365 – Page 4 – Watch. Stand. Pray.

22 – Take Space, Give Space

We all need space, even the simple space to exist. But, we have other necessary space—space to work, rest, play, and learn. We need space to be alone—to enjoy peace, reflection, and rest.

Give others space, especially space to ponder their flaws or improve themselves.

When we need space the most we are most resistant to it. Just the same, when others need space and “alone time” it can seem like they need us to continue jabbering at them.

Solo time doesn’t always work on a schedule. It often just shows up without warning. Usually, that intense desire to be with other people is the indication that it is time not to be with other people. Whether your rest time or someone else’s rest time has come, quickly recognize it and grant it the necessary space.

Be alone at times. Enjoy the silence. It always takes time to get acclimated to solitude just as it takes time to get acclimated to long-term prayer. Solo time is a great time to pray—not reciting well-prepared messages to God, but simply to be alone with Him or to focus your heart on one specific need or idea.

Solo times can be remarkably empowering if you do not squander them on entertainment and ice cream.

In fact, the desire to watch movies and eat ice cream can often be a kind of “spiritual attack”, to lull us into complacency and just give up when we should be working, even working alone. Know the indications when solo time knocks on your door, whether it is time for solo work or solo prayer and Bible.

Never succumb to the urge to sit, do nothing, eat ice cream, and watch movies. That usually indicates a “second-in-line” friendship that is too strong in your life, even though it may not seem related on the surface. Such friends suck the energy from us causing the hunger to snack on junk food and “escape”.

Seek out healthy solo time. Guard it. Schedule it if you need. Steal away for brief moments if it surprises you midday. Once you have finished your internal maintenance during solo time, healthy friends will miraculously show up.

23 – What Is ‘Righteousness’?

Righteousness is “right” doing, in other words doing the things that balance justice.

Since before the days of Noah, even before Enoch and Enosh, the concept of “righteousness” was that of balance. A “righteous” person was someone who used a balanced scale, who used the same measure for everyone including oneself.

More often in ancient times greed and dishonesty could easily be indicated by a merchant who carried two weights and two measuring sticks in his bag. When weighing for his own purchase, he would use the weight that would yield him more product; when weighing to sell, he would use the other weight that would sell less product for more money. The dishonest man would do this so he could dishonestly gain more wealth while appearing to buy and sell with equal standards of measure when he actually, secretly used two standards of measure—one for himself and one for everyone else. This is the meaning of the concept “double standard”.

Using a double standard is something that “righteous” people simply will not allow themselves to do. And, if they ever do, they deeply regret it, resent it, and take steps to prevent themselves from doing it again.

In the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch) and through the Old Testament, this was the initial and archetypal idea of a “righteous” person. The concept of “righteousness” is explained progressively through Scriptue, just as all virtues are explained in greater and greater detail as Bible history unfolds. All law, even sacrificial and priestly laws were built on the concept that they were “just” or “fair” or “righteous” or “balanced” in some way. By the New Testament times, ideas of other virtues are compounded with the idea of “righteousness”, so a “righteous” person also “does good and worthy, noble, and respectable things”. But, when reading about “righteousness” in the Bible, never forget the core, original meaning of “righteousness”. That underlying meaning of “honest and balanced measure” is the dominant idea and basis whenever the Bible mentions “justice” or “righteousness”.

“Righteousness” does not mean “sinlessly perfect”. Every sinner can be a “righteous” [yet also sinful] person—with the conscientious unction and lasting lifestyle habit of using standard measures.

Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Proverbs 11:1,3; 20:23; 21:3, Ephesians 4:25, Colossians 3:9

24 – Faith Is Righteous

When Abraham came along, God made a covenant with him that his descendants would be countless as the stars. God put His own name inside Abraham’s, changing it into Abraham from Abram. Abraham believed God’s promise, the covenant, and God “counted it as righteousness”.

Later, in the Prophets of the Old Testament and through the New Testament, came the theme The just shall live by faith. This was the idea that “faith in God” or “believing God” or “trusting God” is an act of “balanced righteousness”. Put more simply, “righteous people” will live lives of “trusting God”. Put in broader terms, “righteous people” are “godly people” because righteous people live with the belief that God is there, God is good, and God can and should be trusted.

In Heaven’s court—under God’s judgment—sinners become worthy to connect with God and have a happy afterlife simply by “faith” in God, namely Jesus.

The Bible’s idea of faith is that we trust God. In trusting that Jesus was who he claimed to be, we are adopted into his Eternity family and have a direct phone line to God. Believing our Creator and Redeemer is a fair, just, act of balanced righteousness.

During the medieval times of reformation, European and Roman Catholic theology held the idea that “righteousness” meant “sinlessness”. So, to them, the term “righteous sinner” seemed to be an oxymoron; it is not. “Righteousness” simply means “using standard measures”, which sinners like all of us can do. Righteousness and sin disagree, but a sinner can be considered “righteous” by using standard measures throughout one’s life. Still, that kind of “righteousness” does not forgive our sin.

Even with “fair, just” standards in our lives, our Eternal afterlife remains grim. Our own goodness can’t hold a candle to Eternity.

When Jesus died on the Cross, no one killed him; he sacrificed himself and it was according to animal sacrifice laws given to Moses. He was sinless—unlike the rest of us—so his self-human sacrifice was the last sacrifice ever needed.

Believing Jesus grants us Eternal adoption by God, even while remaining sinners in this lifetime—something we could not have before Jesus’s sacrifice at the Cross.

Genesis 15:6, Psalm 51, Habakkuk 2:4, John 3:16, Romans 1:17; 5:8, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, I John 4:10

25 – Sin and Sacrificial Laws

The priests’ and animal sacrificing laws God gave to Moses, found in Exodus through Deuteronomy, point to Jesus’s death on the Cross. The purpose of all of the rituals and animal sacrifice schedules were simultaneously completed with Jesus’s trial, suffering, and crucifixion. Because it was completed, death lost its grip and Jesus rose from the dead. Now, Jesus offers resurrection to all of us.

The purpose of these laws were “spiritual”—that is that one would need to literally see angels and the spirits surrounding a human’s body in order for the laws to make plain sense. The presumption is that demons, angels, and disembodied evil spirits all exist.

Israel entered Canaan, the Promised Land, under Joshua’s leadership. The people who lived there were committing heinous acts of human sacrificing, along with other disgusting practices. These things gave power to demons over the land and invited evil spirits to rest on people, to influence their lusts, and derail their emotions. The laws of priests and sacrificing animals in a very specific manner temporarily broke off the power of these evil spiritual forces, keeping Israel free from demonic control until Jesus could complete the final sacrifice once and for all.

Sacrificial laws are gruesome, but more gruesome was the evil they defeated. Those laws were a gift to humanity. In the spiritual realm, as angels saw things, Mosaic sacrificing made perfect sense, making the world a better place.

The whole world had been shrouded in darkness concerning knowledge about God. Satan worship was alive and well. Empires taught that the Creator was evil and should be overthrown or else that an “upper class” should oppress and either literally or nearly enslave the masses. After Jesus’s time, governments in Europe exploited the Bible to achieve much of this anyway.

In this darkness, God would bring hope to all humanity. For reasons God only knows, Jesus would be a descendant of Abraham, live his life in that land Abraham did, and break evil’s grip on Earth. Israel needed to survive and prepare until the timing aligned. To do that, demons had to be held at bay. Moses’s sacrificial laws protected Israel and the world until Jesus finished everything.

Genesis 15:16, Deuteronomy 9:4-6, John 17:4; 19:30, Hebrews 10

26 – Don’t Cry ‘Victim’

Never give into the urge to “demand justice for what they took from you!” That is the war cry of every burglar, every predator, every oppressor, and every murderer. People who hurt others believe it is justice, but that twisted conscience comes from the inner demand that “someone owes me something!”—but it’s not true.

You don’t see Jesus whining and he gave up the most of any of us, willingly.

God has given each of us more than we need to make it through the day and the rest of our lives. Whatever was taken from you, in a Biblical worldview there are many ways that your story can have a happy ending—whether in spite of or because of your injury.

And, of course, everyone has an injury from something. Anyone who thinks otherwise lacks self-honesty. If God were to give us otherwise He would do us injustice.

The incredible, energetic, generative, creative, electrifying power of the Creator of the Universe and the Spiritverse can take any size of destruction and wipe it away like a flame licking up a spec of dust. There is so much joy, redemption, rejuvenation, resurrection, and restoration available to all of us that it would be a crime not to demonstrate it.

