Our lives are guided by what is and is not acceptable behavior. These cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are the shared expectations that guide the behavior of people within social groups. These norms are shaped and changed over time by the beliefs and behaviors of society.

Did the Me Too Movement change in any way how we view and understand sexual violence? Consider how quickly the rules of communication have changed with email, text messaging, social media. For years, the plural form of “guy,” when used as a vocative (word or phrase used to address directly), as in, “Hey guys, what are you doing tonight?” was viewed as being appropriate and gender inclusive. But with gender identity and expression being what it is today, in some circles, that same “Hey guys” is deemed inappropriate.

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus lays out what is expected of those who follow Him; the recipe if you will for Christian behavior. At the beginning of this discourse, Jesus offers eight blessings, known as the Beatitudes. Each one contains both a condition and a result. Let me just say, unlike ever-shifting cultural norms, this expectation of His followers has not changed over time.

The theological concept of being blessed goes back to the beginning. God created us to be blessed, to be the recipients of His favor and steadfast love, and to live in that attitude as we participate in the care and cultivation of His creation. We know from the creation story that after God created mankind in His own image, He blessed them. (see Genesis 1:27-28). But in the Fall, mankind forfeited this blessing. The storyline of redemption involves the re-establishment of God’s blessing upon those who put their faith in Him, through His son Jesus.

Let’s look at the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

In my opinion, being “poor in spirit” is a fundamental condition for being a follower of Jesus. Those who are poor in terms of material wealth are deeply aware of what they are lacking. Poor people know they are poor. Similarly, those who are truly poor in spirit are aware of what they are lacking spiritually. The poor in spirit are aware of their utter need for God. And once we are aware, and acknowledge our need for God, we are willing to open ourselves up to Him.  

The “kingdom of heaven” means God’s sovereignty, or in other words, His reign and rule on earth. So, the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. It is they who enjoy Messiah’s reign and His blessings when they accept His rule and participate in the life of the kingdom. 

We need to admit that it is more of God we need, not more of us. We need to empty our cup filled of us and re-fill it with God. As my very wise wife likes to say – “We must continually empty ourselves, of ourselves, in order to be filled with God.”

So, I ask you – Who is your cup filled with?  

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I am not very good at building or assembling things. I just don’t have that DNA. I need clear step-by-step instructions, and even then, it is sometimes still a challenge. In those moments I find myself frustrated and feeling not too good about my competence in following instructions and putting things together. Have you ever been there?

We tend to live life by that same method. We want rules, formulas, systems, and step-by-step instructions. We want a plan, a manual, something that tells us what to expect. We want two plus two to always equal four. However, we sometimes fail to follow the instructions that will give us our desired outcome. Think of the mess you would have if you ignored the directions when baking a cake. Builders use blueprints when building a house for a reason. Last year I had two atrial flutter ablations to treat my arrhythmia. Imagine what might have happened if when doing the procedure, the cardiologist had not used the proper surgical protocols, techniques, or instruments, instead had simply “went with the flow.”  

Conversely, I do art therapy, and when I paint, I do “go with the flow,” simply allowing my brain to guide my brush strokes. Art therapy is a tool I use to allow my brain to interpret, express, and resolve its chaotic state. It is self-expression through artistic creation. For me, it is free flow and not following some step-by-step procedure. Art therapy is about the process and not the product and it is in and through the free flow of paint on the canvas that I find healing and peace.

In my opinion, religion is often nothing more than checking off boxes, following a prescribed plan, a system of beliefs and practices. It is works-based, sometimes creating do’s and don’ts not even found in scripture. While religion is about rules, faith, seeking and following Jesus, is about a relationship. It is about a Person and not a plan; it is grace-based. Following God is about freely allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct your steps, no matter how unpredictable or out of compliance with your well laid out step-by-step instructions it might seem. It may help to have plans, but when following God, you cannot hold onto those plans too tightly. Here is what we read in Proverbs 16:9 – “A person’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.”

The fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians ends by contrasting works of the flesh with fruit of the Spirit. The second to last verse reads this way – “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (v.25). To experience true Kingdom living, you cannot turn your faith into a formula. You need to be responsive to where the Spirit might be leading you. When Jesus called his first disciples, He did not give them a list of rules or step-by-step instructions of what to do beforehand, He simply said “Come, follow me.” (Mattew 4:19).

