"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Matthew 5:4
Sadly much of the church tries to explain away these words of Christ. But this is not a call for Christians to eradicate the mourning of this world. This is a blessing to engage in such mourning. For this world is a sinking ship and we who follow the Lord suffer no illusions of fulfillment in the temporal diversions of this life. While our hope and joy is for our future life and Christ we weep for being in the midst of those created in His image who resist His call. Everyday the masses chase after the things that lead to death, dismissing our beloved Gospel. A disciple of Christ cannot enjoy the ever multiplying holidays and festivities that celebrate man in all his blindness. And so the true Christians are unwelcome strangers rejected by the world, not because of misanthropy but quite the opposite. We grieve the devil's diversions and siren songs that lead away the ones Christ told us to love. An earnest community of believers welcomes sorrow and shoulders it as a part of our cross to bear in this life. The mark of mature faith is not necessarily the gregarious persona or the soma induced perma-smile but rather the heavy brow that deeply understands there is no sustaining comfort from this world for their comfort is in the cross and the Comforter who waits patiently to take them home.
Showing posts with label Love and mathematics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love and mathematics. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
"Let the one who desires take the water of life without price."
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him"
"Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both and keeping them both furious." G.K Chesterton.
Ezekiel 33:11 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
Psalm 37:13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
Matthew 23:37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Acts 3:19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Ephesians 1: v.4 "even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world," v.5 In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will" v.11 "In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according the the counsel of His will" 2:4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together in Christ" v.8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved
1 Cor. 2:14 the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
"In a memorable phrase that became the virtual cornerstone of his theology, G. K. Chesterton said, 'Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both and keeping them both furious.' Most heresies come from espousing one opposite at the expense of the other. Uncomfortable with paradox[antinomy], Christians tend to tilt in one direction or the other, usually with disastrous consequences. Read the theologians of the first few centuries as they try to fathom Jesus, the center of our faith, who was somehow fully God and fully man. Read the theologians of the Reformation as they discover the majestic implications of God's sovereignty, then strive to keep their followers from settling into a resigned fatalism. Read the theologians of today as they debate the intricacies of written revelation: a Bible that expresses God's words to us that is nonetheless authored by individuals of widely varying intelligence, personality, and writing style.
"The first shall be last; find your life by losing it; work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you; he who stoops lowest climbs highest; where sin abounds grace abounds more—all these profound principles of life appear in the New Testament and none easily reduces to logical consistency. 'Truth is not in the middle, and not in one extreme, but in both extremes,' 19th-century British pastor Charles Simeon remarked. With some reluctance, I have come to agree.
"Inside every person on earth, we believe, the image of God can be found. Yet inside each person there lives also a beast. Any religious or political system that does not account for both extremes—furious opposites, in Chesterton's phrase—will sorely fail (surprisingly, the utopians' failures bring down more catastrophe than the cynics'). As a rabbi put it, 'A man should carry two stones in his pocket. On one should be inscribed, "I am but dust and ashes." On the other, "For my sake was the world created." And he should use each stone as he needs it.'" ~Philip Yancey, Reaching For The Invisible God
"The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."—C. H. Spurgeon
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him"
"Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both and keeping them both furious." G.K Chesterton.
Ezekiel 33:11 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
Psalm 37:13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
Matthew 23:37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Acts 3:19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Ephesians 1: v.4 "even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world," v.5 In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will" v.11 "In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according the the counsel of His will" 2:4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together in Christ" v.8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved
1 Cor. 2:14 the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
"In a memorable phrase that became the virtual cornerstone of his theology, G. K. Chesterton said, 'Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both and keeping them both furious.' Most heresies come from espousing one opposite at the expense of the other. Uncomfortable with paradox[antinomy], Christians tend to tilt in one direction or the other, usually with disastrous consequences. Read the theologians of the first few centuries as they try to fathom Jesus, the center of our faith, who was somehow fully God and fully man. Read the theologians of the Reformation as they discover the majestic implications of God's sovereignty, then strive to keep their followers from settling into a resigned fatalism. Read the theologians of today as they debate the intricacies of written revelation: a Bible that expresses God's words to us that is nonetheless authored by individuals of widely varying intelligence, personality, and writing style.
