Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.—2 Corinthians 13:11
I hate to do this, but I will no longer be updating this blog. I rarely get more than a dozen visitors a day, and it just doesn’t seem worth it any longer to try and update. I will continue to update my other blog, The Closet Professor (and its WordPress back-up site).
On The Closet Professor, I write about many more subjects than just religion. Some people don’t like that I include the other stuff and religion on the same blog, but it is more true to who I am. I am a Christian, but I am also a gay man and a historian.
The links in this post will take you to the religious posts only, but I hope you will explore the rest of the blog as well. The Closet Professor is semi-NSFW (there is some mild nudity), so be forewarned, but nothing more than you occasionally see on TV. I will continue to post my religious posts every Sunday morning if you are still interested in reading them.
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.—Numbers 6:24-26
You will be in the right, O Lord, when I lay charges against you; but let me put my case to you. Why does the way of the guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
Jeremiah 12:1
So much is happening in the world today. We have a president who is incapable of sympathy or remorse. There are too many who follow his cult of personality, even to their own detriment. While we know he was guilty of no less than bribery and many other high crimes and misdemeanors, the Republican Senate acquitted him and allowed him to remain in office. He has put the nation’s security and health at risk for his own personal gain, whether that be for his wealth or his ego. It does seem that the treacherous are thriving as Republican leadership does everything they can to subvert the election process while saying they are doing so to preserve the fairness of the election. It should be apparent to anyone that they are grasping at anything to stay in power.
The massive falsehoods and misinformation that comes from the current administration is staggering. In a White House briefing this past week, the Huffington Post’s Senior White House Correspondent, S.V. Date, bluntly asked the president “Mr. President, after three and a half years, do you regret at all, all the lying you’ve done to the American people?” Confronted with Dáte’s question, the president tried to play dumb and responded with a question of his own. “All the what?” he said. Dáte responded, “All the lying, all the dishonesties.” Again, Trump acted confused asking, “That who has done?” to which Dáte replied, “You have done.” Instead of answering, Trump cut him off and called on another journalist. In July, the Washington Post reported that the president had told more than 20,000 “false or misleading claims” over the course of his presidency. He continues to lie about the coronavirus epidemic, election fraud, and called into question Kamala Harris’ citizenship status.
We are in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, and too many leaders are doing nothing to help ease the pain and suffering it has caused. They merely continue to spread lies and misinformation. They are rejecting science and causing people to lose their lives because they won’t support medical experts and scientists. They scream about their personal freedoms while trying to take away the freedoms of minorities, those of the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone else they disagree with. They are hypocrites, and they seem to not care that they contradict their own words. We are living in a time when name calling is common, and there is a false belief of privilege by many in society. Why can’t we be a better society? Kindness seems to have left this country and has been replaced by a sense of entitlement at the expense of those who are kind and caring.
Our distress over there being so much evil in the world is often mixed with being downtrodden by the awful events surrounding us. And in these times, and under our current difficulties, let us consider how we should behave during this time of suffering. I pray that the nightmare of the current administration will end. To do so, we must look towards a righteous man like Biden, instead of a man who mocks others for praying. We have to elect Biden as president to lead us to a new era of kindness and empathy. We must do our part. We must vote on November 3rd and make sure that our votes count.
The verse above asks, “Why does the way of the guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” When we are most in the dark concerning what God’s allows, we must keep our faith in God, believing that he will never wrong us, and that for whatever reason, we are experiencing the current trials and tribulations, it is for a higher good (at least I hope so). When we find it hard to understand God’s dealings with us, or others, we must look to the truth as our first principle and abide by it: The Lord is righteous. We have to keep the faith.
I have never liked mixing politics and religion, but when I came across this verse, I had to write about how it applies to us today. God is in the right, and He will get us through this. So, please forgive my mixture of politics and religion today.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
—John 7:24
The seventh chapter of John recounts Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles, the possibility of his arrest, and the debate as to whether he is the Messiah. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this Gospel. To put the above verse into context, let’s first look at John 7:14–24. These verses describe a strong spiritual challenge issued by Jesus against the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus makes the point that obedience is a necessary aspect of learning. The resistance of the Scribes and Pharisees is ultimately a matter of rebellion, not knowledge. In the same way, Jesus criticizes their hypocritical attitude towards His miracles. This concludes with a powerful statement about the need to use ”right judgment,” rather than shallow appearances.
Some prefer the term “discern” as opposed to “judge” as a way to delineate between what we are supposed to do, which is to wisely and honestly evaluate without hating or doing God’s job of condemning, and the other kind that we are admonished to avoid. It takes a kind of judgment to put our faith in Christ. We see him. We judge for ourselves whether we think he is who he says he is, and we act accordingly. This is what Jesus is hoping for when he tells them, “judge with righteous judgment.”
In Matthew 7:1-4, Jesus states:
Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
When only Matthew 7:1 is quoted out of context, it gives the impression that Jesus simply said, “Do not judge.” However, Jesus is saying that not only should we not judge others; we should also first look at ourselves and realize our own flaws. Jesus’ frequent teaching was that we should not be superficial in our assessment of other people. However, it is crucial that we separate what is good from what is evil. The kind of judgment or judgmentalism mentioned in Matthew 7:1 is a way of playing God and making ourselves an idol by hating others for what we are judging in them.
Matthew 7:24 follows a direct challenge to the spiritual authority of Jerusalem’s religious leaders. Jesus had been attacked for healing a man on the Sabbath, but Jesus is telling them that God wants us to work to help others at all times, and if that means healing someone on the Sabbath, then He will do so. The Jewish leaders who were self-righteous would not look past the external to see the reality of what was happening in and around Jesus. In 1 Samuel 16:7, it is stated:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Jesus criticized the Jewish leadership because they were unable to make the connection between doing God’s work of circumcision on the Sabbath and healing a whole body or whole person on the Sabbath. They loved the letter of the law but did not understand the spirit of the law. People love to focus on appearances because they can feel they are righteous without having to let God into their hearts, which is where sin dwells and those feelings would be painful and toilsome to deal with.
Despite the Bible not mentioning Jesus receiving any formal religious education, Jesus bewildered his critics with his religious knowledge and understanding. He accused them of hard-headedness. In John 5:39–40), Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” He also accused them of disobedience. In John 7:17, Jesus declares, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” Furthermore, He even accused them of attempted violence in John 7:19, when He admonished them by asking, “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The result which was seen in the next few verses, the people of Jerusalem began to wonder if Jesus was being allowed to preach because the authorities were powerless, or because they had come to believe Him. John 7:25–26 states:
So, some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?”
That crisis of confidence spurred the Jewish leaders towards drastic measures to silence Christ. Jesus’ life and words were a threat to the Jewish leaders’ way of life. They seemed to love their way of life and understanding of the world more than they loved God. It was all too easy for them to find reasons to dismiss Jesus so that they could dismiss what he said.
In summary, Adam Clarke (1762 – 26 August 1832), the British Methodist theologian and biblical scholar, wrote in his biblical commentary that:
Attend to the law, not merely in the letter, but in its spirit and design. Learn that the law which commands men to rest on the Sabbath day is subordinate to the law of mercy and love, which requires them to be ever active to promote God’s glory in the comfort and salvation of their fellow creatures; and endeavor to judge of the merit or demerit of an action, not from the first impression it may make upon your prejudices but from its tendency, and the motives of the person, as far as it is possible for you to acquaint yourselves with them; still believing the best, where you have no certain proof to the contrary.
Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
Luke 20:45-47
On Friday, I wrote about my mother’s Southern Baptist pastor passing away from COVID-19, and I admitted that I have two prejudices: Republicans and Southern Baptists. Besides the unwelcoming nature of Southern Baptists, I thought I would explain why I think they are the modern-day equivalents of the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus laments about several times in the Gospels. The Pharisees and scribes were upset because they believed the people were abandoning the purity of the covenant that Jews had made with God. They believed that Jews in the Roman Empire were being lax in their morality and in their obedience to the commandments of God. So, they sought to draw together and draw apart from the masses and to set a moral example. These were the conservatives of the day. They had a high system of honor and virtue, and they committed themselves to obeying God. Yet, they outwardly professed their faith the loudest, but they secretly did not follow their own beliefs and morals. They were hypocrtites.
Growing up in the South, the religious right was often centered around the Southern Baptists. They are the largest Protestant denomination, and they tend to be the loudest. Of course, there are other denominations that follow suit, but it is often the Southern Baptists that try to speak for all Protestants and condemn those who do not believe like they do. One reason for this is their seminaries and universities, and another reason is because of the press the annual Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) receives, especially when it comes to their views on the LGBTQ+ community.
