Billions of greeting cards are bought each year. The senders fondly express an impossibility: “We wish you a happy New Year” (or birthday, or anniversary). Significant in these greetings is the word “wish”. Happiness will always remain on the wish list; a dream, if not impossible, then certainly so fleeting as to be insignificant. No one can actually grant the wish.
Consider the parallel of defining the Loch Ness Monster. There are fuzzy pictures and dubious sightings. These indicate that something may exist, but there is strong doubt as to whether it exists merely in beery imagination or in actuality.
When folk describe happiness, it is invariably connected with an emotional state. It is the feeling that arises from:
not being haunted by the past,
not being worried about financial or bodily security in the present,
not being fearful about the future.
But emotions are as fickle and changeable as politicians on campaign. They arise from some unknown inner recess of the psyche and disappear as quickly as a paycheck. Happiness is therefore as shy and elusive as the Loch Ness Monster.
One sure way of achieving an emotional high on a permanent basis would be by purchasing a time-share in the local cemetery. People who are permanently euphoric are generally found in asylums. Yet when reading or talking about happiness, a distinction between “happiness” and “true happiness” soon creeps into the discussion. This illustrates the problem very nicely: how do we distinguish between the two?
And what shall we say about people who live with vicious memories of past atrocities, stare death in the face daily, and have no security because they are refugees, yet still appear to be supremely happy?
The answer is that happiness, the number one quest of the human race, is a chasing after the wind. Billions of dollars are spent annually pursuing what is largely an illusion. Advertisements picture people made happy by the products on display. Like the great migration of gnus across the African plain, people follow the notion that happiness can be had if only they were slimmer, more tanned, drove a fancier car, smoked a different brand, or had more money in the bank. Quacks promising health and wealth flourish no less than their snake-oil forefathers in the Wild West.
How strange then that most people equate the word “happy” with “Blessed”, the word used to introduce each Beatitude.
The reality remains that happiness is as inaccessible as Mars and just as barren.
Next up: If happiness is little more than a passing emotional weather pattern, then the Beatitudes are either cruel mockery or they are speaking about something entirely different. Jesus calls the poor in spirit, the mourning, the persecuted, and the meek “Blessed.” Whatever He meant, it plainly had nothing to do with the modern pursuit of happiness. The next question therefore becomes unavoidable: what did the word actually mean?
Full disclosure: I use AI as IA (Intelligent Assistant). And no, I am not dyslexic. All the words and ideas are mine alone. I prompt it to smooth the flow, check the logic and check for redundancy. I also use AI for infographics.
The Beatitudes Derivation: each statement begins with “Blessed are…”, derived from the Latin word for blessed, beatus. “Favoured by God; enjoying divine grace.
Next up: Blessed! A Word Recaptured! I examine the profound biblical origins of the word “blessed,” The modern use of ‘bless’ has been hyper-inflated, like money in hyper inflation, stripping the word of its original value.
Mount Everest continues to rise about ¼ inch (5 mm) a year due to a massive, ongoing “tectonic smashup” between two tectonic plates: the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The region is prone toJustification by faith is more than a doctrine; it is a seismic event. It is the moment human effort is swallowed up by divine grace. continuing earthquakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4WLHIUU2uU&t=7s
Justification by faith is a tectonic smashup between the grace of God and human arrogance. This contrast is clearly surfaced in the difficulties in prayer: unanswered as well as answers not to my agenda. (Habakkuk:1-2:5) Human arrogance demands God do what an arrogant human desires. (The many who testify they tested God and he failed them highlight the matter.) Specifically 2:4 “Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.” (The Message)
Paul and the Shock Within Judaism
Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, indicating a brand of fussy obedience that was all enveloping. Friendship with God cannot be earned. It is offered as a gift to be accepted. The obverse side to this coin is a pernicious human perception that God requires performance for acceptance. Here is an historical trajectory of the performance model: The Torah, the five books attributed to Moses, were analyzed to contain 613 commandments. The Talmud (which came after Paul) demonstrates where this led: a 63-volume “instruction manual” that explains the 613 details in depth. It is like the tax code of the USA” The “page count” of the U.S. tax code is a moving target because it depends entirely on whether you are looking at the literal laws passed by Congress or the massive library of regulations required to actually follow those laws.As of 2026, here is the breakdown of the length of the tax code:If you only count the actual Internal Revenue Code (Title 26 of the U.S. Code) as published by the government, it is approximately 6,800 to 7,000 pages.
Paul recognized that it was impossible to be scrupulous enough. His discovery that God declared a person righteous, or justified, based on faith in the doing and dying of Jesus in his place, was a tectonic shift with continuing impact. Harking back to the revelation made to Habakkuk, he found that accepting the gift of God, offered freely, was pivotal in friendship with God. Mount Everest, after all, is still rising!
Luther and the Shock Within the Church
More than a thousand years later, the same idea shook Europe.
The medieval church had developed a complex system of penance, sacramental participation, and religious effort. Many believers lived with deep anxiety about whether they had done enough to satisfy God’s perfection. All who were sincere in seeking God lived with quiet anxiety: had they done enough to satisfy God’s perfection?
Martin Luther certainly tried. Reflecting on his years as a monk, he wrote, “If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery, I should have been that monk.”
Despite his scrupulous observance, he was wracked by doubt. He thought a pilgrimage to The Holy City would resolve his crisis of faith. Luther ascended the 28 marble steps (which tradition says were the steps Jesus climbed to face Pontius Pilate) on his knees. On each individual step, he stopped to recite the “Our Father” (Pater Noster) and, according to some accounts, kissed the steps where he believed he saw stains of Christ’s blood. Instead of feeling the spiritual peace or “certainty” he expected, he reportedly stood up and thought (or whispered), “Who knows if it is true?” Maybe God requires a 100 steps, and/or a Pater Noster and a Hail Mary on each step? How do we satisfy perfection?
While teaching the Epistle to the Romans, Luther came to understand that righteousness before God was not something earned but something given through faith. This realization became the shock that led to the Protestant Reformation. The chain from Habakkuk to Paul gained another link,
The discovery of “justification by faith” brought profound personal relief to Luther and soon spread across Europe. This shift was a geopolitical seismic event: when the established Church in Rome collided with these simplified Biblical truths, the resulting “shockwaves” permanently fractured the monolithic religious landscape, forcing a complete reordering of the map of Europe.
Wesley and the Shock of Methodism Two centuries later, the same truth again changed a life—with far-reaching consequences.
John Wesley devoted himself to rigorous discipline and the pursuit of holiness. Yet he lacked assurance about his standing with God. That insecurity was exposed during his 1735 voyage to Georgia.
Mid-Atlantic, a storm so violent struck, that even the experienced sailors were terrified.. Waves crashed over the deck, sails tore apart, and passengers panicked, certain they would die. Wesley, though a devout Anglican priest, found himself afraid—without the calm confidence he thought he possessed.
In stark contrast, a group of Moravians calmly sang hymns through the chaos. When Wesley later asked if they had been afraid, their answer was simple: they were not—even their children faced death without fear.
The moment unsettled him deeply. Wesley realized he had religion, but not assurance. His faith was disciplined and sincere, yet lacked the settled trust he saw in them.
The storm did not convert him, but it destabilized him in the best way. It forced a question he could no longer avoid: did he truly trust God, or merely practice religion?
On May 24, 1738, while listening to Luther’s commentary on Romans, Wesley felt his “heart strangely warmed.” He came to trust in Christ alone for salvation.
That shift transformed his preaching. Its impact spread rapidly, helping spark a national awakening. Some historians even suggest it played a role in England avoiding a revolution like France’s.
The Shock in America The same doctrine ignited the First Great Awakening in eighteenth-century America.
Preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards confronted a comfortable assumption: that being right with God came through birth, baptism, or respectable behavior. For many, religion had become little more than inherited custom. Justification, they insisted, comes by faith alone—not by family background, moral effort, or outward religion. A person is made right with God only through a personal, inward trust in Jesus Christ.
Whitefield called people to the “new birth,” pressing for inner transformation rather than external reform. Edwards argued that true religion consists of “holy affections”—a heart genuinely reshaped by love for God. Faith, in their preaching, was not mere agreement, but deep reliance.
This shifted Christianity from cultural assumption to personal encounter. It unsettled the self-assured, yet opened the door to all: anyone could be reconciled to God through faith.
Removing the Bottleneck The Awakening didn’t just change the message—it changed how it spread.
Before the revivals, preaching was largely confined to ordained clergy, creating a natural bottleneck. Growth was slow, limited by how many ministers could be trained and installed.
But if faith is personal, then testimony becomes universal. Those who experienced new life began to speak of it. The result was explosive: the rise of lay preaching.
Methodists and Circuit Riders John Wesley’s decision to authorize lay preachers multiplied the movement overnight. Circuit riders carried the message across vast distances—on horseback, in fields, homes, and frontier settlements—spreading Methodism far beyond the reach of traditional structures.
The Baptist Grassroots Model The Baptists, with their emphasis on local leadership and personal testimony, were already positioned for this shift. Lay preaching fit naturally. Ordinary people with a clear conversion and a gift for speaking could lead, enabling rapid growth across the South and West.
Lay preaching didn’t just support the revival—it fueled it. The message created transformed people; lay preaching turned them into messengers. Together, they reshaped the American religious landscape.
The Personal Shock
The impact of justification by faith is not only historical; it is deeply personal.
