Today is one of those days when I am so glad that my identity is in Jesus. I don't know how people without Him survive. Even on the good days, but especially on days like today when I feel attacked and hard pressed. I know I must decrease so He can increase, even when my flesh wants to rise up. And it wants to rise up hard today. It wants to rise up and be mean and ugly and hateful, to scream and cry and cuss, to throw my hands up in the air and cry out "screw you, I'm done!" It wants to go to war and physically pound and beat and annihilate the enemy that surrounds. I want to be carnal - to fight a battle in the flesh, even though I KNOW that I am not in a fleshly battle. I know it won't do any good, and that makes me feel helpless. Helpless. Broken. Frustrated. Lost. Surrounded. Alone. Pissed off.
And I can't FEEL God in this moment, even though I know He's here. And I can't understand how this is good, even though I know it has to be because He's in control. And only GOOD things come from Him. And I am His so, logically, I know that this has to be one of those things he's working "for good." But right now that's no consolation to me.
And I am really identifying with Psalm 22:11-15. "Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death."
I've gone through something similar to this twice before. And I HATE it. I hate how painful the process is... how dry and solitary the time is... how alienated I feel when I'm here. And I don't want to praise the Lord for this. I don't want to be thankful and grateful. I don't want to lift my hands and my voice in worship. I just want to wallow in my anger and frustration. I just want to let my ego scream and rail about injustice. I want my own vengeance...not God's justice, which I know is infintely better than my wrath.
But I have to remember that Psalm 22 doesn't stop at verse 15. I have to push through and remember how it ends (verses 23-31): "You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard. From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive. Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it."
Sometimes life sucks, and we feel completely surrounded by the enemy, and we feel as though NO ONE is on our side. Today is one of those days for me. But no matter how I FEEL...deep down in my innermost being I KNOW God is good, and I KNOW God is sovereign, and I KNOW I am His. And because of that, I have peace. So I will praise Him in the good and the bad times, in the hard and the easy times. When I'm happy, when I'm confused, when I'm sad, and even when I'm pissed off.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
I Don't Need Your Piece of Paper
I'm going to start by saying that this blog is not meant to minimize, or lessen the accomplishments of others. I have many friends who went to college, completed the courses, and now have degrees, and I hold nothing against them. Rather, I applaud them for sticking it out and following through on what they know is right for them. It is, however, meant to express my opinion of people who are closed-minded to the point of fascism about college degrees.
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I realize that we live in a society of forward-thinkers, big business, huge industries, and stocks and bonds. But we also live in a country where the economy is going to pot because of the corruption of our governing officials. I won't say "government" as a whole, because I believe the structure, as laid out by our founding fathers, is sound. But I won't balk at saying "government officials" because at some point in the last forty or fifty years being an elected official transformed from "public service" to "lip service", from "the greater good of the people" to "the greater good of my wallet." I make that sweeping generalization, knowing I'm going to tick people off...knowing that there are men and women out there who represent their constituents with integrity, but also knowing that, no matter the party, most of our governing officials are compromising their stance on issues that got them elected, or are completely corrupt. That's the plain truth. But I didn't set out to write about the government.
We live in a society today where unemployment is up, the stock market is down, and the economy is in the crapper. In 2008, we imported $2.5 trillion, while we only exported $1.7 trillion, (that's an $800 billion dollar deficit). That deficit has only increased since then, which is why we're in such debt. And because we import far more than we export, we have watched the value of the dollar - once the strongest currency in the entire world - wither. We have watched the liquid assets of our great nation dry to nothingness so that our government has borrowed money from other countries in order to bail out the insurance industry, the health care industry, the automobile industry. We have watched the gold in our coffers become as worthless as clay. Our consumerism is catapulting us toward another Great Depression. I won't lay blame on any one person, or party, or decision for the dissolution of the American dollar, and thereby the American Powerhouse Reagan fought so hard to rebuild in the 80's.
With all of this recession, unemployment, and outsourcing, America's citizens find themselves in the worst possible job market. There aren't enough jobs to go around now, and each year millions upon millions of kids country-wide graduate college and, with their diplomas in hand, begin the job hunt in an already impossible market pool, flooded with more experienced men and women who were just downsized by their previous employers because of budget cuts or outsourcing or some other reason. Employers cling to this impetus that college degrees are a necessity for employment, even for a basement-level employee who passes out the mail and gets everyone their coffee.
They say: "You must have this sheet of paper from an accredited university, sealed and signed by the correct officials, stating that you successfully completed 120 hours of classes, spent tens of thousands of dollars over the course of four or five years, during which time you sat through classes, memorized facts for tests, then promptly forgot them when they were no longer necessary in order for you to complete the course."
And you know what? If you aspire to work in Law, the Medical Field, Education, or Corporate America, I can understand that as a prerequisite. If I ever needed a lawyer, I'd want to know he knew what he was doing when he defended me. But for those of us who don't work in those industries, it seems preposterous. Especially to people like me, who didn't finish because, believe it or not, God didn't want me to. That might seem crazy to some people, but it's true. I went for three semesters, and I was ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY miserable during the last one because I knew I wasn't supposed to be there. God made sure that my classes and my professors were horrible. Then when He told me to go home that time, I listened, and within five months He provided the job He wanted me to have at the place I've been employed for 9.5 years.
Does the fact that I didn't graduate college minimize my intelligence? Does the fact that I didn't sit through 120+ hours of classes mean that I'm suddenly not smart anymore? Does it reduce my IQ? I don't think so - in fact, I know it doesn't. I am neither smarter nor stupider than I was when I graduated high school eleven years ago. My IQ didn't change. I have added to my knowledge base; I just didn't add information learned in a college lecture hall. I added practical understanding of life, of my job, of musical instruments and the Word of God.
And what bothers me is that people who tried college and didn't finish, not because they weren't smart enough to, but because they didn't feel they were supposed to be there, are treated as inferior beings by people who consider a college degree to be some sort of humanizing standard in the same way that Hitler held onto his qualifications of the Aryan Brotherhood. Hitler said, "You're only worth my time if you're blond-haired, blue-eyed, non-Jew, non-Handicapped, non-Black, etc. If you don't fit those criteria, you are less than human." And there are people in the world today who look at me, or at people like me who don't have a college degree, and say, "You are only worth my time if you've sat through 120 hours of class, if you spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on education, if have a piece of paper with a seal and a signature stating you graduated from a university. If you fit those criteria, you are less than human."
And you know what? It's a stinking pile of B.S. Hard work, experience, practical application, and a positive attitude are just as important as that framed piece of paper hanging in people's offices. In fact, I could argue that in some cases those attributes are more important. I have met several people in my life who have gone to college, gotten the degree, and then had no idea how to apply what they'd learned once they had a job.
Theoretical knowledge is worthless until it is put to practical application. Just because a person has a degree in business management, does not mean that he will be capable of managing people, much less running a company. Just because a person has a degree in communications or restaurant hospitality or any other possible subject, does not mean that she will be successful in a real work environment. If a person is not willing to work hard, to put in the hours, to adjust and problem-solve in the moment, to apply their knowledge in a way that doesn't alienate their co-workers or subordinates, there isn't a diploma in the world that can make them an asset to their employer.
It used to be that a man would work his way up, could start sacking groceries in high school and one day find himself managing the entire store if that's what he wanted. Nowadays, that is not the case. Most times that boy sacking groceries for minimum wage won't get advanced any farther than, perhaps, head cashier or deli manager. While the company hires in some guy who spent four years at a university and has never once actually held the positions he's now poised to manage. And I think it's a dirty, rotten shame.
And I think that people who judge others by their possession or lack of a college degree are as bigoted as the Nazis were about the Jews, or the KKK were about African Americans, or McCarthy and his minions were about anyone who appeared to be or associate with a Russian.
So, to all those people who look at me as worthless or unintelligent or less human because I don't have a college diploma, I have only this to say:
If my lack of a degree means that I'm not worth your time and if you can't respect me as a person without that signed, sealed piece of paper, you're a fool, and I honestly feel sorry for you. I don't need your piece of paper to define me, but it's apparent that you need it to define yourself.
--------------
I realize that we live in a society of forward-thinkers, big business, huge industries, and stocks and bonds. But we also live in a country where the economy is going to pot because of the corruption of our governing officials. I won't say "government" as a whole, because I believe the structure, as laid out by our founding fathers, is sound. But I won't balk at saying "government officials" because at some point in the last forty or fifty years being an elected official transformed from "public service" to "lip service", from "the greater good of the people" to "the greater good of my wallet." I make that sweeping generalization, knowing I'm going to tick people off...knowing that there are men and women out there who represent their constituents with integrity, but also knowing that, no matter the party, most of our governing officials are compromising their stance on issues that got them elected, or are completely corrupt. That's the plain truth. But I didn't set out to write about the government.
We live in a society today where unemployment is up, the stock market is down, and the economy is in the crapper. In 2008, we imported $2.5 trillion, while we only exported $1.7 trillion, (that's an $800 billion dollar deficit). That deficit has only increased since then, which is why we're in such debt. And because we import far more than we export, we have watched the value of the dollar - once the strongest currency in the entire world - wither. We have watched the liquid assets of our great nation dry to nothingness so that our government has borrowed money from other countries in order to bail out the insurance industry, the health care industry, the automobile industry. We have watched the gold in our coffers become as worthless as clay. Our consumerism is catapulting us toward another Great Depression. I won't lay blame on any one person, or party, or decision for the dissolution of the American dollar, and thereby the American Powerhouse Reagan fought so hard to rebuild in the 80's.
With all of this recession, unemployment, and outsourcing, America's citizens find themselves in the worst possible job market. There aren't enough jobs to go around now, and each year millions upon millions of kids country-wide graduate college and, with their diplomas in hand, begin the job hunt in an already impossible market pool, flooded with more experienced men and women who were just downsized by their previous employers because of budget cuts or outsourcing or some other reason. Employers cling to this impetus that college degrees are a necessity for employment, even for a basement-level employee who passes out the mail and gets everyone their coffee.
They say: "You must have this sheet of paper from an accredited university, sealed and signed by the correct officials, stating that you successfully completed 120 hours of classes, spent tens of thousands of dollars over the course of four or five years, during which time you sat through classes, memorized facts for tests, then promptly forgot them when they were no longer necessary in order for you to complete the course."
And you know what? If you aspire to work in Law, the Medical Field, Education, or Corporate America, I can understand that as a prerequisite. If I ever needed a lawyer, I'd want to know he knew what he was doing when he defended me. But for those of us who don't work in those industries, it seems preposterous. Especially to people like me, who didn't finish because, believe it or not, God didn't want me to. That might seem crazy to some people, but it's true. I went for three semesters, and I was ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY miserable during the last one because I knew I wasn't supposed to be there. God made sure that my classes and my professors were horrible. Then when He told me to go home that time, I listened, and within five months He provided the job He wanted me to have at the place I've been employed for 9.5 years.
Does the fact that I didn't graduate college minimize my intelligence? Does the fact that I didn't sit through 120+ hours of classes mean that I'm suddenly not smart anymore? Does it reduce my IQ? I don't think so - in fact, I know it doesn't. I am neither smarter nor stupider than I was when I graduated high school eleven years ago. My IQ didn't change. I have added to my knowledge base; I just didn't add information learned in a college lecture hall. I added practical understanding of life, of my job, of musical instruments and the Word of God.
And what bothers me is that people who tried college and didn't finish, not because they weren't smart enough to, but because they didn't feel they were supposed to be there, are treated as inferior beings by people who consider a college degree to be some sort of humanizing standard in the same way that Hitler held onto his qualifications of the Aryan Brotherhood. Hitler said, "You're only worth my time if you're blond-haired, blue-eyed, non-Jew, non-Handicapped, non-Black, etc. If you don't fit those criteria, you are less than human." And there are people in the world today who look at me, or at people like me who don't have a college degree, and say, "You are only worth my time if you've sat through 120 hours of class, if you spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on education, if have a piece of paper with a seal and a signature stating you graduated from a university. If you fit those criteria, you are less than human."
And you know what? It's a stinking pile of B.S. Hard work, experience, practical application, and a positive attitude are just as important as that framed piece of paper hanging in people's offices. In fact, I could argue that in some cases those attributes are more important. I have met several people in my life who have gone to college, gotten the degree, and then had no idea how to apply what they'd learned once they had a job.
Theoretical knowledge is worthless until it is put to practical application. Just because a person has a degree in business management, does not mean that he will be capable of managing people, much less running a company. Just because a person has a degree in communications or restaurant hospitality or any other possible subject, does not mean that she will be successful in a real work environment. If a person is not willing to work hard, to put in the hours, to adjust and problem-solve in the moment, to apply their knowledge in a way that doesn't alienate their co-workers or subordinates, there isn't a diploma in the world that can make them an asset to their employer.
It used to be that a man would work his way up, could start sacking groceries in high school and one day find himself managing the entire store if that's what he wanted. Nowadays, that is not the case. Most times that boy sacking groceries for minimum wage won't get advanced any farther than, perhaps, head cashier or deli manager. While the company hires in some guy who spent four years at a university and has never once actually held the positions he's now poised to manage. And I think it's a dirty, rotten shame.
And I think that people who judge others by their possession or lack of a college degree are as bigoted as the Nazis were about the Jews, or the KKK were about African Americans, or McCarthy and his minions were about anyone who appeared to be or associate with a Russian.
So, to all those people who look at me as worthless or unintelligent or less human because I don't have a college diploma, I have only this to say:
If my lack of a degree means that I'm not worth your time and if you can't respect me as a person without that signed, sealed piece of paper, you're a fool, and I honestly feel sorry for you. I don't need your piece of paper to define me, but it's apparent that you need it to define yourself.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thoughts on all this stuff about Osama Bin Laden
There’s so much talk about Bin Laden’s death, so much celebration and excitement, that I thought it was a worthy topic to blog about.
When I heard the news – or, rather, when I read the news – on Facebook two days ago, my initial reaction was, like most of us, “Wow, they finally got him!” But the more I thought about it, and the more posts I read – posts that said “rot in hell” or other things of a similar nature, posts of rejoicing over a man’s death, it grieved my heart. Not because I liked the guy – I obviously don’t. Not because I felt sorry for him – I believe he has reaped what he has sown. But because these friends of mine, these CHRISTIAN friends of mine were, for all intents and purposes hooting and hollering and having a party about his death. And all I can think is that if it wasn’t for God’s grace and my belief in His son, Jesus, I would suffer the same horrible fate as Bin Laden.
