Germany Part 1 (Germany's Rise)

 Ah, Germany... What a fascinating country. It burst onto the world stage in the 1870s as the world's most powerful nation, and then was deemed too dangerous to exist and wiped out again in the 1940s. It was rebirthed again in 1990 and is once again one of the most powerful countries in Europe.  From my American point of view, I knew very little of Germany's history. I knew that the Hessians in the American Revolution were somehow German. I knew that Martin Luther was German. I knew they were very naughty in World war 2 but that was about it. So, I did some digging. What follows is what I learned. If you enjoy history, you might enjoy this blog. If you don't and were looking for another spiritual-minded one, now's your chance to exit. 

Ok, now let's get into it. In the 900s, an empire of sorts was formed. It was called the Holy Roman Empire. It occupied the areas that we know as Germany today. It was a loose collection of little nations who spoke German and agreed on a few things. Martin Luther would have been born in one of those little countries. The Hessians who were in the American Revolution? Britain hired mercenaries from one of these little nations, and those mercenaries were the Hessians. So, we had Germans, but no Germany. This is how things stood until about 1808 when Napoleon saw this empire as neither Holy, Roman, nor much of an Empire. He conquered it and made the whole area his puppet until enough people ganged up on him to beat him. After Napoleon was gone, the little countries remained in a sort of loose alliance situation similar to how they were before him. They called themselves the German Confederation. This brings us to the 1815-1860 range time-wise. Speaking very broadly, because there were many differences, there is one notable difference of interest between the little German states before and after Napoleon. That difference is Prussia. Prussia was now a member of the confederation, it was an independent power before. 

Prussia was a big deal. True, they had also been conquered by Napoleon, but, Prussia was possibly the 3rd most powerful nation in Europe after France and Britain. In the 7 Years' War (1756-1763) they held their own against the combined forces of Austria and Russia. So, now to get back on track. We are in 1815. There is no Germany, but, there is a collection of little nations that speak German and agree to work together. 2 of those little nations are vying to be the 3rd most powerful nation in Europe. They are Austria and Prussia. These 2 might not really count as "little". Gradually, the concept of a united German nation begins to become more and more popular. In 1862 a couple of very important things happened. Otto Von Bismarck was appointed minister-president and then foreign minister of Prussia. Ultimately he was both president and overseer of foreign affairs. He answered to the Kaiser, or King as we are used to saying in English. Bismarck was a brash and bold sort but with diplomatic genius, he set about creating a plan that would unite the German-speaking peoples. What happens next is a tad complicated, and I'm not sure I understand it all, but somehow, this all called for war, 3 of them.

There were 2 small German states, held by Denmark. Bismarck convinced Austria to help Prussia get them. They split the 2 states, one went to Prussia, and the other to Austria. Both of these states were in the north. Remember this for what happens next. This all happened in 1864. Bismarck had managed to defeat Denmark very quickly, get exactly what he wanted, but then restrain himself from vanquishing the entire country. He also managed to keep anyone from aiding Denmark through diplomacy. 

2 years go by, and during this time tension builds between Austria and Prussia. A desire exists to be the leader amongst the small German states. There can only be one. It's 1866, and Prussia goes to war against Austria. Once again, Bismark pulled a masterstroke and talked others like France into sitting this out, he diplomatically isolated Austria and cut a deal with Italy. They invaded from the south, and he invaded from the north. Prussia had done lots of hard work on their equipment, their strategy, and their logistics. It was a one-sided beatdown again. In fact, this was so short, barely over a month, that it was called the seven weeks war by some. In the aftermath, Austria was made to sign that basically, they wouldn't interfere with Prussia's doings and that the little state Prussia gave to them from Denmark would now be given back to Prussia. Also, Prussia took a couple of other states from Austria.

With these spoils, and with the little states allied to them, Prussia assembled a country, called the North German Confederation. This was now a big German nation, it looked a lot like Germany, but not quite yet. Now, again, Bismarck left Austria intact, he stood against the King of Prussia, who had wanted to march on, and conquer. Bismarck convinced him not to do so. The King of Prussia is now the king of the new German Confederation that Bismarck has just formed. Bismarck sought a quick resolution, a peace that would allow for friendly terms with Austria again. If Austria can be persuaded to be friendly with Prussia, then they probably will not attack Prussia when it is facing off with a giant. Bismarck knew, that eventually, his brand new nation, which he had worked so hard for and even gotten shot for (There was an attempted assassination, but amazingly the bullets seemed to just bounce off his ribs, a miracle? Perhaps.) would have to face off against this giant to fully solidify its status as the great German Empire of Europe. There were still small German states who had not seen the need to join this endeavor, they were bordered by the giant. This giant was France. Everyone was afraid of France. That is, everyone except Bismark. 

