Heroes
There is a television series called Heroes about ordinary people who unexpectedly learn that they are extraordinary. It is comic book stuff. Some can fly, or read another’s thoughts, or be extra strong. One of the elements of the show that I like is exploring what it means to be a hero.
One character loses his special abilities so when he goes out to fight against the “bad guys” he has no extra protection. He’s not strong, or highly intelligent, or anything like what he had been, but he is very motivated by his idealistic vision of his place in the world. He sees himself as a hero and he is determined to do whatever he must in order to help others, regardless of the personal cost to him.
We get to choose that same course. We get to choose to be a hero for others. Dads, moms, brothers and sisters, neighbors…we get to choose who we will be in this world for all those we live with and around.
Many will choose to save the world from hunger; that’s a worthy cause. Others will choose to save the world and future generations from today’s pollution; also worthy . Some will save others from ignorance or violence. There are lots of ways you can be somebody’s hero even if it is just close around you, at home – our children need heroes at home too.
As you serve others, as you do good for those around you, remember why you are doing good. It is not only an ideal. It is an imitation of the Christ. Food saves from hunger; a job pays for food; education provides employment. As important as those things are, without Christ they become meaningless. The real heroes bring faith and life in Christ.
The real hero is not the stuff of comic books, he is real. He speaks the words that teach; he lives the grace of generosity; he shares his life as a symbol of Jesus’ life. You know these people. They are not perfect, but they showed you Jesus and they taught you the Way. They are our heroes.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Not Proud
Moses was under attack. It was the worst sort of attack because it wasn’t his enemies – it was his sister and his relative Aaron who were jealous of his position.
Think about that for just a moment…why would they be jealous of his position? They weren’t jealous when he went in to see Pharaoh, or when they were up against Pharaoh’s army on the one side and a horizon of water on the other. They were never jealous when the people of Israel complained about their hardships in the wilderness.
But when the Lord gave Israel quail to eat, things began to look a little different. Through Moses, God calls out 70 leaders among the clans to meet with Moses and he pours out his Spirit on them. Even the two that rejected or neglected Moses’ instructions to be at the Tent of Meeting prophesied in the camp. Joshua saw this as a “power grab” and volunteered to go stop it, but Moses, in typical humble fashion, is not worried about threats to his leadership.
Miriam and Aaron begin to talk against Moses under the pretext of his Cushite wife, but their true motives are revealed in their words, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (Were they among the 70 elders who prophesied by the Holy Spirit or were they referring to some other time that God spoke through them?) They are jealous. They want more recognition; they want more say.
Moses does not respond to them, but God does: First he defends Moses’ character and unique place under God’s rule. Then he punishes Miriam with leprosy.
You should probably catch verse three of Numbers chapter 12. It is a paragraph by itself. It is written in parentheses, yet it is a superlative: “(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”
If love is not proud, then Moses was full of love for those rebellious people.
Don
Moses was under attack. It was the worst sort of attack because it wasn’t his enemies – it was his sister and his relative Aaron who were jealous of his position.
Think about that for just a moment…why would they be jealous of his position? They weren’t jealous when he went in to see Pharaoh, or when they were up against Pharaoh’s army on the one side and a horizon of water on the other. They were never jealous when the people of Israel complained about their hardships in the wilderness.
But when the Lord gave Israel quail to eat, things began to look a little different. Through Moses, God calls out 70 leaders among the clans to meet with Moses and he pours out his Spirit on them. Even the two that rejected or neglected Moses’ instructions to be at the Tent of Meeting prophesied in the camp. Joshua saw this as a “power grab” and volunteered to go stop it, but Moses, in typical humble fashion, is not worried about threats to his leadership.
Miriam and Aaron begin to talk against Moses under the pretext of his Cushite wife, but their true motives are revealed in their words, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (Were they among the 70 elders who prophesied by the Holy Spirit or were they referring to some other time that God spoke through them?) They are jealous. They want more recognition; they want more say.
Moses does not respond to them, but God does: First he defends Moses’ character and unique place under God’s rule. Then he punishes Miriam with leprosy.
You should probably catch verse three of Numbers chapter 12. It is a paragraph by itself. It is written in parentheses, yet it is a superlative: “(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”
If love is not proud, then Moses was full of love for those rebellious people.
Don
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Pride
Pride is a tricky word for us. We are proud of our children and loved ones when they have accomplished something good or important. We are proud of ourselves, when we do well; when we move beyond our own expectations of ourselves. We are proud of our soldiers and our nation.
But sometimes we are proud in a different sense: we may be haughty, which means to think too much of ourselves. I like one Greek word sometimes translated pride, but when translated literally means inflated or puffy. That gives the image, to me, of a balloon all blown up and ready to….POP! It is a thin superficial covering that is filled with something as vapid as air. When the covering is scratched or poked, even with a blade of soft grass – nothing is left and all appearance is shown for what it truly was.
The New Testament uses the word both ways:
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
Galatians 6:3,4
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
James 1:9-10
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
2 Corinthians 5:12
We want to rejoice in our good accomplishments, and those of others, without becoming haughty. We want to be pleased with our diligence without believing we are better than someone else because of it. Sometimes that really can be tricky.
Don
Pride is a tricky word for us. We are proud of our children and loved ones when they have accomplished something good or important. We are proud of ourselves, when we do well; when we move beyond our own expectations of ourselves. We are proud of our soldiers and our nation.
But sometimes we are proud in a different sense: we may be haughty, which means to think too much of ourselves. I like one Greek word sometimes translated pride, but when translated literally means inflated or puffy. That gives the image, to me, of a balloon all blown up and ready to….POP! It is a thin superficial covering that is filled with something as vapid as air. When the covering is scratched or poked, even with a blade of soft grass – nothing is left and all appearance is shown for what it truly was.
The New Testament uses the word both ways:
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
Galatians 6:3,4
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
James 1:9-10
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
2 Corinthians 5:12
We want to rejoice in our good accomplishments, and those of others, without becoming haughty. We want to be pleased with our diligence without believing we are better than someone else because of it. Sometimes that really can be tricky.
Don
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