Nimrod

There's a man that (to me) has the best name in the entire Bible. It’s not because he was such a good guy, and it’s not because he was so righteous...this guy has one of the most memorable names in the Bible because his name was Nimrod!

The first mention we have of Nimrod is in Gen. 10:8-9, where the Bible describes him as a famous and mighty hunter. If Nimrod was around today..he would have action figures made in his image. He would have the biggest endorsements from Nike and Gatorade. He would have kids all around the world following his Twitter account. This guy was famous! The Bible singles Nimrod out as being one of the greatest hunters of the day, but it's not clear as to what we was hunting (and from the language of this text, it seems he was more like one who hunted men to conquer them as he used his power to make people do what he wanted them to do).

Whatever the case, his name (in that day) became synonymous with greatness...if people wanted to give compliments (like if you were good at hunting) people would come up to you and say, “You’re a Nimrod!”

But the name Nimrod, by definition, had a much darker reference. It means “to rebel, to revolt”. Now, we know that he was a powerful man, he was a very skilled man, and after a while, he came to rule over a large area. Genesis 10:10-12 says: “He built his kingdom in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) with the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).”

So by the time we come to Genesis 11, Nimrod’s kingdom of Babylon is huge...and he, obviously, has a big enough workforce that he begins to build what is known as the Tower of Babel. Nimrod was the guy behind the tower of Babel...he was like Pharaoh, wanting to build huge structures by slave labor...and set himself up as king.

Also, at this time, the whole earth had one language...one common language. Genesis 11:3-4 says “They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky (or “that will reach into heaven”). This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

They used the best building materials of the day. Everybody was excited…they were building the biggest building the world had ever seen. This would be a monument to their power and skill and ingenuity! Sounds like the mindset of Nimrod, right?

What’s missing from this picture? Anything remotely related to God. GOD is left out of the whole project (no altars built to Him, no sacrifices made in gratitude to His blessings), and it wasn’t that long ago (in their past) that the flood happened (just a few hundred years before). How could they forget THAT?! You would think the people would give God His due.

But the people left God out of their plans. The tower of Babel served as a temple, an idol to the god of fame and fortune...to the god of getting noticed. The people forgot God, and started to think only about themselves. Moral: don’t forget God...and don’t be a nimrod!

Distractions

After working with Dad on the farm last Thursday…Kacie, Kenlea, and I were invited over to a friend’s house to eat some supper. Nothing better than grilled, whole hog sausage (but that’s beside the point). Following that delicious meal and amusing conversation we drove home toward Marshall County (Kacie and Kenlea behind me in her car).

Once on the road, I realized just how tired I was because I hadn’t even turned on my radio (which is usually a staple in my truck). Sitting there in the cab, listening only to the hum of the engine and the occasional suspension yelp caused by the old chat roads, my mind became increasingly focused on things not of this world. No music. No phone. No commercial or technological overload. Just me, the road, and God.

Distractions seem to be an indispensable part of our fast-paced lives…while times of quiet reflection and spiritual refreshment are increasingly rare. We always have something to do, something to watch, something to listen to…and very little time to examine the weightier matters of life. Maybe we don’t want to think about those things…maybe we’re truly distracted with our hectic schedules…maybe we feel more comfortable not thinking about the spiritual stuff of life, while we‘re right at home never stopping to see, search out, or thank God for any of His blessings.

Don’t let the distractions of everyday…keep you from seeing the grace of God in life. Thank God for your family. Thank God for your friends. Thank God for the abilities you have to do your job (no matter how tired it makes you). Don’t be so distracted that you forget about Who truly owns all the things that entertain us in the first place.

Too Scared of Strangers

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” (Hebrews 13:2): A task (dare I say command) that remains largely forsaken amongst those who call themselves Christians. It’s like a throbbing scourge in the heart of God Himself! Scanning over the church, we can almost hear the sound of His raging displeasure, only to hear His voice masked by the justification of a selfish “Christian/American” culture spewing rhetoric concerning the poor and needy, saying: “They’re alright. The government will take care of them. Why do I have to lift a finger to help?”

We can all confess that culture and mindset have changed drastically in this nation over the past several decades. We only trust the people we know, and then only in small doses. Helping strangers can lead to identity theft, robbery, even physical harm…but is the task of Hebrews 13:2 dependent upon the culture and time in which we live? Can this virtue be dismissed simply because of the danger it may pose? To borrow an intense, New Testament phrase from the Apostle Paul, “God forbid!”

Admittedly, I am rather reserved (even down-right doubtful sometimes) when a person calls the church building who is needing an electric bill paid, or groceries delivered, or their hotel room paid for the night (especially when they have called multiple times before). This is a person (in need) asking for help…but does my doubt and suspicion negate the task at hand? (I know we’re to be responsible with the Lord’s resources, but that’s not the point I’m getting at). Have we become so terrified of strangers in need that we’ve lost our capability, as Christians, to show them hospitality? Are we using the times in which we live as an excuse to exempt us from our responsibility to “do good unto all men”? (Galatians 6:10)

Losing Religion to Politics

No doubt many of you (like myself) were glued to the television last night, wondering about the results of the mid-term elections. Some were disappointed, others were delighted…and it’s easy to look at things simply from a blue or red point of view and forget a few spiritual things. Like what?