So today, will you commit, or re-commit, to allowing the Spirit to guide your path (Galatians 5:16; in context, vv.16-25)? Will you freely flow wherever His brush strokes lead you. Doing so will take you places that rules, formulas, systems, or step-by-step instructions never will!

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We are often labeled by things we do or the groups we are associated with. You know, sort of like the labels, often handwritten, on home-canned goods found at farmer’s markets. That label simply states the contents of the jar, and nothing more. Or how about the label inside your shirt. It probably tells the brand, size, where the garment was made, and sometimes other information relating to the shirt itself. But it says nothing about the quality or condition of the shirt.   

If you are an avid fan of a certain sports team, let’s say you follow The Ohio State Buckeyes, then you are part of Buckeye Nation. If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are considered a Baby Boomer. The devotees to Charles Manson were known as the Manson Family and the women in that “family” often referred to themselves as Charlie’s Girls. The young people of the 1960s counterculture were called hippies. Many of those same hippies joined the Jesus Movement and became known as Jesus freaks.

Someone who has been convicted of a serious crime is labeled as a felon. If you have a particular interest in food, you are called a foodie. Or if your nose is always in a book, and you are devoted to reading, you might be a bookworm. How about jock, political junkie, addict, deadbeat dad, soccer mom, gay, nerd, liberal; again, all words used to label people. And lastly, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are called a Christian, or in some circles you are simply known as a Jesus-follower.

We tend to find identity in our labels. And that identity can be positive, neutral, or negative. If your boss calls you innovative, you probably tend to be motivated by that, feeling free to allow your creative juices to flow. On the flipside, maybe as a child someone called you a loser and that crippling label has stuck with you into adulthood. But the truth of the gospel is that we are not our labels. We read this in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul is saying when Jesus died and rose again that nothing in his (Paul) past – he was a self-righteous persecutor of anyone who associated with the name of Jesus – mattered in the eyes of God any longer. And that is true for you and me today, no label, good or bad, can keep us from the love of Christ (see Romans 8:31-39). Those earthly labels placed upon us do not define us in the eyes of God. We may still have or be whatever has labeled us, but those labels no longer define our identity.  We are more than just labels.

I also want to extend a warning. Just like any other label, the word Christian is just that, a label. It does not define who you are or what you do; it is only a category you fit in, only a box to check off. And it defines you no more than any of the labels referenced above. We read these convicting words found in 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

So, labels do not define us, rather, it is who we are in Christ that defines each one of us. If you have given your life to Jesus, then your label is in fact “Christian.” But today I don’t ask whether or not you are a Christian, but instead, I ask you (and me) these questions – Do you walk out your life believing that Christ lives in you? Do you walk out your life considering who you truly are? When people see you, do they see the character of God being reflected in you?

You are more than just a label.   

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Dear Subscribers and Readers of Deep Water Musings,

Several times a year I take a scheduled short hiatus from writing. While I greatly enjoy writing, it does take more effort and energy since my stroke, thus I find myself needing more time and space to let the accumulated chaos in my brain calm itself. I am planning to take some time here in early June to tend to self care and recharging. I want to sincerely thank all of you who subscribe or periodically read my writings. Allow me to remind you why I write. What follows comes directly from the About This Blog page…

I am just an average joe trying to navigate my way through life with the help of Jesus. I love to listen to God and put what I hear down on paper as a way to cause us to go deeper in our faith. I chose the name Deep Water Musings based upon Jesus calling us to go deep with Him.

In Luke 5:4, Jesus invites Simon to “Put out into the deep water.” And it is through going deep with the Holy Spirit that we can fully lose ourselves and find all that God has for us. The deep waters of the Holy Spirit are always accessible to us because they are always flowing. Ezekiel gives us a beautiful picture of this constantly flowing river, one that begins like a small stream but the more we “jump in” the deeper it gets, and the more we get of the Holy Spirit’s work. In Ezekiel 47:1-5 we find that each new time the water gets measured, the water goes from a trickle (v.2) to ankle deep (v.3) to knee deep then waist deep (v.4), and finally in v.5 we read, “and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.”

It is my hope and prayer that these simple blog posts inspire you to go deeper with Jesus!

Peace & love, Dave