Barbara's Banter

I guess some idioms will soon be obsolete. Those who grow up reading books on Kindles may one day not even know what judging a book by its cover means. We may have to think of a better phrase to let people know that judging one’s quality, talent, or character just by looking at a person is a mistake.

Britain’s Got Talent, the British counterpart to our American Idol, found that out when a frumpy looking 48 year-old unemployed volunteer decided to try out for the television show a few years ago. The audience was skeptical and judges rolled their eyes until Susan Boyle sang her inspiring rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. A standing ovation followed.

Our human tendency is to make evaluations based on outward appearances. We might think a man is poor because he wears raggedy clothes and drives an old car, but he could be a millionaire. Someone might look wealthy and be a big spender, but he may have maxed out credit cards and a house in foreclosure.

In today’s superficial world people tend to judge by appearance. We make wrong assumptions when we judge someone’s character by what appears on the surface. Meekness is not weakness. Sociability is not spirituality. Loquaciousness is not intellect. Using wisdom is not cowardice. Having biblical knowledge does not mean one is close to God.

The scribes and Pharisees appeared spiritual on the service, yet they judged Jesus and his disciples’ religiosity because they saw them eating without washing their hands. That was a definite no-no against their purity laws which were a big deal at the time. These laws were what the religious hierarchy used to determine one’s devotion to God. (Mark 7:1-8) They didn’t know they were criticizing the very Son of God.

Samuel would have chosen Jesse’s first born son Eliab to replace King Saul. After all, he was tall, handsome and athletic. When Samuel saw him he said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here.” (1 Samuel 16:6, 7) But God refused him because God looks on the heart, not the outward appearance. So a lowly shepherd boy name David was chosen instead.

When God wanted someone to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt he did not choose an eloquent speaker. He chose Moses who was not what you would call dynamic. In fact he was slow of speech; perhaps he even stuttered. (Exodus 4:10) Yet he was a man of God. (Deut. 33:1)

Making snap judgments based on appearances can lead to prejudice, segregation, and stereotyping. Yet, it is easier to judge quickly than to take the time to get to know people. Only through knowing people can we determine how they think or feel or where their hearts are. Only through looking beyond the surface can we discover those hidden qualities, talents, or character traits worth finding.

Avid readers know that whether you are holding a brightly covered book with appealing pictures or a Kindle with only sparse features, you will still have to read the book to see what it’s all about.

Recently an acquaintance with a bothersome back problem was lamenting to me that God had not healed her.  She wondered why.  Then she named off those in the Bible God had healed and a few others she knew first hand.  After all, she was a Christian who prayed for others.  Why had God not taken away her pain after she had consistently beseeched him to do so?

I empathized with her predicament, but gently pointed out that perhaps God did not exist to take away our pain.  Healing is something God performs for his glory not our comfort.  This was a totally foreign concept for her so she said, “I’ll have to think about that.” 

Indeed God is capable of easing our pain, but he doesn’t always touch us with a magic wand where it hurts to make it better – like kissing a “boo-boo.”  Although, he might sprinkle a little fairy dust of stamina, endurance, encouragement, perseverance or peace of mind to help us make it through the hard times.

Living in a “quick-fix” society, we would all prefer for God to instantly, magically fix our circumstances.  But God is not always in the “quick-fix” game.  Sometimes he offers pieces of solutions – bit by bit.  Maybe he will plant a seed coming from something you read, a phrase, the lyrics to a song you’re listening to, something someone says off handedly and it starts you on the road to healing.   You discover that perhaps God isn’t as concerned about your circumstances as your reaction to them or what you can learn from them. 

People make an error in prayer thinking God is our big sugar daddy in the sky waiting to grant our every request. True he is omnipotent and has the power to give us everything we want, but he isn’t our personal Santa Claus anxious to fulfill everything on our wish list – even if we have been nice instead of naughty.  That would not be good for us and God is interested only in our good.  I often think of the following poem…

I asked for strength,
And God gave me difficulties to make me strong;

I asked for wisdom,
And God gave me problems to learn to solve;

I asked for prosperity,
And God gave me brain and brawn to work;

I asked for courage,
And God gave me dangers to overcome;

I asked for patience.
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love,
And God gave me people to help;

I asked for favors,
And God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.   

I received everything I needed.

God always answers our prayers!  It may not always be the answer we want, but it will be the one we need.  We tend to blur our needs and our wants when we pray, we can be thankful that God knows the difference.  That’s why we trust him for the right answer! 

