Greater Than Angels

Hebrews 1:6 “And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said ‘Let all of God’s angels worship him.’” One night at the dinner table I remember my mom telling me that I had this tendency to place too much importance on influential people. I was an ambitious 25 year old, hustling in the very hierarchical society that is Seoul, Korea. “Of course I need to focus on influential people!” I thought to myself. “How else will I achieve anything?” Her point was not that they are evil, but that pandering to powerful people can bring your focus away from the most powerful person. In today’s passage, the author quotes their own holy texts to explain to Hebrew Christians that Jesus stands supreme above even the angels they placed in such authority. Many of my mentors have been real messengers from God, just like the old testament angels. But I’ve found that God uses them most powerfully when I honor them within the context of the Son’s supremacy. I got to thinking about the angels in my life today. My new personal trainer has really opened my eyes to a new understanding of my body. My founders demonstrate a sacrificial intensity that points straight to heaven. My dad’s new doctors usher in a glimmer of hope when statistically there should be none. I honor and bless these angels today. But I do so knowing fully that the ultimate honor goes to the big guy upstairs. Lord, thank you for using your angels. Bless them and their families today. I thank you for the gift of relationship with these incredible messengers of your love. But I also pray that I maintain my focus not only on the gifts, but ultimately on the giver. In your son’s name, Amen.

Indistractable

Hebrews 1:1 “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.” On Saturday one of my friends at House Church asked “I have this urge to watch Netflix instead of spending time with God. Something about that doesn’t feel quite right. Is there anything we can do to make quiet time more attractive?” We discussed the importance of keeping at it even when we don’t feel like it, but I also added that “the tech and media industries have managed to hack the pleasure center of our brains so we keep on using their products. The Netflix series ‘Social Dilemma’ and Nir Eyal’s book ‘Indistractable’ unpack some of these ideas. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough believers leveraging these same tactics to get us to read scripture or pray more.” My wife Elaine brought up The Chosen and suggested that our friend have a look. I’ve talked about it before but for recent additions I’ll say it again. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s really, really worthwhile. Creator Dallas Jenkins explained that “Netflix creates all these binge-worthy shows, but I couldn’t understand why there wasn’t a similar show about the most binge-worthy story in the history of the universe.” In today’s passage, the author of Hebrews contrasts the amazing stories of the old testament with the most amazing story of God’s son. It reminded me this morning of the singular specialty of this story. So I watched an episode of the Chosen, and as usual, I was deeply moved. Lord thanks for the good news. Thanks for recruiting Dallas Jenkins and a new generation of creators to create insanely addictive experiences of your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Functional Patterns

1 John 4:19 “We love, because he first loved us.” For my whole life I’ve maintained a relatively disciplined workout routine. Over the past few weeks I’ve discovered with my new trainer Boo (and the system he teaches called Funtional Patterns) that while lifting weights did make me stronger, it also tore apart my body and led to structural imbalances. These already cause some pain, and I know that as I age the pain and the imabalances that cause them will only get worse. Discipline is a good thing, but when applied in the wrong way it can lead to disastrous results. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve been in a spiritual rut over the last week. I’ve tried to get past the hump with spiritual discipline. I’ve opened my bible, plowed through our house church materials, sang some worship songs, but it’s all felt a little too much like going through the motions. But this morning in prayer I asked God what He wanted me to do today, and here was his response. “John, I love you. I honor that you submit your will to mine, but asking me what I want you ‘to do’ is the wrong question.” “Ok God, then what’s the right question?” “Ask me ‘how much do you love me?’ Because if you ask me that, I’ll answer you with the most beautiful of sunsets. I’ll answer you with the sweetest expression on your child’s face. I’ll answer you with the love of a father who’s more concerned with his children’s state of mind than the state of his own cancer.” I broke down as the spirit of God fell on me. I felt closer and more covered in the rest of that session than I have in a really long time, and I guess that makes sense. See the bible says that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. That does mean spending time in prayer, reading the word and serving others. God wants us to partake in these activites, but when we do so out of a sense of duty, to check a box because we’re “so disciplined”, it leads to serious imbalances. Martha, the prodigal son’s brother and the Pharisees are testament. The root of our love for God must be God’s love for us. Once we remember the lengths to which He goes, prayer and service become not things you “have to do”, but things you “get to do.” Lord thank you for balancing the imbalances. Thank you for righting the wrongs. Thank you for traversing heaven and earth in search of relationship with me. In your son’s name, Amen.