PARKS BROWN

Valentine’s Day was a struggle for me last week. It feels like there is ONE day for love to be on display. Kind of like the one Saturday a month where church members show their love for those less fortunate by serving at the homeless shelter or cleaning up someone’s yard. One day to show and tell your love for others just seems so…not enough, so lacking. If we put love on display, is ONE day what it really looks like?

Part of my struggle is that we make love look so pretty and easy; and it’s not. John (the one Jesus loved) gave one of the best definitions for love ever written. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10. So, real original love is defined by an atoning sacrifice. The giving up of something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important, all to make amends or reparations not just a celebration.

Now is when some folks say, yes, that’s what I was doing by serving that one Saturday or taking my significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s…and I hear you. I’m just concerned about our understanding of living a life of love as being shallow, showy and short-sighted. In Galatians, Paul said “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” So, if legalities were all we need to be concerned with then a few displays of love are OK and we can move on. But, loving someone else like you love yourself requires 24-7 sacrifice.

James reminded us that checking off the legal box of love is not enough. “For whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10. In 2017, our world needs more than a legal decision or a one day display. “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12. Love is the only thing that is going to fix what hatred is stirring up.

If John was the disciple that Jesus loved, then I don’t quite know how to describe Peter. Peter probably put on a greater show of love and affection for Christ than anyone. He was verbal and demonstrative. Peter’s Valentine’s Day photos on his Facebook page would have topped everyone’s. But, a few hours after his public display of love he slid into full out denial and turning away from his professed “valentine”. Maybe this is why Peter’s words about love need to sink in with a sense of urgency.

When Peter talks about love he comes from another level and understanding. In 2017 vernacular, Peter says there is love and then there is REAL love. “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7. Don’t just love, do it deeply.

For me, that begs the question. Are we loving each other deeply or are we just loving each other? It’s easy to have and show love to a spouse, your kids, a significant other. Heck, it’s even easy to show love to someone you don’t know. But, how’s your love for the couple that irritates you, the girl who hasn’t paid back the money she borrowed or the ex-spouse who cheated on you? How’s your love for that punk at school who threatens to beat up your kid or the political party that doesn’t seem to know how to lose and accept defeat? Love doesn’t keep score.

Real love isn’t conditional upon you agreeing with my beliefs or even liking them. How can you really love me if you don’t get what you want from me? Loving deeply is a decision and not an emotion. Loving deeply has to come from somewhere other than our attraction to each other, a like-minded belief or the benefits we derive from a relationship.

I’m going to say it and you might not agree or like it. Real, deep, unconditional love is impossible without Christ in your heart…and even then, it’s a daily battle. Bottom line is it’s only a matter of time until you disappoint, deny or forsake me. Oh, yeah, and until I do the same to you. And when that happens, love requires me to be patient with you, to not be easily angered or keep a record of what you just did.

Christ knew love was so critical He made it a litmus test for those who followed Him. Love was not something He considered a good idea, He called it a command. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35. So, Jesus commanded us to do something and told us to look around and you would be able to see his followers by the way they loved people.

Here-in lies the issue, friends. I don’t want to just show and live a Valentine’s Day or Saturday serve kinda love. For me, I need more, I want more. Our WORLD needs more and has got to get more real love. People of different religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual identities you name it. We are living in a time where the world is framing the argument as either hate or love. I’m afraid there is no middle ground of complacency or ambivalence. You’re either a lover or a hater. We are being forced to choose and don’t forget, “Love never fails.”

Christ threw the answer to it all on the table. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. Sacrificial, atoning, deep love. That’s what is required in 2017 and Christians have the cure for what is ailing our world….but it takes more than an afternoon serve, a march or a date night with tolerance. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Cor. 13:6.

Does your litmus test for loving deeply come out positive or negative? Ask the people around you who weren’t in your Valentine’s Day photos or your Saturday serve. Ask the people around you that are hard to like. Ask the Holy Spirit.

The greatest problems we face are not political or economic, they are moral and spiritual. Words and ideas are the guns and bombs used in this battle. If the current state of your Facebook, Twitter or broadcast news feed leaves you with a lack of clarity as to what the heck is going on, don’t expect anything in your life to remain stable for long.

Some folks are happy and relieved after the inauguration. Others are dazed and disappointed. The seeds of doubt and confusion are weapons of mass destruction, but the ground in which they are planted is the critical element. In the tone of George Costanza, it’s not just the seed it’s the soil.

Yes, many of the seeds being planted each day are uniquely destructive. Doubt and confusion are two of the oldest weapons on record. “That is why it was called Babel- because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole world.” Genesis 11:9. Really??!! A little confusion and they scattered over the face of the WHOLE world? Pretty dang powerful result.

Not even 50 years after Christ rose from the dead the new church was suffering from the same. Paul wrote, “..Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:7. Sew a little confusion and whamo, the whole gospel can be altered. Some may say they aren’t confused so easily and a little confusion is no big deal. Think again.

Confusion is powerful and far reaching. Paul identified the confusion he was dealing with as needing a harsh response. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned.” In simple terms, if anyone uses confusion to turn your head from the Truth they should be cursed. Confusion can cause dissension and doubt that spreads like a wildfire to contaminate truth everywhere. And that, my friends, is the danger we face.

Doubt is a kissing cousin to confusion. James started his letter by tying together the problems believers encounter with doubt. James reminded us that tests and trials will be numerous for believers. He said all the problems you face will test your faith but you can ask and receive the Godly wisdom behind them all, unless you doubt. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:6-8.

We are dazed and confused in 2017. The wicked are confused but so are God’s people. In the name of tolerance and acceptance, Christians can become confused. YOU may choose to have an abortion, but that does not make it acceptable in God’s eyes. Tolerance may dictate all roads lead to God but Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”…?? Once confusion and doubt cause instability and double-mindedness, all hell can break loose. Look around and tell me what you see.

Dissension may be rampant but we don’t have to participate. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you, and you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4. Remaining in Him means staying in the Word, living on your knees and not loving “the world or anything in the world.” Remaining in Him takes discipline, time and a commitment. If we don’t realize this and buy into it with our daily lives, then it’s going to be hard to tell the difference between a Christ follower and everyone else.

Christians are supposed to be salt and light. That means you stick out from the crowd. Sticking out these days will get you beat up, verbally abused and even killed. More practically in America you may be labelled intolerant, narrow-minded and backwards. The doubt and confusion this presents can keep people from shining their light. Is the fruit in your life stunted because of confusion that you will appear intolerant? Are you not forgiving others because you doubt they will forgive you? Are you not loving others because they didn’t vote for your candidate? Are you confused when Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.

When you plant a kernel of corn you expect a corn stalk to grow. You throw out fescue seed and you expect fescue not bermuda grass. Seeds contain an embryo of the desired crop you wish to grow. Seeds are planted with actions and words but they grow depending on the heart condition where they are received. You can plant seeds all day long but you can only tend to the condition of your own soil.

Make sure your soil is fertilized with the Truth. Let the Holy Spirit rid the weeds in your heart that have taken root due to the seeds of confusion and doubt. Plant the seeds of faith, hope and love. Get the soil ready for spring. It’s time to produce the crop He intended and change the world one person at a time.

Each day finds a new way for people to divide themselves from each other and it seems to be contagious. Celebrating our differences gave way to the demand for safe zones to separate from those who are different. Physical separation has led to greater ideological separation. People who once dedicated their lives to peacefully uniting those with differences have succumbed to denying the legitimacy of an election to name a new President. People are giving up on unity if it means anything other than their personally desired outcome.

Millions of people are losing faith and hope if what THEY want doesn’t come to fruition. This used to be called selfishness, spoiled rotten or immature. Participation trophies fueled an unhealthy esteem that has gone unchecked. But, there IS a simple cure that will heal our nation immediately. Paul wrote the script in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Unity helps a company achieve a desired goal. Unity helps a sports team win a championship. Unity keeps a marriage together and can guide a nation to greatness. Unity is essential to peace and harmony but not always necessary for prosperity. Prosperity can be achieved through selfish ambition and vain conceit. The problem may be that prosperity and not unity is the desired goal in 2017.

Unity can only be achieved when others are treated with respect and dignity. Common courtesy can be a human characteristic but humility and considering others before yourself is more divine. So, maybe the root of the issue lies in our union with Christ; or lack of.

Christians like to read in Galatians where Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Are these words exemplified in today’s headlines? “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:…hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;” Galatians 5 19-20. That sounds more like the evening news.

So, if ANY American identifies themselves as a “Christian” and exhibits the behavior identified with the “sinful nature”, is the Holy Spirit living in them or the Evil spirit? Granted, we all fall short and need God’s mercy. Everyone has periods of anger and dissatisfaction, but what do the Cliff Notes say about the heart, soul and attitude of our nation and it’s people?

Getting back to ‘considering others as better than yourself’, how often do you do that? Paul said to humbly consider others as better than yourself. Who do you consider better than yourself? Just for fun, make a list and see how long it takes. Forget the people you don’t know, confine the list to your known universe. Include movie stars, sports figures, politicians, friends that disappoint you, enemies that wound you, the loud obnoxious kids in the theater, the sibling that hasn’t spoken to you in 2 years and the divorced parent that left you alone as a teenager. Now, make a list from those same people that you DON’T consider better than yourself. Compare the two lists. What’s that tell you?

It’s so hard not to condemn and judge the actions and words we see and hear these days. People are spouting so much anger and hatred, not to mention apathy, conceit and dissension. To consider someone else as “better than”, “superior to” or “more important than yourself” can be a stretch for yourself, much less some of the folks who made your naughty list. James 2:13 reminds us, “…Mercy triumphs over judgement.” Mercy doesn’t come very naturally. We have to rely on the divine to show and teach us such qualities. And, by the way, why do you want to show mercy to those who don’t show mercy to you or others?

I can extend the questions forever and make a point that no one wants made. If we are going to heal as a nation and a world, we must be united by a divinely inspired love for each other despite our differences. The love and unity I’m talking about can only come about when we think of and consider others as BETTER than ourselves. Put simply, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement..” Romans 12:3. The world is flat out drunk on themselves. We need to sober up!

Some people have more intelligence, more money, more common sense, more everything…but that shouldn’t lead to more judgement and less mercy. There are no such things as “deplorables”. There is no such thing as an illegitimate President who was elected by the rule of law. The only way to consider others as better than yourself is to take the same attitude Christ did and nothing short of that. “And being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:8. Humble yourself by considering those with different opinions and different mindsets as better than, superior to and more important than yourself.

If we don’t examine ourselves and look each other in the eyes to remind each other and rebuke each other if need be, then there is little hope for our nation. We need to keep faith in each other and in our God. Everything else may go away, but never doubt this… “And these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1st Cor. 13:13

Your faith in others may dwindle and your hope for lasting change may wane, but we can still love the dickens out of each other. Pick up your list and love ALL those folks. Do your part to unite and not divide. Start by loving and considering others as BETTER than the person in the mirror.

Happy New Year!! Out with the old and in with the new. A New Year and a new chance to get it right. Three days into 2017 and the sayings are already passe’ with many people. What SHOULD you take away from 2016 and what should you take INTO 2017?

If hindsight is 20-20, it should be easy to know what to leave behind and what to replicate in a new year. We have a tendency to look at end results and judge them according to OUR plans and needs. Then we try and duplicate an outcome by replicating some behaviors and deleting others. We define that as being wise and learning from the past. Sounds good at first blush, but are we getting it right? Are we listening to what God said and did in 2016 or the outcomes we liked and disliked?

Christ spoke to this in Matthew 11:25. “At that time Jesus said to them, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'” The wise He spoke to were arrogant in their own knowledge. The little children were humble and open to receive the truth of God’s Word.

This is the story. “Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgement than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgement than for you.'” Matthew 11:20-24.

Jesus was speaking to the fact that there is greater punishment for those with greater knowledge who do not change their actions. He referenced an earlier generation who were punished because they did not listen, understand and repent for their arrogance. He was telling the current audience they had no excuse because the Son of God was performing miracles right in front of them. They were given more truth and therefore messed it up even worse. Jesus said they would suffer greater punishment than those who had not seen him in the flesh.

Fast forward to 2017. We have numerous Bibles in every home, 2-3 services each Sunday and studies almost every day of the week. Don’t forget the Holy Spirit who lives in and speaks to each believer. If the people Jesus was talking to would suffer greater punishment than those of Sodom because they had firsthand knowledge, I’m pretty sure we need to take more than 5 minutes to understand 2016 and look ahead into 2017.

Now this is where some folks say they do “believe” and the analogy is not for them. A New Year is a line of demarcation to try and understand what we saw last year and what we want the new one to look like. It’s a good time to make sure our actions align with our faith and beliefs and not just our living standards and pocketbooks. Are we living for a prosperity theology at the expense of a little discipline, pain and suffering?

Too often pain and suffering are avoided at all costs. We want pleasant and rewarding results here and now. Short term pain for long term gain is a catchy phrase that has a shelf life as we peer into 2017. The book of 1st Peter is FULL of reminders and encouragement regarding suffering. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you.” 4:12. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving for you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 2:21.

Adversity can be a sign of discipline. Prosperity is not always a sign of God’s blessing. It’s difficult to know when discipline comes from God UNTIL we look back. The coup d’etat is Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

Before we keep on keep’n on into 2017 because 2016 was a good year (or not), let’s stop and make sure we aren’t living to avoid pain and suffering. Make sure your goals are not just monetary, retirement oriented or a standard of living. Proverbs 3:5-7 reminds us to not lean on our OWN understanding…to acknowledge what HE is trying to do as opposed to what we are trying to do…and to not be wise in our own eyes, but to fear the Lord and shun evil. At times this may look like a pay cut, hanging out with different people, leaving a job, a lifestyle change or staying with a spouse you’ve grown away from. To the American Christian, pain and suffering.

We need a better theology and understanding of pain and suffering. Why? “For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1st peter 4:17. It’s not just about making 2017 a better year. Our years are about letting the Holy Spirit make us better people. That always involves pain and suffering.

While the year is still fresh, stop and reflect on what God is doing and has done in and through you in 2016. Seek His wisdom with the humility of a little child. Set your resolutions and expectations according to your faith. Don’t ignore the truth you know at the expense of simply making 2017 a happy and prosperous New Year.

A given day comes and goes. An event starts and finishes. A lifetime is a letter that can be read for eternity. A lifetime leaves a legacy.

In the scope of time, children are letters written by their parents to future generations. A life is a work of art initiated through parental love. Parents start the letter and the child completes it by how they live their lives and what they do with it. God knows this to be true, which is one reason He sent Jesus as a baby.

In Biblical days, letters of recommendation were written to authenticate someone’s authority and character. In 2016, it’s a much smaller world. Technology has enabled us to gather information but it doesn’t provide the clarity that comes over time with your life. Paul addressed this topic straight up thousands of years ago. “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:2-3.

Somewhere in the last few days and weeks, the whole world was reminded that God is a loving Father. We celebrate the Son’s birthday but there was a life that left a legacy of love, obedience and unwavering faith to the path His Father set for him. We teach what we believe, we reproduce what we are. That’s heavy but critical stuff to remember as a parent. We are all children of our parents. It begs the question; How is the letter of YOUR life reading?

In the book of Luke, the story is told that before Jesus was born a guy named Zechariah was told that against all odds he was going to become a dad very late in life. In fact, his life would be best remembered by the fact his son, John the Baptist, would be a great man of God. In describing Zack’s yet to be born son, an angel appeared to him and said the boy would “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous- to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17.

John the Baptist had righteous parents. Maybe yours were and maybe they weren’t. John’s parents knew their kid was part of a bigger letter from God, written at a point in time that would shape eternity. Every parent should know that God gives us the same responsibility. Christmas reminds us of the fallacy of not being able to pick your parents. Regardless of our Earthly fathers, we all have and can choose a heavenly Father. Your kids can do the same. God allows us to exercise faith and obedience in determining how the letter of our lives will read and we will be remembered.

If you read the story like reading it for the first time, it’s no surprise Zechariah responded with a question. “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?” For that short momentary lack of faith, Zechariah was struck dumb and couldn’t speak until the day it happened. With God anything is possible. What God promises, He delivers. Our responsibility is to believe and not doubt. If you are a follower of Christ, doubt is like trying to erase the letter of recommendation the Holy Spirit is writing about YOU.

Christmas celebrates the first event in the book of the life of Jesus Christ. The day comes and goes but His life is the reason the celebration lasts a season and not a day. Christmas is not a feeling or an emotion, it is a marker for a legacy, a state of heart and mind.

I can’t even begin to do justice and write a Christmas blog. How do you write about unfailing love and a father’s gift of a child? How do you write about a lifetime of faithfulness and obedience to your parents? Luke mentioned it again in chapter 2 verse 51 and 52, “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Are WE growing in obedience, wisdom and stature with God and men?

Yes, all this makes me think about the letter my own life is writing, but only for a minute. I’m overwhelmed and awed by that little baby that was born in the manger. I’m humbled by a life that was perfect and true. I’m almost struck dumb by what I can only bear witness to and not duplicate. And in the end, I’m thankful for the example of the Father and His Son.

I’m a child of Parks and LaVerne. I’m also an adopted son of my heavenly Father. My family celebrated my brother’s birthday yesterday. The day came and went. Today we will celebrate his life. We will again tomorrow as well. His life has left us all a legacy. Your life is leaving a legacy. Merry Christmas.