"The first shall be last; find your life by losing it; work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you; he who stoops lowest climbs highest; where sin abounds grace abounds more—all these profound principles of life appear in the New Testament and none easily reduces to logical consistency. 'Truth is not in the middle, and not in one extreme, but in both extremes,' 19th-century British pastor Charles Simeon remarked. With some reluctance, I have come to agree.
"Inside every person on earth, we believe, the image of God can be found. Yet inside each person there lives also a beast. Any religious or political system that does not account for both extremes—furious opposites, in Chesterton's phrase—will sorely fail (surprisingly, the utopians' failures bring down more catastrophe than the cynics'). As a rabbi put it, 'A man should carry two stones in his pocket. On one should be inscribed, "I am but dust and ashes." On the other, "For my sake was the world created." And he should use each stone as he needs it.'" ~Philip Yancey, Reaching For The Invisible God
"The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."—C. H. Spurgeon
Friday, January 22, 2010
False gods & Blind Guides: The Social Gospel in America
The church of western culture has by and large traded off the classic Gospel of fallen man, sinful in nature, redeemed by a sovereign God through the atoning sacrifice of His Son on the cross as imputed righteousness. It's not just the mainline churches that are guilty of this but reformed, fundamentalist, liberal, emergent, etc. have largely forsaken Christ's teaching "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34) for a gospel of Utopia.
From the Marxist, Anarchy, or Communist "Christian" to the moralist "Christian" to the "I'm Ok, You're Ok, So Let's Make the World a Love Fest Christian" the core of the message is all the same; that if we follow a particular program we should expect our best life now. Now that "best life" may be defined differently. For some it's monetary wealth, for others it's magically cohesive relationships, for others it's perfectly balanced emotional well-being. But make no mistake, it's just the same message in different packaging.
Regardless of church positions and doctrinal statements the pervasiveness of this self-help gospel is evident everywhere. It is independent Americanism with a Christian label. It is the belief that a person can pull oneself up by his bootstraps to create an enjoyable life in the here and now.
At the center of the problem is the downplay on the total depravity and spiritual deadness of man. (Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3, Colossians 2:13, Genesis 6:5, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Jeremiah 17:9, John 3:19, Romans 8:7-8, John 8:34, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:9-12, Jeremiah 13:23). In the contemporary gospel there is little room for talk about sin. Repentance is misunderstood as feelings of guilt if repentance is mentioned at all.
Without a true understanding of the condition of man the power of the cross and Jesus' life on earth are messages the church can shape any way they want. Eastern ideologies which only survive in theoretical vacuums because they're built on the idea that human nature is basically good and just needs the right conditions to thrive, like Marxism, classical anarchy, Communism, existentialism, etc. have become trendy in post-modern churches that like to play "dress-up Barbie" with the identity of Jesus, portraying Him as a pacifist or anti-capitalist whose hidden message was to overthrow established government to set up earthly Utopia. On the other hand, Jesus is portrayed in more traditional churches as a "nun-in-the-sky" waiting to slap your hand with the ruler of correction the moment you break a rule or do something socially taboo, trying to bring about Utopia through behavior modification. Then you have "vending-machine-Jesus" that dispenses whatever you want if you're polite and nice enough to everyone, trying to bring about a Kindergarten Utopia.
Secular sociologist, Marsha G. Witten, wrote a book in the late 1990's titled "All is Forgiven: The Secular Message in American Protestantism" that took a cross-section of 47 sermons from various churches with the message of the prodigal son. Her conclusion was that no matter what the denomination the ultimate message was a do-it-yourself guide to personal satisfaction, book-ended with prayer and a few mentions of God or Christ thrown in to mark itself as religious content. She also concluded that a person could just as easily find a multitude of alternative resources that offered and just as often produced similar results. The softened demeanor of God in today's churches she noted held sharp contrast to the "transcendent, majestic, awesome God of Luther and Calvin."