I’m not here to minimize the fact that Osama Bin Laden was responsible for hundreds, even thousands of deaths, including the deaths America suffered on 9/11. I’m not here to argue that his death is unjust. I’m not here to say our military should have captured him alive so he could stand trial like Saddam Hussein. Bin Laden is culpable for murder, among other things, and I believe our military did its job and did it well and we should be grateful for their service. And I completely believe that his end is a just end.
What I am here to say is that it is wrong, regardless of the person, to rejoice over and revel in a death – most especially the death of a person who is obviously not going to Heaven to be with Jesus. No matter what I think of a person, whether good or evil, death is a thing to be grieved. And the knowledge that a man or woman died unsaved, having lived a life filled with deception by the Enemy, is not a joyous thing. And the Father’s heart, which desires all men to be saved – the Father’s heart that so loved the world that He sent His ONLY Son – is not happy about Bin Laden’s death, or the death of any man or woman who has rejected Christ. God’s justice prevails, because death without Christ is eternal rejection of the Father, the consequence of which is Hell. But His heart, which beats only Love, His heart which runs out to meet the wayward son, is grieved by the loss.
The problem we face is that as humans we put grades on sin. We say one sin is worse than another sin. Cussing isn’t so bad. Telling a lie is worse, but not by much. Stealing is wrong, much worse than lying. But what’s really bad is murder, rape, child molestation. Those things are despicable. So, we think that because Bin Laden’s actions led to the deaths of so many people, he is somehow a “worse” sinner than the rest of us.
But God doesn’t grade on a curve. God doesn’t even grade on an “A” “B” “C” “F” scale. With God, it’s either pass or fail. It’s either 100% or 0%. And without Jesus, we all fail. That’s just a simple fact. Without Jesus, that lie you told yesterday…or that bit of gossiping you did in the break room at work…or the cheating you did on a test in middle school would send you packing, right alongside Osama Bin Laden, to that Hell you want him to rot in.
The fact of the matter is that Osama Bin Laden did deplorable things. He was a terrorist responsible for more deaths than I could count. But he is only a man, and his death does not end the war. His death does not end the trouble. Because he was just a man – and men are replaceable. And Man is not our true Enemy. Satan is our true Enemy, and now that one of his henchmen is dead, he’ll simply use another instead. And it doesn’t matter how many bullets or bombs or missiles we have, none of them do any good in the real war that is being waged. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.” And our enemy is not a man that he can be killed with a bullet. But he uses men through lies and deception to attack us. So we believe a man is ultimately responsible for the devastation and we rejoice in his end when it comes…not realizing the Devil has a hundred men lined up behind him to take his place.
I guess what I’m trying to say in all this is that we need to take stock. We need to examine ourselves. Are we behaving the way Christ would behave in the same situation? Or, are we behaving the way the enemy would behave? Would Jesus cheer over the death of a man destined to eternal damnation? Or would Satan?
It is a sobering thought: that a Christian would cheer and be excited over a Muslim’s death in the same way an extremist Muslim would cheer and be excited over the death of an infidel.
I know I don’t want to be guilty of that. So, I will not rejoice in Osama Bin Laden’s death – but I will rest in the knowledge that a little bit of God’s justice has been meted out to the wicked. And I will pray that the wicked repent and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Thankful
Favorite Caedmon's Call Song: Unfortunately, I can't get it to embed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0HS_ICk8Js
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0HS_ICk8Js
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Her Pulse
I was thinking the other day about what the average women would say to the man she loves, if she had the guts to be completely honest. What do we, as women, want men to know about us? Disgregarding personal and individual goals and needs, What are the core needs, desires, hopes of members of the female sex? For what does a woman's heart beat? What would a woman say to her man if she would allow herself to just speak plainly, to truly express her heart to him...without fear of shame or repurcussion or embarassment? This poem came out of that contemplation.
Her Pulse
Pursue me,
I am longing to be wooed
In body, mind, and soul, in word and deed
Entice me.
I want to be intrigued;
To know my heart can race, can skip a beat
Adore me.
I long to know my worth.
I need no flowers or chocolate, just your time.
Admire me,
But please do not enshrine.
For sooth, I'll disappoint if held too high
Encourage me.
Prove that you're on my side
To hold my hand and share my heavy load.
Empower me.
I need to hear, "you can."
Believe in me, support me, be my fan.
And lead me,
But do not domineer
Be gentle and be sure; lend me your ear.
Oh, love me
Through service and sacrifice
So shall you gain devotion without end.
(c) Kasidee Gilchrist 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
When Scripture Is Hackneyed Or Misused
For this blog, I'm just going to focus on one particular scripture, and that scripture is Romans 8:28. Here are a few different translations of the verse.
ESV - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
NKJV - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
NIV - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"
YOUNG'S LITERAL TRANSLATION - "And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose"
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Everybody knows this scripture, or at least, everyone who has ever been in church for a moderate amount of time knows this scripture. I feel like it's the second one we learn, after John 3:16. And it is definitely the one most quoted. It's like a crutch, or platitude we use when something bad happens. Someone gets sick, we say, "God works everything for good..." Someone loses their job, we say, "God works everything for good..." Someone dies, we say, "God works everything for good..." And I know that when I'm going through one of those times, the LAST thing I want to hear is that verse used as a platitude. I know the Bible says it. I know that something better is around the bend. I know my trial is momentary, but I don't want it preached at me in a disinterested, "it's gonna be okay" sort of way.
It loses impact when we kick it around like a hackey sack. Especially when our hackneyed usage causes people to misuse or over simplify it, or only use half the scripture. Here are some common misconceptions and misuses:
We expect not to suffer because God is "working for our good." Not everything that happens in life is good, because we live in a fallen world ruled by Satan. If you think becoming a Christian was going to end your sorrow, suffering, frustrations, etc., I have news for you. It doesn't work that way. There will always be trouble, there will always be trials, there will always be suffering. But God takes the things our enemy meant for evil and works them for good, as he did with Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Gen 50:20
We quote the verse to the unsaved, and apply it to them. Things are not worked to the good of EVERYONE on earth. He only works good for those who love Him. Telling a lost soul that God is working something bad and turning it for their good is not simply an untruth. To them it might mean that they can continue in their sins without repercussion. And they can't. There is always a consequence...in this world or the next. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
We expect for the evil to reap only evil and the good to reap only good. Expecting things to ALWAYS be sunshine and rainbows because God is working things for good is also erroneous. Life is life, full of good and bad for everyone. There are bad things in the world, and there's no escaping them. Likewise, there are good things in the world, and we all benefit from the goodness of God. "...for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." (Matt 5:45)
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We do ourselves and others a disservice when we misuse scripture. It could cause a person to believe they're saved when they aren't, or could cause someone who wanted to be saved to change his or her mind. Both possibilities are sad and, frankly, unacceptable.
We also do ourselves and others a disservice when we quote scripture in a polite platitude. Platitudes are haphazard and demonstrate little more than apathy and self-righteousness. People who are going through trials or loss don't want to be mollified. They want to be loved and supported. They want to cry and scream and yell and rage without getting slapped in the face by a trite smile and scripture quotation. (Not that you shouldn't quote scripture to them, but that you should be careful how you do it and which scripture you use.)
Because when scripture is hackneyed or misused it doesn't do anyone any good. Least of all the person we're speaking it to.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Manic
A poem I wrote at a time I was feeling misunderstood and completely out of my depth.