Living in Silicon Valley I am very familiar with mission statements, agendas, in-boxes and the ever present “to-do list.” Truth be told, I love my little “to-do” lists. If it weren’t for them and post-it-notes I’m not sure I would remember anything.

To make a proper “to-do” list one must prioritize. List everything and give it a priority number. The #1s would be the most important, whereas the #10s would be the least important. This always irritates me because when I mark off one #1, I can’t go to #2. It never seems like I’m making progress.

Another method is to list everything and give it a letter. For example “A” would be the most important, whereas “Z” would be the least important. If you have too many “A”s on your list then you need to reevaluate. When I use this method I almost never make it to the “F”s never mind the “Z”s.

Another “ABC” method is to put an “A” next to everything that should be done today, “B” next to what should be done tomorrow, and so one. When I use this method I never really know what day it is????

Even though my “to-do” list isn’t quite as organized as the ones you read about, I still manage to get things done. Almost all time management gurus say that when you cross something off your list you should celebrate its completion. This is what I do best. I enjoy this so much that if I do something that’s not on my list I add it, just so I can mark it off and celebrate.

“To-do” lists are great, but they are just tools to help us remember what needs to be done. Generally they list things we have to do as opposed to what we want to do. There are many things that are very important that don’t even make the list…things like telling a spouse or your child “I love you.” Let’s face it, if you have to put that on a “to-do” list you don’t really know the meaning of love.

Some have spiritual “to-do” lists that might include prayer, bible study, meditation, and so forth. I must admit I used to subscribe to this method of staying on the straight and narrow. I’d even make a little prayer list, which began to sound more like a “to-do” for what I wanted God to do for me. I was focused more on what God could do for me rather than building a relationship with Him.

As we come to know God we realize his unconditional love for us. After all, while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). We know God as a loving, caring, Father who never abandons, rejects, or hurts us. We realize that prayer is meant to align our will with God’s rather than talking him into giving us what we want. His will be done, not ours. When we focus on God and align our will to His, our cares and concerns seem to work out – not always the way we would have wanted, but they work out just the same.

I no longer prefer to be quite so regimented in my spiritual life. I think approaching our relationship with God as something we have to do misses the point completely. It should be something we want to do. As our relationship with God deepens we no longer need to be prodded to pray by putting it on a “to-do” list. We understand more fully what it means to pray without ceasing, rejoice always, and give thanks for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We realize it’s vital to keep in constant communication with the One who gives us the very air we breathe and praise Him for providing it.

With that closing thought, I will write “finish blog” on my “to-do” list so I can check it off. Hooray! Now I can celebrate!

According to the media, the latest Pew Forum’s report has once again produced discouraging news for religious Americans. Headlines read: “Basic Religious Test Stumps Most Americans,” “Americans Don’t Know Much About Religion,” “Atheists Know More About Religion Than Believers.”

The current survey focused on religious knowledge. There were a few questions about Biblical facts but many were trivia questions regarding world religions or religious history. Most scored around 50%. Atheists and agnostics made the highest grades by getting an average of 20 out of the 32 questions right, but let’s face it – that’s still not a passing grade – more like 62%.

I’m not sure the results portray America as a godless nation as much as an uneducated one. The scores probably wouldn’t have been any better if they had focused on math, literature, science, history, or geography. I’m sure it’s nice to know the denomination of Mother Teresa, the main religion of Pakistan, when the Jewish Sabbath starts, and who participated in the “Great Awakening,” but truthfully that doesn’t make you a better Christian – just a more informed one.

Now don’t get me wrong. I believe in being informed and educated. When I took the Pew Religious Knowledge sampling quiz I scored 100%. (I’m not saying this to brag. I’m sure if I took a math quiz my scores would plummet.) It’s just that I don’t find this Pew report as discouraging as former ones showing that Christians don’t read their Bibles or know what they believe.

Mark Twain’s adage that the Bible is “a book that people praise and never read” is all too true. Which is sad considering there are over 3000 English translations including everything from a Bible for Dummies, teen Bibles, Children’s Bible, the Message, a text speak version to the 500 or more “traditional” versions such as NIV, NKJ, NRS, NC, NAS, RS, LB, and so on. It would seem Christians could find at least one they could read consistently.

A residual effect of not reading the Bible is that most who call themselves Christians are even hazy about what they believe. They just believe in some sort of nebulous God and his son Jesus Christ who allow good people to go to heaven and send bad people to hell. It’s much easier to take this approach than to actually take the time to study and find out who God really is. Which is sad, because they rob themselves of a relationship with the One who could give them peace, comfort, and joy – the very things they so desperately seek.

If you want to have more knowledge about world religions then read a book on world religions. If you want to know how to live, read the Book of Life – the Bible.

Lawyers who battle it out in court have one goal – to win. Therefore, they do not always play fair. Many times they will ask an objectionable question knowing the judge will not allow it. The judge will strike it from the record and instruct the jury not to give it any credibility when rendering a decision, but it will be too late. Lawyers know the jury will remember what is said. They are counting on it because what is said lingers in a person’s mind. Words have a life of their own.

This is why we must be cautious in what we say to others. Even if we apologize for making careless statements to or about others that does not erase what was said. You cannot strike it from the record or take it back, because people will remember it even if you say you didn’t really mean it. Spoken words don’t just dissolve into the air. They live on and damage is done.

No wonder the bible speaks about taming our tongues (James 3). Both David and James use the metaphor of bridling our tongues (Psalms 39:1, James 1:26). A bridle is a leather harness and bit placed in a horse’s mouth to control it. That might seem a bit drastic to us, but in all honesty some of us could benefit from a built in muzzle that clamps over our mouths when we are about to say something we are going to regret.

As Christians we know the admonitions to not have a flattering tongue (Psalm 5:9), a haughty tongue (Psalm 12:2-4), a lying tongue (Proverbs 25:18), a backbiting tongue (Proverbs 25:23), a talebearers tongue (Proverbs 18:8), a cursing tongue (Romans 3:13, 14), a sharp tongue (Proverbs 12:18), or to gossip (Romans 1:29). Perhaps the hardest tongue to guard against is one that manifests itself when we least expect it because our tongues speak from the abundance of our hearts (Matthew 12:34).

Unfortunately this seems to happen with those who are closest to us. We say something stupid or hurtful and we don’t even know why. We might think, “I wonder where that came from?” But the heart knows. Someone or something can trigger unresolved issues within us, and we end up regurgitating them on others.

Solomon said to weigh our words carefully (Ecclesiastes 5:2, 3). James said to think before we speak (James 1:19). Jesus said what goes into our mouths is not as important as what we say (Matthew 15:11).

Heartfelt words spoken with kindness, consideration, and love are beautiful (Proverbs 25:11). Careless, thoughtless words can be poisonous (James 3:8). Remember that words have a life of their own. What you say today lives on tomorrow!

“Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz,” was a big hit for Janis Joplin years ago. People either think the song is hilarious or they are appalled at the lyrics. Most health and wealth gospel supporters would probably not balk at such a prayer. After all, the Bible says, “Ask and it will be given… (Matthew 7:7).” Does not God exist to make us rich and happy? (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

That may be true – but not in the way we think.

Rich doesn’t always mean having lots of money or possessions. You can be rich in desirable qualities such as wisdom. Rich can mean deep, strong or intense such as being rich in faith. Rich can mean ample such as having a rich supply of food.

Happiness doesn’t mean we get everything we want. Happiness can be a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. Happiness can mean being cheerful in all circumstances. Happiness can mean being fortunate.

God is not the big sugar daddy in the sky who gives us everything we want. Rather, he is a loving Father who supplies our needs. In the model prayer we hear nothing about the disciples asking for bigger, two humped camels. (Matthew 6:7-15) This prayer is full of reverence for God, asking for his will to be done, forgiveness for others, and daily needs – not wants – to be met.

Most of our prayers are not as ludicrous as asking for a new, expensive car, but if we aren’t careful we can approach prayer with a list of things we want or deeds we want God to perform for us. God doesn’t exist to jump through our hoops or do our bidding.

It may well be that for our own growth and edification God thinks it’s best to not give us everything we want. Instead of healing, he might give us strength. Instead of deliverance, he might give us perseverance. Instead of a sparing a loved one’s life, he might give us peace. Instead of winning the lottery, he might give us a job.

We pray so that our will can be aligned with what God wants for us – not for God to align his will to ours.

Perhaps instead of asking for a Mercedes Benz we might pray not to have so much we forget God, or so little we curse him (Proverbs 30:8, 9). And if he wants to throw in Mercedes Benz, don’t turn it down – just give him thanks! (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Some people say they would believe in God or have faith if only God would give them a sign or a miracle.  There are two problems with that reasoning.  First, not all signs and wonders are from God.  Secondly, signs and wonders do not produce true faith. 

Most people think every miracle comes from God.   Believe it or not, those who are not of God can perform signs and wonders, too (Matthew 24:24).  Even when Moses came before Pharaoh to petition him to let God’s people go, Pharaoh’s magicians did some pretty impressive stuff, such as turning their rods into serpents and so on (Exodus 7).  

Of course, God’s signs and wonders prevailed and Pharaoh did let the Israelites leave Egypt.  And they were jubilant – until they reached the Red Sea. By now Pharaoh had second thoughts so he pursued them with his army.  The Israelites stood with Pharaoh’s warriors on one side and the Red Sea blocking them on the other.  They had seen the ten plagues sent by God, so it seemed likely they would lift up their voices shouting, “God will deliver us!  God will deliver us!”  But no, they said, “It would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!” 

So once again God showed his power and might by parting the Red Sea.  The Israelites walked through the sea, yet the Egyptian army drowned.   This was indeed a miracle!  But God didn’t stop there. As the Israelites journeyed God provided a pillar of fire, a cloud, sweet water, and manna to eat.  Yet, they mumbled and grumbled themselves into wandering forty years in the wilderness.  God performed miracle after miracle and the Israelites still lacked faith (Psalm 95:8, 9 NLT).

Why?  Because faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), not from miracles.  You gain faith by reading your Bible and believing what it says.  Not only do you gain faith, you are able to distinguish miracles that are from God and those that aren’t (Isaiah 8:20; 1 John 4:1).

Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  If your faith is in signs, wonders, and miracles that you can see, you won’t truly believe until you “see” something else.  You will continually need a miracle fix.

If you internalize the word of God you will not need to see a miracle to believe.  Miracles confirm who God is (Mark 16:20; Hebrews 1:3, 4), but they won’t give you faith.  Faith comes from reading God’s word, building a relationship with him, believing he has the power to perform signs and wonders, but realizing if he chooses not to, he is still GOD!

One of my favorite words in the English language is “stuff.” It’s so versatile. Just look it up in Webster’s and your find a bazillion meanings: material possessions, supplies, equipment, bullets, personal property, textiles, literary or artistic production, ideas of little value, trash, an unspecified kind of matter, scattered miscellaneous articles, talk, actions, construction material, subject matter, something consumed in the body, special knowledge or capability, a great baseball pitch, cram in, fill up, thrust, and the list goes on and on.

People got lots of “stuff.” People strut their “stuff.” People know their “stuff.” People show their “stuff.” People pick their “stuff” up and put it away. People spread their “stuff” all around. Honored baseball pitchers have what is known as tremendous “stuff.” People buy “stuff.” People sell “stuff.” People have the “stuff” of greatness. Some people “stuff” their heads with knowledge. In fact a little knowledge can be heady “stuff.” People “stuff” their faces. People “stuff” their pockets. People “stuff” their bags. People “stuff” their birds. Some people are “stuffed” shirts. People dish out “stuff” in conversations. Some people take that “stuff” from others and some people don’t. And all people go through “stuff” they don’t want to go through. “Stuff” happens.

At times we all wish we had other people’s “stuff” instead of our own. People got lots of “stuff” and sometimes their “stuff” looks better than our “stuff.” Some people had to give up a lot of “stuff” because of the recession. Some of us carry around a lot of excess emotional and psychological “stuff” that weighs us down and prevents us from making the progress we’d like to make. Sometimes the “stuff” others are going through doesn’t seem as hard as the “stuff” we’re going through. But one thing is for sure. All people got “stuff” they have to put up with. No one goes through life without dealing with “stuff.”

God never promised us we wouldn’t have “stuff” to deal with or “stuff” to go through. However, He did say He would be there with us. Hebrew 13:5 says that we should be content with such “stuff” as we have for God said He would never leave us or forsake us. Psalms 37:39 says that God is our strength when bad “stuff” happens. Proverbs 11:28 says that those who trust in their “stuff” will fall, but those who trust in God won’t.

When people have God, they can take just about any old “stuff” this world throws at them. Only God has the right “stuff” to help us in our time of need. Only God can help us keep our perspective when “stuff” happens. And I happen to think my “stuff” is personalized just for me. God said that He’d never give me more “stuff” than I could handle. So when people ask me if I want some of their “stuff,” I just say, “No, thanks!” I got plenty of “stuff” of my own.

The creative power of people is truly phenomenal. Just look what they have invented to change how we live. Airplanes make it possible for even those of modest means to travel the globe. The Internet connects us with the world. Electricity keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In fact man’s creative genius is so remarkable he thinks he has the ability to make God into his image.

Many have the unrealistic notion that God likes what they like, hates what they hate, thinks how they think, and reacts the way they would react in any given situation. They have given God a face lift – a nip here and a tuck there, so He can be a reflection of them.

