa Hamster in Nantes, France. Inspired by the lowly hamster cage, the hotel "offers guests the unique opportunity to leave their species at the door and live the life of a rodent."

Seriously. Here among the wood chippings, guests can imitate the hamster: pad about in fur costumes, dine on organic grain, sip from a water tube… and, of course, tread the metal wheel.

Does it surprise you that humans are clamoring for life in that cage? Villa Hamster owners are having no trouble finding warm bodies to fill those costumes and jump into those wood chips, no sir. People are lining up for a go at that organic grain (ugh… don’t hamsters like Reece Cups?) and a ride on that wheel, all in pursuit of the fun, the unique, the slightly-eccentric side of life.

Actually, none of us have to go clear to Nantes to live the life of a rodent. We’re already treading our own wheels right here! Although we've been reborn in the image of God, we repeatedly succumb to the lure of the wheel, leave our "species" at the door, and take up the mindless, mechanical life of something far inferior. That’s why we need to schedule margin. For most of us, it just doesn’t come naturally.

So we need to take Pastor Dave’s sermon literally. To get out our calendars and pray over them and ask the Lord to show us how to weave this fun (yes), unique, and (to the world) slightly eccentric concept of margin into our everyday lives. A half-hour a day with God? An hour every Sunday afternoon? A day set apart once a month? A longer personal retreat once a quarter? A combination of these? Or something entirely different that He brings to our mind?

Then we need to do it. To pencil in that margin-time. No… use permanent marker! As much as possible, arrange everything else around those set-apart times. Otherwise, we might find ourselves right back on that wheel, sweating under those rodent-costumes, on an organic-grain-induced sugar-low … the price of resisting margin.

Offering Margin

One of the first things I learned as a budding freelance writer was that editors want generous margins on everything they read. They want them for the same reasons our teachers in school wanted them on our homework papers, businesspeople use them on invoices and proposals, books have them on every page, and even websites try to provide them.

Margins make a paper look better. A marginless paper is unpleasant and intimidating to the eye. In effect, words that run to the edge of a paper scream, “I had even more to say but no space to say it!” And furthermore…“No room for your comment!”

Margins, on the other hand, bring a sort of quiet order to our presentation. They showcase our work in a silent white frame, putting boundaries around our words and setting them off in an attractive and organized fashion. They show that we thought through what we had to say, completed our thoughts, and are awaiting response.

Margins also give the reader room to respond – to write notes to themselves or others involved in the communication process, or to the author himself. These might be notes of affirmation or suggestion or correction (one common editorial note, so I’ve read, is the acronym MEGO – “My Eyes Glaze Over” - indicating the editor was less than captivated while reading the material submitted!).

The Lord reminded me through Keith on Sunday that even my quiet times need margin - time set aside to listen for His voice, His opinion about my prayer concerns, His interpretation of His Word, His guidance for my daily life - whatever He wants to say. Margins will make my time with God more inviting to Him. They’ll say, “Enough from me. I’m making room for Your response. What You have to say is more important anyway.”

Those moments of quietness – when we zip our lip and just wait on God – allow the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit to penetrate our noisy hearts and hectic minds. We may never audibly hear anything, but realization dawns, a kind of knowing comes to us, and we begin to understand what His Word means, or begin to glimpse His perspective on a situation we’re wrestling with, or begin to grasp what needs to change in our lives.

That’s God, writing in the margins of our lives. Responding in the quiet space. Affirming, suggesting, correcting, revealing Himself to us. And have you noticed that sometimes the conundrums we agonize over and pray about for days are solved by a brief whisper from God? How much we can shorten our struggles by stopping to listen to Him! How easily we can please Him by waiting for His perfect Word for our lives! Yet how prone we are to talk and talk and talk and talk… until, if He were not the perfect Gentleman that He is, the Holy Spirit would write “MEGO” across our quiet time with Him.

Margin. Even just 5 minutes a day. Offer it to God in your next quiet time, and the next and the next… Who knows what He will write there!

Watch!

There are some things I don’t do while waiting for the doorbell to ring.

If company is coming at any moment, I don’t take a book to the backyard and become engrossed in the newest tale by a favorite author. I don’t station the dog near the door to be first greeter. I don’t draw the curtains and settle on the couch for a nap. I don’t rev up the vacuum sweeper. I don’t phone a friend, contemplate a bubble bath, or cue the DVD player to begin a new episode from the series I’ve been watching.

Why don’t I do these things? Not because they’re wrong (I am not against books, naps, or vacuuming the carpet!), and not because I don’t want the irritation of being interrupted. I just want to be alert and ready and welcoming.

So I put anything on hold that would drown out the sound of someone at my door. I forego the inviting swing under the backyard arbor. I wait on the nap. Instead, I listen for that doorbell. I glance out at the driveway. And I put the dog in the basement because he is rather hostile to strangers.

Jesus has given notice that He will be coming up our drive. Suddenly. No time for preparation, for hurrying in from worldly preoccupations to whip a house into shape and spruce up the guest room. We’re ready, or we’re not. Here’s the notice He has given, in His words:

“However, no one knows the day or hour when [I will return]…, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know…, stay alert and keep watch.

“The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return – at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!” - Mark 14:32-37 NLT.

“Watch out! Don’t let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness and filled with the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unawares, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch.” – Luke 21:34-36 NLT.

What does that mean for you? To me, Jesus isn’t saying that we should chuck all the activities of life and think of nothing but His return. No, He has given us, His “employees,” “instructions about the work we are to do.” We must be about our Father’s business. But not about the world’s business. Not committing ourselves to things that dull our readiness or steal our heart or preoccupy our mind. No, our business is to be His witnesses, help others prepare for His coming… and keep an ear out for that trumpet.

