Who's #1?

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

-- Revelation 19:16

The media have long recognized the public's love of lists for who or what is Number One. Peruse the magazine covers while you're in the supermarket checkout line, and you'll see headlines for the Top 10 Muscle Cars, Best Ways to Renovate Your Home and the Year's Nastiest Celebrity Breakups. Television embraces this popular genre through shows like the Top 100 Heavy Metal Videos of All Time, Best Caribbean Beach Resorts and the Greatest Engineering Disasters of the 20th Century. And then there are websites like Ranker.com, which asks its readers to rank their favorites on a wide variety of topics like Best Video Game Franchises of All Time, Greatest Batman Gadgets and America's Coolest College Towns.

When it comes to entertainment and sports, we might speak up for our favorite movie or defend our opinion about the NFL's greatest quarterback. But what about issues of much greater importance? For example, who (or what) is Number One in your life? Is it your family? Your career? Money, vacations or the weekend? Or maybe the answer is as close as the nearest mirror. If it is, you're not alone.

Regardless of your response to this revealing question, King Solomon--probably the wisest man who ever lived--could relate to your perspective. In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, he wrote that he tried every pleasure under the sun to find fulfillment in life. And unfortunately for him, his search in all the wrong places brought him emptiness and sorrow. But we can gain much from the lessons that he learned the hard way.

First, fulfillment in life comes about only when we live for the right person. And in our case, that means living for God by letting his son (Jesus Christ) live through us. Second, we can find fulfillment only when we live by God's standards. After all, what good does it do if we say we're a Christ-follower on Sunday but live much differently the rest of the week?  And finally, we find fulfillment in life only when we live with the right focus. In other words, we need to live with eternity in mind. Careers, money, vacations--and even sporting events--may seem important today. But they'll all pale in significance when it comes to what we do in life to help usher in God's Kingdom here on earth. That's because every Christ-follower is called to be Jesus' personal representative.

Now's the time to look again in the mirror and decide who (or what) is really Number One. Let's consider Jesus' timeless advice on this matter to his first followers. Considering today's uncertain social, political and economic environments, you'll see that his eternal words are both relevant and reassuring:

"Don't worry and ask yourselves, 'Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?' Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things," the Savior tells us. "Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well."

I Shall Return

Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: "I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people..."

-- Psalm 89:19

March 11, 1942 was a dark day for America--as well as for the entire free world. Just three months earlier, the Japanese had launched a devastating surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The result was a crippled American Pacific fleet, 3,478 servicemen killed or wounded plus an additional 103 civilian casualties. Now the Japanese had trapped 85,000 American and Filipino troops on the Philippine's Bataan Peninsula and the island fortress of Corregidor.

Under orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur (the American commander) and his family evacuated the area for the relative safety of Australia. The thousands of troops MacArthur left behind were eventually forced to surrender to the mighty Japanese military. But the general refused to turn his back on his men--or on the Filipino people. "I shall return," MacArthur promised in his statement to the press. And on October 20, 1944, he kept that promise when he waded ashore with an invasion force at the island of Leyte. "People of the Philippines, I have returned," MacArthur declared in an unforgettable radio broadcast.

Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Douglas MacArthur was a warrior known for his bravery, heroism and faithfulness. And although his promise was both historic and world-changing, it pales in comparison to another promise kept more than 2,000 years ago. Mankind had for centuries been enslaved by an enemy called sin, and freedom was just a dream. Keeping a vow he made at the foundation of the world, God himself paid mankind's enormous sin-debt in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. 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 crimes that he didn't commit. The message of his brief ministry declared the Good News of God's coming Kingdom, and it's summarized in one of the best-known passages of the Bible (John 3:16):

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

It was through Jesus that God kept his promise of forgiveness and salvation for those who ask for it in faith. And one day--perhaps in the very-near future--he'll keep another long-anticipated promise when another warrior, Jesus, returns to once and for all defeat the enemy and forever free his people.

The Good Shepherd

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

-- Isaiah 1:17

If you're one of the millions of Americans these days who are considering a career change, how about becoming a shepherd?

Although the number of job openings for shepherds has dropped over the last several decades, it appears that good help is still hard to find. In fact, it's not uncommon for ranchers, farmers and landowners to import experienced shepherds from other nations where sheep-and-goat management is a thriving enterprise. If you still think that you're up to the task, understand that shepherds are responsible for protecting their flock against vicious predators including coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, bears and even domestic dogs. They must also monitor their sheep for illness. What's more, an experienced shepherd is expected to shear up to 125 ewes a day without nicking or cutting the animals' skin.

Above all, a shepherd's primary responsibility is the safety and welfare of their flock. And since so many different things can happen to the sheep under their watch, they must expect the unexpected, be courageous and do the right thing.

Doing the right thing isn't just the right thing to do, it's also a biblical principle for Christ-followers. As we read in James 4:17, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

Doing the right thing often calls for bravery. While we may never face a powerful army on the battlefield, we might have to take on societal opponents like injustice, crime or discrimination. We have no hope of defeating them on our own. However, we should be encouraged that God specializes in empowering average Joes and Janes to do the extraordinary against overwhelming odds.

For example, the Old Testament tells us that David--at the time an obscure shepherd boy and musician--protected his nation by killing the giant Goliath with a single stone launched from his slingshot. It was this same David who eventually became the mighty King of Israel and the one God called "a man after My own heart." Likewise, a fisherman named Peter once dove into the deep end (literally) when he accepted Jesus' call to walk on water. But after doubting his own abilities, Peter began to sink beneath the waves. Christ, however, saved him once the struggling follower called out in faith. This same Peter--who would eventually deny Jesus to others three times--ultimately became a bold preacher of The Way (the Good News about his Savior, Jesus Christ). Two books of the Bible also bear Peter's name.

As Christ-followers, we can take heart as we proceed through the peaks and valleys of our faith-journeys. While the world is indeed a scary place, God doesn't expect us to solve all of its problems. Instead, it's by seeking and embracing his power in faith that we can make a world of difference. And it all starts when we--like The Good Shepherd we worship--seek and do the right thing.

The A-Team

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

-- Matthew 16:18

What do The Dirty Dozen, The Bad News Bears and The A-Team have in common? These late-night cable TV staples share the same general plot about a group of unlikely misfits who--one way or another--work together to overcome significant obstacles and achieve victory. They face numerous setbacks along the road. But they eventually rally behind their leader, beat long odds and accomplish the improbable. It's a classic, feel-good storyline that never seems to grow old.

And it really IS an old storyline: at least 2,000 years-old, to be specific.

The "script" here is the New Testament, the second half of the Bible. Much of its real-life plot also revolves around a group of unlikely characters who learn from their all-knowing leader (Jesus) to alter history. We read in the Gospels that these mundane individuals were Christ's hand-picked followers. Some were fishermen, one was a tax collector and another (Simon the Zealot) might be considered a terrorist by today's standards. 

The apostles were a dubious group for such an important assignment: changing the world for Christ's kingdom one person at a time. But since it's a mission that continues to this day through The Church--the collective term for everyone who claims Jesus as their Lord and Savior--maybe it's not so surprising that God still chooses society's outsiders and those who tend to fade into the crowd.

Some modern-day Christ-followers work for insurance companies, supermarkets, retail stores and banks. Others are homemakers, sales representatives, police officers and marketing executives. And many are between jobs, retired or work part-time. But for all of their differences, there's a common denominator. It's a fervent belief in Jesus--God among us in human form. And it's this same faith that helps them share the joys and overcome the many struggles, disappointments and even tragedies encountered along their unique faith-journeys. These Believers have also learned another vital lesson: their own strength and wisdom is worth little towards surmounting the world's obstacles. But this is actually to their advantage.

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties," the Apostle Paul wrote. "For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And indeed God does much with the weaknesses of Everyday Joes and Janes. Families are fed, clothed and housed through their contributions and work in local food pantries, the Salvation Army and similar organizations. The sick are cured through the efforts of healthcare professionals who also happen to trust Jesus. And still other Christ-followers teach the illiterate to read and the undereducated to gain critical life- and job-skills.

That's a very brief list of the ways Jesus changes the world when the Church serves as his eyes, hands and feet. As the A-Team's leader--Colonel Hannibal Smith--so aptly puts it in every episode: "I love it when a plan comes together!"

And no doubt so does God.