Divided Loyalties

Sometimes when I watch movies, especially James Bond ones, I listen out for when the title of the movie will be mentioned. (Obviously in my opinion Roger Moore always delivered his best of all the Bonds, that raised eyebrow just convinced me from the start.) I think that sometimes it is whilst writing the narrative or some dialogue in the narrative that the title for a book or a movie emerges, just as a significant theme in a song that is repeated can lend itself as the song title. In the same way I was engaging in a conversation when the phrase of this blog entry came to mind.

I said it to the person and it had a resonating effect on me. This dear friend had said some things around looking forward to spend more time with the family. I was thinking, however, that the reason why things have come to this point is because there’s always a competing force for the attention that means the family suffers.

I also thought that it’s not just this person who suffers from divided loyalties. To some extent there is an overriding interest that takes up the heart, even if the time is otherwise taken with other activities, the mind is just going over that issue again and again. It is so often the case that someone is physically present and to some degree engaging in the activity of the time, but it’s obvious that they are elsewhere either in spirit or mind. Their mind is taken up with their own thing of desire.

As ever Jesus exposes the issue slap bang in the middle of his famous teaching on the mount where he simply says,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

That which captures the heart and takes up the attention has virtual mastery over us. It’s funny really, we run away from the sense of anyone owning us or telling us what to do. We make a big deal of being autonomous, independent, free-thinking individuals when in most cases, (come on it’s presumptuous and arrogant to say all in a blog like this when you’re not that brave yet) we’re actually not that autonomous, or independent or free-thinking. Sooner or later some master will take us under his wing – especially the enticing allure of money and all it can seemingly buy and what it can mean in the sight of others. We come under its wings and before you know it moods, thoughts, decisions, temperament, life activities and relationships are determined by what masters us.

Not only that, but it’s not as if there’s choice to be mastered or not. All this liberalism and free country jargon may keep us warm in our thoughts at night, but slavery has not been abolished, just either blatantly ignored in the so-called Third-World, or made to be far more sophisticated in the so-called First-World. Slavery and mastery is wrapped up with the whole human psyche and it’s then a case of discovering which mastery will give us the best chance of not being oppressed, compressed, distressed, depressed, repressed and even negatively possessed.

That sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it. I’m not going to make it any softer, though. Think of it this way, though. As a slave if your master is responsible for upkeep and takes that seriously to ensure that your working conditions are as conducive and constructive to your benefit as possible and you are just required to be obedient to instructions that are actually to your overall benefit, how is that a bad thing? If the Lord who has mastery over us instructs us … commands us to love each other and empowers and equips us to do that how is that a bad thing? If the Lord who has mastery over us instructs us … to find the truest sense of liberty in being like His Son by linking with Him and allowing Him to carry the bulk of the burden how is that a bad thing?

Obviously it’s a bad thing to us because we don’t appear to be in control, even if we’ve been deluding ourselves in thinking that the autonomous, independent, free-thinking position has improved our situation. It’s got to be a definition of madness to think that illusive and elusive living is somehow any better.

The divided loyalty continues though and in reality it’s not that divided at all, whenever something else other than that which is meant to be occupying the heart is there, then we’re always giving cheap second-hand service to everything else. The funny thing is, under the Lordship of the creator there’s more than enough time to look after the family. There’s more than enough time to be effective at work. There’s even enough time to pursue pastimes that help you in building relationships and the like. Indeed under this mastery all of those activities are effused with life and purpose possible because it’s rooted in acknowledging first and foremost the Lord who makes it all possible.

Until then, though, it’s the ongoing challenge of seeing where the heart is and asking this kind, forgiving and liberating Lord to help us find our hearts in Him.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

The Erik Factor: For The Unsung Heroes

Working at the YMCA in the way I do is a bit funny. In other contexts the people I serve and come alongside could be seen as customers, clients, consumers, residents, service users or other terms of reference that sets our relationship relatively securely in set parameters. That doesn’t work for me though.

The proper term of reference for the young people that we serve is customers thereby taking any sense in which they’re to be ‘done to’ and rather seen as people of value receiving a service. That can work to some to an extent, but it’s useless to me. I develop relationships with the young people and get to them as much as they wish me to know them but the ideal is to build a relationship to an extent that I can call them friend. Between that point and the opening conversation they are someone I know and care for.

For the time being Erik falls into that category. We’ve spoken a bit and I know a few things about the guy, but it’s hardly enough for me to merit the honour of being called his friend. Of what I know of the guy, though, he is one that I’d like that title to be conferred from him to me. In the short time since I’ve come across him he’s been a good laugh and eager to join in with anything that CSD is doing including the recent Restaurant event that I referred to in a previous post.

At this event I was particularly taken by his diligence in using his talents in serving in what I’m sure would be positively termed as the catering domestic engineer but was known as the dude who did the washing up. I notice that the dude that does the washing up doesn’t really get much credit but the efforts of the dude that washes up is noticeable when it’s not done. When it’s done shabby it’s also an issue, but you don’t see magazines adorning the shelves of a newsagent on Washing Up Today. It got me thinking about a larger theme from scripture.

He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:16-19)

When people name the 12 disciples I can almost guarantee most will not remember Thaddaeus. In fact dudes will only remember it because it’s a name highlighted because it is easy to forget it! Likewise in life there are always those unsung heroes whose names we never hear about whose contributions have been vital to reflecting God’s Kingdom on earth.