In its history, the SBC has issued several resolutions in which it rejects homosexuality as a lifestyle and refers to it as a “manifestation of a depraved nature”, “a perversion of divine standards and as a violation of nature and natural affections” and “an abomination in the eyes of God.” It opposes same-sex marriages and equivalent unions. The SBC has urged churches not to show any approval of homosexuality; however, it also holds that “while the Bible condemns such practice as sin, it also teaches forgiveness and transformation, upon repentance, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But that is only if a person turns away from the sexuality that they were born with. I personally think it is a gift from God. The SBC doesn’t even allow the term gay Christian because they say that even if you are celibate you cannot identify as both gay and Christian at the same time. The SBC only allows members of the LGBTQ+ community to worship with them if they denounce their sexuality.
My sister and I were raised in the Church of Christ. My father was far angrier at my sister for converting to being Southern Baptist when she got married than he ever was for me being gay. Yet, to show you how filled with hate he has become, he and my mother now attend a Southern Baptist Church. When I was growing up, he hated to even step foot in one of their churches. My mother was raised a Southern Baptist but claimed years ago that she was truly a member of the Church of Christ where we attended. I just don’t understand the sudden change in them. The only excuse I can find is because the church is convenient to where they are now living, and all my parents’ friends and neighbors attend that church. I find it disgusting that they would attend a church that is part of such a hate filled denomination. They think I will attend with them the next time I am home. I will not be. It will probably cause some strife, but I will not budge on this. I have been to a Baptist Church a few times in my life, and I always felt an evil surrounding me.
I am probably being a hypocrite on this because the Church of Christ is no better when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. However, there are fundamental differences between the Church of Christ and the Southern Baptist Church. Most importantly, every congregation of the Church of Christ is independent. Southern Baptists claim the same thing, but they have the Southern Baptist Convention that governs all their churches and the denomination’s doctrine. The Church of Christ has no equivalent. Each Church of Christ could decide on their own to affirm the LGBTQ+ community because the elders of the church are in charge, but the Southern Baptist must abide by the doctrine of the SBC. Therefore, while I hold no hope for the SBC ever changing their stance, I do believe that the Church of Christ could and should. Will it ever happen? I can only hope and pray. One day, Christianity will accept the belief in a true universal love of God and will act accordingly.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
— Matthew 5:13-16
Every Christian is called by God to be an influence on the world around them. Jesus began teaching this concept early in his ministry when he told his disciples he would make them fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19) Then, in the Sermon on the Mount, He used the illustrations of salt and light. (Matthew 5:13-16) They both have properties which affect things around them. Salt enhances flavor and is used as a preservative. To ‘be salt’ means to deliberately seek to influence the people in one’s life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds. Light is a symbol meaning awareness, knowledge, and understanding. To ‘be light’ is to be a witness to others concerning the truth of God’s Word especially about who Christ is and how He died and rose again for our salvation.
These two images used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, are one of His main teachings on morality and discipleship. They immediately follow the Beatitudes and are often interpreted as referring to Jesus’ expectations of his disciples. The general theme of Matthew 5:13–16 is promises and expectations.
The first verse of this passage introduces the phrase “salt of the earth”:
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
— Matthew 5:13
The value of salt, especially in the ancient world cannot be underestimated. Roman soldiers received their wages in salt. The Greeks considered salt to be divine. Mosaic Law required all offerings presented by the Israelites to contain salt. (Lev. 2:13) When Jesus told his disciples they were “the salt of the earth”, they understood the metaphor. While the universal importance of salt is not as readily apparent in our modern world, the mandate Jesus gave to his first disciples is still relevant and applicable to His followers today.
What are the characteristics of salt which caused the Lord to use it in this context? I believe it is about preservation and keeping faith fresh. Those first disciples would have been intimately familiar with this function of salt. Without refrigeration, the fish they caught would quickly spoil and rot unless packed in salt. Once salted, the fish could be safely stored and used when needed.
We have been given a wonderful privilege to be the salt of the earth, but Jesus gave us a warning. The second half of Matthew 5:13 states: “But if salt loses its taste, how would its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.” Jesus did not say we can lose our salvation; He said we can lose our saltiness. When salt is contaminated it becomes corrosive and poisonous. Salt cannot even be used in the field, so it has to be thrown on the road. The Roman general Scipio Aemilianus Africanus plowed over and sowed the city of Carthage with salt after defeating it in the Third Punic War (146 BC) to prevent the city from ever flourishing again. Whether that happened or not is up for debate, but the idea of sowing the land with salt as a punishment for its inhabitants was widely known. Therefore, if we allow disobedience, carelessness, and indifference to rule our lives, we have become contaminated salt and have lost our worth.
