Absent Without Leave

Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.

– Ecclesiastes 10:18

Employees call it playing hooky, taking a mental hygiene break … or simply calling in sick. Their employers, however, call it absenteeism: those occasions when employees don’t show up to work because of illness, injury, scheduled time away, or some other reason. But whatever it’s called, absenteeism is costly. According to Circadian, a global workforce performance company, unscheduled absenteeism costs about $3,600 per year for each hourly worker and $2,660 for salaried employees.

That’s an eye-opener. But human resources professionals actually face a problem with a much higher price tag. Presenteeism occurs when employees come to work when they’re sick or otherwise unable to perform up to their usual standards. They’re technically on the job, but they really shouldn’t be. After all, sick employees can compound the issue by infecting their co-workers, customers, and even clients. The Harvard Business Review estimates that presenteeism costs the U.S. economy about $150 billion per year in lost productivity.

Such losses are astounding. But there’s another type of presenteeism that’s even more devastating. It’s not an illness spread through an office building or passed behind the counters of a fast-food restaurant. Instead, it’s a common affliction found in homes around the globe that damages and destroys relationships and tempts families to turn away from God.

It’s a sin called passivity. Not to be confused with laziness, passivity often appears in those who return home from the office each day, only to use TV, the internet, or computer games to tune out their spouse and children. They’re at home. But they’re not really there when their loved ones need them the most.

It’s easy to see how this activity (or lack thereof) can corrode personal relationships. But to God, it’s even worse. That’s because he calls Christ-followers to manage their households, love their spouses, and raise their children according to his holy ways. 

Domestic passivity is hardly a benign issue. And make no mistake: the devil is behind it. Satan knows that he can take over the home if he can take out the husband or wife. And when spouses abdicate their responsibilities and abandon their families, the lasting societal damage is enormous.

It’s a serious illness that calls for strong spiritual medicine. And what’s the remedy? First, we need to recognize our sin and turn away from it. And then through prayer — preferably with our spouse — we must seek God’s forgiveness through Jesus, along with the strength to manage our households by his standards

The Old Testament hero Joshua long ago addressed this modern-day issue with this declaration:

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living, he told the Israelites. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

A-ha Moment

Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.

– Matthew 15:14 

An a-ha moment is that split second when our eyes are opened to a spiritual truth that changes everything. As Christ-followers, we can experience an a-ha when God shows us that we're going down the wrong path in some area of our life. It's then up to us to respond and turn in the right direction.

Then there's the ultimate a-ha: When non-believers finally awaken to their need for Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And that's not just a temporary condition — it's an eternal revelation. When God's light gets through, we can finally see clearly. But unfortunately, the world still chooses to remain blind and enjoy the darkness of its existence. In fact, if you're a believer who's open about your faith, the world won't ignore you. Instead, it will likely accuse you of exhibiting hate or bigotry. Just watch TV, surf the Web, or listen to a podcast. You don't have to look hard to find content featuring Hollywood celebrities, academics, or other "progressive" thinkers, who are quick to point their fingers at so-called intolerant Christians.

But depending on its context, is intolerance always a bad thing? After all, Jesus doesn't turn a blind eye to sin. What's more, he declares himself to be the exclusive pathway to God.

"I am the way, the truth and the life," we read in John's gospel. "No one comes to the Father except through me."

That's not very tolerant of him. And his bold proclamation defies today's inclusive, politically correct environment. After all, it hurts feelings and declares that one faith is better than all others. But society's demands for open-mindedness and equality are irrelevant. Jesus has no tolerance for false, second-rate gods and allegiances.

As Christ-followers, we have open access to God's truth through the Bible, prayer, and even wise counsel from fellow believers. We should therefore have less trouble than others with telling right from wrong. But actually doing it is another matter. And that opens us up — and often rightfully so — to accusations of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. That's because the world is watching and comparing our Sunday morning words to our weekday deeds.

Let's all take a look in the mirror. Are our words, thoughts, and actions beyond reproach? Jesus was right on the mark when he said we must remove the plank from our own eye before we can remove the speck from our neighbor's eye. So, is your favorite "sinner" someone who needs God's truth ... or is he or she already a Christ-follower? On the other hand, maybe they never signed up for Jesus' walk of faith in the first place.

The answers to these questions should determine our response. Meanwhile, Christ-followers must hold themselves to a higher standard and let God be the judge of others outside the faith. He knows the whole story, and we're hardly in a position to condemn anyone. 

Let’s consider that today’s a-ha moment.

Dirty Laundry

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

– Matthew 8:5

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

You won’t find this familiar saying anywhere in the Bible. But many people believe it’s the Gospel truth. We start or end most days with a hot shower or bath. We stock our bathrooms with antibacterial soaps. And we buy costly laundry detergents and bleaches promising brilliant whites and vivid colors. It all adds up to a global soap and detergent industry involving hundreds of companies with a combined annual market size exceeding $125 billion.

Cleanliness is also part of our popular culture. Mr. Clean has been a recognized Proctor and Gamble icon for more than 50 years. Ivory Soap — famous for more than a century — promotes itself as 99 44/100% Pure. And there’s even a popular Tide detergent NASCAR race car.

Our desire to stay clean seems to be hard-wired into our DNA. But this intense longing covers much more than our face and hands. We also want to be just as clean on the inside. That means a clean heart, a clean conscience, and a clean spirit. And what we want most is a clean start in life.

