Matthew 13:31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

Ever felt insignificant?  I do all the time.  I wonder what I’m really doing or what I’m actually accomplishing for the Kingdom.

Little bits of faithfulness here and there, but it seems like it doesn’t make a difference in this world.  Yet, Jesus tells us that this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.  It’s like a mustard seed.  So my eyes are fixed on the horizon for the mustard tree and perching birds that God will bring as He grows the Kingdom of Heaven through my little mustard seed.

Evidence of God’s work:  From small beginnings, something spectacular!

Matthew 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'”

As a person who loves to garden, this parable hits home.  I do my best to prepare the soil to have a weed-free garden and then it seems like overnight, an enemy comes and plants a bunch of weeds.  In the Kingdom of Heaven parable above, the wheat sprouted and grew and everything was fine!  Until…

Until that critical moment when the wheat formed heads. 

Heads of what? 

The next generation of wheat–fruit from his hard work.

Isn’t that what always seems to happen in our spiritual lives?  We’re just about ready to have a spiritual breakthrough or make a Kingdom impact in someone else’s life and then thud.  Problems.  Obstacles.  Weeds!

Not just weeds growing around the outside edges or in select clumps of total weediness.  Nope.  They’re spread throughout.  The owners servants didn’t see the good seed he planted. It seems they only saw the weeds.  To the owner, there was probably disappointment and frustration.  I experience this all the time in ministry.  Nothing ever seems to go as I plan it.  To the servants, they were analyzing the situation for its problems and not seeing the presence of the wheat.  It was still there.

Is the field half-wheat or is it half-weeds?  Plenty of bystanders are satisfied pointing out our shortcomings or failures to produce sufficient fruit.  Ministry partners will tell us we ought to give up.  Too many weeds to be worth it.  Stop wasting your time for so little visible reward!  But we must not give in to these voices.

In our spiritual journey, let’s not forget that when we encounter obstacles and frustrations as we’re nearing a breakthrough or a tipping point,

 There is still wheat. 

There is still wheat so persevere until the harvest.  The fruit–the next generation of wheat–is growing there.  It’s all about the next generation and it matters greatly.  It is still worth harvesting.  Kingdom work is always worth doing.  And we’ll always have an enemy coming against us and sometimes fellow workers who don’t see the wheat for the weeds.  They’ll do the enemy’s work of discouragement.  But the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed and harvested, irrespective of what enemies and obstacles and weeds arose.

One of the most remarkable exchanges in the Bible is from a controversial passage.  It is debated because it is missing from some of the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of John.  I’m glad those who compiled our Bibles included it because it’s so beautiful.

John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

It’s perfectly consistent with the rest of Scripture and for that reason, I find it encouraging.  God doesn’t desire to punish people.  He wants for us to turn from our sins and to pursue righteous living.

So it is consistent that Jesus doesn’t look for excuses to condemn people, to point out their failings, and dwell on their wrongs.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees, the hyper-religious sorts rushed to judgment.  They looked for ways to point out problems with other people’s lives.

Jesus was different.  Even when confronted with someone whose failings were plain, Jesus’ response was to offer no condemnation, just forgiveness and an admonition to leave sins behind.

I’ve been thinking on hypocrisy, forgiveness, and Paula Deen.

Let me see if I have the situation right:   Paula Deen swore to tell the truth in a deposition for a lawsuit.  In her telling the truth, she admitted that she had used the “N word” at some point in her life.   She told the truth, then her world came crashing down.  The Food Network dumped her.  Her sponsors dumped her.  Some of her fans have dumped her.  Anchors on news shows and pundits are all dumping on her for telling the truth.

Would they rather that she’d lied?  After all, in America, lies are the new truth.  Or so it seems when you’ve done something you can’t go back and undo.  She spoke the word so she had two choices: tell the truth or lie about it.  There was no going back.

Consider the hypocrisy, though, of what has been going on by all the people talking about it.  Those who ought to respond with forgiveness to her truth and her apology are refusing to forgive,  because apparently to them, the “N word” is the unforgivable sin.

When the truth is told before the Judge of the Universe, I wonder how the anchors and the fans and the sponsors and the Food Network executives will answer these questions regarding their entire life:

1. Have you ever used the word faggot for any reason other than describing decorative stitching or bundles of sticks?
2. Have you ever said, “That’s gay” but not in reference to something very cheerful?
3. Have you ever called someone a “cracker” or a “geezer” or “ho”?
4. Have you ever used words that aren’t fit for me to print in regard to someone, besmirching his or her character, referring to one of several body parts?