So, there are small German states that live next to France and south of the North German Confederation. These small German states should join, but there is reason to believe they don't want to. Should he conquer them? No, that would lead to bad feelings, and then his new nation might have a civil war. Bismarck doesn't want a civil war in his new country. No, these little nations need to be incentivized. If they were convinced that France was out to get them, who would they run to for salvation? Why, I'm glad you asked, the North German Confederation of course! France was already deeply troubled by the rise of this new country. They had bad feelings about this and were starting to saber rattle. Things needed to transpire in such a way that France acted aggressively, and the small nations asked Bismarck for help. Not in such a way that Bismarck would be aggressive and cause the small nations to ask France for help. Bismarck waited for his opportunity. It came when the King of the German Confederation had a meeting with the French ambassador and told Bismarck what France was demanding. Bismarck released a statement to the public that somehow managed to make German peoples feel that their king was disrespected and made the French turn absolutely red-hot mad. I'm not sure what the statement was, but now, France was planning to march straight into Germany and march into Berlin to shut them down. (Berlin was Prussia's capital this entire time.) Their army was led by the emperor Napoleon III and was stuck in the past. (We are in the 1870s now.) Prussia has continually improved its artillery, troop deployments, logistics, etc. 

The neutral German states come calling for help as Bismarck thought they would. He mixes their soldiers with the Prussians so that they are marching as a united German mass. As things turn out, France put up a better fight than Austria, but not as good a fight as predicted. German forces captured  Napoleon III and his entire army, then put Paris under siege. The population was in disbelief and kept trying to deploy reserves, new recruits, and even hot air balloons. (The hot air balloons were to attempt to reach Britain and plead for help.) When they were eating the elephant from the zoo and trying to decide what else from the zoo could be eaten, they finally surrendered. Germany marched into Paris. They drew up some papers. All parties signed, and when the dust settled, all the little German-speaking nations who were in the Holy Roman Empire (except Austria & Switzerland) were part of a brand new nation called the German Empire. Each one had given up their independence, and individual identity to be part of something huge. The year is 1871, and Prussia has voluntarily ceased to exist as a nation, they are now a state inside Germany, and they have replaced themselves with this powerful new empire. France was in shambles. Germany had taken the german speaking nations that they had held control over away. The neutrals had come along because they wanted to. France was required to make payments to Germany. Germany did send food to Paris, and they did give France their country back. France was humiliated and vowed that someday, somehow, and some way, they. would. get. their. revenge! Meanwhile, Germany was at its peak! America was still recovering from her self-destruction attempt known as the American Civil War, and Russia was hopelessly behind the times and low-tech. Britain had a big empire and navy, but not much of an army. So Germany stood tall as the most powerful nation in the world. The king of Prussia is now the king of Germany. 

I don't wish to leave you with the impression that Bismarck was a man of great and upstanding character. I don't think he was. However, he was very gifted in diplomacy and achieved a great thing by simply locking into a goal, and was never distracted from it. He was involved in 3 wars, yet he was never drawn into a war that hindered the goal. Otto Von Bismarck spent the next 19 years working towards protecting his new country. He was more interested in strategic alliances and protecting what he had than he was in conquering. After all, Denmark, Austria, and France were still allowed to exist. The old king had given Bismarck free reign to do his job, but the day came when a new young king replaced the old one and with an eye for expansion, and a desire to make Germany bigger, decided he knew better than Bismarck and fired him. Otto had built something amazing, but the young king didn't appreciate it. How long would Germany be the world's most powerful nation? What if France and Russia attacked Germany at the same time? Bismarck had carefully thought through those things and established agreements to protect against such things. Now, what would happen? Would Germany stay the course? No, no she wouldn't. This was Germany's Rise. The next part will be Germany's Downfall. 

I will close this off with a quote from Bismarck. “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans.” This was stated in 1888, and in 1898, he died. In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in the Balkans. This lit a match and all of Europe then eventually the world went off in the powder keg known as World War 1. 

World War 1

World War 2

-Loren

A Letter From a Brother (Chapter 4: Who Decides Who "James" Is?)