The second verse introduces the “City upon a Hill”:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
— Matthew 5:14
As “salt”, the Christian is to counteract the power of sin. As “light”, we are to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be an ongoing witness to the reality of Christ’s presence in our lives. When we worship God with pure hearts, when we love others as ourselves, when we do good without growing weary, we are shining lights. It is important, however, to know it is not our light, but the reflection of the Light of the world, Jesus Himself, people will see in u
The later verses refer to not hiding a lamp under a bushel which also occurs in Luke 8:16–18.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
— Matthew 5:15–16
The key idea of the parable is that “Light is to be revealed, not concealed.” The light here has been interpreted as referring to Jesus or to His message or to the believer’s response to that message. Jesus quotes a pessimistic proverb on how the rich get richer and the poor keep losing even the little they have. He later denounces the saying in the next parable in Mark, which alludes to Joel 3:13 in assuring that God’s judgment on the ruling powers will come and holds out revolutionary hope to those resigned to thinking nothing will ever change.
Out of these four verses one of the most famous phrases is the introduction to the “City upon a Hill.” Since colonial times, this phrase has been linked to the colonies which would become the United States. In modern context, it is used in United States politics to refer to America acting as a “beacon of hope” for the world. This scripture was cited at the end of Puritan John Winthrop’s lecture or treatise, “A Model of Christian Charity” delivered on March 21, 1630 at Holyrood Church in Southampton before his first group of Massachusetts Bay colonists embarked on the ship Arbella to settle Boston. Winthrop warned his fellow Puritans their new community would be “as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us” meaning, if the Puritans failed to uphold their covenant with God, then their sins and errors would be exposed for all the world to see: “So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world”. Winthrop’s lecture was forgotten for nearly 200 years until the Massachusetts Historical Society published it in 1838. It remained an obscure reference for more than another century until Cold War era historians and political leaders made it relevant to their time crediting Winthrop’s text as the foundational document of the idea of American exceptionalism.
On 9 January 1961, President-Elect John F. Kennedy quoted the phrase during an address delivered to the General Court of Massachusetts. On November 3, 1980, Ronald Reagan referred to the same event and image in his Election Eve Address “A Vision for America”. Reagan was reported to have been inspired by author Manly P. Hall and his book, The Secret Destiny of America, which alleged a secret order of philosophers had created the idea of America as a country for religious freedom and self-governance. Reagan would reference this concept through multiple speeches notably again in his January 11, 1989, farewell speech to the nation. U.S. Senator Barack Obama also referred to the topic in his commencement address on June 2, 2006 at the University of Massachusetts Boston. In 2016, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney incorporated the idiom into a condemnation of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign:
His domestic policies would lead to recession; his foreign policies would make America and the world less safe. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president, and his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.
During the 2016 presidential race, Texas Senator Ted Cruz used the phrase during his speech announcing the suspension of his campaign. President Barack Obama also alluded to President Ronald Reagan’s use of the phrase during his speech at the Democratic National Convention the same year, as he proposed a vision of America in contrast to that of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Sadly, the United States under Trump and the Republican Party (or the Hypocrite Party as I’ve begun calling them, as it seems much more descriptive of their beliefs) has moved away from being the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and the city upon a hill as they destroy the foundations of the United States.
While reading about “Salt and Light” for this post, I was struck by the belief that to ‘be salt’ means to deliberately seek to influence the people in one’s life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds. And yet, as I was researching further, I read numerous articles about how this did not pertain to the LGBTQ+ community. Those so-called religious scholars claimed these verses should be used to condemn homosexuality. For them, “the unconditional love of Christ” only pertains to those who believe in their own hateful views. They can’t have it both ways.
Jesus warns against hypocrisy in what are known as the “Woes of the Pharisees,” a list of criticisms by Jesus against scribes and Pharisees recorded in the Gospels of Luke 11:37–54 and Matthew 23:1–39. The Woes illustrate the differences between inner and outer moral states. In the New Testament, the Pharisees are people who place the letter of the law above the spirit of the law (Mark 2:3–28, 3:1–6). In the Gospels, Jesus is often shown as being critical of Pharisees. The Pharisees, like Jesus, believed in the resurrection of the dead, and in divine judgment. They advocated prayer, almsgiving, and fasting as spiritual practices. The argument over the “Spirit of the Law” vs. the “Letter of the Law” was part of early Jewish dialogue as well.
