Cloyce Sutton Online

Reflections on spiritual themes (and a few other things).

Category: Character (Page 4 of 5)

Rich or Organized?

July 26, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Question: Would you rather be organized or rich?

To answer the question requires: (1) A sense of priority – which is more important? (2) An understanding of the risks involved. (3) A willingness to trade one thing for another.

People who deal in financial analysis and decision-making face these choices every day.

One Old Testament text addresses this very question: Proverbs 14.4 says, “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

This proverb illustrates a common farming decision. In biblical times, owning oxen would be like owning a tractor today – it was a huge advantage. It involved additional costs but was generally considered worth the risks for the sake of extra revenue. Most farmers would gladly trade a clean manger (or stable or barn) without oxen for a smelly, messy barn with oxen. More oxen meant more crops which meant more income.

The application to business is obvious. Businesses constantly must decide about the maintaining and upgrading hardware, software, offices, furnishings, equipment, factories, fleets, and a thousand other things. It’s all about risks and rewards. 

A broader application is to the stewardship of our blessings. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14-30) teaches that when we’re entrusted with blessings – money, possessions, abilities, time, opportunities, relationships – we have a God-given duty to invest in them and grow in them. We must weigh the priorities, risks, and tradeoffs to properly evaluate and make good choices. Growth is the expectation.

An even broader application is to our personal growth. At a surface level, Proverbs 14.4 is about growing one’s business. At a deeper level, it’s about any kind of growth: spiritual, relational, educational, vocational, or financial. To grow requires prudent risk-taking and pushing ourselves beyond our normal limits. Growth is still the expectation.

Solomon is telling us that we need to properly evaluate things. There’s a time and place for cleanliness and organization. There’s also a time and place for risk, work, and growth, which means there’s a place for messiness, too.

The takeaway is this: Whenever you’re confronted with an opportunity for growth, take it! By all means analyze it and measure it and weigh it. But never forget that growth is the expectation of wisdom.

Scar Tissue

July 26, 2022 / / 0 Comments

On the same day Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared that evening to his apostles who thought they were seeing a ghost (Luke 24.33-37). John’s gospel says, “…he showed them both his hands and his side. The disciples then rejoiced… So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you…” (John 20.20-21). We’re then told that the apostle Thomas wasn’t there and said that unless he could see and touch the scars of Jesus, he wouldn’t believe. A week later, Jesus appeared to the apostles again, this time with Thomas present. “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!” (Verses 27-28)

How did the disciples react to Jesus’ scars? They believed, they rejoiced, and they had peace!

When we see the scars of others, we’re often repulsed or uneasy. We feel sorry for them and wonder how they got them, or we wonder about the pain. When we think of our own scars, we feel uneasiness or shame or embarrassment. Our scars can be painful or irritating. We don’t boast about scars; we hide them.

What’s true of physical scars is also true of emotional scars. They’re painful and ugly. They never completely go away. We’re shamed by them. Whether our scars are self-inflicted or inflicted upon us by others, emotional scars hurt.

How do we get rid of scar tissue? The short answer is, we don’t. We never really get rid of scars; instead, we let Jesus transform them into beauty marks.

As we just saw, Jesus’ resurrected body still had scars. Yet, the scars resulted in faith, joy, and peace in his disciples. This suggests to me that it’s unrealistic to expect our physical, emotional, and spiritual scars to just disappear. Rather, in the hands of Jesus, they’re transformed.

The apostle Paul was once burdened with a chronic health problem, what he called his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12.7-10). He prayed three times that God would remove it. “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (verses 9-10). For Paul, his scars became sources of strength in Christ.

Maybe you have physical scars: disease, injury, surgery, accidents, or addictions. Maybe you have emotional scars: abuse or neglect, broken homes, marital woes, debt, job problems, neighbor problems, church problems, insult, or ridicule. Those scars will never go away. But, by the grace and power of Jesus Christ, your scars can become things of beauty and strength.

Courage

July 26, 2022 / / 0 Comments

What does courage look like?