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Manic
I am up and down and inside out
Within the confines of my existence
A roller coaster ride of emotions
A mixed bag of strange devotions
One moment I feel free and the next
I’m bound, gagged, and locked in captivity
Not even a court order can get me out
My jailor does not know acquiescence
And we are annoyed by each other’s presence
Or presence of mind
And now I’m flying high above the clouds
Feeling carefree and extraneous
Untouchable, relaxed in my own skin
Until I hit some turbulence and then
I panic, my self-assurance vexed
I lose the fight with gravity
I’m plummeting to my demise among the crowds
Who watch me free fall plainly just
To witness something odd and spontaneous
Or spontaneously blind
(c) Kasidee Gilchrist 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Get Over It
Seriously...I don't understand why Christians get their panties in a twist when the world hates on them. I have a news flash for all my fellow Jesus-lovers out there. HE TOLD US IT WOULD HAPPEN.
He told us Here: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved." Matt 10:22
And Here: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you ouut of the world, therefore, the world hates you." John 15:18
Yeah. He gave us fair warning that the world wouldn't like us. We were prepared for it. It shouldn't surprise us, and we shouldn't take such offense when it happens. It's basically a promise. If we love Jesus, the world will hate us. And why does the world hate us? Because the world belongs to our enemy, Satan. He is called "ruler of this world" in John 12:31, and "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. And in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul writes, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age (meaning Satan) has blinded, who do not believe, les the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."
So...the world belongs to the devil, and we belong to Christ. Just as Satan hates Jesus, so the world hates us.
What I REALLY don't understand why Christians feel the need to hate on the world in retaliation. This is something that has never made sense to me. The world will always behave as the world. They have no Light. They don't have the Truth in them. They don't have the Love of God in them. The Bible tells us that because the world did not honor Him, "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves." Romans 1:24.
When the world falls into abortion, homosexuality, fornication, and all sorts of sins, WHY OH WHY OH WHY do we yell and scream and get angry? Why do we judge? Why do we hate?
No, SERIOUSLY!
THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!! And hating them and hating on them doesn't do a lick to change the circumstances. In fact, it has the polar opposite effect. It usually makes them close ranks and lambast us for being over-pious, and holier-than-thou, which, I'm sorry folks, is ALMOST ALWAYS TRUE. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on toes or offending people right now, but this is that bald truth of the matter.
We are too busy being offended and offending in return, and that we can't see we're doing more harm than good. I'm not saying we should tolerate these things in our own homes or our own lives. If a TV show has a gay couple on it and that offends you, don't write in a twelve-page letter to the TV station lambasting them for forcing a gay couple down your throat. It will only accomplish two things: 1) convince them that all Christians are closed-minded and judgmental. 2) Hinder the executives from experiencing the Love of Jesus. Just change the channel or turn the TV off completely. The last thing we need to do is HELP our enemy by attacking him in the same way he attacks us.
How do you defeat darkness? With Light. How do you defeat lies? With Truth. How do you defeat hate? With love. How do you defeat Satan? With Jesus.
So...get over it. Get over the offenses. Get over the hatred. Get over the insults and slander. They'll never stop coming so long as the Lord tarries His return. Instead of getting angry and being hateful, try this instead:
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse...Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for all good things in teh sight of all men...Beloved do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore 'If your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:14,17,19-21
He told us Here: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved." Matt 10:22
And Here: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you ouut of the world, therefore, the world hates you." John 15:18
Yeah. He gave us fair warning that the world wouldn't like us. We were prepared for it. It shouldn't surprise us, and we shouldn't take such offense when it happens. It's basically a promise. If we love Jesus, the world will hate us. And why does the world hate us? Because the world belongs to our enemy, Satan. He is called "ruler of this world" in John 12:31, and "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. And in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul writes, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age (meaning Satan) has blinded, who do not believe, les the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."
So...the world belongs to the devil, and we belong to Christ. Just as Satan hates Jesus, so the world hates us.
What I REALLY don't understand why Christians feel the need to hate on the world in retaliation. This is something that has never made sense to me. The world will always behave as the world. They have no Light. They don't have the Truth in them. They don't have the Love of God in them. The Bible tells us that because the world did not honor Him, "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves." Romans 1:24.
When the world falls into abortion, homosexuality, fornication, and all sorts of sins, WHY OH WHY OH WHY do we yell and scream and get angry? Why do we judge? Why do we hate?
No, SERIOUSLY!
THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!! And hating them and hating on them doesn't do a lick to change the circumstances. In fact, it has the polar opposite effect. It usually makes them close ranks and lambast us for being over-pious, and holier-than-thou, which, I'm sorry folks, is ALMOST ALWAYS TRUE. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on toes or offending people right now, but this is that bald truth of the matter.
We are too busy being offended and offending in return, and that we can't see we're doing more harm than good. I'm not saying we should tolerate these things in our own homes or our own lives. If a TV show has a gay couple on it and that offends you, don't write in a twelve-page letter to the TV station lambasting them for forcing a gay couple down your throat. It will only accomplish two things: 1) convince them that all Christians are closed-minded and judgmental. 2) Hinder the executives from experiencing the Love of Jesus. Just change the channel or turn the TV off completely. The last thing we need to do is HELP our enemy by attacking him in the same way he attacks us.
How do you defeat darkness? With Light. How do you defeat lies? With Truth. How do you defeat hate? With love. How do you defeat Satan? With Jesus.
So...get over it. Get over the offenses. Get over the hatred. Get over the insults and slander. They'll never stop coming so long as the Lord tarries His return. Instead of getting angry and being hateful, try this instead:
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse...Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for all good things in teh sight of all men...Beloved do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore 'If your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:14,17,19-21
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Don't Rib Me
So...for the past three and a half weeks or so, I have been battling one of the bugs that went around here in East Texas. Everyone seemed to have it, and most of us thought it was sinuses because the weather in late Feb and early March was so insane. Freezing for three days, then the next day it would be 65 degrees. Then it would freeze again, and then it would be nice again...and so on and so forth until we all, (or at least I) figured that our bodies were all out of whack because of the crazy weather. Anyway, this junk was going around around, and mine conveniently settled into my lungs.
Yes...I was really excited about that. I was excited that because of the coughing, I wasn't able to lead worship at church. I was excited about doubling over and coughing so hard I gagged. I was excited about having to sleep on my back instead of my stomach so i wouldn't suffocate from all the congestion. (BTW...this entire paragraph is sarcasm.)
I don't like medicine. I don't go to doctors. I am one of those strange people who completely trust Jesus for my health and healing. I figure, He promised it to me, and if His promises are "yes and amen" (2 Cor 1:20), and if God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19), then who am I to say otherwise? So, I bore the coughing fits, sucked on hundreds of cough drops (which do very little for congested lungs by the way), and just trusted that when He was ready to heal me, He'd heal me. I will admit that I did take Tylenol Sinus when I went to sleep, just so I could sleep. But during the day, I didn't take anything.
People kept telling me, "Kasidee, you should go to the doctor." "That sounds like it could turn into bronchitis." "You should take something for that." But I would just shrug and say, "I don't go to doctors" or "Jesus is my Healer." I know everyone thought I was crazy. Especially when I actually coughed so hard last week that I pulled a rib out of place. (Yeah...apparently you can do that. And trust me, it doesn't feel good.) I don't blame them for thinking I was nuts. I don't blame them for counselling me to go to the doctor. The majority of people would have gone down to their personal physician, gotten a z-pack or something, and taken some sort of pharmaceuticals to dry up the phlegm and "fix" the problem. But I'm not the majority of people. The entire time I was going through this thing, I knew it was a test. A test to see if I was serious about trusting Him for my healing. A test I was determined to pass.
