Simplifying 2020

            Few would disagree that year 2020 brought unprecedented physical, psychological, and relational challenges from personal life all the way to the seats of power on a global scale.  I think back to the many “2020 vision” plans many communities initiated almost a decade ago, asking the question, “What do want our community to look like in year 2020?”  Did we imagine anything like our current situation with a pandemic?  I don’t think so.  Now that year 2020 is “in the books,” we can ask, “Where are we, in reality, and where are we going in 2021?”

            Year 2020 has been a year of “vision shakeup.”  Isn’t it ironic that 20/20 is the standard for perfect visual acuity?  Eyesight is measured by how accurate one can distinguish letters on a standard chart from a standard distance.  Without the standards in place there’s no way to get an accurate measure of how well one sees.  Our vision for the future is similar.  Our standards are drawn from our beliefs and what we have experienced to this point in life.  In 2020, so many uncertainties, on so many different levels, in so many areas of life at the same time has created a serious problem of vision loss.  So many of our “standards” are gone.  For many, our world has become a complicated maze in which they find themselves groping in darkness, looking for some sort of new “eyeglasses” to help them make sense of what’s in front of them.   

            For the Christian, how do we navigate the complications?  I would suggest we simplify, and make Jesus our 20/20 bullseye target.  The more complicated our world becomes,  the more simple our devotion to Jesus requires of us.  The Bible records a warning the Apostle Paul gave the church in Corinth.  “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).  Simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ is our shield against being deceived and dissuaded by the devil. Yes, evil is at work in our world, and its goal is to deceive and distract us from pure devotion to Jesus on a daily basis.

              As I see it, year 2020 brought us an overdose of deception. From a so-called pandemic virus out of China (with coverup on a global scale) to a “fake” Presidential election in America on November 3^rd , craftiness of the common enemy of our soul has deceived the minds of many. Much of the deception hides behind things like “science” and “public opinion.”  But lies are lies, and Satan (“serpent” in verse quoted above) is the master liar (John 8:44). Science cannot deceive God, and public opinion does not define truth. Truth is God’s reality, not man’s. Jesus IS “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). Devotion to Jesus demands a commitment to truth. Many Proverbs speak of the folly of falsehood. By no means do I claim to have a corner on truth regarding the China virus, nor the extent of lack of integrity in the November elections, but enough evidence is available to warrant deeper investigations if we are genuinely devoted to seeking the truth. As Americans we should be demanding that our leaders uphold truth. As Christians, we should be praying for God’s righteousness and justice to prevail, and taking action accordingly in whatever sphere we are called to serve God and our fellowmen.

            Truth both divides, and unites. Pursuing truth drives out (divides out) falsehood. Falsehood is evil, but Jesus conquered evil. Without Jesus we are enslaved by falsehood. The Way to conquer evil, is to believe in the Truth, that we might have Life (John 14:6). The more devoted we are to Jesus, the more united we are “in Christ.”

            The writer of Hebrews gives us a similar exhortation as Paul wrote in Corinthians.  “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  This chapter begins with “therefore” because it immediately follows chapter eleven describing the exploits of a whole list of “heroes” of the faith.  It lists some of their “complicated” situations.  When we think WE have it bad, we do well to read and consider the difficulties many before us have faced. But, besides taking encouragement from our predecessors vision in pursuing God, we can follow their example by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”     
            Jesus is our standard. Jesus deserves our devotion. He also requires it.  He lived a life devoted to vision set forth by Father God.  All through the book of John we read how Jesus didn’t do anything outside the will of Father.  He was simply devoted to pleasing the Father in everything, and he calls us to the same devotion.  Before he left the earth, he gave us the Holy Spirit for power and companionship to complete the vision (see John 20:19-23).  Jesus calls us to more than acting or pretending devotion.  Jesus calls us to BE devoted.  Jesus doesn’t just call us to part-time purity, but Jesus calls us to full time, all in, no turning back, purity.   

            I think the days ahead are going to require us to pay more attention to our devotion quotient. To increase our devotion will require more simplifying.  We may look back someday and see how year 2020 served us in that way.   