He had a quiet life growing up on the family farm in Yorkshire. Then there was leaving home at age 16 and working in a grocery. In his spare time, he studied geometry and math. After 18 months, he had enough of selling groceries. He decided to apprentice with a merchant navy company. His rise was swift, he showed a talent for the sailor's life. It was time for him to become a captain. Instead, he switched to the Royal Navy and started over from the bottom. Very quickly, his merchant ship skills got him up the ranks in the military shipping side. After displaying great surveying and sailing skill in the 7 Years' War (French and Indian war if your history knowledge is primarily American) he was selected for a scientific voyage...

This brings us to 1768. A 39-year-old James Cook, devoted and loyal to his wife, and a man of upstanding character says goodbye to his family and friends and sails around the world. This is a ship, made of wood, and powered by wind. Only traveling 4-5 mph. This trip takes him over 3 years to complete. He lands in Tahiti and sets up an observatory for the British Empire. He scouts out areas around Australia and New Zealand. On this voyage his character is notable. He has respect for the natives he meets and treats them as human beings and urges his crew to do the same. He cares deeply about his crew and puts them first in his decision-making process. He also follows orders faithfully and takes care of the ship and all the other equipment entrusted to him. This gives him a reputation as a man to trust to explore the world. He is probably a little put off by the way the pacific islanders worship him, they think he's a god. However, he lets them do so. 

He is hired for a second voyage. This time he is tasked with discovering whether Antarctica has a useful landmass. He finds there isn't one. What's notable about this trip is that he sails further south than any man has sailed before. His personal desire for glory is beginning to influence his decision process. On the first voyage, he had a job to do and did it masterfully, but on this voyage, he strains his crew and there are whisperings of a mutiny. He is no longer perturbed by the worship and adoration he gets from the natives at various stops. Now, he begins to see the pacific region of the world as his kingdom. Of all the islands, New Zealand is his favorite. He returns home and retires from sailing. It's time for a job that lets him stay with the family. 

James is now pushing 50. He hears that there is a search planned for a northwestern passage. He leans on his political connections and gets himself installed as the captain. A big difference this time though, he doesn't spend time at the shipyard making sure the ship is ready. This is a glory tour for him. He desires to erase certain other explorers from the history books. There is a personal need for glory for himself. On this trip, he discovers Hawaii. He doesn't stay too long though, he sails on north probing around for a passage along the Alaska coast region. The American Revolution is raging, but he's oblivious to it, still looking for the passage. Finally, when cold weather comes, he returns to Hawaii for the winter. He intends to return to Alaska next spring. Unknown to him, he will never see Alaska, England, or his family again. You see, on this trip, he seemed to actually believe he was a god. he sorely abused his men, did unspeakably cruel things to various natives he met on this trip, and was in general, the polar opposite of who he was on the first voyage. He overstayed his welcome at different points, and in Hawaii in particular, the natives began to realize that he was very much a man and an ill-tempered one at that. So, when a native from Hawaii stole something from him, he kidnapped one of the chiefs. He marched him to the beach, intending to take him on a ship as a hostage. However, others came to rescue their chief, they had knives, James shot, then turned to bark an order to his crew, but with his back to the natives temporarily, that's when the stabbing started. 

The "god of the Pacific" died in the sand that day just like any other man. He started out as a "nobody" from a Yorkshire farm, but he rose through the classes and became an esteemed member of the British upper class. When he took his expensive English toys to the Pacific, the natives thought he was a god and worshipped him. He read his press and what the natives thought of him and began to believe it. He got himself killed and hacked to pieces by people he thought of as his inferiors. The natives kept most of his body but returned a few parts to the ship so that they could give him an English funeral. 

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. James 1:9-11

There are 2 realities. 1 reality is what God says. The other reality is what you experience. Never let your experience define your idea of who you are. Only let what God says define who you are. Before God, we are all sons or daughters. We are all His if we believe. Also, God's reality is where eternity is found, so no death in that reality. 

Let's look at this through the lens of James Cook, if he were a believer, understanding his identity from God, it would have been like this: Paragraph 1: James Cook, a son of God. 2: James Cook, a son of God. 3: James Cook, a son of God. 4: James Cook, a son of God. 5: James Cook, a son of God.

Now, let's see what his perceived identity looks like through the lens of his circumstances. Paragraph 1: A nobody from the lower classes, good sailor though. 2: The world's best captain. 3: The world's greatest explorer. 4: The god of the Pacific. 5: A nobody again, but now, a dead and mutilated nobody as well.  

