Threads from Henry's Web

Tag: identity

  • Luke 11:9-13 – Giving

    Luke 11:9-13 – Giving

    9 And I say to you, “Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the the door is opened to the one who knocks. 11 Which father among you would give a snake to his son when asked for a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion? 13 So if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

    Luke 11:9-13 (my translation)

    One question that regularly arises out of this story is simply this: Will God just give us anything we ask for? We should find an answer to this by simply reversing the question. Which father, if his son asked for a serpent, would actually give that son a serpent? There is an assumption behind the story that the son is seeking good things and the father is giving those good things. The question arises more with the passage in Matthew 7:7-11, where, instead of the Holy Spirit, our Father in Heaven is said to give “good things” to those who ask.

    Luke’s focus is specifically on the Spirit and spiritual things, but the principles remains the same. A good father would not only provide good and appropriate gifts, he would also avoid dangerous gifts. A good father cares for the child who is asking and is not just a slot machine in the sky, prepared to rain whatever is asked on those asking.

    Now this might be seen as narrowing or tightening the passage. I would say rather that it’s putting passage into it’s own logical context, or rather recognizing what type of a story it is. It’s a story about desire on the one hand and care on the other. And within that care is also a story of respect, of seeing the person.

    This passage could say, “Don’t bother asking, because God already knows what you need and will surely take care of you.” But it doesn’t. It says ask, seek, knock.

    If God is on the other side of the door, why do I have to knock. Why doesn’t God show me the door and encourage me to go through it?

    God treats us as persons. God made us as persons. God recognizes our own being.

    “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens te door, I will go in to him and will eat with him and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Wow! Courteous God! But it’s not courtesy. It’s actual caring. I’d like to be your friend, companion. I’d like you to be part of my community, represented by sharing a meal. But I’m going to wait until you open the door.

    Think of the power on either side of that door. God the creator on the outside. Created being, totally dependent on that power on the other, and the one with all the power is waiting on the one without for permission. It’s our Luke 11 story turned inside out. But it tells the same story about the nature of our heavenly parent who is raising us up as his children.

    Many fathers hope for their children to be what they, the parents, planned those children to be. They have a plan for their children’s lives and they’ll manipulate them with all their power to become just what their parents would like them to be.

    Then there are those fathers–it is the week leading to Fathers’ Day!–who simply want their children to be whatever they choose to be and do that well.

    There are those who think that free choice diminishes God’s sovereignty. I don’t agree. I see the ultimate real power in a God who could force everything, but instead says, “If you want it ask.” “If you want in, knock.” I’m powerful enough to be unthreatened by treating you as a real person, one with desires, joys and sorrows, strengths and weaknesses.

    “I’m not threatened because I also choose to be the person who responds. You can’t make me, but I will.” So speaks the creator of everything from subatomic particles to galaxies.

    “I’m your good Father.”

  • Psalm 119:134 – Ransom

    Psalm 119:134 – Ransom

    Ransom me from human oppression,
    and I will keep your precepts.

    Are you oppressed? Do other people have a hold on you that keeps you from being the person God wants you to be?

    This is another verse that I have heard presented as a bargain with God. “Save me from whatever my problem is and in turn I’ll do what you tell me to do.” But I think that’s not the right way to read it. I think the question is whether one can, in fact, do those precepts.

    We tend to think of oppression as a sort of physical restraint or application of force to make us do thinks we don’t want to do, or not do the things we do want to do. Slaves have experienced this over the years. We should always stand for liberating people from that sort of oppression.

    But there are other forms of constraint. For example, there is economic oppression. It connects to the same sort of force, but applied in a more subtle way. A person is forced into an endless, losing struggle by circumstances that prevent them from ever escaping, no matter how hard they try.

    Someone with more freedom will ask why don’t they just break free. But that is not always as easy as it may appear. In fact, we fairly often fail to recognize the kinds of oppression that someone else is suffering due to circumstances beyond their control. In real life, a single mistake can lead to a life of very limited choices.

    There is also psychological oppression. I know someone who became a nurse rather than a doctor, largely because so many people either simply assumed that, as a woman, she would be a nurse, or told her she lacked the academic skills to be a doctor. Now as it was, she became a very good nurse, giving extraordinary service. Her life was by no means wasted. I also don’t consider being a doctor better than being a nurse. It depends on what you are gifted and called to do. But her choice was constrained by a mob of voices telling her, “woman -> nurse.”

    When teaching about spiritual gifts in various churches, I frequently carry out an exercise in which I ask people to name their own gifts. There will inevitably be one or more people who can’t identify any gift that they have. I then ask the members of the group to identify gifts they see in others in the room. Inevitably again, someone will point out a gift that person has that is recognized by others.

    That is a moment of liberation from oppression. A person realizes that they are gifted and called, and they are of value to God and to their community.

    I then call on people to search for and recognize gifts in the people around them and to let people know. Simply thanking a person in a way that lets them know that their gift is of value, and that they themselves are valuable, can go a long way toward liberating someone to carry out the calling God has on their life.

    I work in two areas that people think of as requiring serious brain power: Information Technology and Biblical Languages. It’s amazing what people will think you’re capable of understanding if they know you read Greek. Many times I have gotten on my soapbox and lectured people when they say, “I’m not as smart as you. I don’t read Greek.” It’s probably not helpful when I get irate, but I do. Why? I can’t remember a time when someone spoke to me like that who didn’t have gifts and skills that I can’t imagine doing.

    There’s probably something you do that will amaze other people if they just become aware of it.

    Now I’ve gone far afield. Or have I? There’s another form of oppression, and it’s related. It’s the more generalized chorus of people telling each one of us that we’re less than other people for whatever reason. We’re told that we’re worthless, or useful only for minor, menial occupations. Often those occupations, as we practice them, are part of what keeps us away from God–from all that God has for us in this life. (And note that I don’t believe any occupation is menial by nature. It is only menial if we don’t value it as we should.)

    So how can we be ransomed from a life of failures and regrets? If that “human oppression” is keeping you from getting to the purpose God has for you, God’s precepts as applied in your life, then it is ransoming you need. You need to take your new identify as a child of God, and realize that your horizons are not limited by the thoughts of others, or the limits of your own vision, but by God’s purpose.

    Yes, you can apply the concept of ransom to salvation, and that is appropriate. But I’m talking about God ransoming you from the day to day oppression of an identity as a failure, as someone worth less than you are. You are a child of God. Let that be what sets your goals, and sets, or shatters. your limits.

    What oppression are you going to break today?

    (Featured image credit: chaiyapruek2520 on iStockPhoto.com.)

  • Do You Really See Other People?

    Do You Really See Other People?

    I had an interesting experience in the checkout line at the grocery store. The customer-facing display was off-color, in the sort of way that indicates some color data is not making it through. I commented on this fact, saying, “Either there’s something wrong with that monitor or it has a damaged or loose cable.”

    The young man doing the bagging says, “Oh,” and turns the monitor slightly, which suddenly corrected the color issue.

    “Most likely the cable in that case,” I said. Then I explained that I have worked IT for many years.

    “We got that!” says the young lady who was ringing up the groceries. Then she commented that her dad worked with carpet installation and he would always notice and comment on issues with the carpet.

    “It sort of changes the way you look at things, doesn’t it?” I commented.

    To which both young people agreed.

    That incident reminded me of one from long ago. Jody and I were at church, I believe shortly after we got married, and she mentioned something about a particular woman. Jody described the woman’s appearance and clothing. It took me some time to place her in my mind. Then I replied, “Oh, the one who was carrying the wide margin NIV Study Bible.” (I made up the particular Bible edition, which I don’t remember. But I identified the Bible she had been carrying in detail.)

    We notice different things. I didn’t remember the woman’s appearance or her clothes. She could have passed me on the street the next day in the same outfit and I would likely not have recognized her. But I would have recognized the distinctive Bible edition she was carrying.

    I think there’s an important reminder her. When we look at someone, we tend to see those things that are most important to us. Not to them. To us. A good deal of what we see in others we see because of who we are, not who they are. In a way, we don’t see them at all. Just the parts that fit us.

    Let me suggest a few situations in which this is important.

    • As a church leader, do you see a new member only for how they’ll fit into existing jobs you need to fill?
    • When you meet someone is your main thought how they can be of use to you?
    • Do you see someone as defined by one aspect of their identify, such as sexual identity, religious persuasion, political affiliation, or social class?

    I suspect most of us do one or another of these things. I know I do from time to time.

    Perhaps it’s time to start really seeing other people instead of just seeing our reflection in them.

    To help you see others better

    PERFECTLY SQUARE provides a way of thinking about differences and learning to value them. Learning about the world that was perfectly square and what happened to it may help you make your own world less square by recognizing others more fully.

    PERFECTLY SQUARE
  • Psalm 119:63 – Companion

    Psalm 119:63 – Companion

    I’m a companion to all who fear you,
    and to those who keep your precepts.

    My thoughts today took me onto the subject of companionship and friendship. Who are your friends? Why are you friends with various people?

    In scripture we have a tension between two views of the relationship between God’s people and those around them. You can see these in the contrast between the books of Ruth, Jonah, and Esther on the one hand and Nehemiah/Ezra/Daniel on the other.

    The first reflect the value of connections with foreigners, as when Esther enters the court of the king without revealing her Jewish identity, Jonah is sent to reach out to Israel’s enemies with God’s message, and Ruth becomes an ancestor of King David. Ezra and Nehemiah both wrestle with accommodation between the returned Jewish exiles and people of the surrounding nations. Daniel makes a public embrace of his Jewish identity throughout his life.

    In the New Testament we have the embrace of gentile believers into the church and an evangelistic message that was constantly in contact with unbelievers, but then in Revelation we have a repeated call for separation, for God’s people to come out from among those who are doing evil.

    We like to have a clear mandate. Either we’re friendly with everyone or we’re separate. Make it easy. But what we actually have is a variety of responses to a variety of circumstances.

    I think every parent faces something similar. A parent is concerned if their child gets in with bad companions. On the other hand, they are also joyful when that same child is a leader, helping others in their age group make better choices. If your child is influencing someone for the right, they may be dealing with someone who was also inclined to worse choices, and thus was someone you might be hoping they’d avoid.

    This is actually one of my favorite subjects, our identity and our mission. Both elements are generally involved in our lives. We can be someone who always gets along, but does so by not having any real identity. Nobody can really dislike such a person because there really isn’t anything there to dislike. Or to like, for that matter.

    Such a person can always be out in the world, connected with anyone, staying out of conflict. But who are they? Does anyone know? Do they actually have any influence?

    On the other hand, a person can have an extreme identity. This can involve such intense views, so regularly expressed that nobody can doubt who that person is. They may also be separated from others, either by the choice to only associate with those who are in agreement with their many opinions, or by the choice to live separately. There are Christian groups, for example, who live in separate compounds or communities with association with outsiders strictly limited.

    Having strong opinions or a clear identity does not have to be combined with isolation. One can be connected and have firm convictions.. It often depends on how one chooses to express those views. One can also be a companion of those who do good things without being out of contact with those whose views and actions are more questionable.

    This requires firm convictions, including the conviction that one should be connection with others, that one should be able to exchange ideas and have influence. In fact, I would suggest that these two can work together quite well. I believe in dialog as the primary way of having influence in the world of ideas. By this I mean making your communications always be an exchange, not a monologue. For such an exchange to take place, you can’t give up identity, otherwise you have nothing to give in the exchange.

    So your being a companion of some doesn’t mean you have to be the enemy of others. And your companionship with God doesn’t mean you have to neglect others who may disagree with you in one way or another. In fact, the better your companionship with God, the better your capability to meet others comfortably. Having that identity as God’s companion, you are free to treat all others as also God’s creation, worthy of respectful, but content-filled and robust exchange.

    What can you do today to make yourself more comfortable with your own identity so that you can carry out your mission to others who are, like you, God’s creation? As you do so, is there someone God would have you befriend, for the benefit of both?

    I’m listing here some books that I publish that relate to comments I’ve made above. Note that some of these books are varied in their own mission and identify. That may help you adjust your own!

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:19 – An Alien

    Psalm 119:19 – An Alien

    An alien am I on the earth.
    Don’t hide your commands from me.

    I frequently teach that there are two elements to the Christian life: Identity and Mission. It’s easy to go off the rails on the side of identity, trying to separate ourselves from the crowd. On the other hand, we can become so much a part of the world around us that nobody knows the difference.

    You can’t influence the culture if you are the culture.

    The Bible story is filled with the stories of those who are aliens in the world in which they live. It’s a critical metaphor of scripture. Much of the laws in the Pentateuch (Torah) are designed to help provide an identify for Israel, something that would show other nations what it meant to be the LORD’s people.

    This alien-ness was to be embraced. Assimilation was not the goal. As the song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.” One of the intentions of laws concerning good treatment of aliens among the Israelites was to reinforce this sense of being alien.

    But the aliens are here for a reason. They are here to serve others and to reflect the One they ultimately serve. Thus we have the second half of the verse.