In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul writes: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The passage continues through Romans 5:1–12, describing the remarkable results of justification: peace with God, access to God, hope, and glory in suffering, and the assurance of reconciliation, all made real in the power of the Holy Spirit.
For countless individuals throughout history, these words have brought profound relief. The fear of never being good enough is replaced with the confidence that acceptance with God rests on Christ’s work rather than human effort.
A Message That Continues to Change Lives
From the revelation to Habakkuk, Paul’s proclamation in the first century, Luther’s rediscovery in the Reformation, to Wesley’s awakening of heart, the doctrine of justification by faith has repeatedly brought renewal.
It reminds us that the foundation of the Christian life is not human achievement but divine grace.
And whenever that message is rediscovered, it has the power to transform both history and the human heart.
What’s In It For Me?
“Revived” medically speaking, is a miracle – a dead body is brought back to life. That, in a spiritual sense, is what happens when someone trusts in Christ. Baptism mirrors this miracle. We are baptized or initiated into His death and Resurrection. It can be compared to a marriage ceremony where the parties say“I do”. “I do” must not be construed as “I did it!” -as if the ceremony was the conclusion. it IS a done deed, but with the promise to keep up at it, loving, honoring, tending,
And that is a description of revival. It begins when you say “I do” to Jesus. That “first love” needs constant renewal, or revival. Each time we feel distant, the way back is to say “I do” in response to God’s question
Say “I do” now! Maybe for the first time. Maybe for the hundredth time. It is a process of falling in love, growing in love and staying in love.
I once had the terrifying experience of getting lost in Minsk, Belorussia.. With rising panic, I tried to retrace my steps, but nothing registered. No one spoke English and people shrugged then ignored me when I asked for help, the signs were all in Cyrillic, the phone booths were stripped of equipment, bare wires protruding and smelling of urine. I felt doomed until, in entirely the wrong direction according to my perceptions, I saw the monument outside the metro station where I disembarked every morning on my way to teaching at The International Leadership Academy. The recognition of that landmark was the critical turning point that allowed me to reorient myself.Habakkuk 1:12–17 presents a crisis that every pilgrim eventually faces. It isn’t just that God is silent; it’s that His actions feel hostile—even evil. Habakkuk looks at the brutal Babylonians and anguishes over the mystery. “Why do You stand idly by while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?”
Pilgrims are disoriented by the mysterious ways of God, impacting their mindset and the trajectory of their lives. Pull out of the flow of alarmed thought, and switch your bewildered focus from the circumstances to God.
Habakkuk 1:12–17 presents a crisis that every pilgrim eventually faces. It isn’t just that God is silent; it’s that His actions feel hostile—even evil. Habakkuk looks at the brutal Babylonians and anguishes over the mystery. “Why do You stand idly by while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?”
Pilgrims are disoriented by the mysterious ways of God, impacting their mindset and the trajectory of their lives. Pull out of the flow of alarmed thought, and switch your bewildered focus from the circumstances to God.
Stop! Look for a Landmark!
Notice Habakkuk’s focus on God as Holy. “Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die.”
The “Sun-ness” of God: Holy means Distinct
To reorient, we must understand God as our landmark, specifically His holiness. Think of the difference between a drawing of the sun and the actual sun. You can look at a sketch, touch the paper, and understand its shape. But you cannot “touch” the sun; its heat, power, and brilliance would vaporise you long before you made contact.
Holiness is God’s “sun-ness.” He is not just a better version of us; He is a different kind of being entirely. However, this “otherness” does not mean He is inaccessible. Like the sun, God is too great to be controlled, but He is also too present to be ignored. The sun is 93 million miles away, yet its “sun-ness” is exactly what allows it to reach across the vacuum of space to sustain life. His transcendence (being above us) is precisely what makes His immanence (being with us) possible.
When you are lost you must find a landmark that is fixed. Because God is “Holy”—the “Sun-ness” outside of our creation—He is the only truly fixed point. When Habakkuk stood on his watchtower, he didn’t look at the Babylonian army to find his peace; he looked at the “Sun-ness” of God.
To use this landmark:
Acknowledge: Accept that you cannot understand the “why” of every event. God begins where our data collection ends.
Trust: Even when you can’t feel the heat, the “Sun-ness” of God remains.
Reorient: Use His attributes to determine your position. If God is eternal, this crisis is temporary.
Distinct not Distant – The Personal Name: YHWH
“O LORD,” says Habakkuk. That is the personal name that God revealed to Moses when he tried to dodge going to tell Pharaoh, an absolute despot with no accountability, to let “my people go.” LORD (YHWH) describes His activity: “I am present as always,” available 24/7 with full attention. Unlike a human gatekeeper who might deny access, God’s attention is always full because His holiness tells us He is different.
Affirm these personal landmarks:
He is “LORD”. (YHWH)
He is “MY God”: A personal pronoun; respond to the personal invitation.
He is”my GOD“: The Hebrew word means “Almighty Creator”.
He is “Eternal”: He is outside the ebb and flow of history.
He is “Our Rock”: A firm foundation – a refuge outside of the debris flow.
The Voice That Sustains the Weary
Isaiah 50 addresses the darkness from the perspective of the Servant—the voice that sustains the weary. This is not the rehearsed art of an orator; it is a voice that carries weight because the speaker is literally nailed to a cross in the darkness.
During the unnatural night of the crucifixion, Jesus cries out in anguish: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet, after that cry of abandonment eventually comes the calm, trusting voice of faith: “Into Your hands I commend my spirit.”
Jesus acts as the bridge between the “Sun-ness” of God and our human frailty. Just as the atmosphere allows us to experience the sun’s light without being consumed by its raw heat, He is the “radiance of God’s glory”—the brilliance of the sun brought down to eye level. He absorbed the darkness so that we might walk in the light.
When you find yourself in the “pitch-black room” of a personal crisis, the natural instinct is to scramble for a flashlight—to fix the problem, find an answer, or force a resolution. But Isaiah offers a different strategy for the pilgrim: Stay.
Staying Upon YHWH – Leaning against a Rock
Staying is not a sign of defeat; it is a tactical choice of focus. It is the refusal to let the chaos of the immediate “alarmed thoughts” drown out the reality of the fixed landmarks. By orienting yourself toward the “Sun-ness” of God, you recognize that while you are currently in the shadow, the Sun itself has not moved, dimmed, or changed.
You are leaning against a Rock that is higher than the debris flow. You are listening to a Voice that has already navigated the deepest darkness and emerged with a calm, commendatory faith.
If you are walking in darkness, stay upon God until the sun rises. For the pilgrim, the morning is not just a possibility; because of who God is, it is an absolute certainty, the one and only sure thing in a changing world.
The Babylonians still invade. Jerusalem was sacked. Captivity lasted seventy years.
But Habakkuk, as we shall see, was not sighing anymore, after seeing, he began singing.
Overlooking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the setting sun casting shadows in shades of cobalt and indigo, accentuating the crags and crevices with a fleeting, golden splendor, I heard an exhilarated cry: “We made it!”
A group had just arrived from the South Rim—a grueling, 11-hour trek across the heart of the canyon. I was instantly hooked. My gracious wife agreed to drive to our South Rim reservation, and I would hike the canyon.
Comparing routes on a map, the decision seemed like a no-brainer – the North Kaibab Trail was four miles shorter than the Bright Angel Trail. Looking back, it wasn’t a “no-brainer” — it was a case of “no brain.”
The Descent and the Warning
The descent to Phantom Ranch was magical, even mystical — the 14-mile drop of 6,000 feet was sheer delight – awe and wonder every step of the way. However, I was met with a sobering sign. In foot-high letters, it warned hikers not to take the Kaibab ascent lightly. My internal translation: “Don’t be an idiot. This might kill you.”
The plan was pre-arranged ans I was committed. I set off and the song in my heart soon became a groan. Those final seven miles took seven grueling hours.
I crested the rim as a different person, and the canyon was no longer just a postcard; it was an experience etched into my psyche.
From Place to Purpose
A pilgrim has a destination in mind, but along the way, a transformation occurs. The destination becomes a destiny — the deeper purpose a person grows into through calling, formation, and faithful response. It is a shift from “getting there” to “becoming the kind of person who belongs there.”
What exactly is our destination? For the pilgrim, the destination is to know the will of God. – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
1 The Incidental Will of God
We naturally crave to know God’s will for our daily decisions. These are “incidental”. A passenger once asked a boat captain how he navigated a treacherous harbor entrance so unerringly.
“You see those three lights?” the captain replied. “I align my ship up until all three are in a single row. That alignment shows me the safe channel.”
Navigating the tricky waters of the journey requires alignment. Think of these Three Harbor Lights as your markers:
Circumstances: A true harbor light isn’t a door we kick down; it’s a path that clears as we walk in obedience.
Scripture: is the fixed light that never shifts. If a “circumstance” seems to lead toward something God prohibits, the lights are out of alignment. We don’t need a new sign when we already have a clear command.
Wise Counsel: In the heat of the journey, we often have “trail blindness” — choosing a shorter route because it looks faster on a map. Wise counsel provides the perspective of those who have walked these miles before us.
2 The Primary Will of God
Our ultimate destination is Heaven. However, the pilgrimage is about more than just a future arrival; it is about character formation en route. We seek to know God now so that Heaven, being face to face with God, is current enjoyment.