In this life, the rich die. The poor die. Both came with and leave with nothing, so, in that sense they are equal. Yet, during life, we tend to think they are different in value. In God's sight, they aren't. It's time to agree with God. He's right. 

Source Material: Farther Than Any Man -Martin Dugard

-Loren

A Letter From a Brother (Chapter 3: A Rant About Wisdom and Some Other Things)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. -James 1:5-8 

Now, I'm sure there are many clever theologians out there who can take those verses and unpack them in some wonderful flowery way that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside...but, unfortunately, I don't have guest writers, so you'll just have to stop reading or put up with what I got out of it, and I misplaced my warm fuzzy unpacker, I do have a hammer though... 😁

Wisdom...do you lack it? What is it? Well, the word used in this text has 2 kinds of wisdom in its definition. 1. The intelligence and knowledge that is known to humans. 2. The supreme intelligence that God has. What if wisdom involves knowing what you are about? For example, there was an old man. The old man was timid, but God got a hold of him. He had no military experience, yet he led a revolution. Well kind of, there wasn't really a war involved like you'd think of normally. An oppressed people group in Egypt was set free. Not because of any cunning military strategy or sophisticated negotiation by the old man. The people group was freed because the old man knew what he was about. He was about the business of hearing God, speaking what he heard and waving his rod.  So there came a time when Moses stood before the sea with a pursuing Egyptian army behind, and rock walls on both sides, but no boats in sight....now what? Well, he could choose between 2 kinds of wisdom. Human wisdom would be to develop the knowledge and intelligence needed to navigate this sea. Which might work if Moses had the time. Yet, there was another kind. The kind of supreme intelligence that only God has. So, how to tap into that? By simply asking God, speaking what he heard, and moving his rod accordingly. 

What does it mean to know what you are about? Well, the way I'm using it and thinking of it is. To understand who God created you to be, and then to simply be willing to be that person. This is not to say that you should never seek to learn and grow. Rather, simply pursuing wisdom without asking God for it like James said to do is skipping the most important step. So, slow down, if you don't have time to talk to God, to understand from Him why you are here and what you should be going after, you're too busy. Once God shows you what you are about. Defined as, understanding why you are where you are and who you are called to be in that space. Then, and only then, should you be seeking out the self-improvement needed to be that person. Are you called into business? Then learn about all the things about running a business the way God would run it. The church? Learn about why God created the church, and how to serve her the way He would serve her if He were you. Or to put a finer point on it, in both cases, let God live through you. 

When you ask God for wisdom, believe that it will happen. It's that simple. Vacillating back and forth, casting about, and staying busy with mindless activities to fill that emptiness is such a waste of energy, it's like rolling back and forth with the wind, like a mindless wave. It's like the college student who starts half a dozen things but never gets a degree in anything. That emptiness is probably just the place that the "purpose piece" plugs into. God holds that, and He will install it. Please don't waste God's resources both physical things like money and non-physical things like time trying to buy purpose. It will never happen that way. There is absolutely nothing on this earth that a born-again believer can possibly do to increase his value in God's eyes. There is absolutely nothing on this earth that a born-again believer can possibly do to decrease his value in God's eyes. The things of this earth will all pass, they are temporary means to an end whether good or evil is up to you. Seek purpose from the Lord, then the thing He has entrusted you with will be turned towards a Godly end. 

In summary: 

We are too busy knowing everything to have time for God's wisdom. It's really quite pitiful. 

Don't trust the world's idea of worth. The world thinks your worth is the temporary tools at your disposal. That's dumb. Your worth is your identity. Who you are in Christ. That's eternal. If you are born again, then you are eternally a son or a daughter of God. You can literally live in eternity! You are not an animal or a machine. YOu have a divine stamp or likeness to the One who created all the good things. 

Don't trust the world's idea of good or evil. It's based on man's conscience of right and wrong, moral outrage, and political correctness which can agree with God on some level but is often desperately flawed. Especially the last one, there shouldn't be a political element to correctness for crying out loud. Good and evil are actually very very simple. Any act that obeys God is good. Any act that disobeys God is evil. 

Seeking the wisdom from God like James talked about to me is like this: Ask God for your purpose, ie, your reason for being here and who He created you to be while here, then you will know what you are about. After that, be obedient to what you are about. That will be obedience to God, therefore wise, and good. 

Did I mention that we are too busy to have any time for God's wisdom? Both in our worldly pursuits and in doing God's things our way. 

Whenever in this rambling article that hopefully wasn't too much of a diatribe I wrote the word "you," I was talking to myself. Thanks for following along. If you want to ask me clarifying questions, you may, but, I might not understand what I wrote either, perhaps we can figure it out together. 😊

This has been a rather public address to a trained expert in various forms of foolishness by the same trained expert in various forms of foolishness.

-Loren

A Letter From a Brother (Chapter 2: Problems, Bad...or Not?)

 The young war correspondent was covering the Boer war in 1899. He was riding an armored train with British soldiers. Suddenly, the train was attacked and derailed by the Boers! The correspondent had great leadership qualities, he seized the moment and began escorting soldiers to a path of escape. Unfortunately, not all escaped, and the young correspondent was also captured.  He hated being a POW. So, one dark night, with no knowledge of the language, no map, and only "four slabs of melting chocolate and a crumbling biscuit" he made a run for it, climbed the fence and disappeared into the South-African bush. By day, he hid, by night, he traveled, and stole food. Finally, the hunger was too much, so, he knocked on a random door. He didn't know whether the man was a friend or foe, but his situation looked hopeless, and he had nothing to lose. It was a friend. A fellow brit who hid him and helped him get back to a safe zone. 

 It's 1915, our war correspondent is now the British Lord of the Admiralty, and World War 1 is raging. The naval officer has a bold plan. It was to send enough ships to the far east, seize Constantinople and bring more pressure to bear on the Central powers in a new front. This would take some pressure off the French front, in theory. In reality, it was a total disaster! 45'000 allied troops died! The officer took the brunt of the blame and was practically forced to resign. Now, his political career looked hopeless. 

 It's 1940, and our naval officer is now the prime minister! Unfortunately, it's also World War 2. The Nazi machine seems unstoppable. France has ceased to exist. The British troops had to beat a hasty retreat out of Dunkirk. What of the Soviets? Why, right now, they are friendly with this menace! The Americans? They are sitting on their hands, and you can't depend on them. No, this is 1940. France is no more. Poland is no more. Norway is no more. Austria is no more. Britain stands alone, facing a monster just across the channel. The situation does look hopeless. Yet, this man has seen and lived in hopeless situations before. It's time for another speech to the parliament. With all this as his backdrop, what can he say? Well, he said quite a bit, but here are the closing remarks, "...Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour." -Winston Churchill. 

So, are bad things bad? Well, what did James say? 

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. -James 1:1-4 

When you encounter a problem. No matter what that problem is, embrace it! Don't do the normal human thing of running from it, of becoming depressed, despondent, etc. Instead, give the problem to God, then hang onto God, and ride this out. "Divers temptations" pretty much literally means all sorts of trouble. Now then, while the problem runs its course, your faith will be tested. Will God be God for me or not? Do I believe in God? Do my circumstances define who God is? Yes, Yes, and No. God is God, present circumstances are real but not more so than eternal reality. Believe in that unseen reality. God has the problem solved out there somewhere in the future. In that future, God is solving that problem. You meanwhile are in the present. Believe in that future, even if you might not like the how of the solution. 

As your faith is tested, and the tests are passed. A strange thing happens, it's called patience, what is patience? I think patience is that supernatural ability to relax while being shipwrecked emotionally or physically. In this context, what James wrote means something like, an enduring/constant steadfastness. For example, you might be sitting on an island surrounded by salt water and sand. Feeling quite alone, and seeing no land of any substance anywhere. Yet, you relax and enjoy the sun, because somewhere out there in a future that is just as real as your present circumstance, there is God, and He is working on your solution. That ability to relax and wait for the future to come, that is patience.

 When I say God is solving ALL problems I am not espousing a word of faith teaching. Word of faith teaching claims that future solutions will all be brought into our circumstances in this life. In reality, some of the solutions are, and yet, at other times, the solutions are in another realm waiting for us to enter that realm. That last one is hard to accept at times I know, yet, it is still a solution. 

One more powerful concept from James. Faith tested, patience has come, and now what? Let patience finish working its way through you. It's a gift from God, as patience completes her work in your heart, you become complete as well. Let's think about the shipwrecked person. May I ask you, all things being equal, who will make better decisions about how to find food, water, and a boat, the patient one who is relaxed, at peace, and calm? Or the one who is losing his mind with anxiety and panic?  Oftentimes, God will use the gifts he's given us along with the newfound patience he's given us as how He gives us the solution. In doing this, He gives us yet another gift, the sense that we were part of it. The sense that we were literally able to partner with God in overcoming an obstacle. I personally am experiencing this right now with some health niggles. Once that's complete, perhaps I will write a blog entitled, "How God and I Fixed my Health." 

Yet, even if God decides to employ a miracle to solve your problem and you have nothing to do with it, this newfound peace and calm will bring you closer to being that complete disciple who acts like Christ when he's surprised. To me, that's what it would mean to be perfect and entire, a person who naturally is made in such a way that he or she conducts him or herself the way Christ would in his or her situation without having to think about it. 

Money and The Kingdom: To Save for the Day of Redemption

Disclaimer: The financial teaching below is what I believe to be true and accurate, biblically speaking. It should not be read like a "how to be a millionaire". It's also not whatcha call prosperity gospel, that stuff isn't really gospel to my way of thinking. The real reason for this disclaimer is, as of 2022, 1. I am not a millionaire, and 2. I am not able to give as much to the Kingdom as I want to. So, what follows is not so much a way I am teaching you to live as it is a way that I intend to live. I will lay this out fairly methodically and thoughtfully for my benefit and will do so publicly for your benefit. (Hopefully! :D) Check back in 2042 and we shall see how this went. :)

Here we are, to finally account for the last 40% of God's money from His money maker for you. (Say that 3 times fast.) What is it for? Simply to spend on all those things that do not fit within the monthly. These "things" fit into 3 categories. Here they are:

1. Reserves. There is a benefit to having cash on hand. You never know when the air conditioner might go catawampus. Also, unfortunately, a large percentage of the population drives GM products, if that's you, start a fund for a new: engine, transmission, wiring harness, and maybe even a Ford logo. (I kid, I kid.) Well, you get the point, reserves serve as a big beautiful border wall between you and Mexi....er debt. That's right, reserves can protect you from debt. When there is an emergency, it's hard to shop for a good interest rate. With reserves, you don't have to think about such things, just fix the AC! 

2. Investments. There are places to spend money that will generally increase in value. Property, precious metals, stocks, business ventures, etc. All these things carry their own level of risk when it goes wrong and rewards when it goes right. 

3. Living Costs. These are things that really don't increase in value. For example, new vehicles, big boy toys, and ultimately, anything that doesn't fit in the monthly 40%

So, all that is pretty straightforward, I doubt I said anything you didn't already know. I want to make this point. If it is actually God's money, then I would say that every time a decision is made on which of the 3 directions to go, there should be a long and earnest conversation with God and if applicable, your spouse. I don't want to tell you how to divvy this out. I just want to impress on you that it's God's and He should have first dibs on the decision.

So wrapping this up then.  20% is given away. 40% is spent every month. 40% is saved in our scenario. This equals 100% of the resources God has blessed you with. However, this is not the point. The point is this: 

1. Identify that the funds we earn are actually given by God to meet our needs. 

2. See that our work is ultimately a for-profit ministry. No less important than a non-profit ministry. 

3. Take this ministry very seriously, and intentionally acknowledge the 3 basic ways to make money "go away." 

4. Ask God to inform or guide you on how much goes towards each of the 3 directions and plan your financial roadmap accordingly. For you that might be 10 90 10. Or 50 20 30. You get the idea. I don't expect this to be the same for everyone. 

Recommended Reading (Also available on audible.)

A Letter From a Brother (Chapter 1: Reunion Through Martyrdom)

 For nearly 30 years his older brother was just an older brother to him. He was always kind, a good example, and a good person to work with. A good Jew. However, other than the fact that he was always kind and never did anything wrong, he was simply an older brother. 

 When his older brother turned 30, the world changed. His older brother went to see John the Baptist and got baptized. Then, he disappeared, for over a month. He came home, dirty, worn out, and starving. That's not all, something changed, and he stopped being the normal safe person. He began to preach, and caused trouble, he collected a motley crew of rough men and called them his disciples. He insulted the religious leaders. Eventually, this caught up with him, and he was crucified. So went the perspective of Jesus' little brother, James, a devout and holy Jew. 

 Until one day...after Jesus had been crucified, he appeared to James. (1 Corinthians 15:7) Then James understood. This wasn't just the older brother him, this was The Him, Messiah, Lord. The older brother of anyone who believes. James understood on that day and James believed.   

 James went on to become James the Just. A devoted Jew who also believed in the Messiah. He became a strong leader in the church in Jerusalem. Why "the Just"? Probably because he was noted for his own personal holiness and fairness in his dealings with others. He remained Jewish and kept most if not all of those Jewish customs that did not interfere with a belief in Christ as the ultimate Saviour for all sin. 

James followed the customs and held the hearts of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. As a result, he was able to lead many to Christ. James was a tremendous prayer warrior and spent hours on his knees, talking to his Brother.

 There was a controversy. Apostles were teaching gentiles about Jesus. So, the question was, how Jewish should the gentiles be? Well...there were the apostles who believed in the saving power of Christ that transcends the law, the most outspoken of them would have been Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. Yet, there were also all the good pious Jews of Jerusalem. Many of them said, no, circumcision and the law of Moses must be followed. The most pious Jew of all sat there and listened as the talks went on and on and on. Finally, after everyone who wished to had a chance to speak. James stood, and all eyes turned toward him. What would he say? He said, "We should not make it difficult for the gentiles who are turning to God." We should just write them to avoid eating meat offered to idols, avoid sexual immorality, avoid meat from strangled animals, and avoid drinking blood." This was settled on, all agreed and it seemed good to the Holy Spirit as well. (Acts 15:1-35) 

 Eventually, like it has done for nearly all mankind, death found James. Here is how it happened: The Pharisees were really wishing to shut the "Jesus thing" down in Jerusalem. So, who was a respected Jewish leader that had the hearts of a vast multitude of Jews? Why James of course. So, they led him to the pinnacle of the temple and asked him to persuade the multitude to not be led astray by Jesus. (The multitudes were there for Passover.) James responded, "Why do you ask me about Jesus the son of man? Why right now he is sitting at the right hand of God Almighty, and He is about to come down out of the clouds again!" The people went wild, James had their attention, and they began chanting, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Unfortunately, the Pharisees were unhappy, and yelled, "Oh no, the just man is also in error!" They charged up the pinnacle and threw James down! The fall didn't finish him, so, he simply began to pray, "Lord, I entreat you to forgive them for they don't know what they are doing..." That's when the rocks and clubbing started, and that was the end, but only in this life. Throughout his life, he had prayed so much in a posture of kneeling that his knees were the same hardness and texture as a camel's! It seems so fitting that it was in that posture that he finally got to be reunited with his Brother again. (Source material from Hegesippus)

 So, what can be learned from James? I think he grasped a concept that so many of us are still groping for. There is a tendency among us to believe in either legalism (I will do the right things in obedience to God and pressure you to do the same.) or, libertinism. (We are saved by grace, there is no need to do anything, all our works are filthy rags.) Yet James believed in personal holiness without unhealthy concern for how others lived their life. The concern he felt would have been based on love. So, we sit at the start of my next blogging project. I want to study and unpack the epistle of James, and you can watch over my shoulder if you want... 

James 1:1-4

James 1:5-8

James 1:9-11

Religious Paradigms

This is the final chapter of Surrender to Who. We are not done in the Sermon on the Mount, and if we really strived to dig into everything Jesus said and all possible ramifications for our life on this earth, we would run out of time in this life. So, the time has come to end, but as a parting word, I want to leave you with something I believe I learned about my paradigm through this whole process. Now, when I use the word paradigm, I am defining it like this: 

Paradigm: The worldview I look through. Or, the lens through which I view the world, events, and other people. 

You see, I believe that there truly is a Godly paradigm. A paradigm that is supported by scripture, as well as by the Holy Spirit, both in the ways the Holy Spirit leads you to do the right things and the ways the Holy Spirit treats you when you don't do the right things.

To discuss a biblical paradigm, terms are needed. This presents a conundrum for me. Option 1: To wait until the right, pure, and fresh terms come along, or Option 2: To forge ahead with terms that the political world is actively desecrating on and hope that we can capture and use them in the meanings we want without getting distracted or bogged down by this world's messy politics. For better or worse, I chose Option 2, but remain willing to edit this with the right words later. I will use these terms but will try to define them in a way that makes sense in the light of God, and His words as pertains to a believer in God. So, let's unpack the terms then shall we?

We have 2 sets of opposites for a total of 4 terms. 

The first set of opposites: 

Authoritarian: This is a believer who strives to force others to live Godly lives as defined by him. After all, God's ways are the best, so it's for your own good to be forced into it if you are not willing to do it voluntarily. 

Libertarian: This is a believer who believes in a way of living a Godly life but has no interest in making you do the same. Of course, he will advocate for God's ways, but the choice is yours. He believes God's ways should only be followed voluntarily. 

The second set of opposites:

Liberal: This is a believer who is accepting of new information especially if it's a "Holy Spirit Revelation" that might contradict what God said in the Bible. He is willing to compromise on convictions and beliefs to present a more appealing gospel and win more people to Christ. God is loving and kind. 

