Without Comment

Let Colossians 3 tell us who we are, what we have been given, and what God's Kingdom is like:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Amen.

Going Native

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

— David, in Psalm 27:4 ESV

There are occasions in life when we move into a new culture. Maybe when we enter a profession or change companies, join the military, or change churches. Missionaries experience this acutely.

Everything is different. Maybe a little different; maybe a lot. Language (or jargon), rules, methods, priorities, attitudes toward time, money, orderliness, and hospitality—all different.

Adapting to a new culture comes in four phases:

1. Excitement and adventure

2. Frustration and irritation

3. Gradual adjustment

4. Acceptance. Feeling at home.

When we surrender our life to Christ, we are transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son. The domain of darkness has a culture and Christ's kingdom has a very different culture. How fully will we adapt?

Adapting to a new culture involves observation and study, immersion, imitation, making mistakes, asking for help. It requires effort, determination, persistence, and hope.

But we all know people who never do adapt. They give up somewhere—and cling to their familiar old culture. They never adjust. They never feel quite at home.

Rehumanizing

We're coming off of Independence Day—a time to think again about phrases like "liberty and justice for all" and “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

It's time once again to wonder how slavery was rationalized. And how my grandfather could be paid in scrip—only redeemable at the company store.

Many reading this won't remember a time—not so long ago—when the 'Human Resources' function was called 'Personnel'. The change was both ingenious and devastating. Organizational leaders would now be expected to manage the workforce just like any other resource.

But people are different entirely. And people stewardship must look different than the stewardship of cash, inventory, machinery, data or systems. While it's appropriate to think of stewarding nonhuman resources, with people it's better to think of stewarding influence.

When we begin to view people as property—as nothing but resources—we can so easily slip into a two-tiered humanity, reserving unalienable Rights to the wealthy and powerful.