Narcissism unleashed

It is amazing to me that the people in the world today, especially the Western world, are so filled with self-centeredness.  Almost every day there are stories of people who do things mean or unsightly to others because of their own feeling of privilege and beliefs in their superiority.  These narcissistic personalities are crafting their lives on the backs of others about whom they feel are unimportant and undeserving by maneuvering events and situations toward themselves just so they can feel important.

It is almost like we have become a society of anti-social personalities who are predisposed to destroy those around us just so we can see ourselves in the mirror one more time.  It is there in business, government, industry, communities, families and of course, individuals.  It is more than fierce competition that drives us to undercut those around us.  It has become a natural life-style of many who see themselves as "number one" and require the worship of others.  When that self-aggrandized worship is denied, the person presses even more fiercely to claw their way to the top of the heap.  It leads to some feeling exhilarated in achieving their goal to dump as many as possible from humanity onto the garbage pile of human misery.

The writer of Proverbs says, "Better is a person of humble standing who nevertheless has a servant, than one who pretends to be somebody important yet has no food."  (Proverbs 12:9)  The "humble" person who is looked down upon by others, who is not part of the "in" crowd, but still does the very best he can, and at the same time is fair and just in his relationship with others is a much better person that the one who is pretentious.  This is a person who feigns importance for himself.  A practice of "play-acting" a part of being someone important to make others think of the person more highly.  Yet, even though that person spends all of his money on himself to make himself look good, he makes himself so poor he is unable to even afford food for himself.  This is a person who lives well beyond his financial means just to impress others and make them think he is better than he actually  is.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. For each one will carry his own load."  (Galatians 6:2-5)

We are warned repeatedly in the Scriptures not to think of ourselves more highly than others:

"For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith."  (Romans 12:3)

"There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully."  (Proverbs 30:13)

"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited."  (Romans 12:16)

"The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks, 'God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.'”  (Psalms 10:4)

"Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself."  (Philippians 2:3)

These Scriptures warn against the haughtiness of self-centeredness.  Instead we are encouraged to gain Wisdom by thinking of others, and what is best for them.  The Apostle James gives us the path to True Wisdom:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. Such  wisdom does not come  from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.  And the fruit that consists of righteousness  is planted in peace among  those who make peace."  (James 3:13-18)

Jealousy and selfishness brings only the disorder of society and evil practices.  In contrast, see the difference Wisdom brings:  "Pureness, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical."  We are longing for peace among us?  Then we must be wise with our actions and put others before ourselves.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the young Preacher, Timothy that there would be a sign of the last days.  One of the things we could look for was how people would be treating others in the cultures and society.  "But understand this, that in the last days difficult  times will come. For people  will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these."  (1 Timothy 3:1-5)

Reading through these words brings us to the realization that our world is practicing these things almost to the letter.  People are "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant...loving pleasure rather than loving God."  Could there be any more insightful commentary on our world than that?

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God's reminder

 

I have always found it amazing that anywhere you open to in the Bible and start reading I can always see Jesus in any of those passages because we are this side of the cross.

Just now to test this hypothesis I picked up a Bible at my desk and randomly opened it to 1 Chronicles 4:27: "Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their entire clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah."

Then I thought, Judah was the clan from which Jesus was born years later.

I then tried again and this time randomly landed on Proverbs 22:17-18: "Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready for your lips."

Then I thought that Jesus is the wisest Teacher of all, and He promised to put His "Law" in my heart.

My friend sent me a story form Joni Eareckson that reminds me of the example like the one I just mentioned about the Bible. As a Christian I believe God has given us the ability to look at any experience we have and see the presence of Jesus in it. All we have to do is yield ourselves to His Will and He allows us to see that everything we experience is somehow related to Him and His provision for us.

"The Wall Won't Hurt You"

Joni Eareckson

"For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:29, NKJV"

"Corie is 19 years old, a little under five feet tall, has one of the most winsome smiles I've ever encountered, and has Down Syndrome. Corie's speech is a little slurred and her nouns and verbs don't always match. But that just adds to her charm. One summer at a Family Retreat she asked me excitedly, "Are you going rock wall and come down and watching me climb it all the way to the top and back down okay?" I replied, 'You bet!'"

"I watched the conference staff workers strap my new friend into her helmet and climbing harness. Corie was ready! She gave me a happy 'thumbs up,' turned to the wall, grabbed a rock, and away she went. She was so fast! This girl had no fear! After she had conquered her goal and scooted back down the wall, everyone cheered."

"But Heather, who was next, was too nervous to cheer. It was her very first climb... and she has Down syndrome, too. "Are you ready?" the staff worker asked her. She could only stare at him with a blank expression. But then Corie stepped in. "Headder, you are going, too, up?" she said. Slipping an arm around her friend, Corie said softly, "Okay it is, Headder. The wall won't hurt you." That was all Heather needed to hear. In the next instant she was scrambling up the wall. Halfway up, she meekly called down, 'It doesn't hurt!'"

"Are you facing an intimidating wall right now... a medical problem, an unexpected bill, a strained relationship, or a wrestling match with temptation? God has a purpose, and knows all about what you're facing. Look up, take heart and say, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13)."

Ms. Eareckson's  thoughts help us to understand that sometimes we face "walls" of discouragement and pain.  Our experiences may seem far away from what God is doing in our lives.  However, during good times, or not so good times, every experience for the Christian is a reminder that God has shed His Grace on each of us.  We can see Him and His working in and through us as we yield ourselves to Him and allow His Spirit to work through us. 

Sometimes it may seem that he is far away and there seems to be no purpose in what we are going through, but with His Grace, the shadows are dispelled, the curtain is drawn and we see clearly how an event has given us strength to grow in Him.  It is like the famous poem, "Footprints" when there was only one set of footprints in the sand and Jesus says, "It was then when I carried you."

   

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Founding Fathers

Through the years Historians have written volumes about America's Founding Fathers.  At least four of them who were numbered among the most important became the President of the newly established United States of America.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison were distinguished not only as Founding Fathers, but leaders through their Presidential terms.  Other recognized Founding Fathers included Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

These men were visionaries for sure; they were leaders in freedom and independence.  They risked their lives to break the tyranny of repression and injustice brought by unfair taxation and force from the rule of Great Britain.  These were men of character, integrity and high honor.  They believed in the principle of freedom, independence, self-rule, with power derived from the people and leadership directed from their Creator.  But one ingredient in their formula for freedom is not often examined.

Yes, these men individually were consecrated to the idea of freedom and they put their minds, souls and talents into the creation and development of a Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Revolutionary War and the United States Constitution.  But if they were only a small group of educated, insightful, well-intentioned group of patriotic elitists who tried to form an idea into a reality for the entire country, they likely would have failed.

It was their countrymen who provided the fuel for the Founding Fathers to launch into the realization of their ideals of self-government and freedom from tyranny.  I suspect that people throughout the Thirteen Colonies had experienced the weight of oppression delivered by a government thousands of miles away that tried to impose on the New World population the Monarchial Rules of yesteryear that frankly did not fit any longer.  The population of the Colonies had gelled to the point of having a commonality of their sense of justice.  They contrasted the British garrisons dotted throughout the land with the vastness of freedom that lay ahead through the birth of a new nation that was experiencing pains of renewal and regeneration.

With like-minded countrymen throughout the Colonies the Founding Fathers were able to spark the fire of revolt that would change all of their lives forever.  Countrymen who were just as smart, just as educated and just as committed to freedom and justice as were the individuals who rose to the level of Founding Fathers were willing to commit their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to self-govern.  As those ideas were formulated into words that would eventually give rise to hope in the future for individual independence I suspect there were many "Patrick Henrys" across the Colonies who were ready and willing to sound the alarm and fight for freedom.

And so it is, as we celebrate each Independence Day, we look not only to the leaders of this great nation that has grown likely well beyond the wildest dreams of our Founding Fathers, but we look to ourselves, our countrymen who still believe in freedom, independence and self-rule with the Divine Guidance from our Creator to keep us on course.

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Christ above all

 

Today's world is diverse.  The economical, political, social, cultural and religious world seem to be trying to merge together into a one-world system.  The problem is the diversity and ethnocentricity.  People groups tend to cluster, preferring to follow the trends of propinquity where personal relationships are stronger than integrated camaraderie.

The intent and motivation of mankind has come full circle.  Following the world-wide flood in the days of Noah (account of Noah in Genesis 7, 8 and 9), recorded in the Bible, the peoples of the earth were united in a one-world order.  They shared a common language and wanted to cluster together into a powerful force in unity.  The problem was that it interfered with the Will of God.  Genesis 11 gives us a glimpse of antiquity even before Greece and Rome:  "11:1 The whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary. 11:2 When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”

11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.”

11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth."  (Genesis 11:1-9)

 Because the peoples of the world scattered they sought out those of like language and began to cluster as families, then villages, cities and regions sharing their like-characteristics.  The Bible summarizes the families of the Children of Noah and the regions which they inhabited.  Today, however, through economics and political forces the world is again trying to establish common ground into what we hear our politicians call a "New World Order."

The remnants, however, of the old world remain; especially in the religious order.  Major religions of the world flourish:  Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslimism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Atheistic beliefs, Theism, and Christianity.  From these major divisions of beliefs are thousands of splintered groups with their own ethnocentric variances of their systems.  The continuum of faith and allegiance in each of these groups range from a passive acquaintance with the rudiments of the system to complete submission to its core.  Of all the systems and world-view beliefs, the one that is pre-eminent above all others is the one with Christ at its center.

God's Creation

The Bible records that God created the universe and the planets.  "1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)  The plural Hebrew word used for God, "Elohim" represents majesty and implies sovereignty and incomparability; He is the God over any other god.  Later God made that fact very clear to the people He had chosen to bear the lineage of Christ Who would ultimately pay the price for redemption of mankind.  He had declared in His First Commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me."  (Exodus 20:3)

We are reminded of the pre-eminence of Christ by one of His Disciples, John, as he recorded, "1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 1:2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 1:3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 1:5 And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.  1:14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father."  (John 1:1-5, 14)

Christ is the Creator; His relationship was with God, and was "fully God."  This passage declares that nothing that was created could be separated from Him since He was the Creator.  He was there in the beginning.  Nothing similar could be said about any other leader of any religious system.  It was God, through Christ that made the world and everything in it.  It is in Christ that we have life and none other.

Peter declares Christ

Jesus had been born as a light in this creation and His light "shines on in the darkness."  He lived His life as the ultimate sacrifice and paid the price on the cross with His shed blood.  It was there that we can become atoned and justified with our sins being blotted out because of God's Grace.  Peter, one of Jesus' Disciples, who later was an Apostle, recognized this and told us in his declaration to the people on the Day of Pentecost, fifty (50) days after Jesus ascended from Jerusalem into heaven.

"2:14 But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say. 2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 2:16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:

2:17 ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says,

‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people,

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

2:18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky above

and miraculous signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

2:20 The sun will be changed to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

2:21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know – 2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. 2:24 But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. 2:25 For David says about him,

‘I saw the Lord always in front of me,

for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

2:26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced;

my body also will live in hope,

2:27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades,

nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.

2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of joy with your presence.’

2:29 “Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 2:30 So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 2:31 David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay. 2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. 2:33 So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit at my right hand

2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”

It was Jesus Whom Peter said, "God...made...Lord and Christ."  When the Spirit of God had empowered Peter the result was a sermon that rehearsed the history that all the people present that day would remember.  Peter spoke from the Prophet Joel (Chapter 2) about the Spirit of God being poured out on the people.  Psalms 16: 8-11 served as a quotation from the great King of Israel, David.  He offered proof that it was not David, but Jesus Who ascended into heaven.  In this sense Jesus was in greater authority that King David.  Therefore, since all the people present was familiar with the citations Peter used, they knew without a doubt that Jesus was the one that Peter declared as the God-made Christ.

Paul declares Christ Above All

The Apostle Paul had come from a background of persecuting the Christians.  As Saul, the emissary of the Sanhedrin, he had tried to squash what he considered to be simply a "movement" of these Disciples of Jesus to keep His teachings among the people.  Three thousand souls had been added to the Church on the Day of Pentecost alone.  (Acts 2:38)  They had repented of their sins and had been baptized into Jesus by being immersed in water.  But as time passed more and more were being added to the Church as Peter and the other Apostles continued to preach the Gospel of Christ.  So Paul had to do something to stop the spread of this new teaching.

Saul (later Paul) was present as a believer, Stephen was killed by stoning (Read Stephen's stand at the Council in Acts 7).  It was Saul who stood by watching the outer garments of those throwing the stones that ultimately killed Stephen (Acts 8:1).  Saul was in full agreement with the killing of Stephen, and continued to hunt down those who walked in "The Way" to destroy them because they named the name of Jesus.  In fact it was on that very day that a great persecution of Christians began; and Saul was leading the charge.  He gathered papers from the High Priest and the Council to seek out the Christians to be put in prison or destroyed.

It was on such a mission that Saul met Jesus.  "9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem." (Acts 9:1-2)  While traveling that road to Damascus to arrest as many Christians as he could, The Christ met him instead.

"9:3 As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.) 9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything." (Acts 9:3-9)

Saul was converted on the road to Damascus when he met Jesus Who told him that He was the one Saul was persecuting.  Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, was appointed by Jesus, The Christ to be the Apostle to preach the Gospel of Jesus, The Christ to the Gentiles in the known world.  "9:15 But the Lord said to him, [Ananias] “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel." (Acts 9:15)  In his converted life Paul became the champion of Christianity.  He carried the Gospel of Christ to the outer parts of the world at that time, established many congregations through his missionary efforts and encouraged many of those congregations, and others he had not planted, with letters of encouragement and theology.  Paul's letters, inspired by God, give us insights into how God is working with each of us as we submit ourselves to Him and follow him through His Spirit.  One of the points that Paul established through some of his letters was the Pre-eminence of Jesus, The Christ.

Philippians

Paul wrote to the Church in Philippi to encourage them, but in doing so he gave us a glimpse of Christ's Pre-eminence.  In the process of writing the letter, Paul launched into what some consider a song that was known to the people of the time, but the words witness to Christ's authority:  "2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,

2:6 who though he existed in the form of God

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,

2:7 but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a slave,

by looking like other men,

and by sharing in human nature.

2:8 He humbled himself,

by becoming obedient to the point of death

– even death on a cross!

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

2:11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

Colossians

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Colossi to remind them of the supremacy of Christ:  "1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.

1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son

1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven." (Colossians 1:15-20)

Hebrews

Although some believe that Paul did not write the letter to the Hebrews, it still bears a lot of the characteristics of Paul's writings.  Whoever wrote it, however, attested to the beliefs that Paul had written in letters to the Churches.  Chapters 1-9 of the Book of Hebrews explains the superiority of Jesus over the angles in heaven.  He is greater than the great leader Moses; greater than the High Priest in Judaism, in fact He is our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, a priest to whom even the great Abraham offered sacrifice.

Hebrews documents that it is the Blood of Jesus that saves us; it is His work on the cross that is the salvation of all who believe in Him.  His work on the cross was done only once, but it was done for all.  It has the power to save us from our sins, redeem us from death, give us eternal life, provide an atonement for us from unrighteousness, justify us in the sight of God through a legal declaration from God that declares us righteous in His sight through Christ and His work on the cross.  His Grace, through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son on the cross, sanctifies us to maturity in Christ and grows us through the work of the Holy Spirit and gives us the power to work for Him because of our love for Him as He does His work through us to point others to Christ.

Revelation

Finally, John reveals to us that the only one in heaven who is worthy enough to sit on the right hand of God is the Son, Jesus, The Christ.  This is a revelation from Jesus Christ as given to John who is a witness of the things he has seen.  "1:4 From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from “he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood 1:6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power forever and ever! Amen.

1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him,

and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him.

This will certainly come to pass! Amen.)

1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful!

Revelation chapter 5 declares that Jesus is the Worthy Lamb, the One Who was Slain, the one who gave His blood for the salvation of many.  It is He Who is worthy and will remain for all eternity.

Summary

As the world order of economics, political influence, military might, multi-cultural diversity, recession, depression, rising or collapsing of nations, value of money, the price of oil, global warming, or which Hollywood pop star has the cutest haircut or wins the most awards, the most important matter is your relationship with Jesus, The Christ.  In my life, as in all other lives, it will not matter when the last verse of my life is being sung how I voted, what car I drove, how many material goods I have, how many important people I know, how many offices I held, how many degrees I achieved, or anything else; it will only matter what my relationship with Jesus is and whether or not I have yielded my life to Him.

Unlike any of the other religions or leaders on earth, the only one who claims to be above it all and offers eternal life because of what He did on the cross by shedding His blood is Jesus.

Jim Killebrew   

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