In a fallen world there is no perfect political party, no perfect political candidate, and no perfect political policies. As Christians, we have to always keep in mind Psalm 146:3 - “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” A government cannot save, and we can‘t put our trust in man to deliver what God alone can do…but we also have to keep in kind that God has ordained this government to maintain justice and punish evil (Romans 13:1-7).

As such, we all have obligations to live the best we can as Christian citizens…living lives that would bring glory to God, and (no matter what anyone says) this does come out in what sort of government we support. Christians can and do disagree about political things, but biblical Christianity ultimately transcends party politics. Having said that, some political parties and policies may be closer to biblical concerns than others.

C.S. Lewis once warned about the dangers of “Christianity and…” Whether it be Christianity and Republicans, or Christianity and Democrats, or Christianity and tea parties. In a fallen world no political party will fully reflect all of God’s concerns. So, we have to wisely and prayerfully consider where our votes are going, and what they‘re going for when it comes to issues like gay marriage, abortion, funding for sinful activities, etc.

Each Christian (each of you) has to prayerfully and thoughtfully seek God on every issue of life, and politics are no different. The stakes are high, and failure to seek God in all these things will be tragic. At the very least, we have to keep I Tim 2:1-2 in mind: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

God comes first, not country. God comes first, not politics. God comes first…period. It’s when we lose sight of God that we lose our identity as His children.

Patterns

In life there are patterns seen at every turn: the changing of the day to night, the shifting of the seasons, the orbit of the moons and planets….all these are patterns that will be seen throughout time. These things have been set in motion by our Creator and they will remain until time is no more. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) However, there is another pattern which will be observed as long as the world stands…and it’s of human choice and origin.

Like clockwork, man has (from the days of Adam and Eve) been caught in a web of sin. It’s been a pattern seen in every age of man since the first generation stepped out of the Garden of Eden. We have always, and will always, be caught up in this labyrinth. Like the children of Israel before us, there will be times of great virtue in our lives, where righteous zeal will burn brighter than the stars of the heavens…but there will also be times of great spiritual shame, where morality and godly principles are, seemingly, out of reach.

Times of refreshing come, but soon after that spiritual stimulation…we let the darkness creep in again. Just as the day turns to night, just as the seasons shift, so does our focus. Sometimes we see, clearly, the things we need to be doing for our Creator. Other times, our eyes are dimmed to the opportunities we have to glorify God because of terrestrial tunnel-vision or indecent desires that don’t match-up with the will of God.

So, where do you find yourself in this pattern? Are you standing in the Sonlight of Christ, or have you let the darkness in again? Are you in sin, or in your Savior?

Friday Night Melodies

Hazel Church of Christ in Hazel, KY has a building that’s the best around when it comes to congregational singing. The church meets in an old-timey structure with a tin ceiling and concrete floors with a thin layer of carpet…all that keeps the voices ringing and bouncing from ceiling to floor! It’s like hearing an echo off the walls of heaven itself! Put 75 people in that building (that love to sing songs of praise to God) and that‘s as close to the throne-room of God you can get this side of eternity!

Most Friday nights there’s gonna be a singing at some Church of Christ around west Kentucky or west Tennessee. From the thousand member Glendale Road congregation to the thirty member Hazel congregation…Friday night melodies are a staple around here (and I love it).

However, the gradual decline of these Friday night singings is easily seen in the fewer and fewer numbers of Christians who seem to be interested in attending. The crowd percentage is made up of more seasoned Christian bodies, and with less and less younger souls willing to attend…I’m afraid that in a few years these Friday night melodies will fade away in Sunday dinner memories.

Swollen with Stuff

I’ve been trying to lose some of my “preacher figure” in the mid-section (where all the awesome meals my wife cooks and every potluck casserole seems to stick). Mountain biking has helped to release some of the fat covering my abs, but it’s more than just exercise. If I ride 10 miles through the woods at Land Between the Lakes, and then come home and eat 3,000 calories worth of junk…it doesn’t really help me get rid of my fat belly. It’s has to be a combination of action plus discipline (and I can hear my wife saying, “Stop drinking your calories, then.”)

Anyway, I weigh more right now than I ever have before (210 pounds), but it doesn’t really hit you until you see yourself in a picture or on video. That reality forces you to examine your habits of life. And it’s the same way in our Christian living. Sometimes we don’t see how lazy and lax we have become until we stop and notice the person we’ve turned into. We begin to perceive that the things we used to do at church…we don’t do anymore. We may realize that we’ve lost interest in doing things for others or studying more about God, and we just focus on ourselves.

It’s a slow process. It took about 3 years for me to go from 190 to 210...that’s less than a pound a month, but over time…it really shows up. Over time…our choice to serve self over God (and serving self over others) will show up. Whether it be missing church services, or failing to go to Bible study, or we simply stop praying…when we don’t examine where we are in our spiritual life, it’s only a matter of time until our lives becomes swollen with stuff…and there’s no room for God (II Corinthians 13:5). So, check your spiritual diet, and examine what your soul has become. Change your habits, if need be, but do something to get your spiritual life in shape