What difference does Jesus’ ‘once-for-all” sacrifice make in terms of your security with God? Your self-image? Your desire to follow Christ? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1673).
To be frank, I have never been able to understand how the idea that Jesus was a sacrificial animal (lamb) and his dying (like the practice of killing innocent animals to excuse the sins of people) made any sense at all. It has never sunk in my understanding how killing something innocent relieves the guilty party of guilt. This practice could certainly work to eliminate the overcrowding of prisons. The accused party could simply appear in court with a chicken (for example) to give to the judge to excuse his crime. Nope, that has never made any sense to me–though the judge would certainly never want for a nice chicken dinner.
What has made sense to me is that Jesus loved humankind so much that he died rather than compromise that love. In other words he could have told the judges at the time–“Aw shucks! I was just kidding about that ‘love thy neighbor’ stuff...forget all that, just go on watching out for number one.” Jesus had such integrity and love for humanity that he remained true no matter what it cost him personally. Now that generous gift...not sacrifice...is compelling.
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What skill do you have that you could brag about? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1634).
As a question presented to me or anyone else, this should be the easiest of all questions to answer. For while many are graced with talents, none should be a braggart. Everything we have including talents are rightly seen as a gift from others. Arrogance and false pride are born of blindness and myopic self-centeredness. The concept of justice is lacking broadness once we lay invidious claim to all our advantages.
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Write a verse of praise to God using the special events from your own spiritual journey. (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1419).
Glory to the skies that wrapped my childhood in a sanctuary of daylight. Glory to the skies that redeemed me from youthful despair with undergirding frankness and holy love. In the sad years of weeping and want, you guided my steps staying always near. You gave me a personal structure of peace – the “little joke” that provided a firm foothold. In the stresses of middle age, you came to me and showed within your presence the bridge to eternity. In my working years you gave me purpose that extended far beyond a paycheck. And now retired, I have assurance of open roads and a clear view home.
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Have you ever been one of these fools: (a) the intellectual seeker? (b) the practical atheist? (c) self-destructive? (d) unhealthy in relationships? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 789).
Fool: a person who acts unwisely or imprudently (not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash); a silly person ( having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment; absurd...): what a fool I was to do this. (New Oxford American Dictionary).
The element common to all four types of foolish approaches to life listed in the question is self-absorption (arising from whatever reason–fear, a sense of inferiority, herculean efforts to be special in artificial ways).
The “intellectual seeker” refers not to someone sincerely seeking to understand, but to someone seeking merely to convey the sheen of knowledge without having a true passion and love for it. The person is self-absorbed for he desires most to be seen as in that special class of intellectuals that excludes all but the uppermost layer – a self-appointed mutual admiration coterie (well-deserving each other).
The practical atheist is the religious pretender who seeks to appear ineffably in tune with the most obtuse doctrine, but in actuality lacks the faith to risk safety for a second. He is self-absorbed because the true basis of his religion is not trust but innate fear.
The self-destructive person is fixated on self and does not lift his eyes to see the need of others for kindness, encouragement, and love. He is a Johnny-One-Note of negativity that finally mows down all possible sources of help.
One unhealthy in relationships seeks to control others–although this can be veiled in cloying dependency. The self-absorbed individually is deeply enervating to healthy relationships.
The question asks: Have I ever been a fool? I claim exemption from no foolish behavior; yet friends have occasionally stayed my hand.
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No one knows exactly what heaven is like, what would make heaven especially “heavenly” for you? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1404).
Heaven will be “heavenly” for me if arriving there I find those that have enriched my life through the years. These of course are those people that I have known personally on earth, but also those who have passed on before me but whose legacy has meant so much to me. This would include writers and musicians, statesmen and scientists. And it would also include people of whose name I’m unaware. I would like to shake the hand of the person who first came up with the idea that a wheel could be used to transport goods. When I was born in 1944, there was a huge collection of concrete and abstract artifacts that embroidered the culture I became a part of. Most significantly was the voice that cried out through the centuries and even then, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
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Upon what human institutions do people pin their hopes for “peace now”? What might Jeremiah say at one of their conferences? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1059.)
Overwhelmingly people look to government to bring about peace. Why? Because government to government accessibility and the sword of the state are seen as indispensable elements in the creation and implementation of enforced peace. We should not be too dejected when we consider that peace must be enforced. Even on a community and local level there is a sense in which peace is always underwritten and enforced most immediately by the local police department – including extensively criminal and civil matters. The United States is remarkable for its peaceful transitions of power. Partly this is due to tradition, but significantly it is due to enforceable law. When the larger peace finally descends that we yearn for, it will of necessity be an enforced peace; which is simply recognizing that contention is deeply ingrained in human nature and human affairs.
Even though we depend extensively upon government for peace, we know full well that a strong government is insufficient to bring about peace. If all institutions besides government were to lose their way (the family, the church, the creative sector), then nothing that government could possibly do would prevent certain societal collapse. An indispensable constituent of peace has been stated with brevity: let peace begin with me.
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How could “competitive” giving misdirect the reason for giving gifts to God? What can you and your group do to avoid this problem among yourselves? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 226).
How do we define strength and what is humility? What is a strong president and will that president also embody humility? Must a strong president always suggest cavalier or aggressive employment of the police power of the state? To what extent do we want a president standing tall with his hand at gun--does carrying a gun always suggest strength rather than weakness? To what extent are the answers to these questions subject to paradox and the law of diminishing returns and the associated spectacle of unintended consequences?
From the current American race for the presidency one would think that strength is defined as bullying, spewing arrogant judgements, arbitrariness, and the “courage”to wallow in slime. This is not at all what I see as strength, and I certainly do not believe that an effective president is one that lacks humility. Let me explain.
Humility is an absence of false pride. False pride is pride based upon aggrandizement and show rather than contribution and service. I wish to see a president resplendent with contributory humility and filled with the calm and peaceful self-assurance that effective contributions bring.
Strength is emotional and mental forcefulness. Unlinked to humility, strength is subject to much blind stupidity due to the law of diminishing returns and the spectacle of unintended consequences. Mental forcefulness need be alloyed with wisdom and discernment. Emotions need be alloyed by past training with patience (count to 10) and a bias towards ultimate ends (a strong feeling for the final results we would like to see). We must not in the name of competition relinquish true strength and humility for the current counterfeits on display in American politics.
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