“Good Life”
Message in “extreme makeover” series
Happy Mother’s Day! Ah the good life… Mothers, actually, all of us dream of the good life, don’t we? Our culture is big on it, especially now powered by the popular “Extreme Makeover” TV series and all its clones. And it seems, as our culture indicates, the way to the good life is painful expensive plastic surgery, an elaborate designer wardrobe, with hairdos to die for, paralyzing debt from elaborate home renos. Is that really the “good life”?
What really is a “good life”? Is a good life, the one that is defined by Oprah, Martha Stewart, hit TV shows, glossy magazines such as our fashion magazines, Good Housekeeping, the glitz and glamour society page in our local newspaper? To have life defined by the glitz and trends of the rich and famous, well, isn’t that just a bit shallow? Is a good life possible without going out and selling your soul to the bank or creditors? What do you visualize a good life to be?
Let me share with you what the Bible says about a good life…
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Jas 3:13-18 (NIV)
If you read the Bible with me, you’ll find that James defines a good life as this “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom”. I think mothers personify that verse.
One person once said, “I ask you, who was greater, Thomas A. Edison or his mother? When he was a young lad his teacher sent him home with a note, which said, “Your child is dumb. We can’t do anything for him.” Mrs. Edison wrote back, “You do not understand my boy. I will teach him myself.” And she did, with results that are well known” (Morning Glory, January 8, 1994).
Is this a mother or what? Mrs. Edison is an embodiment of what a good life is all about. She did not live in the time where Hollywood or our morals challenged media defined what a good life is all about. Mrs. Edison showed here what the Bible describes in James 3:13 as “deeds done in humility”, that is taking a supposedly “dumb boy” sent home in shame from school, and then patiently through persistent hard work and heart work, undo the damage Thomas Edison’s teacher had done. Isn’t Mrs Edison a good life?
With so much to do, that seem unrewarding, in a day without the aid of electricity, no washing machines, no microwaves, no instant noodles, dreaming of a good life, she could have said to young Edison’s teacher “Thank you and I can’t stand that dumb boy too.” Yes, she could have easily given up on dumb Thomas, recoiled in shame, and lay defeated, while mouthing “oh poor baby” like a mantra, harbouring bitter feelings, perhaps blaming God for giving her a moron and wishing ill for the teacher. But we know instead of doing something foolish, she took action. She performed deeds done in humility. She came to the level of her child, she believed in her boy, she loved her boy, she knew her boy’s inclinations and the special way he was put together by God, and she had him home schooled, now that’s a mother’s dedication, what wisdom!
Let me quote what Thomas Edison said about his mom, “If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should very likely never have become an inventor.... I was always a careless boy, and with a mother of a different character I should have probably turned out badly. But her firmness, her sweetness, her goodness, were potent powers to keep me in the right path. The memory of her will always be a blessing to me." (adapted from Utah State office of Education website).
The Bible asks: “13Who is wise and understanding among you?“ To that, we can safely say one answer is; wise mothers such as Mrs. Edison, who through their good lives demonstrate loving deeds done in what the world deems as small and insignificant, unmemorable, minor and unglamorous. But the Bible itself says that’s what a truly good life is all about: Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Jesus Christ, more than any one epitomizes the kind of love and dedication that mothers such as Mrs. Edison have. I think there is nothing more humbling than coming down to the level of a child, especially your own child and to have peace in your heart, with all your mind-numbing responsibilities to develop that child to be at the top of his or her game. That’s what God did, didn’t He? Coming down to the level of His creation, His children. God, if you would like, “home-schooled” us by sending His Holy Spirit to live within each believer. He loved us, affirmed, took us in, received us, accepted, forgave us, welcomed, gave us the right to become his the children of God. That’s power of redeeming love! It has changed human hearts and societies ever since. Changed me!
It was the redeeming love of Edison’s mother changed “dumb” young Edison into an incredibly bright person who gave us about 1,000 inventions such as the light bulb, movie projectors and the alkaline battery. How could he have been changed if his mother did not have the wisdom of heaven to teach a dumb boy? So let me ask again the question that was asked earlier, who was greater, Thomas Edison or his mother? And let me pose to you this question: what greater love is there than the love of Christ? Remember the deeds Jesus done in humility, (point to the cross). How could we change if it were not for the love of Christ? So let’s us strive to have the pure wisdom of a mother’s love, inspired by the love of God, by doing this…
1. PERSONAL HEART CHECK: Put away mean-spirited ambition in the power of the Spirit of Christ.
14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
It is a heart issue, not easily seen, but it comes out. Look within if you want to know the source of disorder and every evil practice. Jesus said that it is from within, the unseen part of us that goes unchecked that we find evil - “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matt.15:19, NIV). Perhaps we have sold out to the falsehoods of our culture’s glittering but empty promises, and you can easily spot it by its very anti-Christ attitude. Do you have more the fruit of the Spirit “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control?” or would you say you’re losing it? The Bible did say our hearts are deceitful. No one is perfect, so we’ve got to seriously look into the heart. Are we longing more of God to invade our lives or the stuff we see, feel and touch?
It is perhaps time to give up what you view as the good life through our culture’s eyes and review what God says is the good life.
If you are harbouring thoughts of a better life, think of this, a good life is one that has humility written all over it, like the life of Christ or as James writes “by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” That is, it is not boastfulness, not making others miserable but one that builds another person up. Put away selfishness that is so prevalent in our culture, the me-first, the envy that drives people to debt rather than reduce their load and stress in life.
No sane person would want disorder and every evil practice. Have you seen the aftermath of a terrorist attack, do the victims say “oh what fun!” We all want a good life but it comes with the price of a personal heart check. Let’s not blame others when bad stuff happens, let’s do a quick personal heart check and things will get clearer if we do. Ask God to reveal what went wrong, in the home schooling of your heart by His Spirit, right into the attitude of your heart!
2. PEACEMAKING LIFESTYLE: Pursue a life of community- Do not be a loner!
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
It’s perhaps easier to be spiritual when u are by yourself, cuz no one to cut u off in traffic, no one get u mad, drive u bananas. Note that this verse speaks about life in community, not in isolation. Want to know what your heart is like, what your attitude is really like, try living with another person and you will find out what you’re made of. That is why Christ’s life is in public, not just in a mountain retreat, and we can see how He is pure, peace-loving, considerate, full of mercy as He walked among people of His time.
Got mad one of sons the other day, belligerent, uncooperative, disobedient and full of himself, and I knew my attitude too was not 100% right, troubled me. Later that night, I grabbed him with a hug, and said “sorry” and told him “I love you” and there was just a sweetest smile that came on his face. And he felt all right and he has not yet shown the same spirit of belligerence since then, I hope it’ll last for a while. I am trusting that a good life will result from such a peacemaking lifestyle!
3. PERSEVERANCE IN LOVING: Do the hard work of getting along
18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
The imagery that James used sow in peace, raise a harvest of righteousness, is summed up in one word - “process”. It basically says this - lots of patient hard work. Do good crops grow overnight? Maybe in fairy tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk. But in real life, if you want a good harvest, it takes time. Just got an apple tree in my backyard, it’s been two or so weeks now, still no fruit yet, maybe if I go to Kin’s or T and T there’ll be fruit instantly, but if I want fruit, I gotta wait, hard work of fertilizing, get rid of weeds, lots of time. Put in the time and the hard work and you’ll get that good life! Thomas Edison said: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration. Accordingly, a ‘genius’ is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.” Do the homework!
4. PRAYER DEPENDENT WISDOM: We can always ask God for the wisdom we may lack.
James 1:5 (NIV) says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” One mother told me one way she prays is to sit and write out her prayers, even when there are numerous distractions, from screaming kids etc. Good idea! And God is so inviting isn’t He, as James puts it, for our God is a God “who gives generously to all without finding fault.” Love that! Yes, God, Thank you for the cross, guarantees no fault-finding for me when it comes to me meeting with you!
Another way of prayerfully meeting God is to meet him worshipfully in His word, the Bible… it is a great roadmap to wisdom, to a good life. Make sure time is spent in meeting God in the word. Always God has something relevant to say to me!
Psalm 19:7 (MSG) says: 7The revelation of GOD is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of GOD are clear and point out the right road.
Proverbs 9:10 (MSG) says: “Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-GOD, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.”
Anyone want a “good life”- look to God’s definition of it, not the earthy kind, the unspiritual kind, but the kind that’s God inspired, with the purity of heaven made wisdom. Mothers keep on doing the deeds done in humility, do even more, your kids will be inspired by it, others too will be inspired it, most of all, God loves it because it shows a bit more what the love of God can do in a world that so easily puts people down. And when you find yourself getting bent out of shape, in a deep mess, needing a spiritual makeover, remember these principles of
1. PERSONAL HEART CHECK
2. PEACEMAKING LIFESTYLE
3. PERSEVERANCE IN LOVING
4. PRAYER DEPENDENT WISDOM
So happy mother’s day!
