Dear Trekker,
In January of this year I announced my intention to get serious about daily journaling. You are due for a report; it is happening. It is incredibly rewarding and I highly recommend it. It is bringing me into a deeper relationship with my heavenly Father; it is making me more disciplined; it is an excellent vehicle to assist me in meditation and reflection.
Just today I discovered the following words I had written and slipped into a devotional book I am reading, but which did not make it into my daily journal. They seem appropriate: I would hope someday, long after I am gone, somebody might say, “Well, you know, there was this old guy Meredith, first name Jim, who wrote about life as a journey. He called it a trek, seeking the intergenerational transfer of the knowledge of God. He pointed to the eternal story behind the day’s fleeting headlines. We are each one mentors, leading one another into truth, which begins by meeting the Lifegiver.”
Gee, I hope all readers of this newsletter have met the Lifegiver, Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior and Lifegiver to all who receive his forgiveness and empowerment. This old trekker believes, as many have down through the ages, that He is the way to truth, the embodiment of truth itself, and the lifegiving substance in all of life here on earth. That is why I so often use the term Lifegiver. Jesus is the man! One of his disciples, John, quoted Him saying these same things 2000 years ago. One would be wise to ponder their meaning.
Once the Lifegiver breaks through the clouds and fog of our lives, we are more able to make sense of life in a fallen world. That doesn’t mean living out one’s beliefs is easy. It is a challenge to match faith and practice for us all. Recognizing this is both instructive and humbling; it certainly leads us to be “less hard” on our fellow man.
Some things are just tough to do! A good brother, many generations past, the apostle Paul, phrased it this way, “I have the desire to do what is good, but I can’t carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; so, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep doing.”
I thought of the words of Paul recently while reading a challenging little book I would heartily recommend, “What Jesus Meant”, by Garry Wills. A colleague who recommended it to me said it was as meaningful a book to him as any he had ever read, exclusive of the Bible. Wills explains that Jesus opposed all formalisms in worship: ritual purification, sacrifice, Sabbath, and eating codes, etc, because he called authentic only the religion of the heart, the inner purity and union with the Father that he had achieved and is able to share with his followers. (Check out Matt 6:5-8 in this light.) True faith in Jesus is no less demanding, but more so, according to Wills. Radical cleansing can’t be achieved by externals. I agree! (Read Matt 5:27- 30).
Followers in Jesus’ day could not grasp “inner purity” lived out. We wrestle with the same dilemma. Beloved devotional writer Brennan Manning (who I have mentioned before) cautions us in this respect: “None of us has ever seen a motive.” If this statement is true, understanding the heart of another, what does or does not motivate him or her, is impossible to know, much less assess. Now, if inner purity is key to God, it should be so to us as well, but clearly a personal matter upon which we are ill equipped to come to any conclusion with regard to another. God told Samuel, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”.
If “inner heart purity” is the essence of faith, and we don’t have a clue or the capability to deal in that sphere, what are we to do? If the intention is what matters, not the external ritual or practice, how do we live freely, relationally and encouragingly within the community of faith, and “live and let live”?
As I read Wills’ assertion, remembering the admonition of Manning, I jotted down some thoughts. I hope they are helpful:
1. Give others the benefit of the doubt! We all are sinners, but we still retain the stamp of God, even though flawed. Liars sometimes tell the truth; and sinners often do good for their fellow man. Man is the sinner; his acts are often good. Since we can’t read another’s heart, let’s loosen up a bit. Let’s let the Evil one be the accuser. The old adage is true: “Our sins will find us out.” They need not be pointed out! Let us see the good in one another!
2. Always assume intentions are honorable until it is overwhelmingly clear that they are not. Be cautious, but not caustic or cynical. God is always at work in all of our lives; don’t limit him by our distrust of others. Perhaps we are really not trusting God.
3. Try to support people by encouraging their desire to do good, not correcting or standing in judgment of their outward practice. Let Jesus, the Lifegiver, define your comfort zone in how you deal with people. He loved people yet rebuked the religious leaders of his day. Remember trekker, religion has destroyed many a man (it literally killed Jesus) when another has not lived up to certain expectations.
4. Give wide latitude to practices! For 72 years, I’ve seen faith lived out in a thousand ways. The Creator and Savior is bringing many from every culture unto Himself! We should (and will) stand in awe as He brings many sons and daughters into glory. Jesus never leaves or forsakes any of us; some simply move forward at a faster or slower pace; while others do not know His love or respond to his friendship, or consciously turn to “their own way”. (Check Isaiah 53:6)
5. Focus on the heart, your heart, for out of it come the issues of life! (Proverbs 4:23) What really matters with God is not outcomes, but faithful heart commitment, which often leads to successful outcomes. For sure, God finishes His work! “He who began a good work in you will complete it”, Paul wrote to the Philippian church.
So trekker, the future is bright. As you climb the mountain, encourage others along the way. You can’t look inside Another’s heart, but you can give hope to another’s heart. May we all ask for a heart like the Savior!
Trekking with Him for His glory,
Jim Meredith
You are so awsmeoe for helping me solve this mystery.