Paul prays for a “complete knowledge of His will. “The word for “know” used here—epignosis—is a composite word made up of the intensifier epi (think “epic”) joined to the verb “to know.” It is an intense, experiential, epic knowledge. It is the difference between reading a map of the Grand Canyon and hiking the Canyon for yourself. .
When we know God as Guide, Encourager, and Mentor, we aren’t just waiting for a distant reward. We are being forged in real-time, changed into the image of Christ — not through a legalistic keeping of rules, but through a delightful relationship. As the Psalmist says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
This internal delight isn’t meant to be lived in a vacuum, in a quiet corner of spiritual isolation. On the contrary, when we truly delight in Him, it creates a spiritual centrifugal force. The closer we get to the center — the more we rotate around the heart of God — the more powerfully we are propelled outward into the lives of others, propelled by the centrifugal force of God’s love into the thick of daily life. Like Ambassadors, we represent the King wherever our incidental lives are lived — from the stress of the workplace to the long silence of a hospital ward. We don’t just point the way to a distant country; we bring the life of that country into the room with us. Your experiential encounter with God isn’t just for your benefit; a pilgrim is an Ambassador representing God. It is in this sense that the destination — becoming like Him — becomes your destiny.
The Profound Gift of Presence
Jesus promised that He would give the Holy Spirit to be with us in His stead; it is as simple as receiving the gift He pledged.
When offered a piece of essential, life-saving advice, you receive it simply, by saying ““Thank you.” The same is true here. All that is required of you is to remember His promise and respond with gratitude. Jesus said, “if we know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
Don’t overcomplicate it, remember the promise, and say, “Thank you.” Say it so often that gratitude becomes your routine response to life. Say thank You for all the joy, say thank You for all the sorrow.
The Pilgrim progresses with the disciplined mindset of a soldier
The Pilgrim masters the rules to travel with integrity and laser like focus
In the 1980 Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz crossed the finish line in record-breaking time. She was crowned the victor, draped in the traditional laurel wreath, and celebrated as a marvel of endurance. But the celebration was hollow. Within days, the truth emerged: Ruiz hadn’t run the race. She had slipped out of the crowd undetected by the marshals, and taken a subway to the final stretch, re-entering the course just in time to claim a prize for miles she never covered.
She had the title, but she lacked the integrity. By flouting the rules she demonstrated her lack of character.
The Pilgrim Progresses as an Athlete
Paul’s letter to Timothy warns us against this “subway spirituality.” He reminds us that the life of a pilgrim is not a scramble for status, but an athletic endeavor in which character counts. As Paul writes: “Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize” (2 Timothy 2:5, TLB).
To be a Pilgrim in Process is to realize that the shortcut is a lie. True victory is found in the three pillars of the athlete’s integrity.
Follow the Rules
The Two Trails: Why Discipline is a “Four-Wheel Drive” Experience
In the Kingdom, the “rules” aren’t a heavy slog under a whip; they are the practice of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
I recently took a father-son’s trip to Costa Rica to hike the trail to the Rio Celeste. Most folks take the busy tourist trail to see the
I recently took a father-son’s trip to Costa Rica to hike the trail to the Rio Celeste. Most folks take the busy tourist trail to see the famous blue waterfall, One views it from a platform and swimming is forbidden, A local tipped off my son about a trailhead a few miles down the road where you could actually swim.
That trail didn’t have a single soul on it. It started as a pleasant meander and then plunged—about 430 feet down a rocky, gnarlymess of a path. My two sons, worried about an octogenarian navigating those rocks, hovered over me like guardian angels. I eventually took a spill, gashing my knee and leaving a bit of skin as a “donation” to an obliging rock.”Dad, you want to turn back?” my younger son asked.
“Not on your nelly,” I told him. “I want to swim in that water.”
We made it down and had the joy of that cool blue water, but the ascent was where character was developed. My younger son took my hand to help me up. At first, it was just a regular hand-hold. Then, he insisted on locking our hold by grabbing one another by the wrist—a double-grip that ensured even if one of us weakened, the connection was solid. I joked that I finally had “four-wheel drive.”
Positive Mastery
The pilgrim faces sections of the trail similar that. Some rules are “negative”—watch your step, find a secure hold, move with caution. But the mastery Paul talks about is positive. Keeping in step with the Holy Spirit provides an exhilaration in the middle of the difficulty. He is the “heft” in the steep places and the “stability” on the slippery ones.
The disciplines of a happy communion with God—being instant in prayer, meditating on scripture, and serving my neighbor—aren’t heavy weights we carry. They are the energy for the ascent, providing lasting joy.
When we try to bypass the disciplines of faith, we arrive at life’s “finish lines” as cheats rather than genuine champions. We practice these disciplines because they are the only way to ensure that the person who reaches the summit is the person the Lord intended us to be—changed, and reflecting His image.
