essays 229-234

1. #234 Cold Obedience; Hollow Love
2. #233 Ladles and Measuring Spoons
3. #232 Small Talk and Simple Gestures
4. #231 Help. Help.
5. #230 Fault-finding Missions
6. #229 Chickens don't like Change

#234 Cold Obedience; Hollow Love

Obedience and love are of utmost importance in the Christian walk of life. However, cold obedience leads to stiff legalism and hollow love leads to shallow emotionalism and perhaps unrepentant sin. Compare the letters in Revelation 2 between the churches of Ephesus (strong on doctrine, weak on love) and Thyatira (strong on love, weak on doctrine). Christ has "somewhat against" both of them. There must be balance.

God's desires from us both obedience and intimacy. Adam and Eve lost the latter after failing the test of the former. Intimacy with God cannot be found apart from obedience. After all, it is the original sin of Adam which separates all of his descendents from God. And it is our own personal, unrepented-of sin which still separates us from close fellowship with the Father today.

There are many verses stressing the importance of obedience:

"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" --Luke 6:46

"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." --Matthew 7:21

It is not enough to have eaten and drunk in His presence, or to have listened to His teachings (Luke 13:24-30). In other words, it is not enough to faithfully attend church services or to dutifully read your daily portion of the Scriptures. God wants our whole heart. He wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. (Matthew 22:37).

How do we show that we love God? Here comes that concept of obedience again:

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. If a man love me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." --John 14:15, 23,24

"Hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." --1 John 2:3,4

Did you notice all the conditional "if's"? Obedience is clearly important to God. But not a cold, lifeless obedience. That also is condemned. See Isaiah 29:13 (quoted by Christ in Matthew 15 & Mark 7 to rebuke the Pharisees for their emphasis on fulfilling the letter of the law while neglecting the spirit by which it was given):

"Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men..."

God wants more than mere lip service. He desires the true obedience that springs naturally from a loving, devoted heart. He wants to replace our stony hearts with warm hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19; II Corinthians 3:3) He wants children who delight to do his will. (Psalm 40:8) But extremes are so much easier. By going to extremes, we rely on either our own intellect and willpower or else on our own emotions. Either way, we are not relying totally on God. Only by walking in His Spirit and abiding in His love can we achieve that perfect balance of love and obedience. Simple, but difficult. For there is nothing more difficult than to yield one's entire self to His disposal. And there is nothing more rewarding.

Lori Fiechter
November 20, 1999

Lori Fiechter
November 20, 1999

#233 Ladles and Measuring Spoons

I was helping on a baptism supper at our church earlier this month. We had tables set up for 300 people, but didn't have quite enough spoons to go around. I rummaged around in the drawers and found a few teaspoons mixed in with the tablespoons. I was tempted to put out the tablespoons as well for the last twenty places, but that idea was nixed. Instead, we just washed up the spoons as the guests were finished and I put them out on the last table. We have a shortage of spoons at our house as well. I wonder why it is always spoons? Never knives or forks. The other night, I found my husband using a gravy ladle to eat some peas he'd microwaved for a snack. A gravy ladle! I felt bad and washed up a spoon for him. Guess I'd forgotten to run the dishwasher. (No, cooked peas are not my idea of a snack, but to each his own.)

All this talk about teaspoons, tablespoons and ladles made me think of our Lord's words recorded in Luke, chapter 6:
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. "

Are you stingy of soul? Do you dole out your money, time, and affection by grudging teaspoons--leveled off, to make sure you didn't accidentally give more than you'd intended? I'm afraid that I can be like that. "With what measure you mete, it shall be measured back again." Does that mean if you give $100, God will give that exact amount back to you--or even more? I don't think that it always works that way. God's measuring-back can take different forms; He is not a bank, not limited to paying back with mere monetary interest. And His rewards do not always come in this life. But did you ever consider the intangible benefits of being generous? Think in your mind of a stingy character from literature: the miserly Silas Marner, for instance. Are misers generally portrayed as happy? No, usually they are pictured in a drab room, eating meager meals, surreptitiously counting their gold before hiding it again. Sometimes there is redemption, as with the golden haired child that enters Silas' life. King Midas of the golden touch also realized the preciousness of his daughter as compared with dead gold. Both men got their priorities straightened out.

