Turning and Overturning

Jesus —

our example

How to overturn the tables and turn the other cheek

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, ‘but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”  Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”  Matthew 5:38-39 (NIV) 

        Eye for eye and tooth for tooth—revenge appears to be the norm in our society. If you bear no resemblance to the status quo or hold contrasting beliefs, beware! Retaliation is fair game. All the while faith and morality has been diluted and compromised so as not to offend anyone holding divergent beliefs. What is going on in our society? How have we gotten things so distorted?

          God’s ways have always been countercultural to society. Jesus, the Son of God, lived with humanity to exemplify the better way. He taught His disciples to turn the other cheek, to respond to personal harm with humility. But humbly turning the other cheek becomes difficult when pride desires revenge. Human nature habitually contends with God’s ways. 

          As a result, walking the world’s ways powerfully pulls people astray. Jesus taught His followers to topple the trend of assimilation with the world, choosing rather to be transformed by godly values and virtuous attitudes. Easy to say, difficult to do without God’s help. A benevolent response seems so inopportune when we desire immediate justice. And we presume to advance tolerance when we actually fail to stand against a society that promotes wickedness. These wayward behaviors and ever-changing worldly norms conflict with the steady standards of a righteous God. Our relative truths reign in stark contrast to God’s absolute truth.   

          I believe the past several years have been a wake up call for believers in Christ. When churches were forced to close, it prevented in-person gathering of believers to worship together and support each other. Of course there were online church services for families at home, but let’s be honest. How many people were really listening while sitting in their pajamas with a cup of coffee? The years of Covid have definitely revealed the decline of Christianity. The American church has become lukewarm, allowing secular beliefs to make inroads through the doors of churches as well as the hearts of believers. Hence the church has acquiesced to moral decay. 

“The American church has become lukewarm, allowing secular beliefs to make inroads through the doors of churches as well as the hearts of believers. Hence the church has acquiesced to moral decay. ”

          What would Jesus do? He would turn things upside down. Jesus’ prayerful relationship with His Heavenly Father kept Him focused on God’s ways. So when He entered the temple in Jerusalem and saw irreverence, He took action. He cleared the temple by upending the money changers’ tables, driving out those who were buying and selling doves and merchandise in the temple courts. He declared the temple had become a den of robbers instead of being a house of prayer for all nations (Matthew 21, Mark 11).

          Before and after cleansing the temple, Jesus utilized a fig tree to explain the spiritual condition of the people of Israel. He walked up to an exceptionally leafy fig tree, expecting to find some fruit to eat. Even though the tree possessed many leaves, it had yielded no fruit. Jesus then declared it to never produce fruit again (Mark 11:12-14, 20-22). Why?

          “You will know them by their fruit,” Jesus had spoken earlier while teaching on a mountain. Fruit symbolizes productivity, well-earned harvest. The leafy fig tree with no figs symbolized Israel’s spiritual barrenness. They had been practicing a form of religion and saying all the right words, but their hearts were far from God. And they had turned their house of prayer into a marketplace. Is the American church in the same condition as Israel was? Have we allowed society to weaken our measure of faith in an Almighty God? What if we followed Jesus’ example of speaking out in righteous anger? 

          As Jesus followers, we must be aware of the fine line between righteous anger and submissive humility. When do we act and when do we humbly submit? When do we stand firm in an uncompromising way and when do we quietly yield to those in authority? Observing Jesus’ life in Scripture can help us discover the answer.

          It is perplexing to believe that the same man who overturned the moneychangers’ tables would turn the other cheek to the ones who beat and crucified Him. Shouldn’t He have fought back? Isn’t that what we would have done? 

          Jesus lived to do the business of His Father. It’s why He cleansed the temple that was supposed to be a house of prayer. It’s also why He humbled Himself before God His Father and became obedient, even to death. He took no revenge. He sought no payback. Instead He willingly yielded to authority. His submission was not a sign of weakness but one of disciplined strength, enabling Him to trust His Heavenly Father who judges all people with justice.

          In a world seemingly gone mad, humble people seem to be a rare find. Yet during the riotous summer of the pandemic, a news story about a black female shop owner standing outside her decimated store exemplified humility. Her life seemed to be in shambles and she was in tears. She had worked hard all her life only to watch her livelihood destroyed in minutes by those that looked like her. Amazingly she wanted no revenge, but simply desired that the people who wrecked her life discover the error of their ways. Only God can soften a heart to reject evil for evil, and instead offer blessings over offenders. It’s what humble submissiveness is all about. 

          How can we know whether to humbly submit or to speak out against the wrongs of mankind? A prayerful relationship with God will equip us to discern our reactions. Then we’ll know whether to turn the other cheek or overturn the societal trends in our world.

          If we view all people as image bearers of a mighty Creator God, we can learn to honor and respect them no matter what. Responding with a quiet and gentle nature to human institutions, earthly rulers, bosses at work, marriage partners, and even our enemies will steer us away from wrongdoing. And turning the other cheek will demonstrate a complete trust in the God who judges justly. Jesus exhibited the better way to live as He silently stood before His executioners.   

          We can’t allow our worldly understanding of kindness or tolerance to be equated to biblical morality. Jesus willingly died for the sinners of this world. Will we speak out against the sins in this world? Jesus knew when to turn the other cheek and when to overturn the tables. He displayed a principled life to an immoral world. When we follow His example of biblical morality, we will stand up for the virtue of our righteous God.

His Name is Freedom

Standing under the canopy of blue skies and billowy clouds, I sense the vast space afforded me by our Creator God. Descriptive words—airy, expansive, immense, open, unconfined—achieve their purpose, and still the opportunity to experience such a spacious place fills me with indescribable delight. Breathing room. Elbow room. FREEDOM! 

Quite the opposite of an open space, the confines of four walls hem in. Breathing room diminishes to a corner. Tentacles of anxiety surround and suffocate. Worry plagues the mind. Angst sets in. And fear claims another captive.

The years of Covid–yes, we are nearing the close of a second year—have been anything but free. Sickness, confusion, and gloom have shrouded the world in darkness. Various forms of confinement have been forced upon us. Disease and death seem to have become the norm. Because of the polarization of the facts about the virus and its cure, people are more estranged than ever. Fear waxes while freedom wanes. 

Our generation is not the first to have experienced a plague. We’re not even the first people to be ruled by authoritarian leaders. From the beginning of time, every generation has faced trials and tribulations. The Israelites, known as God’s people in the Old Testament, encountered all types of ordeals. Just as they were increasing in number and thriving in Egypt, a new king, who knew nothing about their patriarch Joseph, came to power. The massive population of Israelites threatened this new authority figure. So he began to oppress them with forced labor. 

Subjugation, ill-treatment, persecution, tyrannical rule—the Israelites groaned in their slavery for hundreds of years. They cried out to God for help and eventually He sent them a deliverer named Moses. Through many miraculous acts of God, Moses was able to free the Israelites from Pharaoh’s rule. They walked on dry land between walls of water that had formed the Red Sea. As their captors chased them, the Israelites watched the walled water splash down around their enemies and drown them. The Lord had saved them. They celebrated freedom with songs of victory.

But freedom didn’t last. For generations, the Israelites lived in cycles of bondage and deliverance. When they faced adversity, the Israelites looked to God to send a deliverer. They longed for a messiah to rescue them. When the Messiah finally came to earth, many of God’s people overlooked him because they were seeking a military leader. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, entered the earth as a babe. God sent Jesus, His Son, to be the Savior of the world, to bring salvation to all who would believe in Him. 

At 30 years of age, He began His ministry with a proclamation. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19

And He went about completing His mission, preaching good news to the disenfranchised, giving sight to the blind, freeing people from oppression and captivity. All this was done under the religious eyes of the Jews and the tyrannical rule of Rome. Because these groups enjoyed power, they despised the freedom Jesus was spreading among the common folk. The authorities sought to quiet Him through physical death. Even though these authorities achieved that goal, it wouldn’t have happened if Jesus hadn’t willingly given His life to save humanity. After all, He was and still is God, and He came to earth as the final sacrifice for sinfulness. He offered His life to deliver us from the bonds of sin and death. His resurrection from death made a way for all who believe in Him to live eternally with Him and enjoy abundant life while on earth. 

