Lessons from bin Laden

A few warnings before reading:

I would like to preface this post by saying that I in no way support religious extremism, terrorism, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, or persecuting others because of their religion (or any other reason, for that matter). I am in no way suggesting that Christians should go out and kill thousands of people to get their point across. I would also like to point out that the average Muslim does not support the extremist cause or feel that literal extermination is the appropriate way to eliminate non-Muslims.

Osama bin Laden was proud of his work. Why? He believed he was doing the right thing by killing thousands of "infidels." Though his actions are considered wrong according to a vast majority of earth's population (typical Muslims included), Osama bin Laden thought that what he was doing was right in the eyes of his god. He risked his life, as well as the lives of his friends, family, and anyone who came in contact with him. He left his home and trained for decades. He spent years dedicated to developing master plans to achieve his goal. He put forth all his money, broke local/national/international laws, and successfully killed thousands so that he could proclaim the name of Allah. He was one man who single-handedly changed the face of his religion and forever changed the world in the name of Allah.

So, what are you doing? If the poster child for wickedness can fearlessly fight to proclaim the name of his god, one that isn't even real, why can't Christians fight for the true God? Sometimes it's a struggle for us to even let people know we're Christians, much less stand up for him in the face of a world seeking to destroy you. We often have a hard time paying attention to 5 minutes of a worship service, much less devoting our lives to glorifying God. If we had a passion for saving souls like bin Laden had a passion for eliminating infidels, this world would be a vastly different place. If we truly believed that we could change the world in the name of the Almighty God, I believe that that the results would be earth-shattering.

What's even better is we don't have to fight with plane crashes, bombs, and AK-47s. Ephesians 6 tells us that we aren't fighting flesh and blood, but we're fighting evil forces, aka Satan. God has provided us with a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, the readiness of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). Not only that, but our all-powerful God will fight for us. Furthermore, we already know that we win in the end. We have no reason not to fight. If we were all better Christians than bin Laden was a Muslim extremist, the world could certainly say that the battle belongs to the Lord.

Don't Forget

Tonight at church we had a short service to pray for those of us heading back to school in the next few days. A powerpoint was shown that scrolled through the names of every child K-12 that attends my church. One was missing. My own. It will long be debated who was responsible for this unfortunate typo, whether it be my beloved preacher Adam or the church secretary (aka, my mother). But rather than sulk in the immense shame of being forgotten, I remembered a verse about names & remembering. Isaiah 26:8 says,

"In the path of your judgments,

O Lord, we wait for you;

your name and remembrance

are the desire of our soul."

This is an interesting verse for me to think about. Is the name of the Lord really the desire of my soul? Is it the desire of my soul to remember God? Not his blessings, not his miracles, not his Providence- just remembering his name. This is easier said than done in a world that is constantly hurling messages that propose the opposite. But even if I acknowledge that the mere thought of the Lord, Creator, Savior, King, and God of this world is able to change everything about me, is it the desire of my soul all the time? Even when I'm in the path of judgment, I am to desire God. So, even when God is punishing me for the times I've forgotten him, I am to desire him. Why? Because I worship a perfect God that created me for a perfect reason and wants me to fulfill his perfect plan. He wants to make me the best I can be. That's why he blesses me, that's why he punishes me, and that's why he needs to be the desire of my soul.

When You Run

One of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers, has a song called "The Weight of Lies." The chorus goes, "...when you run make sure you run to something and not only from..." This got me thinking about running. At first I thought about the several unfortunate years I spent on the middle school cross country team. Then I thought about I Corinthians 9:24 which says,

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it."

I think a lot of Christians spend most of their time running from Hell. They don't do anything wrong because they don't want to go to Hell. They are running from something but they aren't running to anything. Running from Hell doesn't always mean running to God.

Many times we settle for what the world hands us. Sure, everyone would run from torture, but sometimes we stop early. We stop at material gain. We stop at comfort. We stop at acceptance. We let these things be our prize. But God offers a far greater prize if we run to him. God offers Heaven- an eternal home where we can be free from all pain and free to fulfill our original purpose and worship our Holy God forevermore.

So, why aren't we running to him? Running is tiring. God's perfect ways are extremely distant from this imperfect world, and no matter how far we run, it's always a long way. But Christ went the extra mile for us. He tired so that we may have rest (Mt. 11:28). Running hurts. Constantly running tears muscles and puts your body under stress, but it strengthens it too. God puts us under trials so that our faith may be made stronger (Rom. 5:3-4). Running is an individual sport.You decide which direction you want to go, how far you want to go, and when you stop. But God has provided us with both his constant presence (Heb.13:5) and a body of people to run with you, the church.

So, let's not just run from wrong. Let's not casually meander in the direction of righteousness. Let's eagerly sprint toward God and all that he has offered us so that we may live the life he designed us to live, both on this earth and forever in Heaven.

Microfinance & You

For this post I wanted to take a break from my usual set of topics to talk about something close to my heart- microfinance.

Of the world's 6.7 billion people:

1 in 6 don't have access to clean drinking water,

1 in 6 live in substandard housing/are houseless,

1 in 3 are malnourished,

1 in 7 are chronically malnourished,

1 in 2 are illiterate,

& 1% has a college education.

This is clearly a problem, but how can we fix it? The fact is, we can't. There is no way that we can end poverty, but we can alleviate it for some through  development assistance. Development assistance initiates sustainable and profitable long-term programs.

Development assistance could come in the form of bilateral aid (government to government), multilateral aid (IGOs, NGOs, non-profits, etc.), commercial banks, or private individuals. All of these have problems. Bilateral aid tends to be self-serving and is generally counterproductive. Multilateral aid lacks organization. Commercial banks, which are also self-serving, require collateral and a minimum loan, which isn't helpful for most in the developing world. Private individuals simply don't have the resources.

Along came the microloan. Microloans are much more practical and convenient for those in need of money. Most commercial banks want collateral- something poor people don't have. Commercial banks also see small loans as a waste of time and see the poor as a credit risk. The microloan gives a small amount of money and requires no collateral. Micocredit makes it easier for the borrow to develop sustainable work, turn a profit, and repay the loan. Solidarity Lending has further increased the strength of the microloan because it brings together a small group that holds each other accountable to paying back the debt and making positive lifestyle changes.

So what does all of this mean for you? YOU can become a lender. Through sites like Kiva and Microplace, microfinance has become as easy as clicking a button. Online lending means that you can give a small amount of money to make a big difference to someone living in poverty. And remember- this is just a loan. The repayment rate for microloans is 98%, which is better than commercial bank rates.

This is where I will do a shameless plug for Kiva. Kiva is the first "person to person" online microcredit program. Lenders are able to personally select receipients and follow their stories as they progress. If you want to get involved, please accept my invitation to join the effort to encourage sustainable development throughout the world and move individuals out of poverty.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

That Random Guy

As far as biblical characters go, Joseph is kind of a big deal. Genesis 37-50 tells his story of unwavering faith amidst the steep ups and downs of life. He was the favorite son, so his brothers tried to kill him. Instead he was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. He was sold to Potipher who loved him and gave him control of everything, but was thrown in jail because of the lies of Potipher's wife. He gained the favor of the guard in prison and was put in charge, but endured an unusually long jail sentence while those who were accused of much worse were released. He was brought before Pharoah to interpret dreams and given the power of one 2nd in command and was finally free in Egypt, where he eventually reunited with his brothers.  His brothers moved to Egypt and became God's chosen people, the Israelites.                                          But let's go back to the beginning....

One day Joseph is hanging out at the house with dad, probably sporting his new colorful coat, and his dad asks him about his brothers. He wants to know where they are and what they're doing. Joseph heads out to the field where his brothers are supposed to be but doesn't find them. Genesis 37:15 tells us that a man wandering in the field tells Joseph that his brothers have gone to a different field. Joseph's dad didn't like this news and he became angry with his other sons. This is the final straw for the 11 brothers. Joseph is the favorite, he knows he's the favorite, and he's using it to his advantage. This angers the brothers so much that they conspire to kill him. This is what set the rest of Joseph's story in motion.

My question is, who is this random man and why is he wandering in the middle of a field? What was he doing there? Why did he approach Joseph? If not for this man, perhaps Joseph would not have found his brothers in the wrong field. Perhaps they would not have been mad enough to kill him or sell him into slavery. I think this is God's providence. God's providence is never talked about explicitly, never explained in black and white, but after reading Joseph's story we haven't any reason not to believe. God didn't step in and say, "Hey, Joseph, I'm about to do a miracle in your life and it's going to be spectacular." He subtly set things in motion. Joseph had no idea what was about to happen and how his actions would change his life and forever change the world.

There are many who believe that God no longer takes action in our lives like he did in the New Testament with miraculous displays of power. I disagree. God's providence is constantly working in our lives in ways that we often don't see until long after it happens. God's power is demonstrated in his perfect planning, his intricate design, his constant presence, and his humility in subtleness. Joseph's life was interlaced with providence and it continued to work in powerful ways because he never gave up faith in his almighty God.

I Like Big Buts

Galatians 5 says, "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh , for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing these things you want to do." 

That's definitely not encouraging. I'm a human, so I'll want to do human things & not what God wants me to do. Luckily it doesn't stop there.

"BUT if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Okay, we solved the first problem. If give up my selfish desires and allow myself to be led by the Spirit, I'll do what God wants me to do. But that doesn't mean that I stop sinning all together. Paul lays out a list of some human sins. While some of these we consider to be "big" sins, some of them we deal with every day. People who are involved in these sins won't be in heaven. That seems kind of harsh, especially since we all sin. Once again, things turn around in our favor.

"BUT the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

If we give our lives to Christ we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit doesn't eliminate sin, but it fills us with qualities that are supernaturally holy. Belonging to Christ means that we have killed our old life of sin and are living a new life in him.  We slip up and sin constantly BUT the Holy Spirit gives us the ability and desire to glorify God in all things. We are humans that crave sin and its fatal consequences BUT Christ came to the earth and died in our place. We deserve to face God's wrath BUT his grace and mercy cover our shortcomings and we receive his glorious blessings instead.

The Final Sacrifice

Hebrews 10

For thousands of years the Israelites sought forgiveness of sins in the blood of animals. Every year they were atoned by a sacrifice made by the high priest. The high priest would enter the tabernacle and go into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, to make a sacrifice on behalf of the people. Only the high priest could go into the presence of God and the people had to be continually cleansed and consecrated even before entering the outside courtyard. The Israelites were separated from God. God called them out, led them, and loved them, but their sin still separated them from their Creator. Then Christ came and was crucified.

Christ was the final sacrifice. He was the perfect sacrifice that covered all sin. Our sin has been forgiven because his blood can do what the blood of bulls and goats cannot. His life was given on our behalf. When he died the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the world was torn. God's presence was no longer limited to one place. We were no longer separated from him. When Christ became our sacrificial lamb, God's glory filled the earth. Sin no longer separates us from God because he remembers our sin no more. We can now enter the presence of God with clear conscience and boldness because he has forgiven us and covered us with the perfect blood of his Son.