For most people, we probably think of bravery in the face of danger. The underdog facing overwhelming odds, badly outnumbered and only one bullet left. We think of…

  • Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader
  • The Avengers versus Thanos
  • David versus Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
  • Jesus versus the cross (Luke 22.39-46)

These are all legitimate examples of that kind of courage or bravery. But there’s another kind of courage that relates more to the rest of us. It’s the kind described by Mary Anne Radmacher when she said, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” 

Every day we need courage:

  • Courage to do the right thing
  • Courage to speak up for what’s right
  • Courage to help the needy, the outcast, and the oppressed
  • Courage to take the lead when everyone else goes into hiding
  • Courage to correct others when their mistakes threaten everyone
  • Courage to teach
  • Courage to make a difference

The words “courage” and “courageous” occur about 50 times in the Bible. In 16 places, we’re told, “be strong and courageous.” In 11 places, we’re told, “do not fear… be courageous.” In 3 places, we’re told, “be courageous and act.” So, biblical courage is the opposite of fear, it’s synonymous with strength, and it’s ultimately an action (not an emotion or feeling). 

One text stands out to me. In the days of King David, his general Joab was fighting against the Ammonites, and told his troops, “Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in His sight” (2 Samuel 10.12).

Ultimately, courage means doing the right thing, and trusting God to take care of the results.

When we live courageously, we probably won’t get much recognition. Most of us won’t get movie contracts or news coverage. Most of us won’t have statues made in our honor or be written about in history books. Sometimes we won’t even be thanked by those we helped.

But what matters for God’s people is that God knows what we did, he’ll take care of the outcome, and he’ll take care of us in the end. “Be strong and courageous.”

Why Believing in Yourself Is a Bad Idea

June 29, 2022 / / 0 Comments

The Gospel of John records a long conversation between Jesus and his apostles on the night he was betrayed. The content of John chapters 14-17 began in the upper room where they celebrated the Last Supper and continued all the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a hard conversation about how they should prepare for his death and departure. 

The conversation began with this admonition: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14.1). He said that no matter what happened, trust God. 

If Jesus had said this in the 21st century, and if he were a motivational speaker, or successful blogger, or life coach, or talk show host, he might have said something like this:

  • “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in yourself.”
  • “Let not your heart be troubled, because you’re a winner.”
  • “Let not your heart be troubled, you’ve got this!”
  • “Let not your heart be troubled, look within for the answers.”
  • “Let not your heart be troubled, you’re awesome!”

But then, Jesus wasn’t a life coach, he was God’s Only Begotten Son. He wasn’t interested in their self-esteem, but their spiritual transformation. 

The Bible never says to believe in ourselves. In fact, it assumes we already have a certain degree of self-love programmed into us by our Creator. When Jesus said to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19.19), he was saying that we should love our neighbors in the same way and to the same degree as we do ourselves. He wasn’t promoting self-love, he was assuming it.

The apostle Paul said, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2.3-4). In other words, loving others demands that we love them as much as we love ourselves.

The apostle Paul also warned too much self-love. He said, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment” (Romans 12.3). Too much self-love causes too much ego.

This isn’t to say that self-esteem and self-respect and self-love are unimportant. What it does say is that what we think of Christ is far more important than what we think of ourselves. 

So, when you’re struggling and troubled and hurting, what do you do? You do what Jesus said: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14.1).

Envy

June 16, 2022 / / 0 Comments

“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.” (Harold Coffin)

I think the primary problem with envy is a loss of perspective. We often think the “good life” is the one we don’t have; the life that someone else has. 

A good illustration of this comes from Proverbs 23.1-3: “When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for it is deceptive food.”

Who wouldn’t want to be invited to a king’s banquet? Who wouldn’t want the best food prepared by the best chefs served in the best setting? What could possibly be wrong? Solomon’s point is that if something looks too good to be true, be cautious. 

Almost all of Proverbs 23 is a warning against envy in some form or another. Solomon tells us to be cautious about wanting what others have. In fact, he tells us that even if the grass is greener in your neighbor’s yard, it may also be poisonous.

As you step through the chapter, there’s a warning against envying the wealth and status of a ruler (v 1-3); a warning against desiring wealth (v 4-5); a warning against being friendly with a miser (v 6-8); a warning against friendship with sinners (v 15-19); a warning against desiring a prostitute (v 26-28); a warning against seeking solace in alcohol (v 29-35). The implicit message is that these seeming avenues of bliss are really cul-de-sacs of misery.

What’s the solution to envy? The answer is the exact center point of the chapter: “Do not let your heart envy sinners but live in the fear of the LORD always” (verse 17). 

The fear of the Lord brings happiness and fulfillment because it brings perspective and discernment. It keeps us from desiring things that are harmful or meaningless. It helps us discern between what’s worth pursuing and what’s worthless. It helps us see on the one hand what we should worry about, and on the other hand, what’s pointless. 

If you struggle with jealousy and envy, there’s a solution. Rather than looking across the fence, look up. Rather than thinking about your neighbor’s possessions, think about God’s provisions. Rather than wanting to be like others, learn to be more like God.

What’s Your Thing?

May 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I grew up in the 60s & 70s, and I remember hearing people say, “That’s just my thing.” Or they’d ask, “What’s your thing?”

Doing one’s “thing” is to “pursue one’s interests or inclination; do what one does best or enjoys most.” 

  • A character trait: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841) “But do your thing and I shall know you.” 
  • A dogged pursuit: “I really admire him for just doing his thing and not listening to the critics.” 
  • Peculiar habit or mannerism: “That’s just her thing. You’ll get used to it.” 
  • If we can’t agree, or if we reach an impasse: “You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

As a Christian, what’s your thing? What are you about? What is your pursuit? The Bible talks about our “thing”; it says that we need a “thing” to help us pursue the right kind of life.

  • Luke 10.41-42: Martha was distracted by many things; Jesus wanted her to pursue only one thing
  • Mark 10.21 (see also, Luke 18.22): The rich young ruler owned many things; perhaps more accurately, his many things owned him; Jesus said he needed to simplify – “one thing you lack.”

Let’s look at three texts that help us define our “thing”; three things worth pursuing. (Note: Based on a sermon by Alistair Begg; SBTS chapel service, 10/29/13). 

“One Thing I Know” (John 9.25)

Here, Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The Pharisees were upset that Jesus did this on the Sabbath. Twice they asked the blind man to explain what happened, hoping to discredit Jesus in some way. He replied, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9.25). He didn’t know who Jesus was or how Jesus healed him, but he recognized the power of God at work. 

“One Thing I Do” (Philippians 3.13)

Here, the apostle Paul talks about the most important thing in his life: knowing Christ in an intimate way. For Paul his suffering as a Christian was simply his passport to the resurrection from the dead. He knew he wasn’t done yet, and that much work remained. So, he said, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3.13). Paul knew that his work in this life was never done, so he pressed onward and upward.

“One Thing I Seek” (Psalm 27.4)

Here, the psalmist is experiencing persecution by his enemies. He has no doubts about the Lord’s willingness to intervene, and his power to thwart his enemies. For that reason, he knows that the presence of God is his best hope for survival. So he says, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to meditate in His temple” (Psalm 27.4). He wanted the presence of God.

So, “What’s your thing?” For Christians the answer is simple. “One thing I know” (the power of Christ); “one thing I do” (I press onward and upward); and “one thing I seek” (the presence of God). 

Listen!

May 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

President Franklin Roosevelt hated White House receptions, especially the mindless small talk and chitchat in the receiving lines. At one reception he decided to try something different. When people greeted him, he said, “Good evening. I murdered my grandmother today.” Every person he greeted replied in the same way: “That’s nice. Keep up the good work. We’re proud of you! God bless you, Mr. President!”

Every person except one. A foreign diplomat whispered, “Well, I’m sure she had it coming.”

How do you know if you’re a good listener?”

The answer is simple: by how your respond.

The Bible often reminds us of the importance of listening:

  • Proverbs 1.5 – “A wise man will hear and increase in learning…”
  • Proverbs 18.13 – “He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.”
  • James 1.19 – This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger…”
  • Matthew 13.9 – “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Listening is so important that one of the New Testament words for sin means a failure to hear. In Romans 5.19 the apostle Paul was describing the effects of Adam’s sin. He said, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” The word “disobedience” literally meant “to hear amiss; to fail to hear; to hear wrongly.” In other words, Adam wasn’t listening to God.

The issue is NOT whether the sound waves strike the ear drum and register in the brain. The issue is whether we have enough love and respect for God that we really pay attention to what he tells us. 

That’s also the same issue when we listen to others. We may not be listening for the purpose of obedience the way we do with God. But the motive is the same. If we love and respect the other person, we’ll pay attention. We’ll actively listen. We’ll engage the other person in constructive communication. 

Often, we’re listening only for an opening in the conversation: an opening to get out of it, or an opening to give them a piece of our mind. Neither of these constitutes listening.

So, when someone speaks to you – whether it’s God or someone else – learn to listen with love. 

When You Fall

May 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

What do you do when you fall?

Let me start by eliminating one possibility: I’m not talking about moral failure, or sin, or falling away from God. That’s a category all its own and deserves more than a 400-word article.

I’m talking about goofs, mistakes in judgment, forgetfulness, ineptitude – everyday, ordinary kinds of failure that aren’t sinful and aren’t usually life-altering.