    I might put it this way. “Lord, I’m yours, and that makes me an alien wherever I am. That’s my identity. I also have a mission. Don’t hide your commands from me. Let me follow the call of that identity.”

    Are you too assimilated to the culture to remember your identity? Are you too alien to be able to perform your mission? Pray that the Lord makes your way clear.

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI. It represents the draw of, and also the alienation from, various cultural forces.)

  • Psalm 119:10 – Seeking and Finding

    Psalm 119:10 – Seeking and Finding

    With my whole heart I have sought you.
    Don’t let me wander from your commands.

    The word here translated commands is mitsvot, which is often thought of as good deeds, but Jewish commentators use this primarily of the 613 commands in Torah. In this way, the mitsvot can be considered another way to refer to the entire Torah.

    When I read Leviticus alongside the three volume Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus by Jacob Milgrom I was struck by his comment that the commands of Torah, and in this case specifically commands regarding the temple ritual were clearly intended as a training ground for Israel.

    And history shows us that in at least one way, this training worked. Israel built up an identity that was difficult to destroy. We can still identify Israelites today, unlike the vast majority of the cultures that existed at that time and for centuries before and after.

    There were two aspects to this identity. One is simply those aspects of behavior and lifestyle that identified one as first Israelite, and in later times as a Jew. This identity kept Jews distinct from the surrounding culture. But there is another identity inherent in Torah, which we can infer from many specific statements, such as the opening for the ten commandments. “I am YHWH your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). God claimed the Israelites as his own before giving any law.

    In this verse, we have the two sides of this equation, but not necessarily in historical or logical order. The psalmist has sought God with his whole heart, doing everything he can. But he recognizes the part of that identity that can be summarized as “God’s own person/people.”

    If we belong to God, a claim also made by Christians, we need to be identifiable as people who belong to God.

    Set the boundaries, God!

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:9 – Talking about Purity

    Psalm 119:9 – Talking about Purity

    How shall a young man keep to a pure way of life?
    By keeping it in the bounds of your word!

    I have a feeling that some would question the way I translated that verse. It’s OK. Poetry is challenging. In this case I was aiming more for meaning that being faithful to the poetic form. For those who read some Hebrew, let me recommend Psalm 119 as a good way to become more comfortable with these poetic forms.

    There are all kinds of things that we could take from this verse, but through the day today my mind was repeatedly brought back to this: We need to teach sanctification, holiness, integrity in living, truthfulness, and the breadth and comprehensive nature of God’s Word.

    Sanctification is by grace (there’s a big subject), or better, in the words of the Psalm, it’s a path of blessing. I think it’s no accident that Psalm 119 starts with “blessed.” We need to realize that this is God’s work. It’s worked in us, but it is about God both in goal and in method.

    If we don’t talk about living a pure life in the church, people are likely to drift into perfectionism, legalism, arrogance, spiritual pride, and condescension. Those who avoid those issues usually wind up in cynicism and discouragement.

    The one way to go, and I think it is the way of this Psalm, is to recognize that it’s all about God, the creator of all. God sustains us (see Psalm 104, for example) on a constant basis. The way to holiness without arrogance is a profound thankfulness and recognition of blessings received. The best antidote to spiritual pride is to keep our eyes on God’s law.

    That will lead to being blessed and being kept in the pure path.

    For more thoughts about God’s word, see Seven Barriers to Hearing the Word.

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:6 – Overcoming Shame

    Psalm 119:6 – Overcoming Shame

    Then I won’t be ashamed,
    When I keep my eyes on all your commands.

    I didn’t get the poetry in my translation. It’s hard to get everything into it at once.

    This verse strikes at one of our most serious problems. Our identity. Our ability to live with ourselves.

    You’ve surely heard stories of people going on various pilgrimages to find themselves. Others go through their lives with a continuous question of whether they are important, or contribute, or make a difference of some kind. Who are we?

    Often this comes as shame. We are ashamed of things we have done. Let me confess that there are things I have done in my life of which I am not proud. Even more, I have rarely (almost never) done my work to what I consider a high level of quality. There are always things in what I do that I want to apologize for, even to myself.

    But when we get our eyes on God, in this case the God revealed in the commands he gave, we can begin to find our identity. The God who did these things actually cares about us.

    7 “It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

    Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NRSVue)

    For a New Testament quote,

    1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

    1 John 3:1a (NRSVue)

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)