Last Sunday at church I was prayed over, to ask the Lord to heal the cough and the rib. The Spirit moved; I could feel it, though the healing didn't manifest immediately. The congestion was gone by Tuesday. The rib still hurts, but it's much better than it was, and I believe and trust that when this cough I have completely goes away and my body has a chance to rest, the rib will heal naturally.
I know this belief and this standpoint isn't for everyone. And I don't look down on anyone who gets medical care. I've told people honestly that if I sliced open my arm or leg, I'd go get it sewn up. Or if I broke a bone, I'd go have it set. But my personal convictions won't let me go much farther than that. I am compelled to trust in Jesus completely because He has proven so many times that He is trustworthy. And my faith in Him cannot be conditional, because His love toward me is unconditional. If my faith is conditional, it isn't really faith. It isn't faith if I say, "I trusted you come into my heart and save me, but I don't trust you to heal me." At least, it isn't faith to me...because by saying that I feel like I'd be saying, "I know You say You can heal me but I don't believe You." And that would be the same as calling God a liar.
Isaiah 58:6-7 talks about the fast God has chosen for us: to loose the bonds of wickedness and set people free, to feed the hungry and care for the poor, to clothe the naked. Verses 8-9 are the promises we have from Him if we do verses 6-7. And Isaiah 58:8-9 says this: "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He sill say, 'Here I am.'"
That's a promise I believe in because I've lived it. So what if my rib's a little out of whack right now? Maybe that's the thorn in my flesh, and Jesus is telling me that His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:7-10). Whether my rib is ever completely healed or hurts until the day I go to be with the Father, it is of little consequence. Because this is what I believe, and this is where I stand.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Josh 24:15
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright." Psalm 20:7
Yes...I was really excited about that. I was excited that because of the coughing, I wasn't able to lead worship at church. I was excited about doubling over and coughing so hard I gagged. I was excited about having to sleep on my back instead of my stomach so i wouldn't suffocate from all the congestion. (BTW...this entire paragraph is sarcasm.)
I don't like medicine. I don't go to doctors. I am one of those strange people who completely trust Jesus for my health and healing. I figure, He promised it to me, and if His promises are "yes and amen" (2 Cor 1:20), and if God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19), then who am I to say otherwise? So, I bore the coughing fits, sucked on hundreds of cough drops (which do very little for congested lungs by the way), and just trusted that when He was ready to heal me, He'd heal me. I will admit that I did take Tylenol Sinus when I went to sleep, just so I could sleep. But during the day, I didn't take anything.
People kept telling me, "Kasidee, you should go to the doctor." "That sounds like it could turn into bronchitis." "You should take something for that." But I would just shrug and say, "I don't go to doctors" or "Jesus is my Healer." I know everyone thought I was crazy. Especially when I actually coughed so hard last week that I pulled a rib out of place. (Yeah...apparently you can do that. And trust me, it doesn't feel good.) I don't blame them for thinking I was nuts. I don't blame them for counselling me to go to the doctor. The majority of people would have gone down to their personal physician, gotten a z-pack or something, and taken some sort of pharmaceuticals to dry up the phlegm and "fix" the problem. But I'm not the majority of people. The entire time I was going through this thing, I knew it was a test. A test to see if I was serious about trusting Him for my healing. A test I was determined to pass.
Last Sunday at church I was prayed over, to ask the Lord to heal the cough and the rib. The Spirit moved; I could feel it, though the healing didn't manifest immediately. The congestion was gone by Tuesday. The rib still hurts, but it's much better than it was, and I believe and trust that when this cough I have completely goes away and my body has a chance to rest, the rib will heal naturally.
I know this belief and this standpoint isn't for everyone. And I don't look down on anyone who gets medical care. I've told people honestly that if I sliced open my arm or leg, I'd go get it sewn up. Or if I broke a bone, I'd go have it set. But my personal convictions won't let me go much farther than that. I am compelled to trust in Jesus completely because He has proven so many times that He is trustworthy. And my faith in Him cannot be conditional, because His love toward me is unconditional. If my faith is conditional, it isn't really faith. It isn't faith if I say, "I trusted you come into my heart and save me, but I don't trust you to heal me." At least, it isn't faith to me...because by saying that I feel like I'd be saying, "I know You say You can heal me but I don't believe You." And that would be the same as calling God a liar.
Isaiah 58:6-7 talks about the fast God has chosen for us: to loose the bonds of wickedness and set people free, to feed the hungry and care for the poor, to clothe the naked. Verses 8-9 are the promises we have from Him if we do verses 6-7. And Isaiah 58:8-9 says this: "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He sill say, 'Here I am.'"
That's a promise I believe in because I've lived it. So what if my rib's a little out of whack right now? Maybe that's the thorn in my flesh, and Jesus is telling me that His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:7-10). Whether my rib is ever completely healed or hurts until the day I go to be with the Father, it is of little consequence. Because this is what I believe, and this is where I stand.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Josh 24:15
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright." Psalm 20:7
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Don't Be A Hater...Be a Pray-er
And They'll Know We Are Christians
Public Domain
arranged by Jars of Clay
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love
Here's a video of the song on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qrOywJnLj7Y
I woke up this morning with that song in my head, and I've been thinking about it all day. If you read this blog consistently, you know that probably my biggest pet peeve about the church universal is division, and how all of it is man-made. I am frustrated that the Enemy has broken down the unity of the body of Christ by insinuating rules and requirements for salvation that are not true. I am frustrated how we as a Christian community have laid down dormantly and accepted these lies as truth. I am frustrated that so many have been deceived, and that those who aren't haven't done anything profitable to undeceive others.
And by profitable, I don't mean beat each other over the head with the Bible and throw scripture at offenders like rocks at skunks. But I mean, we haven't sat down in love and talked about the things that divide us. We haven't earnestly come together as a body and prayed that we would all be in unity with the Father. Because the bottom line is that we can try to be in unity with each other, but if we aren't in Unity with God, all of our efforts would be in vain. We are fallible, sinful creatures. Our pride and our flesh lead us astray. Our perceived intellect skews Truth. But God is infallible and sinless. His humility (how else could Jesus do what He did?) and his Spirit guide us rightly. His wisdom professes Truth in its purest form.
I don't get bothered or offended by the unchurched or unsaved doing the horrible, wretched things they do. I don't get offended by the world hating Christianity, or claiming we are narrowminded. We were told those things were going to happen. The world will act like the world. So let it, and pray for them to come to know Jesus. What truly bothers me is that the Church as a whole doesn't act like the Church. It acts like the world, and talks like the Church when it's personally beneficial or convenient...or when it wants to impress someone. And then there are the select few who claim to be the Church and use the Word as a battering ram, hatefully damning others who have differing points of view (especially the lost, who don't know any better).
That' when my spirit gets all up-in-arms, when the Church lets rhetoric and opinion interfere with salvation and fellowship. Because, more than anything, Jesus wants us to be unified. He told us in Matthew 12:25 that "every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." And he prayed in John 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
So this line from the song, "we pray that our unity will one day be restored" is really hitting home with me today. Because if we are in unity, we are in unity with the Father, and the Father is Love. And if we're in unity with Love, we will walk, talk, act as Love would, not as man. And when that happens...well, the kingdom of darkness has better watch out.