Once the Holy Spirit had empowered the believers and followers of Christ Jesus, they discovered it didn’t matter what the authorities did to the body. Holy Spirit power through belief in Jesus had freed their spirits. He had rescued them from the fear of human power. Maybe their bodies were in chains, but their minds and souls enjoyed freedom by trusting in Him. 

Throughout the years and around the world, many people have suffered the pangs of captivity. The burdens of mental, physical, and spiritual restrictions have weighed heavily on the hearts, minds, and souls of humans, and it continues to this day. The confines of four walls, chains of captivity, oppression and affliction hem in people, suffocating them. 

““Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.”

— C. S. Lewis

No matter the persecution we may endure, our spirits can be unshackled through the power of Jesus. A heart’s desire is freedom and a wide open space offers breathing room, but true freedom only comes through belief in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. He saves and delivers, extending peace and strength. When you believe and trust in God through Jesus, even if physically confined, nothing can exploit your spirit. If Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed.  

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.  ”

— John 8:36 (NLT)

A New Thing

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

I'm stuck in the past and downcast. The trials of today draw my mind to former days when life seemed easier. Are you dwelling on times gone by instead of focusing on the present, the now? 

The year 2020 is about to be a memory, an impactful memory. It’s left devastation in its wake while replenishing each day with more uncertainty, fear, and hopelessness. Most of us long for the good ole days. Or we at least yearn for a change as we seek a better future. But what about today? What about now? What are we doing to make the most of our present? 

This year has sped by, but the days have dragged on. Trepidation, apprehension, and isolation have almost been established into our everyday routines. With many churches shut down, it appears hope is lost. The past materializes mentally as a divine dream while the present petrifies our day-to-day existence. The comfortable order of things has changed. Powerful people continually remind us to adjust to a new normal. We submit to fear and surrender to masks and quarantine. Anxiety blooms, worry flourishes, grumbling bears fruit, rotten fruit, and the will to thrive dies. The sight of our situation shakes our faith in an Almighty God. 

God’s chosen ones, the Israelites, also failed to recall the power of their Savior God. They had been enslaved in Egypt for over four hundred years. When the time was right, God delivered them from the injustices they had endured. He used Moses to lead His people out of slavery. God sent disease and death to cause the Egyptians to let His people go. As the Israelites fled Egypt, God parted the waters of the Red Sea, forming dry land for His people to cross over into safety. Those same waters swept away the enemies who had enslaved them. God’s people had witnessed a mighty miracle. It was then that they praised and worshipped their Savior God. 

Yet only three days later in the desert without water, they began to grumble against Moses and before God. “What are we to drink?” they whined. Oh how soon they forgot.

God performed another miracle through Moses as he threw a piece of wood into the water, turning it sweet. Imagine being a spectator of such supernatural phenomena. Wouldn’t your faith increase substantially? 

Because of God’s love for His people, He made a decree for them. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” 
Exodus 15:26

God then added grace to His command. He provided springs of water surrounded by shade where His people could camp and rest for a while. What a faithful God.

But after traveling in the desert for a month, the Israelites began complaining again against Moses and before God. They said, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”  Exodus 16:3

Were the Israelites stuck in the past, clinging to their slavery? Even though they had been removed from their brutal slave masters, they looked back to what seemed like a good thing. The comfort of routine, no matter how harsh, had become customary. But was it good? Were they allowing the wilderness in which they now walked cause them to forget the freedom they had gained by the hand of a Savior God?

“How quickly we forget God’s great deliverances in our lives.
How easily we take for granted the miracles He performed in our past.
~David Wilkerson”

We are no different than the Israelites walking in the desert. The stark reality of this pandemic called Covid has exposed, revealed, and uncovered abundant omissions about ourselves, our institutions, even the church. We believers have failed to heed the decree of our Lord, disregarding His spoken Word. Instead of standing up for God’s absolute truth, we’ve surrendered to the ever-changing morals and values of this land. Manmade religious traditions have enslaved us. Christianity in America has become casual, where only a crisis causes us to turn back to God. We’ve allowed the church to become a cruise ship instead of a battle ship. Our Heavenly Father never intended for us to have an apathetic relationship with Him. 

