Archive August 2008
Sacrificio Vivo
¿Cómo es posible leer un pasaje tantas veces y pasar por alto algo tan importante? Hoy estuve leyendo Romanos 12:1-2, pasaje que he leído literalmente cientas de veces y no sé cuántas veces he predicado o enseñado sobre lo mismo. Ví algo fundamental.
Así que, hermanos, os ruego por las misericordias de Dios, que presentéis vuestros cuerpos en sacrificio vivo, santo, agradable a Dios, que es vuestro culto racional. No os conforméis a este siglo, sino transformaos por medio de la renovación de vuestro entendimiento, para que comprobéis cuál sea la buena voluntad de Dios, agradable y perfecta. Romanos 12:1
Nuestra familiaridad con algo a veces nos ciega. Cuando pienso en la frase sacrificio vivo, pienso en un sacrificio que fue preparado cuando la víctima aun vivía. Ahora, el sacerdote entra en el lugar santo llevando en sus manos un trozo de carne bien cocida. Haciendo a la aplicación a lo espiritual, la imagen que siempre he tendio es de mi cuerpo muerto, entregado a Dios. Suena bien, pero la verdad es que mi cuerpo siempre está conmigo y está muy, demasiado vivo.
Creo que lo que Pablo dice es aun más radical. Está hablando de un sacrificio vivo – es decir un sacrifico presentado al Señor, pero que sigue siempre viviente. Lo que Dios quiere de mí no es un cuerpo muerto que ya no funciona, sino un cuerpo que sigue viviendo, pero que está totalmente entregado en sumisión a su servicio. No es que yo dejara de existir, sino que Dios tenga control total de mi cuerpo vivo. Imagínate a aquel sacerdote entrando en el lugar santo con un animal vivo en sus manos – ¡eso sí es algo radical! Un animal que está vivo hoy, y vive mañana también, pero que no sale de la presencia de Dios.
El segundo versículo nos explica cómo se hace. Es a través de una transformación de nuestro pensar. Ya no es ser controlado por la carne, sino que la carne sea entregada viva a Dios para su servicio. Este entendimiento me ayuda a entender mejor otro pasaje.
Con Cristo estoy juntamente crucificado, y ya no vivo yo, mas vive Cristo en mí; y lo que ahora vivo en la carne, lo vivo en la fe del Hijo de Dios, el cual me amó y se entregó a sí mismo por mí. Gálatas 2:20
Mi vida está crucificada juntamente con Cristo, pero siempre vive. Cristo vive en mí. Pero, ¿cómo vivo yo? En la carne. Sigo viviendo en la carne, pero vivo en la fe del Hijo de Dios y no según mis propios deseos e ideas.
No sé si ves lo mismo que veo, pero este entendimiento me ayuda a mejor visualizar la vida que Dios quiere que yo viva – no algo muerto, sino algo muy vivo, pero totalmente entregado a él.
Mindless but Fascinating Activity
I am tired of writing about the Olympics, and I am too tired to preach you a sermon or expound brilliantly about some weighty life issue. Aren’t you glad?
So, I decided to pass on some fun. My friend Tina in Denver recently posted a picture on her web site that I found mesmerizing. She was visiting the San Diego Wild Animal Park some years ago when the guide said that they were passing the mountain goat habitat, but warned they were hard to see. She saw just a few, but others couldn’t see any. She snapped a picture just for the fun of it. Only later did she begin to examine the picture and was astounded to see how many goats were really there.
When I first looked at it I was reminded why I would starve to death if I had to depend on hunting in order to eat. I couldn’t see a single goat! Then, on her suggestion, I copied the picture and blew it up in a picture viewer. I saw my first half dozen or so goats. A couple of nights ago I got Cheryl hooked on it and she did the same thing. Tina just emailed me her list of 34 goats and then I pointed out at least one more she had not seen. I have no idea how many stinking goats are in this picture, but I challenge you to see how many you can find. She just wrote back and is up to around 40.
If you’d like to see the original with her comments, check it out here. You might even want to spend some time looking around her site. As a trainer, presenter and consultant she has some wonderful resources, thoughts and instruction that is yours just for the looking. She’s much smarter than I am and you mght find that you like what she has to say! If you are nice, she just might put up her list soon and you can check your eyes against hers.
Champions or Conquerors?
I’ve been watching the Olympics and staying up way too late without getting much done to show for it. I hurt with those who come up short and cry with joy for those who triumph. I don’t know why it is, but I just get all caught up in this stuff. I don’t, however, want to get carried away.
Most of us have enough fantasy to aspire to having a gold medal hung around our neck. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that anymore than the many little boys who want to be like Michael Jordan (or now maybe Michael Phelps).
If we’re not careful, though, I think there is a danger of getting a bit out of control and even using the Bible to justify our selfish desires. Paul used several athletic images in his writings to encourage us to run to obtain the prize, to press toward the mark and other such references. Hebrews tells us to run the race with patience (pacing). Does this mean that we can pray for our team to beat the other team, or as individuals to triumph over others? If I am the chaplain for a football team, can I use these verses to encourage my team to go out and win the championship? Does God take sides?