If we want to follow the spirit and the letter of the law, then we must believe what Jesus tells us. Christians must “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus doesn’t allow us to exclude anyone. We are all God’s children, and we all receive God’s love. So, I will end with this verse:
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God….— Leviticus 19:9-10
There is a lot wrong with the Book of Leviticus. It is an archaic set of laws for the tribe of Levi who were designated as the priestly class. However, there are tidbits from which we can learn a few things. One of these is the concept of gleaning. Gleaning is first mentioned in Leviticus 19:9. When wheat and barley fields were ready for harvest, some of the grain was allowed to fall to the ground so the poor could gather what they needed for provisions. Israelite law also required the corners of the fields not to be harvested. The purpose of the law was to feed the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the foreigners. It served as a safety net and resource.
Gleaning is an example of how, without capitalism, humans are naturally inclined to share with and care for others. There’s more than enough to go around as long as people are not greedy. We might think of the Native American concept of land ownership. While it is no longer believed to be true that all Native American lands were held communally, there was always a sense of sharing for the common good. The community worked together to feed one another. This is apparent in the sharing of the meal at the “First Thanksgiving.” However, as American society became more capitalistic (as opposed to the original mercantilist economy), American land ownership became particularly important. Usually, land ownership was a criterion for voting.
Americans pushed Native Americans to adopt private property standards. The Dawes Act of 1887 sought to assimilate Native Americans by, among other things, transforming their traditional uses of, and attitudes about, land and land ownership to the more mainstream American attitude of private ownership and settled farming. Some Native Americans did become farmers convinced that assimilation into white society and having a property deed were their only protections against those who would rob them of their lands. Others rejected the white man’s world of markets, deeds, schools, and Christianity. Encouraging resistance, they deemed the government’s allotment strategy a conspiracy to destroy tribal culture and organization which indeed it was. Native Americans would have been familiar with the concept of gleaning in some fashion even if they did not call it that.
In Judeo-Christian tradition, gleaning the fields is central to the story of Ruth found in the Old Testament. Ruth was a Moabite, the widowed daughter-in-law of the widow, Naomi. To prevent starvation, Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz: “And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after himin whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.” (Ruth 2:2). The example is found again in Ruth 2:23 “So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.” Because Ruth was a widow, she had no husband to provide for her. She took the initiative and went out into the fields to take care of herself and Naomi. She was not afraid of admitting her need or working hard.
Modern Christians can practice the biblical concept of gleaning by allowing others to “glean” from our abundance and to “glean” from God’s Word.
Throughout Scripture we see God blessing people and promising to bless people. But abundance isn’t only for the wealthy. In the book of Ruth, Boaz set this example. He was wealthy and richly blessed. When he learned of Ruth’s story, and of her dedication to her mother-in-law Naomi, he instructed his field workers to drop extra grain on the ground for Ruth to collect. Boaz is an ancient example of sharing abundance which modern Christians can apply today. People often talk about God doing “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20). What does this look like in your current lifestyle? What corners of your field or extra margins could you share?
It could be sharing your talents and gifts.
It could be giving extra time to help those in need.
It could be taking groceries to the local food pantry.
It could be giving free space or donations to non-profits if you’re a business owner.
It could be giving to charity.
There are many examples of giving what we have to help others. The commandment of gleaning reflects God’s desire for people of means to create opportunities for the poor and marginalized to be productive and contribute to their own well-being. In the Bible, gleaning created a safety net for those who were in need. Many politicians, especially conservatives, do not follow this belief. They use the ideas of gleaning as fearmongering among their followers. They are afraid that laws similar to Christian charity might be applied to the wider world. They fear losing their own abundance.
We glean from the Bible, too. We gather, we acquire, we obtain, we extract. And what we acquire becomes a provision of God’s word for our spiritual nourishment. It becomes words to live by. It applies to us today because like Ruth, we are among foreigners, gleaning the living word of God to sustain us as we apply his truth and teachings in a fallen world.We must keep in mind the latter references that God will glean us one by one threshing out the righteous from the unrighteous.
We should take note that we will glean different concepts, lessons, and boundaries depending on the season we are in. Notice that Ruth gathered for the whole harvesting season. From March to May, she gathered barley; from May through July she gathered wheat. As we grow in our faith, we will have different seasons of harvest. Like Ruth, we need to stay in the fields with other experienced believers to glean what we can from their wisdom. In Ruth 2:8, we see the wisdom and example set for Ruth in this manner. The Lord might say to you what Boaz said to Ruth; “Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens.” Gleaning in the Bible is an important concept that a believer should take to heart and remember. Each time we open the word of God, ask Him what He wants you to glean from His Word today.
Believe it or not, the custom of allowing the poor to glean in the grain fields and vineyards is still practiced by generous landlords in some parts of the world such as in Syria. Sometimes the owner will send a helper to glean what remains to be given to the poor. The appointed “watchmen,” who are like a type of security guard over the fields, groves, or vineyards, allow the poorest of the poor to glean what the harvesters missed. Sometimes, a gracious owner will intentionally instruct his workers to leave some of the produce so the poor can harvest it and provide for themselves and their families. This falls within the Pillars of the Islamic Faith, the third pillar zakat, or alms. In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. Many rulers and wealthy Muslims build mosques, drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a religious duty and to secure the blessings associated with charity. Why aren’t Christians doing more of this? Why do so many evangelical Christians fight against welfare programs by the government? It is because they do not follow the concept of gleaning.
There is still a harvest going on and the Lord God is gleaning the corners of humanity, but it appears to be only the corners of the fields that are left. As Jesus said “For many are called, but few are chosen,” (Matthew 22:14) and so we must understand that “Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38). Sadly, most Christians (less than 1 in 10) have ever entered the harvest fields even once.
In contemporary societies, it may not be easy to discern how to apply the principles of gleaning. In many countries, land reform is certainly needed so that land is securely available to farmers rather than being controlled by capricious government officials or landowners who obtained it corruptly. In more industrialized and knowledge-based economies, land is not the chief factor of production. Access to education, capital, product and job markets, transport systems, and non-discriminatory laws and regulations may be what less fortunate people need to be productive. Leviticus does not contain a system ready-made for today’s economies. But the gleaning system in Leviticus does place an obligation on the owners of productive assets to ensure marginalized people have the opportunity to work for a living, and those who cannot work are taken care of by those who can. In many cases that is the government. We shouldn’t begrudge someone for needing government assistance.
One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
While this poem is not scripture, but “Footprints in the Sand” does offer hope for the reader who recognizes God’s promises between the lines. However, there is scripture related to “Footprints in the Sand.” The poem seems to draw much of its inspiration from Psalms.
Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” In Psalm 77:19, states “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.” Psalm 119:133 begs God to “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
In the New Testament, such as 1 Peter 2:21, the Christian is exhorted to follow in Jesus’ footsteps: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps,” Romans 4:12 says “And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.”
The promise of God carrying us in times of need can easily apply it to the challenges of daily life. In the 4th stanza, the Father says, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.” This is what the Lord has promised in Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has fulfilled His promise to be with us all the time and keeps that promise by not only being omnipresent, but by helping Christians in the form of the Holy Spirit.
“Footprints in the Sands” connects direction, identity, and example with the promises of God. He will protect. He will also equip His people to follow. Paul prayed, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
This reality should give us real, solid hope. After all, if God is unchanging, and He has told us He will never leave nor forsake us:
We never have to be afraid. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” asks Paul in Romans 8:31. What enemy is bigger, more frightening, or more powerful than God? Can there be any time in our lives so low that He is not there, sheltering us in the shadow of His Almighty protection? (Psalm 91)
We are never alone. Jesus prepared us for adversity and division. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Mathew 10:34) Christ provides the defense and companionship of His Spirit “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)
We are not strong—God is. “My grace is sufficient,” is what God said to the Apostle Paul. Paul decided to “boast in my infirmities” because, in them “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God really is carrying us even if life seems unbearably difficult. He is carrying us particularly when life is at its toughest.
We can give this hope to others. Many people find consolation in the poem “Footprints,” but their consolation is shaky if it is based on a powerless view of God who is just an energy in the universe, not Lord and not personal Savior. Christians can use this poem as a way to discuss the power of God. In Ephesians 1:19, Paul tells us “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.”
It’s not healthy or obedient to spend too much time concentrating on our needs, but we can derive hope from understanding that God is closer than we imagine. If you take anything from “Footprints in the Sand,” perhaps it will be that reminder. We are weak, and God does carry us, because He is both omnipotent Lord and personal Savior.
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:17-32 (NASB)
Sometimes I read a passage from the Bible, and it has a special meaning to me. It is like God is speaking to me through His Word. I think this is one of the great things about the Bible. Not only is it God’s Word, but it is also one of the ways God speaks to us. When I read a passage, the first thing that comes to my mind is usually what God is telling me. The Bible is written in a way that allows interpretations to fit an individual person. It is also written as a guide to how we are supposed to live. The passage above is sometimes given different titles according to the translation you look at: “Instructions for Christian Living,” “The Christian’s Walk,” or “The New Life.” When I read it, it really resonated with me, in what some may consider and unorthodox interpretation.
