Philip Yancey: The Power of Restraint over Pyrotechnics

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die. John 12:32-33

“The more I get to know Jesus, the more impressed I am by what Ivan Karamazov called “the miracle of restraint.” The miracles Satan suggested, the signs and wonders the Pharisees demanded, the final proofs I yearn for — these would offer no serious obstacle to an omnipotent God.

More amazing is His refusal to perform and to overwhelm. God’s terrible insistence on human freedom is so absolute that He granted us the power to live as though He did not exist, to spit in His face, to crucify Him. All this Jesus must have known as he faced down the tempter in the desert, focusing His mighty power on the energy of restraint.

I believe God insists on such restraint because no pyrotechnic displays of omnipotence will achieve the response He desires. Although power can force obedience, only love can summon a response of love, which is the one thing God wants from us and the reason he created us.

“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself,” Jesus said. In case we miss the point John adds,“He
said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” God’s nature is self-giving; He bases His appeal on sacrificial love.”

Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 78.

The name of this post seemed fitting the day after America enjoyed holiday pyrotechnic displays. Ironically, that’s not how God shows His great love to us. He does it through the power of restraint.

Notice this statement. “God’s terrible insistence on human freedom is so absolute that He granted us the power to live as though He did not exist, to spit in His face, to crucify Him.”

Too many of my people celebrate independence with pride and pyrotechnics and live as though God does not exist. Yet, notice the love and the lesson for us as we aim to live generously and make God known.

We too get to exhibit restraint. We can’t force anyone to obey God. We get to show the world that the God we cannot see is real by how we live and love fueled by His sacrificial love for us.

We might know what people need but the power of restraint teaches us to love everyone, serve the receptive, trust God to bring forth fruits, and give thanks we get to be conduits of mercy and grace.

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter. Matthew 26:40

“Jesus never tried to hide His loneliness and His dependence on other people. He chose His disciples not as servants but as friends. He shared moments of joy and grief with them, and asked for them in times of need. They became His family, His substitute mother and brothers and sisters. They gave up everything for Him, as He had given up everything for them. He loved them, plain and simple.”

Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 99.

Today is a big day in USA. It’s called Independence Day. It marks the day America became free of the tyranny of the British about 250 years ago.

To be American, however, has become equated with independence, having everything life can offer, and pursuing a dream that may well be exactly the opposite of God’s design for us.

What if today we give thanks for those who sacrificed everything for our freedom and, in turn, exhibit sacrificial generosity toward others to spark revival in this nation?

Depending on God and others may be un-American, but it sure reflects the example of Jesus. Imagine Him asking each of us to watch and pray for an hour today with Him!

Try it. Thanks my focus on my dog walks today.

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:52

“Unlike most men I know, Jesus also loved to praise other people. When he worked a miracle, he often deflected credit back on the recipient: “Your faith has healed you.” He called Nathanael “a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” Of John the Baptist, he said there was none greater born of women. Volatile Peter he renamed “the Rock.” When a cringing woman offered him an extravagant act of devotion, Jesus defended her against critics and said the story of her generosity would be told forever.”

Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 88-89.

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26:13

It’s super cool to ponder that Jesus loves stories of our humble faith and our generous sacrifices so much that He makes sure they get told and retold.

Our role on this round ball is to stir deep faith in people like Jesus did. We get to model the way like John the Baptist who also acted like Jesus. He too deflected credit.

Ponder that today. I will ponder with you on this path by the river. Also, what comes to my mind is that coupled with encouragement and deflecting credit, Jesus said, “Go!” to the blind man he healed.

He celebrates our faith and generosity. He wants us to deflect credit while living out our faith in a way that inspires others and brings God glory. What does that look like for you today?

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16

“In a rabbinic story of the time, the owner of a farm went into town to hire temporary workers for the harvest. The day wore on, and as late as the eleventh hour he recruited one last batch of workers, who had a mere hour remaining to prove their worth. In the familiar version of the story, the latecomers made up for lost time by working so hard that the foreman decided to reward them with a whole day’s pay. Jesus’ version, though, says nothing about the diligence of the workers. He accents instead the generosity of the employer — God — who lavishes His grace on veterans and newcomers alike. No one gets cheated and everyone gets rewarded, far beyond what they deserve.”

Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 95.

I got my NICNT Commentary on Matthew out and, sure enough, R.T France notes the following (748).

“An early fourth century B.C. rabbinic parable (y. Ber. 2:8 = Eccl. Rab. 5.11.5; Cant. Rab. 6/2/6) at first sight seems closer to that of Jesus, in that one man who only worked two hours is given the same pay as those who worked all day, but this is justified by the judgment that he had accomplished more in two hours than they had in the whole day.”

So when we sit with Phil and read this text with this fresh insight, we see Jesus is trying to get them to understand grace. The denarius comes not because they deserve it but because God is generous.

So notice the source of the grumbling. It’s the mindset of the world but of God’s people in that day.

It flows out of the entitlement mentality related to work. When Jesus started the parable, they were probably thinking it would end with with the “equal work with equal pay” conclusion based on merit.

This would have been a prevailing cultural mindset then, and we see it today.

People who think they should get what they deserve need to look in the mirror and say out loud, “Because of my sin, I deserve death and no amount of hard work can make things right.”

That’s why Jesus would accomplish the work for us, dying for our sins on the cross.

Back to the parable. Only when we understand that a denarius was one day’s wages and be sufficient supply for a person to live do we stop grumbling and see the generosity of God.

God is the landowner. He wants everyone to work in His vineyard. Whether you come at the start of the day or the end of the day, He will supply what you need. That’s generosity. That’s grace.

So for us, we need to stop grumbling about what we do not have. Give thanks for what we have. And invite everyone we know to labor in His kingdom and trust Him for daily bread.

And notice I changed the header photo to Bear Creek. This will be my world over the next week. Sammy (our son), Emily, Eve, and Ellie will travel to California with Sophie (our daughter) and Peter to see their grandparents in honor of their 65th wedding anniversary.

I get to stay at Sammy and Emily’s place and house sit and watch their two dogs. I will be walking this trail many times a day. What a privilege to help them go have a great trip starting tomorrow!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“The poor, the hungry, the mourners, and the oppressed truly are blessed. Not because of their miserable states, of course—Jesus spent much of his life trying to remedy those miseries. Rather, they are blessed because of an innate advantage they hold over those more comfortable and self-sufficient. People who are rich, successful, and beautiful may well go through life relying on their natural gifts. People who lack such natural advantages, hence underqualified for success in the kingdom of this world, just might turn to God in their time of need. Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near.”

Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 116-117.

Today we turn our attention to a friend and amazing author in Colorado, Phil Yancey. Phil taught me some of his writing disciplines which have shaped my writing.

Today’s post shows the beauty of the kingdom. When we have limited wealth because we have stored it up in heaven, we gain an innate advantage. We don’t try to do things ourselves.

We take the posture that says, “Jesus I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.” Those who are rich tend to rely on their privileged position to excel.

The paradox of generosity that is sacrificial and puts us in a place of dependence on God is that it puts us in a better position to rely on and experience His hand and help in our lives.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 1.

I try not to travel internationally in July. It’s our anniversary and my wife’s birthday month.

This year I also need to get a new passport as mine is full. While spending July in Colorado I plan to explore Colorado voices that shape the modern generosity conversation.

Few speak more strongly into the vision to live simply and give generously better than Richard Foster.

He acknowledges first and foremost that we live in an era where people exhibit superficiality and expect instant gratification and describe this situation as a spiritual problem. He’s right.

Superficiality often links to the purchase of possessions, memberships, and experiences to exhibit a certain status or maintain some level of appearance or reputation in society.

Instant gratification says I want it all for myself, for my family, for my grandchildren, and I want it now. Money becomes the power to get what you want. That’s the spiritual side of this.

When we use money the way God designs we don’t have resources to buy everything we want, when we want it. When we live sacrificially, we make it so our lusts, our wants, our desires don’t control us.

We also position ourselves to depend on God not for everything we want but what He knows we need. These are the lessons that deep people learn. We need more deep people today.

Praying for Daily Meditations reader, Steven Jankord, to have a good surgery today. He’s a deep guy. He’s needed for many more years of kingdom work. Pray with me for a good surgery and full recovery in Jesus name.

Making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16

“We fear the future because we are wasting today.”

Mother Teresa (1910-1997).

Sorry for the late post. I had a challenging day of travel and I am still only as far as Houston. I thought it had posted, but it had not, hence it is arriving a bit late.

Fear is a leading hindrance to generosity. Mother Teresa brings out an interesting dynamic here that fear of the future links to our stewardship today.

When we feel good about doing what we can for God with what we have, we have no fear of the future. The more He entrusts to us, the more responsibility.

Our stewardship either flows from fear of God or fear of the future. Which fear drives you?

