Pickin' & Choosin' - Phil. 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians chapter four verse thirteen in one of the most well known scriptures in all of American Christendom.  It is found on bookmarks, tapestries and tattoos.  It’s a common mantra, the life verse of many.  The confidence of thousands of ambitious Christians is built on the premises of this solitary verse.

The supposed meaning coincides with the mantra of our generation, “You can do anything you want because Christ gives you strength.  Aim for the stars, reach for your dreams.”

Not quite.  In context, Paul is teaching about being content whether you are wealthy and well fed, or whether you are poor and hungry. 

Philippians 4:11-12

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Living in humble means, being hungry, and suffering need is usually not in the list of “all things”.  Plus the emphasis is on circumstances out of our control.  It is a lesson in trusting God and His sovereignty, not divine aid for you to be all that you can be. This verse gives hope to the downtrodden, and humility to the wealthy.  It’s not a peptalk to give us warm fuzzies and support our bottomless pit of ambition and greed. All the things you do can be done in Christ’s strength, but Jesus doesn’t give you strength to do anything.

I think my barber is a racist

The barber shop relationship has always been awkward for me.  Here’s this guy with sharp scissors and razor blades haphazardly cutting hair while telling the latest gossip.  I try not to distract him with too much  idle chit chat because I don’t want to accidentally lose an ear.

I’ve been going to this barber for a few years now, mainly because his shop is literally adjacent to my office.  It’s quick and convenient.  But yesterday things took a turn for the worse when he asked me about “that black guy you work with.”  He seemed shocked that a black guy worked for an engineering firm.  He continued questioning me about his intelligence and so on.  Well, I defended my friend, who happens to be very intelligent a faithful Christian.  To say the least the conversation made me feel uncomfortable.

This was not the first incident.  A few months ago he casually offered me a porno mag to read while I waited.  I chuckled nervously as I said “No thank you” hoping he was joking.  I don’t think he was.

So this brings the question, should I change barbers?  What is my Christian duty in this situation?  On one hand, I could take my business elsewhere to a Christian (or less overtly pagan) barber.  If I do that, then maybe I should also stop eating at restaurants or shopping at stores owned by unsaved people.

On the other hand, I could continue to go to him with the motive of being a witness to Christ.  I could share the gospel with him or invite him to church.  The latter is (for me) the more difficult.  Yet I feel compelled that this is the right choice.

I’ll update y’all next month when its time for a trim.

Pickin' & Choosin' - Romans 8:37

We all like encouraging Scriptures.  We like verses that give us hope and promise happiness.  These are the verses that adorn our walls and bumper stickers.  These are the verses we memorize and quote.  These can be great and powerful verses.  However, they do not paint the full picture of Biblical Christianity.

We tend to choose the uplifting verses, and edit out the hard ones.  Like Grandpa’s selective hearing, we only pay attention to verses that promise life and joy and we ignore those verses which promise suffering or command obedience.  Often these verses are found right next to each other in the same thought sequence.

My bud Matt mentioned one to me recently, which has prompted this new series.

Romans 8:37

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

This familiar verse is a favorite for scripture memory, and for good reason.  It describes our victory through Christ, reinforcing our faith and hope in Him.  But read the preceding verse:

³⁶ As it is written:
      “ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
       We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Not exactly the kind of conqueror we had in mind.  You don’t hear this verse quoted so often.  It’s depressing.  Yet it is reality, and it gives such deep and rich meaning to the following verse.  Even though we may be slaughtered like sheep, we have the true victory over (eternal) death through Christ.

What I remember from Sunday's sermon.

1. Cockroaches can live 7 hours without their head.

2. Mercy and justice are more important to God than sacrifice and "religion".

3. Mercy is a natural and necessary consequence of genuine love.

4. The first step in being merciful (and the most difficult in my opinion) is seeing other people's pain and problems. 5. Chewing celery burns more calories than celery contains (thanks matt).

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