Back to the Basics

This week is a big week in the Klophaus family. My son has been training since he was 5 for his black belt. It has taken lots of time and discipline. It hasn't been easy, but it has been very worthwhile. I won't go into all of the reasons why I appreciate the things he has learned through martial arts, but I will say that he has had a Christian instructor who has instilled Christian principles in him, and taught him how to deal with real life conflict in tangible ways.

There are many requirements to fulfill when in the final stages before a black belt test. Of course, he has to know all of the forms, but then he has to write an essay on respect, have written recommendations from others, etc. I was reading through the criteria, and I read this statement: "Here is the dirty little secret about all decent martial arts programs, there is nothing new! The only thing that matters is getting better at the basics."

That was a powerful statement to me. I believe the same is true in our Christian walk. Oftentimes, we get derailed by peripheral things or petty disputes, and oftentimes, we need to explore those things. But nothing should take us away from the basics, or rather, the basics should be strong so that we continue to grow every day. It is our core that defines us. It is what strengthens our faith. It is what we will rely on during times of trial.

I received a call yesterday from a girl who grew up in a church, but is not currently an active member anywhere. She and her husband had come up against a circumstance where they had to discuss their faith. They had never had that discussion before. When it came right down to it, though she is a Christian, she was confused about some of the basic, core beliefs of Christianity. This made it even harder for her to discuss this "faith thing" with her husband, who does not share those core beliefs and certainly doesn't know the "Baptist language". It was a reminder to me that we, as followers of Christ and as Christian educators, should NEVER neglect the basics. We should never assume that people understand the "Christian" language. Sometimes it may be completely foreign to them. I am grateful that she and her husband weren't afraid to ask questions, and begin the journey together now.

Several years ago, a missionary came and spoke to our Bible study class about a tribe he had been working with. It was a tribe that didn't understand the concept of exchanging money for work, or "earning wages". Therefore, the verse, "For the wages of sin is death..." didn't translate. The missionary spent 9 years there without a single convert. He spent that 9 years understanding their language and their way of life so he could share The Gospel with them. He spent 9 years working on translating the basics so that an entire tribe might someday come to know Christ, and be able to read Scripture in their own language.

The basics are so important. I value the time I spent in Bible Drill (learning scripture), Children's Choirs (learning hymnody) and in the Lutheran church (learning the creeds), because those are the core values of my faith. We as Baptists tend to run from creeds, but I am thankful for the Lutheran church teaching me the Nicene Creed, because it helped me memorize those core truths, and more importantly, verbalize them. There is a newer chorus that encompasses these truths in more contemporary verse:

We believe in God the Father. We believe in Christ the Son. We believe in the Holy Spirit. We are the Church and we stand as one. We believe in the Holy Bible. We believe in the virgin birth. We believe in the resurrection, that Christ one day will return to earth. We believe in the blood of Jesus. We believe in eternal life. We believe in the blood that frees us to become the Bride of Christ.

...and the powerful worship chorus (which scripture says one day ALL believers will sing around the throne): Holy, holy, holy is our God. Worthy, worthy, worthy is our King. All glory and honor are His to receive. To Jesus we sing because we believe.

May we never take for granted the core of what we believe as Christians. Let us look for opportunities to grow in the basics--studying the Scripture, worship, prayer, fellowship with believers, discipleship, missions. Like martial arts, we need to constantly strive to get better at the basics!

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Lord, help me not to get sidetracked by the peripheral or the petty, but stand firm on the Solid Rock. Thank You for giving me a sure foundation in Christ. Help me never to be complacent about sharing Your grace and mercy with this lost world. People need to know You! Draw me nearer to You everyday, that I might stay focused on the tasks You have for me to do, and that I might be a reflection of that grace which You bestow upon me daily.

Worth

One of the funniest websites (especially if you’re in a cynical mood) is despair.com. It presents the most bleak outlook on life. It has posters with “demotivational” sayings—posters like:
A picture of the running of the bulls with a saying, “Tradition: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.” Or “Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us.” Or, “Doubt: In the battle between you and world, bet on the world.” It’s a whole website (meant to be funny) poking fun at motivational sayings. It makes its money on “demotivation”.

As I was looking at it and laughing, I came across one that just made me sad: “Worth: Just because you’re necessary doesn’t mean you’re important.” The reason why this particular one struck me is because I meet people every day who don’t think they make a difference—not just lost people, but Christians. First of all, lost people are just that…lost. And that “lost”ness is often accompanied by worthlessness. There are many Christians who take that first step, but never cultivate a relationship with God. There are many Christians who fall away, and in that detachment feel worthless. But God created us in His own image—a people with a purpose.

Genesis 1:27-28: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it...” and then He calls us “very good.”

I hope that nobody in this ministry EVER feels worthless. We are worth so much that God sent His only Son (what was most valuable to Him) to die for our sins. Therefore, our ministries and our lives on this earth are not worthless. We MEAN something. We make a difference. From the beginning, He desired that we inhabit and care for this earth and everything in it. Then, after “the fall”, after years of separation, and after the renewed hope in Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus tasked us with reaching and discipling every one in every nation. What an incredibly worthy task! Maybe even a little overwhelming.

I love the story about the man on a beach that is full of dying starfish that have washed ashore. This man begins picking them up one by one and throwing them back in the ocean so that they will survive. Another person says to him, “What are you doing? There are so many starfish washed up here, you can’t save them all. This is futile. You’re not making a difference at all….” The man replied to him as he threw in another starfish, “I made a difference to that one.”

That is us, each and every week…touching lives one by one. We are worthy because God made us in His image, and He died for us. They (the "lost") are worthy because He did the same for them. They just need someone to tell them about Him. But most of all, our God is worthy of everything we can give. He has given us a high calling. He has entrusted us with telling this world about Him, and modeling our lives for them to see His love, mercy and grace! “Worth: You are necessary and you are important.” And we have much work yet to do.

Philippians 1:3-6: "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Dear God, Thank You for not giving up on us. Thank You for going to such great efforts to redeem us. Thank You for giving our lives purpose. Help us to make a difference every day in the life of one, so that as we walk daily with You, we can show many Your love. Help us to accomplish all that You have for us to do.

"Good" Enough?

I spent last week adjudicating a competition. It was a lot of fun. I got to hear 5th-8th grade choirs, orchestras and bands from this and surrounding ISDs. I was really amazed at what these young kids were able to do with music, and how fearless they were. It was also interesting to see the psychology of it all--how a group truly took on the personality of its director. But that's all for another blog.

In this contest, we were encouraged to give the best ratings we could to encourage the kids. It wasn't hard...we heard some very good groups. But, I was looking at the ratings system:
I--Superior, II -- Excellent, III -- Good. III was the lowest rating--it was just "good".

This man-made rating system got me to thinking about the word "good", and how we totally misuse it in this society. We feel the need to self-inflate things--we aren't satisfied with being "good". We've always got to find a way to make "good" better. For instance, with graduates, you have Cum Laud, but that's only representative of those who have done "good" (well). So, we add "magna" and "summa" to provide further distinctions. Our ice cream has rim colors to distinguish it--"good" ice creama is brown. "silver" is even better (more expensive) and "gold" is the best (another way to charge us even more money). Even our gas has a ratings system: "regular" (good) isn't good enough for the more elite cars--so we've created "Premium" and "Super" and charged a higher price. Somehow, "good" has become associated with mediocrity or underachievement.

Yet, when our Father speaks "good", it is of the highest rank:

In Genesis 1:27, we are told how God created us in HIS image, and it is followed up in v. 31 with God looking upon EVERYTHING He created and calling it "very good".

In walking the Christian walk, we often talk about how we want to live a life that is worthy of Him, and how we long for the day when we meet Him in Heaven, and desire for Him to say about us as the master did in Matthew 25:21:
"'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

So, I began my search through Scripture on what was "good".

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 118 repeatedly says: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

The LORD is Good--I couldn't count the number of times that the LORD Himself is represented in Scripture as "good"--there's nothing mediocre about that!!! His love, and His mercy endure forever. He is Sovereign. He is perfect, all-knowing...the list goes on and on.

So, how do we attain this kind of "good"ness that exceeds any earthly rating? I found at least part of my answer in Titus 3:

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

First of all, I just have to clarify that we are only "good"/justified because of God's grace and mercy--not by anything we've done (as this passage clearly states). Having clarified that, living the life of a Christian follower and being "good" isn't easy. It requires much discipline...consistency, faith, patience, humility...all of those things contrary to earthly success. But I don't want an earthly "superior" rating. I want to be "good"--in the image of my Father in Heaven. That's a much higher prize with a much more difficult road, but I am committed to the challenge. I want to run the race, like Paul said, to receive the highest prize. Or as Jesus said in Matthew, I want my light to shine so that people may see my GOOD deeds, and thus no longer see me, but give praise to my Father in Heaven.

Lord, in this world where everyone is trying to run the rat race of life, help us to run the real race and keep our eyes fixed on the real prize. Help us to set our sights high--living good lives and being good and faithful servants. Help others to see our good deeds and have no choice but to give praise to You. Help us to collectively be "excellent" because each of us was devoted to doing Your good. I love You, Lord.

Proverbs 31

Being Mother's Day and all, I spent some time pondering on Proverbs 31, and realizing how short I fall to the example laid out in that passage. But, I was also reminded of the incredible women God has placed in my life to be examples and to help me through each day--women who bless my life.

vv. 10-12 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

I was blessed to have a mother whose character was above reproach. Dad has always known that he could count on her for whatever he needed. She made our house a home--and a loving, happy one at that. She is incredibly noble, competent, generous, honest...the list goes on and on. I am thankful for the example she set forth for me on being a godly wife. I know that she set a wonderful example for my brothers because they couldn't have picked better wives suited for them. I'm so thankful for the partners that God has given each of us.

v. 15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

I have been blessed to be in a family where the women worked hard. I learned such a strong work ethic from women like my mother (who was up early to make sure we had incredibly happy mornings) to my grandmother who worked in everything from her nursing job to missions to medical clinics. My grandmother turned 80 on Saturday and still has an amazing work ethic. And I can't forget my two aunts. Bunny studied and practiced with each of her kids, modeling excellence for her children (while working full time, playing for children's choirs, etc.). My aunt Erin has always been such a hard worker--there wasn't ever anything she couldn't do or accomplish. She can see the potential in anything. She's amazing.

vv. 23 & 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

When I read these verses, I can't help but think of my precious Mammy. She was the epitome of dignity and respect and refinement...and gentleness. And there was no doubt that Pappaw was not only respected at the city gate, but every where else he walked. The other woman in my life who is clothed with strength and dignity is Miss Jane Ellis. She has walked with the Lord and blessed tremendously my life, and the lives of other women in my family. She has instilled in each of us a love of music, but also modeled for us the importance of a close walk with the Lord.

v.28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Each of these women that I mentioned above have children that absolutely adore them. I pray that I will raise my children with excellence, respect, fear of the Lord, love overflowing, generosity, faith and strength as these have.

v.30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Lord, my ministry is only as strong as my family. I pray that each and every day, You remind me of that. Strengthen my family daily. I pray that You will bring generations to come of strong women who fear You and walk closely with You. I thank You for the women You have placed in my life. I thank You for the wonderful women I work with on a daily basis--Amy and Beth--who model for me the importance of family. They are wonderful mothers who I have the privilege of learning from. I pray that You would use each of us to encourage each other in our journeys as women, mothers, wives, ministers, servants. We love You, Lord, and thank You for loving us. Amen.