Nearly all of us have experienced something in our life that is a major turning point. Something that changes us forever. For LGBTQ people, that is often coming out. When we come out, we “lay aside the old self” and “put on the new self.” We speak our truth as to who we are. Being gay is not the only thing we are; it is most certainly a defining part of our lives, but we are also much more than just LGBTQ. Every time we authentically and courageously speak our truth, we love ourselves a little bit more. For those of us rejected by our families because of our sexuality, we give ourselves the love our family could not give us, and we reclaim our right to be heard, valued, and respected. Being seen and heard is our inherent birthright. God created us as we are, and by speaking our truth and coming out, we are claiming our authentic selves.
When someone rejects us for coming out, we are reborn in the newness of life. It’s similar to being born again after baptism. We rise up in the newness of life. We no longer walk in the old ways. Those who rejected us are “in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.” Their rejection is a hardness of their heart. Often those who rejected us quote Biblical scripture saying that we are the sinners (we are all sinners); however, it is they who are not walking with God and have hardened their hearts to our truth. For LGBTQ Christians, when we come out, we are walking with God and living as he created us, authentically and proudly.
When we come out, we leave our “old self” behind. That former person who was hiding in the closet was “being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,” and by coming out, we are renewed “in the spirit” of our mind, and put on the new self, “which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Therefore, we are “laying aside falsehood,” and we are speaking truth to those around us. God allows us to be angry at those who rejected us. He says, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Being rejected hurts and angers us, but we need to live our truth. The psychological damage of living in the closet can be so devastating. We have to forgive those who rejected us because God tells us to forgive. He tells us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
There will probably always be people who condemn the LGBTQ community, but I think it is important that we accept ourselves and put aside our old self and live authentically. It does not matter what others think of us. Their rejection of us is their problem and not ours. They are like the Gentiles who have “in the futility of their mind” become “darkened in their understanding,” and they are “excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them.” God commands us to love one another. When people put that aside because of false beliefs, they are the sinners, not us. People who are filled with hate have no place with God. They are lost in the wilderness because they have chosen hate instead of love.
So, be true to who you are. Cast away those who are toxic in your life. Get rid of those who cause you strife. Some of us can live in a kind of cold war with our families. We still love them, but we know of their disapproval. But living in the closet can do more harm to our wellbeing. It is very hard to love ourselves fully when we hide. And it’s very hard to love others when we don’t love ourselves. Therefore, the closet is a lonely place. By coming out, we
live our life honestly.
build self-esteem by being honest about oneself.
develop closer, more genuine relationships with friends and family.
alleviate the stress of hiding one’s identity.
connect with other people who are LGBTQ.
are part of a community with others with whom you have something in common.
help to dispel myths and stereotypes by speaking about one’s own experience and educating others.
are a role model for others.
By coming out and being our true selves, we can learn to truly love God and love ourselves.
Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
—Matthew 11:28-29
Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt overwhelmed by the things of this world? When life seemed so hard and no matter what you did, things just wouldn’t go right? Deep soul weariness: We all experience it, though in different ways and for different reasons.
Sometimes we can point to a significant factor, but often we can’t. Our weariness results from the cumulative, multilayered intersections of life’s complexities, bodily frailties, emotional heartbreaks, and the consequences of sin. During this pandemic, I suspect many people are feeling this way. Some people who have jobs and are working from home long to be back in the office. Then there are the people who have lost their job and worry when they will find another one in the current economy. Others live in fear of contracting COVID-19. Sometimes the despair surpasses understanding. We just know that we are feeling overwhelmed in our lives but have no clear reason.
Because our burdens are not simple, they are not relieved by simplistic platitudes (“Cheer up! Things are bound to turn around!”). But a simple promise can relieve a complex burden, provided we believe that the power behind the promise is complex and strong enough to relieve our heaviness. Let’s take a look at how we can turn to God in times like these. The passage above gives us promise.
The first thing that Jesus says to us is, “Come to Me…” We are allowed to come to God personally; there is nothing between Him and us. We should take our troubles to God as the song “What a Friend We have in Jesus” says:
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer; Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
Second, He is inviting us to come. God wants you, in fact, Jesus wants to save us from our sins and woes so much that He died on the cross to prove it. Jesus didn’t have to come to this earth and die, but God’s love is so great, and He wanted us so much that He chose to come. All of this means: YOU ARE LOVED. Third, God lets us know who needs rest: it is those who labor and are burdened, but what does that mean? In this context, those who labor means those who are striving to do it all on their own and failing. I know that in my life I often try to do many things on my own. Sometimes that works, but sometimes we need help. When we are heavy laden, it is like our spirit, mind, will, and emotions cannot function because there is this weight on us that we try to lift by ourselves. It causes us to feel down, depressed, anxious, all those negative things that we do not want in life.
