October 25, 2022 — The Gospel Will Address Anxiety in Surprising Ways

“When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.” Mark 9:14-29

“The poor father’s cry, ‘I believe, help my unbelief’ is one of the best-loved human statements in the gospels. Does it express the reality of your own struggle to believe? It has been said humorously that most of us are atheists before breakfast, but perhaps we are half-atheists for most of the day? It is also said that most people live lives of quiet desperation. When you experience things getting beyond you, do as the father did and bring your problems to Jesus. Be honest with him; beg his help. You will, he promises, find rest for your aching heart.” (sacredspace.ie website)

I do not want more anxiety in my life, more experiences where I am immersed in desperation. And especially I do not need more nights of worry when it comes to my relationship with G-d. As humans we want some assurances not more anxieties. But then I must remember that living through life involves reaching the end of the moment, the experience, the day — and once I reach the end I once again look at my situation and ask the question “What have I learned?”

You see, I will never learn anything about my life and my faith if I am not led to and presented with a threshold of decisions — which way do I go, left or right? How should I spend my money? And no matter which way I go, I cannot end that journey prematurely — unless my life is taken from me. Living out my life will lead me to journey, after journey, after journey — threshold, after threshold…..and it will be what I learn about myself in the process of making each decision, and how the Holy Spirit guides me throughout. Either way I pray that the Spirit guides me as I persevere to the end.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we know there are no easy outs in the journey of life and faith. Give me the courage today to know that my journey has the ultimate guide: the help of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pastor Dave

October 24, 2022 — Does the Bible Say “G-d Helps Those Who Help Themselves?”

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

“For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.” Isaiah 25:4-5

Most people have heard the saying: “God helps those that help themselves.” You can read the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find this saying on the pages – no matter what translation you read. In fact, what I have told people is just the opposite is true about G-d: “G-d helps those that cannot help themselves”. This phrase “God helps those who help themselves” appears to have originated in ancient Greece and may originally have been proverbial. It is illustrated by two of Aesop’s Fables. Although it has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the modern English wording appears earlier in a work by Algernon Sidney, who as a contemporary of John Locke, are considered cornerstones of western thought.

The passage is popular in part because it is a reflection of cherished American values: individual liberty and self-reliance, pulling oneself up with their bootstraps. But it is not biblical. In fact this passage contradicts the biblical definition of goodness: defining one’s worth by what one does for others, like the poor and the outcast. In fact, it says in Leviticus 19:9-10:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.”

The bible calls us to love our neighbor, to forgive limitlessly, to pray for our enemies, and to put away worry, and not judge. In these ways we trust G-d to see us through, and look to share out of our abundance.

Pastor Dave