My hope is that the reader could “uncomplicate” his or her life by simplifying to  “lay aside every encumbrance” (as the verse above says).  We do well to ask ourselves some questions and simply ACT to go in the right direction.

What “encumbrances” are in my life?  Examples are addictions, pornography, immorality, ungodly friends, so-called social media, too much food, technology, etc. 

What is my next step in “purifying” myself from these?  Examples might be, telling a co-follower of Jesus and being accountable, finding new friends in church relationships, set time limits or dollar limits and log your progress, write down your commitments and read and follow them every day, talk to God about them and get his help every day, and whatever necessary change looks like for you.    

            Where might confession and repentance be necessary?  Examples might include seeking God’s forgiveness for things you know are wrong like the encumbrances note above, things done to other people like lying and cheating, slandering, or inner life condemning judgments and bitterness.

Who might I need to forgive or reconcile with to be free from an offense? (either as the one offended or as an offender)

What broader changes do I have to make to be “devoted” to Jesus as a lifestyle?   Examples could be regular Bible study, engaging community of believers, career/ type of work, living situation. 

How committed to truth am I in reality? Do I want to know the truth even if it hurts? Where is my voice needed, or what actions might be necessary for me to take, to uphold the truth in my community, organization, political party, family, church group, employment?

            May 2021 be a year of deeper devotion to Jesus and simplicity in obeying the truth of God’s Word.

 by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Un-dividing America

Are Americans really that divided or are we more deceived than divided?

We hear people say, “America is so divided.”   This certainly has some truth to it, but I think some alternative perspectives on it are needed.  

There is both a perception aspect and a deception aspect to the problems facing America.  America’s founding is based on principles understood by fewer and fewer of its citizens.  At the same time we have voices against these principles becoming louder and louder.  

I recently read former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley’s book called With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace.  Her personal story is inspiring, and her views of American values provide great insights for solving the divided America today.  

Those like Nikki Haley who hold close to the values of the founding fathers of the USA hold one value that in my opinion, stands out to provide a foundation for all the rest.  Respecting God and his ways is of utmost importance, and close to that is valuing God’s supremacy as the source of absolute truth.  When society loses truth as its compass, it is lost beyond repair.  Our greatest danger is our disrespect and mishandling of truth.  

Nikki Haley reiterates that truth is the basis for all freedoms and human rights issues in our world.  A powerful book on the importance of truth is Andy Andrews book called, “How Do You Kill 11 Million People?”   He explains how the truth of the past shapes the reality of how we live and govern today.  People may ask, “Does the truth really matter?”  To answer that question, he asks, “How do you kill 11 million people?”  He is referring to the holocaust of Jews and those in resistance efforts killed by the Nazi regime in Europe during the 1940’s.  Many other dictators have killed many millions of people in many places in the past, and incidents continue today.  

Andrews suggests the answer to the question above begs an answer to the following, “How do 11 million people allow themselves to be killed?”  In Andrews words,  the answer “is breathtakingly simple …. lie to them.”   Andrews recounts how the Nuremberg trials revealed how the Jews were systematically lied to in order to gain their cooperation.  The entire German population had been brainwashed to receive a socialist message of government control.   Deception became commonplace.  Andrews says, “Speaking truth should be the least we require of our elected leaders.  After all, what are our standards for being led?  You see, the danger to America is not a single politician with ill intent, or even a group of them.  The most dangerous thing any nation faces is a citizenry capable of trusting a liar to lead them. In the long run it is much easier to undo the policies of crooked leadership than to restore common sense and wisdom to a deceived population willing to elect such a leader in the first place.”    The many probing questions he provides for us to ask ourselves is well worth getting a copy of the book.  

Anything less than the truth is a lie.  Lying is evil. Evil is a very present force in our world.  Truth verses lies is a good verses evil struggle.  Martin Luther King said, “the time is always right to do the right thing.”  I would say it is always right to resist evil.  Another quote says taking action against evil (lies and a culture of lying) is absolutely essential.  “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing” (Edmund Burke).

