Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....November 11, 2019
A very blessed and happy Veterans Day to all the Military..Happy and Blessed Birthday to my loving Sister, Nan:)
This week, we continue from last weeks teaching on dignity....
Is it our calling as Christians to be in control of our lives? No. We are to relinquish that control to God and honor him with our bodies. Doe honoring God with our bodies include terminating our lives? Romans 12 tells us that we are not dead bodies but living sacrifices. Are we willing to be a living sacrifice for him?
Romans 14: 7-8 says, “For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
As Christians, we spend most of the time in our services learning how to give God our lives. This passage also calls us to give God our deaths. Can you give God the full extent of your life–both your living and your dying? If we confess Jesus as Lord, then he is Lord of it all–from birth to death.
I think of the story of the fiery furnace. The three Israelites were told to bow down to the golden image, and they would not do it. I love their prayer because it is real. In Daniel 3:18, they tell Nebuchadnezzer that they believe God will deliver them. In verse 18 they say, “But, if he does not, we will not bow down.” Do we have the faith to face whatever fiery furnace we encounter? Maybe it is the fear of our future, of losing our dignity. Do we have the faith to say to our culture which is tempting us to take our lives at the end, “We believe God will deliver us, but if not, if I suffer indignity, I will not bow down to the cultural idols around me.”
If we are going to fear something, at least let it be something Biblical. Luke 12:5, “I will show you who you should fear. Fear him who is able, after killing the body, to turn you and send you to hell.” Do we fear what happens to the body more than we fear what happens to the soul? Do we fear what happens to our physical flesh, which is just a shell, or do we fear God more and trust him more?
If you fear the loss of dignity, hear these words in a new way: “Therefore, I tell you do not worry about your life, what you eat and what you drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes. Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. Yet, your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? Why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They don’t labor or spin yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed like one of these. If this is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and gone tomorrow, will he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith. So do not worry, what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall wear, for the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I Peter 5: 6-7 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God and he will exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you.” People, God cares for you. Do you really think He is going to allow you to suffer indignity? Do you really think God is that uncaring? He cares for you.
Ultimately, this fear comes down to pride and Scott Peck picks up on this:
“It is my impression that whenever resistance is markedly severe, it is at least as much a spiritual as a psychological problem. The person is unwilling to suffer the slightest dethronement of self or his/her ego in submission to a higher power, even when that power is merely labeled “life” or “reality” or maybe labeled “God.” Something is seriously out of whack at a radical level in such a person’s relationship to the world and to God.”
Are our lives out of whack in relationship to the world and to God? What is death with dignity? Is it really putting someone to sleep like we do an animal? No. It is do to exactly what Jesus did–to care for them, to wash their feet, and to love them.
I would like to end with two quick things. One is political. There may come a day in Delaware when you will have to vote like they did in Oregon and Washington about whether or not we should allow doctors or persons to take their own lives. I think it is incumbent upon the church to stand up and say no. Some people cite the Dutch experiment where taking one’s life was legalized. The Dutch are getting rid of the program because it has been a tragedy. More people have died out of greed than for medical reasons. Thousands have died because their families put them to sleep because they wanted the inheritance.
Last is regarding living wills and powers-of-attorney for medical purposes. A general living will or power-of-attorney for medical purposes should be done at the moment that you go into the hospital. They are useless unless you become unconscious, and they are useless unless your doctor agrees with them. It is important for you to discuss this issue with your doctor first. If the people in the ER disagree with your decision, they do not have to honor your living will.
If you make out a living will when you are 25, extraordinary versus ordinary means will be different than when you are 85. There is no specificity about extra-ordinary versus ordinary. It is important for these matters to be very time sensitive. The best solution is for you to have a doctor who knows you and knows how you respond to illnesses, that you talk to your family about your desires, and then have a living will prepared for the time that you go into the hospital and to communicate things clearly to people and give them the power to make decisions for you.
If you disagree with me, you also have to disagree with the U.S. Surgeon General. Here’s his conclusion:
“I am in the life-saving business. That comes first. But I recognize also that I am in the business of alleviating suffering. I never take a deliberate action with the motivation of terminating a patient’s life. It is possible that a patient’s life might be shortened by some therapeutic measure I employ with the intent of relieving suffering. In some circumstances where I believe that I have sufficient experience and expertise in the life history of the disease and my patient’s response to the disease as well as to his therapy, I might withhold treatment that would be considered extraordinary or heroic in a given circumstance in reference to the quality of life that might be salvaged for a short period of time. Even as I write these words, I recognize full well the chances for error in judgment. Because of that, I try to err only on the side of life.”
What is our response to the loss of dignity? To fear or to have faith? I think with the percentages of 1.25% versus 98.75%, God’s clear call for us is to serve him and not think about the future or become anxious. There are no scripture passages that I could find that tell us to guard our dignity. I Corinthians 4:10 calls us to be fools for Christ. Are we willing to be fools for Christ our whole lives?
