Pure Refreshment 1.08 -> The Adventure

The first time I stepped inside my elementary school’s library, I was overwhelmed. Aside from the gaudy creamsicle orange and white paint scheme, the room contained more books that I could possibly read in a lifetime. But I was willing to try. During the next few years, I read children’s books, history books, and even a few cookbooks. However, I had a difficult time reading one type of book because it seemed to be a prized commodity among other students. These were known as the “choose your own adventure” books.

The books involved a lead character in various settings—a spooky mansion or a secret underground laboratory, for instance—and chronicled their ‘adventures’ while there. What set these works apart was their open-endedness. The reader would begin the story like any other book, but a few pages later, the story would abruptly pause and list a series of choices. In order the make the choice, a person had to turn to a different page in the book and continue reading. Sometimes the choice was good. Sometimes it was not good. Sometimes it was unknown. But in the end, there was only one correct way to read the book; the other endings left more to be desired.

I eventually was able to check out a few of these books, and while reading, I learned something.

I wasn’t a good decision-maker.

My characters always received cruel fates, such as drinking the vial of potion that turned the hero into a stone statue, entering the greenhouse that had plants straight from the movie Minority Report, or turning the wrong direction while being chased and getting beaten up by some scary Frankenstein look-alike. Despite my focused attempts to make the right choices each time, I was never able to complete one of these books correctly.

Isn’t life like a “choose your own adventure” book? With each passing second, we write more of our story, making decisions along the way that affect what happens next. Deciding to drive faster than the speed limit may prompt a police officer to write you a ticket. Electing to stay home one evening may allow you to take a phone call from a friend that has since moved away. Choosing to exercise daily and eat right may allow you to keep up with your daughter as she learns to ride a bike.

It is comforting and refreshing to know that the Lord has good plans for those who follow after Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). He told a group of his people held captive in Babylon: “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 {Msg]). God didn’t say that life would be easy or that difficulties would completely disappear. He simply stated that the end result would be worth it.

Think about this: many of our Christlike character traits were not developed by reading the Bible on a subject (say, patience) and then saying, “Alright, I’m now incredibly patient.” Instead, we’ve learned these qualities through various challenges, hardships, or uncomfortable situations. To learn to love unconditionally, for example, might involve dealing with a coworker that seemingly finds pleasure directing cruel and vindictive comments at us. Sometimes we succeed admirably. Sometimes we fail miserably. And when we fail, God is gracious in providing additional opportunities to refine that element of our life. They may not be in the same situation(s) with the same individual(s), but we will, as we become more like Jesus, learn and respond as he desires us to.

We must always keep in mind that God already knows our story backwards and forwards; we don’t. Thus, the Lord is the author of our ‘adventure,’ but he allows us to have some responsibility for how it plays out. We must assume that responsibility with the utmost care and concern as we consider his desire for humankind—that all would come to him and claim Jesus as their Forgiver and Leader (see 2 Peter 3:9). Since we have that goal, the rest of our lives should attempt to make it happen as best as we can through the choices we make on a weekly, daily, hourly, or impromptu basis.

One of the decisions you’re currently making involves reading this edition of Pure Refreshment. I pray that God is using these to challenge, encourage, and strengthen you on your particular ‘adventure.’ After you’ve finished reading, you have choices to make, based on how he’s been speaking to you:

• To ask God to change you to become more like him in a specific way.
• To ask God for guidance in a particular situation.
• To ask God for forgiveness.
• To share what you’ve learned with someone else.
• To do nothing.

The decision you make is important, since it affects the future course of your ‘adventure.’ As the Lord directs you, I pray you would choose wisely in this and every decision you face today. And as he refreshes you, may you, in turn, refresh others.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
— Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

“God loves the man who needs Him.”
—Oswald Chambers

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered message—without express written permission.

Pure Refreshment 1.07 -> An Easter Edition

For this edition of Pure Refreshment, I felt it was necessary to do something a little different.

What follows is an ‘impersonation’ of a central figure in the story of Easter. I do not claim to know this person’s thoughts exactly, but the Bible contains enough information to make a well-informed attempt. It is a little longer than a normal edition, but I think it’s appropriate at this time.

My prayer is that as you consider the events of the life of Christ, that he would awaken and challenge you to his plans for your life. And as he refreshes you, may you not keep it to yourself, but go out and refresh others.

I am puzzled right now.

So many thoughts are racing around in my brain that I really don’t know what to think. Believing doesn’t always involve seeing, and it’s what I didn’t see that gives me reason to consider. To the uninformed observer, it was a room containing some strips of linen and a neatly folded cloth.

For me, it could be the beginning of something much larger than myself. Or it could be the fulfillment of something much larger than myself. It could be both. I don’t really know—not right now, at least.

All I know is what I’ve seen and heard—and I’ve seen and heard a lot of things in the last three years or so. And to think it all really started on the shore of the lake that has been the source of numerous successes and failures. The night before, my partners and I had gotten in the boat to go fishing, but our nets came up empty each time. We had returned to shore and were fixing the nets for a future trip when a gentleman got into my boat and asked to be pushed out a little from shore. And he had reason to ask—there was a throng of people gathered, waiting to hear what he had to say. He sat in the boat and kept speaking. When he finished, he turned to me and said, “Go out right now and catch some fish.”

I was puzzled. But I told him I would do so because he asked. I gathered up the crew and we went out for a day trip. We threw the nets out, waited, and then noticed that there was a problem. The nets were about to break—not due to age, but due to having so many fish in them! We got our partners to come over in their boat and help out, and it took both boats to haul in the catch. When the boats arrived on shore (barely, due to the weight of the fish), he was standing there. I fell on my knees and told him to get away, because I had missed the mark with my life due to the mistakes I make.

He didn’t leave. Instead, he told me that I would be doing a different type of fishing. Fishing for people. It seemed like such a strange idea at the time, but yet I knew it was the right thing to do. I threw the nets down and followed after him, as did my partners James and John.

The last three years have been filled with dinners at people’s homes, gatherings where people waited to hear what seemed to be revolutionary teaching, and intimate times of learning and questioning. This man—Jesus—challenged me in ways I never would’ve imagined. He asked questions. He put us in situations where, like the miraculous catch of fish, the situation seemed impossible. Feeding over 5000 people with a little child’s lunch—but first asking us where we were going to get the food to do it. It still boggles my mind!

Jesus taught me lessons in faith and trust. After a long day, our group was rowing on the lake in the middle of the night. Jesus wasn’t with us at first, but he just took off walking on the lake and caught up. When I said, “If it’s you, then tell me to join you,” he told me to get out of the boat. And I did walk on the water . . . for a few seconds anyway. I learned how shaky my faith was when I took my eyes off him, looked at the waves around me, and started to sink. He picked me up, of course, but asked me, “Where is your faith?” I thought about it the rest of the trip.

My group of twelve were eyewitnesses to healings involving everything from a fever to leprosy to physical death. He didn’t always heal in the same way—sometimes it was with a word, sometimes a touch. One’s sex, age, or nationality didn’t seem to matter. There was something special about that man.

Then one day, he asked our group who we thought he was. The people had said everything from Elijah to a new prophet. I realized it was more than that but didn’t quite know it yet. I said, “You’re the Son of God.” Jesus said I was correct—and then said that he was going to use me to start his church—a revolution, maybe?—and that nothing was going to be able to stop it!

Jesus taught everywhere he went. He even used a slip-up on my part as a teaching moment. I was asked by some tax collectors one day if Jesus paid the temple tax. I said that he did, but when I entered the house, he said that he didn’t need to. But, so they wouldn’t be offended, I was to go catch a fish. Inside was a coin to pay his ‘tax.’ I found it curious that he then added the words “and yours.” My tax? Was I going to be teaching at some point? Sure enough, there was a coin inside the fish’s mouth that paid the taxes for both of us.

We got to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover about a week ago, and the consensus among the people was that a great king had arrived. Why else would clothes and palm branches be spread out on the road for Jesus to ride upon? I think we all thought he was going to take over the country and usher in a new season of peace, kind of like King David did so long ago.

It was different this time. Jesus was challenged at every turn by the Pharisees and Sadducees regarding ways of reading the Law. They didn’t like his answers, and the Pharisees especially didn’t like it when he exposed them for looking nice on the outside but corrupt on the inside.

Then Judas Iscariot—one of our group members!—got involved and secretly plotted to hand Jesus over to them. We didn’t find out until four days ago, when we all sat down together to eat the Passover. You can imagine the shock and dread in the room when he said, “One of you is going to betray me.” When he passed a piece of dipped bread to Judas, the pace of life was increased tenfold. We already knew Jesus was going to be killed (I once tried to tell him it wouldn’t happen, but got rebuked as a result). He taught us more about what would happen next. Trouble. Hardship. Possible death for us. But it would all be worth it in the end.

He then turned to me. “Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”1 What testing? I was ready to die, if need be, and I told him so. But he said that I was going to deny knowing him three times that night.

We left dinner and headed to the Mount of Olives. He went to pray, asking myself, James, and John to keep watch. The night had been too exhausting for us, though, and we all fell asleep. Jesus came back, woke us up, then went back to pray. We slept again. The next time we opened our eyes, Judas Iscariot had joined us—along with some soldiers, who took Jesus away.

I followed at a safe distance to see what was going to happen. The night was cold and I stood with some others over a fire, trying to keep warm. After a while, one of the people there said, “This man was with Jesus.”

I was ready to die, right? And yet I turned my face and said, “No, I don’t know him.” Even after all the lessons.

Someone else asked me if I was with Jesus a little later. I said ‘no’ again. Even after all the teachings.

The night was almost over when a third person said, “This man is from Galilee. He’s been with him!” I looked at him and said forcefully, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even after all the miracles.

Then a rooster crowed. The words came back to me from just a few hours earlier. Jesus turned from his accusers and looked at me. I’ll never forget those eyes. I don’t remember too much after that, other than leaving and crying uncontrollably.

Jesus was killed a few hours later by crucifixion. I do know he was buried in a tomb later that day. The other disciples and myself had all ran away when he needed us the most. Or did he? We weren’t sure what to do. Was this just another good story gone horribly awry? Who was going to take over Israel and lead us now?

But this morning brought something different. Some women went to the tomb with some burial spices, but found the rock in front of the entrance moved. They stepped inside and didn’t find him there—just the strips of linen and cloth I mentioned earlier. Two angels suddenly appeared and asked them something about seeking living among the dead. Jesus wasn’t there; he was raised to life again. He did tell us something about “three days later,” but I don’t think it made sense to us. They ran and told some other women, who found us and shared the news.

It was not what we were expecting. It didn’t make any sense. The stone in front of the entrance was huge. Jesus had died, hanging on a cross by his wrists. He had already been wrapped up for burial. None of us believed a word they were saying. But what if? I decided to take a closer look for myself. Sure enough, the stone had been moved to the side. There wasn’t anyone in there—just linen.

And that’s why I’m puzzled. What if? What if this is all true? Then people have to be told about it and why he died. Something about his comment in the room his last night on earth is interesting: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.”2 Maybe there’s something to all this. The lessons. The walking on water. The fish and the coin in its mouth. The tomb with nobody inside.

I’m think I’m going to go back to my old boat and go catch some fish. Waiting to pull those nets in will give me some more time to consider what I believe. Maybe the nets will have a different purpose. Maybe they’ll be used to catch more fish. Maybe people.

1 Luke 22:32, The Message.

2 Luke 22:20, NJKV. The pronoun “my” was not capitalized for continuity purposes.

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered email message—without express written permission.

Pure Refreshment 1.06 -> Of Emeralds and Men

The brown envelope arrived in our mailbox, along with a few other bills and solicitations. What made it different was the phrase printed on the front, stating that our family had won a genuine emerald. Being a kid in elementary school, the thought of a rare gemstone in the Sharrer household was quite fascinating.

After Mom opened the envelope, she was convinced we had won as well. According to the letter, there were no strings attached. We had definitely won a genuine emerald! All we had to do was mail back the certificate verifying our address and wait for the prize to arrive.