I don’t think Paul had any of these thoughts about being champions in mind when he wrote these words, and the context bears this out. I was thinking of this self-centered use of scriptural athletic imagery just this morning as I read through Romans 8. You know the verse.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37
Much has been written, said and preached based on this verse, often including illusions to winning and conquering over others. Consider the following observations.
The context of Romans 8 is directed to all believers, not to any one in particular, not even the one who prays the hardest or claims to be the most spiritually-minded. Paul is not advocating competition among believers or our team against another. He is simply saying that every one of us can overcome life’s obstacles and opposition, not that we can win every competition, game, argument or dispute. In the biblical context sometimes being more than a conqueror is overcoming great loss!
Then, notice something else important in this passage from Romans. Look at the verses that follow and conclude the chapter.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
How do we overcome? How are we more than conquerors? According to verse 37 it is through him that loved us. Here in these final verses, the emphasis is not the security of our salvation or eternal life, but rather that nothing or no one can ever separate us from God’s love. This is an amazing promise and guarantee of God’s unconditional love.
Here’s another passage often used to fuel our carnal desire.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1Corinthians 9:24-27
On the surface this would appear to encourage us to win the prize over others. No such thing. Paul is simply using a comparison and reminding his readers that in games such as the Olympics, there can be only one gold medal winner. To get that gold, the athlete has necessarily exercised great disciple, sacrifice and hard work. In real life, since we are aiming for an eternal prize, we should be no less diligent and disciplined. Few notice that Paul is using plural pronouns. He is not telling the individual to strive to win the one prize over others; he is saying that as followers of Jesus Christ we can all be winner of that eternal prize! This is the same thought I posted a few days ago here about going for the gold.
Dangerous Prayer
Spiritual life in Israel has degenerated into a wild free-for-all. The spirit of the days of the Judges continues unabated into the days of the prophet Samuel. Even Samuel, despite his faithful leadership, cannot influence his own sons to resist the carnal, self-serving mood of the day. Israel is a mess!
This is the moment the people choose to clamor for a king. Samuel’s insistence on following God chaffs on the national collective consciousness, but even these spiritual deadbeats can’t imagine being governed by Samuel’s worthless sons. They want a king.
Samuel is upset as you might imagine. In all probability he is mad at the people, mad at his rebellious sons and mad at himself. But he does what he has been doing his entire life; he prays. God immediately tells him that he should not take this personally. The people are really rejecting God’s rule over them, not Samuel’s. Samuel, after all, has only been God’s representative.
With an edge to his voice, Samuel warns the people of the consequences of what they are asking. This king they want will draft their sons and send them to war. Their daughters will end up in forced labor. Their properties will be confiscated and the taxes will be unbearable.
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. 1Samuel 8:19-22
The interesting aspect of all this is that the people are asking for something biblical. God himself has promised them a king. It’s just the wrong time and the wrong motive. The people reveal their immaturity by crying for a king so that they may be like all the other nations. The desire to be like everyone else is a powerful motivation; it’s also a fatally dangerous motivation. The lesson is that you can pray for something solidly biblical, yet with horrible timing and a wicked heart.
The greatest danger, though, is that God just might give you what you ask for! That’s exactly what happens in this case. David was the man God had selected to be king, but he was not yet ready. Instead, God answers Israel’s prayer and the consequences are tragic. Becareful not only what you ask for, but when, how and why you ask for it.
38
I didn’t post anything yesterday because I was busy. I flew home from Baltimore arriving mid-afternoon. Then, Cheryl and I went to the dinner theater last night to celebrate our 38th anniversary. Yes, 38 years! That doesn’t seem possible.
Recently, I posted a picture of my assistant Emily so that some of you could know who she is and what she looks like. When I did that I resolved to put up a picture of Cheryl one day soon since there are some of you who are not familiar with her either. Knowing our anniversary was coming up, I decided that would be a good time to do this.
Cheryl and I met on the way to youth camp when I was getting ready for my junior year of college and she was … well, several years younger. She still is. Born in California, she was raised in Valley Center, Kansas and came to faith in Christ at a young age through the influence of her church and family. Not long after we married in 1970 we were on our way to Central America. Our oldest daughter had just turned 3 and our youngest was 5 weeks old. We drove in a Volkswagen van with all our possessions from Kansas City to San Jose, Costa Rica. We spent a year there, a year in Managua, Nicaragua and then eight years in San Salvador, El Salvador. Moving from country to country while learning a language and raising a family is not easy. Add to that raising two little girls in the middle of a very fierce civil war and you can get an idea of the type of lady she is.
When I meet visitors in our International Visitor’s Suite on Sunday mornings, some ask where my wife is. For over 20 years she has taught in the four-year-old class. For the same length of time she has coached a girls tee-ball team in our youth league. She does video work on Wednesday nights during our Spanish Bible study and helps teach the Tapestry Bible study for women every other Wednesday morning. She also keeps busy taking people through the Directions study and the Woman to Woman study that she helped to write. She manages to do all this while doting on our four grand kids.
Most of all, she deserves a medal for putting up with me for 38 years!