As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, providing that “four-wheel drive” power, we become more and more like Him. We aren’t just reaching a destination; we are being transformed from “glory to glory.”
“And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Living Bible)
Lawful Mastery: The Work of the Unseen Miles
There is a massive difference between just being active and achieving mastery. Paul speaks of the athlete competing “lawfully.” If you look at a marathon runner, you’ll see that mastery isn’t found on the day of the race under the roar of the crowd. It’s forged months earlier in the cold, gray silence of a 5:00 AM training run. It’s found in the discipline of a sensible diet and a regimen prescribed by those who know the way.
Mastery means honoring the “laws of growth” long before the prize is even in sight. It takes honesty to admit where your form is failing, and the humility to accept the guidance of “Coach Jesus.” It requires the patience to increase your mileage by inches rather than miles, doing the relentless hidden work that happens when no one is watching.
In the spiritual life, we often want the crown of maturity without the drudgery of the training ground. But the trail doesn’t lie. You cannot bypass the laws of growth and expect to finish the distance. True mastery is just a long string of honest, quiet choices made when it’s just you and God. It’s taking the “rules of the race” and living them out in the parts of your life that no one else ever sees. This is an internal attitude. It’s the recognition that our stature is built in those “unseen miles”—the moments of cultivated intimacy where we listen with the heart, instantly recognizing what displeases Him and correcting it right then and there.
No Shortcuts
The pursuit of comfort is the ultimate shortcut, and it is the enemy of integrity. A tourist seeks the easiest path, but a pilgrim embraces the grade. Taking a shortcut is really just an admission that you don’t believe the journey itself is worth the effort. Like that subway ride in Boston, a shortcut might get your body to the coordinates of the finish line, but it cannot give you the character God desires or the “glory” Paul speaks of.
You might reach the destination, but you won’t be the person the Lord intended for the summit. Mastery is the only way to ensure that when you finally stand at the end of the trail, you have the heart and the legs to be there.
The Fireside Reflection
Are you looking for a subway to the summit, or are you mastering the basics? The prize for the shortcut is always hollow and you can fool the crowd for a while, applause is meaningless. It is God’s approval that matters.
Since the adoption of the absurd proposition that there are no absolutes and that truth is relative – (try arguing with your bank manager that you really are not in the red because that is HIS truth, not yours; or the judge that the stop sign you ignored was the cops truth, not your truth), – since that lie became the standard operating principle of society, morality has become meaningless. For example, sexual predators get elected into high office, corruption is standard practice, liars cannot be held accountable and the human race has started the descent into complete anarchy.
The Bible nails it! Eugene Petersen (The Message) paraphrases Romans 1 in such a way that the 2000 year insight is like a polar vortex that reaches through the centuries:
But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. … What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. …
… So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives.
Sigh, The most frightening thing is that in many “christian” quarters this behavior is lauded and mimicked. Lord have mercy.
Last night our dishwasher sprang a leak and the kitchen floor was filmed with water. I attempted to shut the water supply off under the sink, but the valve had calcified and it was immoveable. I attempted to control the situation by spraying it with WD 40. I thought it was loosening and applied more pressure with a spanner. The shaft of the valve sheared right off and water started spraying under the sink. I dashed for the main water supply and shut it off. But it too has calcified and all my efforts reduced the water to a trickle that I cannot remedy. Many times events have spiralled out of my control. Sometimes the outcome was pleasant, and at other times beyond belief catastrophic.
In an idle moment, renowned National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, lounging on a couch, suggested to journalist Kevin Fedarko that they do a thru-hike of the Grand Canyon. “It will be a walk in the park” he maintained. Thru-hiking the Grand Canyon is daunting even to veteran hikers and requires intensive planning and massive support with food caches at strategic points. It is not for the faint hearted. Fortunately the thru-hiking community saw through their amateur status and stepped up in support. Even so, Fedarko came to this conclusion, that is applicable to all of life:
“Sooner or later, every difficult journey collides against a moment that crystallizes the imperative of accepting that the outcome of any ambitious undertaking can neither be ordained nor engineered by its participants, and that the heart of an odyssey is reached-and its deeper truths begin to reveal themselves—only after the illusion of control is permitted to fall away and disappear into the gathering night, like a loose pebble over a cliff.”
Kevin Fedarko. “A Walk in the Park”.
Searching for God is an unimaginably daunting and ambitious undertaking. God says of Himself, “I am the high and holy One who Inhabits eternity.” “Holy” in the Bible means other-than, God is “different” to mortal flesh and blood. That is, he is outside of space and time. Where all our scientific data end, that is where He dwells. To know Him requires handing Him control, or, to state the obvious, trusting Him. Some are content with a shallow self indulgent search and abandon the journey at the first obstacles.
Read the sentence again.