Don't hate. Pray.
Public Domain
arranged by Jars of Clay
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love
Here's a video of the song on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qrOywJnLj7Y
I woke up this morning with that song in my head, and I've been thinking about it all day. If you read this blog consistently, you know that probably my biggest pet peeve about the church universal is division, and how all of it is man-made. I am frustrated that the Enemy has broken down the unity of the body of Christ by insinuating rules and requirements for salvation that are not true. I am frustrated how we as a Christian community have laid down dormantly and accepted these lies as truth. I am frustrated that so many have been deceived, and that those who aren't haven't done anything profitable to undeceive others.
And by profitable, I don't mean beat each other over the head with the Bible and throw scripture at offenders like rocks at skunks. But I mean, we haven't sat down in love and talked about the things that divide us. We haven't earnestly come together as a body and prayed that we would all be in unity with the Father. Because the bottom line is that we can try to be in unity with each other, but if we aren't in Unity with God, all of our efforts would be in vain. We are fallible, sinful creatures. Our pride and our flesh lead us astray. Our perceived intellect skews Truth. But God is infallible and sinless. His humility (how else could Jesus do what He did?) and his Spirit guide us rightly. His wisdom professes Truth in its purest form.
I don't get bothered or offended by the unchurched or unsaved doing the horrible, wretched things they do. I don't get offended by the world hating Christianity, or claiming we are narrowminded. We were told those things were going to happen. The world will act like the world. So let it, and pray for them to come to know Jesus. What truly bothers me is that the Church as a whole doesn't act like the Church. It acts like the world, and talks like the Church when it's personally beneficial or convenient...or when it wants to impress someone. And then there are the select few who claim to be the Church and use the Word as a battering ram, hatefully damning others who have differing points of view (especially the lost, who don't know any better).
That' when my spirit gets all up-in-arms, when the Church lets rhetoric and opinion interfere with salvation and fellowship. Because, more than anything, Jesus wants us to be unified. He told us in Matthew 12:25 that "every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." And he prayed in John 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
So this line from the song, "we pray that our unity will one day be restored" is really hitting home with me today. Because if we are in unity, we are in unity with the Father, and the Father is Love. And if we're in unity with Love, we will walk, talk, act as Love would, not as man. And when that happens...well, the kingdom of darkness has better watch out.
Don't hate. Pray.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Choosing to See - and Having The Father's Heart
Most of the book is about children, and more specifically the Chapman Family's heart for rescuing orphans. And, that is the part of the book that impacted me the most. As I sat in my living room Saturday morning before work, reading those chapters, it was like our Father broke off a piece of his heart and thrust it into my chest, and I was overwhelmed by this deep, deep love for the orphaned. I mean, I was completely destroyed by it...by how vastly and immediately my heart broke for the orphaned children in the world.
As a Christian, I have always known, logically, that I was supposed to care for the alien, the fatherless, adn the widow. I give monthly to WorldVision, to support a child in Sri Lanka so he can get medical care and go to school, and I send a few cards to him every year without doing much else. Sort of as a detached do-gooder mentality. I knew I was able to afford to do it, and I knew when I was at that particular concert and they passed around the little information packets with the pictures of these little kiddos, the Lord impressed upon my heart to do it. But beyond wanting to support this kid financially because I felt the Lord calling me to, I really didn't invest a whole lot into it.
My friend, Davy, works for a ministry that's primary focus is to sustain and support orphanages all over the world. She has had a heart for orphans for years, and is currently in Africa doing these good works. I always understood the passion of that call, because I'm just as passionate about what God has called me to, but now I share that same heart. I understand the inability to ignore it, the inability to stand by and be silent, the inability to be inactive. I don't know what that will look like for me. I don't know if that means the Lord wants me to travel the globe and do work at orphanages. I don't know if that means I'll just be a bigger financial supporter of Orphan aid in the future. I don't know if that means that I'll eventually adopt, and give a loving home to children who have never had one.
What I do know is that my Father has cracked open a dry, hard place in my heart and flooded it with love and compassion for the unfortunate, and the fatherless. And because of that I feel like I have a greater understanding of the way He loves us. Because, you see, we are all orphans (in the spiritual sense), seeking a home, desiring love, looking for a father to protect and provide for us. And He sees us all as His children, and He longs to bring us into His family, to LAVISH his love on us, to protect and provide for us, to give us a future and a hope. He aches to call us His and to give us good things.
And now, I read these verses with better understanding, and a heart that cries out to accomplish, to help, to love and support.
"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27
"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:17-19
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and wthout blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise and glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6
If the Father has put the same piece of his heart in you, here are a couple of ministries you can look to partner with.
Here's a link to the Chapman's Foundation for Orphan adoption and aid: http://www.showhope.org/
Here's a link to my friend, Davy's organization. http://www.orphanreliefandrescue.org/
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Take Off the Label
Labels are good…usually. They’re good when you’re in the cupboard looking for a can of Ranch Style Beans. They’re good when you’re in a the attic looking for a box of Christmas lights. They’re good when you’re in the store and you’re trying to figure out how much that box of laundry detergent costs. They’re good when you’re mailing out thousands of event flyers and you don’t want to break your hand writing all the addresses on your own.
In life, also, we are given labels. In school, you’re a jock or a stoner or a band nerd. You’re a rebel or a goody-two-shoe. You’re defined by your likes and dislikes, by your tendencies, by your preferences.
I live in the East Texas. Where I come from, you define yourself by a few labels:
1) Do you cheer for the Longhorns or the Aggies on the Friday after Thanksgiving?
2) Do you like the Cowboys or the Texans?
3) Do you go to the Methodist, Baptist, Assemblies of God, or Church of Christ on Sunday?
Whatever your answer is to those three questions pretty much labels you for the rest of your life. Everything else is pretty much unimportant.
If I had answered those three questions as a teenager, I would have said: “Aggies, Cowboys, and Baptist.”
In just about every situation labels are a good thing. But there are a few situations where labels are bad. And the WORST place for a label is in the Christian community.
Why do we define our beliefs or our salvation, by the type of church we attend? This is a pet peeve of mine, because these labels lead to self-aggrandizement, to exclusivity, to judgmental attitudes and legalism, to false piousness, and worst of all, to what I label as Pharisee-ism. We identify ourselves by what parking lot our car is in on Sunday mornings. We wear the doctrine of our church like Hester’s scarlet letter, and we wear it proudly, unless we want to go had a good time, and drink a few beers on Saturday night – in which case, we carefully fold it and hide it in our sock drawers like a dirty magazine. We fight and argue over inconsequential differences in doctrine…that have NOTHING to do with LOVE and SALVATION. And those arguments create yawning crevasses in the bedrock of our relationships with fellow Christians and also nonbelievers.
My big pet peeve, my big issue is that we harness ourselves to our denomination. We define our Christianity by the church we attend regularly – the one whose membership role contains our name. When we are asked, “what is your religion?” why do we feel the need to immediately answer, “Baptist” or “Methodist” or “Pentacostal”? And why do we use our personal convictions and the bylaws of our denomination to tear each other down? Why does “Church A” tell “Church B” that they aren’t going to heaven because they don’t speak in tongues? Why does “Church B” tell “Church C” that they aren’t going to heaven because they don’t go to “Church B”? Why does “Church C” tell “Church A” that they aren’t going to heaven because they let their women wear pants? It’s all SO stupid to me. What do pants, church buildings, or gifts of the spirit have to do with our salvation? I'll tell you: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! And to say that it does is not only ludicrous, it's a LIE.