But from the earliest chapters of the Bible, we read that mankind has chosen to turn its back on God and do its own thing. We’ve decided to live our lives on our own terms and ignore the One who made us, knows us, and loves us. And by disobeying God, we’ve destroyed our pristine environment and become stained with a spot on our souls that the strongest detergent can never remove. 

“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin,” pleaded King David, the one who was called a man after God’s own heart. It’s this same plea that we should offer up to God every day.

The good news is that God long ago responded to our helplessness in a most miraculous way. But not by devising some sort of payment plan for all the damage we’ve done to our own lives and to others. The price was much too high for that.

Instead, God decided to clean the slate himself through the death of his only Son, Jesus Christ. So as predicted centuries earlier in the Old Testament, He came to earth in the form of a helpless infant, grew up and lived a faultless, sin-free life, and was unjustly executed for trumped-up crimes that He didn’t commit. 

It was all so grossly unfair because Jesus was without fault. But there was no other way to fully pay the penalty that we alone deserve. After all, He was the perfect sacrifice who came to earth to make us right with God. So, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God sees us as He sees his own Son: The One who is stainless and blameless. Therefore, all we must do for a clean start is accept this free — and incredibly generous — gift of grace. 

“I, the LORD, invite you to come and talk it over,” says God in the book of Isaiah. “Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool.”

Nobody’s hands are clean, but there is a way to make them spotless. Now’s the time to come clean with God.

Hope Personified

“I myself am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus told her. “The man who believes in me will live even though he dies, and anyone who is alive and believes in me will never die at all. Can you believe that?”

– John 11:25

One of the great things about the English language is that a single word can mean so many different things. For example, we might say that we love going to church, we love our children, and we’d love for our favorite football team to win the Super Bowl.

The same holds true for the word hope. For example, we hope that COVID-19 won’t return. We hope we’ll make it to the office on time. And we also put our hope for eternal salvation in Jesus. But why should we hope for that? It’s because Jesus is hope personified.

During his brief time on earth, Jesus cured the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, and became a living sacrifice to pay the price for all the wrongs of the world — just as God had planned it at the foundation of the world. Jesus’ resurrection from the grave — just as he had predicted it — proved his power over death. He also fulfilled prophecies written centuries before his birth. And 2,000 years later, Jesus' words continue to change lives and deliver hope through the fact that God has it covered.

This is a fundamental certainty that every Christ-follower should embrace. But sometimes we can't see the big picture. We don’t know the life-changing people and situations that God will place into our existence. And we also don’t have his vantage point of knowing what’s around the corner and miles up the road. Moreover, it’s hard for us to see a greater purpose in our lives when we're going through the pain of unemployment, lingering illness, family issues, or even death. But God is in control. And for those who trust and follow him, he offers this assurance:

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you,” says our Creator. “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

To borrow the title of an old-time Gospel song, this promise is nothing less than Blessed Assurance. We know without a doubt that God — through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross — has taken care of our past, present, and future. So, in a world marked by tragedy, sorrow, and uncertainty, we can still find hope for today … and tomorrow.

 

It’s the Real Thing

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

– Acts 4:12

One of the world’s most recognized brands, Coca-Cola traces its roots back to 1886, when the first glass of the tasty beverage was served in an Atlanta, GA, pharmacy. The drink grew in popularity — and it wasn’t without imitators. Pepsi arrived in 1893, followed by Royal Crown (“RC”), Shasta, and a host of others. In the late 1960s to help further differentiate Coke from the competition, company executives chose the familiar It’s the Real Thing slogan in response to research that revealed “… young people seek the real, the original, and the natural as an escape from phoniness.”

Now fast-forward more than 50 years, and people of all ages still seek authenticity — especially when it comes to matters of faith and religion. There’s no shortage of options. And furthering the confusion is the common notion that whichever one we choose, it really doesn't matter, just so long as we’re sincere and it makes us happy. After all, everyone is entitled to their own truth. It's all relative. And we're all

worshiping the same god. Right?

On the contrary! The Bible reveals that Jesus made some startling claims that clearly contradict today’s anything-goes take on faith. And he also backed them up. For example, Scripture accurately predicted Christ’s birth — even the name of the tiny village where it would happen — centuries before the fact. And in Jesus’ brief time on earth, he proved himself as the Son of God by curing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving sins, and being a living sacrifice to pay the price for the sins of the world. His resurrection from the grave (also as he predicted) proved his power over death. And 2,000 years later, Jesus' words continue to change lives and make an eternal difference.

"I am the vine; you are the branches," we read in John's gospel. "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Many people — even those who aren't Christ-followers — agree that Jesus was a "good" man and a "wise" teacher. But the hot button question is whether or not he's the only way to God. The short answer is … YES! Jesus declares that no one can come to the Father (God) except through him. However, these days that's a claim that makes people uncomfortable. It's an assertion of exclusivity. And many would call it intolerant.

But maybe it's not so exclusive after all. Jesus' death and resurrection make it possible for anyone to have eternal life, and no one who wants a new beginning through the Savior is turned away. And unlike manmade religions, the real way to God isn't about keeping certain rules, saying special prayers, or eating (or not eating) particular foods. Instead, being a Christ-follower is about putting our faith in him, accepting his free gift of salvation, and letting him live through us.

Today there are about 20 major world religions along with thousands of related beliefs and their offshoots. And they all have something in common: their emphasis on doing. But Christianity — the simple faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior — is instead about what's been done. We can't earn our salvation or do enough good deeds to cancel out our sins. And without faith in Jesus, we also can’t please God.

"It is finished!" Jesus proclaimed as he hung from the cross to save you and me. It was the only way. And It’s the Real Thing.