As I write this, the US Senate has been asked by the US House to conduct a “trial” for the impeachment of our President.  For many reasons, articulated by many “good” people, and too many to enumerate here, the actions being taken are motivated by nothing more than a political party dissatisfied with the results of an election of a President that didn’t go their way.  Their premise is based on falsehood, and the lies get bigger and bigger.  

As Americans, we must ask ourselves, “How did we get here?”  “Where is the truth in this matter, and where are the lies?”  “How do we discern the difference?”  I think the answers to these questions will lead us to ask, “How did we Americans allow this so-called impeachment trial to become a mockery of our system of government, and failure to the very people the US Congress pro-ports to represent?”    Each of us as individuals should be asking, “What is my role, and what actions do I take, to proclaim the truth (in this matter and all matters like it)?”

We have at least one opportunity this year to speak.  The November elections are coming up.  If you are not registered to vote, get registered.  Plan to vote, but before voting, seek and discern the truth.  Evil (lying) rings louder in many voices traditionally relied upon for information.  Creating deeper divides among the people in America is one of the intentions of the evil practice of fake news, misinformation, emotional manipulation, and deception practiced commonly by the establishment media.    

   My final comments are directed especially to readers in the Christian faith.  As Pat Robertson on the broadcasts of the 700 Club warns repeatedly, “A house divided cannot stand,” a phrase based on Jesus teaching in Matthew 12:25.   Unity of faith in Jesus and the teachings of Scripture is a powerful force, but we must also keep in mind the powerful forces of “dis”unity.  Disunity is not an option.  Disunity destroys.  The absence of unity places us in the hands of evil.  The Body of Christ must unify around the essentials of the gospel, and not allow the worldly seeds of division grow in our midst.  Political discord, earthly government policy disagreements, and public personality styles, should not be influencing our ability to relate to one another and act as one voice in prioritizing  biblical truth and godly values.  

The way I see it, a divided Church is much more problematic than a divided America.  According to Jesus’ teaching in John 17 and elsewhere in the Bible, Christian unity is the solution for America (or any divided people group).  When Christian unity fails, the world is let down.  

Christian unity begins in the heart of each individual.  Each must cultivate a heart that is undivided, fully devoted, and loving the Lord their God above all else (see Matthew 22:27).  This devotion to God requires transformation of our hearts.   I wrote an article specifically on how the Bible addresses the link between transformation and unity of believers in Christ (see https://authoredhersh.blogspot.com/2019/04/ephisians-4.html ).   

As Christ summed up the 10 commandments into two (see Matthew 22), after loving God is loving people.  We must be unified in our commitment to love.  It must be love defined by God and not be the world’s standards.  Everything Jesus taught and did is motivated by, and demonstrates, God’s love.  He now empowers us through the Holy Spirit to show the world this love.  

Unity also recognizes the common enemy.  The real enemy is not people, and not even people who regularly practice evil (including lying).  The real enemy is the devil and his demonic forces (see Ephesians 6).  The Bible calls the devil the “father of lies.”  The devil is the chief liar.  This is where our real struggle lies.  Each of us must not be hesitant about holding others accountable in speaking truth, and allow others to hold us accountable as well.  We all fall short, and need each other to keep the enemy’s work out of our speech and actions.  We are all prone to self-deception, which is by definition lying to ourselves.  

Sometimes the gullibility of Christians to believe false or mis-appropriated Bible teaching, creates huge and unnecessary lie-based divisions.  If the devil’s tactic is to divide, we must resist by discerning the truth of the Bible and act wisely.  Wisdom only comes from truth, not falsehood.  We must recognize how vulnerable our human nature is to deception, and be intentional about resisting falsehood.  In my view, Christians tolerate way too much evil in such forms as pornography, other addictions like “functional” alcoholism, “work”-o-holism, immorality, yoga, Santeria, and other dark practices.  At best, the vices of this world dull our ability to discern truth, and at worst, their deceptive lure separates us from the salvation God provides through Jesus Christ to escape the fiery judgment of hell.  