Conservative: This is a believer who has no use for new information that contradicts what God said in the Bible. He is only open to how he might have misunderstood what God said. God is right. If you disagree, you're wrong. If you have a "Holy Spirit Revelation" that disagrees, you "heard wrong." God is right. 

Now, we have our 4 religious paradigms to choose from. 

The Conservative-Authoritarian: This person's paradigm is best represented by the Pharisees in scripture. They nit-picked Christ and others constantly, both with legitimate things from the old law and things that they added. Yet, they were unable to follow them. This person claims God as the author of truth like a conservative. Yet, his need to control others leads to him adding rules and attempting to force them onto people who he has no jurisdiction over. In our modern churches, this is the classic example of what many refer to as a person carrying the "spirit-of -of religion." This is a person who holds a high ideal of holiness which may or may not be accurate, yet with a focus on forcing others to live this way, he inevitably ends up looking like a desperate hypocrite.  

The Liberal-Authoritarian: This is a person who is best represented by Job's miserable comforters in scripture. They had a view of God that they believed in that was not true to who God was. With this view, they abused poor Job, a holy man for a sin they supposed he had. This is a person who carries a very broad-minded view of Christ and the truth. Often he will worship Christ as he imagines him to be, not as he is. Yet, this person also carries the authoritarian streak. He attempts to cajole others into worshiping Christ as he understands Him. If conservatives don't comply, he will discipline or isolate them and minimize their influence by tarnishing their reputation as unsafe religious people. I would call out the word-faith and prosperity-gospel people here. If you do not get healed in response to prayer, your faith is lacking according to them. If God doesn't hit your pocketbook with 1000 fold blessing, again, something is lacking in your life. These people talk against toxic religion more than anyone else, yet they are very toxic and very religious.

The Liberal-Libertarian: This is a person who is following a faith and a God he believes in, his grasp of truth is dodgy, but he probably means well and he doesn't hurt other people much simply because he is not overly religious and isn't all that concerned about whether or not you agree with or live like him. This kind of person doesn't hold up well in times of persecution. In the fires of persecution, he has to either get serious about his faith and relationship with God or recant to save his skin. In times of great freedom and prosperity, this person is everywhere, he is your typical casual Christian.

The Conservative-Libertarian: This is a person who holds Christ and His teachings in the highest regard. While the idea of being conservative lends to the idea of someone who hates change, this person is most interested in conserving the Gospel in its totality. He is also interested in conserving his relationship with Christ, and in conserving the ordinances Christ taught. Others may mistake this person for being religious after the Pharisee tradition, but they miss the mark. This person is after religion as taught by James (James 1:26-27). Pure undefiled holiness that serves others, and can only come from Christ. This person is a libertarian as well. Why? Because, he is too busy surrendering, learning, growing, repenting, and following the Lord to worry about forcing you to do something. If he talks with you about an error in your life, he does so because he loves you, at the end of the day, he knows the choice is yours. He works with all the things God entrusted to Him and strives to become more like him by surrendering himself to him. This keeps him too busy to meddle. This is a true disciple and this is the paradigm that I invite you to walk in. It's a paradigm of humility and complete surrender to God without focusing on others and what they are doing wrong. In fact, the way you look at others is also surrendered to God. Too idealistic for this life? Probably, but, it's not hard, just surrender. If it's something from within you, a desire to adjust away from the truth for comfort, repent by surrendering that. If it's a desire to focus on what others are up to, surrender that by repenting from it. 

A word about Religion: 

The bad kind: There is an attitude or a spirit of religion that leads to us needing to control people in ways outside of how God would have us to. The Lord entrusts his people with children to raise in His ways yes, but not so much with dictating whether or not your 43-year-old neighbor watches porn or not. This is religion from the Pharisees. It's cultish, extra-biblical, and should be repented of. 

The good kind: Yet, there is another religion as mentioned in James, it is, personal holiness, and spiritual discipline, it has to do with keeping communion, keeping time in prayer, regular community with God, other disciples, fasting, etc. This is a good thing to be doing, from a place of love for God personally and not because someone is forcing you to. 

I would caution against focusing on the paradigms. It's interesting to have a conversation about what they look like, and hopefully, there is some value to it. Yet, if, you focus on Christ and keep surrendering to Him, your paradigm will be shaped by Him and you will see more and more like Him. That's what we all want.

The end. 

This has been the 18th and final chapter of Surrender!? To Who?