While the God of Paul, Luther, and Calvin called us to rejoice in our trials and sufferings and to persevere so that Christ's glory may be known we have opted for a god who tells us to flee from all that is uncomfortable and only count as blessing the same that any pagan would count as blessing. The behavior and attitude for today's professing Christian looks nearly identical to the non-believer in all situations. Nobody is asking us for the reason of our hope (1 Peter 3:15) because our hope is placed in this world.
1 Corinthians 15:19 "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
"It is a mistake to suppose that evangelical sermons are a special brand of sermons, having their own peculiar style and conventions; evangelistic sermons are just scriptural sermons, the sort of sermons that a man cannot help preaching if he is preaching the Bible biblically. Proper sermons seek to expound and apply what is in the Bible. But what is in the Bible is just the whole counsel of God for man's salvation; all Scripture bears witness, in one way or another, to Christ, and all biblical themes relate to Him. All sermons, therefore, will of necessity declare Christ in some fashion and so be more or less directly evangelistic." ~J.I. Packer Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
From the Marxist, Anarchy, or Communist "Christian" to the moralist "Christian" to the "I'm Ok, You're Ok, So Let's Make the World a Love Fest Christian" the core of the message is all the same; that if we follow a particular program we should expect our best life now. Now that "best life" may be defined differently. For some it's monetary wealth, for others it's magically cohesive relationships, for others it's perfectly balanced emotional well-being. But make no mistake, it's just the same message in different packaging.
Regardless of church positions and doctrinal statements the pervasiveness of this self-help gospel is evident everywhere. It is independent Americanism with a Christian label. It is the belief that a person can pull oneself up by his bootstraps to create an enjoyable life in the here and now.
At the center of the problem is the downplay on the total depravity and spiritual deadness of man. (Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3, Colossians 2:13, Genesis 6:5, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Jeremiah 17:9, John 3:19, Romans 8:7-8, John 8:34, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:9-12, Jeremiah 13:23). In the contemporary gospel there is little room for talk about sin. Repentance is misunderstood as feelings of guilt if repentance is mentioned at all.
Without a true understanding of the condition of man the power of the cross and Jesus' life on earth are messages the church can shape any way they want. Eastern ideologies which only survive in theoretical vacuums because they're built on the idea that human nature is basically good and just needs the right conditions to thrive, like Marxism, classical anarchy, Communism, existentialism, etc. have become trendy in post-modern churches that like to play "dress-up Barbie" with the identity of Jesus, portraying Him as a pacifist or anti-capitalist whose hidden message was to overthrow established government to set up earthly Utopia. On the other hand, Jesus is portrayed in more traditional churches as a "nun-in-the-sky" waiting to slap your hand with the ruler of correction the moment you break a rule or do something socially taboo, trying to bring about Utopia through behavior modification. Then you have "vending-machine-Jesus" that dispenses whatever you want if you're polite and nice enough to everyone, trying to bring about a Kindergarten Utopia.
Secular sociologist, Marsha G. Witten, wrote a book in the late 1990's titled "All is Forgiven: The Secular Message in American Protestantism" that took a cross-section of 47 sermons from various churches with the message of the prodigal son. Her conclusion was that no matter what the denomination the ultimate message was a do-it-yourself guide to personal satisfaction, book-ended with prayer and a few mentions of God or Christ thrown in to mark itself as religious content. She also concluded that a person could just as easily find a multitude of alternative resources that offered and just as often produced similar results. The softened demeanor of God in today's churches she noted held sharp contrast to the "transcendent, majestic, awesome God of Luther and Calvin."
