Love is a Verb II

This pic has nothing to do with the study, but it does invite us all to take ourselves less seriously than we sometimes do. The towel art in our room for our 25th anniversary trip included a frog, a dog, an elephant, a monkey, and of course, this Hollywood rabbit.

Judges 14:1-20

The entire story of Samson is found in Judges 13-16 and I encourage you to read it. The passage for our reflection talks about his lengendary strength. Samson was a Nazarite, set apart for the Lord's service. His vow meant that he would live a holy life and never cut his hair. But like many gifted people (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually), he lived his life at the edge of compromise and self-destruction. As we mourn the death of pop idol, Michael Jackson, the Samson story comes to mind. At Michael Jackson's peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, no one had the charismatic appeal he did. Yet, his life ended up taking one tragic turn after another as he cross boundaries that were not worthy. We have watched this with other entertainers, great athletes, politically powerful individuals and families, and yes, a few preachers, too.

We read the story and, because we know how it ends, we want to warn Samson about his flirtatious ways and his telling of riddles that set him up for the fall. The problem is that Samson has all this appeal and strength, but he does not love the LORD with it. He loves the feel of his strength, the gamesmanship between him and his opponents, and the lust relationship he can have with women. He loves himself with all his strength. King David would have done well to read Samson's story before he made some of the same mistakes with his appeal and power.

What giftedness do you possess and how do you show that giftedness in your actions? Do you use your gifts primarily for your own benefit or primarily for the glory of God? Are you living life on the edge, flirting with disaster just because you can, or you living at the edge of godly greatness offering yourself freely for the glory of God?

James 1:17-27

James tells us first to be quick to listen and slow to speak. You have heard the old adage, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!" It is so tempting to be reactive - quick to speak and quick to act and speak in anger. I was reading not long ago that it takes only 90 seconds for an angry emotion to cycle through the systems of our brain and body. After that it must be fed and nurtured through remembering past events and feeding the adrenaline through imagination. So maybe we shouldn't just count to 10...and count to 90 instead. James will circle back to this issue later, but I do ask you to look at what your doing with anger. It is intoxicating and energizing in a way that can make us addicts if we are not careful.

Soren Kierkegaard remarked one time in reflection on the gospel and our daily lives, "There is no shortage of information..." If he lived in our time, he would amplify that many times over. For Jesus, the Word was only truly heard when it was obeyed. James teaches us not merely to be hearers of the Word, but to be doers. Norm Wahn, who led the church outreach program "The Phone's for You," taught us, "Don't be a dumb doer - someone who hears a bunch of great stuff and does nothing with it." I must confess that in my Christian life I have often been a dumb doer. James compares this to looking in the mirror and then forgetting what you look like. Rather than face the truth of God's Word and what it calls for, we fake others out along with ourselves. We are invited to not turn away when we see something that needs dealt with, but instead let God do his full work in our lives, which means not only changing our minds, but changing our behavior. In James' perspective, until behavioral change happens the Word has not truly been heard.

This change of behavior includes our speech, which will get a further treatment later. So my final question for today is, "What does your daily speech and behavior say about your walk with Christ?" Have a great and blessed day.