Stupid Is As Stupid Does

“Stupid is as stupid does,” so said Forrest Gump.  Forrest had a low IQ and was constantly asked by people if he was stupid. His answer to them, given him by his Momma, was always the same and incredibly wise. “Stupid is as stupid does.” In other words, foolishness isn’t so much a matter of IQ points but of actions carried out in life.

God, through the prophet Isaiah said a similar thing to the people of Judah. “ Heaven and earth, listen! This is what the Lord says: ‘I raised my children and helped them grow up, but they have turned against me. A bull knows its master, and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it. But Israel does not know me.  My people do not understand.’ Oh, what a sinful nation! Their guilt is like a heavy weight that they must carry. They are evil, destructive children. They left the Lord and insulted the Holy One of Israel. They turned away and treated him like a stranger,” (Isaiah 1:2-4 ERV).  Though God had raised Israel as his own children, they were clueless as to who he really was. He said, in effect, “They’re dumber than donkeys!”  Or, “Stupid is as stupid does.”  And their actions proved this time and time again.

As a people, the Israelites had grown hard and callous to God. Their worship was corrupt. Their attitude toward God was flippant.  They became like the pagan nations around them by worshiping whatever “gods” promised blessings without disturbing their selfishness.  They were unjust – mistreating the poor and the helpless.  And when things got bad, when their sin was catching up to them, they would go back to God with religion but without any real repentance.  They would carry out God’s prescribed remedy for sin through the sacrifices, but they did so without any intention of changing their ways.  It was formulaic religion.  “If we do x, God must do y.”  The Lord was not impressed.

He said, ““Why this frenzy of sacrifices?” God’s asking. “Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves? Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats? When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, Running here and there, doing this and that—  all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?“Quit your worship charades.  I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!  You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening,   (Isaiah 1: 11-15 Msg). These strong words from God reveal his aversion to synthetic, plastic religion.

God wanted the people’s lives to reflect who He is.  God wanted their actions to follow their words.  Biblical belief is always more than just what we confess with our mouths. It’s what we live out on a daily basis.  So God said to his people, ” Go home and wash up.  Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless,” (Isiaiah 1: 16-17 Msg).

God gave them a promise of forgiveness and restoration but a real change in their hearts was the prerequisite. He said,  “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”  This is God’s Message: “If your sins are blood-red, they’ll be snow-white.  If they’re red like crimson, they’ll be like wool. If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings. But if you’re willful and stubborn, you’ll die like dogs.” That’s right. God says so,” (Isaiah 1: 18-20 Msg).  It’s not that they would be saved by their good works. Salvation is always by grace. However, when grace has really been received, it causes us to change.  As we read in Titus, “Grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way—a way that shows true devotion to God,” (Titus 2:11b-12 ERV).

If “stupid is as stupid does,” so also, wisdom is as wisdom does. It is wise to align with God’s ways. It is wise to cry out for God’s mercy when you have fallen short. It is wise to run fast and hard from sin when God reveals it in your life.  And the promise for those who do is always the same: forgiveness and restoration.

Real Love

^“So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” (1 Cor 13:7b – The Message)

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons in England, told the following story. The little daughter of the princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to get too close to her daughter and especially not to kiss her as this would endanger her life by breathing the child’s breath. However, one night the child was struggling to breathe and the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, “Momma, kiss me!” Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She herself contracted the diphtheria and some days later went to be forever with the Lord.

Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t fear the cost.  According to the bible, love is never about the self (that’s lust), but always about giving the self away for others.  I think the best synonym for love is the word ‘sacrifice’. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” (John 15:13).  And that is exactly what Jesus demonstrated as he died on the cross for the sins of the world. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13, love is always other centered. Incidentally, the kind of love he is speaking about has nothing to do with feelings and it certainly isn’t something you can “fall out of”. Instead he says: “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end,” (The Message).

All We Need Is Love

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10

Christ’s life was the ultimate expression of love. It began in the heart of God when from eternity he determined to rescue us despite our sin. Because of his great love for us, God gave us his Son. Christ, out of love for the Father and for us, lived his life perfectly under the law and then was killed unjustly upon the cross. All to demonstrate his great love for us.  All to fulfill the law.

So often we tend to think that love is soft and flexible and, well, fluffy. Yet love is stronger than death. It is tougher than the grave. While we tend to think of tough love as being love that is hard on those who desperately need boundaries , tough love really is the willingness to die to self for the sake of another.  This kind of love must be lived out practically in our lives.  It is no mere matter of words. If I say I love my wife, but never take out the garbage to help her, do I really love her? Of course not! Love must be lived or it is not love at all.  And when we live lives of love, we naturally fulfill the law. This in no way obtains righteousness for us, but is instead the outworking of the righteousness of Christ which we received by grace through faith.

Who are you loving today? Some people will be easier to love than others. In fact, perhaps the person in your life whom you find the most difficult to love is actually the one God is using most to develop Christ’s character in you.

Practical theology — Faith lived out

“Therefore, I urge you, brother, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Paul has spent eleven chapters in Romans laying out the fullness of the Christian faith. In Chapter 12 he shifts from theology to practice. He now combines doctrine with duty and belief with behavior.  In the light of the grace we have received, he now begins to show how that grace manifests itself in our daily lives. This is what we call Christian discipleship.

Paul encourages us to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. Why? Because our lives are no longer our own. We have been purchased by Christ’s blood which was shed on the cross and we are spiritually alive because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now, he says, we offer our bodies back to God. We give ourselves to him. He paid for us. He is in us. Now we freely yield control back to him to do with us what he will. And we do this not in some esoteric way, but in our daily, down-to-earth, everyday lives. Our sacrifice is neither abstract nor mystical, but concrete.

How do we do this?

We begin by allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our minds; that is, to allow Him to change the way we approach life. To change the way we perceive reality. To change the perspective by which we look at ourselves and the world around us. This occurs as we spend time talking and listening to the Lord in prayer, and worship, and in the reading of scripture. This develops in us a discernment of His ways as well as humility, assurance and dependence upon him.

In terms of faith lived out – love is the preeminent expression of our lives in Christ. We must remember that biblical love is neither romantic nor feelings-based, but an act of the will, chosen and tangibly expressed. Love does whatever it takes to bring life to others. Love does not seek its own but is always other-centered and sacrificial.

Many say they are willing to die for Christ, few choose to actually live for him. How about you? Are you willing to let others see Christ in you?  Then offer yourself to him as a living sacrifice.