Author: ChristianHolinessDaily

We’ll Work…

October 29, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

We are to occupy

One of the most difficult of Christ’s parables is found Luke 19, the Parable of the Minas (also spelled maneh. A maneh of gold was worth more than 102 pounds.). Basically, an incredibly wealthy ruler is called away. Before he departs, he calls his servants and gives them each a portion of his wealth to invest on his behalf.

Those who generated a profit were rewarded accordingly. The one who sat on the money instead of investing it was stripped of all he possessed.

What’s the point of the story? It’s found in verse 13. Occupy until I come.

When my kids were growing up, any time they complained they were bored, my wife would give them a chore to do, just to keep them occupied and out of her hair. My mother would tell me to find something to occupy my time. Both these are good examples of how we have distorted the true meaning of the word occupy. It originally meant something quite different.

The word occupy was originally a military term. It still is. An occupying army is one that has taken its objective, captured territory, and digs in. It is entrenched… literally. It’s always ready to defend its position, always in full armor, and always ready to go on the offensive at a moment’s notice. It works hard to keep and expand its territory.

The NKJV doesn’t use the word occupy, but instead reads “do business until I come.” This is more accurate. This is the intention of the speaker in the parable.

The parable is supposed to teach us two obvious things. First, we have but one life and we should use it to diligently work for our Master. Secondly, we do that work because our reward in heaven will be proportionate with our devotion to Him.

To say that Christ intended that we draw parallels from the military meaning of the word occupy, as we noted above, would be a distortion of Scripture, but it is interesting to note that an analysis of the word is not in conflict with the portrayal of a Christian as a soldier in the Army of The Kingdom of Heaven. This is perhaps why the word was used by early translators of the Bible.

An old hymn makes my point better than I ever could…

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!

When will the moment come

When I shall lay my armor by

And dwell in peace at home?
We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

And we’ll be gathered home.

– Elizabeth K. Mills

The Bible Knows Nothing of…

October 27, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

God created us in His image. We are like Him in many ways. We are triune beings, body mind and spirit, just as He is a triune God, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. He created us to be social beings, to love Him, and to love one another.

I love alone time with God, and it is difficult for me to worship with others. I would much rather stick my head in the Bible and about 10 reference books than to sit in a worship service in a full sanctuary. The picture here, of a man standing alone in an abandoned church, looks to me to be ideal.

Still, I know that a healthy relationship with my Creator necessitates a healthy relationship others. Like a cross, our life has both vertical and horizontal paths. The life of a healthy being is like a stool that stands firmly on three legs: our relationship with God, family, and our fellow man.

So, I try. I go to church and worship, sometimes arriving late and sneaking out early, in hope of avoiding others, in hope of not having to speak. I love the people in my church, the few I know. Am I Shy? Antisocial? A loner? I don’t know. Call it what you will. I know others feel the same way I do. I grew up in church. I love it. But, I often feel very uncomfortable speaking to people. Still, I try.

Wesley was right. The New Testament Church is about loving others, helping others, supporting others, relying on others, touching the lives of others. Worship is about loving and praising God. Church is about loving and helping others.

God, help me to relate to others the way you intended.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

October 23, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

For two decades Bell Telephone, and later AT&T, promoted themselves through a campaign with the slogan, “Reach out and touch someone.” One particular spot shows a sad clown calling his mother and transforming into a happy clown, followed by toddlers smiling when they hear a voice on the phone, and a grandmother calling her family, and a marching band crowded around a phone booth to speak with a bandmate who broke a leg. The point was that reaching out to loved ones can change their lives, at least if you do so over a Bell Telephone line.

The point is a valid one: we need to reach out and touch people. We’ve always had outerunrivaled in society. Victims of contagious diseases, the homeless, the mentally ill, the aged, the jobless, the working poor… are all left behind in post-Christian America.

There were no untouchables in Jesus’s mind. He ate dinner with folks considered the dregs of society. He made disciples of tax collectors. His best friends were crude fishermen. He accepted praise and offerings of women of ill repute. He asked assistance of a woman who had had several husbands and carried on affairs. He touched a leper.

If we want to live like Jesus… If we want to be Christ-like… If we want to reach the lost, then we too need to reach out and touch those that may seem untouchable. We need to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, shelter the homeless, find help for the mentally ill, spend quality time with the aged, minister to widows and orphans, and visit the imprisoned.

We need to offer a tender, loving touch to the untouchables.