God Sees our Incredible Potential

“The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!”” (Judges 6:12 NLT)
“And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].” (Matthew 16:18 AMP)

When God calls a man; He looks at him not as he is, but as he can be. When the angel of the Lord greeted Gideon, he called him a mighty hero and pointed out that the Lord was with him. After Peter confessed Jesus as Lord, Jesus called him a rock and said that he would build his church on the rock. Jesus saw what Peter would become.


CS Lewis said, "Remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit— immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."

So, as I imitate Christ,  how can I keep that perspective? What helps you see the potential in the people that you meet?

Who is my neighbor? His name might be Trayvon or maybe George.

I had absolutely no desire to write anything about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman trial for a few reasons. First, this blog is about practical lessons from the life of Jesus and the thoughts come more from my personal reading of the scripture than from current events. Secondly, (Alert: I'm about to admit something I'm not proud of), I was a bit scared to touch this topic since I have friends that seem to have strong opinions on both sides of the issue and I want everyone to think well of me. Finally, I believe that the way the media has handled this story has been shameful and I did not want to jump on the bandwagon. So, I was not planning to write anything about the death of Trayvon Martin, the trial and acquittal of George Zimmerman, the injustice (or justice) of it all or anything like that.

Then I got the text. The text came from my literal neighbor. She lives next door and happens to be a person of color. This is what she texted me: This Trayvon case made me think of you....and the humane way in which you handled the suspect! Thank you Al for being an agent of peace, for demonstrating God's love everyday...in everything you do! I was deeply moved by this text which came out of the blue on a Sunday morning. Later, she posted to Facebook: In my neighborhood (Seattle) a few years ago, there was a series of burglaries.....one of my neighbors saw the suspect walking down the street with the laptop case he stole from my neighbor's house just minutes before. My neighbor, who was in his car, took photos of the suspect and handed it over to the police, who then found the suspect and was able to prosecute him. My neighbor is a white man. The suspect is a young black boy. No one died.

My neighbor is definitely a "person of peace".  The text and the Facebook post spurred me to re-read the story that Jesus told in answer to a person who wished to justify himself. That person asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

Jesus told the story of a man beaten, robbed and left to die who was passed over by two of his own countrymen and was helped by a Samaritan - a member of an ethnic group disdained by the Jewish people. As I read this familiar story, I was struck by what a story of race it is. Jesus makes it clear that the victim was Jewish and that the people who did not help him were also Jewish and religious. He also makes a point to clearly mention the ethnicity of the one who showed mercy, ““But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion”. (Luke 10:33)

Which side are you on in the verdict of not guilty? Was justice served or mocked? A seventeen year old, probably not unlike the teenager who robbed the homes in our neighborhood, is dead. The man who pulled the trigger will have to live with this for the rest of his life. Is it possible for those of us who follow Christ to  at least  feel the compassion that the Samaritan did when he encountered the victim on the side of the road?

Allow me to take the risk of making my friends on both sides of this verdict unhappy by expressing two opinions. First opinion: the presumption of innocence makes it pretty difficult to find George Zimmerman guilty of murder or manslaughter in this case. No one really knows what happened when the two began to wrestle on the ground. Second opinion: Had the story played out in the exact same way, but Trayvon was the person who had a gun and used it that night, I question whether he would have been found "not guilty".

I read several posts on Facebook by friends who are seeking to follow Jesus. They ranged from, "the right verdict was reached, this was never about race" to "who is going to join me tonight at the rally to protest this injustice?". People are taking sides. My friends whose skin color is a darker shade than mine  believe a great injustice was done, so do those who (though white) live and serve in the inner city. My white, evangelical friends (with a couple of exceptions) think that the right verdict was reached.

One friend posted the following statement in which I'm in wholehearted agreement:
We get nowhere so long as we continue to play into a culture of fear, division, and "other." What am I doing to advocate for equality, harmony, love, reconciliation, education, compassion, and understanding? Are the principles and qualities that I integrate into my actions and conversations and thought patterns further stirring up a culture of fear and division, or am I walking in the opposite spirit? What would it look like if we chose radical love and compassion over gut reactions and suspicion?

So why do I look at issues of race and ethnicity? Because Jesus did. You can read about it in Luke 10.

The Ark, the Milkshake, and the Glory of God

“After the battle was over, the army of Israel retreated to their camp, and their leaders asked, “Why did the LORD allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.””(1 Samuel 4:3 NLT)

“Then she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.”” (1 Samuel 4:22 NLT)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NIV)

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:”(John 17:22 NIV)

“He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”(2 Thessalonians 2:14 NIV)


As human beings, we long for the power and glory that only comes from God. This is especially true during desperate times. Early in Samuel's life, the Israelites were in such times of desperation. Already under Philistine domination, they had just fought a new battle with their oppressors in which they lost 4,000 men. The military leaders realized that they needed a new strategy. Desperate times called for desperate measures. In spite of the the anxiety of the high priest, they decided to take the Ark of the Covenant into the battle. Their strategy was simple, "it will save us from our enemies".

Instead, the Israelites experienced an even greater defeat. More that 30,000 people lost their lives, including the two sons of the high priest. When the high priest heard the news, he also collapsed and died. Finally, his daughter-in-law went into labor and died in childbirth. As she lay dying, her last words were, "The glory has departed from Israel". This was a significant insight. It was not the Ark that set Israel apart, it was the glory of God that the Ark merely pointed to.

We all want glory, but when we grab for it the results are disastrous. My friend Dave Young says that stealing glory is like trying to get that last bit of a thick milkshake out of the bottom; inevitably you get glory all over your face.

When Jesus came, the glory of God was all over him. He was the Ark personified. The apostle said, "We have seen His glory". What did Jesus do with the glory that He had from the Father? He gave it away to all of those who submit to His leadership. That very thing that we long for has been given to us. They key is to seek the giver, not the gift. It's not good to treat the glory of God as something we can simply use for our own purposes, but in Jesus, God invites us share in His glory for His purposes.

Where's Your Heart? The Surrender Principle

“And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”” (Judges 16:15 ESV)

“And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.” (Mark 7:6 NAS95)


Delilah was a self-serving prostitute, but she did get one thing right with Samson. "How can you say,'I love you', when your heart is not with me?" Jesus said the same thing about the hypocrites in His day, "this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me".

This fits with what I read yesterday in the excellent book by Michael John Cusick on sexual struggle, "Surfing For God". Cusick writes about the surrender principle. He says that our hearts attach to anything to which they have surrendered. That is why it is critical to surrender to the leadership of Jesus in all areas and to root out those areas where I surrender my heart to someone or something else. It is a matter of the heart and surrender is the way to impact the heart.

In the painfully funny viral video called "Shoot Christians Say", one of the trite questions that they mock is the overused, "how's your heart?". Perhaps the better question is "where's your heart?". 

Where do you go for worship? (Hint: it's not a place)

“Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the LORD our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”
(Joshua 22:29 NLT)

“Jesus replied, “Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.” (John 4:21–23 NLT)

Under Old Testament law, the place of worship meant a lot. It meant so much that the tribes of Israel were willing to launch civil war when it appeared that their brothers on the other side of the Jordan were building an altar to the Lord. There was only one place set aside as Holy for encountering the Lord and that was the tabernacle (later the Temple). All other places of worship were unauthorized. In the times of the kings, an otherwise good king was rebuked for not removing the "high places" where the Lord was worshiped. A similar dispute drove a wedge between the Samaritans and the Jewish people in the time of Jesus. When questioned on this issue, Jesus said that worship is not about sacred space, but about spirit and truth. The Way is not a place, but a Person. The Truth is not a temple, but a Teacher. The Life is not a location, but a Lord. The worship of God has been emancipated from bondage to a place. Just another way that Jesus changes everything about worship.

Johnson's commentary on John makes this point: "Now comes the announcement of one of the grandest truths revealed by Christ. The Jews said that men must worship at Jerusalem to worship acceptably; the Samaritans contended for Mt. Gerizim as the true holy place; the Mahometan insists on a pilgrimage to Mecca; the Catholic on praying at some holy shrine, but Christ says that the time even then was at hand when no holy place need be sought for worship. A little later God emphasized this lesson by the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem."

My worship needs to be centered not on a place, not on an activity, but on a Person.  A.W. Tozer said, "You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him."

Where do we go to encounter God?

“I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you!” (Psalms 63:2–3 NLT)

“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (John 1:14 NLT)

David went to the sanctuary to encounter God. There he gazed upon the power and glory of God. He soaked in God's unfailing love which David said was better than life itself. This encounter, when David came into the sanctuary of God led David to a place of worship and praise.

John and the other disciples also encountered God. They saw the same unfailing love and faithfulness that David saw. They saw the same glory - the glory that is from the only Son of the Father. This encounter with Jesus led them to a life of worship. Their life of worship became, not just going to the temple to pray, but taking the gospel to the world. Why this difference?

The main difference between these two passages is one of location and initiation. In Psalm 63, David came to the tabernacle and encountered God. David went to God's place. In John, Jesus left the true tabernacle in heaven in order to come and make His dwelling among men. He came and lived among us - we beheld His glory and did not have to visit a sacred place in order to do it. Every place that His feet touched became a sacred place. In this encounter, Jesus changed worship from an activity centered in a building to a way of life involving the Kingdom of God advancing into every place on earth. In order to worship, God's people are urged to present their bodies as a living sacrifice.

Alan Hirsch is the first person I heard (or read) using the term missio Dei—the sending of God. This is the idea that by his very nature, God comes to His creation and takes the initiative to redeem them. A deeper understanding of this doctrine leads God's people to be missional in the same way - taking the gospel into their world rather than trying to attract people to a place, space, or activity.

As Alan Hirsch says,  "As the people of a missionary God, we ought to engage the world the same way he does—by going out rather than just reaching out. To obstruct this movement is to block God's purposes in and through his people. When the church is in mission, it is the true church."

Where do we go to encounter God? The answer will impact the way we live and the way we worship.

What color is the gospel?

“Before they left, the men told her, “We can guarantee your safety only if you leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.” (Joshua 2:17–18 NLT)

““Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 NIV)

“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,” (Matthew 27:28 NIV)

Rahab and her family were saved because they hung a scarlet rope from her window on the city wall. That was the sign that she should be spared when Israel took Jericho. The Lord says that our sins are like scarlet, but that he would make them as white as wool. When Jesus was punished for our sins, they took off his robe and replaced it with a scarlet one. Scarlet is the color of sin and also the color of rescue from the consequences of sin.


Today, when I see scarlet, I will remember what Jesus did for me. The scarlet robe He wore and the bloody death He died caused my rescue as much as the scarlet rope hung out the window resulted in the salvation of Rahab and her family. Today, for me, the gospel has a crimson hue.

What color is the gospel for you?