The loser takes it all! *

ABBA put music to the statement

“The winner takes it all!”. 

Sometimes it feels like that, and from a secular perspective, it seems to be an established truth. There is also empiric evidence confirming that a person born into a dysfunctional family without the capacity to give sufficient care, is more likely to remain deprived of a good life than a person born into a caring and well-functional family. It is important to remember that functionality and care are not dependent upon wealth, but poverty can prevent a parent from giving sufficient physical care for a child.

I will be the first to admit that this world is unjust. Living in the poorest country in Europe, I see this as a reality every day, and I wish I could do more about it. How then do I even dare to proclaim that “The loser takes it all!”?

Because it is a spiritual principle. Jesus proclaimed that I find my life by losing it (1). I believe that God has created me to have fellowship with him, but he has also entrusted me control over my own life. The way to find my life in him, is by losing control over my life and surrender it to him. At the cross Jesus said: “Father into your hands I commend my spirit!” (2) – he lost his life, conquered death and gained life not only for himself, but for all who believes.

That ‘the loser’ takes it all, is also confirmed in this verse:

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
Colossians 3:11

However, even in nations calling themselves Christians, even some churches and some individual Christians struggle with greed. Greed is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins, and I believe it is the cause of most of the problems we face in the world today, including such evils as wars, poverty and climatic crisis. I am convinced that if we as individuals, communities and nations were willing to ‘lose’ by being willing give instead of craving and hoarding, everyone would find a better life. 

So, yes, I believe that ‘the loser takes it all!’

‘Manna’ for today:

We win by losing!

----------------------------------------- 

* See: The weakest team - A call to costly compassion
(1) Matthew 16:25
(2) Luke 23:46

Is 'upon' an important word? - a time for everything *

NORSK
When I was young, I had lots of questions about the Holy Spirit. I read books and spoke with experienced disciples and discovered that many focused on the importance of the Spirit coming upon us. There is substantial Biblical support for such thoughts, and we find it in a verse I have already quoted a couple of times in this series of reflections:

And look, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you.
Luke 24:49a

When I surrendered to Jesus and invited him into my life at the age of 14, the Holy Spirit moved into my spirit. I believe that all who have received Jesus have also received the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit in us, we are new creatures and as such we are able to recognize the Holy Spirit when he comes upon us.

I have definitely had many experiences of the Holy Spirit coming 'upon' me both in solitude and in fellowship with many others. This can be very different in expressions and intensity, but even when the expression is unknown, the Holy Spirit can be recognized by the fruit – the presence of divine love. If what the Father has promised comes from on high, it may not be so strange that it will come ‘upon’ us. Paul urged us to search for it:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above”
Col 3:1a

The disciples also had to seek for that which was promised and they waited for it for ten days. For Paul, being raised with Christ is synonym with being a new creature. It shows that seeking for that which is promised to come ‘over’ me is an invitation that is still valid even though I live in a good relationship with the Lord.

‘Manna’ for today

I want the Holy Spirit to come over me!

------------------------------------------
* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the ime between Easter and Pentecost

Winter and spring – today is all I have got

NORSK
Normally I am too busy to think about it, but occasionally I wish that I could be at ‘Brødsjø’. That was not the case yesterday. At breakfast, we listened as usual to the radio-news from the county of Telemark. As the morning temperatures were read, I noticed that close to our home it was registered -18 degrees, which normally means that the thermometer must have dropped below -20 at our place.

One hour earlier, we woke up to a beautiful and warm spring day here in Chisinau where the maximum temperature reached +17 degrees during the day. There is a big difference between winter and spring, and it is easy to understand Paul’s message to Timothy:

Do your best to get here before winter.
2 Tim 4:21a

Although it is tempting to give the word "winter" several interpretations, I think Paul's concerns were of the practical kind. If it was John who had written this, I would immediately have asked myself: "What else than practical concerns can be hidden in this message?"

Paul’s main concern was to get Timothy to come on a visit as soon as possible. May be Paul thought about his own bad experience of traveling during the winter. He had warned against sailing after the 1st of October (2), but his warning was not heeded to. It all ended up with a dramatic shipwreck. It is easier to travel in the summer, that was and is the simple truth.

However, in this simple verse I am once again reminded about how important it is to use the good days in the right way. This again reminds me of another of Paul's exhortations, which is important regardless of what kind of approach I make:

… make the best use of your time.
Col 4:5b

‘Manna’ for today:

Today is all I have got!

---------------------------------------
(1) The thermometer at Brødsjø showing -18 during Christmas 2009. -35 is the coldest we have registered there. With such temperatures, I think I would have dropped a visit to Paul, and waited for the spring...
(2) Cf. Acts 27:9-12

To want to do the will of the commander

NORSK

Paul takes the ‘soldier-allegory’ one step further:

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
2 Tim 2:4

Throughout my life as a soldier, I have lived in the tension between being ‘entangled in civilian affairs’ and the awareness of the fact that the will of the commander can drown in all the pending 'musts' in my life. The tension has increased proportionally with increased responsibility. In many of the letters Paul wrote, he focused on the importance of understanding the Lord's will (1). When he did his farewell speech to the local leaders of the church at Ephesus, he said:

I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Acts 20:27

How a soldier gets an insight into the “will of the commander”, Paul described in this way:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12-13

If I give the Holy Spirit access to my life, the mysterious miracle is that I actually want to do that which is God's good will. It is a response of love and not a fulfillment of a duty requirement (2). It is liberation contrary to slavery under the law.

'Manna' for today:

It is my desire to do the commander’s will

-------------------------------------
(1) See e.g. Col 1:9 and Phil 1:9-11
(2) See Tomas Sjödin’s quote in “On the arena of faith”

On the arena of speech

NORSK
When Paul encouraged Timothy to be an example, he identified five arenas where it is important to be a role model. Today I will look at the first one:

“…set an example … in speech…”
1 Tim 4:12 

It shouldn’t be a surprise. Paul had already told Timothy to have nothing to do with myths and old wives’ tales (1), and like James (2), Paul often encouraged the disciples to be careful with their speech. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote:

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children … Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Epf 5:1 & 4

It has happened that I on the arena of speech has uttered things that are out of place, but even though it did amuse the listeners, it made me unhappy. God is the Creator of laughter, and I love to laugh. Fortunately, there is an abundance of humour that makes me laugh which is not out of place.

However, the arena of speech is not only about what kind of talk I should avoid, but just as much about words that build us up:

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Col 4:5  

It is amazing how much words of grace build up. That is exactly what my role models do. They build up others. It is part of a disciple’s calling to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (3).
 
‘Manna’ for today:

Role models build up others

-------------------------------------------
(1) See «Godless myths»
(2) See James 3
(3) 1 Thess 5:11

It is about the good circle

NORSK
As a child, I used all my volume when I sang “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” and the song taught me that it would happen by me trying to please him in every way. It was a good song to sing.

However, if the song is used in combination with e.g.: “O be careful little eyes what you see”, I am not sure that it necessarily leaves children with a correct image of God. 

The challenge is even bigger in Norwegian. In our version “the Father up above” translates well, while the next line stops with “he is looking down” and skips “in love” because love needs two extra syllables in Norwegian. Two syllables can make a lot of difference.

I am sure that the intentions of the translator were good, and the Biblical truth is still there. The point is that the base, which must be the experience and understanding of God who is boundless in love and grace, needs to be built first. It is the sequence of things that is important - a matter of concern even for Paul:

“..since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..”
Col 1:9-10

As I grow older my understanding of how much I am loved has been steadily growing, and that experience has become the motivation for my longing to please the Lord, not just a little, but in every way. I believe that the result will be that I bear more fruit and grow in my knowledge of him. This will please both him, and me, and I find myself in “a good circle” – also called the process of holiness.

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about the good circle

---------------------------------------