As God knows each bird and has numbered every hair on every head, so He knows the name of those that don’t get the attention, are not in the spotlight.

In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, but we don't have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honoured, the whole body will be happy. (1 Cor. 12:22-26)

Paul here then gives the big up to unsung hero, even as some parts of our body don’t necessarily get others ogling in admiration and yet we know that without them we know things would suffer. So we’re called to make a practise now of showing honour to those less popular parts of the community – the Eriks of this world. The subject is close to my heart because my dad was an Erik, the dude that would come in and set up the room for the congregational service and would sort out all the menial stuff that we used to take for granted. He was well suited to the role of deacon in our church in the sense that he had a servant’s heart while bringing no attention to himself and being one of those unsung heroes. So this is to all those who don’t get the credit afforded to the loudmouths who get the credit for their singing, talking, writing or hey even blogging. Thanks to the Eriks of this world – God has said your reward is great!

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Serving Others: That's The Spirit

I was thinking last Wednesday about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Now with a starter for ten like that I’m aware how many people might be turned off this blog entry straight away. In any case I continue.

My experience of being filled with the Spirit has been closely associated to ecstatic expression. Growing up in a particular church culture being filled with the Spirit was linked to making loud noises of praise and acclaim at certain points during a sermon and when the speaker or singer or whoever was emotionally moved by what they were offering. Perhaps they likewise might get ecstatic, jumpy, shouty and type of thing.

Now I don’t decry that at all – I still get caught up in such expressions from time to time and don’t see them as all bad at all. The problem is where our definition of being filled with the Spirit is limited to those expressions. To be fair as well to my upbringing, I hardly heard people testify of experiencing being filled with the Spirit and being led into a wilderness. There were no testimonies of having the Spirit leading to proclaiming good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, broken-hearted mended, those in captivity released, those bound set free and all hearing that this is the year of the Lord’s favour.

What made matters worse for me last Wednesday as I pondered further was this rather convicting verse in the gospel according to Mark.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Then it all began to be a bit clearer. The Spirit-filled life is one of the miraculous and the extraordinary – of that there should be no doubt. It should also be accompanied by rejoicing and exclamations fitting such wondrous occasions. There is this key element in being Spirit filled however that allows me to live like Jesus expressing His character all the time and His mentality. That mentality is not really about the ecstatic more than it is for being a servant.

Now of course anyone who jumps up and down and says that this applies to Jesus alone as He is the only one who has laid His life for many would be absolutely right. And absolutely wrong. The context suggests that this mentality of service is the heartbeat of any follower of Christ and this is the Master saying He shows the way in the fulfilment of His mission.

So imagine that then, being Spirit-filled is about serving others and serving them as Jesus served us – whole-heartedly, compassionately and with a desire that we should see God for who He is through these acts of grace.

That thought was bothering me all last Wednesday then on and off during the week. You see I want to be fruitful and productive in whatever I’m doing and now I am more than ever convicted that this is as much about having a Christ-like servant approach to relationships than ever before.

Just when I think it’s safe to dwell on that thought I have a night like tonight. As you know, I work for the North Staffs YMCA as a Christian Spiritual Development Worker which is really all about creating opportunities for especially the young people who reside there to get to know more about faith and Christ can make a good difference in life. Almost like creating gospel opportunities in the context of developing relationships.

One of the outlets for that is a Monday evening session called Chill, Chat and Connect where we do what it says get to know young people and offer them the chance to do activities and projects that particularly intrigue them. Two months ago one member of the team who did not strike me as particularly bold and confident suggested turning the canteen into a restaurant. People were behind the idea and it grew from there.

What was amazing about it was that this was an opportunity for the customers – the people who are the recipients of the services provided for them to support them in life’s journey, were now turning around and serving a number of their workers. There they were, voluntarily serving them and giving them top quality service at that in terms of food content and quality hospitality.

I was blown away by the quality of service and how well they did – more in a report that will be on the YMCA’s web-site. So there was all I’d been reading about in front of me – serving people is what it really means to be Spirit-filled and drawing them as a result closer to the Kingdom of God that is all about hospitality as that engenders the feeling of being at home and feeling relaxed enough to experience the healing that comes with that.

No, the young people on a whole are not born-again Christians and who’s to say they ever will be, but to see that in action was a testimony to me of what Jesus was talking about and how serving others with that level of sacrifice and gentle attitude is what it’s all about – indeed that’s the Spirit.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Daily Thoughts - Free From Slavery - Free To Be A Slave

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

Doulos. It is not frequently used as it is an old Greek word. It means slave and this is the word that is translated as servant. Effectively we are free to become slaves. All that grief of slavery; the hassle to be released only to be a slave again? Yet freedom in Christ shows how we always serve something or someone. We are only as free as serving Someone who releases us to be the good we were created to be. This is why this freedom is no excuse for evil but to reflect the nature of the Master Liberator.

For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
da man cd

Daily Thoughts - Free From Slavery - Free To Serve

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

Some debate over whether freedom is positive or negative. Whether we are free to do whatever we want, or free from a nanny state telling us what to do. (What’s the difference?) God’s version of freedom is not about an anything-goes, do-what-you-like attitude, neither is it a jump from one strait-jacket of condemning rules to another. Rather responsible freedom leads to being a servant to others. Just to ensure that this serving in freedom is genuine it is done out of love – a (super)natural overflow from a connection with the Son of love.

For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
da man cd