So, what does God say when we are weary? He will give us rest, and the best thing is He even tells us how, and it is by taking His yoke upon us and learning from Him. What is this yoke? Rest for our souls (our mind, will, and emotions). So, what does God give us rest from? Among many things, God can give us rest from hopelessness, anxiety, and depressions. There was a time in my life when I didn’t really believe this was possible, but God sent caring people into my life and with time, I healed and my faith was restored. I can’t say that everything is perfect now, but the despair I once felt has lifted considerably, and a lot of that had to do with my faith in God and the love of those around me.
God has good plans for our lives, and we can rest knowing that no matter what our life is like now, if we trust God, it will get better, but it may take time. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the Israelites during the Babylonian captivity, a period which lasted nearly a century, and said to them:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
— Jeremiah 29:11-13
Sometimes God doesn’t immediately rescue us from suffering and hardship. Sometimes He may not fix a problem right away, and most of the time it requires patience on our part. The Israelites in exile felt despair, like we all do at times in our lives. These periods of hopelessness, anxiety, and depressions robs us of our ability to enjoy life and not only hurts us mentally but physically as well. That is not God’s will for our lives. God wants us to live a full life and is able to heal our minds as we take those steps of faith to find rest in Him.
So how do we find rest with God? We should do our best to be like Jesus to follow in his footsteps. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
—Matthew 5:3-12
This passage of scripture, commonly called the Beatitudes, are the teachings of Jesus in which He instructs us that if we live according to the Beatitudes, we will live a happy Christian life. The Beatitudes fulfill God’s promises made to Abraham and his descendants and describe the rewards that will be ours as loyal followers of Christ. Each beatitude looks at different circumstances of life and how all Christians are blessed through their faith. Through the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us about virtues and values in life that will result in blessings and rewards. These beatitudes are not singled out for specific people—they are blessings applicable to all Christians.
I hope that this will encourage all of us and give us hope as we face each day knowing that we are called blessed! No matter your current situation, age, job, or family life, if you apply the beatitudes to your life, you will experience a joy and be fulfilled in your life. The Lord “will give you rest.”
I want to leave you with the song “What a Friend We have in Jesus” as sung by the late Holly Dunn. Holly has long been my favorite country music singer. Sadly, she passed away back in 2016. However, she left with us her beautiful voice and her wonderful songs.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble….Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (KJV) (Psalm 46:1, 10)
The world is in chaos right now with the coronavirus pandemic and the myriad of ill-conceived responses to it. It’s particularly chaotic in the United States where our president (I almost wrote leader, but he is no leader), is doing everything in his power to make the world more chaotic. When we need strength and courage the most, we only have weak and cowardly. While the president’s campaign had claimed that more than a million people had sought tickets to attend the rally at the 19,000-seat BOK Center, the venue was still half empty by the time Trump landed in Tulsa. The crowd for the rally was much smaller than expected. COVID-19 has not been kind to Tulsa lately. At a second, outdoor venue where Trump was set to declare a “great American comeback” was so sparsely attended that he and Vice President Mike Pence both canceled appearances there. Maybe his followers are running like scared rats on a sinking ship.
Trump’s supporters have a religious fervor to them akin to the snake handling churches of my home state of Alabama. One man at the Tulsa rally said, “If it is God’s will that I get coronavirus that is the will of the Almighty. I will not live in fear.” This idea has been repeated by many who refuse to wear masks or social distance and choose to gather in crowds. What these people don’t understand is that God wants to you protect yourself and others. They equate Trump’s lack of morality, if they chose to believe he has a lack of morality, with various deeply flawed biblical figures: David, Saul, Solomon, and even the Persian King Cyrus. I won’t go into the whys of this strange belief because they are too ludicrous to even contemplate for long.
The fact is, the world has gone mad, and we need our faith to help right this ship. So, what can we do at a time like this? When we find ourselves in trouble, where do we turn? Do we call our parents, best friend, or sibling? If they aren’t available, then where do we turn? In the moment you can turn to God, who knows you, loves you, and has made you who you are. He will come to comfort us and rescue us when we encounter trouble. He is always ready for us to pray to Him whenever our hearts cry out to Him. Pause, breathe, and meditate on the truth that no matter how chaotic our world feels, we serve a powerful God. Simple truth can bring us the most comfort in a confusing world. This is the truth; God is still in control and working on our behalf. We just need to trust God and keep calm and carry on.
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