A few weeks later, a package arrived at our home. I was incredibly excited as I ran to show Mom what we received. She opened the package and we gazed upon the dazzling beauty of a rare gemstone.

Well, not exactly. There was an emerald inside. But it was almost microscopic in size and wasn’t even shiny. We both laughed. The original letter made it appear we had won a significant item in a contest. In reality, however, our prize wasn’t worth much at all.

We have the ability to be easily deceived by outward appearances. What seems at first glance to be a mild-mannered, friendly individual could actually be someone who physically abuses family members. A person who says, “I enjoy having you around,” may not believe a single word of their statement. A couple that walks into church smiling may be concealing the fact that they had a huge argument on the way and are temporarily on non-speaking terms (sadly, I’ve been a part of this one before).

Jesus understood this fact and took the opportunity to discuss it while teaching a large crowd gathered on a mountainside. The words he shared have significant importance for his followers in the 21^st century:

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-45 NIV).

In everything we do or say, whether in public or in private, we provide evidence of what we truly believe about Jesus. That evidence, or fruit, is what determines a person’s reaction to the faith we claim to have. For example, if we say one thing but act in completely different manner, our credibility is compromised. As author Brennan Manning put it, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” 1

Sure, there are some people who attempt to live dual ‘lives’—one of spirituality in public, but one of shadiness in private—but it cannot last forever. What is hidden will be made known at some point, leaving the individual to decide whether to admit their struggles or deny them altogether (see Luke 12:2). A person will be known by their fruits, whether they choose to claim them or not.

So, what are the fruits that Jesus desires us to exhibit 24/7/365/life? Three come to mind:

• Selflessness - In the mathematics of Christianity, God > Us (see 1 John 3:20). Thus, more of God and less of us in our lives is a good thing. That way, we are able to be used to share his message of love, hope, and reconciliation to those who do not yet know Jesus as Lord. Our plans tend to get in the way and can sometimes backfire drastically. Exhibiting the qualities Paul mentioned in Galatians (5:22-23—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) are a good way to allow God to grab the spotlight in our lives that he so richly deserves. All we have to do is get out of the way and let him work.

• Service – It doesn’t take much to do this—just a willingness to be used and a sensitivity to what others need. It could be as simple as babysitting for a family that desperately needs a few hours away to recharge as a couple—and doing it for free. If a person has been in the hospital and is at home recovering, a homemade plate of cookies can break down more doors than you think. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, and see what God does.

• Steadiness – Champion marathon runners do not run an entire race at a sprint. Instead, they choose a specific amount of time they want to run each mile in and stick to that pace throughout the event. Likewise, there has to be consistency in an individual’s time with God in order for their attitudes and actions to become a) more like his and b) more constant in situations that occur. (Having people around to keep a person honest and accountable isn’t a bad idea either.) We must always be on guard to make sure we don’t live one ‘life’ of respectability and another of indecency. The world—and other followers—are watching!

A postscript to the emerald story: A few years later, we won another prize—this time, it was a keyboard. Due to the ‘fruit’ I had seen earlier from this company, I knew there was going to be a catch. It turned out that I was right. The ‘keyboard’—if you can call it that—was the size of a cell phone.

How has God spoken to you about living a dual livelihood? What are the fruits that you exhibit in public and private? Are they the same? Are they different? What do you need to do as a result?

May you strive to be real with God as well as those you come into contact with daily. And as you do, may the Lord refresh you so that you can, in turn, refresh others.

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
—Paul, Philippians 3:12b-16 (NIV)

“We are moved by the act of God. Omniscience holds no conference. Infinite authority leaves no room for compromise. Eternal love offers no explanations. The Lord expects to be trusted. He disturbs us at will. Human arrangements are disregarded, family ties ignored, business claims put aside. We are never asked if it is convenient.”
—Samuel Chadwick 2

1 Manning, Brennan. Quoted in the preface to the song “What If I Stumble?” by dctalk, November 1995.

2 Quoted in The Joy of Following Jesus by J. Oswald Sanders (Moody, 1994).

All material copyright 2006 J. Alan Sharrer. No part of this message may be reproduced—other than the forwarding of the original, unaltered email message—without express written permission.