So, rather than beating your fists bloody as you beat bloody whoever took whatever petty thing from you, give your complaint to Heaven and let the energy of a supercharged afterlife invade your present life. Buy—purchase—immeasurable joy through the payment of giving over your right to complain. One glimpse of Heaven and you really won’t care anymore.

So, get your mind right. Focus on whatever is good and encouraging. Ask God for a glimpse of the Hope He promised in Jesus. With Heaven clearly in your mind, deeply seeded in your heart, you will somehow find the strength to envision what you must, to allow Heaven to outshine your loss.

But, never welcome that desire to “claim your right [to revenge and recompense]”. It misguides kings to lose themselves and their trusted people. Get your repayment from Heaven with Heaven’s interest rates. All it takes is a little surrender and thirst for Light.

27 – Accept Compliments

It’s a normal thing in life to receive compliments. Giving compliments is a lesson all to itself, but while it is more blessed to give than to receive, where compliments are concerned receiving is more difficult than giving.

In summary, say, “Thank you.”

If you find that monotonous, try, “I’m honored,” or, “Well, it means a lot.” Practice in front of the mirror if you must. It is no work of forgery to practice receiving a compliment.

Selfless people do not work to receive compliments so they do not naturally enjoy them. But, celebrating with those who are happy is part of good chivalry, as is being the life of the party thrown in your favor.

People give compliments because you have helped them and want to return the favor in what small way they can, unless it is flattery. One way to outsmart flattery is to give a true, real thank you—not conceit or thinking that you deserve the compliment, but genuinely being appreciative.

Just be real and assume the best. Be a blessing to those who want to grace you with appreciation. Ask them if they have any stories to share.

Learning to accept a compliment is a step in humility. When you don’t care for the affirmation of others, but you are willing to give up caring about the things you care about not caring about—that takes self-sacrifice!

People giving a compliment are opening their hearts to you. When a stranger, young or old, walks up to you and tells you that your work is good, they are making themselves vulnerable. Reward them for their risk; return the honor by receiving theirs; don’t make them regretful.

Not all compliments are diplomatic and well polished. People lavish gifts from their own cultures and villages, parts of town and sides of the mountain. They may throw sarcasm or strange humor. They may imply a sideways joke.

Learning to accept a compliment is more than about humility and a real response, even if you need to practice yours. It also includes recognizing disguised compliments, or when someone wants to give a compliment, but just doesn’t know it yet. So, always say, “Thank you.”

28 – Honor Others

Honor others whether they deserve it or not.

I’ll never forget Sport, the conscientious hunting dog who respected himself and everyone else.

Dogs rarely enjoy being picked up, but there is a “correct” way: arms under the legs at the joints, perhaps let the paws rest on your arms. But, Sport wouldn’t have any of it. Only his master, a 16 year old animal prodigy who trained dogs for hunters in the greater area, was allowed to pick up Sport, even then under protest.

If I tried to scoop up Sport, he would get low, growl fiercely, then humbly cower in respect. I’d try again, Sport would diplomatically growl and use all his skill to prevent being picked up, then return to his humble bow. I have never seen such respect. Sport’s honor toward me left a mark on my heart.

Honoring others is not the same as obeying them, except by coincidence.

Generally, children should obey their parents because if their parents are wrong then children can rarely explain why—except in those incredibly humbling moments when God speaks to us through the mouths of babes. No one ever fully grows up. Parents usually find themselves humbled by their children’s wisdom when failing to honor their children.

My father had to file for guardianship of his mother, which the judge granted without hesitation. “It wasn’t what she wanted,” he explained, “but it indeed was honoring to her.”

Honor is the command to all children toward their parents in the Old Testament, Paul applied this with young children as “obedience”. Paul also taught parents to not provoke children, and he taught women to honor men, yet men to love women—a complementary, beautiful difference in honoring the genders.

Honor could be understood, in simple terms, as treating someone as a king or queen—and acting like a worthy king or queen oneself.

Showing honor toward others says a great deal about the person who shows honor and almost nothing about the person being honored. Showing honor is honorable.

Counselor Troy said, “Respect is earned, not bestowed.” Tony Soprano said, “Those who want respect give respect.”

If you want honor, be honorable: Show honor to others.

Colossians 3:18-25