Unity also means our relationship with God, and service to Him, is for the purpose of harvest.  God is the harvester of souls and he uses us in the harvest.  Jesus taught that we are salt and light in this world.  Our purpose for being is not to gratify self, but to glorify God.  Truth matters because God’s name is at stake.  Truth is God’s reality.  We are to bring his reality into the realities of our existence in this world wherever possible.  

    In summary, deceit is dividing America.  Lies are a most destructive enemy.  The solution is to commit to truth in our personal lives and our institutions and community life.  God is the supreme absolute Truth.  Understanding and practicing God’s ways is the foundation for discerning truth.  As the Bible teaches, Jesus, “is the Way, the Truth, and the Life”  (John 14:6).  As Christ followers, we must pursue greater transformation to Christ likeness in our personal lives and unify as the Body of Christ for the sake of saving a broken world.   

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Sowing to Thorns

My previous article focused on a parable Jesus taught in Matthew 13 about a farmer sowing seeds in expectation of harvest.  According to Jesus this is one of his most important teachings.  In explaining more details to his closest followers he reveals it as a foundation for all other teaching.  “Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (Mark 4:13).  To understand the kingdom of God (God’s rule and authority) and to follow Jesus more closely, it is imperative to practice the foundational truth of what Jesus is saying in this parable.   Since I’m not quoting the entire parable here, please read Mark 4:1-20 for a better understanding of what follows.

As we saw previously, God is likened to a Farmer sowing seeds.  There are four types of soil (human hearts) mentioned in the story.  Type 4 is the soil that produces a crop at harvest time (good fruit / behavior as the Bible calls it). The other 3 types are hard, rocky, and thorny.  In this article I will focus on the third type.  In a society with many Christian churches and activities, the “thorny” soil is the place many people get stuck.  Unfortunately, I think it describes much of what we see in the Church in America today.  The good news is that God’s power can change this if we allow him to do so.  The article also looked at the ongoing aspects of change that must occur in our hearts as Jesus followers.  Allowing God to change us from the inside out is what the Christian life is all about.  

Mark 4 is another place in the Bible this teaching is recorded from a slightly different perspective from Matthew 13.  The thorny soil is described this way, “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).  Three charactieristics define type 3 soil: worry, deceit, and misplaced desires.   The three main  thngs that  keep God’s Word from changing our heart are fear, ungodly beliefs, and ungodly desires.  

First, let’s look at the “worries of this life” (fear).  It seems like fear has a tighter grip on peoples’ lives than ever before.  Fear-motivated reactions are the polar opposite of love.  God is love, and he created people in the original design to demonstrate his love to all people, in all circumstances, and for all times.  With the entry of sin came changes to the perfect world God created.  We now have a need to concern ourselves (at least to some degree) with survival and self-preservation.  Father God is our provider, protector, and identity, but we have a role to make this real in our lives.  It is very easy to get  God’s part and our part out of balance.  Fear shows up in thinking about whether we have enough to live life fully (eg. enough good looks, competence, skill, strength, or maybe even enough food or clothes)   Fear shows up in things like trying to grab too much control over people or situations (ei. not trusting God to be our ultimate protector) .  Fear may show up in thinking too much of ourselves (eg. not respecting others legitimate rights,  wishes, or property).  Thinking too little of oneself is also a form of fear (eg. not worthy, valuable, capable of love, misfit, alone(.  

Fear responses create thorns that choke out seeds of truth sown in our hearts.  

Second, is the “deceitfulness of wealth” (ungodly beliefs).  I think the wealth spoken of here applies much more widely than material or financial resources.  It may include abundance (wealth) of trust in knowledge, reason, beliefs, human capacity, self-reliance, self-sufficiency and the like.  When a person thinks they are fine without God, they have no “hunger” for God.  Our physical body can become content with junk food, even though it is unhealthy and steals our vitality.  In a similar way, our soul can become content with counterfeit beliefs.  What we think about God and how we know him should be shaped mainly by the Bible, and not the latest sermon series, video, s’ocial media post, or self-help tool.   When we rely on our own  “wealth” of knowledge,  wisdom, or ability to figure things out, we run the high risk of choking out the obvious truth that is right in front of us.  Our reliance for soul transformation must be in God, and God alone.  