Or the one that will probably be most important to the Judge of the Universe who said this:

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

Deposition time, anchors and fans and sponsors and executives and Paula Deen and you and me.  Time to tell the truth:

Have you ever said “Jesus Christ” as an exclamation of frustration or said “Oh my God” without reference to Him at all?

The Judge will look at each of us, knowing the truth.

So here’s the question each of us should be asking ourselves:

Someday will I want the forgiveness that I am so unwilling to extend to Paula Deen?

So whether the “N word” is an insult or a word beneath your consideration; whether you’re tired of being called a ho and take it to heart or let it pass by, the person who spoke these will be accountable for his or her words.

But what about you? 

Your real question will be whether you will extended forgiveness to those who apologized

or whether in your hypocrisy, you withheld it. 

Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Forgiveness is one of the most lacking things in American culture.  We—in our proud independence—do not want to believe that we must forgive others for their offenses against us.  Grudges are easier than forgiveness.

Many people will never apologize for the wrongs they’ve done to others.   They’ll withhold remorse when remorse is due.  They’d feel better for being honest with themselves and asking for forgiveness.

Sometimes people go half-way.  They’ll say they’re sorry.  The words are there, but it’s a veneer of regret.  We’ve seen it in testimony before Congress or in tweets or e-mails.  It’s as if saying the words is all it ought to require.  But forgiveness is something more.  It’s deeper than mere words.  It needs to be a heart attitude that we adopt for ourselves and our benefit, every bit as much as we do it for others and for making peace with them.

We need to understand forgiveness and the high standard we’re called to observe.

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18: 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Verse 35 is a scary revelation from the lips of Jesus.  He’s completely serious that forgiveness needs to be from your heart—it’s a heart attitude.  And forgiving others as Jesus has forgiven us is a high standard indeed.  What do you need to forgive today?

Secure the borders!  That’s what so many people are talking about.  I am conflicted about this.  Does the Bible ask us to secure the borders?

Most Americans like keeping evildoers out of the country, establishing distance between us and terrorists, for example.  Most Americans probably cherish the idea of sharing freedom with the good people who want freedom and come to us for that reason, especially when there is no freedom in the country they’re fleeing.   Most Americans appreciate migrant workers who do the important work in the fields of the USA–work that many US citizens would refuse to do.

The question becomes “Will secure borders keep evildoers out and share freedom only with good people?”

Here’s a corollary question: Does building prisons for evildoers and lawbreakers increase the safety of the population at large?

I submit to you that it’s only to the extent we use the prisons for keeping all the evildoers locked up.  Yet plenty of criminals roam free because law enforcement has a monumental task and our judicial system is bogged down and often flaky in the decisions rendered.  Someone needs to determine who the evildoers are and someone needs to define lawlessness and evil.  Are Congress, the Department of Justice, and the US judicial system really designed to do this in an age of relative truth? Can an activist court overturn what the people say in direct votes, what Congress legislates, and what former Presidents sign?  This week should tell us “Yes, the Court can” and without really consulting the US Constitution above personal politics.

Secure the borders never means a moral fence which is what the Bible advocates.

Borders are morality neutral: A mere fence or a prison keeps those inside in and those outside out irrespective of biblical moral judgments.  Without morality, a fence imprisons.  The Berlin Wall and the Holocaust teach us that.

In the course of history, have prisons been used by evildoers to lock up political enemies?

One doesn’t have to look too far back in history to see that Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Communist China, and Iran locked up people whose greatest crime was disagreeing with the status quo or who held to different religious or political ideas.  One doesn’t need to go overseas to see that who goes to prison is tied directly to who judges what constitutes a crime.  Yanira Maldonados could tell you that in Mexico, you’re guilty until proven innocent.  Jon Hammar could tell you the same thing.  Edward Snowden is a flawed hero to some and an evil mastermind of treason to others.  Will he get a medal of commendation or a death sentence?  Who will judge him?  And on what basis when–and if–he returns?

Whether we clamor for secure borders or open borders, we still have a morality problem. 

Maybe instead of looking for blanket amnesty or blanket deportation, we ought to be looking for who, among the illegal aliens, has a moral core.  Let them have work visas and pursue citizenship like anyone else if they even want to become a US citizen.  Or let them work here seasonally on a visa.  But for those intent upon doing evil, deportation is in order.   Keep evildoers out. That is the goal of those who want to secure the borders.

So I’m conflicted.  I’d never advocate letting all the prisoners go free from maximum security prisons because one among them may be wrongly convicted.   What may be necessary for the one unjustly held is not appropriate for all.  Nor would I advocate locking all of us up to have security so that those in charge can monitor who should remain locked up and who can be paroled with a surge of patrol officers to watch us all with surveillance and drones.

Illegal aliens are not all the same.  Some are good-hearted, hard-working family types.  Some are evildoers.  If they are not the same morally, why are we looking to treat them with a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the very issue which concerns us all (including Hispanic citizens of the US)?

Evildoers exist within and without.  Should we secure the borders or commit instead to prosecuting all evildoers and insist upon valid visas for everyone who needs a visa?  Borders and fences are morality neutral.  Therefore, the danger when we secure the borders, as those in the former East Berlin could tell you, is that when enforced by evildoers the same secure borders that kept people out…can now keep people longing for the freedom outside…from escaping the bondage inside.

In trying times, resetting our minds becomes even more imperative.  Keeping Christ first in our hearts and having a Kingdom perspective will be sure fire ways to overcome the discouragement of the moment.  No matter what comes our way, when we know Christ, His grace will overflow, resetting our minds on what is truly important.

 America, how quickly we forget the cost.  Just sayin’…

As a Christian, I do not despair at rulings like today’s Supreme Court decisions regarding gay marriage.  I know who the real Judge is and I know what He says true marriage is.  God issued commands and we will have peace so long as we live by them.

 If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:18)

Controversial rulings on gay marriage by a U.S. Supreme Court

will someday come under real judicial scrutiny. 

Those in robes have been entrusted with upholding the law.  It’s a huge responsibility for which they will bear the consequences of their actions.  Those who ruled with justice and truth will be upheld for the righteousness they pursued.  Those who ruled by politics and pressure will find their judgments blown away like chaff.  Their robes will be taken away, they will be stripped of everything but shame, and then they will be held accountable for what they have done with the high privilege God gave to them.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7)

To the gay “married” among the world’s citizens, you will know what you accomplished with all your activism.  You may get every court among men to say you’re married just like one man and one woman, but when the Real Judge issues His ruling on gay marriage, you will know that God does not, did not, and will not ever consider you married.  Picket and protest all you want.

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29)

We are told that the last days of earth will be characterized by people doing what was right in their own eyes.  I, for one, am not at all surprised by the Supreme Court.  Had they sought God, they’d know He will never change His ruling.  I won’t fight it.  I won’t be discouraged by it because I know the Real Judge Awaits…

Sunlight gets absorbed and bent as it passes through different colors of glass in a stained glass window.  We see a colorful pattern on the floor that resembles the image in the window.  Is it still light?  Absolutely!  Is it changed by the colors of glass in the window?  Yes.

Let’s say God sent the sunlight and erected the window. 

Who created the pattern on the floor: God or the window?

That’s how inspiration of Scripture works.  The window was necessary and only produced the pattern that the window was designed to give.  The human writers of the Bible are the window God erected to make the precise pattern on the floor God wants us to see.

God works similarly in the lives of people He calls.  Our personalities make a difference.  There’s a truth pattern evident, but the display is unique to each of us.  God uses each Christian’s life experiences to show the world God’s goodness and light through many colorful windows.

Now the difference between the truth shown through a stained glass window of Christian faith and colorful falsehood of the world is that the light is not evident in lies.  The liar’s “window” rather than translucent or transparent becomes opaque or cloudy or even completely blocks the light depending on how dark the person is in his or her heart.  It’s the difference between a stained glass window and an oil painting on the wall.  One lets light in.  The other blocks it out.  Both have colors, but one allows the light to pass through.

The Bible—and those who hold to it—let the light shine through.  Other books may be opaque or cloudy letting a bit of truth mix with whatever sells for the day as “self-help.” But keep this in mind:  Any book that does not point to the complete sufficiency of Christ and the total insufficiency of humanity is not telling you the whole truth, the full spectrum of light as presented in the many colors of glass in the Bible.