Some of us still worship Mammon. Look at the popularity of two new game shows: "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "Greed" (a surprisingly honest name.) We still think that money will bring us happiness. No, not just money, but more money than we have right now. We have our ladles ready and waiting for that promised inheritance, or the payoff from that "get rich quick" scheme. We plunk down our dollars to buy a few lottery tickets and dream of hitting the jackpot. But the ladle disappears when we are asked to give of ourselves. Out pops the tiny little 1/4 teaspoon measure again.

Sometimes we have to be encouraged (but no coercion, please) to give. This is not something new but is part of human nature. Read 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 to see how Paul coaxes the church at Corinth to make good on their promise of charity. His words echo the "measure for measure" verse in the gospels:

It is so easy to forget that everything we have comes ultimately from God. In this season of Thanksgiving, it is good to remember that He was not stingy with us, giving us His only Son. He has blessed us with life and light. He has blessed us with His grace. He has given us opportunities to learn, to work, to share. As in the parable of the talents, it does not matter what we have, but how we use what we've been given. Paul wrote, "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." (2 Cor. 8:12). The poor we have with us always; perhaps so that we may learn to practice generosity.

God loves a thankful heart and a cheerful giver. So, what are you waiting for? Get out that ladle. If you are short on money, you may give of your time--or even kind words of encouragement. Too many of us are even more stingy with words of praise than we are with our money. We feel that it is our job to keep everyone else humble. When we read "A word spoken in due season, how good it is", we figure it must mean admonishment. (See also Isaiah 50:4) But that's a subject for another whole essay!

"With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Lori Fiechter, November 20, 1999

#232 Small Talk and Simple Gestures

I have never been good at small talk. That is why I am often uncomfortable trying to mix at gatherings. Because I'm not good at small talk, it is easy for me to disdain and disparage it. I get lofty and tell myself that I only like stimulating intellectual or spiritual discussions. Everything else is a waste of my time. I didn't realize the pride in my thinking--until I read about that recently martyred Christian in India.

I wish I could remember the man's name; I'm not sure if it is the man who was burned to death last January along with his two sons. I've never been good with names (probably why I'm so miserable at small talk; I don't even know the name of the person with whom I'm conversing). But the gist of the story impressed me. There has been terrible hatred in India of the Hindus against the Christians and Muslims, especially the Christians. There are accusations of forced conversions to Christianity, and violent retaliation by some of the Hindu factions, who now have a majority in the government. (I think I have my facts straight). This Christian man was loved by the poorer classes of both Hindus and Muslims. After his death, one Hindu told how this Christian would walk for twenty miles, just to visit families and inquire about their health and their children. Small talk. That impressed me, as it obviously did that Hindu mourner. Here was a Christian who cared for the villagers first as people. He didn't view people as potential notches on his soul-winner's belt. He showed love to them by going out of his way to simply visit with them. It was that simple gesture that endeared him to the common folk.

I agree that too many Christians seldom talk about spiritual matters. As the song goes, "We talk about the weather, we talk about problems we have here at home and abroad." But arguing about a certain interpretation of Bible verses hardly qualifies as spiritual edification. Simple gestures of love and yes, even small talk, are not to be underestimated. The church is a family and families need to get to know each other. Would our children at home be reassured of our love for them as people if we only wanted to hear about the spiritual side of their lives, or if we only taught and never listened? "Sing that Bible song to me, but I don't want to hear about that silly game you are playing."

I was asked to substitute teach a kindergarten class in Sunday school several years back. I was given a packet of guidelines to read before I came to class. One item bothered me. After the lesson, we were to encourage only spiritual talk; about upcoming weddings or baptisms, perhaps--anything on the church calendar. Class was not to be sidetracked with talk about the family pet or last night's supper. I agree that young children can get off track easily and during the lesson, they need to pay attention. But how do you ever get to know your students--get to know who they really are--by only talking about spiritually related topics? How can you get close to someone that way? It seemed artificial and stiff to me. I teach an older class of girls now and I want to know about the pet rabbit, irritating little brother, how that knee got skinned, or the poem memorized for English last week. I'm not teaching a bunch of cardboard cutouts, after all!