While the God of Paul, Luther, and Calvin called us to rejoice in our trials and sufferings and to persevere so that Christ's glory may be known we have opted for a god who tells us to flee from all that is uncomfortable and only count as blessing the same that any pagan would count as blessing. The behavior and attitude for today's professing Christian looks nearly identical to the non-believer in all situations. Nobody is asking us for the reason of our hope (1 Peter 3:15) because our hope is placed in this world.
1 Corinthians 15:19 "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."
"It is a mistake to suppose that evangelical sermons are a special brand of sermons, having their own peculiar style and conventions; evangelistic sermons are just scriptural sermons, the sort of sermons that a man cannot help preaching if he is preaching the Bible biblically. Proper sermons seek to expound and apply what is in the Bible. But what is in the Bible is just the whole counsel of God for man's salvation; all Scripture bears witness, in one way or another, to Christ, and all biblical themes relate to Him. All sermons, therefore, will of necessity declare Christ in some fashion and so be more or less directly evangelistic." ~J.I. Packer Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My Apologies to the Divorced
I have overcome a large obstacle today as far as my stigma about divorce. Okay, more like I ran into the obstacle face first, busted up a few bones and needed the Word to minister to me, pick me up and throw me over the obstacle.
All this time I've looked at re-marriages as second hand marriages only avaiable for sub-blessings and possibly some cursings, but definitely not full blessings. Things that no sincere God fearing person would enter into. (Wow! When I type it out it even sounds worse. Now where did I hide my 'Delete' button?) I thumbed my nose and wrinkled my brow at family and friends for partaking in what I thought was basically a sin that couldn't be removed.
One of my favorite theologians takes a pretty strong stance on the topic by concluding that re-marriage is only an option when widowhood presents itself and at all other times and circumstances the vows of the original marriage are permanent. On some initial scripture reading this seems academically sound. But what about the whole compass of scripture in application? For example: What if a young woman marries, has several children, and is physically abused? What do you think God desires for her... that she tough it out with some prayer, or divorce/seperate with all her kids with no work skills and trying to manage everything on her own? Do we put such limits on grace in such a situation that she is not allowed a kinsman-redeemer of sorts?
Looking at it another way; if we applied this rule of no re-marriage except for widows to the church at large, what would it look like? A lot more single parents and children with no father figure. How does this make the Church a better witness to the world?
Yes, God hates divorce. He hates vows made before Him that become broke. There are serious consequences with exiting these vows and so marriage and divorce are not to be seen as capricious. I see nothing good coming from the practice of jumping from one spouse to the next as if it was dating.
However, when severe situations arise I think if I'm to err it will be on the side of grace from now on rather than my old pharisaical position of thinking, "Ha, you blew it. No second chances for you!"
I take this position on my own interpretation of scripture in good conscious because I've found no real consensus on the matter from the theologians and councils I have read from. It seems the positions on the matter have altered over the centuries as the environment of church and society have changed. So for today's environment I believe my assessment to be sound.
All this time I've looked at re-marriages as second hand marriages only avaiable for sub-blessings and possibly some cursings, but definitely not full blessings. Things that no sincere God fearing person would enter into. (Wow! When I type it out it even sounds worse. Now where did I hide my 'Delete' button?) I thumbed my nose and wrinkled my brow at family and friends for partaking in what I thought was basically a sin that couldn't be removed.
One of my favorite theologians takes a pretty strong stance on the topic by concluding that re-marriage is only an option when widowhood presents itself and at all other times and circumstances the vows of the original marriage are permanent. On some initial scripture reading this seems academically sound. But what about the whole compass of scripture in application? For example: What if a young woman marries, has several children, and is physically abused? What do you think God desires for her... that she tough it out with some prayer, or divorce/seperate with all her kids with no work skills and trying to manage everything on her own? Do we put such limits on grace in such a situation that she is not allowed a kinsman-redeemer of sorts?
Looking at it another way; if we applied this rule of no re-marriage except for widows to the church at large, what would it look like? A lot more single parents and children with no father figure. How does this make the Church a better witness to the world?