When God rescued the Israelites, He wanted them to rely solely on Him, to trust Him for daily protection and provision. He wants the same for us. Family and friends will disappoint us. The things of this earth will disappear. Religious and governmental leaders will let us down. But God never disappoints, disappears, or lets us down. He won’t fail us. He never changes. He, Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We can surely trust Him. 

Could it be possible that God has allowed disease and violence to restore in us a powerful prayer life? Deep faith in a trustworthy God will cause us to rely on His daily provision instead of looking back to what seemed comfortable. Why grumble about the presence of Covid, masks, lockdowns, and change. Instead choose to allow God to move us forward as He does a new thing.

Each day is a new day, another chance to begin again. God says to forget the former things, remember Him, and focus on the new thing He is doing right now. His mercies are new every morning. 
Isaiah 43:18-19, Lamentations 3:22-23

Do we have confidence in the power of Almighty God? Will we hear and follow His Word? Turn away from the deficiency of earthly things. Hope in the One who loved us enough to offer salvation in His Name, the Name of Jesus. Watch and wait expectantly for His new thing!

“God is not running an antique shop!
He is making all things new!
~Vance Havner”

“Trust the past to God’s mercy,
the present to God’s love,
and the future to God’s providence.
~St. Augustine”

May I?

He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.  Psalm 91:4 (NASB)

“Mother May I” is a game for the ages. A group of players selects someone to be the Mother who faces away from the group. Her goal is to bring the players toward the finish line as equally as possible, hampering anyone in the lead. The goal of the players is to be the first one to reach the finish line and replace Mother. The players politely request they take various steps to move them closer to the end. Mother controls when and how they move. It takes quite a bit of maneuvering with some luck to reach the end and become Mother. 

God stands in sharp contrast to the image of Mother in this game. He watches over us (Psalm 33:113-14). He invites us to call to Him for answers (Jeremiah 33:3). He instructs us to follow Him (Matthew 4:19). He directs us to remain in Him (John 15:4). He longs for us to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). And He promises He will provide refuge under His sheltering wings (Psalm 91:4). 

God loved us so much that He sacrificed His own life to free us from the bondage of wickedness. He died to set us free, yet He doesn’t force His will upon us. He allows us to choose whom we follow and serve. Even if we choose to go our own way, He waits with open arms for us to return to Him. 

Who knew that 2020 would usher in a plethora of struggles? Covid and death, fear and detachment, division and strife, distress and despair, suffering and sorrow, political rivalry, virtual reality—have I left anything out? During these many conflicts, I wonder where people sought help. Where did you go for help? Who or what do you trust to protect you?

Months ago while quarantining, I began to search for help. I opened my Bible to Psalm 91. An intensifying calm settled in my soul as I read each verse. I decided to read it again, but the fourth verse interrupted the flow. I needed to unravel the meaning. What I discovered has imprinted my mind with beautiful imagery—God is like a mother hen. 

Yes, God is like a mother hen where we can find shelter. Listen with your heart as you read these words: He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge.

The flight of birds, especially eagles, renders vigor. Their wings mirror strength. Scripture informs us that hope in the Lord renews our strength, like soaring on wings of eagles (Isaiah 40:31). The image of such a flight illustrates the power God supplies His people. 

But oh the surprising and yet comforting picture of a mother hen. The hen moves about in a big backyard near the chicken coop. Her little chicks are scattered and roaming all over. Suddenly a shadow flies over, resembling that of a hawk. The mother hen sees the danger, but doesn’t chase after her chicks. She simply expands her wings and clucks her warning sound. It’s the choice of the chicks to run to her for shelter. Once she is surrounded by chicks, she pulls her wings in close, tucking them close to her. If the hawk plans on getting the chicks, he must go through her first. What a beautiful illustration of Jesus’ love for us all. 

The depiction of the sheltering winged feathers of a mother hen exemplifies God’s protection and intimacy over us. He offers His help while allowing us the freedom to choose. He will cover us with His feathers where we may take refuge if we run to Him with faith, confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts.

When Jesus walked the earth, He tried to warn the religious leaders about all the evil they were involved in. He reminded them how prophets had been sent to them with God’s truth. He loved even them and yearned to save them. But they chose not to take heed. His heart grieved as He spoke these words to them:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”  Matthew 23:37 (NLT)

Father God loves us like a mother hen. He will shelter us under His strong arms, if we run to Him. We can find refuge under His wings, but it’s our choice. If we choose His protection, we can rest assured that any danger lurking nearby must contend with Him first. Secured under His wings, we gain trust in Him because He is faithful to His promises. 

Do We Have to Die to Find Rest?

’Rest in peace’ placards dot roadsides where fatal accidents have occurred. Tombstones inscribed with those same words mark final resting places. Is rest only found in death? Can we rest in peace in the land of the living? 

Two months ago, I flew to California to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and their newborn, my grandson. Plans to stay a little while extended to five weeks. During that length of time, I observed my grandson’s growth. As his little body developed, he began to suffer from intestinal problems. 

Through no fault of his own, the poor baby squirmed, pushed, kicked, and cried. His discomfort displayed itself through restlessness. Eventually gas build-up in his body expelled itself in several ways. When released, he settled down to rest. And when he rested, his mother, father, and I enjoyed a quiet interval.

Watching my grandson’s restless kicking and crying conjured up images of an agitated society. I didn’t need to use much imagination as violent visions of chaos were splattered all over social media. The social distancing way of life due to the Covid virus had already instilled fear in folks. Worry had begun to plague the minds of persons separated from their nearest and dearest.

Like a virus, discontent has now spread through all walks of life. For months, alarm and anxiety has hovered over earth’s population. Between the unease of encountering a disease to the unrest of rebellion in city streets, humanity wreaks of weariness.

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, only turmoil.” 
Job 3:26

In some form or fashion, these words have most likely been proclaimed all over the world during the past several months. They were actually spoken by a Hebrew patriarch named Job to his three friends who tried to comfort him after disaster struck his household.

Scripture describes Job as the greatest man to live in a land located east of the Jordan River called Uz. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a large number of servants. He had seven sons and three daughters. In one day, he lost it all, including his health. How did he survive such devastation? 

He suffered in stages, one day at a time. He reported his hardship as a continual churning inside his body, causing him daily to wake in agony. Most of us experiencing loss of any kind could understand his torment. And like anyone attempting to find answers, he eventually blamed both God and man. He wrestled with his past life, a life full of God’s blessings in which he had shared with others. He asserted his goodness. He detailed his thoughts through discourse after discourse of his former happiness, his loss of everything, and his innocence. Until God spoke.

“Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”   Job 38:3

The wise and all-powerful Creator God asked Job where he was when the earth’s foundation was laid. He questioned Job about the workings of the entire universe. He interrogated him over the behaviors of animals and birds. God’s cross-examination broadened Job’s mind to everything in existence upon the earth. He lead Job to be conscious of more than his own life. Then the Lord said, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”   Job 40:1-2

Imagine the humility Job must have felt. He immediately expressed his unworthiness before God saying, “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”   Job 40:4-5

Have we spewed too many complaints lately in the midst of a pandemic and massive violence? Are we continually asking God why? Do we talk more than listen? Maybe we need to sit still in quietness before an Almighty God. Possibly we need to ingest some humble pie. 

God is God and we are not. Who are we to assume His role in our lives or to even extract Him from our lives? Why do we blame Him for life’s adversities? Could it be He is ready to say to us, “Brace yourself like a woman, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”

Maybe God has given us over to the worldly things we desire. Possibly He wants us to be distressed enough to turn back to Him. He has plans to prosper us, not harm us, if we seek Him with our whole heart.* He desires for us to learn from Him and experience His rest when burdens plague us.* Will we listen to Him and obey His words? Or will we continue our self-absorption? 

Job met the One True God and humbly repented of his unworthiness. He gained spiritual understanding and a deeper faith as he walked a road of suffering. In due course his restless angst found peaceful rest in a God who loved him. 

Over the last several months, restlessness has settled in around us. We’re fatigued from the world’s troubles. Have we turned away from God or run to God? Are we listening for His answers or doing all the talking?

Be still and get to know God.* Listen to Him and learn of His wisdom. When you trust Him with your burdens and concerns, He will give you peace. No matter your circumstances, you will find rest for your souls. 

*For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

*“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

*He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. 
Jeremiah 31:25 ”