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

“The reason for our existence is to quench the thirst of Jesus. When he asked for water, the soldier gave Him vinegar to drink — but His thirst was for love, for souls, for you and me.”

Mother Teresa (1910-1997).

On my last day in Brazil, when I was searching for Irma Dulce Lopes Pontes, I kept finding quotes related to Mother Teresa as they were contemporaries. This one touched me.

The reason for our existence – the reason we are on this round ball called earth – is to give ourselves, our resources, our lives like Jesus did – for love, for souls, and for others.

But lean into the word “quench” with me. God gave humanity through Jesus what we needed. He quenched our thirst. So we get to give others what they need, when we do that Jesus says we do it for Him.

When we quench their thirst, we quench His. What would it look like for you to quench the thirst of someone in need today?

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

“If there is some corner of the world which has remained peaceful, but with a peace based on injustices the peace of a swamp with rotten matter fermenting in its depths – we may be sure that that peace is false. Violence attracts violence. Let us repeat fearlessly and ceaselessly: injustices bring revolt, either from the oppressed or from the young, determined to fight for a more just and more human world.”

Hélder Câmara (1909-1999) in Spiral of Violence, trans. Della Couling (Denville, NJ, 1971), p. 33.

The hardest part of about my work globally is the reality that I live in two worlds and I belong to a third one. Let me speak in general terms to try to paint the picture. These points reflect my thoughts after reading Câmara.

1. People in the developed world think peace is the ceasing of war, the experience of comfort, the possession of money, the absence of relational challenges, a rising stock market, the attainment of a bucket list, the collection of memories, and more.

They stockpile money and act like they own it. They ignore the explicit teachings of Jesus which say not to store up treasures on earth. They rationalize disobedience calling it “saving for retirement” and often die in a nursing home alone.

Generosity for these people, looks like either trying to solve problems, as sacrificial giving, or as sharing surplus beyond a high standard of living. I don’t feel like I belong here. I don’t want to conform to such ways.

Through my service I try to remind them of this fact: This world is not our home. We should not act like it is.

2. People in the majority or undeveloped world think peace is having food to eat, dodging the violence and victimization of corrupt systems, getting something accomplished without paying a bribe, and living to survive another day.

They put to work what they have and celebrate if they have food, clothing, and a roof over their head. They don’t have air conditioning or heaters. They live in multigenerational homes working together to care for children and elderly.

Generosity for them is often limited by hoarding. Others share the food they prepared that day and have no fridge or freezer. Some give from their poverty to God, find life, and taste pure joy. I want to share their stories widely.

In my work I try to remind them of this fact: This world is not our home. We should point people not to a better life but to eternal life.

3. People who live for the eternal kingdom know that the only peace on earth is found in Jesus Christ. They know that all earthly systems, whether they be capitalism, socialism, communism, or totalitarianism are broken and flawed.

These people live simply, give generously, and buy things but don’t act as owners. They use things as tools for accomplishing God’s purposes. They put capital to work to create jobs, build God’s kingdom, and point others to Jesus.

Generosity for them appears as enjoying and sharing God’s blessings as distributors. They focus not on what they cannot do because of what they do not but on giving God what they have. They don’t fight for justice. They model the justice of Christ.

I try to remind them of this fact: This world is not our home. The land of unthinkable joy and everlasting peace awaits.

Where are you? Trying to preserve some earthly existence with false peace? Awaiting the next revolt, the ripping apart of generations, or earthly savior? Or are you pouring all you are and all you have into making known the Kingdom of Christ?

Choose door #3. I am starting year 17 of Daily Meditations with a call to live generously for the Prince of Peace.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

“Accept surprises that upset your plans, shatter your dreams, give a completely different turn to your day and who knows? – to your life. Leave the Father free Himself to weave the pattern of your days.”

Hélder Câmara (1909-1999) in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations (Louisville: WJKP, 2001) 1.

Every trip I take is an adventure filled with surprises.

I tend to be open to whatever God does because the majority world, where I do most of my work, is so unstructured and unpredictable. I find it harder when I am at home. I want things to go a certain way.

I am learning to “Leave the Father free Himself to weave the pattern of my days.”

Notice what He can give us only when we do. He can give us a completely different turn. He can move mountains, do miracles, shower blessings, bring suffering, and so much more. He just wants us to trust Him.

When He gives us a completely different turn, may we be receptive.

Today marks 16 years of Daily Meditations. I show 5,820 posts. Praise God. What an adventure! Thanks to all you who have enjoyed the surprises from me each morning for so many years. I do it for God but I hope it blesses you on the way.