Yes, God hates divorce. He hates vows made before Him that become broke. There are serious consequences with exiting these vows and so marriage and divorce are not to be seen as capricious. I see nothing good coming from the practice of jumping from one spouse to the next as if it was dating.
However, when severe situations arise I think if I'm to err it will be on the side of grace from now on rather than my old pharisaical position of thinking, "Ha, you blew it. No second chances for you!"
I take this position on my own interpretation of scripture in good conscious because I've found no real consensus on the matter from the theologians and councils I have read from. It seems the positions on the matter have altered over the centuries as the environment of church and society have changed. So for today's environment I believe my assessment to be sound.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sing Their Sorrow
How would you approach the man standing in line, waiting to purchase diapers and baby food with a high interest credit card? He's standing there wondering if what he has in his hands will put him over the credit limit and if he can make the minimum card payment next month because he lost his job. Tensions are high at home. He just had an argument with his wife before leaving for the store. She shouted "I WANT A DIVORCE!" during the argument. Do you tell him, "Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life?" Do you hand him some fake money gospel tract and tell him he's a thief, liar, and murderous adulterer and there's no place for him in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Under the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda the persecution of the western church proved quite bloody. Back in England a missionary society wrote to a clergyman in Uganda "What can we send your people?" It was not the expected request of food or medicine that came back to England. Instead, the clergyman asked for 250 clerical collars, stating: "It is your Western prejudice which thinks this an odd request. You must understand, when our people are being rounded up to be shot, they must be able to spot their priests."
Under the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda the persecution of the western church proved quite bloody. Back in England a missionary society wrote to a clergyman in Uganda "What can we send your people?" It was not the expected request of food or medicine that came back to England. Instead, the clergyman asked for 250 clerical collars, stating: "It is your Western prejudice which thinks this an odd request. You must understand, when our people are being rounded up to be shot, they must be able to spot their priests."
In our charitable moments we rush to those in need. Our problem is we've prepared for charity in a vacuum. How do we meet their needs when we don't know what their needs are. The love of the gospel and Christ for those created in his image has extended out to many people in many ways over the years. Jesus and the testimony he carried met people where they were. It's easy to see from scripture that life is all about relationships; first with God, then with his children.
Charity = love = relationships = relate
"We must recognize the different types of persons, and we must learn to discriminate between them. There is nothing so pathetic or so unscriptural as a mechanical way of testifying to others. There are some Christians who are guilty of that. They witness and testify, but they do it in a thoroughly mechanical way. They never really consider the person with whom they are dealing; they never try to assess the person, or to discover exactly what his position is. They fail completely to implement this exhortation. they present the truth in exactly the same way to all and sundry. Quite apart from the fact their testifying is generally quite useless, and that the only thing they achieve is a great feeling of self-righteousness, it is utterly unscriptural." ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2, 187
Saturday, September 26, 2009
King David... righteous scoundrel?
As I've been reading through the books of Samuel and the account of King David recently I can't help but marvel that God declared him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:21-23) in spite of the man's deep character flaws and unrepentant sins.
One thing I've noticed this time through reading this part of scripture is that David's "confusion" starts well before he ever takes the throne. In 1 Samuel 25 the would-be king sets out in some true mafia like behavior. He gives some unsolicited "protection" to Nabal's property and then demands payment for services rendered. When Nabal refuses, David sets out to have him "whacked," and would have done so if Abigail, Nabal's wife, didn't intervene. So David more or less says, "Fuhgeddaboutit. May the Lord whack this clown for me so I can make off with this hottie broad of his. (1 Samuel 25:32-42... okay, so I may have been praphrasing a bit on what David said)
Then of course there's the ever popular stories of his exploits with Bathsheeba and Uriah, takes a census of his fighting forces because he doubts the sovereignty of God, falters so badly at his kingly duties and parenting that his son, Absalom, practically takes the kingdom from him... and what about all those wives and concubines? HELLLOOOO!?!? How can this man be esteemed so highly throughout the New Testament. Jesus refers to Himself as "the root and descendant of David" (Rev.22:16) and yet here we see this unrepentant sin of rampant adultery that runs through the course of his life.
