November 9

Day 240: Super Hard Verses

I read Philippians today. Two verses, one describing the other, always stop me in my tracks. Like mistakenly backing up on to those pop up spikes after you've driven into the rental car return lot, and hearing your tires explode. Chapter 2, verses 3-4

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

The first sounds impossible. The second sounds doable, but could hide motives if left unchecked.

These super hard verses essentially describe someone who is not only looking out for what is good for him/her, but what is good for you too. That goes past just "win-win," meaning that he will not only look out for you when it benefits him. It goes out looking out for you too.

One of the Hebrew words that means "trust" equates to "To be careless." Meaning, you do not have to worry about how to take care of yourself with that person, because he is going to be worried about your care also.

Two examples of current day relational "trust" include the following: The "Protective Paranoid" who lumps everyone into either "good people" or bad people." Eventually, everyone will disappoint the protective paranoid, therefore no one should be considered trustworthy in the end. Eventually, everyone else will prove themself to be a bad person.

Usually we will defend out right to ignore verses 3-4 because of our painful past. We will use our dysfunctional family upbringing, or the hurt of having lost a job, or the church that disappointed us as our rational.

We want other people to read these two verses, and obey them...even while we give ourselves an exception clause. We feel right in being a protective paranoid. We feel justified to hold our cards close to our chest.

The second are the "Play Fair's." This level of relational trust sees them as very giving, very generous...to those who respond in kind. They are truly for those who are truly for them. This is dependent giving, dependent love. Very transactional.

While the second hopes for (because they need) the consistent success of others toward them, it still demands performance. While the first assumes the worst in just about everyone, and simply waits for others to fail them.

It's never a question of if others will fail us, or if we will fail others. That's a given, this side of the new heaven and new earth. The question should be: To what extent will the relationship stay intact, even thrive after one fails the other?

We cannot control the performance or the consistency of others. But what we can control is our own performance and consistency. But only to an extent. (See the previous paragraph.)

Sadly, these two verses do not instruct us to wait until everyone else treats us as more significant than themselves. It tells us to take the gospel initiative to "count" others as more significant than ourselves. Counting sounds like math. Adding things up, arriving at totals.

Paul, the letter writer, follows up these two verses with this: "Have in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." It goes on to describe what Jesus gave up in order to count we rebellious sinners as more significant than Himself. His grace to us was exactly what the word means: unmerited favor.

Frankly, these two verses are impossible. Except for the example of Jesus toward us. Except for life in the church where we can try, and fail, and try again. Except for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to change us from paranoid, or transactional.

Maybe these super hard verses aren't so impossible after all (?)

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church Juneau