That might mean saying “No” to some tempting opportunities. It might mean scaling back on personal pursuits, earthly investments, selfish pleasures. It just might mean saying “Yes” to more Kingdom responsibilities and eternal investments. It most certainly will mean sharpening our spiritual senses and heightening our state of readiness to meet our Master.

The word from our Master is this: Whether by death or by My return, whether the bell tolls for you, or the trumpet sounds for everyone… be ready!

Divine Healing

I’ve mentioned the childhood game of Mousetrap before in this blog… I’m reminded of it again as I write this entry.

For me, the tension in that game wasn’t in the gradual assembling of all the pieces necessary to beating your opponent. It wasn’t in rolling higher numbers so you could stay ahead of your fellow mice. It was when it all came together and you got the opportunity to turn that crank and set the little steel ball in motion.

Oh, the drama that ensued! Would the ball get stuck on the stairs? Would it roll down the red chute too weakly to trip the spring that sent the ball through the bathtub to launch the poised plastic diver? Would some misalignment, some inherent flaw in the setup, sabotage the entire chain reaction? Had I held my mouth just right when I turned that crank?

Maybe we approach this idea of divine healing the same way. If it’s not happening, there must be something wrong in our setup. We’ve forgotten a promise we need to claim, we haven’t prayed enough or the right way, our faith is flawed, our motives aren’t right… we can think of many potential reasons for the “failure.” And it often leads to guilt and dismay. We aren’t doing something right, and we don’t know what it is.

Let’s simplify. Let’s let go of guilt – even of trying to figure out what God’s doing – and pray the simple prayer spoken by Pastor Dave in Sunday’s second service:

“While we lay our petitions before You, we bind You to nothing, except to glorify Your name.”

That’s the spirit in which Jesus faced the pain of the cross and the anguish of bearing our sin (which He was not spared); that’s the attitude with which Paul accepted the thorn in the flesh (which he was not delivered from - 2 Cor. 12:1-10): “Here’s what we’d prefer, Lord… but Your will be done, not ours. Our only requirement, the only thing we insist upon, is that Your name be glorified."

In Jesus’ case, that Name was glorified in the cross and death, because it led to resurrection and life for countless sinners. In Paul’s case, that Name was glorified in the thorn because it preserved Paul as a humble showcase for God’s power and glory.

At allianceacademicreview.com., Paul L. King writes, “Modern faith teaching has often put a guilt trip on people, saying that it is absolutely God's will for all to be healed, and if a person isn't healed, it is man's fault. While sin or lack of faith could be causes for lack of healing, [in his book The Lord for the Body] Simpson listed a variety of reasons, asserting that while it is generally God's will to heal all who believe, God in His sovereignty may not always grant healing.”

I do believe God wants to miraculously heal His sick children far more often than He’s given opportunity to. But it’s not a blanket provision for everyone all the time. And when He doesn’t, it’s not because we haven’t held our mouth the right way when we prayed. Divine healing isn’t about having all our ducks in a row. It’s not about us; it’s about Him. It’s about commitment to whatever God is doing, whatever brings Him glory, so that whether He is giving or taking away we can say,

“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Jesus, Our Sanctifier

My son worked in an office setting this year, and at one point dragged home a sorry-looking no-name plant that he’d found sitting on a file cabinet in a windowless room. I hinted I would like to take the thing out back and pitch it into the woods, but he wanted to try to rescue it.

Actually, he did a great job. With some sunlight and regular watering, it perked up. The drooping leaves lifted their heads. Their dullness gave way to a healthier shine. I was beginning to be impressed. But alas, the plant was doomed, through no fault of Ryan’s. For one day he noticed, as he was tending it, that there were many tiny little flea-like bugs crawling around in the soil.

He bought spray. He sprayed and sprayed. He repotted. He worked and worked at trying to make this plant healthy and fit to live in our house. But the bugs were stubborn tenants, and we feared that they would soon transfer – if they hadn’t already – to houseplants nearby. So eventually that plant ended up… out back, pitched into the woods.

I am no theologian. But I know that some of us who name Jesus as our Savior are like that plant. The difference is – we are plants with a will. We have chosen to stay in that windowless office… because we don’t want to see the Light of Truth. We have traded our shine and our spine for dullness and drooping – because we haven’t wanted to offer Jesus the obedience that brings blessing. We have watched, horrified, as the vermin multiplied exponentially in our personal lives, yet we’ve refused to let Jesus exterminate those sins. We’ve grown resistant to the spray of His shed blood, hardened to the horror of the invasion, refusing to be transplanted into holiness.

It’s not only tragic that we refuse to be made holy, and that we have no witness to those around us (in fact, we often infect them with our own uncleanness and disobedience – it can be communicable). It’s also sad that we miss out on the blessings of living in the Light, beautifying a corner of God’s world, bringing pleasure to God as He looks over His re-creation, maturing in spirit, taking on the likeness of Christ, discovering the promises Jesus has made to those who trust Him, enjoying an unshakeable assurance that we are a child of God and there is nothing between us and Him.

Jesus the Sanctifier is the Exterminator who can remove the creepy-crawly invasion of sin and clean up the soil of our lives, and make us fit to be put on display to show His glory in our world. Here is the Alliance Statement of Faith regarding sanctification:

“It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.”

The will of God… is my sanctification and yours(1 Thess. 4:3). Our separation from sin and dedication to His purposes. This is both a crisis (it begins with a specific moment of surrender) – and a progressive experience (because God never takes away our will, surrender must continue).

And one bright, glorious, marvelous, light-as-a-feather Day, we will awake to find that the process of sanctification, once begun and long continued, is Complete. We are precious, whole, sinless and shining. There is no shred of impurity in us. We are holy as He is.

We shall see His face, and surrender will be worth it all… and then some.