If you were to ask me the three questions listed above today, my answer would be: “Aggies, Cowboys, and It doesn’t matter.” Fundamentally, I haven’t changed that much. I don’t attend a Baptist church anymore, but that doesn’t affect my salvation…and it doesn’t affect my relationship with Jesus. When it comes to the body of Christ, to the Church as a whole, to our walk with Jesus, WHO CARES what parking lot your car is in on Sunday morning? It doesn’t matter as long as that church preaches Christ crucified and resurrected. It doesn’t matter if you’re Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Non-denominational, Assemblies of God, etc. As long as you believe in Jesus as the Son of God and have accepted Him as Savior, that should be good enough for anyone who is saved.
Labels are normally a good thing, but in this case, they are very bad. Paul addressed this when he said, “For when one said, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal? Who, then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?” (1 Cor 3:4-5). Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come –all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor 3:22-23)
And Jesus himself said this: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29
Any requirement more than that for Salvation is judgmental and narrow. Anyone who says salvation depends on dress or church attendance or good deeds or the manifestation of tongues, is directly contradicting Jesus. And anyone who spreads division within the body of Christ, within the church, by saying their label is the only true label and all other labels are erroneous is not only contradicting Jesus, but also doing the one thing he prayed against in the garden when he said, “that they all may be ONE, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be ONE in us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21
So…take off the label and simply BE HIS.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Hope Does Not Disappoint
Those of you who know me well know some of the crap I had to deal with as a child and teenager, even as an adult...things that were beyond my control, family situations that deeply affected me, struggles that were completely unforeseeable. There were moments when I STRONGLY doubted the goodness of corporate church, moments when I was wounded or betrayed by friends, things that were so traumatic to me as a middle-schooler that I have completely blocked them out...moments when my parents were so caught up in their arguments or issues that they missed important parts of my life and broke my heart. Some of those wounds I carried for a long time, completely unaware of their existence until confronted with a vague memory that sent me to my face in bitter tears as the emotional scar was ripped open and the wound bled fresh.
And yet, in the midst of all those things, there has never been a point in my life where things seemed or felt hopeless. I've been angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, disgusted, fed-up, pissed-off, exhausted, dejected even, but I've never felt hopeless. I've never felt hopeless because I know that whatever I'm going through, however difficult the path, I have someone I can cling to, someone I can rely on, someone who will never fail me, never abandon me, never betray me, never let me down. And that give me hope because I know I have a glorious end, no matter how awful the journey sometimes appears to be.
My hope, my trust, my faith rests in Jesus, and Him alone. So, bring on the dark days, bring on the lies and slander, bring on the betrayal, bring on the hurt and pain and suffering because life is full of it, and there is no escaping what comes. But my eyes and my hope shall rest on Jesus, and though the wind howls, and the waves crash, the sea shall not swallow me whole. Because I know He loves me, and I know He's with me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my ending, regardless of the embattled journey, is beautiful and glorious because my ending is an eternity of love, peace, and joy in His presence.
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5
And yet, in the midst of all those things, there has never been a point in my life where things seemed or felt hopeless. I've been angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, disgusted, fed-up, pissed-off, exhausted, dejected even, but I've never felt hopeless. I've never felt hopeless because I know that whatever I'm going through, however difficult the path, I have someone I can cling to, someone I can rely on, someone who will never fail me, never abandon me, never betray me, never let me down. And that give me hope because I know I have a glorious end, no matter how awful the journey sometimes appears to be.
My hope, my trust, my faith rests in Jesus, and Him alone. So, bring on the dark days, bring on the lies and slander, bring on the betrayal, bring on the hurt and pain and suffering because life is full of it, and there is no escaping what comes. But my eyes and my hope shall rest on Jesus, and though the wind howls, and the waves crash, the sea shall not swallow me whole. Because I know He loves me, and I know He's with me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my ending, regardless of the embattled journey, is beautiful and glorious because my ending is an eternity of love, peace, and joy in His presence.
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Yes Means Yes Except When It Means No And Then It Means No Unless It Means Yes
I'm sorry, but I've never been one for games. When I say games, I don't mean competitve sports or board games or anything like that. I mean I dont' understand mind games. I don't understand toying with people's emotions. I don't understand why we don't just say exactly what we think or mean.
Women are the worst about this. In friendships, in relationships, in marriages, in family situations, there's always a difference between what she says and what she actually means.
As a woman, I've never understood why my fellow women aren't honest with their boyfriends or husbands. Why would you confuse a person like that? If you really want someone to throw you a birthday party, why would you say, "really, honey, you don't have to do that."? And then you get mad because there's no party. Hello...you told him you didn't want one. He can't read your mind. He doesn't understand your thought process. He doesn't know that when you say, "You don't have to do that" you really mean, "I really want you to do it, but I don't want you to think I'm being selfish or forcing you. But if you don't do it, I'll be angry, because you should tell from my face that I actually want you to do it, even though I'm telling you I don't."
So, if he asks you about a party or a dinner or a movie, just tell him your honest thoughts. If you don't there's a 90 percent chance he'll do the exact opposite of what you want/hope simply because he didn't know any better. Simply because you told him you didn't care WHEN YOU REALLY DID.
Also. If you're only going to be upset about his HONEST answer don't ask the question. You hold up two pairs of black shoes and ask, "which shoes do you like best?" He looks up from ESPN and either says, "the black ones" or "I like them both" and you either get upset because he picked the pair you didn't really want to wear, or he legitimately had no preference. Why get mad about that? Men don't consider which pair of shoes to put on. They have, like, 5 pair in their closets: one pair of flip flops/sandals, one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of yard-work shoes, one pair of nice boots or boat shoes or something like that, and one pair of really nice shoes to wear with a suit. THAT'S IT. He doesn't think about the fact that the shoe in your right hand is a wedge and the shoe in your left is a sling-back, or that the blacks are three shades different, or that one is a 3-inch heel and the other a 2-inch. He looks up and sees that they're both black, and both will fit on your feet and thinks, "They look exactly alike to me. How can I pick?" He doesn't care. He thinks you look great, regardless. So go ahead and wear whichever shoes you want. He's not going to be paying attention to the shoes, anyway. He's more interested in you than your shoes.
And when you're single, if you're not interested in something or someone, why pretend that you are? Or if you are interested in someone or something, why pretend that you're not? If you like it, own the fact that you like it. If you hate it, own the fact that you hate it. If you think he's cute, don't be indifferent. If you like the guy, show interest. If you don't like him, be honest. Don't pretend something because that only confuses people. Guys especially.
I have a newsflash for my fellow females. Men have a very simple view of life. Everything is black and white. If they say they like something, they like it. If they say they want to take you out, they really want to take you out. If they say they don't care what you make for dinner, they really don't care. If they say they don't want to do anything, it's not a code for you to go plan some extensive evening behind their back, and then get ticked because they either don't go with you, or you have to drag them out by their ear. And even more than that, they DO NOT UNDERSTAND why we aren't as honest as they are. They don't find our little word games or mind games cute or attractive. They get frustrated by it. They just want us to tell them what we want, what we think, what we believe. When they pose real questions, they want REAL answers.