There was a heresy in the first century A.D. called gnosticism. I won't go into the details (because I don't know them) but the gnostics taught that the material world was evil and the spiritual was good. For that reason, they denied that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. They also spiritualized away the new earth and new heavens (and those new bodies we'll receive). There is a danger here of spiritual pride: the "more spiritual than thou syndrome" (see Isaiah 65:5) We need to have a balance. You have people on the one hand that spend any fellowship time in church talking about last night's ball game. They have no problem with small talk, but need some encouragement to talk about deeper things. On the other hand, you have those (count me in) who get a bored look on their faces whenever you talk about common, everyday things. Balance. Do not despise small talk (or small things--see Zechariah 4:10) but don't let all your talk be small. And remember that simple gestures of kindness can mean more than words ever could.

Lori Fiechter, November 16, 1999

#231 Help. Help.

I witnessed something so pathetic yesterday at the dentist's office that it almost made me cry. I was sitting in the waiting room, reading the grocery ads in the newspaper and cutting out coupons when they walked in. There was a spry older gentleman, his wife, Esther, a nurse's aide and perhaps a daughter. The daughter and aide were helping Esther, who appeared to be blind. First they led her to the lady's restroom; I heard her keep saying, "No. No". After a short while, they guided her back to the waiting room, talking calmly and patiently to her the whole time. At first, I didn't quite catch what Esther was saying. Her voice was not loud, just insistent. Every few seconds, in a small but determined voice, she repeated, "Help. Help." She refused to sit down. I heard the others trying to reassure her, "It's all right; we are here with you. You need to sit down." She repeated, "Help. Help." Then, "Don't push me down." They never did get her to take a seat; while they were still trying to coax her, it was time for her appointment. I wonder how they managed to get her into the dentist's chair.

Esther was stubborn, no doubt; but it seemed a stubbornness born of fear. Possibly she suffers from dementia. Her sad plight made me think of my own stubbornness. I, too, have cried out to God, "Help me!" But then, if He doesn't answer immediately, in the exact way I've expected, I assume He is not there. I keep crying out my complaints to Him, "Where are you, Lord? Why can't I sense Your presence?" While all the time, He is patiently trying to guide me. I am blind to His efforts and continue to fight Him. I have lost my trust, my simple childlike faith. Because I cannot feel Him, I start to doubt. He has not left. Perhaps He is only testing me. Will I stay true in spite of all outward circumstances, in spite of all inward feelings? I love Job's words, " But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10) Notice the order of things: First the trial, then the gold.

I have never had to withstand a fiery trial; I will be glad if I never do. These verses in Peter are hard for me: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." There is an end, eventually, that leads to joy. I hope that I can always remember, no matter what my current problems or troubles are, that God is a very present help (Psalms 46:1), whether or not I am aware of His presence. May stubbornness and fear not blind me today. I will try to be still and know that He is God.

Lori Fiechter,
November 16, 1999

#230 Fault-finding Missions

You are familiar with fact-finding missions: information gathering for governments, businesses, or other organizations before they begin a new project. No doubt you are even more familiar with fault-finding missions. The emissaries of these missions are just as thorough and dedicated as their official counterparts, even though they are unpaid for all their efforts. Maybe you've been an unwitting victim of such a team. Or maybe you are its star player.

The problem with people is that they are so plaintively imperfect. That makes the fault-finder's job an easy one. Instead of following grandma's adage, "If you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything at all", his rule is "everyone has a weakness; talk about it."

For example:
This person is too particular (he won't overlook your disorganization)
that one is bossy (she won't follow your suggestions.)
That person is different or odd (he can't get along with you; or maybe she's ignored you.)
One is too quiet, another too loud.
This person is incompetent; that one is over-confident.
This one won't lift a finger to help you; that one does the whole job himself, making you feel useless and unnecessary.
Yes, it is so enjoyable to talk about folks whose weaknesses are not your own.

But even if you were perfect, people could still find fault. Look at Jesus. He was called terrible names: wine-bibber, glutton, deceiver (John 7: 12) devil-possessed and madman (John 7:20; 8:48; 10:20) blasphemer (John 10:33), Samaritan (John 8:48). This is how some talked about the holy and spotless Lamb of God. Should you be surprised that men can find fault with you?

Negativity is not healthy for a church. That doesn't mean that we condone or overlook serious faults and sins, but it does mean that we do not tear down the brethren. If you would not speak of someone in the same way if he were present, then don't speak of him in that way when he is absent. That is the coward's way; the way of the spiritual arsonist: throwing his Molotov cocktail, then fleeing before he can see the damage he's caused.

Why do we tear others down? I do it to make myself feel better; how about you? And how do you respond when you find out others have talked about you behind your back--with justified bitterness, sulking and complaining? (I'm still reading from my own journal.) That won't help matters any either. Don't nurse those grudges; let them die a quick death. Why is there infighting? "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Most of us have played "king of the hill" as children but it is not a good game for the body of Christ: "Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." We are not to be our own little kings, we all serve the one great Lord and coming King.

On the other side, if we've been the one sinned against (the gossips love to help out the fault-finders by carrying back their juicy tidbits to the unsuspecting victim herself), pray that God will give you the grace to forbear and forgive: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." He forgave you far greater trespasses. Don't let pride and envy have the choice seats in your heart. Instead, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts" and "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom". And remember, "Love covers a multitude of sins".

Which crew will you be a part of today: demolition or edification? Or perhaps gravedigger (to bury those old grudges--make sure they're dead first)

Lori Fiechter,
November 15, 1999

#229 Chickens don't like Change

I had a chance to talk with Bill, the bird specialist, while I was on duty at the chicken house this week. I questioned the higher than usual rate of mortality we had last week. Bill said that fall and spring are especially hard on chickens; they don't like the fluctuating temperatures. In summer, it's always hot; in winter, always cold. That they can live with (as long as the summer temps aren't above 95°F.) But the sudden changes from warm to cool are hard on their hybrid systems. I imagine that when chickens laid only 15 eggs per year instead of 300, they were probably more hardy. These egg-laying champs don't like change of any kind: intensity of lighting, feed, temperatures. I'd even heard that they get used to the shirt you wear (so I wear the same flannel shirt and white cap).

I, myself, much prefer spring and fall. I also like variations in my meals. But in other ways, I am much like the fussy hen. I don't like life changes. I didn't want to graduate from high school because I didn't like the uncertainty of the future. For the same reason, I feared getting into the work force, getting married, having children. In retrospect, the changes themselves were not as bad as the worry that preceded them. But I can't seem to learn that present changes may be the same. I like my ruts. I am not happy if anyone tries to disrupt my routine. I don't care for new responsibilities. I have plenty of old responsibilities to keep me busy.

I wonder if the world cannot be divided into two sorts of people: those who welcome change and those who resist it? Those who see change as a stepping stone and those who see only a stumbling block to personal happiness? No doubt, it is all in the attitude. I still have too much of the stubborn mule in me, mixed with chicken. Now, there's an unpleasant hybrid to contemplate!

But there is one drastic change I look forward to. Job spoke of it, as did Paul. "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." I, too, desire to be clothed up on with our house which is in heaven; the thought of mortality being swallowed up by life is pleasant to me. I grow tired of seeing through a glass darkly; I would see face to face. That is a welcome change. If only I could be as positive about changes that will affect me in this life.

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? No. And neither can I change myself. But God can change me, He is in the process of changing me. If I were not fighting change so tenaciously, the spots might come off more quickly. God is the LORD, he changes not. But then, He doesn't need to. The rest of us have a long way to go to be changed into His image. Ask Him today to change you, to mold you into the person He intended you to be.

Or are you chicken?

Lori Fiechter, November 11, 1999