"The Elastic Commandment"

 

“The Elastic Commandment”

 

In Article I Section 8 of the United States Constitution 18 powers and responsibilities are given to Congress. The final, all-inclusive one reads, “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or any Department or Officer thereof.” My high school American History teacher called this “the elastic clause” because it could be stretched to address matters not covered in the previous 17 statements. Our founding fathers undoubtedly knew they couldn’t anticipate every future situation so were wise to include it.

When God gave The Ten Commandments to the Israelites through Moses (Exodus 20 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5) in His infinite wisdom He included “an elastic commandment” at the end: “You shall not covet….” (Exodus 20:17). The Hebrew word comes from a root meaning strongly desire. Some biblical teachers (and I concur) believe it’s the basis for the other nine commands in that each of them expresses or suggests something we want, making it in effect “an elastic command” since it enumerates six things then concludes with “or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17, emphasis added). Someone has observed that “Coveteousness is a black hole that will never be satisfied.” (I’ve been unable to find the source of this quote.) Sad but undoubtedly true.

Our family lore includes an incident in which Karen’s grandfather admired a mantle clock in a funeral home and “circumvented” the tenth commandment by saying, “I wish I had that clock. And I wish he had one twice as good!” He was a godly man with a great sense of humor so of course this was said in jest. But Grandpa took God’s Word seriously and sought to practice it in his life. Would that all of us would do likewise!

Jesus appears to have recognized the elasticity of this command when He said, “Take heed and beware of coveteousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things (possessed).” (Luke 12:15. NLT). (In other translations “greed” is used instead of “coveteousness.”) Paul expressed the danger of ignoring this warning when he wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). But he gave the antidote in Verse 6: “…Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (Emphasis added), something he’d previously experienced himself (“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”—Philippians 4:11).

The “elastic commandment” covers more than meets the eye—it impacts every area of our lives. Will I (you) take it seriously?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Alphabet Soup"

 

“Alphabet Soup”

 

Some years ago Campbell’s made Chicken Alphabet Soup using pasta in the form of letters but it’s no longer available. And Post marketed Alpha-Bits, an oat based sugar coated cereal shaped like the letters of the alphabet (it was discontinued in 2021). Maybe consumers didn’t want to try to form words while they were eating.

“Alphabet soup” has become a metaphor for abbreviations and acronyms. It became commonly used in the 1930’s for the many government programs set up during the New Deal period. It remains a phenomenon in many areas today such as….

*Retailing (SKU—Stock Keeping Unit; UPC—Universal Product Code; ISBN—International Standard Book Number).

*Medicine (CHF—Congestive Heart Failure; COPD—Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; MRI—Magnetic Resonance Imaging).

*Hospice (ADL—Activities of Daily Living; PCG—Primary Care Giver; CM—Case Manager).

*Government (IRS, CIA, NSA, FBI—no translation needed).

*Military (DOD—Department of Defense; MOS—Military Occupational Specialty; PX—Post Exchange; NCO—Non-Commissioned Officer).

As Christians we often practice “alphabet soup” when it comes to Bible translations (NIV—New International Version; ESV—English Standard Version) and denominations (AME—African Methodist Episcopal; SBC—Southern Baptist Convention). But sometimes we pastors let the flesh get the better of us and came up with CEO’s (Christmas and Easter Only) and EGR’s (Extra Grace Required) to describe some in our churches. (I just asked God for forgiveness.) On a positive note, two acronyms (words formed by the first letters of a phrase—radar and sonar are two familiar examples) which tell us how we can have a personal relationship with God are GRACE (God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense) and FAITH (Forsaking All I Trust Him). They meet in Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God….” (emphasis added). Acronyms aside, the message is clear: Jesus alone saves by freely providing forgiveness and eternal life with Him. Receive His offer without delay.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Short and Long of It"

 

“The Short and Long of It”

 

Many sports have short and long elements. For example:

*In baseball a bunt single and 450 foot home run each count as one base hit for average purposes.

*In football a six inch pass or run and a 99 yard pass or run each brings six points for a touchdown.

*In golf a one inch putt and a 350 yard drive each count as one stroke on a scorecard.

*In basketball a field goal is two points whether it’s a layup or just in front of the three point line.

This fall the Men’s Bible Study Fellowship in our community began a discussion of a section of Scripture usually called the Minor Prophets. (It’s their short length, not the value of their content, which has led to this somewhat misleading designation.) We’ve seen above that just as sports have short and long parts of their games God’s prophets have short and long aspects of their messages. For instance, Micah rebukes Israel’s and Judah’s leaders of his day for leading the people away from God (“…The prophets…lead my people astray….”—3:5); speaks of deliverance from their enemies (“…The Lord will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies….”—4:10) which came true a few years later; and tells of the coming of their Messiah (“…Out of {Bethlehem} will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel….”—5:2) after some seven centuries had passed. So in reading prophecy do so with an understanding of whether God’s servant is speaking to his own day, the near future or distant times. (A suggested resource is Warren Wiersbe’s “Be” series of practical commentaries on the Bible.)

The same principle can apply to prayer. God responds to our requests by saying yes, no or not now (in other words, He might chose to answer soon or later). Paul experienced all three: His coworker Epaphroditus was healed (Philippians 2:25-30); he himself wasn’t (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) and God closed two doors to ministry before opening the one to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). A parable Jesus told on prayer describes its purpose: “…To show…that (we) should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1). So let’s not stop when the “short” doesn’t happen—let’s continue with the “long” until the answer becomes clear.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Helping and and Open Arms"

 

“Helping Hands and Open Arms”

 

Shortly after moving to New Hampshire in late 1989 I learned about an inner city ministry called Helping Hands. It was founded by Ron Gendron who soon became a close friend. It was a Bible based temporary residence for men who were seeking to change their life’s direction after being in prison or rehab. (Karen and I still keep in touch with a man who benefitted from the program.) It also sponsored a food pantry to provide periodic assistance to those in need.

In the late 1990’s Ron felt God leading him to establish a similar outreach in a city about an hour north. He discussed his vision with me and together we came up with a name, Open Arms, to convey the idea of welcoming and serving those who’d fallen on hard times. I worked closely with Ron in both of these efforts until God called him to Heaven in 2002.

Ron and I agreed that Helping Hands and Open Arms pictured the character of Jesus. The gospels mention at least nine occasions in which He showed His helping hands by touching those who needed deliverance including a leper (Mark 1:41),  woman (Matthew 8:15), and girl who had died (Mark 5:41), all of which broke rules and customs of His day. And He lovingly “…took the children in his arms….” (Mark 10:16) after His disciples tried to keep them away. In these and other cases I’d love to know “the rest of their story” after meeting and being blessed by Jesus but that’ll have to wait until Heaven.

Our Lord’s friend told his readers that “…Christ…(left) you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21). How can we emulate His helping hands and open arms? A hymn from 1904 by Carrie Breck gives some clues with phrases like “find someone in need”, giving “a kind, loving word”, sharing “burdens too heavy to bear” and encouraging those who are “discouraged and weary in heart”. Each statement is followed by the admonition “Help Somebody Today”, the song’s title. Let’s think of those who’ve shown us helping hands and open arms on our life’s journey, thank God for them and do the same for others who cross our path.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan