John Fischer The Catch

Since the giving of thanks is the natural result of grace, its presence or lack of presence is an indicator of the basis by which a person lives life. A thankful person will be someone who is daily experiencing at least something of the grace of God, while someone who is bound to the law will be rigid and ungrateful. For legalists who have earned their own righteous standing, there is no one to thank – no one, of course, but themselves. So they pray to themselves and thank themselves that they are not like other people who are begging for God’s mercy. But all along, those very people who are begging for God’s mercy are receiving it and going home justified with hearts full of gratitude. And the legalist is thankful that he is not like them? Pity. If only he could be. He would be free of his pride and free of himself. He, too, could go home justified with a thankful heart.

One is thankful only for that which one does not deserve. You don’t thank your employer for a paycheck – you earned it – but if your employer decided to give you a Christmas bonus, thanks would be in order. A waitress who receives a 15% tip is content with that. She is not overly grateful because 15% is what has come to be expected in this business – in effect, it’s payment for her hard work. Indeed, she would be a little put out to find only 10% there or worse – nothing at all. But imagine her surprise over a table full of middle managers whose CEO threw a crisp $100 bill down on top of a 20% credit card tip, out of simple generosity or a show of wealth. There would be a lot of rejoicing back in the kitchen, especially if the waitress decided to share her good fortune with the rest of the staff.

Legalists are always dealing in the realm of paychecks and proper remuneration for services rendered. Grace-filled Christians are always dealing in bonuses, surprises and the unexpected. Everything that is good in life is seen as a bonus. They walk around grateful for every breath, every sunset, every new morning, every color in the color spectrum, and every star in the sky. Like an alcoholic who is clean and sober, noticing beauty and taste for the first time, grace-filled Christians are grateful just to be alive because they have been dead for so long.

The worst moment for an atheist comes when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.

Thanksgiving is not just one day a year; it is the theme song of the Christian. For a Christian not to be thankful is like a dog not wagging his tail at his owner’s approach.

Thankful Christians walk around grateful for every breath, every sunset, every new morning, every color in the color spectrum, and every star in the sky. Like an alcoholic who is clean and sober, noticing beauty and taste for the first time, we are grateful just to be alive because we have been dead for so long.

It’s hard to think of one vice that the virtue of thankfulness cannot render useless. One does not need to steal when one is thankful. A man does not covet his neighbor’s wife when he is thankful for his own. No one craves more when he is grateful for what he has.

In the same way, a thankful heart cancels out pride and arrogance. No need to judge other people when you are thankful for who you are. No need to measure yourself by and compare yourself to others when you are thankful for what God has done in your life. No need to keep anyone out of the kingdom of God when you know you don’t deserve to get in. (God can let in anyone He wants. I am simply glad to be counted among the saved.)

You don’t care if you get the important seat at the table when you are overcome with gratitude at simply being invited to the dinner. You don’t put heavy weights on other people’s shoulders when you are thankful that God has lightened your own load. You are not obsessed with what other people think of you when you are overwhelmed with the fact that God is thinking about you all the time. You don’t demand respect when you are thankful for your place. You don’t have to hide your own sin when you are already thankful for God’s forgiveness. You don’t have to protect your image when you are already number one with God. You don’t have to condemn other people’s blindness when it’s only the grace of God that has allowed you to see. You don’t have to try for the highest place when you are already grateful for whatever place you were given. You don’t have to make a show of spirituality when you are thankful for having received the Spirit. You don’t have to clothe yourself in holy robes when you have been already clothed in righteousness. (Or as a friend of mine used to say, “Why be cute when you’re already beautiful?”) You don’t have to be full of yourself when you are thankful that God has filled you up with Himself.

Not only do we have a lot to be thankful for, our thankfulness can accomplish much.

Gratitude is the current of the river of grace.

The giving of thanks is the only logical response one can have to forgiveness and a holiness that are totally undeserved. By nature of the fact that grace is a gift, there is nothing one can do but receive it and be thankful for it. Thankfulness is so tied to grace that the absence of gratitude in a Christian’s life is an indication that legalism still rules the day.

Most of us have a hard time responding to gifts. Gifts run contrary to those who trust only in what has been earned. Gifts imply a need or a weakness, and if the thing one receives is righteousness, it means admitting to the failure of the holy effort to produce it.

But what a glorious failure! Who has managed to join the ranks of sinners save by grace without possessing a deep and abiding, ever-flowing gratitude of the heart? We have done nothing to deserve, create or maintain the righteousness we have been given, and therefore we can do nothing but be grateful for it. Even our reward at the end of the journey will come as a thankful surprise, because we will have become so well acquainted with our sins and shortcomings along the way that we will not be expecting it. So we will throw ourselves on the mercy of God when we meet him, just as we always have done, because we have no other option, and yet, in his eyes, we are already clean. We have been clean all along through the blood of his Son.

That’s why it will take heaven to contain our praise and an eternity to give proper thanks. “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:11-12).

So the veil has come off of Penn State football and though they shouldn’t be, millions are shocked. Only this was not turning to the Lord to have the veil removed, it was having it stripped by a scandal-hungry media and a public that loves to see the mighty fall. What sick comfort we receive finding out the most respected of institutions and/or individuals have been caught being bad.

But this is a sad and unproductive way of losing one’s veil. There is nothing here but pain and humiliation. Perhaps some comfort in not having to hide anymore, but no forgiveness, acceptance, and certainly no liberty.

In contrast “whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:16), and something never before visible comes into view. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In this case, losing a veil uncovers God’s hand in making us whole. We become a reflection of the One who is transforming us into His likeness. Our vulnerability makes Him visible.

So it’s more than just losing a veil; it’s how you lose it that is key. Instead of being found out, we’re being transformed.

What happens when you walk in a roomful of people? A lot of this depends on our personalities. If you are my daughter, you fill it up with lots of bright flashing colors. Someone else might sneak in quietly and blend in. Still others might hang on the outside.

One of our readers remarked about how her mere presence in a room used to bust up conversations—conversations would cease or change direction when she came into the group—something she was actually proud of until God told her otherwise. “I thought that such activity revealed the fact that everyone knew that I stood for Jesus and they were ashamed of their conversation.” Then she revealed how recently, God had spoken something else to her: “That’s not righteousness they were responding to, but self-righteousness. When you entered the room they felt judgment and condemnation.” Ouch…

What do people think when you walk in the room? One sure way to be welcomed into any conversation is to be a good listener. Learn to listen without bias or judgment. Be excellent at asking questions, and ask, not to gain a footing or steer the conversation in a certain direction. Ask just to find out, because you care about someone.

Some of the best advice in this area comes from the Danny DeVito character in the movie The Big Kahuna when he is talking to a rookie salesman on a business trip. “If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are—just to find out, for no other reason.”

People will trust you if you are a good listener. It’s the opposite of what you might think. Trust is not built on knowledge and information (something you communicate when you talk), it’s built on love and caring (something you communicate when you listen). And you show that you are listening and caring by asking question upon question—each question based on a deeper probe into the answer of the previous one. Or another way to think about it is to find something in an answer about which you can ask another question. You will be amazed at how deep this can go.

Tonight’s Catch On Teleconference Bible study has caught up to the crux of the New Covenant – what I think is one of the key verses in all of scripture when it comes to impacting those around us with the good news of Jesus Christ.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The utter incongruity of God and us in the same place at the same time is the whole point. The unlikely meeting of our two natures is what makes this work. Others know us… they know our weaknesses, our limitations, our sins… after all we are only fragile, breakable jars of clay. And yet, what is this other thing going on in us – this enablement that can’t be explained in human terms? This is the improbable treasure that we hold – the life of Christ in and through the Holy Spirit in us.

We have something extremely glorious (Christ himself) hiding out in something extremely ordinary (you and me) so that anyone getting close enough to tell will know that it is the Lord who empowers us. God is purposely continually showing us up, so there will be no confusion as to who to credit for any accomplishments we achieve.

When you really get it, you almost have to laugh. It’s a grand joke and the joke is on us.

The following is a comment from a recent Catch on the Old and New Covenants. I appreciate especially the pastor who walked and talked the gospel and led this person to Christ through a friendship. I also like “if God can love and accept someone like me; there is no one out there He can’t love!” I think we should all feel that way. And then I couldn’t resist “starting to become the Christian that drove me away.”

Thank you John for sharing this catch! I too grew up in the church; but I ran because of Christians who acted this way. I affectionately called them ‘hippy critts.’ They talked about God’s grace, but then turned it all back to people. I steadfastly refused to go near the church (and I tried to avoid Christians too) until I was 31 yrs old! In January 1996, I met a pastor (reluctantly) who became a good friend and showed me Jesus. He lived the grace that Jesus bought us with His blood. On June 16,1996 I surrendered my life to Jesus and nothing has been the same since!

Your catch today hit me because I realized as I was reading: I was starting to become the Christian that drove me away. Yes I still believe in grace; but my actions and words sure don’t show it!

Thank you again! God has used this catch to help me refocus and to remind me where I come from and how I got here! I can tell you: if God can love and accept someone like me, there is no one out there He can’t love! Thanks to Him, I can love and accept anyone just where they are just as they are!

It was inevitable that Chandler would pick it up sooner or later.

We live on one of the most popular streets in Laguna Beach for downhill skateboarding. Oak Street has a gradual descent and no side street traffic for the equivalent of a two-block span, and our house is about two-thirds of the way down. It’s not uncommon for skateboarders to be reaching speeds of 30 mph by the time they reach our house. There is the whole culture of a growing sport going on outside my house almost every day. Our street is where they learn before taking on the bigger hills of Laguna where they can reach speeds of 60 mph.

Chandler was probably going close to the top speed for our street yesterday when he collided with another boarder and ended up under our neighbor’s car. He came in crying, his face bloodied with what looked to be half of Oak Street ground into his upper lip. Further inspection revealed scrapes on his arms and side where the street took most of his skin. Poor guy. I felt so sorry for him but I had to go to work, so Marti took him to the hospital.

A couple hours later I got the simple text from Marti: “Chandler wants you.” That’s all it took. I got my shift covered and got to the hospital in time to see the plastic surgeon finish sewing up his upper lip. There wasn’t anything for me to do there, and Chandler didn’t make a big deal about me coming. It was just important that I be there.

I wonder how many times we show up for the Lord and nothing happens. That shouldn’t matter because we do not know the whole story. I may never know how important it was to Chandler that I showed up at the hospital, but I did. When God wants you, you don’t ask questions; you just show up.

Today we honor those men and women who have served their country on behalf of is all. They answered the call. They gave the best years of their lives to protect our freedoms. They put themselves in harm’s way. They put themselves between danger and us. They stood in the gap.

History will remember the conflicts but forget them, but in the case of father, son, brother or sister, we will not.

For many, their lives will never be the same. Small town boy… hometown girl… innocence lost. They experienced the worst of humanity that we might enjoy some simple pleasure, hardly aware of the inequity of the transaction.

Many traveled far, woke up in strange lands, endured foreign languages, and navigated differing world-views. One day of remembrance is not sufficient to offset years of service, and it is such an embarrassingly small token to give in return, but thank you, anyway.

Thank you.

It’s hard to love sinners when you are trying so hard not to be one.

I’d be willing to go to the grave known as nothing more than the guy who came up with that sentence. So here it is again…

It’s hard to love sinners when you are trying so hard not to be one.

This statement captures so well the struggle between good and evil in us all. But it is also the struggle between the Old Covenant (the law) and the New (grace). The Old Covenant is all about not sinning. “Thou shalt not…” And if any one of us could actually pull off the Old Covenant, then we would have the right to say anything we want against sinners. We would have the right to only respect those who earn it. We could even despise those who don’t, because our righteousness would vindicate us every time, and condemn them. But alas, the law has condemned us all, so that no one can pass judgment, and no one can earn anything.

The law was given, not so that we could follow it, but so that we would break it, and find out who we really are. We are those who can lock arms and sing along with Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash and anybody else who might want to join in: “Lord help me, Jesus, I’ve wasted it so; help me, Jesus, I know what I am.” The Old Covenant—the law—teaches you that. It teaches you what you are really made of. And those who spend their life refusing to believe that, and trying to follow it instead, are going to have a hard time loving sinners. And they will have a hard time loving themselves as well.

And all those Christians who supposedly got saved by the New Covenant and then go back to living like the Old one were possible (if, indeed, you can do that), well, they’re going to have a hard time showing respect to anyone, because… well… it’s hard to love sinners when you are trying so hard not to be one.

“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:22 NASB)