This series is an example of being a fool for Christ because it is not an easy one. I had a lot of fellow pastors ask me if I was out of my mind. They reminded me that this is a hard issue and that I would stir up the waters. They told me it was better to keep things quiet, to not challenge people and rock the boat, but to keep them happy. My response is, “Is that faithful and is that right?”
I will close with this statement that challenged my heart, and I hope it challenges you:
“Since this issue is spiritual as well as medical, it would be entirely appropriate for the euthanasia debate to be waged most vigorously in our churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. I am not, however, optimistic that this will happen. My overwhelming experience with religious congregations is that they will do almost anything to avoid open debate. Just as the members tend to want a manageable deity, so they want a smooth, manageable religious life without conflict. Still, I can hope. Huge numbers of clergy for years have spoken yearningly of a need for revitalization of the church and other congregations. The euthanasia debate offers the ideal means for this to occur. I suspect, however, it will occur only to the degree that clergy are willing to take the risk of forcing the issue. I pray for those who do, for they are likely to meet with much resistance. Yet, if things succeed, there will be revitalization and they will have the congre-gation renewed by wrestling with the mystery of death and hence a real God.”
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
I absolutely love this story and wanted to share it with you.... Like a lot of things in life, it's much easier said than done but this is where faith and perseverance comes in.
Once there were three trees on a hill in a woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said. "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter." and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsman said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one" and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and women came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the king of kings in it's boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
The Search Begins...Genesis 12-15
In Chapter 12 of Genesis God speaks to a man named Abram and tells him to leave his birthplace and his family to go to an unknown land.
This is the beginning of the spiritual quest.
But what makes this so special?
God spoke to Adam, but Adam disobeyed. God spoke to Noah in an emergency, and appointed him with a specific job. Neither of them demonstrated any particular spiritual qualities.
Abram is different. God speaks to Abram and does not tell him what the plan is. God tells Abram: leave everything that is familiar and follow me. And Abram does it.
The Bible tells us very little. It gives few details and leaves a lot to inference. God’s speaking in this manner to Abram tells us something of the yearnings in Abram’s heart. We can see Abram searching for something, willing to journey into the unknown. He is not satisfied with life as he knows it. He hears a calling and he trusts it. He is the first man of faith.
While the journey is not without hardship, Abram does find his way to the place where God directs him. Then God makes a promise to Abram: all the land that he sees around him will be given to his descendants, who will become as numerous as the stars in the heavens.
What is so special about Abram? He may hardly realize it himself at this early stage. But Abram has taken the courageous step of questioning his received faith. Instead he searches for a God that cannot be seen, that is not a human creation - and that is one and universal. Only later will it become clear just how important this is. The implication of one unseen God with no physical representation is that God is the God of all human beings equally. Abram himself may not yet have thought of it in those terms - but it will become increasingly clear as the biblical story unfolds.
And so God’s blessing is expressed in terms of Abram’s descendants. The meaning is that his legacy, what he has found out about God, will be passed on to future generations. Abram has found the true God, and so God becomes active in his life.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou
The Search Begins...Genesis 12-15
In Chapter 12 of Genesis God speaks to a man named Abram and tells him to leave his birthplace and his family to go to an unknown land.
This is the beginning of the spiritual quest.
But what makes this so special?
God spoke to Adam, but Adam disobeyed. God spoke to Noah in an emergency, and appointed him with a specific job. Neither of them demonstrated any particular spiritual qualities.
Abram is different. God speaks to Abram and does not tell him what the plan is. God tells Abram: leave everything that is familiar and follow me. And Abram does it.
The Bible tells us very little. It gives few details and leaves a lot to inference. God’s speaking in this manner to Abram tells us something of the yearnings in Abram’s heart. We can see Abram searching for something, willing to journey into the unknown. He is not satisfied with life as he knows it. He hears a calling and he trusts it. He is the first man of faith.
While the journey is not without hardship, Abram does find his way to the place where God directs him. Then God makes a promise to Abram: all the land that he sees around him will be given to his descendants, who will become as numerous as the stars in the heavens.
What is so special about Abram? He may hardly realize it himself at this early stage. But Abram has taken the courageous step of questioning his received faith. Instead he searches for a God that cannot be seen, that is not a human creation - and that is one and universal. Only later will it become clear just how important this is. The implication of one unseen God with no physical representation is that God is the God of all human beings equally. Abram himself may not yet have thought of it in those terms - but it will become increasingly clear as the biblical story unfolds.
And so God’s blessing is expressed in terms of Abram’s descendants. The meaning is that his legacy, what he has found out about God, will be passed on to future generations. Abram has found the true God, and so God becomes active in his life.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou