Loved.

"See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God."

 I John 3:1

How should we measure our worth?  How do we measure our worth?   Unfortunately, the answer to those two questions isn't always the same.

Have you ever measured your worth by your problems or by your performance?  I have.  And then I have to remind myself that it's not an accurate measure.

My worth will never be accurately measured by my problems or by my performance.  Nor am I accurately assessed by the reviews I receive from others, whether face-to-face or Facebook likes.  

The only accurate measure of my worth is based on who I am in Christ.  Jesus sees the real me, the real you, yet was willing to die to redeem us.  Every single one of the flaws I wish to hide from others are known to Him, and still He loves me.  Still He died to redeem me.  Still He calls me His friend.  Greater still, He invites me into His family.   He chooses to make His home in me.  He chooses to include me in His plans for His kingdom and for His world.

This truth matters every moment of every day.  It affects how I treat others in every way.  If I am insecure in my own feeling of worth, I cannot be free to love others without being distracted by my own needs for affirmation.  All of life can descend to being about propping me up.

The truth is, though, that my worth does not depend on my surrounding, my challenges, my family or friends, my failures, or my successes.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were yet sinners, 

Christ died for us."  

Romans 5:8

When I realize I am loved that much, by the One who matters most, I am set free to love, and not just to love from my own limited storehouse, but to love as a pipeline of God's love, forever connected to His unquenchable supply.

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."

[Yes, but what about when life is hard?  What then?]

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulatons, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint… [Why?] ...because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:1-5

Feeling, (no, not just feeling), KNOWING I am loved,

Carol

P.S.  Why don't you go love somebody who needs to hear this!

Inexpressible Joy

(Second in a series on Joy.
For Part One, click here.)

“I will see you again,

and your heart will rejoice,

and no one takes your joy away from you.”

—Jesus, recorded in John 16:22

Yes, but some days, life is just really hard.  And we can find ourselves wondering whether it’s really true that no one can take our joy away.  Are you sometimes tempted to be suspicious that the reassurance Jesus gave might have been just for Jesus’ apostles?  That’s when I go again to read what Peter had to say about it.

To those who have received a faith like "ours"

Peter, by the way, is the one who explicitly explained, as recorded in Acts 15:7-12, that God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles, cleansing both their hearts by faith, that God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, just as He did to the Jews, and that Jew and Gentile alike are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.  That means me, too.  And that means you.  Peter is also the one who was one of Jesus’ closest friends while Jesus walked on earth, and the same one who addresses his second letter to the ones “who have received a faith of the same kind as ours…”  (II Peter 1:1)  That means me, too.  And, yes, it means you.

So this is what Peter—one of, as he says, the “eyewitnesses of His majesty”—writes to scattered Christians about hope and joy…

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly REJOICE, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with JOY inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 

I Peter 1:3-9

There is no doubt that, for Peter, the living hope secured in Jesus’ resurrection meant great joy—glorious, inexpressible joy.  Great, glorious, and inexpressible joy, even in the face of various trials for a little while now.  But beyond his own powerful testimony, what grips me most is that there is also no doubt that he meant that this joy was indeed for us, too!  He specifically addresses these powerful words to those who have not seen Him, but love Him, to those who do not see Him now, but believe in Him.  That most certainly means me.  And it means this joy is meant for you, too!

Yes, it is true for us, too, that there is nothing we will ever face that the resurrection of Jesus does not put into perspective!  Nothing that can overshadow the joy of our inheritance, the inheritance that will not fade, the inheritance reserved for us, who are protected by the power of God.

Peter, who saw Him alive, was convinced that this salvation puts everything into perspective…

“…Fix your hope COMPLETELY 

on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 … And after you have suffered for a little while, 

the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, 

will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

 … Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.  Amen.”  

I Peter 1:13; 5:10; II Peter 5:18

With great Joy,

Carol

Unstealable Joy

“These things I have spoken to you,

that My JOY may be in you,

and that your JOY may be made full.”

—Jesus, in John 15:11

Been pondering John 16:16-22…where Jesus tells His disciples (just before His arrest) that in a little while they wouldn’t see Him, and then, in a little while, they would.  Understandably, they got confused.

I WILL see you again
Jesus, of course, picked up on it, and further explained.  They would be very sad, He said, but their sorrow would be turned to joy.  Unhesitatingly, He declared, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice.”  Jesus knew He was going to be taken away to die, yes, but not against His will.  He was pursuing the very purpose for which He had come, and which He knew did not ultimately end in their separation.  He was no helpless victim; He was, in fact, even now predicting His victory—with certainty. 

And He told them something else I find especially momentous.  “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and NO ONE TAKES YOUR JOY AWAY FROM YOU.”

Nothing compares
After witnessing the death of Jesus—and experiencing such heart-breaking separation from Him—seeing their precious Savior and Friend resurrected brought joy that defied description.  He predicted that it would be for them as it is for a mother who forgets the anguish of labor in the midst of the overwhelming joy over her child’s birth—and it was.

Truly, after seeing His death, nothing would ever seem as bad as losing Jesus had seemed to them.  Nothing else could ever be as terrible to them.  Nothing could be that dark ever again.  And this, their crushing grief at His death had been turned to rejoicing when they saw Him alive again.  Now nothing they could ever face in the future could take the joy of knowing Him alive.  Once they had seen the risen Christ, absolutely nothing could take their joy away!  Life for them would never be the same!

Have you seen Him alive?
What about for me?  And what about for you?  Do you know the risen Savior?  If we, through the eyes of faith, have "seen" Jesus alive, then there is nothing we could ever face that His resurrection does not put into perspective.  Once we have seen Him alive, there is nothing that should seem to us impossible, nothing unredeemable, nothing so dark that His resurrected life cannot illumine!  He has promised to never leave us as orphans, to never desert us or forsake us.  Once His Holy Spirit lives in us; we can never experience the agony of separation from Him or from His love.

“For I am convinced

that neither death, nor life, nor angels,

nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

According to the One who resolutely declared, “I will see you again,” no one can take our joy away!

Is it any wonder that the fruit of the Spirit has always been joy?  (See Galatians 5:22.)

…Joyously giving thanks to the Father, 
who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, *

Carol
P.S.   "There will be days when you think the waves will surely break over your boat…"

 --from Captain's Anthem. 

No matter what you are facing, friend, you have hope, and you can experience joy because He lives!  If you've never listened to Captain's Anthem , now might be a good time…

*Colossians 1:11-12

It'll Never Happen!

So when was the last time God answered with this:

"Oh, I really wish I could help, but all my resources are pretty much exhausted right now!"?

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,
so that you may know…
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…"
Ephesians 1:18-19

If we only knew... 

Divine Appointments

This is a regular post, but, as by divine appointment,

it also happens to intersect with

Part 8 of the Beyond Trophies Series

I’ve just got to tell you about something that totally amazes me, and if you’re reading the Beyond Trophies series, today’s topic is the foundational key to beginning to understand what ballots must add up to.  (What Ballots Must Add Up To and what God is doing through them is what I’ll be focusing on the next time, too, but this just has to come first.)

Nobody will ever convince me that there’s no such thing as a divine appointment!  When Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover (see Luke 22), He told them ahead of time whom they would meet when they arrived in the city.  And it wasn’t that He just gave them an address where they were to hope to find somebody in the vicinity.

No, the designated man was to be en route carrying a pitcher of water, and his path would intersect with Peter and John at the very moment they would enter the city.  Peter and John were to follow the man into a house and then ask the owner (who, by no accident, of course, would be home at this moment) where the guest room was where “The Teacher” (Jesus) could eat the Passover with His disciples.  The owner would then proceed to show them a large, furnished upper room.  No confusion, no surprise, no hesitancy, just hospitality from the owner of the house.  Doesn’t that whole scenario strike you as just a little out of the ordinary?

Don't miss this

If we’re familiar with the Bible, sometimes these things can slip right past us, but to be honest, I don’t want anything to slip past me.  I aim to read it like I’ve never read it before, like I don’t already know what happens next—to read it like it’s the first time.  And I’m blown away.

And not just blown away by Jesus telling them exactly what to expect.  Oh, no, it gets even better: “They found everything just as He had told them.”

This is the God I serve.  Nobody else plans and executes like that.  He has the perfect power to carry out His perfect plans to accomplish His perfect purposes.  He is more than able to put us in the places He needs us to be, and at just the right times, so that His purposes for us—personally and in His overall plan—will come to pass!  For you team policy debaters, we’re talking about solvency considerations.  There are no holes in God’s agency, enforcement, funding, or timeline!

NOTE TO SELF:  Time to quit stressing.  Pray for direction, plan in light of His Word, and be available.  The next person I meet is my next divine appointment.  (Including, in the world of competition, the next competitors and judge I meet.)

Your divine appointments

Speaking of the world of competition, are you seeing the implications of God’s choreography and orchestration here?  Let's bring it a little closer to home for you competitors.  Your judges and your ballots are not just haphazard coincidences.  God divinely appoints the judges he needs to accomplish His purposes for you (and for them) and makes sure they get to your rounds.

When it’s time for awards, God has the power to appoint every single competitor to the place where He needs them to be—whether that’s on or off the platform—and arrange them in the order He chooses!  Will you trust God for that?

If you will, then you can relax and enjoy the ride much more than if you think you’re at the mercy of out of control circumstances.  Do you feel sometimes like trusting God about this seems like somewhat of a challenge?   Well, I’m pretty certain Isaiah knew someone else who may have struggled with this…

“Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, 

the One who leads forth their host by number, 

He calls them all by name;

 Because of the greatness of His might

 and the strength of His power 

not one of them is missing.

[WOW, okay, I’m listening…]

Why do you say, O Jacob [O debater], 

and assert, O Israel [O speaker],

 ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, 

and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?’”

Isaiah 40:26-27  

[brackets mine]

The One who keeps the stars in place would assure you that He’s not looking the other way at ANY time, and certainly not during ballot distribution or while your judges are filling out ballots.  Our days are no accident.  “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”  (Psalm 139:16) 

I challenge you to view your next day, even your next hour, and yes, your next tournament, as a series of divine appointments, and watch expectantly to see what happens!

Breaking News:  God interrupts this post…

to bring me a divine appointment!

I had written only as far as the “note to self” section preceding (the “next person I meet is my next divine appointment” part), when I had to stop to go do some errands.  And guess what?  I found myself in the middle of an amazing divine appointment!

I had been in the men’s shampoo aisle wondering what in the world caffeine in a shampoo does to a person’s hair and trying to decide which product—glue, paste, wax, or gel—was right for my son’s hair (…was he going for spiffy or casual?), when someone approached me and asked me for help.  But not for help with the hair stuff.  He began to explain his need.  I never know for sure in these kinds of situations whether I’m being sold a scam or not, but I felt he was genuine.  In case he should read this someday, I want to be careful how I tell this, but I can tell you that when I gently listened and bought him groceries, he literally cried out of gratitude and stayed to hear the good news of the gospel!

Please understand that I’m nobody extraordinary, but I’m here to tell you that our God is.  And I absolutely love to be a part of the plans He’s working out through divine appointments!  How about you?

P.S. If you haven’t been following the Beyond Trophies series and would like to catch up, you can click on “Beyond Trophies” near the top of the page to find the rest of the series (or click here).  The whole world, it seems, is all about competition, from backyard races to basketball tournaments and job promotions.  The Beyond Trophies series is about navigating the world of competition with a Biblical compass and it's relevant in any arena of competition!

No Exception To Nothing

So when was the last time God answered a request with this one:

"Sorry, that job is too big."?

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh;

Is anything too difficult for me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

"NOTHING will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

There's no exception to nothing.  Okay, my worries are looking pretty irrelevant about now.

The Prequel to Family Forever

So this is what lead up to the previous post…

Some days, life is just hard.  “Lord, I need You more than ever.”  And He meets me where I am, comforts me, heals me, fills me back up.  It was one of those days.  He met me initially in Luke 22 & 23.  I was feeling really weary (…the details don’t matter so much, and I’m sure you have personal wearying things of your own…) and I needed time in my Father’s arms.  Here’s a window into what happened.  (Backdrop: Luke 22& 23)

My sympathetic high priest

Lord, You faced tremendous stress even from a human perspective, not to mention the fact that You were going to bear the sins of the whole world.  Humanly speaking alone, it must have been awful, knowing that one of Your own was going to betray You, totally stab You in the back.  And then the ones You had poured so much into, the ones who, on all the earth, were closest to Your heart and most understood Your ways, got into an argument about which of them was the greatest.  How incredibly discouraging after all You had taught them.  Then, to know that Simon Peter was going to deny You, not once, not twice, but three times before morning.  On top of that, You knew their lives were about to get much, much harder very soon.

Were they up to it?  NO.  Would Your power in them sustain them?  YES. 

You cried and sweat blood as You fervently prayed about what You knew was coming to secure our redemption.  Your best friends couldn’t even stay awake to support You.  Then Judas came, and Peter lost His temper with the sword.  The priests, who acted as mediator between God (not realizing it was You) and the people, rejected the God to whom they prayed when He (You) stood before them.  Your ears heard Peter insist He didn’t even know anything about You.

I look to You

Friend and foe alike piled distress high upon You.   Made fun of, beaten, put through sham trials, and turned over by a spineless Pilate to the Jews to be crucified, You took it all.  For me.  To redeem me.  So I could be Your friend.  (John 15:12-15)  So You could be my Father.

You emptied Yourself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:7-8)

My Lord, I am going to fix my eyes on You, the author and perfecter of my faith, You, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  I will consider You, who endured such hostility by sinners against Yourself, so that I will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Thank you for reminding me that sometimes I, too, must go through hard times for a greater purpose, maybe known only to You for now.  Yet none of my troubles even touch the depth of what You went through for us.  You kept Your eyes on Your purpose, on the joy to come.  Help me to do the same.  I know You can understand anything I face.  You have been tempted in every way like I have, and You overcame.  You can sympathize with me, and You comfort me like the precious Father You are.  (Hebrews 2:18)  I will hold fast my faith.  I will hold fast the confession of my hope.  I will draw near to You, to your throne of grace, confident that I will find Your mercy and grace to help me in my time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

I will not lose heart

And I now have the words to the verses for a song I’ve been writing, though there really aren't words adequate to describe these two incredibly amazing aspects of His mercy and grace--refreshing forgiveness and free access to the Father.  (If you have my CD, you will recognize the words in the chorus.)

(Verse 1) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

You covered my sin;  (Hebrews 7:25-27; 9:11-14; 10:10-18)

You took me in—to Your family.  (Romans 8:14-17)

Now I stand without blame;  (Jude 24,25)

You took my shame;

You see me holy, beyond reproach.  (Colossians 1:21-23)

(Verse 2) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

Forgiven is just the start;

Now You fill my heart—with unquenchable joy.  (John 16:22)

Your mercy and grace

For each day of the race

Is my confident hope at Your throne.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

(Chorus)  O Holy God, Your blood paid my ransom;

You mercy redeemed me; I’m forgiven and free!

Once and for all, your blood gives me life.  (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Your life indestructible lives now in me!  (Acts 2:24; Hebrews 7:16; Galatians 2:20)

(Tag) I will hold fast; I will draw near;

I put my hope in You, the ever faithful One.  (Hebrews 6:19; 10:19-23)

What about you?

Friend, He died and rose for you, too, to offer you legal status: forgiven and loving sonship forever!  Will you believe it?  If you want to know more, write to me at unsmotherabledelight@gmail.com.

Do you already know Him, but feel like your joy has been hijacked?  I can’t give you some pat answer formula because there isn’t one.  But we do have His word that He will hear you.  Use your words; pour out your heart before Him, and trust that He, the real and living God, will respond in just the way you need.  The fruit of His Spirit always has been and always will be joy and peace.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8

Family Forever

Sometimes I just have to share, or I'll burst! 

This is definitely one of those times.

I was weary,
needing a gentle reminder that His grace is so good.

He took me out of the mire and set me back on the rock--

and gave me a new song--like in Psalm 40:1-3.

How very like Him, such tender grace!

I am increasingly seeing that the impact of God’s mercy and grace is manifold.  On one hand, in Jesus death, His mercy and grace accomplished the once for all sacrifice for our sin, sealed our forgiveness, and obtained our standing as blameless in the sight of the Almighty Judge.  As Jesus Himself said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)  Our sin debt is cancelled when we place our faith in what He did.  (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14)

There's more mercy and grace

But—and here’s what’s so recently blessed my heart—it doesn’t stop there!  Though that most wonderful thing has been accomplished for all time, His mercy and grace also have a most glorious on-going effect, too.  By His mercy and grace, continual access to the most intimate relationship with God is forever opened to us.  Through His blood we have confidence to enter the most holy place, to confidently draw near to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need!  This is the every moment relationship reality of the spilled blood of Jesus on our behalf!  And this would be impossible without the death of Jesus.  (Hebrews 4:16-17; 10:19-23)

Eternal life is...

Yes, though almost impossible to comprehend, His mercy and grace mean even more than the magnificent and unfathomable blessing of status as forgiven subjects of the King of Kings.  This gift of forgiveness is the starting place where unlimited access to the Father forever as sons begins.  Jesus, in the prayer His disciples overheard on the night he was betrayed and arrested, talked with His Father about their plan to give eternal life.  According to Jesus, talking to His Father, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God…”  Our forgiven status is the door to knowing Him, to intimate access as sons.  His gift of eternal life is to know Him!

More than the granting of legal status: forgiven, which alone is immeasurably glorious and more than enough to inspire praise to Him forever, God’s mercy and grace also mean His intentional, generous, yes, even lavish, gift of loving sonship forever!
(Ephesians 1:3-8)

The strength to live

This is what keeps me going from day to day—mercy and grace in my time of need from my precious Father who lavishes His love on me!  We are not doomed to be weary, with our heads barely above water! 

The writer of the absolutely amazing Psalm 18 understood this, and this can be the song of any and all who will put their hope in God!

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…

He heard my voice out of His temple…

He bowed the heavens also, and came down… [WOW!]

He sped upon the wings of the wind…

He took me; He drew me out of many waters…

He rescued me because He delighted in me…[yes, delighted!]

The Lord my God illumines my darkness…

And by my God I can leap over a wall…[or more]

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him…[okay, I'm in]

Your right hand upholds me…

Your gentleness makes me great…[Almighty, yet gentle]

Exalted be the God of my salvation!” [yes, my salvation]

[brackets mine]

By the way, the long version of Psalm 18 is even better! 

Honestly, this really isn’t the whole story, but I didn’t want to make this post any longer.  So, I'll share more on where I started in weariness and how God led me to this place of rejoicing—and the new song He gave me—in my next post.

The Invisible Man--Out Of The Way Of His Message

The message in today's installment is very
dear to my heart;
to say that the testimony of this 'invisible' man has been an inspiration
 doesn't go nearly far enough.  
I know, though, that he would only want us
 to see right past him to his Lord and ours.

(Part 7 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

I want to share with you the story of someone you may have heard of, who was likely one of the most effective communicators of all time.  He predates all the current competitors in the league, so it’s probably okay for me to use at least his first name.  Though his life was tragically cut short at an early age, I honestly believe that, in that short life, he significantly affected the course of history from his small corner of the world.

Undaunted

You know I’ve been encouraging you to rely on God to direct what you should choose to speak about. Well, this young man did just that.  To say that John’s speech topics sparked discussion would be understatement.  Serious controversy would be more like it, yet he was totally undaunted.  He knew when he had a topic that the Lord wanted out in the open.

Though his audience’s reaction was consistently mixed, he never let the negative bias get to him.  He was willing to trust God with the outcomes.  He actually had some pretty serious heavyweights from his community judge his speeches, but he honestly wasn’t intimidated by what they might think.

He was a great one for analogies to illustrate his points, and I remember him talking about everything from marriage to gardening to snakes. 

In his day, he drew a pretty sizable audience for his speeches.  There aren’t many competition rooms that could hold the size audience that often gathered to hear him.

Powerful Humility

Perhaps the most amazing thing about John was that a speaker as gifted as he was would be so incredibly humble.  And his humility made him even more effective.

The best way to describe him might be that he totally got out of the way of his message.  Though singularly and unarguably effective, he regularly denied being somebody of importance.  It was as though he was so wrapped up and lost in his message that he became virtually invisible, and all you saw was his message.  It was never as if he were saying, “Look at me—I’m such a great speaker/actor!”  No, what came through was more like, “I’ve got the most awesome and important news to tell you, and it’s not about me!”  Then he simply delighted in telling it.

I don’t think it’s going to far too say that Jesus himself would say there was nobody greater.  It was clear that God had His hand on that boy from the time he was very small.  His godly parents had thought they could never have children, so when the man we know we know today as John the Baptist was born, his parents attracted quite a bit of attention because of their age, and their whole community wondered what this kid would turn out to be.  His dad spoke openly about how convinced he was that God was going to use their son in a mighty way to fulfill His purposes.

History proved his dad’s prophecy was right.  Since John’s tragic death, his story has been included in the biography of someone who became more famous than John—Someone whom the humble John claimed he himself wasn’t even worthy of untying the shoes of.   From the beginning, John’s message had actually been all about that other Someone, of whom John had willingly and joyfully said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”  And though he knew it was only a matter of time before his audience would one by one begin to walk away to follow another, he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Joy, Joy, Joy

John said he rejoiced greatly to hear the voice of Jesus.  He said his joy was made full just to be the friend of Jesus.

The greatest communicators have much in common with John.  They have a message worth sharing.  They’re willing to get out of the way of their message—so thrilled with their message that they lose themselves in the telling of it, and all the while it only makes them all the more effective.  Oh, that each of us would rejoice to be a humble message bearer on behalf of our Beloved Savior, willing to be so wrapped up in His message that we gladly become less visible so His life and His message through us can be revealed.

If you want to read more about the role John played in God’s plans, you can find excerpts of his story within the following chapters: Isaiah 40, Malachi 3 & 4, Matthew 3 & 11, Mark 1 & 6, Luke 1, 3, 7, 9, & 20, and John 1, 3, & 4.  That's where the details of this story came from.

The Standard Is Not Mashed Potatoes

(Part 6 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

Okay, I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses.  I know that less than exemplary behavior sometimes wins debate rounds.  Rudeness pops up in cross-examination or in low-blow insults.  Evidence and support get twisted.  Tag lines and impacts don’t match evidence.  Irrelevant arguments get repeated incessantly.  Unsubstantiated claims are made.  Some debaters intentionally lie.  Some bank robbers never get caught either.  

Today I’m going to set before you two challenges in the context of losing to debating that is less than honorable.

CHALLENGE ONE—Absolutely resist the temptation to try winning by less than honorable behavior.  Why?  Here are two good reasons.

REASON ONE—Trading your integrity for winning a ballot is way too high a price.  

Pragmatism
There is a word for this kind of trade. It’s called pragmatism, and it basically means doing whatever it takes to get the IMMEDIATE result you want, regardless of what is right.  “Immediate” is the key word here because the fact of the matter is that the immediate result obtained by pragmatism does not ultimately lead to a good or cool place.  You simply can’t get there with pragmatism.  The immediate result obtained by pragmatism isn’t even on the road to real success.  It’s a hoax, a dead end joke, and the joke is on you if you try it.  You just end up looking really foolish.

That's not all

But, oh, if only looking foolish were all there were to it; alas, looking foolish is only the start of it.  Closely on the heels of looking foolish comes loss of respect and the loss of integrity, both of which are necessary prerequisites for true success.  Though I pray it’s not the case, if you listen carefully in the hallways of the next tournament, you will probably hear news of those who foolishly chose this trade.  They’ve lost respect and their integrity, not only among their peers, but among judges, too, who might have considered hiring them, voting for them, or agreeing to be their in-laws someday.  The wise will consider the stakes.

Debate IS the real world

Don’t be naïve; what happens in a debate round never stays in a debate round!  Debate is not somehow magically separated from the world of reality.  It IS reality when it comes to your character, your reputation, and your integrity; your conduct in the world of debate will affect the rest of your life.

At every debate tournament, people make decisions about whom they would never hire, never work for, never vote for, never write a positive reference for, or never marry—all based on conduct in a debate round.  Far better to lose a ballot than lose your integrity, because, realistically, while you could easily go win the next round, integrity can never so easily be won back.  You need to know that lasting influence works two ways.

Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be more desired than great riches.”  

On the other hand, “The name of the wicked will rot.” (Proverbs 10:7)

Reason Two—Though it may look like a shortcut to success, trading your integrity for a winning ballot is actually a dead end because the standard is not mashed potatoes. 

Mashed Potatoes

Pragmatism is a really dangerous game to play, because it ultimately blurs the lines of what is right and true.  People who adopt a pragmatic approach to life see truth and right somewhat like a mushy glob of mashed potatoes.  They assume they can push it around, and mold it into whatever shape works to serve their immediate purposes.  They assume that if they bump into a standard it will yield to their pressure, that the standards are always changing, always negotiable, and only suggestions anyway.  However, inconvenient as it is for them, the real truth about what is right is nothing like mashed potatoes.  It is fixed and immovable, and ramming it leads, at best, to a really bad headache.

The nitty gritty

At this point, let’s dispense with generalities and talk about the nitty gritty.  What exactly are some of those standards that define honorable and less than honorable conduct?  God’s Old Testament book of Proverbs is one of the most straightforward explanations available, spelling out thousands of examples of the nitty gritty aspects of life, with pointed and potentially painful practicality.

Proverbs 11:1-- “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”  What’s a false balance look like in the debate world?  The principle here is that deceptive twisting of facts to your own advantage invokes the Lord’s hatred and disgust.  On the other hand, He’s delighted when we represent the facts accurately.

Proverbs 11:2-- “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.” 

Proverbs 11:3-- “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the falseness of the treacherous will destroy them.”  If you say the other side is illogical, you better be prepared to explain how.

Proverbs 11:17-- “The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm.”  Sly, underhanded, or mean-spirited attacks on another person (rather than critiquing an argument) and rudeness or merciless grilling in cross-examination will only come back to haunt you.

Proverbs 6:16 spells out seven things God hates:  

            Haughty eyes

            A lying tongue

            Hands that shed innocent blood

            A heart that devises wicked plans

            Feet that run rapidly to evil

            A false witness who utters lies  (If you say the other side didn’t respond to an argument, it better be true.)

            One who spreads strife among brothers

In addition to the above recipe for success that includes honesty, humility, integrity, and mercy, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1)  And, “Sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”  (Proverbs 16:21b)

No effective shortcut

That fact is that there is no shortcut to success.  The truly successful pay close attention to God’s standard. 

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, 

but you shall meditate on it day and night, 

so that you may be careful to do 

according to all that is written in it; 

for then you will make your way prosperous, 

and then you will have success.” 

 Joshua 1:8

Are you still wondering why it sometimes looks like less than honorable conduct wins the day?  The faith-testing fact is that sometimes negative consequences are delayed.  But you can be sure consequences are still coming because God is the judge of the finals of life, and His standard is—you probably guessed it—nothing like mashed potatoes!

CHALLENGE TWO—If you do end up losing to less than honorable conduct, trust that God is sovereign and that He knows what He’s doing with every single ballot—even if you can’t imagine what it is that He’s up to.  The key is understanding that at the end of the day, ballots must add up to His purposes.  This subject—WHAT BALLOTS MUST ADD UP TO—is so incredibly important that I’ll be devoting Parts 8 & 9 to that.

But before that, in Part 7, I’m dying to tell you the story of someone you may have heard of, who just may be one of the greatest communicators of all time.  I’ve nicknamed him “THE INVISIBLE MAN.”