James 4:13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

A mist. 

I was thinking about this verse as I went over to the local forest preserve to take photos today.  There was a thick mist on the lake and in the surrounding landscape, the spider webs among the spent milkweed and grasses hung heavy, laden with dew.  In a few short hours, the mist would be gone, burned away by the October sun.

If our lives are like that, why do we become preoccupied with meaningless stuff? 

As Overcomers, we need to examine our priorities because even items of importance seem to take on larger-than-lives of their own, ramped up by a media that hypes controversy and dissention.  Yes, there are things that are imperatives.  Yes, planning is good.

But sometimes, we forget that we are a mist.

We forget that 100 years from now, if the earth even exists, whether the government is “shut down” for 2 weeks or a month won’t really have mattered all that much.

However, the way we treated others during our misty moments can change a whole trajectory of a life and a nation.  As Overcomers, we look for ways to bless people.  As Overcomers, we seek ways to identify with and minimize the pain of others.  We look for ways of living our “risen life” because the days are short.

Sometimes the days are shorter than what we’d planned. 

I didn’t realize that my camera battery was almost spent when I went out today.  I’d planned on a morning of fun photography and really only had 20 minutes before the camera stopped working.  Oh well.  We plan.  We organize.  But the future belongs to God alone.

My priorities changed and I found myself with opportunities galore to be a blessing to others…the women from Germany looking for where to park, the cashier at the store, my family, etc.  Yes and you for whom I write daily.  The days are short and can be humbly filled with blessing.  Indeed these are the lessons of the mist because Overcomers know the future promised by God.  We practice now what we will fully experience as our risen life… when the mist fades… and we see Jesus face-to-face.  Go forth today and be a blessing!

I’ve been preparing for my message this Sunday and found myself pondering the promise made to Abram:

Genesis 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God blessed Abram in order to make him a blessing to others.  Isn’t that how the Kingdom is supposed to work?  As we overcome trials and temptations, as we step out in faith, we can become a blessing to others.  No matter how early in our Christian walk we are, we can always be a blessing to someone else.

The hymn “Make Me a Blessing” expresses this well.  Enjoy a lovely acoustic guitar version by clicking here.

Out in the highways and byways of life,

Many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.

Refrain:

 Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,

 Out of my life may Jesus shine;

 Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray,

 Make me a blessing to someone today.

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,

Tell of His pow’r to forgive;

Others will trust Him if only you prove

True, every moment you live. (Refrain)

Give as ’twas given to you in you need,

Love as the Master loved you;

Be to the helpless a helper indeed,

Unto your mission be true. (Refrain)

Jesus is the Son of God.

God is Love.

Love is the Answer.

The Answer is Jesus.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:1-5)

It’s hard getting up day after day and persevering in a world that doesn’t cooperate.  There’s a popular saying:

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That’s Why it’s Called the Present.” 

It can help us to remember that the faith for today is a gift of God.  It helps us to overcome…today.  And a string of todays–one day at a time–becomes a lifetime of faithfulness.

It’s better than the plaque I saw at a thrift store (for sale): “If today didn’t come, stop believing in tomorrow.”  I’m still not sure what I think of that, except to say that it’s among the most faithless thoughts I’ve seen put to print.  More than anything, it’s nonsensical because:

 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Yesterday is gone and indeed it is history.  Tomorrow is the stuff of faith.  But in the present, God gives us the gift of faith that overcomes…in the moment…every moment…no matter what the day holds.  This is the victory.  It is the faith that overcomes.

I had originally planned on posting something else I had prepared.  Until today happened.  After today’s encounters with people who are genuinely suffering in horrific and depressing ways, the topic I’d prepared suddenly seemed trivial, insignificant, and rather irrelevant.  Petty “first-world problems” when people here and elsewhere are facing life and death choices, persecution, trauma of a deeply scarring nature, and death itself.

So, I can take a Holy Spirit hint and return to the hymns for more help in Overcoming.

Shortly before writ­ing this hymn (to the Swedish melody known as Tryggare kan ingen vara), Karolina San­dell-Berg and her fa­ther Jonas Sandell were on a boat trip across Lake Vättern, when he fell over­board, drowning while she watched.  By way of overcoming deep sorrow, Lina Sandell (age 26) penned the words to Children of the Heavenly Father.  Enjoy this link to hear it sung by the Bethany College choir.

