To Be A Man

By Ricky Chelette

“Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.” 
Exodus 35:30-35

I wasn’t normal growing up, at least I didn’t think I was. My mom and dad were mere teenagers when they had me and I was a very precocious little boy. By five I was entertaining family and friends with songs I’d memorized from the radio or musicals I watched with my mom. I was far more interested in art and music than I was contact sports. There weren’t a lot of kids in my neighborhood growing up, but there were lots of retired adults. I loved sitting on their porches and having conversations about life, politics, events, weather or what they use to do for a living. I thought it was normal because it was all I knew. 

But when I got to school and began interacting with the other boys, I realized my interests were very different than theirs and they wasted no time pointing it out. While they wanted to play football and kickball, I was more interested in the carpenter ants that occupied the big oak in the middle of the play yard, or the conversations happening under the porte-cochère. It didn’t take long for some of the boys to call me names. It was clear to me. I wasn’t a boy like they were, or so I thought. 

The beautiful thing about God is that He has a much broader definition of masculine than the one our culture often portrays. In this passage in Exodus we see God creating men with specific gifts to make the temple of God a beautiful place of worship – gifts of intelligence, stone setting, and cutting, woodcarving, engraving, designing and even embroidering. These men were not second-class citizens because they were gifted in ways that today might consider more feminine gifts than masculine ones. They were simply God’s men, created by God and gifted by God to do His work for His glory. 

In a world were people want to marginalize, categorize, and compartmentalize everything and everyone, it is great to know our Heavenly Father has a much broader view of masculine and feminine than the picture the world might paint.

I am still not a great sports’ fan, though I can enjoy watching a game. I am still more interested in art and music, aesthetics and prose, and beauty and nature than am I in who is in the latest playoff bout for the sport of the season. But none of those things make more or less a man of God. They simply point to aspect of my Father, reflected in me, and created to give Him glory.

So if you see the little kid in church or at the playground or on the school campus who seems to walk to the beat of a different drummer, just know that he just might and that is perfectly fine. Encourage his gifts, celebrate his talents, and affirm his place in brotherhood of men. 

If you are that guy know that you are not an accident, not a mistake, not some weirdo or freak of nature, but God’s beloved son in whom He has placed an aspect of His creative character. Through you He desires to bless the world and bring glory to His Name. Embrace your giftings. Celebrate your unique perspective on the world. Use your talents to further the Kingdom and help the world see the extraordinary beauty found in the most ordinary life.

The Meaning of Love

By Ricky Chelette

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 
John 15:13

Valentines Day has come and gone.  We’ve seen all kinds of images of love from our authoritative arbiter of worldview, Facebook:  sweet couples together kissing and sharing moments; pictures of roses and bouquets of flowers from admirers; elegant and overpriced meals skillfully (or not so skillfully) photographed; silhouette of couples walking into the sunset; mom’s kissing babies and babies kissing puppies.  The images all make for great postings, but do they really help us understand love?

Where do we go for a real picture of the meaning of love?  Romance novels and movies portray love as some romantic encounter filled with irrational feelings of emotions and euphoria.  Today’s idea of love is often completely self-focused and feeling oriented. It is centered on me feeling good and me feeling – whatever those feelings might be – with an intensity that elevates the moment to life-altering ecstasy.  As a result, we have assigned the word “love” to any number of seemingly uncontrollable feelings or desire to do whatever we want to do as long as it makes me feel good.  Feeling good has become the most “loving” thing.  

But love has not always been such a nebulous and ambiguous term.  In fact, one man defined love more than any other.  He left perfection and ultimate power for the confines of human reality, born in poverty as a helpless baby, in order to rescue a sinful, disobedient creation.  He willingly took on human relating to assure that we humans could access heavenly connection with our Creator.  He knowingly took on the punishment for humanity’s wrongs in order to pay the debt they owed; a debt they could never pay.  

From even the most cynical estimation he was an amazing man.  From a rational person’s perspective he was surely a hero.  From a spiritual perspective he was a Savior.  From a “love” perspective, he redefined what real love is for all time.  He said, “No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down on my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18).  That is real love - loving enough to be willing to die for someone that can really do nothing of value for you.  It is a love that is other-focused, not self-focused.  It is a love that willingly sacrifices one’s personal pleasures for the good of others. It is a love that gives till it dies for the good of another.  It is the kind of real love the Gospel speaks of that when experienced, transforms the vilest of sinners into the grandest of saints. It is the kind of love that transformed Saul from a hater of the church and a killer of Christians, to Paul, protector of the church and lover of Christians.  It is the kind of love we need more of in our modern world.  It is the kind of love Jesus demonstrated on the cross to reconcile man with God.  It is Gospel love and it changes everything. 

In a day when love is said to justify everything from abortion sex outside of marriage, Jesus speaks with clarion clarity that real love is not about self, it is about others.  It is not something to possess, but something that possesses us.  It is not something we create, but something we give because we have been the undeserved recipients of it ourselves. It is, in a word, the Gospel.

Have you experienced real love in your life?  Not simply the love of another person, a friend, or even a spouse, but the love of Jesus given for you on the cross?  If you have, how are you sharing that love with others?  If you haven’t, take some time and read the book of John and discover the One who is the source and giver of all love, Jesus. When you do, it will transform your life!

Our Gentle God

By D’Ann Davis

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 
Isaiah 1:18-20

Throughout the book of Isaiah we see myriad announcements to different peoples about their impending doom if they do not repent to the Lord, and their subsequent salvation if they do.  Though in Chapter 1, verses 18-20, we see the tenderness of God highlighted in an intimate way.  In a book that so exalts His transcendence in judgment and justice over the nations and His Sovereign reign over the future, this handful of verses is a snap-shot of His equally powerful immanence and tender care.  God is just, God is righteous, God is merciful, and in these verses we see that He is also close and reasonable.

God gently calls to the people of Judah to reason with Him and think through their actions.  Their rebellion against Him would not only defile them but would be their ruin.  God is a generous and good God.  He wants us to walk in the fullness of all that to which He has called us.  He does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), but wants us all to come to repentance.  He is patient and longsuffering with us and we see that highlighted in verse 18.  God assures His children that if they would repent, even though their sins were as scarlet, He would cleanse them and make them white as snow.  He emphasizes that in sowing repentance they would reap the benefits of life in Him, but in sowing rebellion, they would reap destruction.

God makes the same tender call to us all the time.  Do we hear His voice?  Verse 20 tells us “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  Are we listening to the words of His mouth?  Let us hear His gentle, kind call, knowing that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).  When God speaks to us asking us to reason with Him and think through what we are doing, let us not hear condemnation, but invitation, knowing that through the blood of Christ, even our darkest stain might be made clean.  Hear His call today.  If He is calling you to reason together with Him, then listen to His word, and come and be made clean.