What's That Strange Ticking?? ... (Short Version)

Ever wonder why some people are ... strange? Why they can't just behave like ... US “normal people”?? The truth is that for many people the very definition of "strange" is "not like me".

However it really has nothing to do with strange ("them") versus normal ("us"). BUT everything to do with "what makes us tick". And what makes us tick makes us neither strange nor normal, it makes us ... UNIQUE! What makes me "tick" is an ONGOING lifetime of experiences, opportunities, frustrations, relationships, health and illness, ability and disability, etc. If you have a spare lifetime to share I might be able to explain it all. In the meantime I just ask you accept that what makes me "tick" is not likely to bear too much resemblance to what makes you "tick". BUT it is what makes me "me" and you "you", and not just robotic clones.

We sometimes have trouble getting our head around the idea of "uniqueness". Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12 makes it clear being a Christian is not about everybody being the same, but being of the same body, because even back then many could not quite grasp the concept that when you bind something that is unique (each of us) with something that is the same (the ONE Holy Spirit) you don't get something that is the same, you still get something that is unique. Each indwelling of the Holy Spirit produces, not a clone of itself, but a unique combination of man and God. The diversity of man united by the sameness of the Lord. Diverse as ever in function and purpose and a myriad other ways, but bound by a common membership of one body and one Spirit.

But what is the “it” factor that enables people from all over the world and throughout history, of diverse cultures, socio-economic groups, abilities (and disabilities), personalities, interests, idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, etc. to not only join together, worship together, and work together, but also to share life together and be of one accord? What is the “it” factor that makes the body of Christ tick?

It is this:-

Greater is He that unites us than the differences that seek to divide us.

D.J. Ludlow

Provided it is done freely and without charge

"What's That Strange Ticking?? ..."  may be copied, used and distributed

(in its entirety only, including this notice)

by brothers and sisters in Christ

to the profit and glory of The Lord alone (ttpagoTLa)

By special permission of 

D.J. Ludlow copyright 2015

#smallgiftsministries #ttpagoTLa

What's That Strange Ticking?? ... (Long Version)

Ever wonder why some people are ... strange? Ever wonder what makes them tick? Ever wonder why they can't just behave like ... US normal people?? The truth is that for most people the very definition of "strange" is "not like me".

But the division between strange and normal is, at best, very subjective, at its very worst it is a self-serving judgement and condemnation of those who are different. However it really has nothing to do with strange ("them") versus normal ("us"). BUT it has everything to do with "what makes us tick". And what makes us tick makes us neither strange nor normal, it makes us ... UNIQUE! What makes ME "tick" is an ONGOING lifetime of experiences, opportunities, frustrations, relationships, health and illness, ability and disability,etc. If you have a spare lifetime or two to share I might be able to explain it all (after I manage to sort it all out myself). In the meantime I just ask that you accept that what makes me "tick" is not likely to bear too much resemblance to what makes you "tick". BUT it is what makes me "me" and you "you", and not just a cloned copy of me (or vice-versa).

Even Christians sometimes have trouble getting their head around the idea of "uniqueness". Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12 makes it clear that being a Christian is not about everybody being the same, but of being of the same body, because even back then many Christians could not quite grasp the concept that when you bind something that is unique (each of us) with something that is the same (the ONE Holy Spirit) you don't get something that is the same, you still get something that is unique ... but which is united by a sameness, just as (as Paul illustrated) there is one body but many different and unique members of that one body. Diverse in function and purpose and a myriad other ways, but bound by a sameness of body and Spirit. Each indwelling of the Holy Spirit produces, not a clone of itself but a unique combination of man and God. The diversity of man united by the sameness of the Lord.

A mathematician might explain it like this:-

AB + AC + AD

Does not equal 3A + B + C + D (three individuals with three versions of God)

Nor does it equal 3A's or 3B's or 3C's or 3D's (identical clones)

It ACTUALLY (mathematically too I might add) equals A(B+C+D) (a combination of unique individuals multiplied by a unique God.)

NOBODY gets lost or abandoned ... or devalued ... in the equation. I am neither YOU nor GOD, I am a unique and valid combination of me and God just as much as you are a unique and valid combination of you and God.

BUT it is easier and less complicated to just pass judgement on a life than to share a life. There is an old indian saying that before you judge another you should walk a mile in their moccasins. But Jesus simply says DO NOT judge others. (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37) And if they asked you to walk a mile with them walk two.(Matthew 5:41) And if you asked Jesus how many times you should do it I think it is more than likely that He might say even up to seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21,22).

The irony is that we are most often condemned by those who know us least and forgiven (should we seek it and repent) by the one who knows us best.

But what is it that enables people from all over the world and throughout history, of diverse cultures, languages,  nationalities, socio-economic groupings, abilities (and disabilities), natures, jobs, intellectual  strengths, interests, idiosyncrasies, etc. to not only join together, worship together, and work together, but also to share life together and be of one accord? What is it that makes the body of Christ tick?

It is this:-

Greater is He that unites us than the differences that seek to divide us.

D.J. Ludlow

Provided it is done freely and without charge

"What's That Strange Ticking?? ..."  may be copied, used and distributed

(in its entirety only, including this notice)

by brothers and sisters in Christ

to the profit and glory of The Lord alone (ttpagoTLa)

By special permission of 

D.J. Ludlow copyright 2015

#smallgiftsministries #ttpagoTLa

With This Life ... I Do!

Ever notice how "achievement" orientated the world is these days. It's all about "results". Success or failure is measured by what is and what is not achieved. Those who achieve results are a "success", those who do not are "failures".

BUT that's the way of the world ... NOT of the Lord. And if you really sit down to think about it ... it's the Lord who has, again, got it right!

Where did this little "epiphany" moment come from? Well I am currently reading Ezekiel - again - and this time it was THIS passage that hit me square between the eyes (it takes that to open them sometimes :-) ).

Ezekiel 2:7 "You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."

What struck me this time was that Ezekiel's success or failure did not depend one iota on how many people actually listened to him, it depended on whether or not he DID as the Lord commanded. In other words success for Ezekiel was not in what he achieved, it is in what he DID. But that wasn't the end of it because then it dawned on me that this didn't apply just to Ezekiel .. it applied to everyone ... even to Jesus Himself.

Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life in the flesh in relative obscurity, mainly surviving and growing up. Indeed little is written in the Gospels about this period of His Earthly life. Then after a mere three years of teaching and preaching and discipling He allowed Himself to be captured and executed. By the time Jesus ascended into Heaven again all there was on earth to show (physically) for all His efforts over 33 odd years were a mere 120 nervous followers hiding out in an upper room in Jerusalem. Nor did Jesus raise HIMSELF from the dead, nor did He sit HIMSELF at the right hand of the Father, nor did He give HIMSELF authority over all things in Heaven and on Earth. These incredible things were done FOR Him because ... of what He DID. What is it that Jesus DID in those 33 years on earth? He did the will of the Father - whatever was asked of Him - even to the enduring of punishment and death on the cross, not because He deserved it but because the Father asked it of Him. The model and lesson of success that Jesus has left with us is not that of the "great achiever" but that of the humble and obedient servant. Not of what WE can achieve but of what the Lord can achieve through, and for, us if we but obey HIM.

But it does not stop there either.Take for example the Apostles. There is much in the Bible about the exploits, travels, and church building of Paul, Much about the leadership and evangelism of Peter, and the revelations and teachings of John. But there were 10 other Apostles beside Peter and John (Paul was not actually one of those 12 but a 13th Apostle as it were). We do not hear much about them, but no one Apostle is greater than any other Apostle and ALL twelve names will be equally inscribed on the foundations of the new Jerusalem. Then there is Stephen. Stephen had little opportunity to achieve much at all being among the earliest of martyrs for Christ. Does this make him any less important, or any less "successful"? Rather we note that in Stephen's stance for Jesus, even in the face of death by stoning, great things arose from his death, including the rapid spread of the Gospel and the leading of many to Christ:-

Acts 11:19 "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. 20  And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21  And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord."

But this all happened AFTER Stephen's death when he was in no position to achieve anything!!

A preacher / minister / priest / elder / or other church leader will not be judged by the size of their congregations, the wealth of their church (or indeed their own), the opulence and beauty of their robes or their church buildings, nor by the esteem of their peers or followers. Rather they shall be judged by what they have done with the will and word of the Lord in their lives ... along with everybody else. Not by what they have or have not achieved, but by what they have done and how they have lived. 

If you want to know whether it is about what we achieve or about what we do, listen to how the Lord set Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, straight on the matter:-

Daniel 4:30  "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31  While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32  And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."

But the lesson holds not just for Christians either.

We hail as a hero the lifesaver who rescues three people on his first day ... but what about the one who dutifully and loyally patrols a beach for 20 years and never has occasion to rescue anyone? Is the loyal hardworking employee of 10 years any less hardworking or loyal than the hardworking and loyal employee of 30 years, simply because the company he works for closes down? Is a marriage that lasts 20 years then ends in divorce more successful than a happy marriage cut short after 5 years when one spouse dies? Who is the greater hero - the soldier who dies on the beach, or the soldier who survives to achieve victory?? Indeed is their bravery and sacrifice any less if victory is Not achieved? Dead soldiers do not win wars - but who would dare not call them heroes all the same?? Is he who achieves great wealth by dishonest means better than he who gains what little he has by the honest labour of his own hands? Is the player that actually shoots the goal better than the team who gets the ball to him? Are the rest of the team lesser players if the shooter misses? A player is not judged by whether or not their team achieves a win or loses but by how the player plays the game.

The stark truth is that WE don't have any real control over what we achieve or don't achieve (the best laid plans of mice and men, and all that). BUT we do have total control over what we DO and don't do. So next time you are sitting around wondering just what it is you are achieving with your life stop and think instead about what it is you are DOING with your life!

The reality is that victory and defeat, achievement and failure have ALWAYS been in the hands of the Lord alone. OUR choice is to DO or not do the will of the Lord, to obey or rebel against His word.

As for me, with this life, I choose to DO ... the will of the Lord.

But before I go, a little something for those who may feel they have nothing important to do for the Lord ... know that NOTHING you do - for the Lord - is unimportant!

THIS ONE THING I DO.

I am a screw,

This one thing I do

I hold the piston to the shaft.

If I should fail

The piston would impale

Upon the casing aft.

The pump would cease,

The water increase.

The bilge would overflow.

The ship would sink,

Quick as a wink,

In the murky depths below.

I am a screw,

This one thing I do

I hold the piston to the shaft.

D.J. Ludlow Copyright 1992

--o0o--

Provided it is done freely and without charge

"With This Life ... I Do!" ( the poem"This One Thing I Do" may also be
used separately with this notice) may be copied, used and distributed

(in its entirety only, including this notice) by brothers and sisters in Christ

to the profit and glory of The Lord alone (ttpagoTLa)

By special permission of 

D.J. Ludlow copyright 1992

#smallgiftsministries #ttpagoTLa