Now instead of us existing to glorify God, they think God exists to glorify us – to lavish us with comforts and fulfill our dreams. Like a big sugar daddy in the sky, all we need to do is tell Him what we want and He will take care of it. Their God doesn’t want them to struggle so He will give them success not perseverance, instant happiness not joy, and prosperity not a job opportunity. Wanting us to have a good time He will say, “Don’t do my bidding, but do your own thing. If it feels good, do it!”

Some go to the other extreme thinking God is a dominant being bent on controlling and forcing us into His will. After all, isn’t that what they would do if they were all powerful? Here again they are creating a god patterned after themselves.

Do we really want to worship a god we can control, or one who controls us? Either extreme misses the mark.

God is God! We can choose to believe in Him or not. He created us with free will. Our inventive mind manipulations will not change Him into something else. He does not think like us. He does not like what we like, just because we like it. He does not hate what we hate, just because we hate it. He does not react how we react, just so we can justify what we do.

Actually, we should be striving for the reverse – to align our thinking with His. We should be learning to like what He likes, hate what He hates, and react the way He would react. Spending time reading the Bible will help us know how to do that.

Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). In the end it doesn’t really matter what we think because what we think doesn’t alter the truth. God’s word is truth. So whether we think it’s true or not, God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that those who believe on him would have life (John 3:16). Salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). God is love (1 John 4:18).

Mankind is creative and inventive, but he will never be able to make God into his own image – no matter how hard he tries.

We all know to beware of false claims in advertising. Fortunately we have government agencies to regulate the advertising industry so they can’t actually lie to the public anymore. Unfortunately advertisers have become very adept at cleverly misleading us so it’s difficult to determine what we are purchasing. It makes the old buyer beware adage more prevalent than ever. It’s getting harder and harder to spot the deceptions. In the past few months I have become more aware of just how much I hate today’s marketing strategists. They are good – very good – and that is bad for the consumer! Here are a few examples…

Most magazine companies now continuously send you renewal notices even when it may be a year or two before your subscription is ready to expire. This makes you think it’s time to renew at this great price they are offering when it is not time to renew. I finally caught on to this ploy, but not until after a few times. I think I’ll be getting Better Homes and Gardens until I die.

This week I received my renewal notice for the San Jose Mercury Newspaper. In bold letters it reads, “Important Message! Your invoice has a new look! Please refer to the back for helpful information on how to read our notice.” Indeed it has a new look, but what they fail to mention in the helpful information section is that the price you are paying is now for 26 weeks, not the 52 weeks you have always paid for in the past. So people think they are getting a good deal because the price seems lower. After much closer inspection you find that is not so. The price has actually gone up.

During a hot spell I bought some all fruit juice popsicles from Costco. I knew they were made with 100% fruit juice because it was written in BIG BOLD LETTERS – 100% FRUIT JUICE – across the package. When I got them home I notice some tiny lettering underneath that you almost needed a magnifying glass to read which read “and other added ingredients,” which was the added sugar I wanted to avoid.

And what about packaging? Ice cream companies now only give you 1.75 quarts of ice cream, yet the packaging looks exactly the same as it did when you got a half-gallon. The cost is the same as well. This happens with other products as well.

What about not letting consumers know the ingredients have changed? A few years ago Juice Squeezes changed their formula from being 100% fruit juice to include the usual corn syrup byproducts. The change was listed in the fine print of the ingredients but not anywhere that regular consumers could know that a change had been made. Therefore, you thought you were getting the same product you had always gotten, but you weren’t. My complaint was not that they changed the formula. That is their prerogative. My complaint was they did not alert loyal customers. What about diabetics, mom’s regulating their children’s sugar intake or others with health issues? After a few letters of complaint, they changed back. Sometimes one voice does make a difference.

Don’t kid yourself. Companies may say they have a new look, better packaging, or something more convenient for you, but what they really have is a shrewd way to make more money by duping you into thinking you are getting something you are not. It’s all quite legal.

I can’t help but wonder if this modern marketing mania doesn’t spill over into the Christian sector. Are we trying to coerce people into coming to church with entertaining music, dramatic presentations, and programs designed more for physical results than spiritual. These things are not necessarily wrong, but they don’t really reflect what Christ is all about. Our world’s marketing plans are about selling people what they don’t need and convincing them to buy it.

Buyer beware if someone tries to sell you Christ, for He can’t be bought. But what He has can be freely given with no fear of fine print, hidden fees, or changed formula.

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”