Third is the “desires for other things” (ungodly desires).  Whereas ungodly(misplaced) beliefs stem from over dependence on the power of human reasoning, ungodly (misplaced) desires stem from over dependence on human passion.  God is holy.  He is so much unlike anything else this world has to offer.  An accurate and healthy concept of God is essential for living a healthy and godly life.  Knowing God as a personal God is far removed, and more important than knowing  about God as a concept.  To know him is a wonderful thing.  And to really know that we are known by him, only comes through desire for knowing him.  A heart that longs for him is a satisfied heart.  See Psalm 63  for King David’s  beautiful expression of this truth.  Seeking satisfaction  from things in our natural world leaves us dry and thirsty.  Deep desire for God’s supernatural (beyond natural) love gives us everlasting joy built into our original design.  A satisfied human heart knows God’s desires, and seeks to satisfy God’s desires above their own.  Choosing to elevate God’s desires above self, is the key to finding the true self  God uniquely created us to be.

Human beings are designed to make choices regarding their beliefs and desires.  Reason alone does not reveal God for who He truly is.  Passion alone does not bring us into fellowship with the God of Truth.  We must worship God with both reason and passion, mind and heart, truth and spirit (see John 4:23).  Discovering truth and desiring to please God by putting it into practice is the best way to chase away the fears that keep us from loving as God intends.  We must become less content with what the world has in mind for us, and more content with what God has in mind.  To do this we must become less aware of worldly comforts and more aware of godly comforts.  

Desiring more of God may require us to pay more serious attention to where we place our energy, time, and talents.  Never before in history does there seem to be so many distractions and potential false comforts, false beliefs, and seemingly urgent nonessentials.  Yet with more “thorns” than ever trying to influence our heart (soil), it becomes more important to press into God’s simple truth.  The older I get, the more I realize I must pay attention to what I am paying attention to, and limit my exposure to things that may turn to thorns.  

I don’t want to get too specific so as not to appear legalistic, but I will say that much of what is called “entertainment” today looks like a thorn patch to me.  Even the TV network news media amounts to a thorn patch because of the fear-based slant on news.  Things that fall in the category of addiction would be putting “desires for other things” ahead of God.  Basically anything that would cause us to struggle if we believe God was telling us to give it up, is a potential thorn.  Always remember that anything we view as difficult to give up, has the potential of rewarding us with treasures of far greater value than we were able to discern before giving it up.  We don’t know what we don’t know.  Sometimes we don’t know how deeply something is influencing us in a negative direction until we replace it with an intentional more positive substitute.  Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament has some very good advice for us, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:8-9).

My prayer is that we heed the warnings Jesus is teaching us through this story about the Farmer (God) sowing seeds (truth) that finds its way into furtile (productive) soil (our hearts.  May our hearts be turned to God to elieviate our fears, reshape our beliefs, and renew our desires for God.  To get back on track (or to stay on track), we may do well to ask ourselves some questions about the status of our contentments.  What is the true condition of my heart (soil)?  Have I become content with a thorn that’s choking out the Truth?  Where have I made friends with fear, rather than choosing to cast it aside?  Where might my beliefs need some adjustment to guard against deception?  How could the flames of my passion for God be fanned into a higher (hotter) degree?  Am I discontent with my current level of fellowship with God, so I am freed (from this world’s passions)  to desire Him more?  What experiences might I like too much, so that they keep me from heavenly treasures?  

Weeds and thorns in our heart are part of life as long as we’re living on this earth.  What makes the difference (for becoming good soil) is our choice to cooperate with God by accepting the salvation he freely gave us through his only Son Jesus.  Our hope is in Christ on a daily basis for inner life (soil) cleansing.  May we choose life, and choose to value the seed God has sown to give us eternal life.   

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry