Have We No Rights?

Many years ago, for a class, I was required to read a book titled Have We No Rights? by Mabel Williamson. Copyright 1957. She was a missionary to China. She explained how life on the mission field violated so many of the “rights” we claim as Americans. People in the culture around her did not even recognize these values and did not consider themselves rude or intrusive for violating her “rights.” They were just living their version of normal lives. As a Christ-follower who had come to introduce them to the Life Giver, she could not demand to be treated as she would be treated in her home country. She very literally had to “count everything as loss.” As one of her co-workers said, “I found that I couldn’t stand up for my rights—that I couldn’t even have any rights. I found that I had to give them up, every one, and that was the hardest thing of all.”

She listed a number of the familiar ways that had to be discarded in a new culture.

The right to a “normal” standard of living.

In China, rugs were for beds, not floors. Visitors tried politely to get to the chairs in her living room without stepping on the “blanket” in the middle of the floor. Print curtains on the windows were an extravagance. One missionary there resolved never to have anything in her house that would make the ordinary people of the neighborhood feel uncomfortable. That may have meant giving up most of the usual furnishings, decorations and even customs of her former home.

The right to conduct private affairs as one wishes.

Personal cleanliness, hairstyles, clothing and societal rules may conflict with those of the people to whom the missionaries wish to present the gospel. Offending the people’s sense of propriety or decency would not be likely to win a fair hearing of the message.

The right to privacy.

This is a biggie for Americans! Why, it’s even in our constitution! But Miss Williamson found herself in a culture where people felt free to wander anywhere in her house, inspecting all her things, anytime. It was difficult to find time to be alone. If she wanted to tell them about Christ, she couldn’t push them out of her house and life.

The right to my own time.

We like to plan our work and work our plan. That requires time management. Anything that interferes with our time interferes with our plan. I once heard a woman say, “If you’re going to minister to people, they’re going to mess with your time.” Aaaargh! My time! We Americans have a preoccupation with time that is rare in the world. (But since there are so many of us, we believe this is normal.) In many cultures, time is not as important as respect for the person one is with or finishing the current task or fulfilling cultural expectations.

The right to feel superior.

Maybe this isn’t a right; maybe it’s just a sin. But we do cling to it. We have better everything than everyone else. Our stuff is better; our customs are better; our language is more sensible (believe me, that’s not true!); our values are the right ones. But our sense of superiority is not going to attract people to us or to our Savior.

This is not a comprehensive list; Miss Williamson mentioned other things in her book. We may care about these same things, or our self-centeredness may encompass other things.

Yes, it’s a very old book, but I think the principles are relevant. “Rights” has become a bigger part of our society than ever. People use the term to describe any value or thing they want, whether or not it is truly a right. We Christians are drawn into this thinking by virtue of our own selfishness as well as the continual noise about it in our society. But, as Christians, we are in a different culture. In fact, we live in a world in which we are the strangers. We ought to follow the example of our Teacher, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:6-8

He had real rights! And he gave up all of them.

One of Christ’s most faithful followers, Paul, said, in the very next chapter, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…”

Really, our rights are “rubbish” compared to the joy of knowing Christ. There are times when we may need to throw out our rubbish because it is in the way of faithfully representing Christ before a lost world.

Miss Williamson concluded her book with the question, “What rights do I have?”

A right to the “comforts” of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.

A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.

A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.

A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.

A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.

A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.

--Lynda Shenefield

Where is Your Hope?

Do you feel discouraged when you watch the news? Do you look around at the values and philosophies of our culture and wonder how we got here? Do you long for something better? So do I.

When God allows me to hear the same message from different sources, I want to be especially careful to listen and see what God has for me. I once attended a three-day women’s conference  in which the topic was “Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering," based on the book of I Peter. Imagine worshiping and studying this book with 7,200 women from across the United States and around the world. It was incredible! 

At the same time, my husband felt led by the Lord to go through the book of I Peter in our Sunday school class. As we studied it in church, I heard the same truths I heard at the conferenceand the book found deeper root in my heart.

Right at the start of the book, Peter names his audience. The Greek word can be translated into exiles (ESV), strangers (KJV), aliens (NASB), or foreigners (NLT). It is the idea of a sojourner, who is temporarily dwelling in a foreign country far from home. This word carries with it the connotation of not fitting in, of being different, and not belonging.  And though God’s people were often physical exiles, as in Egypt and Babylon in the Old Testament, in a greater sense, they were spiritual exiles.  Peter wanted to remind his readers that the world was not their true home, nor their place of belonging.  And this admonition of Peter’s is just as true for us today almost 2,000 years later.

Peter was not the only one who spoke this truth. In Hebrews 11:14-16, the unnamed author tells us that God’s people of the past acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth, and that their hope was not in the world they knew, but in a better country, a heavenly one that they looked toward in faith. For the believers of Hebrews 11, it was not an untested hope; they faced great persecution and still clung to this hope in an unseen future. Suffering is also a key theme of I Peter; this word shows up in various forms fifteen times! Living as exiles in a foreign world where we don’t fit in, especially in times of persecution, brings suffering.

Yet another key theme, and what Peter consistently calls us to throughout the letter is hope, the same hope we saw in the lives of the Hebrews 11 believers. Peter tell us that we have a living hope that because Christ was raised from the dead, we too will be raised, and we have an inheritance ready to be revealed in the last time (1:3-4). As we long for that day, we are to set our hope fully on what is to come when Christ is revealed (1:13, 21). That means we do not place any of our hope in this world, as we are often tempted to do, hoping, for example, partially in God and partially in our government. Hope in our future reality should pervade our lives, even in trials, so that the unbelieving world takes note and asks where our unshakable hope comes from (3:15).

Though the news is depressing, though our culture finds joy and entertainment in what the Bible calls sin, though the political situation in our country looks dismal, we, as sojourners in this world, have hope, because our hope is in none of these things. Our hope rests in something far greater than this temporary time and place. It rests in the promise of an unchanging, eternal God who is preparing for us our true home, where we will no longer be foreigners but know true belonging. Do others see that hope in us?

I want to leave you with a few quotes from the conference I attended, because others are far better with words than I am.

-- “God has known you deeply forever. We do not have to create our identity on our own. We are not lost orphans, but God’s children heading home.”   “We are named and we are placed by God Himself. Through Him, our exile is lit up with hope.” (Kathleen Nielson)

-- “As Christians, we must embrace our strangeness in this world.”  “We are far from home, but we are not far from Him.” “We’re people on mission to glorify God in a strange land.” (Mary Wilson)

-- “Peter calls us repeatedly to live in a way that does not make sense in this world. It only makes sense when there is an unshakable belief and hope in another world.” (John Piper)

--Amy O'Rear

Keep Praying

Let me tell you a little story about answered prayer.

One day last week, I had a meeting at the library on Broad Street in the middle of the afternoon. Parking can be a problem, but I know there are some good spots right there across Broad in front of the library. So I sort of casually asked God if I could get a spot there. I came down the block, and lo and behold, there was an open space.  I circled to get a better angle.

While I was waiting at a light, I took off my rings and put them into my lap to rub a little lotion on my dry hands.  The light changed, I turned right, got into the parking space successfully, got out of the car, fed the meter, and went to wait on a bench in front of the library, as I was a few minutes early. I sat there reading a book our dear Maylou Holladay recommended (Middlemarch by George Eliot) until everyone else arrived for the meeting. As I stood to meet my friend, I realized I didn't have my rings on, and immediately--with that sinking feeling one gets--knew that I had forgotten they were in my lap when I got out of the car. 

"I have lost my rings. I need to go check my car and the street," I quickly explained. Well, you know I prayed as I waited for the walk signal, I prayed as  I ran to my car, and I prayed standing there scanning the street.  I'll spare you the suspense, and tell you that I found both my wedding band and my engagement ring right away--incredible!--right there on Broad Street and found the other little gold ring I had been wearing on my right hand when I came back to feed the meter forty-five minutes later.

On the way home, I reflected on God's goodness to give me that parking space and then to allow me to find my rings. It was a wonderful reminder of His care for even the small things in life. But what about the big things? I confess that I felt a bitterness creeping into my thanksgiving because of the really "big" prayers I've offered up for months and years. What about those things? Who cares, really, about rings? They are not eternal souls. It was a little bit of a crisis as I drove along. I had no answers.

But on Sunday morning, we heard a wonderful testimony of a huge answer to prayer, and I was reminded to keep on offering prayers for eternal souls. Over and over I've heard to not give up in prayer. Luke 18 relates the story of the unjust judge who granted a woman's request because she refused to take "no" for an answer. This story illustrates the truth that we "ought always to pray and not to faint."

I don't understand how prayer works and why some prayers are answered right away and others are delayed. But I do understand that I "ought always to pray and not to faint." I can follow instructions, and by faith I will keep going to God for the big as well as the small needs I see. I am grateful He can handle all of them.

--Sherry Poff

Water

Before Mother’s Day this year, I told all of my family that “I do not want presents this year.  I want your presence.” Guess what? It worked! It was wonderful!  My children, teen granddaughters, and my married grands with our great-grands came by to stay a while. My daughter gave me such a special card that, in fact, it is still sitting out!  I didn’t mind that my son David and his family brought me a beautiful hanging plant of huge, pink impatiens.

We have had so much rain on and off here in Cincinnati that I have hardly had to water my flowers. But...oops! This week I looked out - those beautiful, pink blossoms were totally drooping their heads low - I mean low!!! I hurried and watered them thoroughly and am so glad they are pretty again.

That plant made me think of “water,” which led me to a subject for a blog...the water of the Word of God and why it is so vital to our existence as Christians.

It cleanses us; it makes us fragrant, alive, useful, and encouraging to others...just as those beautiful pink flowers are to me as I see them through our front window.

We definitely want our seat-mates on a plane to have “been cleansed” before boarding. Our lives will definitely be more pleasant to others and to the Lord if we, as in Ephesians 5:26, have been “cleansed with the washing of water by the Word.”

In Psalm 119, just about every verse teaches us something about God’s Word.

            Have a Difficult decision or choice to make?

²⁴ Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”

Overwhelmed with sorrow or burdens?

²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your Word.

Want to be an encouragement, to be “fragrant”?

                        ⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your Word.

           

Dealing with temptation? ²⁹ Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me Your law.

           

Need a good topic of conversation? ¹⁷¹ May my lips overflow with praise...¹⁷² May my tongue sing of Your Word, for all Your commands are righteous.

Those beautiful flowers bring joy to my heart. The Psalmist states that God’s Word, the “water of the Word,” ought to give us joy:

            ¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.    

--Maylou Holladay

What Would You Do?

A while back I felt compelled by the Lord to change banks, because our bank’sadministrators did not support biblical teachings. This bank had taken a stand against Christian values, and to me, it felt like a slap in God’s face. I was offended, because God is my Father. Would I tolerate someone slapping my earthly father? Would I give them money? What a hassle to change banks, but as I said, I felt compelled.

Recently, we had to make another decision similar to this one. We had a little money we wanted to put into a CD. Our new bank had CDs to purchase but for a lesser interest rate than other banks that had questionable values. These banks could probably double our earnings. What to do?

How important is it to do business with those who honor God? Does it really matter? What if a person cannot find a business that shares his or her values? As image bearers, unbelievers have the ability to develop great businesses. They too contribute to society in a valuable way. I asked the Lord about this, and this is what He gave me:

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth (my emphasis), with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Matthew 6:33, “Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” says this, “A person who has the promise of God’s provision, does not have to cling to things.”

There are many things that could be said about these verses, but I’ll just point out a little of what is there. God asks us to put Him first and trust Him even when things don’t make sense. We can ask for guidance and then obey, leaving the outcome to Him. Why? Because He is good. He’s on our side! We can stop clutching our wealth! It’s exhausting!

I can testify that God has greatly blessed my husband and me when we put Him first with the money and possessions in which He has entrusted us. (We are but stewards.) It is not always in ways we expect, but He is faithful.

joyce hague

Hope for the Journey

God has created us to understand things by making comparisons. One particular kind of comparison is the metaphor, in which we understand an idea by comparing it with something that is different in kind but with which we are familiar. One metaphor we all know is the one used in Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd." By thinking of the characteristics of a shepherd--watchfulness, tenderness, faithfulness--we understand God's love and care for us in a more concrete way.

A common metaphor for life is that life is a journey. We use this one all the time. We talk of coming to a "fork in the road" when we have a decision to make, for example. We speak of "going through life," as if it's a trip we're on. A truth that has risen to the surface of my mind recently (See what I did there? My mind is now a vast ocean--or maybe a pond.) is that one must have hope to travel the road of life successfully.

This last spring a friend gave me a book that I'm just now getting time to read. It's On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, Prior talks about twelve virtues through the lens of great literature. In the chapter on hope, she cites Thomas Aquinas, who said that "the four conditions of hope are that it regards something good in the future that is difficult but possible to obtain." So, as we're seeing it here, hope involves looking to the future for things to be better. We realize that the road may not be easy, but we trust in the possibility of good to come.

Of course, scripture tells us--and Prior would not disagree--to hope in God:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: 
for I shall yet praise him, 
who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
(Psalm 42:11, KJV)

The author goes on to suggest that two kinds of hopelessness are presumption and despair. She explains, "Presumption  . . . assumes that one's hope will be fulfilled; despair anticipates that one's hope will never be fulfilled." These ideas have given me much to meditate upon as I pull weeds and fold laundry this summer. And a song by Cynthia Clawson came to mind. It's called "The Journey." Listen to it when you can. I think it will do you good. She says, "Give me the heart to be pure; give me the faith to be sure; give me the strength to endure all my tribulations."  www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzY-IMkUIp8 (The song I want you to hear starts at 1:15, but the intro piece is good, too.)

God, give us hope.

--Sherry Poff

Voices From the Past

I like paper, as in books. In a book, I when I want to go back to a certain passage, I remember where it was on the right- or left-hand page, and approximately how far through the book it was. I’ve often said a book on a “device,” be it phone or tablet, is like a book with no page numbers and no binding. The pages float, somewhere, no one knows where, and if you did not put a bookmark on that thing you want to remember, well, good luck.

Having said that, I do love my ESV Bible app. Maybe it’s because I know the book well enough that I can navigate and not get lost. But the app lets me click on a cross-reference and right back to the starting point in a flash, saving a lot of page-turning. So, I actually do look up many more of those than I do with a “real” book.

OK, let’s leave that and go on a short detour. Every now and then, I like to “speed read” or just scan through a long portion of the Bible. It gives a different perspective and usually brings up some connections that I have entirely missed for my whole life.

Recently I was reading rapidly through the book of Matthew. Or, I would have been, if not for the reference notes in my app. I discovered, verse after verse, piling up almost faster than I could click there and back, references tying everything in the book to a prophecy in the Old Testament. Some were put in by the author (Matthew) and some by Jesus Himself, but all said the same. Everything Jesus did and everything that happened to Him was “to fulfill what the Lord spoke by the prophet.” Clicking on those prophecies took me all over the Old Testament. “The Prophet” was Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Jeremiah, Malachi, David, Zechariah, Moses, Daniel.

We know these things, but it was quite enlightening to see them all together.

We sometimes get the idea that it’s OK to ignore the Old Testament. After all, the New Covenant supersedes the Old, right? We don’t live under law, right? It seems pretty obvious that if we don’t understand the Old Covenant, we aren’t going to have a full appreciation of the New. But, here is the lesson from Scripture. Jesus quoted the Old Testament through the entirety of His ministry, giving it His entire trust and His own endorsement. (That’s not surprising, since He wrote it.) The Gospel writers quoted the Old Testament through their entire narratives. The Apostles, including Paul, quoted the Old Testament continually as the basis of their arguments that Jesus is the promised One and the only way of salvation. And all that quoting was based on the principle, “the Lord spoke.”

If we accept the fact of our own sin and accompanying fate and we accept that He is the Rescue for our impending disaster, then we do accept all that the Old Testament has said about those things. We do not need to evade, excuse or downplay the Old Testament. We cannot reject parts of the Old Testament, based on current “science” or politics or even our own laziness (it’s so long!), and then pretend that we absolutely do believe the New Testament. Understanding the point and purpose of the Old is the only way to make sense of the New. Let us follow the example of Jesus, the Gospel writers and the Apostles.

--Lynda Shenefield