A to Z Answers: Overflowing with Ordinariness

Sometimes I feel exceptionally ordinary, but I think that’s OK.

Sure, everyone can be outstanding in some area. Anyone can make a mark, even in a small way. But we need not all be superstars.

I guess I’m learning that God’s not asking me to change the world.

He’s already done that. I just have to follow Him. If I obey Him, He promises to make me an overcomer. That doesn’t mean I’ll be rich and famous. It simply means He’ll work through me somehow.

Yes, I can be frustrated with my own failures. I can wring my hands and sigh over struggles. But in the big picture, I know my God is forever fond of me. (He adores you too!)

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Father simply chuckles when He sees me kicking and screaming over some silly little thing. I’m convinced God has a sense of humor. After all, He created toddlers and teenagers.

God cherishes ordinary people.

The Holy One poured His power into 12 very ordinary men, who walked and talked with His Son on earth and then went on to begin the Church. Those guys were not sports celebrities, movie stars, or best-selling authors. They wouldn’t have made any A-lists by the world’s standards.

Clearly, Christ wasn’t regarding resumes. Jesus tagged a couple of fishermen, a tax collector, a rebel-outlaw, and a bunch of unknowns. The one who might have been a banker or accountant ended up betraying Him.

But the Lord chose them as His own.

These ordinary men were minding their own business (for the most part), and Jesus walked up and hand-picked them. Most of them were probably shocked at the time, as they didn’t seem to fancy themselves as local luminaries.

But they followed. And it’s likely all but one gave their lives for their faith in Him.

I used to want to be “somebody.”

Lately, I’m growing ever more content with the idea of simply being “Somebody’s.” Belonging to the Master of the Universe, who calls me His Beloved is more than enough.

Did I mention He’s crazy about me?

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:

   “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

(Jeremiah 31:3, NIV)

All it takes to change the world is a bunch of ordinary people, who have experienced God’s extraordinary grace.

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Hey, I can do “ordinary.” How about you?

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The Exhortation of the Apostles

By James Joseph Jacques Tissot

Circa 1890

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A to Z Answers: Neutrality is Nothing

I saw a man walking down the center of the street downtown today, straddling the double yellow center stripes with his footsteps.

Stripe straddling may be illegal. It’s certainly dangerous. But at least the guy knew where he was going. Actually, he was headed due north. His public promenade was anything but noncommittal.

Ideological stripe straddling can be considerably more perilous.

What happens when we try to be neutral in life?

A man I know, who tends to hold extremely strong opinions when he is confident of his own conclusions, often issues a canned quip when he’s asked for a commitment on a controversy.

“I’m Switzerland,” he says. What he means is this: “I’m not willing to take a stand on this topic.” Basically, he’s pleading the Fifth Amendment, invoking his right to refuse to answer.

Remember? Throughout the nation’s history, Switzerland has frequently declared neutrality in major world conflicts. For the Swiss, this actively passive stance has spelled national security.

That sounds like safe answer, but it’s really not.

In personal real-life application, neutrality is its own form of partiality. Even a non-stand is a stand of sorts.

And yet we likely all respond in similar ways at times. Maybe we’re not sure of a situation. Perhaps we’re hedging our bets. We could be stalling for time, so we can dig a bit deeper before drawing our own conclusions.

Still, we can’t all be Switzerland.

What about faith? Is it possible to ride the proverbial fence line, refusing to commit to monotheism, pantheism, deism, atheism, or something else altogether? That’s pretty much where agnosticism came along in the first place, offering a catch-all compartment for those who don’t want to make a decision about God’s existence and impact on human lives.

Is that a safe bet?

The Bible talks directly about namby-pamby neutrality. A person either believes, or he doesn’t. It’s that simple.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

(James 1:5-8, NIV)

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

(John 14:6, NLT)

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

(John 10:9, NIV)

For he who is not against Us is for Us.

(Mark 9:40, NIV)

I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me.

(Proverbs 8:17, NIV)

Personally, I’ve been to Switzerland. It’s one of my favorite places in the entire world. I love the old castles, the cobblestone pedestrian streets and the Alpine scenery. I adore the delicious chocolates, cheeses and confections. And the Swiss people are tremendous.

Still, I don't wanna be Switzerland when it comes to neutrality.

I pray for the strength to take a stand.

When it comes to choices for eternity, there simply is no middle ground. I choose Christ, in whom is found all I need. Neutrality is nothing.

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Walking in Zurich

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A to Z Answers: Maybe Memories Maim Us

We know the Bible tells us to forgive those who wrong us. But is it possible to forgive and forget? Can we honestly cast those harmful memories aside and wipe them from our mental or emotional hard drives?

God can.

The Lord promises to remember not the sins He has already cast away in His grace.

“For I will forgive their wickedness
   and will remember their sins no more.”

(Jeremiah 31:34b, NIV)

Obviously, the all-knowing Almighty is not forgetful. Unbound by time, He sees the end from the beginning and views all at once. But He chooses not to focus on the faults He has forgiven.

What about us?

Yes, we are called to forgive, just as He does. We know this, even when we don’t practice it so well.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

(Ephesians 4:32, NIV)

We may struggle to do this fully, but we know such grace is God’s way.

Still, we may remember harm and pain and wrongs, even after we’ve sincerely forgiven. Do we even possess the ability to erase the evils we may have endured? We may bury painful memories subconsciously, but they can still linger and brew bitterness within the hidden hollows of the human heart.

We could try simply to ignore the ills we have experience, once we’ve extended forgiveness. And God, in His unlimited grace, can free us from the pain and deep destruction those wrongs may have caused. But don’t we recapture our thought patterns, when we are reminded of hurts and hatefulness we may have faced?

Will we forgive ourselves, if we recall forgiven sins?

Maybe this is the real question.

Must we beat ourselves up, if we occasionally remember the sins we’ve endured, or even the ones we have committed? Do our memories negate grace?

Absolutely not.

God’s grace is bigger than our short attention spans.

At the same time, He calls us to withdraw from wallowing and to follow Him onwards. Maybe memories can only maim us, if we linger long enough to let them.

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1854

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A to Z Answers: Longing to Look at the Lord

What does the Lord Jesus look like?

 

 Have you ever pictured Jesus while you were praying? Most likely, we all have tried to do so. How do you perceive the Prince of Peace? What do you see when you meet with the Messiah?

The King of King's Heavenly appearance is likely beyond what we can currently conceive. The Bible book of Revelation talks about the Savior’s second coming in colorful terms. 

by Carl Heinrich Block

by Adolf Hyla

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.

by Andrea Vicentino

His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:   

by Annibale Carracci

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

(Revelation 19:11-16, NIV)

Clearly, the Lord's coming will be clear to all. When we see Him, we will make no mistake about His appearance.

In the meantime, however, I often wonder what Jesus looked like when He took on human form and walked on the earth with mankind.

by Bartolomeo Vivarini

Artists have depicted the Lord in countless ways, sculpting and painting their imagined images of Immanuel. Usually, their perceptions seem to make the Son of God appear as if he came from the artists’ own family trees, rather than being the Rod of Jesse (see Isaiah 11:1).

Children’s picture books offer lovely drawings of a gentle Jesus with attractive features.

In our Easter services,

one of our pastors raised this perennial question.

Have you wondered as well?

 

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Take a look at these examples of Jesus paintings.

From: Bible Revival Cards

The Bible actually describes the human form of Jesus as being somewhat unremarkable.

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.

(Isaiah 53:2, NLT)

by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein

Perhaps He fit in rather inconspicuously in first-century Israel. Betraying Jesus, Judas offered to identity the Lord with a kiss (see Luke 22:47–48), just so the guards would know whom to arrest.

Maybe the Messiah was hard to pick out in a crowd.

We might assume Jesus had short hair, as the Apostle Paul described long hair as shameful for men during that era (see 1 Corinthians 11:14). We can also suppose that He wore a beard, because the Roman soldiers apparently ripped at it, as prophesied in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 50:6).

by Bruno Langner

Beyond that, we do not know much about the Lord’s physical appearance.

No matter what Jesus looked like in His earthly ministry, we do know one thing. There will be no mistaking His appearance when He returns.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

by Tom Curr

(Philippians 2:9-11, NLT)

Hallelujah.

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. 

You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.

Related Items:

• The Coming of the Light - Do You Belong to the King of Song?
• Redeemed from Religion - a Rhymed Retelling of Release
• His Story - a Poetic Tribute to the King Absolute
• Abundantly - a Poetic Plea for a Closer Walk with the Savior

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Paintings of Jesus Christ

By Various Artists

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