“. . . the imperative of accepting that the outcome of any ambitious undertaking can neither be ordained nor engineered by its participants, and that the heart of an odyssey is reached-and its deeper truths begin to reveal themselves.”
Job discovered this – he lost everything, property, livestock, family, and finally his health. He searches for God to hold Him accountable for all this suffering. And finally God shows up and reveals His Highness and His Holiness: This new perspective brings Job to confess, “I had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” The ocean depths have been little explored because of the difficulties involved. God has depths that no mortal can fathom, no equipment is available and His purposes go beyond our understanding.
What shall we do?
1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”.
“The proper time” is not something we like to hear. Yet to reach the deeper truths, we must give up control, “casting all our care on Him.”
Soldiers who suffered together have a special bond that only they understand and share between themselves. God suffers too and draws into just such a special bond. Every tear that humans have shed formed in God’s eye first. Suffering takes us to a special place in God’s suffering heart.
“Proper time” has another dimension – the other dimension involves your exaltation. Trust changes the perspective of suffering from self-pity to contentment.
The other dimension is an exalted view of God, and exalted experience of God, an exalted place in eternity with God.
While shaving this morning, I was anticipating with great joy the prospect of going to church. I like to prepare myself so that I get the full benefit.
The thought came to me forcibly, “STOP USING THAT PHRASE!”
In biblical context, you cannot “go to church.” The Greek word that the bible uses for church is “kuriakes.” It appears twice in the New Testament. It literally means “of the Lord”, describing people as “belonging to the Lord.” (See Gemini answer in ENDNOTE) You can trace the English word back to the Greek word: the krk in “K u r ia k es” became “kirche” in German, was abbreviated to “kerk” in Dutch, Scotland added brogue and it became “kirk”, and since England is slightly (considerably?) an island unto itself, it is “church” in English – the hard k starting and ending the word in the other languages was changed and softened to ch, as it chat, in English.
When Jesus spoke of what is now called “church”, he used a different Greek word “ekklesia”. Its secular use was political, “to call out citizens to a public meeting”. The antecedent to it is found in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word “qahal” describes people gathering for public meetings, including legal proceedings, military call up, and worship.
So how did the switch happen? It was illegal to translate the bible into English, and early translators were in peril. Wycliffe translated the Latin Vulgate into English, and hand copied versions circulated. He escaped execution, but was declared a heretic after he died, and his body was exhumed and burned at the stake. (really!)
Tyndale translated the original Hebrew and Greek texts into English, working from Belgium to escape persecution. He was captured, however, and executed by strangling and then his body was burnt at the stake as a heretic in Vilvoorde, Belgium. There is a park, impressive memorial and museum there now. (Picture generated by Gemini AI)
Why such opposition? To distill a complex issue to one implication; both the Roman Church and Kings (who were Roman Catholics) feared any challenge to their absolute power and authority. Church and state were so intertwined that those who did not baptize their infants were considered treasonous. Heresy and treason were somewhat of a synonym. Any gathering of believers not sanctioned by “The Church” could well lead to unintended consequences.
However, when it became apparent in England that due to popular demand a translation was inevitable, King James authorized a translation so that he could control it. Some 47 scholars appointed by King James, worked under the constraint of 15 rules set by the King. One rule was that the word ekklesia, translated by Tyndale as “congregation” (and In some cases as “assembly”), must be translated as “church”. This choice was deliberate – a new meaning was threatening to the institution of church and state. Church was an entity with the King (or the Pope) in charge, a congregation was a loose cannon on the ship of state. Since it became the only standard translation, it enshrined “church” as a politically controlled entity, the very thing Jesus refused. He refused to acknowledge either the Sanhedrin or Caesar and this was the human cause of His public execution.
Ekklesia is a composite noun made up of the preposition “ek”, meaning “out of”, and the verb “kaleo”, “to call”. So the ekklesia is the mustering of those who have been called to gather to worship.
What should I anticipate and what will the eyes of my understanding grasp as I gather? Hear these magnificent words! “… you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22-23 NLT)
Going to church? Nah! Could be, has been, very boring. I sit as a critic, evaluating people, performances and practices, all have self at the center. Worship has God at the center.
Fanny Crosby went blind at an early age. Her secretary, knowing she was alone in her office, once heard her talking, and crept up to hear if help was needed. She heard the hymn writer exclaiming in prayer, “O Lord! If only those poor sighted people could see what I see now!” The experience was captured in the great hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of heaven divine . . . Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels descending bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers oflove.”
Reflecting on the gathering: the choir sang a piece beyond their capabilities, I was in a “dead space” in the auditorium and missed some things, the liturgy was wordy and rushed but magnificent, the sermon was outstanding and short, I sat – inadvertently – where families with small children were constantly and delightfully on the bustle. I am only aware of it retrospect, my spirit was soaring, glued in worship and wonder to the Lord of Glory.
Open the eyes of your heart.
Go to Worship!
ENDNOTE:
The Greek word “kuriakos” (κυριακός) appears twice in the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 11:20:
Here, it’s used in the phrase “kuriakon deipnon” (κυριακὸν δεῖπνον), which translates to “Lord’s supper.”
Revelation 1:10:
In this verse, it’s found in the phrase “kuriake hemera” (κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ), meaning “Lord’s day.”
Essentially, “kuriakos” signifies something “belonging to the Lord.” So, in these instances, it specifies that the supper and the day are associated with or belong to the Lord (Jesus Christ).
Current thinking stems from Genesis 3. In Genesis 3 humankind goes into the god-business for themselves and so a power struggle between the sexes begins. A pecking order came into play – “Who’s the Boss” became the main issue between men and women.
God’s intention, however, is in Genesis 1, where humanity is created to reflect the harmony that exists in the Trinity. Practical implications follow; some puzzling passages in the bible become clear.
The promise is “peace that transcends understanding.”
That alone should set the alarm bells ringing loudly.
And what must I invest for this priceless gift?
Nothing! Nothing?
What’s the catch?
Conclusion: An imposter is scamming me!
My inner voice is screaming: “Check the credentials!”
Paul’s Credentials
I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. (Romans 1:1 The Message)
He is a slave
Four things are pertinent concerning a slave:
Absolute obedience constrains him.
Slaves do not punch time clocks or have off hours. They cannot resign or choose their assignments. They cannot argue about their assignments. Paul’s words were spoken in obedience and not concocted in the laboratory of his own mind. (Galatians 1:11-2:10)
A great love binds him.
In the Hebrew scheme, slaves were to be released after 7 years. Slaves could elect to remain in the ownership of their masters when the time came for their release. This indicated they were happy in the household, they loved their master. A slave who elected this option would have his ear pierced by pinning it to the door post with an awl. This was a sign that symbolized his ear was open to hear his master and he was fixed to the household. Paul opted to remain in the service of the greatest King for the rest of his life.
A great office honored him.
He is not just any slave – he is a slave of Jesus Christ. Far from being embarrassed, there is immense pride by the addition of the words “of Jesus Christ”. Slaves no doubt boasted of the great houses they served in. “You belong to who? I belong to Caesar!” While the world may pity his slavery, he is honored to serve such a great King.
A humble attitude envelops him.
He always defers to the King. He does not put on airs or seek to promote self. He dies daily with great cheerfulness. This relationship alone brings significance to life and all else is relatively trivial. He lives humbly and happily as a slave of Jesus Christ.
He is called to be an apostle – A Plenipotentiary
A slave is the lowest denominator in society. Slaves do not generally generate a lot of excitement. As menials they can be ignored as safely as little sisters. An Apostle, on the other hand, is a specially chosen and authorized envoy, of the same order as an ambassador. These officers are known as “plenipotentiaries”. They are empowered (potent) in all areas (pleni). His call to the office is exceptional. Intently bent on stamping out Christ and his followers, God interrupted his agenda in a most dramatic way. (Acts 9:1-18) His message was imparted to him directly. (Gal 2:12)
He is set apart for the gospel
Paul is of the order of a Test Pilot, a breed apart and set apart for a specific function. They are unique in their capabilities and have honed their skills through rigorous and arduous discipline. God called Paul from his mother’s womb, uniquely equipping him from conception, overseeing his development, so setting him apart for this exceptional calling.
His credentials are impeccable and are backed by the authority of God himself.
They minimize the man, exalt the office and authenticate his message. We may fully expect to enjoy all the benefits of the spectacular promise. We will see that the message itself also has authenticating credentials, which will make a sure thing made more certain.
Reflections
Slavery requires application in four areas of life. Assess yourself in each category, with 10 being perfect and 1 being pathetic. Ask someone close to you to honestly assess you in the same way. Confess your sin and then determine specific ways to bring about improvement. Ask your honest assessor to hold you accountable. Do this not as a duty, but as an exercise in demonstration of your love for God. In other words, be relaxed, concentrate on the friendship and enjoy his encouragement.
How should the idea of being Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) impact you today?
You too have a calling. You too are uniquely conceived and your life has been an equipping for service. Let this astonishing fact elevate your life this day. “For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
Would you describe yourself as a person who knows this “peace that transcends understanding?” Recent data shows that unclaimed lottery winnings have averaged between $40 million and $50 million annually.
Unclaimed!
Peace is like a winning lottery ticket. All you have to do is cash it in. How? Remember who God is, then pray: “Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of peace. You are in charge now.” Every time you feel disturbed, focus on God’s greatness and repeat the prayer. Initially it may mean praying it once every ten minutes! Gradually the truth will take hold and the peace will become pervasive.
progressingpeople 