My answer comes in the form of a quotation by Oswald Avery (Canadian-American physician & researcher, d. 1955) – “Whenever you fall, pick up something.”

What an elegant, simple, and practical answer!

Unfortunately, some people do everything wrong whenever they fall. Let me suggest three things you should NEVER do when you fall.

  1. NEVER PANIC – Panic is an emotional response to a perceived crisis. It makes us project the worst possible scenario. It makes us want to give up before we try anything.
  2. NEVER WALLOW – As sad as it sounds, some people live for failure. They’re into the “poor pitiful me” syndrome. They want your pity and your sympathy, and they’d prefer that someone else fix their problem.
  3. NEVER BLAME – Some people play the blame game because they won’t accept personal responsibility for their failures. Sometimes the other person is blameworthy but blaming them isn’t always helpful. So, YOU do what you can to fix the problem.

Now let me suggest some positive applications. What should we “pick up” after we fall?

  1. PICK YOURSELF UP – Don’t just lay there! Do something!
  2. PICK UP WHAT YOU DROPPED – If you made the mess, clean it up! Take ownership!
  3. PICK UP WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DROPPED – Sometimes we didn’t make the mistake. Help the other person anyway! Help remedy the situation!
  4. PICK UP A FRIEND – Others fall. They need what we all need – companionship.
  5. PICK UP A NEW SKILL OR HABIT – Learn something while you’re down there!

Is there a biblical basis for this? Yes! Proverbs 24.16 says, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.” The previous verse warns the wicked against trying to trip the righteous; this verse gives the explanation. 

Proverbs usually address how to avoid falling. Here, it acknowledges that righteous people do make mistakes and fall. The difference, though, is that they keep picking themselves up.

So, whenever you fall, pick up something, starting with yourself.

A Long Obedience

May 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Americans LOVE speed and convenience. We want things easy, and we want them now. 

  • We want gourmet meals at microwave speed
  • We want to lose 30 pounds before the next holiday
  • We want Olympian fitness in just 20 minutes a day
  • We want instant communications – cell phones, video conferencing, emails, texts, Facebook, news

All these things have their place and are amazingly useful. BUT the problem is that we often expect the same thing in our spiritual lives – we want instant and easy spiritual growth; instant and easy relationships; instant and easy conflict resolution; instant and easy Bible knowledge. However, the reality is that spiritual growth takes time. It takes persistence.

What does persistence look like?

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; whereby there results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.”

A “long obedience in the same direction” is Biblical perseverance, endurance, or steadfastness. 

  • Jesus said – (Luke 8.15) “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”
  • The apostle Paul said – (Romans 5.3-5) “…tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint…”

Worthwhile things take time and effort and perseverance. They require “a long obedience in the same direction.” Whether it’s your career; or your marriage; or your relationship to your children; or your character; or your finances; or your spiritual life – these things take time, effort, and perseverance. They take this “long obedience in the same direction.”

One more thing: If persistence is this “long obedience in the same direction,” we must have a direction. But direction is determined by destination. If there’s no destination, we’re simply wandering aimlessly. For Christians, our destination is the Father, and Jesus provides the direction – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14.6). 

Do you practice persistence? Do you have this “long obedience in the same direction?”

Stubborn Righteousness

May 11, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Have you ever tried to get rid of a stubborn weed or a sapling or bush that has sprung up in the wrong place? No matter how hard you try, it seems to win. You pull it; it grows back. You cut it; it comes back. You spray it; next season, it’ll be back!

Why do weeds so often win? Simple. They have deep roots. If you don’t kill the roots, you won’t kill the plant, and if you don’t kill the plant, it’ll always come back. 

However, the same thing is true of desirable grasses and flowers and shrubs and trees. If they have well developed root systems, they’ll also persist. 

I want to apply this to our spiritual lives. Think about the following Scriptures and what they have in common with each other. 

  • “A man will not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will not be moved” (Proverbs 12.3 NASB).
  • “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17.7-8 NASB).
  • “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude” (Colossians 2.6-7 NASB).

We all understand persistent, stubborn, relentless weeds. These passages are telling us that we need a persistent, stubborn, and relentless faith. Not an obstinate or self-willed faith, but a resolute and committed faith. Righteous people don’t give up easily because have laid deep roots. 

How do you grow deep spiritual roots? It’s by cultivating the habits of Bible study, Scripture meditation and memorization, prayer, corporate worship, spending time with fellow Christians, and serving others. Whenever we practice these disciplines, our spiritual roots grow ever deeper and stronger.

How deep is the root system of your faith? How well grounded is your righteousness?

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