At times I feel like giving up. I drive by people sitting on street corners asking for money and wonder how to possibly help. Protests, characterized by increasing violence, form around political issues. Bombs fall in the Middle East.

I don’t find myself fearful, however. Unfortunate circumstances, mob violence and conflicts in the Middle East all existed long before I hit the scene. But I do find myself weary. What can one, middle-class suburban man with limited time and resources do to change any of these situations?

Maybe not much. Paul wrote to a church struggling with similar questions in their challenging world. He urged them, As for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.

While my efforts may not account to much in my eyes or anyone else’s, Paul reminds me to do what I can. Don’t stop trying just because the world wears me down.

When I give the effort, I find that good begets good. By helping a neighbor, or holding a door for a young mom balancing groceries and toddlers, or simply speaking a kind word, my soul lifts. Good beats back weariness.

So I pray and ask the Holy Spirit for strength and opportunity to perhaps do a little good in someone’s life today. No preparation needed and no fanfare expected. Simply a step forward in faith as I attempt to walk in the ways of the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 3:13

Photo by Jachan DeVol

I get comfortable in my religion at times. Going to church, listening to sermons, singing with the congregation, reading Christian books and perusing my Bible all lend a familiarity to my faith. As a Christian minister I paddle my way around the pond of my persuasions.

But occasionally I read something that tips my canoe and reminds me that God exists less as a pond and more as a vast expanse stretching from horizon to horizon.

In a letter to a young pastor, Paul described God in heaven. I like how King James’ translators rendered this verse: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

One on hand I speak casually of knowing God, but on the other God remains invisible, hidden in unapproachable light. Invisible refers not merely our physical sight, but to our understanding as well. So much of God’s motives and mindset remain hidden from us. We perceive only hints and shadows. Which is one reason the life and teaching of Jesus Christ form the center of our faith. Through him God in the flesh dwelt among us, and through him we enter into the fulness of the Father.

I love the hymn Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, written by Scottish minister Walter Chalmers Smith in 1867. The first verse encapsulates Paul’s teaching: Immortal, invisible God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes. Most gracious, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty victorious your great name we praise (here’s a beautiful rendition).

I believe God wants me to draw close to him, to feel the comfort of his presence. But I also realize that my ponds of faith are merely the surface of a bottomless ocean of God’s wisdom and grace.

1 Timothy 1:17 & 6:16

Photo from Finisterre, Spain

If there’s one thing we need in a world of mass marketing, conspiracy theories, social media mobs and ceaseless yelling from left, right and center, it’s truth and light.

The psalmist prayed, Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

All truth is God’s truth. If a belief or philosophy or stance fails to align with the Scriptures then it betrays a falsehood. I subject my societal beliefs to standards found in the Bible. To ignore the teachings of Scripture, or to fail to wrestle with their outcomes, compromises my sense of truth—of right and wrong.

Then the Holy Spirit illuminates. Jesus said, The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Not all bright ideas or shiny modern theologies pass down from the Lord. Paul reminds us that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Ask the Holy Spirit to flood your life with his light.

Light and truth from the Lord. The Holy Spirit and the Holy Book. The end result? Greater knowledge of God and worship on his ground. All light and all truth, if legitimate, leads us closer to the Lord, not farther away.

It’s a good prayer to pray for ourselves and our friends: Lord, send out your light and your truth; let them lead me closer to you.

Amen and keep the faith.

Psalm 43:3; John 14:26; 2 Corinthians 11:14

Photo by Leo Wieling

My wife and I enjoyed lunch at an Asian-Mexican fusion place recently. We paired a chips/queso/salsa appetizer with a bowl of ramen and ginger-glazed chicken. The food tasted fabulous, the fusion working to perfection. Our waiter, a young man, stayed attentive and helpful. We left him a generous tip. In my mind he earned a good tip due to his excellent service. On one hand a tip is a gratuity, but on the other a tip rises or falls based on the quality of service. Tips are seldom free gifts.

When I go to work I’m not after a gift, but what I feel I earn. A gift often arrives out of the blue, undeserved and unexpected. To be handed a free gift, one I know I did nothing to warrant, feels both exciting and humbling.

Paul discussed earnings and gifts in his letter to the church in Rome. He summed up his argument with this famous verse: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our ways of life and the inherited nature of our beings lead us to a type of slavery to our sins. Our choices to move away from God earn bitter wages. Eventually our physical death and spiritual death combine—a grievous tip on top of lifetime earnings.

But God offers an alternative. If we choose to reverse our trajectory and turn towards him, to kneel before our Creator, then God offers freedom from the old pay scale. He replaces dark fruits of no value with the gracious gift of life.

God’s gift remains totally free. An abundant, eternal life. A bounty of freedom. Not a wage or a tip based on good service, but an undeserved and unexpected endowment waiting for me and you. Take Jesus as Lord, and the gift is yours.

Romans 3:23

Photo by Sam Dan Truong