Proverbs 18:2 -"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions."
Proverbs 12:23 "A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness."
The topic of telling the truth to people has come up on my FB page more that once. Basically, the post seems to say or imply that telling people the truth isn't being mean it's being forthright. I can relate as at times I have tended to just tell people what I thought about things because I was convinced of my own rightness; that is just arrogance. In fact, a friend of mine at our going away to Ukraine Luau said, "Before I met Alan, I thought that I was the most arrogant person..." So as to say that he found me to be quite arrogant. Of course, I tend to think of myself as being well informed and humble. But as I pass the 60-year mark I find that I am not as smart as I thought I was. I am finding that if I shut my mouth and listen and stop trying to win the argument, I can learn a few things.
People who are convinced of their rightness are often just prattling fools. They are self-deceived and in need of a Jethro Leroy Gibbs reset (slap in the back of the head). What is funny as those very prattling fools I am talking about won't even realize that I am talking about them, just as I wouldn't have.
I don't know if is age or time, or just God's relentless transformative work, but it seems that this lesson isn't learned for most until after the age of 50. When we are young, we tend to think we are the first to discover a concept and that everyone older than us is terribly uninformed. But as time goes on some of those things that we were so convinced of as eternal truths turn out to be fanciful thinking and mere opinion. Part of this can be explained by the scientific fact that our brains don't finish growing until we are in our twenties. Then our brains continue to mature and make more connections as we mature. We may lose some of our brains elasticity as we get older, but ordinarily, we don't get dumber.
Those who claim the premise of being right or knowing the truth at the expense of others have not learned that it is Love, not Truth or Knowledge that is the trump card. When you dismiss someone else's dignity because you think you are right you have missed the point and you are just a self-important fool who is more interested in your own opinion than in what is really right and true.
The fool thinks him/herself wise but their lack of love for others, their use of abusive language and their demeaning of others tells another story, Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit. Good fruit is Agape love. Good fruit is respect for human dignity. The bad tree fails to see anything but its own truncated perspective and spews its own vile and prideful attitudes and calls it truth. Good fruit is born out of humility and time spent with the Master.
So the next time you are convinced that you are right - think twice. You may just be a noisy gong and clanging cymbal devoid of God's love.
In Him
Preacher Al
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Friday, March 20, 2015
Just felt the need to say this
I am a sold out Christian. I believe in God not only because the Bible says so, but because I have a personal encounter with the Living God.
A sermon preached on March 15th by Pastor Ronnie Flores has inspired me to write this
A sermon preached on March 15th by Pastor Ronnie Flores has inspired me to write this
- I have looked into His Law and seen my own depravity and
- I have looked into the eyes of Jesus and seen his abiding love for me in His Grace.
- I realize that I can do nothing of lasting worth apart from Him but
- I know that I can do immeasurably more than I can think or imagine, because He lives in me.
- I know that His Law demands perfection but
- I am not discouraged, because He doesn't expect me to figure it all out on my own.
- In fact I am encouraged because He has empowered me to be His ambassador.
- Because He first loved me, I can love the unlovable
- Because He forgave me, I can forgive all others.
- Because He died for me, I can die to my own selfish desires
- Because He rose from the dead, I can now enter into the eternal life
- Because He was obedient even unto death, I can obey Him
- Because His voice is like no other, I will always follow Him.
- Because He has given me the seal of the Holy Spirit, I know that I am forever His
- Because He has given me gifts, I am now equipped to bless others.
- Because God is my Father, all men are my brothers and all women my sisters.
- Because I know that His desire is to see all people come to the saving knowledge of Him, I will preach his Word
- Because I am a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, my allegiance will always be to Him first and foremost above any human institution
- Because I am his, I will fear neither the scheming of evil men nor the schemes of the devil.
- Because I know that He will never allow anyone to snatch me out of His Hand, I know that my future is secure.
- Because He suffered for my sins, I can suffer any hurt for His sake
- Because He lives in me, I will live for Him.
And when I fail, as I am sure I will, He picks me up, reminds me of his Love and encourages me to continue on
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Why are you so annoyed at having to "Press One for English"
I don't get it! Why are so many Christians upset because there are people living in America who don't speak English as their first language. I can understand secular Americans having some phobia about foreigners, but why should Christians really care. When the church was born on Pentecost, there were people from all over the world speaking various languages in Jerusalem and God's response was the empower people with the Holy Spirit to speak in such a ways as to touch the hearts of all these diverse peoples.
Xenophobia should not be something that afflicts Christians. In Christ our national origin becomes irrelevant. The language we speak is irrelevant. Christ is the only thing that is relevant. He is the center of our focus, not the national origin or language spoken by those around us. Don't let the devil distract you from the most important thing. Following Christ and loving others as Christ has loved you.
How does whining and I stress the word WHINING about whether a person speaks English or not, glorify God? It doesn't! Instead it just shows your pettiness and your lack of understanding of Christ and what He has done for us all. When you complain that someone doesn't speak your language, its like saying, "Go to Hell you foreign devil, you cannot be saved unless you speak my language!" The arrogance, the hubris of such a statement/attitude affronts and infuriates me. Do you really think that God cares whether America is the greatest nation or not? If you do, you have been conned by the devil. God seeks to unite his children it's the devil who finds all kinds of ways to divide us. The devil wants to make us think that everyone who is not like us is somehow unworthy of God. He wants us to hate our neighbors and complain about them and withdraw from getting to know them. The devil even wants to pit Christian against Christian so that we will not be about doing God's work. Whining and complaining is not of God, it's of the devil, no matter how right you think you are.
Even in Solomon's time, people tried to set themselves above others. Often they did so by thinking they were better than others because of their wealth. But God spoke through His Word and told us that whether we are rich or poor, we are still made in the image of God. This runs true for national origin, race and language. The apostle Paul told us in his letter to the church in Galatia, that national origin was irrelevant in Christ and even gender was irrelevant in Christ. Not that their are not differences, but rather the most important thing is to be united in Christ. Christ died once for all. He didn't die just for English speakers or for Hebrew speakers or Russian speakers. He died so that we would no longer have to rail against our brother and sisters in Christ. He paid for the sins of every person born and yet to be born. He died so that we would become subjects of the Kingdom of God, wherever we might live and whatever language we might speak.
Speaking English or living in America doesn't make you any more deserving of God's grace and mercy than anyone else in the world. Christ didn't die for the American flag. He didn't die for English language. He died so that every person in every land and of every language could be set free of the burden of sin and made free to live for Him regardless of where they call home. He died, was resurrected and sent us the Holy Spirit so that we would be free from hatred and distrust and so that we would be free to love others as Christ loves us.
If you want to be a whiner and an complainer, then why should you call yourself a follower of Christ? At best you are a secular Christian (lukewarm and not much good for anything) at worst you are totally self-deceived and don't even know Christ.
Xenophobia should not be something that afflicts Christians. In Christ our national origin becomes irrelevant. The language we speak is irrelevant. Christ is the only thing that is relevant. He is the center of our focus, not the national origin or language spoken by those around us. Don't let the devil distract you from the most important thing. Following Christ and loving others as Christ has loved you.
How does whining and I stress the word WHINING about whether a person speaks English or not, glorify God? It doesn't! Instead it just shows your pettiness and your lack of understanding of Christ and what He has done for us all. When you complain that someone doesn't speak your language, its like saying, "Go to Hell you foreign devil, you cannot be saved unless you speak my language!" The arrogance, the hubris of such a statement/attitude affronts and infuriates me. Do you really think that God cares whether America is the greatest nation or not? If you do, you have been conned by the devil. God seeks to unite his children it's the devil who finds all kinds of ways to divide us. The devil wants to make us think that everyone who is not like us is somehow unworthy of God. He wants us to hate our neighbors and complain about them and withdraw from getting to know them. The devil even wants to pit Christian against Christian so that we will not be about doing God's work. Whining and complaining is not of God, it's of the devil, no matter how right you think you are.
Even in Solomon's time, people tried to set themselves above others. Often they did so by thinking they were better than others because of their wealth. But God spoke through His Word and told us that whether we are rich or poor, we are still made in the image of God. This runs true for national origin, race and language. The apostle Paul told us in his letter to the church in Galatia, that national origin was irrelevant in Christ and even gender was irrelevant in Christ. Not that their are not differences, but rather the most important thing is to be united in Christ. Christ died once for all. He didn't die just for English speakers or for Hebrew speakers or Russian speakers. He died so that we would no longer have to rail against our brother and sisters in Christ. He paid for the sins of every person born and yet to be born. He died so that we would become subjects of the Kingdom of God, wherever we might live and whatever language we might speak.
Speaking English or living in America doesn't make you any more deserving of God's grace and mercy than anyone else in the world. Christ didn't die for the American flag. He didn't die for English language. He died so that every person in every land and of every language could be set free of the burden of sin and made free to live for Him regardless of where they call home. He died, was resurrected and sent us the Holy Spirit so that we would be free from hatred and distrust and so that we would be free to love others as Christ loves us.
If you want to be a whiner and an complainer, then why should you call yourself a follower of Christ? At best you are a secular Christian (lukewarm and not much good for anything) at worst you are totally self-deceived and don't even know Christ.
Just some thoughts
- When we dismiss or degrade other people we dismiss and degrade God; they are made in His image.
- When we complain about the diversity of people we complain about God who created that diversity.
- Which do you put first in your life, the Cross of Christ or your national flag?
- Is it a sin to speak a language other than English in America?
- If the greatest law is loving God and loving our neighbors how is resenting others because they don't speak English loving them?
- America use to be a place where we welcomed the poor and the downtrodden, now we complain about them.
- The Christian inspirational teacher Zig Ziglar suggests that we shouldn't let negative people rent space in our minds, I am thinking why should I let complainers, rent space on my Facebook page?
- Is it wrong for people to seek gainful employment in another country so that they can better things for their children? Is it morally wrong for them to illegally enter the United States so that they could secure a better future for their children? Is it morally wrong for them to be willing to work more for less?
- If you want to go Old Testament on me, did you ever consider that God's Word says that we are not to treat foreigners differently than our own people
- Bemoaning things that upset you is not being Light.
- When we worry about how others will affect us then, according to Christian author and psychologist Larry Crabb, we are guilty of "The Sin of Self-protection"
If I have offended you, tough! The offense is all yours. Nowhere in the Bible does is say to take offence against a brother or sister. I am just telling you the truth in love. If you don't like it you can go right to my Father and He will explain it to you.
Christ said that we would be know by our love. Judging others or complaining about them because they speak another language that you don't understand is not demonstrating love, it is only demonstrating how little love you have in you. For my part I have learned to speak another language so that I can reach people for Christ. I am now qualified to teach people English as an ESL instructor. What are you going to do to show "foreigners" (a.k.a. your neighbors) the love of Christ?
Happiness, fun and homosexuality
Once again I am provoked by a FB post to blog on another topic. Does that make me a reactionary? :D
Okay so what about wanting to be happy and wanting to have fun. In one sense this doesn't sound to bad, it almost sounds plausible. But I do not think that these statements cannot stand as axioms for life. Am I apposed to people being happy or to having fun? Of course not!, But I do think there needs to be some sort of caveat to go with it; something that says fun or happiness has some sort of conditions or limits on it.
So what is happiness. I think in its basic form happiness is "I get to do what I like doing." I am happy when I am watching a good movie, I am happy when my wife is kind and supportive (which nowadays, by the way, is most of the time). I am happy when I have money to purchase the things I want to have. I am happy when the sun shines, the temperature is mild and the pollen count is low. Happiness is conditional.
In the constitution we are guaranteed the right to pursue happiness. Which is the say that we all have the right to work to pursue some form of happiness (likely in its day it had a different meaning than it holds today). However the Constitution does not guarantee that I will be happy or that it's the government's job to ensure I am happy. My happiness is my business. Other people are not responsible to insure that I will be made happy. Sometimes others will in fact be unhappy when the right thing or the moral thing is required. I doubt that many people nowadays are happy about paying taxes, yet it is necessary for a government to govern. Jesus recognized that when he told the Pharisees that one should render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's. In a way he was saying, "As much as you would like to keep all that you earn for yourself, it isn't possible. You need to pay the government their taxes (even if they are an oppressive one - which is what the Jews thought of Rome) and you must pay tithe or temple tax so that the church may continue serve the spiritual and physical needs of the people of God.
If children had their way, they would never have to do chores or homework, they would never have to eat anything that is "good for them" and they would be able to play as many games and watch as much TV as they cared to. But parents know that children most learn some sense of responsibility. Although there are some who are parents who have not learned this lesson for themselves. When a parent puts a child on time out or when parent withholds privileges that child is not happy. Is that wrong? Of course not! Children do not know what they need (what they must learn to do and not do); initially all they know is what they want or don't want. I cannot think of anytime I was happy to do the dishes when I was a child but now as an adult, I am happy to see all the dishes cleaned and put away when I come into the kitchen in the morning.. But we should know that parent(s) and the child are not always both able to be happy at the same time. When a parent says no to a child, it is often because they know that the thing the child thinks they would be happy with, the parent realizes would be harmful to the child's character or physical well being. We cannot always have what we want.
So then what is fun? I think fun relates more to our sense of pleasure. When we do something it gives us some sort of pleasurable feed back. I think both fun and happiness are related and that the line between them is a fuzzy one. But back to fun. Sometimes I have heard the response of a person to being warned off doing something to be, "But it's fun" I must say that being fun cannot be an axiom or criteria for the primary reason to do something. This NOT me saying that we cannot have fun. I am just saying that something being fun cannot be the most important criteria for the reason for doing something nor does it legitimise the activity. Some things are inherently fun and are designed to be fun. That's okay. Some things that are meant to be fun can be made un-pleasurable by the circumstances surrounding the activity in question but being "fun" in and of itself does not make something right or needed to be carried out.
So how do we judge an activity or a state of being if not by fun or happiness? Well I don't really think that is what I am saying. I think a visit to Disney Land/World should be fun. I don't think that we should have fun at someone else's expense. Bullies have fun bullying but they make the lives of those that they bully miserable. Luckily I escaped being bullied and as far as I know and I never played the part of a bully. Obviously when we cause someone harm so as to have fun, that is wrong. But there are times that when we do the right thing that not everyone will be happy with us.
But what happens when world views collide? What do I do when someone else demands that I change the rules for how I understand the world works because they say that my way is preventing someone else from being happy. I think there will always be the "No way José" response for some and for others, not wanting to offend, they will quickly surrender their point of view. I'm in the group that says, "Wow, wait a second is this really something that needs to be changed?"
200 years ago, many people saw nothing wrong with enslaving people based upon skin color or national origin. They saw profit in the subjugation of other races and even found reason from a biblical position (wrongly I would add) for doing so. So when abolitionist came along and said "Hey slavery was wrong, it must be stopped!"(and by the way abolitionist were devout Christians) there were some deeply entrenched in owning and selling slaves who thought this was crazy. "How dare you try to turn our world view upside down?" This happened again for women in their bid to gain equal rights (which they are still struggling for) and yet again with the civil rights movement; led by a prominent Christian Preacher - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His argument that people of all colors should have equal rights touched many people's hearts and his use of nonviolence further validated his cause.
So here we are in the 21st century and we have homosexuals saying they have the same rights as anyone to marry whom they want. They say that we are denying them happiness and their rights by not legalizing same-sex marriage. I admit that on one side the argument seems to have some validity. But I think it is based upon a false premise. The premise is that they are born that way, much as a black person or a Hispanic is born with darker skin, homosexuals claim as do some scientist and psychologist that they are born that way. Therefore they see any laws preventing them from doing what straight people are allowed to do, is completely wrong; much as racial prejudice is wrong. Or so goes the argument.
So do homosexuals need to be married as straight couples are to be happy? Obviously they think they do, but yet there are so many legal options that are available to them. They can enter into a legal union as recognized by the state. They can put their possessions and estates into non-transferable trusts. So there are (as far as I understand) legal actions they can take to validate and protect their estates to ensure that marriage would offer. So do we really need to change the definition of marriage from a man and a woman to any two humans. I have to say no but this doesn't give me the right to be hateful and even angry about homosexuals wanting some recognition as people.
I don't believe that homosexuals are born that way, yet still I don't believe that it is merely a choice (although recent changes in the law of some states make this more likely to be the case). Homosexual's claims that they have always felt that way says their is something deep in their psyche at work. I think if I was suffering such strange urges it would be very unsettling. I would look at nature and the function of sexual organs, and I would know something is a miss. But where does one turn for help? Unfortunately with the current trends in psychology, homosexuality is seen as normal and psychologists try to help people come to terms with it rather finding a way out of it. It seems like a kind thing to do, but would you do that for a child-molester, for a drug addict or a sociopath? These people also have urges that stem from deep seated problems or even failures to mature as a human. We want to help these folks, but for homosexuals, some want to validate them. The truth is that psychology has failed in some respects to effectively deal with these issues. They can identify, but not cure and to add to it, homosexuals don't want to be cured they want acceptance.
I am left with "Love never fails." I think that what we need to do is to love homosexuals as people created in the image of our God. We need to introduce them to Jesus and trust that He will change them through his Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We cannot help people by merely arguing with them and we cannot help them by demanding they conform to God's or our standards. We need engage them, talk to them, help them wrestle with the deep things of life and faith. We don't need to condemn them. Unfortunately very few people I know in the faith are equipped, ready,and prepared for giving such loving help.
Christ's ways are the ways of love. Love seeks the better of the other. Love does not react out of fear or hatred. Loving someone doesn't mean you have to agree with them or accept their lifestyle choices, but it does mean that you try to see who God has made them to be and introduce them to the One who can redeem even the most reprobate sinner.
So is sticking with the current model of man-woman marriage denying homosexuals happiness? I don't think so. Is it denying them a validation of their life style? Yes. Do we as a society need to validate same sex marriage? No, there are other avenues available. We won't lower age of consent for sex to appease or decriminalize pedophiles even though many societies recognize the threshold of adulthood to be 12 years of age so why try to appease this group who wants to redefine marriage. I apologize if I have offended you by making this comparison, but there are currently advocates for child sex who are even writing books to encourage other pedophiles. Its seems here we are on the edge of a very slippery slope. Some are pushing others are trying to hold this back.
I know this article has moved to a very emotional and political point, but it all comes back to this. Do we have to give in to other's wishes just because they say something is fun or that it would make them happy? I think we have to weigh such requests carefully and neither dismiss them out of hand nor just cave in to someone else's desires.
Being a Christian can be fun and as Christians we can be happy in participating in the faith life of the community of Christ. But we need to realize that neither happiness nor fun are in and of themselves true criteria for determining what is right. And condemning something because it is seen as "fun" is just as pointless. Weigh all things in the light of God's Word and God's Holy Spirit. Trust that God will help you enjoy this life that He has given you. Trust that even in the things that are not fun or that do not make you happy, that there is room for God to move and bring about what is right and true.
Okay so what about wanting to be happy and wanting to have fun. In one sense this doesn't sound to bad, it almost sounds plausible. But I do not think that these statements cannot stand as axioms for life. Am I apposed to people being happy or to having fun? Of course not!, But I do think there needs to be some sort of caveat to go with it; something that says fun or happiness has some sort of conditions or limits on it.
So what is happiness. I think in its basic form happiness is "I get to do what I like doing." I am happy when I am watching a good movie, I am happy when my wife is kind and supportive (which nowadays, by the way, is most of the time). I am happy when I have money to purchase the things I want to have. I am happy when the sun shines, the temperature is mild and the pollen count is low. Happiness is conditional.
In the constitution we are guaranteed the right to pursue happiness. Which is the say that we all have the right to work to pursue some form of happiness (likely in its day it had a different meaning than it holds today). However the Constitution does not guarantee that I will be happy or that it's the government's job to ensure I am happy. My happiness is my business. Other people are not responsible to insure that I will be made happy. Sometimes others will in fact be unhappy when the right thing or the moral thing is required. I doubt that many people nowadays are happy about paying taxes, yet it is necessary for a government to govern. Jesus recognized that when he told the Pharisees that one should render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's. In a way he was saying, "As much as you would like to keep all that you earn for yourself, it isn't possible. You need to pay the government their taxes (even if they are an oppressive one - which is what the Jews thought of Rome) and you must pay tithe or temple tax so that the church may continue serve the spiritual and physical needs of the people of God.
If children had their way, they would never have to do chores or homework, they would never have to eat anything that is "good for them" and they would be able to play as many games and watch as much TV as they cared to. But parents know that children most learn some sense of responsibility. Although there are some who are parents who have not learned this lesson for themselves. When a parent puts a child on time out or when parent withholds privileges that child is not happy. Is that wrong? Of course not! Children do not know what they need (what they must learn to do and not do); initially all they know is what they want or don't want. I cannot think of anytime I was happy to do the dishes when I was a child but now as an adult, I am happy to see all the dishes cleaned and put away when I come into the kitchen in the morning.. But we should know that parent(s) and the child are not always both able to be happy at the same time. When a parent says no to a child, it is often because they know that the thing the child thinks they would be happy with, the parent realizes would be harmful to the child's character or physical well being. We cannot always have what we want.
So then what is fun? I think fun relates more to our sense of pleasure. When we do something it gives us some sort of pleasurable feed back. I think both fun and happiness are related and that the line between them is a fuzzy one. But back to fun. Sometimes I have heard the response of a person to being warned off doing something to be, "But it's fun" I must say that being fun cannot be an axiom or criteria for the primary reason to do something. This NOT me saying that we cannot have fun. I am just saying that something being fun cannot be the most important criteria for the reason for doing something nor does it legitimise the activity. Some things are inherently fun and are designed to be fun. That's okay. Some things that are meant to be fun can be made un-pleasurable by the circumstances surrounding the activity in question but being "fun" in and of itself does not make something right or needed to be carried out.
So how do we judge an activity or a state of being if not by fun or happiness? Well I don't really think that is what I am saying. I think a visit to Disney Land/World should be fun. I don't think that we should have fun at someone else's expense. Bullies have fun bullying but they make the lives of those that they bully miserable. Luckily I escaped being bullied and as far as I know and I never played the part of a bully. Obviously when we cause someone harm so as to have fun, that is wrong. But there are times that when we do the right thing that not everyone will be happy with us.
But what happens when world views collide? What do I do when someone else demands that I change the rules for how I understand the world works because they say that my way is preventing someone else from being happy. I think there will always be the "No way José" response for some and for others, not wanting to offend, they will quickly surrender their point of view. I'm in the group that says, "Wow, wait a second is this really something that needs to be changed?"
200 years ago, many people saw nothing wrong with enslaving people based upon skin color or national origin. They saw profit in the subjugation of other races and even found reason from a biblical position (wrongly I would add) for doing so. So when abolitionist came along and said "Hey slavery was wrong, it must be stopped!"(and by the way abolitionist were devout Christians) there were some deeply entrenched in owning and selling slaves who thought this was crazy. "How dare you try to turn our world view upside down?" This happened again for women in their bid to gain equal rights (which they are still struggling for) and yet again with the civil rights movement; led by a prominent Christian Preacher - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His argument that people of all colors should have equal rights touched many people's hearts and his use of nonviolence further validated his cause.
So here we are in the 21st century and we have homosexuals saying they have the same rights as anyone to marry whom they want. They say that we are denying them happiness and their rights by not legalizing same-sex marriage. I admit that on one side the argument seems to have some validity. But I think it is based upon a false premise. The premise is that they are born that way, much as a black person or a Hispanic is born with darker skin, homosexuals claim as do some scientist and psychologist that they are born that way. Therefore they see any laws preventing them from doing what straight people are allowed to do, is completely wrong; much as racial prejudice is wrong. Or so goes the argument.
So do homosexuals need to be married as straight couples are to be happy? Obviously they think they do, but yet there are so many legal options that are available to them. They can enter into a legal union as recognized by the state. They can put their possessions and estates into non-transferable trusts. So there are (as far as I understand) legal actions they can take to validate and protect their estates to ensure that marriage would offer. So do we really need to change the definition of marriage from a man and a woman to any two humans. I have to say no but this doesn't give me the right to be hateful and even angry about homosexuals wanting some recognition as people.
I don't believe that homosexuals are born that way, yet still I don't believe that it is merely a choice (although recent changes in the law of some states make this more likely to be the case). Homosexual's claims that they have always felt that way says their is something deep in their psyche at work. I think if I was suffering such strange urges it would be very unsettling. I would look at nature and the function of sexual organs, and I would know something is a miss. But where does one turn for help? Unfortunately with the current trends in psychology, homosexuality is seen as normal and psychologists try to help people come to terms with it rather finding a way out of it. It seems like a kind thing to do, but would you do that for a child-molester, for a drug addict or a sociopath? These people also have urges that stem from deep seated problems or even failures to mature as a human. We want to help these folks, but for homosexuals, some want to validate them. The truth is that psychology has failed in some respects to effectively deal with these issues. They can identify, but not cure and to add to it, homosexuals don't want to be cured they want acceptance.
I am left with "Love never fails." I think that what we need to do is to love homosexuals as people created in the image of our God. We need to introduce them to Jesus and trust that He will change them through his Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We cannot help people by merely arguing with them and we cannot help them by demanding they conform to God's or our standards. We need engage them, talk to them, help them wrestle with the deep things of life and faith. We don't need to condemn them. Unfortunately very few people I know in the faith are equipped, ready,and prepared for giving such loving help.
Christ's ways are the ways of love. Love seeks the better of the other. Love does not react out of fear or hatred. Loving someone doesn't mean you have to agree with them or accept their lifestyle choices, but it does mean that you try to see who God has made them to be and introduce them to the One who can redeem even the most reprobate sinner.
So is sticking with the current model of man-woman marriage denying homosexuals happiness? I don't think so. Is it denying them a validation of their life style? Yes. Do we as a society need to validate same sex marriage? No, there are other avenues available. We won't lower age of consent for sex to appease or decriminalize pedophiles even though many societies recognize the threshold of adulthood to be 12 years of age so why try to appease this group who wants to redefine marriage. I apologize if I have offended you by making this comparison, but there are currently advocates for child sex who are even writing books to encourage other pedophiles. Its seems here we are on the edge of a very slippery slope. Some are pushing others are trying to hold this back.
I know this article has moved to a very emotional and political point, but it all comes back to this. Do we have to give in to other's wishes just because they say something is fun or that it would make them happy? I think we have to weigh such requests carefully and neither dismiss them out of hand nor just cave in to someone else's desires.
Being a Christian can be fun and as Christians we can be happy in participating in the faith life of the community of Christ. But we need to realize that neither happiness nor fun are in and of themselves true criteria for determining what is right. And condemning something because it is seen as "fun" is just as pointless. Weigh all things in the light of God's Word and God's Holy Spirit. Trust that God will help you enjoy this life that He has given you. Trust that even in the things that are not fun or that do not make you happy, that there is room for God to move and bring about what is right and true.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Game Show Theology
I was struck the other day by a post of a friend. She had overheard her children bragging about who had memorized the most Scriptures. It brought a smile to my face as I know the family in question and I knew their desire is to raise godly children. No sooner than I had that thought when another entered my mind. Has Christianity been reduced to a matter of biblical knowledge and trivia?
As a pastor, one of my concerns is, "Am I equipping the saints so they can live transformed lives or am I merely encouraging them to agree with me" I believe in what I would call a "cooperative theology". Which is to ask the question, "Are we cooperating with God's purposes in our life or are we forging on towards some goal that may or may not have anything to do with God's will for us?" Some theologians see everything is in our striving to "do," while others see it as this free ride where we sit back and "watch" God work in our lives and around us. I subscribe to neither of those theologies. It's not all about us nor is it remaining completely passive trusting that God will work it out.
Obviously, God does have a plan, but we are his hands and feet. If we are not obedient to His will, all kinds of bad things can happen. In part, this is because God has already put moral consequences in place which result in consequences for poor or ungodly choices, just as there are rewards for cooperating with God and being obedient. They are similar to the consequences of the physical world - if we put our hand in the fire it will be burned; if we fail to eat and drink we will starve to death.
I believe there is a cycle of sorts that is at work where as we surrender to God, He calls us to do good works (which He created in advance for us to do) which if we are obedient to do, then there is blessing and if we fail to obey there are no blessings or possibly there are curses. Now maybe this may sound too Old Testament for you, but it is consistent throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations. It is "The Law of Sowing and Reaping." Whatever we sow in life (sin or righteousness) we will reap in due time.
Yet we also must realize that we can do nothing (nothing of worth in God's eyes) apart from Him. There are times that our obedience merely requires that we get out of the way so that God can do what He has been planning all along. This, in part, is what it means to walk in the Spirit; knowing when to act and knowing when to wait on God.
Many Christians just want some rules to keep so that they will know that they are walking in God's will. "Do this, but don't do that." "Go to church at least once a week", "Memorize Scriptures etc..." These are not bad things, but unfortunately, if they are done without a change in heart or a willingness to obey God and to seek Him, they just become dead works. I think things have got so bad that many Christians have come to the conclusion that their only responsibility is come, sit and listen, sing some songs and tithe.
On more than one occasion, I have been challenged with Bible Trivia questions, like how many wive's did David had, what is the name of the mountain where Abraham brought his son Issac to be sacrificed. These bits of Bible Trivia don't challenge any of us to live godly lives. Knowing the shortest and longest verses in the Bible or the names of the 12 Apostles is nice to know, but rarely does it lead to a life transforming condition.
The phrase "The proof is in the pudding" applies here. Jesus says, that we will be known by our love. James says that our works are proof of our faith. We are saved by faith and not by works, but yet once saved we are invited to do good works. Good works assure our rewards in heaven. Good works can be proof of God's Spirit at work in us.
We are further confused by some sort of self-delusion that seems to think that God wants what we want. His thoughts are not ours and his Ways are not ours either. The challenge for each of us is to transform our thinking as to conform to His. This is why we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as God is at work in us to will and to do. His objective is that we would become more and more like Him. But in order for that to happen, we need to shed some of our ungodly thinking and behavior and embrace His ways and His thoughts. Jesus reminded us that He only said what He had heard the Father say and only did what the Father did.
Okay, all of this boils down to this. We are called to be obedient disciples of Christ. We are not called to be fans who memorize obscure passages and attend spiritual concerts and conferences (a.k.a. Sermons) to impress God and others. Jesus said if we love Him them we would obey Him. Love and obedience are hallmarks of the devout follower of Christ.
Memorizing Scripture verses and going to church are not bad things, but if we are not doing them with the intent to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ, then we are doing them for the wrong reasons. In this case, motives are everything. Our objective is not merely a good attendance record and extensive Bible knowledge, our objective is Christ and his Kingdom.
Know why you are doing what you are doing. Don't just do things because it seems right or because someone else told you to do it. Whatever you do, do it so that your life will demonstrate the reality of Christ's saving work in your life. But do it in cooperation with whom God has made you to be and how the Holy Spirit is moving in you.
I will add a caveat here. God loves you regardless of your good works. His love was there even when we were enemies of God. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So don't get confused about good works and God's love. Because of Christ's work on the cross, we are now accepted by God and empowered to do the good works that He has created in advance for us to do.
We don't have to impress God by coming to church or memorizing scriptures. Being part of the church is not like a game show. Our success is not merely based upon scripture knowledge and church attendance. Our success is measure in how we submit to God's will for our lives, by being obedient and humble servants who say, "Yes" to our Master's call and who love other's with the same abandon that Jesus has lavished upon us. But even still I long to hear the words "Well done good and faithful servant." at the end of this life on earth. I want to know that I have run the race and won the prize because I have persevered and followed Him, wherever his Holy Spirit has led me and have done everything as unto Him.
As a pastor, one of my concerns is, "Am I equipping the saints so they can live transformed lives or am I merely encouraging them to agree with me" I believe in what I would call a "cooperative theology". Which is to ask the question, "Are we cooperating with God's purposes in our life or are we forging on towards some goal that may or may not have anything to do with God's will for us?" Some theologians see everything is in our striving to "do," while others see it as this free ride where we sit back and "watch" God work in our lives and around us. I subscribe to neither of those theologies. It's not all about us nor is it remaining completely passive trusting that God will work it out.
Obviously, God does have a plan, but we are his hands and feet. If we are not obedient to His will, all kinds of bad things can happen. In part, this is because God has already put moral consequences in place which result in consequences for poor or ungodly choices, just as there are rewards for cooperating with God and being obedient. They are similar to the consequences of the physical world - if we put our hand in the fire it will be burned; if we fail to eat and drink we will starve to death.
I believe there is a cycle of sorts that is at work where as we surrender to God, He calls us to do good works (which He created in advance for us to do) which if we are obedient to do, then there is blessing and if we fail to obey there are no blessings or possibly there are curses. Now maybe this may sound too Old Testament for you, but it is consistent throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations. It is "The Law of Sowing and Reaping." Whatever we sow in life (sin or righteousness) we will reap in due time.
Yet we also must realize that we can do nothing (nothing of worth in God's eyes) apart from Him. There are times that our obedience merely requires that we get out of the way so that God can do what He has been planning all along. This, in part, is what it means to walk in the Spirit; knowing when to act and knowing when to wait on God.
Many Christians just want some rules to keep so that they will know that they are walking in God's will. "Do this, but don't do that." "Go to church at least once a week", "Memorize Scriptures etc..." These are not bad things, but unfortunately, if they are done without a change in heart or a willingness to obey God and to seek Him, they just become dead works. I think things have got so bad that many Christians have come to the conclusion that their only responsibility is come, sit and listen, sing some songs and tithe.
On more than one occasion, I have been challenged with Bible Trivia questions, like how many wive's did David had, what is the name of the mountain where Abraham brought his son Issac to be sacrificed. These bits of Bible Trivia don't challenge any of us to live godly lives. Knowing the shortest and longest verses in the Bible or the names of the 12 Apostles is nice to know, but rarely does it lead to a life transforming condition.
The phrase "The proof is in the pudding" applies here. Jesus says, that we will be known by our love. James says that our works are proof of our faith. We are saved by faith and not by works, but yet once saved we are invited to do good works. Good works assure our rewards in heaven. Good works can be proof of God's Spirit at work in us.
We are further confused by some sort of self-delusion that seems to think that God wants what we want. His thoughts are not ours and his Ways are not ours either. The challenge for each of us is to transform our thinking as to conform to His. This is why we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as God is at work in us to will and to do. His objective is that we would become more and more like Him. But in order for that to happen, we need to shed some of our ungodly thinking and behavior and embrace His ways and His thoughts. Jesus reminded us that He only said what He had heard the Father say and only did what the Father did.
Okay, all of this boils down to this. We are called to be obedient disciples of Christ. We are not called to be fans who memorize obscure passages and attend spiritual concerts and conferences (a.k.a. Sermons) to impress God and others. Jesus said if we love Him them we would obey Him. Love and obedience are hallmarks of the devout follower of Christ.
Memorizing Scripture verses and going to church are not bad things, but if we are not doing them with the intent to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ, then we are doing them for the wrong reasons. In this case, motives are everything. Our objective is not merely a good attendance record and extensive Bible knowledge, our objective is Christ and his Kingdom.
Know why you are doing what you are doing. Don't just do things because it seems right or because someone else told you to do it. Whatever you do, do it so that your life will demonstrate the reality of Christ's saving work in your life. But do it in cooperation with whom God has made you to be and how the Holy Spirit is moving in you.
I will add a caveat here. God loves you regardless of your good works. His love was there even when we were enemies of God. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So don't get confused about good works and God's love. Because of Christ's work on the cross, we are now accepted by God and empowered to do the good works that He has created in advance for us to do.
We don't have to impress God by coming to church or memorizing scriptures. Being part of the church is not like a game show. Our success is not merely based upon scripture knowledge and church attendance. Our success is measure in how we submit to God's will for our lives, by being obedient and humble servants who say, "Yes" to our Master's call and who love other's with the same abandon that Jesus has lavished upon us. But even still I long to hear the words "Well done good and faithful servant." at the end of this life on earth. I want to know that I have run the race and won the prize because I have persevered and followed Him, wherever his Holy Spirit has led me and have done everything as unto Him.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Some thoughts about atheism
It is interesting that I found myself thinking about writing something about atheists and then this morning I got a link to a YouTube commentary to a Fox News video titled "Dumbest anti atheist question of the month?" I am convinced that many believers are really not prepared to talk to atheists. Part of this is due to pseudo-christian tendency to become defensive and hostile to people who say they don't believe. Now I have to admit that some atheists are especially caustic and obnoxious, but hey that's their choice... or is it.
When I think of atheists, I don't think of them as enlighten people who some how have been set free of the burden of believing that they and the universe they live in were some how made on purpose. I don't see them as enemies of God or of people of faith necessarily. I have personally placed them in one of a few categories that I will list below.
1. They were either the children of atheists or they were influenced by other atheists to believe that people of faith are not rational. I find this often times in the intelligentsia. These people are convinced that they are smarter than the average bear and like to look down upon us poor uninformed people who actually believe that there is more than just order to the universe, that there is in fact purpose and One who is responsible for both the order and the purpose we find in the universe.
These kinds of people are so convinced of their intelligence and rightness that they will not allow themselves to be drawn into an discussion about the possibility of a deity of any kind. Personally I think that anyone who dismisses an argument out of hand is just hiding their fear of being found out as a fraud. Arrogance is often just a cover for fear. Such people are afraid of being proven wrong. Better to just pray for them and trust that one day the right circumstances will put them in a place to be open to listen.
2. Those who have been abused, hurt or disappointed by those claiming to know God. I think these people can be reached by authentic compassionate Christians. These people are upset with God because human beings have failed them. They are not true atheists, but rather hurting people who blame God for the wrongs done by those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Even Gandhi rejected Christianity because Christians in South Africa supported Apartheid. These people don't need caustic retorts from supposed believers. Many of them know that the Bible says that Christians will be known by their love, so they are looking for it. They have rejected Christianity, its followers and their God because they are not seeing the love Christ promised in the Bible.
3. Some people are mad at God. They prayed the prayer of faith and their loved one still died. These people wanted to believe, and they took the Bible at face value which says that whatever we pray in Jesus name will be granted us. Obviously (to me) we cannot take this Bible passage out of the context of the whole Bible. There will be unanswered prayers. There will be those who die of cancer and other things where it seems wrong and unfair; a child left without a parent; a child taken by unkind circumstances, a faithful loved one killed senselessly. Any of these situations can cause a person to turn their back on God and say that there is no god. In fact they may be very hostile to the thought of believing in God. But again these people just need some love and compassion to see the reality of our faith.
4. Some are atheists because they look at the disunity and the wrong done in the name of Jesus. They look at all the things wrong in the Church and say, "There cannot be a God which they serve if they act this way." I admit after studying church history, I was left with a sick feeling in my heart. I have an answer to that which I will address here some day soon. But back to the main point... these are hurting, wounded or disillusioned people who just want to see some authentic love. Just one authentic Christian who would listen to them, have compassion for them and demonstrate true Christian charity (love) could be all it takes to reach people like this.
I would like to end with this. Atheist are not the enemy. They are people who have rejected the notion of a God for any one of several reasons. Our true enemy is not of this world. He preys on people's fears and hurt feelings. He encourages hating people for their being different. Now there are the few apologist who might be able to provide a sensible reason for faith, but it is Christian love that is the real lodestone. If people don't see we Christians loving sinners and demonstrating the kind of love that can only come from God, then there will always be an abundance of atheists. Atheists don't need our hate mongering and caustic remarks; that only makes us like any fool walking in the flesh. The Christian response is love for hate and blessing for cursing. The only way to live that way is to die to our selfish fleshly urges and submit ourselves to God.
It is interesting to note that the only people who Jesus had harsh words for were the religious people, who should have know better than to try to turn faith into nothing more than keeping a bunch of arbitrarily mandated rules. The whole of the Law, The Prophets and the writings boil down to loving both God and our neighbors. Anything else is just human foolishness. I am also reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, who said that he did not come with persuasive words, but with a demonstration of power. What could be more powerful that the love of God pouring out through our lives.
So the next time you go to bad mouth an atheist, ask yourself, "What have I done to demonstrate the love of God to this person?"
In His Love,
Alan J. Beckett
Friday, February 1, 2013
A few thoughts on Baptism
(Post 9 of 100)
Like so many aspects of Christianity we too often relegate them to the natural man's perspective. I think we are guilty of that with regard to Baptism. The party line, as I see it is, "Baptism is and outward sign of and inward change" or maybe "A public acknowledgement of one's faith in the Lord Jesus." Now I can see that this may be true for many, but I think this perspective fails to fully recognize the divine and supernatural aspect of this "Sacrament."I really like to think that my faith is a supernatural thing. By faith I have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, but this it not just a personal decision, like we would like to believe. We are told in Scripture that we did not choose Him first. We are told that it is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin and righteousness. We cannot relegate this to mere human choice. It is God working in us that leads us to repentance. Through that repentance (a change of heart and direction) we are led to faith in Jesus Christ. When we come to this point we begin the process of transformation from the old man who is sinful and self-serving in nature to the new creature recreated in the image of almighty God. Ephesian's 4 is a description of that process of putting off the old corrupted man and his ways and putting on a new persona made in the image of God.
But now to Baptism. In chapter 6 of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that when we are baptized, we participate in Christ's death. We are buried with Christ (v. 3). This is the death of the old person. It is both conscious choice (choosing to leave our old life behind - die to it) and a supernatural act where the Holy Spirit begins a transformative work by killing the old self (we are crucified with Christ v. 6-7). It doesn't stop there however. We are also told that in our baptism that we participate in Christ's resurrection. We are given the opportunity, the choice and ability to walk in the newness of life (v.4).
I believe that choice plays its part in that we each can decide to cooperate with the working of the Holy Spirit or not. We can allow our old self to perish in the baptistery and cooperate with the transformative work of the Holy Spirit or we can merely go through the motions and deny the transforming power of our participation in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to add that our Salvation is not the result of some holy formula. It is a miraculous work as we participate in the divine dance with our Creator. For each of us this process may look a little different. My personal experience has been that the process has been long and drawn out. For others, I have seen such radical transformation that seems to take place in the fraction of a second. Whatever the case or whomever it is that participates in this miraculous thing we call salvation, we must acknowledge the supernatural aspect of Baptism. It is not just getting wet, it is not just a public confession. Baptism is a supernatural participation the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God in peace
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Our World View
A few years back the term "World View" seemed to be circulating pretty much in many circles. I don't hear it used quite as often, but I think how we view things is so very important. Our world view helps define us and how we see others
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version, 2 Co 5:16-17 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989).
Recently I was struck by the above passage. It actually began before I reread this passage. I was having a conversation with Emily, the young woman who lives with us, and some how in the conversation it came out that what we see in other people (all to often) is not the redemptive work of Christ, but the consequence of sin. That leads us to criticizing and condemning others (cursing them), when they have been created (and as Christians recreated) in the image of God. When God created them, He had something good in mind. I believe this is why when Jesus dealt with both the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery, that he didn't condemn them. They already knew they had sinned. But according to John 3:17 Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. All those who don't already believe stand condemned. He saw them as people God had created rather than just seeing them through their sin.
But my point is that we tend look at people (and ourselves) from a "worldly" perspective. We don't see ourselves or others as created or redeemed by God to serve God's purposes on the earth. We see their quirks and their sin (or ours) and we condemn them in our minds and reject them. Now this could go lots of directions but for now I want to restrict my discussion to how we look a people in their physical form...
Consider the following images -
This is an image by Paul Rubens and in its time people considered such women quite beautiful
And this lovely beauty is an image of a fertility goddess. I am sure I could pick some images of modern day beauties as well but my point is, that what is considered beautiful changes from age to age and from culture to culture. What we think is beautiful may not be considered beautiful by others.
Some cultures want their women shaved. Some want them to have tattoos on their faces or bones in their noses. In America, or in the modern world, we have come to define beauty by the images that modeling agencies parade before our eyes or by the current pop stars images. But even that is a gross exaggeration. The point is that the world will always try to dictate to us what is acceptable and what is beautiful. But if we are to accept the words of Paul recorded above. We as Christians can no longer judge people that way.
We cannot look at others the way the world does and judge them acceptable or not. All people who are walking this earth were created in the image of their Maker. No matter the gender, the race, the size or the age, they were all created in His image. And for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are recreated (redeemed). We are no longer what we were (speaking of our fallen or sinful state). What does this mean to us?
Simply this - We cannot define other people by worldly standards. We cannot judge a person by the package they are in. We cannot judge ourselves by others opinions of us either. We cannot say we are too fat or too skinny based upon some image we have been fed by watching movies and music videos. We must find our value in the eyes of our Creator and Redeemer.
Have you ever noticed how little the Bible has to say about people's weight. And when it comes to a woman's appearance is really encourages us to stop looking at the external and consider the eternal. If we reject someone for being over weight or the wrong color skin or the wrong height then we are judging our Creator. Ya some people may have issues with overeating. But the issue is their health and their substituting food for love. God doesn't like gluttony because it is just another form of idolatry. But that is back to the issue - isn't your form as much as it is what you do with what God has given you.
In the natural unredeemed state, what appeals to us is what our culture has told us is attractive. That could be the media or it could have been what our mother looked like and how our father reacted to her. As Christians we are not to look at people that way. We are not to look at ourselves that way. If we are... we need to ask for new eyes. To see people the way God sees them. Often what revolts us, is part of the reason Christ died; to save us from sin and the consequence of sin. He died to redeem our thinking and to redeem our values. He wants us to stop judging people by standards that do not have any application in the Kingdom of God.
Christian men, you are not to judge your sisters by the current sex goddess in the world. You are to love all of them as your sisters. Women of faith, stop judging yourselves by worldly standards. Stop thinking you have to live up to the images that our culture has thrust upon us. Seek God, live for Him, find your value in His eyes. Because in the end it is the only place where true value lies. All of us will grow old. All of our bodies will suffer loss. You can exercise if you want, there is nothing wrong with strengthening your heart, bones and muscles, but don't let becoming fit become your god.
Nothing should rule you but the Love of God; Not sexual appetites, tastes for sweets or the desire to be beautiful in the world's eyes. Seek God and obey him. If He says relax then relax. If He says go for a walk, then go for a walk. If He says give up sugar then do so. The Spirit of God is in every one who has received God's salvation. Trust Him to lead you into the kind of life that God has created you for. Stop looking to others. Stop judging yourself by standards that are not God's standards. His ways are not the ways of the world. What the world calls wisdom, God calls foolishness.
Praying that as you read this that God will set you free from the trap of worldly thinking and standards. That God will open your mind to see others and yourself as He sees you though the Blood of Christ.
Blessings
Alan
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version, 2 Co 5:16-17 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989).
Recently I was struck by the above passage. It actually began before I reread this passage. I was having a conversation with Emily, the young woman who lives with us, and some how in the conversation it came out that what we see in other people (all to often) is not the redemptive work of Christ, but the consequence of sin. That leads us to criticizing and condemning others (cursing them), when they have been created (and as Christians recreated) in the image of God. When God created them, He had something good in mind. I believe this is why when Jesus dealt with both the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery, that he didn't condemn them. They already knew they had sinned. But according to John 3:17 Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. All those who don't already believe stand condemned. He saw them as people God had created rather than just seeing them through their sin.
But my point is that we tend look at people (and ourselves) from a "worldly" perspective. We don't see ourselves or others as created or redeemed by God to serve God's purposes on the earth. We see their quirks and their sin (or ours) and we condemn them in our minds and reject them. Now this could go lots of directions but for now I want to restrict my discussion to how we look a people in their physical form...
Consider the following images -
This is an image by Paul Rubens and in its time people considered such women quite beautiful
And this lovely beauty is an image of a fertility goddess. I am sure I could pick some images of modern day beauties as well but my point is, that what is considered beautiful changes from age to age and from culture to culture. What we think is beautiful may not be considered beautiful by others.
Some cultures want their women shaved. Some want them to have tattoos on their faces or bones in their noses. In America, or in the modern world, we have come to define beauty by the images that modeling agencies parade before our eyes or by the current pop stars images. But even that is a gross exaggeration. The point is that the world will always try to dictate to us what is acceptable and what is beautiful. But if we are to accept the words of Paul recorded above. We as Christians can no longer judge people that way.
We cannot look at others the way the world does and judge them acceptable or not. All people who are walking this earth were created in the image of their Maker. No matter the gender, the race, the size or the age, they were all created in His image. And for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are recreated (redeemed). We are no longer what we were (speaking of our fallen or sinful state). What does this mean to us?
Simply this - We cannot define other people by worldly standards. We cannot judge a person by the package they are in. We cannot judge ourselves by others opinions of us either. We cannot say we are too fat or too skinny based upon some image we have been fed by watching movies and music videos. We must find our value in the eyes of our Creator and Redeemer.
Have you ever noticed how little the Bible has to say about people's weight. And when it comes to a woman's appearance is really encourages us to stop looking at the external and consider the eternal. If we reject someone for being over weight or the wrong color skin or the wrong height then we are judging our Creator. Ya some people may have issues with overeating. But the issue is their health and their substituting food for love. God doesn't like gluttony because it is just another form of idolatry. But that is back to the issue - isn't your form as much as it is what you do with what God has given you.
In the natural unredeemed state, what appeals to us is what our culture has told us is attractive. That could be the media or it could have been what our mother looked like and how our father reacted to her. As Christians we are not to look at people that way. We are not to look at ourselves that way. If we are... we need to ask for new eyes. To see people the way God sees them. Often what revolts us, is part of the reason Christ died; to save us from sin and the consequence of sin. He died to redeem our thinking and to redeem our values. He wants us to stop judging people by standards that do not have any application in the Kingdom of God.
Christian men, you are not to judge your sisters by the current sex goddess in the world. You are to love all of them as your sisters. Women of faith, stop judging yourselves by worldly standards. Stop thinking you have to live up to the images that our culture has thrust upon us. Seek God, live for Him, find your value in His eyes. Because in the end it is the only place where true value lies. All of us will grow old. All of our bodies will suffer loss. You can exercise if you want, there is nothing wrong with strengthening your heart, bones and muscles, but don't let becoming fit become your god.
Nothing should rule you but the Love of God; Not sexual appetites, tastes for sweets or the desire to be beautiful in the world's eyes. Seek God and obey him. If He says relax then relax. If He says go for a walk, then go for a walk. If He says give up sugar then do so. The Spirit of God is in every one who has received God's salvation. Trust Him to lead you into the kind of life that God has created you for. Stop looking to others. Stop judging yourself by standards that are not God's standards. His ways are not the ways of the world. What the world calls wisdom, God calls foolishness.
Praying that as you read this that God will set you free from the trap of worldly thinking and standards. That God will open your mind to see others and yourself as He sees you though the Blood of Christ.
Blessings
Alan
Friday, November 7, 2008
Blog a thon day 7
To the god of freedom
As I was praying for America this day it struck me – our nation is and has been sacrificing to another god. It is the god of choice and personal determination. It is how this nation was founded and it is a value that continues to drive us. Now we have sacrificed over 35 million unborn children to this god. And the people of the land want to sacrifice more. President elect Obama wants to sign the Freedom of Choice Act to make abortion of all kinds available to all women. And some of us actually think this is a Christian country!
It is obvious by our acts that we have made the god of choice our god. The God of the Universe is not the god we trust in. We trust in a god who will give us what our greedy little hearts desire. We want freedom to choose for good or ill. We want freedom from the responsibility of facing the consequences of our actions. We want freedom to have what our eyes see and our flesh desires no matter how damaging or wrong it might be. This is the kind of freedom that America has come to crave and thinks the rest of the world needs.
Freedom from oppression is not a bad thing, but freedom from all consequences is dangerous. Consequences teach us self control. Consequences teach us good from bad. Consequences help us to see that others are valuable too.
Christ has granted freedom to all who will believe in his name. But the freedom He grants us is the freedom from the power of sin; freedom from our baser selfish desires that cause so much of the wrong in the world. The sacrifice that Christ demands of us is not our unborn children but of our personal life; our wants our desires our hopes – our future. Being a Christian means that we are willing to accept that we many not know what is best for us. Being a Christian means that we believe God knows what’s best for us. We Americans live in a culture where the greatest good seems to be seen in an individual’s rights, but this is antithetical to Christianity, which says the greatest good is in our personal and corporate sacrifice to/for the betterment of others. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is not he who rules over others, but rather the one who lays his live down for the sake of others, he or she who is the servant of all.
So pray with me for America, that the people of God would wake up and realize that maybe they have been worshiping at the altar of another god. Its time to tare down our idols, repent and seek the One True God – the God who sent his son to die for our sins. The God whose desire for us is better than anything we might think or imagine. Our God isn’t a republican or a democrat or libertarian. He is the absolute God of the universe. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.
So let us cast aside our darkened thinking and accept the mind of Christ that we might honor Him with our lives and see His Kingdom come and His Will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen
Your servant in Christ,
Alan
As I was praying for America this day it struck me – our nation is and has been sacrificing to another god. It is the god of choice and personal determination. It is how this nation was founded and it is a value that continues to drive us. Now we have sacrificed over 35 million unborn children to this god. And the people of the land want to sacrifice more. President elect Obama wants to sign the Freedom of Choice Act to make abortion of all kinds available to all women. And some of us actually think this is a Christian country!
It is obvious by our acts that we have made the god of choice our god. The God of the Universe is not the god we trust in. We trust in a god who will give us what our greedy little hearts desire. We want freedom to choose for good or ill. We want freedom from the responsibility of facing the consequences of our actions. We want freedom to have what our eyes see and our flesh desires no matter how damaging or wrong it might be. This is the kind of freedom that America has come to crave and thinks the rest of the world needs.
Freedom from oppression is not a bad thing, but freedom from all consequences is dangerous. Consequences teach us self control. Consequences teach us good from bad. Consequences help us to see that others are valuable too.
Christ has granted freedom to all who will believe in his name. But the freedom He grants us is the freedom from the power of sin; freedom from our baser selfish desires that cause so much of the wrong in the world. The sacrifice that Christ demands of us is not our unborn children but of our personal life; our wants our desires our hopes – our future. Being a Christian means that we are willing to accept that we many not know what is best for us. Being a Christian means that we believe God knows what’s best for us. We Americans live in a culture where the greatest good seems to be seen in an individual’s rights, but this is antithetical to Christianity, which says the greatest good is in our personal and corporate sacrifice to/for the betterment of others. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is not he who rules over others, but rather the one who lays his live down for the sake of others, he or she who is the servant of all.
So pray with me for America, that the people of God would wake up and realize that maybe they have been worshiping at the altar of another god. Its time to tare down our idols, repent and seek the One True God – the God who sent his son to die for our sins. The God whose desire for us is better than anything we might think or imagine. Our God isn’t a republican or a democrat or libertarian. He is the absolute God of the universe. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.
So let us cast aside our darkened thinking and accept the mind of Christ that we might honor Him with our lives and see His Kingdom come and His Will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen
Your servant in Christ,
Alan
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