Scooped Off the Ocean Floor

Mike Leake

I had suddenly found myself too far away from the shore.  For somebody like me that cannot swim this is a major deal.  The water was at least twenty feet deep so there was no chance of touching the ocean floor and peeking my head up out of the water simultaneously.  Nope.  I was sinking faster than LeBron’s popularity. 

As I began flailing in the water, taking in huge gulps of my demise, I suddenly noticed another poor chap that was about 300 yards out further than I was.  Homeboy was further from the shore and sinking in much deeper water.  So, I thought to myself at least I’m not this guy.  Of course, I’m going to die but at least it won’t be as far away from the shore as that loser.  As I breathed my last I took a little solace in the fact that I was better than my fellow shark bait. 

Isn’t that the way that we often treat our standing with the Lord?  We readily admit that we mess up.  “Nobody is perfect right?”  But then we are quick to point out at least a bit of our righteousness. 

“Yeah, I mess up from time to time.  I get angry with my kids.  I harbor bitterness.  I have a tendency to be prideful and judgmental.  But at least I don’t meth up my life.  At least I’m not a male hooker.” 

Scripture has a way of leveling things out though.  Paul does this much in Romans 3. 

“For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”

To use our analogy, “There is no distinction: we are all drowning in an ocean of God-belittling sin AND we are all justified through the same gracious life saving, hell-rescuing, blood of Jesus.”

It is pretty stupid to pride yourself on drowning in only twenty feet of water compared to the poor dude that is drowning in fifty.  But isn’t that what we do whenever we compare our own “righteousness” to the unrighteousness of another? 

The only solution to being rescued from a judgmental heart and attitude is to really come to grips with our standing apart from Christ.  And then to realize that it was only grace that rescued us from the bottom of the ocean, revived our dead hearts, and has blessed us abundantly more than we deserve. 

It’s kind of hard to laugh at those drowning when you’ve been scooped off the ocean floor…

New Feature at Borrowed Light

Mike Leake

You may have noticed that little flag on the right hand column of your screen that says “Rewards”.  That is part of PunchTab. 

PunchTab tracks the viewers (not in a government getting in your business type of way) to our website and rewards certain social behaviors.  What that means is that every time you view Borrowed Light you receive 100 points.  Every time you “Like” a page or “Tweet” a page then you will also receive 100 points. 

All of this will add up to where you can exchange these points for a $15 Amazon Gift Card, a $5 ITunes card, or a Free Coffee from Starbucks.  All you have to do is sign in with your Facebook account (you can do that by clicking on the REWARDS button).  After you have signed in then all you have to do is visit, comment, and like certain pages.  That’s it, and you are well on your way to winning some cool prizes. 

Thought you might enjoy that…

Super Awesome Semi-Annual Crossway Giveaway

Mike Leake 12 Comments

I like to give away books every month or so.  This month I will be giving away four super awesome books from Crossway.

1. A Quest for Godliness:
 
This first is one that I read awhile back and reviewed.  It has now been updated and revised with a much more appealing cover.

2. Tempted and Tried:

This book blew me away.  Perhaps the best book every published by Crossway and that is certainly saying something.  I reviewed this one a few weeks back.

3. Bringing the Gospel Home:

I am currently reading this book, and I should have it finished in a week or so.  It is a very helpful guide to sharing the gospel with family members and those closest to you.  Certainly, we all have a beloved unbeliever in our family or in our circle of close friends.  This book will help in bringing the gospel to them.

4. Comforts from the Cross: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time

I regret to say that I have not started reading this book yet, but I know that if it is from the pen of Elyse Fitzpatrick it is going to be solid and helpful.

Fill out this form and you can have up to four chances to win: **The script is a little slow for some reason, so be patient and it will load. RSS readers may need to click through.

Hung From Our Own Gallows

Mike Leake

I have never had Road Runner meat but it must be awesome.  What else would drive Wile E. Coyote’s obsession?  At some point in time he had to have either ate Road Runner meat, heard his grandfather tell of its delicacies, or maybe he’s just a loon and is fixated on the chase rather than the meat. 

You would think that he would give up.  But he doesn’t.  Year after year, episode after episode, Wile E. Coyote keeps setting traps that end in his demise. 

But that is what happens with an idolatrous obsession isn’t it?  With every “beep, beep” the Coyote gets further infuriated and redoubles his efforts to catch the uncatchable.  It doesn’t matter how many times his quest for that tasty blue meat drives him off a cliff.  He must have his desire fulfilled. 

Not About Addiction but Obsession

You probably think I am going to talk about some sort of addiction don’t you?Maybe.  But this is more of an obsession than an addiction per se.  I am talking about an obsession that manifests itself in judgmental actions stemming from a harsh and judgmental heart. 

We see it clearly in the life of Haman (of Book of Esther fame).  He is one of the Wile E. Coyote’s of the Old Testament.  Mordecai is the Road Runner.

The viewer is left uncertain of where this obsession with catching the Road Runner begins in the life of Wile E. Coyote.  Maybe it was a family tradition.  Perhaps he simply heard too man “beep, beeps”. 
The reader of the Old Testament does not have to wonder where Haman’s obsession with offing Mordecai comes from.  With Haman, Jew-hating is a family pastime.  It goes back as far as Saul’s (Israel’s first king) battles with Agag the king of the Amalekites.  This is an early version of the Hatfield’s v. McCoys, Palestine v. Israel, Browns v. Steelers.  Amalekites don’t like Jews.

Haman’s personal opportunity for offing the Jews comes when Mordecai refuses to pay homage to him.  Of course with Mordecai it’s nothing personal; he’s a Jew and Jews don’t bow to anyone except YHWH.  But with Haman it is personal.  And it becomes an obsession.  For four chapters we read of Haman plotting on the Jews and specifically focused on seeing Mordecai hanged. 

It doesn’t matter that people in his life are telling him that he is going overboard (see Esther 6:13).  He will not listen.  Mordecai must be hanged.  And not just hanged.  This is Haman pulling out all stops and buying the best materials from The Acme Corporation to make sure to get the job done.  He wants to see Mordecai hang from a 75 foot tall gallows.  That’s more than just perverted “justice”.  This is a rage filled obsession and a desire to make a public spectacle out of Mordecai’s shame-inducing refusal to pay homage. 

Hung From Our Own Gallows

Haman’s story ends with him hanging from the very same gallows that he had built for Mordecai.  Not a good ending.

Apart from Jesus I’m certainly not innocent little Mordecai in this story.  I’m Haman–that will stop at nothing to see my desire for perverted justice fulfilled.  And sadly I see Haman crop in my heart from time to time even still.  Apparently I’m not alone.  Jesus warned in Matthew 7:1-2

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

In other words a judgmental heart puts you in danger of hanging yourself from your own gallows.  Just like Wile E. Coyote and just like Haman whenever I call the Acme Corporation to load me with ammo to bring down others I am in danger of having the best ACME has to offer come back on my own head. 

From this message I am putting a simple principle into my life–and I hope you see it reflected in my writing—I will give people the benefit of the doubt and “judge them” according to the measure that I would like to be judged.  And let me tell you I want a lot of grace.  I want truth.  I want to be righteous, holy, and pure.  And I want to want that for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  But I know in my own life that no matter how righteous, holy, and pure I am becoming that I am still but a man…and I’m a man that is desperately in need of grace.  I need others and especially the Lord Himself to remember that I am but dust. 
I have a few more thoughts on this that will have to wait for tomorrow…