Get Over It

Today's readings: Psalms 51; 148, Isaiah 61:1-9, 2 Timothy 3:1-17, Mark 10:32-45

When Christians gain power, trouble follows. Before we get too bent out of shape over that statement, let's just be clear it's true about any religion. Some Christians like to claim we live in a nation that is – or at least should be – Christian. What exactly does that mean? Which particular branch of Christianity are they referring to? And most importantly what part of the teachings of Jesus leads them to believe political power is a good influence on Christian character – or vice versa?

Jesus tells his disciples time and again, they are meant to be servants as he is a servant. To be first, they must be slaves of all (Mark 10:44). In one sense we are fortunate to live in a time and place where our faith is not a threat to our well-being. On the other hand, having been told that we should expect persecution, we have greatly skewed our sense of what that means. Because we have no reason to fear martyrdom, we fear that any loosening of our grasp on power and control is a form of persecution. For evidence we only need look as far as the trumped up War on Christmas: why would we ever expect places of commerce to assert our religious beliefs? Then there's the outrage over religious displays that have been removed from government property or – worse yet! – made inclusive. Government recognition of a religion makes us beholden to that government – the very antithesis of what Jesus taught.

In twenty-first century America we simply don't suffer any real persecution for our faith – unless allowing people to disagree with us or having our feelings hurt has become a form of persecution. So perhaps instead of railing against perceived slights, we should be celebrating them! When we rub society the wrong way, we're just doing our job. When we rub other Christians the wrong way, we're probably earning overtime. Paul says "all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (Tim 3:12). When we settle for becoming outraged at someone who thinks we shouldn't get to tell them how to live, we demonstrate our faith is too weak to handle the persecution ladled on those who truly spread the Good (but sometimes unpopular) News.

Evening readings: Psalms 142; 65

Spiritual Exercise

Today's readings: Ps 36, 147:12-20; Isa 65:1-12; 1 Tim 4:1-16; Mark 12:13-27

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul encourages the disciples to “train yourselves in Godliness” (4:7a). The Greek word translated as “train” is also the word for physical exercise. Like physical health, spiritual health is something we can improve with the proper nourishment and exercise.

A good doctor steers people away from fad diets and workout regimens that promise much and deliver little – or even cause damage. As our spiritual doctor, Paul warns the disciples to avoid fads like asceticism and celibacy which distract from true spiritual well-being. Instead he prescribes the basics of scripture, teaching and conduct that will nourish them best. Today we need to be just as careful to avoid trendy practices and beliefs that distract us from what we really need to do. Just as there is no magic belt that will melt away love handles in your sleep, there is no substitute for regular spiritual discipline.

Spiritual fitness has other similarities to physical fitness. Both result in incremental improvements over extended periods of time. As one-time (or even one-time-a-month) trips to the gym won’t turn your arms into steel bands, neither will isolated or sporadic instances of prayer or other disciplines develop your spiritual muscles. Furthermore, exercise of either variety is performed to develop strength and endurance. No one who begins a marathon without first putting in the proper time to train will make it to the end, and no one who waits until a crisis to pray is likely to endure spiritually. We exercise not for what we need today, but for what we hope to accomplish in the future.

Finally, we must exercise for the right reasons. Wanting to look good for others is a bad motivator for working out, and rarely leads to sustained success. Practicing spiritual disciplines to impress others or to get God to love you more are also poor motivators. Others don’t matter, and God already loves you as much as He ever will. Diet and physical exercise are about developing healthy relationships with our bodies, and spiritual exercise and discipline are about health relationships with God.

Comfort: Spiritual health, like a marathon, begins with a single step.

Challenge: Find a spiritual discipline (prayer, meditation, scripture, etc.) that works for you, and practice it regularly.

Prayer: God of strength, I dedicate myself to spiritual health.

Evening readings: Ps 80, 27

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 130, 148; Isa 65:17-25; 1 Tim 5:1-25; Mark 12:28-34