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19) 

Lucy had a short fuse.  When Linus asked for one good reason why he must memorize the Christmas script, Lucy numbers her fingers, forming a fist.  Linus says “Those are good reasons,” adding that Christmas is getting too dangerous.  Then Snoopy mocks Lucy, and she spins around pronouncing, “I ought to slug you!”  No wonder she only charges a nickel for psychiatric advice.

Making a fist for beating the pulp out of someone is not the approach God encourages for our dealing with anger.  Nor is letting anger fester into bitterness.  Likewise, immediately jumping to judgment or shoving it down to deal with it later (all the while, just letting it ruminate and consume every thought) are also poor responses.

So how do we Overcome anger? 

Consider a better use of time and action.  You see, there exists a bridge of space and time between offense and punishment.  Some offenses rightly require immediate action, but others don’t need prompt reaction.  With Kingdom vision, actions, and time frame, we can span this time and space in God-honoring ways.  We have many choices, only some of which are good (e.g. with anger, love, resentment, patience, bitterness, mercy, forgiveness, revenge, peace, etc.).

God’s approach is to let Him be in charge of that narrow bridge because it is all spiritual.  The narrow bridge is at our feet and God’s Word illuminates the way in which we should go.  But fall off the narrow bridge in one direction and we find it’s flanked on one side with anger.  Fall off the other side and we fall into judgment of our fellow human beings.  Both spiritual chasms are too dangerous for humans to navigate safely so we’re better off staying on the bridge instead of descending into the pit of anger, judgment, and hatred.

Ultimately all offenses against God’s image bearers are against Him.  

Only God is fully capable of resolving anger with proper judgment.

On the other hand, human anger points inward.  We can turn ourselves into victims.  Anger infiltrates our spirits and takes root.  It draws us inward to lavish self-worship by which we focus on our hurts, how offended we feel, and how we were wronged!

Furthermore, jumping headlong into get-even-with’em-ism, we fail to appreciate that only God knows someone’s heart, has perfect understanding, and sees how the narrow bridge of space and time can lead sinners to repentance before punishment must happen.  God doesn’t punish so He gets His pound of flesh.  He punishes as discipline to bring us to godliness and repentance.

Just as anger leads us to focus inward, judgment against our fellow image-bearing humans also brings us face-to-face with another self-worship trap.  We pride ourselves as being more like God than others when, in fact, we become less like Him the more we judge others’ hearts.  Judging can be very god-like.  But each of us has probably encountered a situation which (upon learning the backstory or Paul Harvey’s “the rest of the story”) revealed that what we thought was going on, really wasn’t correct at all.  Better to leave rash judgments aside and rely upon God’s judgment in His timing and to fill our time with choices certain to honor God.

In Romans 12:21 it reads, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  God has given us a narrow way on which to walk with humility, love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy toward others.  Ultimately our leaving anger and judgment to God alone demonstrates our love for Christ and our trust in Him.

Questions for reflection:

1. Think of some offenses against you that have made you angry.  Picture yourself walking across that narrow bridge from offense to punishment.  What might be some strategies you can use to lay the burden down at the offense and leave the judgment and punishment to God?  What might be some strategies to keep from being tempted to take it up again?
2. Can carrying an offense or a grudge become a habit?  What happens to offenses and grudges over time?  Identify ways grudges can cause you to focus on how you feel and provide reasons to reinforce your right to be offended.

It’s really easy to shirk away from Overcoming when the times get tough.  Speaking the truth, honoring a commitment that you no longer feel like keeping because others are ridiculing you, or standing boldly for a cause that matters is hard work.  Everyone wants to be loved and no one enjoys standing alone–especially in a crowd.  Peer pressure is a powerful motivator and equally powerful at stripping away one’s will to hold onto integrity, uphold a principle, or defend a cherished value.

Jesus didn’t think much of the crowd.  And they didn’t think much of Him.

Matthew 27:15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

Pilate, confronted with a crowd, sided with them to avoid the visible natural conflict, and he washed his hands of responsibility.  It didn’t change his culpability before God, though.  It merely postponed the ramifications of a poor decision to the final judgment seat.  Wash his hands all he might, but the consequences are still his to bear.

What will we do when confronted with peer pressure?  Will we do what is right or capitulate to pressure?

Our standing against the rising tide of evil and self-interest in order to do what is right by God will always be valuable in God’s sight.  There is a reward for doing what is good and the abundance is tied to our fear of the Lord.  Overcoming in plain sight of people acts as a powerful witness to God’s existence, holiness, and power.  It brings God great glory when His people take refuge in Him, particularly in plain sight of the crowd.