PastorsCorner - Ellettsville First Baptist Church

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The “ought” is not the problem. We ought to love, forgive, pray, worship, give, share, help the hurting, be a witness, be thankful, etc. I know the oughts , you know the oughts , they (outside the Christian family) know the oughts - especially what the Church ought to be doing, being vs. what it often does and is. No, the problem isn’t so much the knowing, it is the doing in the context of broken bodies, dreams, minds, hearts and spirits. Thanksgiving is here. I (ought) to be thankful, I (ought to) give. I ought to give thanks, be grateful for, live a life oozing with gratitude because of what God has done for me. Matter of fact, He is still doing for me and will continue to do until He takes me home. I ought to know this!!!

The trouble is things aren’t easy. Many things are flat out so challenging (Christian talk for “horrible”) in our lives, living in gratitude is not as accessible as it ought (or more accurately, as we want it) to be. I just want you to know that I know, we all know, we should be thankful for an eternal life promised to us that should help us hold on until then. I, we, know too, sickness, sadness, money troubles, powerlessness, tiredness, can create momentum away from the truths of hope, life, forgiveness, love, etc., that ought to be that aroma of Christ the Bible speaks of coming out of us.

What then can be done? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” All circumstances? The fix for me is the realization that being thankful is not the absence of conflict within as I struggle with God’s promises of presence and strength. Kind of like courage not being the absence of fear but choosing to stand in the face of it. And though, as we see in Job, God spoke to Job at the end of all his questions about justice and pain - who are you to question Me? And we hear the witness of scripture teach us about vessels made for honor and dishonor, clean and unclean, thorns in the flesh, weakness of self, on and on. I remember, too, I am but dust, that my flesh is weak, I can do nothing without Him (Christ). Maybe this whole gratitude, thankful heart thing is choosing when life’s challenges offer a real tug in the direction away from a thankful heart. What I want us to consider doing is stir up one another’s faith in the promise that we are not home, yet.

Jesus teaches us we will have trouble in this life, but in spite of it we can, with His help, be of good cheer (the gratitude, joy, hope thing). We are not called to pretend. We are not called to deny reality. We of all people should know reality as it truly is. God said there is evil and pain. He says there is even personified evil seeking us, wanting to destroy us. He also said we have precious promises that have been made and fulfilled in Christ (and remember, they killed Him for speaking radical words of grace, mercy and love that messed up their model of righteousness and rightness).

So what I can do is choose to believe, be, receive His message, even as I pant for home. Even as my knees buckles. Even as I fall. It is His mercy I fall into. It is His love and forgiveness that surrounds me and helps me to pay less attention to the roarings of the Wicked One and the broken one (me, you, us). It is possible, even with trembling hands, to embrace the ought of thankfulness - because I choose to, at this moment, believe Him.

Remember Him,

Pastor Mark

We were just finishing our bike ride Thursday night when some college students called out from their porch. They were laughing at us for looking as “interesting” as one does when wearing colorful biking attire. I thought they were teasing, so as I rode by, I returned their comment. No profanity laced tirades or anything at all over the top. Simply guys being guys poking fun at one another. Matter of fact, the remarks were uninspiring and unimaginative as far as poking fun goes. My response was even laughed at by my biking colleagues. Anyway, once we pulled in to the parking lot, a time of guilt overtook me. Who - me? Guilty? Stop! I felt the need to apologize for my silliness to my biking club buddies. From their perspective, an apology seemed quite unnecessary. The guys laughed with me at the silliness of the two second exchange. As I think about it, I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only biker who said anything.

What’s the lesson for me?

1. Don’t wear biking shorts when riding past college students.

2. Don’t do #1 with a bunch of other middle-aged people.

3. Ignore #1 and #2 and simply ignore the insults (even good-natured ones).

Actually, the lesson for me is the power of the moment. The Bible teaches us that we are a torn people. We generally want to do and be our best, but moments sometimes steal that desire. I was officiating a funeral this week and used Proverbs 14:13 as a point of contact. It says, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.” I was telling them that though we laugh and smile, the reality of pain’s closure will not be dismissed. We are a people with disappointments and dashed dreams who have learned to laugh in spite of the “stuff”. What we have to be aware of is the “stuff” can sometimes burst forth in a simple joke or a more challenging manifestation like depression, addictions of many sorts, and unhealthy ways of being that create frustration and pain. We are challenged to be aware of our weaknesses and avoid, when possible, situations that can draw out of us the “stuff” of our sinful nature. We are one decision, one response, one moment away from being the person God challenges us to be or the person we are trying to grow beyond.

Look, we all have our moments when confronted with opportunities for the flesh. The question is, what will you choose to give-in to. God tells us that if we walk in the Spirit we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. Not easy, I know. But you know what? When I apologized to my biking friends, it wasn’t because I was afraid God stopped loving me and I needed to fix my relationship with Him. A silly comment wasn’t jeopardizing my eternal destination. Rather, I simply want to be the best that I can be, even when it’s not always easy. And I have a hunch you do too.

Pastor Mark