Whenever we don't see things as God sees them (such as King David being a righteous man) we know it's time for our Christian paradigm to shift into something more biblically accurate. Many of us have reduced grace by stipulating it with a mathematical equation [if professing Christian (X) has (Y) amount of sin in their life it must = they have (F)ailed the the salvation test]. May it never be. The mark of salvation is a living confession of Jesus as Lord and moving our heart to new obedience.
Christ listed the two greatest commands for his followers: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love our fellow man as ourselves. Although moral obedience is an aspect of loving the Lord our God He doesn't explicitly list the morality code among his greatest commands.
Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of morality, but far too often in the church we spend far too much time grooming in front of the mirror of morality and far too little time spreading the glory of His name through the application of a supernatural love to our fellow man.
Many cults and world religions are chiefly occupied with morality. People dead and buried commit no sins. Let us not aspire to be like the spritually blind or corpses put into the earth and end up as the noisy gongs and clanging symbols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
The sins of immorality did handicap the life of king David and the legacy of his kingdom, but ultimately he was a righteous king because he carried out much of God's will in obedience, proclaiming Him as Lord and spreading the Glory of God into the world.
One thing I've noticed this time through reading this part of scripture is that David's "confusion" starts well before he ever takes the throne. In 1 Samuel 25 the would-be king sets out in some true mafia like behavior. He gives some unsolicited "protection" to Nabal's property and then demands payment for services rendered. When Nabal refuses, David sets out to have him "whacked," and would have done so if Abigail, Nabal's wife, didn't intervene. So David more or less says, "Fuhgeddaboutit. May the Lord whack this clown for me so I can make off with this hottie broad of his. (1 Samuel 25:32-42... okay, so I may have been praphrasing a bit on what David said)
Then of course there's the ever popular stories of his exploits with Bathsheeba and Uriah, takes a census of his fighting forces because he doubts the sovereignty of God, falters so badly at his kingly duties and parenting that his son, Absalom, practically takes the kingdom from him... and what about all those wives and concubines? HELLLOOOO!?!? How can this man be esteemed so highly throughout the New Testament. Jesus refers to Himself as "the root and descendant of David" (Rev.22:16) and yet here we see this unrepentant sin of rampant adultery that runs through the course of his life.
Whenever we don't see things as God sees them (such as King David being a righteous man) we know it's time for our Christian paradigm to shift into something more biblically accurate. Many of us have reduced grace by stipulating it with a mathematical equation [if professing Christian (X) has (Y) amount of sin in their life it must = they have (F)ailed the the salvation test]. May it never be. The mark of salvation is a living confession of Jesus as Lord and moving our heart to new obedience.
Christ listed the two greatest commands for his followers: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love our fellow man as ourselves. Although moral obedience is an aspect of loving the Lord our God He doesn't explicitly list the morality code among his greatest commands.
Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of morality, but far too often in the church we spend far too much time grooming in front of the mirror of morality and far too little time spreading the glory of His name through the application of a supernatural love to our fellow man.
Many cults and world religions are chiefly occupied with morality. People dead and buried commit no sins. Let us not aspire to be like the spritually blind or corpses put into the earth and end up as the noisy gongs and clanging symbols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
The sins of immorality did handicap the life of king David and the legacy of his kingdom, but ultimately he was a righteous king because he carried out much of God's will in obedience, proclaiming Him as Lord and spreading the Glory of God into the world.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Adoption - There is no mathematics in love
"Christianity is not a statistical view of life." ~Malcolm Muggeridge
Having an appetite for efficiency I often marveled at the seeming eccentricity of those who adopt children from foreign countries. It did not make much sense to my logical mind that couples would exert such time, money, paperwork and overall hassle to pluck a child from Africa or Asia (usually) when there is an abundance of children in the foster care system stateside and the system is much more accommodating to those who "choose locally grown."
Indeed, for the cost of adopting a child from Africa one could sustain an entire African village for a reasonable amount of time. To me the inefficiency of foreign adoption appeared to be a concoction of the whimsical mind. My parents have worked in the foster care system and through interaction with the children taken into their home I warmed to the idea of adoption and possibly foster care in my future, but working with local children is a mercy that is well supported by government agencies.
From time to time I have also pondered the seeming inefficiency of Christ's ministry. One question I've asked myself on a number of occasions is "why did Jesus heal so many people in cumbersome ways when He could have healed any and all with a mere thought?" But the Son of God did not come down to us in flesh primarily to remove diseases and sickness. He came to love. He reached out and touched the untouchable with healing love. Instead of speaking away the blindness he mixed his DNA with the earth and pressed it in a very close and personal and tactile way into the eyes of the blind to convey a loving intimacy in the restoring of sight. (John 9)
There are those Christians whose ministry most would not find rewarding. Those that minister to the discarded and dying don't exactly alter the landscape of the unchurched regions they may be in. There's a story I've heard a time or two that talks about a young boy on the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean after a heavy storm. A man walks up to him and tells the boy with all the countless starfish drying out and dying that his efforts won't even make a difference in the landscape. The boy picks up another starfish, throws it in the ocean and says, "But to that one I just made all the difference in the world."
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Having an appetite for efficiency I often marveled at the seeming eccentricity of those who adopt children from foreign countries. It did not make much sense to my logical mind that couples would exert such time, money, paperwork and overall hassle to pluck a child from Africa or Asia (usually) when there is an abundance of children in the foster care system stateside and the system is much more accommodating to those who "choose locally grown."
Indeed, for the cost of adopting a child from Africa one could sustain an entire African village for a reasonable amount of time. To me the inefficiency of foreign adoption appeared to be a concoction of the whimsical mind. My parents have worked in the foster care system and through interaction with the children taken into their home I warmed to the idea of adoption and possibly foster care in my future, but working with local children is a mercy that is well supported by government agencies.
From time to time I have also pondered the seeming inefficiency of Christ's ministry. One question I've asked myself on a number of occasions is "why did Jesus heal so many people in cumbersome ways when He could have healed any and all with a mere thought?" But the Son of God did not come down to us in flesh primarily to remove diseases and sickness. He came to love. He reached out and touched the untouchable with healing love. Instead of speaking away the blindness he mixed his DNA with the earth and pressed it in a very close and personal and tactile way into the eyes of the blind to convey a loving intimacy in the restoring of sight. (John 9)
There are those Christians whose ministry most would not find rewarding. Those that minister to the discarded and dying don't exactly alter the landscape of the unchurched regions they may be in. There's a story I've heard a time or two that talks about a young boy on the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean after a heavy storm. A man walks up to him and tells the boy with all the countless starfish drying out and dying that his efforts won't even make a difference in the landscape. The boy picks up another starfish, throws it in the ocean and says, "But to that one I just made all the difference in the world."
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Beauty Tips With Granny Branny
James 1:11 "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed..." Alright, so the original context of that quote deals with worldly riches but I believe the same principal applies to the "riches" of physical beauty. Our culture is fixated on the "wild flowers" that look appealing to the eye for a season but whither away and are quickly forgotten.
I recently read some articles on a fascinating missionary woman known as Granny Brand. Having been a missionary for decades and a widow her mission told her to retire at sixty-nine years of age. But she had prayed years before to reach a few more mountain ranges beyond the one she evangelized with the support of her mission and so she climbed those mountains, built a little wooden shack, and worked for twenty-six more years.
With a broken hip and creeping paralysis traveling was cumbersome but not impossible, so she traveled all over the mountains seeking out the unwanted, unlovely, the blind, maimed and discarded, bringing medical treatment to them.
Her son visited her for the last time shortly before her death at ninety-five years of age. Poor nutrition and failing health left her gaunt and fragile. She gave up on keeping up appearances or even looking in a mirror long ago because she did not care to see the effects such a grueling life had taken. Her son noticing only her smile and the character behind it noted, "This is how to grow old. Allow everything else to fall away, until those around you see only love."
Henry Scougal wrote, "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." Perhaps a good paraphrase would be, "The beauty of a woman is to be measured by the object of her love."
I recently read some articles on a fascinating missionary woman known as Granny Brand. Having been a missionary for decades and a widow her mission told her to retire at sixty-nine years of age. But she had prayed years before to reach a few more mountain ranges beyond the one she evangelized with the support of her mission and so she climbed those mountains, built a little wooden shack, and worked for twenty-six more years.
With a broken hip and creeping paralysis traveling was cumbersome but not impossible, so she traveled all over the mountains seeking out the unwanted, unlovely, the blind, maimed and discarded, bringing medical treatment to them.
Her son visited her for the last time shortly before her death at ninety-five years of age. Poor nutrition and failing health left her gaunt and fragile. She gave up on keeping up appearances or even looking in a mirror long ago because she did not care to see the effects such a grueling life had taken. Her son noticing only her smile and the character behind it noted, "This is how to grow old. Allow everything else to fall away, until those around you see only love."
Henry Scougal wrote, "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." Perhaps a good paraphrase would be, "The beauty of a woman is to be measured by the object of her love."
Monday, August 10, 2009
Jesus the winemaker
Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless.
A friend recently told an account of a VBS teacher asking why Jesus is worthy of worship; her favorite reply came from a girl who said, "Because he turned water into wine."
My immediate tongue-in-cheek comment was "Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless."
But with some reflection on this I see a problem common with Christians on why we love the Lord. If someone presented this VBS teacher's question to the average church congregation the overwhelming response would consist of a long list of works Christ has performed to our benefit.
Now before going further I want to clear up the semantics of this question by stating the cause of our Love for him comes from him in what we know as irresistable grace. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And that is why we love Jesus. Read the rest of the passage right now because it's good for you! 1 John 4:7-21.
So of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God, you are asking (verbatim), "Alright, so then what makes Jesus worthy of worship?" I'm glad you asked that question because here is where we tend to lose focus and go all humanistic by thinking that Jesus earned a right to be worshiped by us because of what he did for us. Of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God you're thinking (verbatim), "Ack! this is *PBL (performance based love). Surely there must be more to my love for Jesus than this shallow, self-centered utilitarianism." And right you are.
He is worthy of worship because He is the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). The emphasis of our love should come more from who He is than what He has done.
Care to dig deeper on this topic? appropriate to worship Jesus
*not to be confused with the all too tasty Peanut Butter and Liver sandwich
A friend recently told an account of a VBS teacher asking why Jesus is worthy of worship; her favorite reply came from a girl who said, "Because he turned water into wine."
My immediate tongue-in-cheek comment was "Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless."
But with some reflection on this I see a problem common with Christians on why we love the Lord. If someone presented this VBS teacher's question to the average church congregation the overwhelming response would consist of a long list of works Christ has performed to our benefit.
Now before going further I want to clear up the semantics of this question by stating the cause of our Love for him comes from him in what we know as irresistable grace. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And that is why we love Jesus. Read the rest of the passage right now because it's good for you! 1 John 4:7-21.
So of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God, you are asking (verbatim), "Alright, so then what makes Jesus worthy of worship?" I'm glad you asked that question because here is where we tend to lose focus and go all humanistic by thinking that Jesus earned a right to be worshiped by us because of what he did for us. Of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God you're thinking (verbatim), "Ack! this is *PBL (performance based love). Surely there must be more to my love for Jesus than this shallow, self-centered utilitarianism." And right you are.
He is worthy of worship because He is the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). The emphasis of our love should come more from who He is than what He has done.
Care to dig deeper on this topic? appropriate to worship Jesus
*not to be confused with the all too tasty Peanut Butter and Liver sandwich
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