Good Morning Class, Time For A Pop Quiz

If the aforementioned title scares you, continue reading for some help:

"22 I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did."23 That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all...4 These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses." [Judges 2:22-23, 3:4 (NLT)]

I was reminded (again) of the importance of the little pop quizzes (aka. pivotal moments) that God allows/orchestrates in our lives. He's been doing it since the beginning, you know! The whole run-in with the fruit and Adam & Eve wasn't some sort of accident it was their pop-quiz; a pivotal moment that could only end in 1 of 2 ways:  pass or fail. They obviously failed. (And the funny thing is that it wasn't one of those "trick" quizzes that aren't even on the material covered in class, it was right out of the Teacher's mouth.) And, as I'm reading the book of Judges

The only people who don't like these "pop quizzes" are the people that don't understand that a pop quiz is the best way to see if we've got this whole free-will-love-and-trust-in-God-thing down. There is always a purpose behind it; if God has everything in control, then he is orchestrating the pivotal moment(s) that faces you right now.

It's time for a pop-quiz. Are you going to pass or fail?

What The Angels & Kyokushin Karate Masters Taught Me This Week

It's funny what can turn into a teachable moment for me. One minute I'm just sitting down watching a show and all of the sudden a huge life lesson is emerging. It's kind of scary actually. I think it upsets people too. I'll lay out the life-lesson I was just reminded of and the look on their face tells me they're saying, "Can't you just have fun & stop thinking for a even a moment?!" [ I think my wife does this sometimes =) ]

Well, here's two major life-lessons that I was reminded of while watching TV this weekend (I hope they encourage you as much as they encouraged me):

1. Even when things look hopeless, never, ever, ever quit playing the game. - When the Angels were down to their last 3 outs of the game, down by 2 runs, at Fenway Park, my faith in an Angels' win was gone. But the Angels didn't loose hope, didn't give in, and they made one of the most spectacular come-backs I've seen in years!
   
2. Real strength is only built through experiencing real pain. - I found myself obsessively watching "Fight Quest" when they were highlighting the fighting style of Kyokushin Karate in Japan. I nearly stopped breathing when the Karate Masters were training their students in the woods and having them punch trees! A Master can apparently use a tree as a punching bag and throw punches at full force. Incredible! That is just one highlight of showing their real strength, but to truly grasp how strong they can be they have had to endure extreme pain. This principle drives all their training; they have a purpose behind the pain. I cannot begin to know how strong a person I really am if I never experience some pain. Pain is what builds and proves real strength.

The Purpose of Punishment

I'm still reading in the book of Deuteronomy. Here is my latest "God-thought" as I was reading chapter 29 this morning:

Through this seemingly "mean" passage on what will happen to Israel if they break the covenant with God, I was reminded of God's good intentions behind the "curses" (or punishment). You see, there are some people that believe God will just punish people because he can when we mess up; almost as if there is no real good reason for the punishment other than because that's the way God plays. But this is so far from the truth!

If you look at the covenant God has set up (in short, "If you do this, I'll do this; but if you do that, I'll do that"), it is a covenant firmly founded on God's desire to bring blessings into his children's lives. God wants to bless those who listen to His way because His way is the good way; why would we not want to pick the path that ends in goodness?! But it doesn't stop here. God wants his children to experience His goodness so deeply that He will bring punishment to them to warn them that they are on the wrong path. The purpose of punishment is to stop bad behavior before it leads you into complete destruction.

I was simply reminded that, for those who choose to enter into God's family, God is a good Father who is not afraid to punish His children because of his great love. The purpose of His punishment is to save us from destroying ourselves. What a good Father!