Back centuries ago up to as recently as the 1950's and 60's, women weren't liberated enough to feel as though their opinions were important or had worth. I suppose that's why we started learning and using these little games of saying the opposite of what we mean, or nodding and going along with things. We couldn't speak our minds freely. It was considered imprudent and extremely unattractive in a potential wife. So we were coy, demure little beings whose entire lives revolved around being pleasant in society so we could find a husband to provide for us. But our coyness has morphed into dishonesty and trickery. We use it to snare and to confuse. And I think it's just plain STUPID.
It's gotten so bad that we, as women, aren't even honest with our own gender. We play these mindgames against ourselves. The games create toxic friendships. They destroy sincerity between sisters, mothers and daughters, and good friends. We demolish our trust in one another because we play the game so much (and with such gusto) that we can't tell what the other person truly means...or maybe we don't even know what we mean anymore. It's RIDICULOUS.
So here's the big headline point of the day. If we'll just be honest and say what's on our minds to begin with, it'll erase a least HALF of the fights and misunderstandings we have with each other. It'll solve problems in friendships, family relationships, marriages and other relationships. Seriously, I don't think we understand how much honesty will simplify our lives. Because, at the end of the day, these little word games and mind games we play are nothing more than lies and manipulation. And there is not a person on the planet who actually enjoys being lied to or manipulated. So, just be honest.
Now, being honest doesn't mean being rude or cruel. There's always a kind and gentle way to express the basic thought or opinion. We don't have to be hateful, in fact, we shouldn't ever be hateful. But we should be honest. And we should absolutely mean what we say when we say it.
There's an old saying, "Say what you mean and mean what you say." I agree wholeheartedly. But I believe that Jesus said it best when he said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." Matthew 5:37
Women are the worst about this. In friendships, in relationships, in marriages, in family situations, there's always a difference between what she says and what she actually means.
As a woman, I've never understood why my fellow women aren't honest with their boyfriends or husbands. Why would you confuse a person like that? If you really want someone to throw you a birthday party, why would you say, "really, honey, you don't have to do that."? And then you get mad because there's no party. Hello...you told him you didn't want one. He can't read your mind. He doesn't understand your thought process. He doesn't know that when you say, "You don't have to do that" you really mean, "I really want you to do it, but I don't want you to think I'm being selfish or forcing you. But if you don't do it, I'll be angry, because you should tell from my face that I actually want you to do it, even though I'm telling you I don't."
So, if he asks you about a party or a dinner or a movie, just tell him your honest thoughts. If you don't there's a 90 percent chance he'll do the exact opposite of what you want/hope simply because he didn't know any better. Simply because you told him you didn't care WHEN YOU REALLY DID.
Also. If you're only going to be upset about his HONEST answer don't ask the question. You hold up two pairs of black shoes and ask, "which shoes do you like best?" He looks up from ESPN and either says, "the black ones" or "I like them both" and you either get upset because he picked the pair you didn't really want to wear, or he legitimately had no preference. Why get mad about that? Men don't consider which pair of shoes to put on. They have, like, 5 pair in their closets: one pair of flip flops/sandals, one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of yard-work shoes, one pair of nice boots or boat shoes or something like that, and one pair of really nice shoes to wear with a suit. THAT'S IT. He doesn't think about the fact that the shoe in your right hand is a wedge and the shoe in your left is a sling-back, or that the blacks are three shades different, or that one is a 3-inch heel and the other a 2-inch. He looks up and sees that they're both black, and both will fit on your feet and thinks, "They look exactly alike to me. How can I pick?" He doesn't care. He thinks you look great, regardless. So go ahead and wear whichever shoes you want. He's not going to be paying attention to the shoes, anyway. He's more interested in you than your shoes.
And when you're single, if you're not interested in something or someone, why pretend that you are? Or if you are interested in someone or something, why pretend that you're not? If you like it, own the fact that you like it. If you hate it, own the fact that you hate it. If you think he's cute, don't be indifferent. If you like the guy, show interest. If you don't like him, be honest. Don't pretend something because that only confuses people. Guys especially.
I have a newsflash for my fellow females. Men have a very simple view of life. Everything is black and white. If they say they like something, they like it. If they say they want to take you out, they really want to take you out. If they say they don't care what you make for dinner, they really don't care. If they say they don't want to do anything, it's not a code for you to go plan some extensive evening behind their back, and then get ticked because they either don't go with you, or you have to drag them out by their ear. And even more than that, they DO NOT UNDERSTAND why we aren't as honest as they are. They don't find our little word games or mind games cute or attractive. They get frustrated by it. They just want us to tell them what we want, what we think, what we believe. When they pose real questions, they want REAL answers.
Back centuries ago up to as recently as the 1950's and 60's, women weren't liberated enough to feel as though their opinions were important or had worth. I suppose that's why we started learning and using these little games of saying the opposite of what we mean, or nodding and going along with things. We couldn't speak our minds freely. It was considered imprudent and extremely unattractive in a potential wife. So we were coy, demure little beings whose entire lives revolved around being pleasant in society so we could find a husband to provide for us. But our coyness has morphed into dishonesty and trickery. We use it to snare and to confuse. And I think it's just plain STUPID.
It's gotten so bad that we, as women, aren't even honest with our own gender. We play these mindgames against ourselves. The games create toxic friendships. They destroy sincerity between sisters, mothers and daughters, and good friends. We demolish our trust in one another because we play the game so much (and with such gusto) that we can't tell what the other person truly means...or maybe we don't even know what we mean anymore. It's RIDICULOUS.
So here's the big headline point of the day. If we'll just be honest and say what's on our minds to begin with, it'll erase a least HALF of the fights and misunderstandings we have with each other. It'll solve problems in friendships, family relationships, marriages and other relationships. Seriously, I don't think we understand how much honesty will simplify our lives. Because, at the end of the day, these little word games and mind games we play are nothing more than lies and manipulation. And there is not a person on the planet who actually enjoys being lied to or manipulated. So, just be honest.
Now, being honest doesn't mean being rude or cruel. There's always a kind and gentle way to express the basic thought or opinion. We don't have to be hateful, in fact, we shouldn't ever be hateful. But we should be honest. And we should absolutely mean what we say when we say it.
There's an old saying, "Say what you mean and mean what you say." I agree wholeheartedly. But I believe that Jesus said it best when he said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." Matthew 5:37
Monday, January 31, 2011
Choose Your Predestined Path
I've been listening to podcasts by Scott J. Norvell over the last three weeks. Hours and hours and hours of sink-your-teeth-into-this-meaty-stuff teachings. So many points to talk about. So many things to share. But I'll settle on this point.
Choice and Predestination.
In the "Christian community" there is so much debate about what the Bible means when it's talking about predestination. You have various and diverse thoughts on the subject. You have Calvinism (God has predestined who will be saved, so we really have no choice at all) and Arminianism (We chose to accept Jesus, therefore we are predestined) and varying shades of in-betweenism and a lot of people who simply say "I have NO idea." I have always leaned more toward Arminianism because I believe that we have free will. Adam and Eve in the garden displays that will to choose. Life in Eden was perfect, and yet Eve was deceived and Adam (with his wife) chose rebellion. That one point right there always sealed it for me. I have never doubted God's sovereignty or His omnipotence, and I dare not shorten his arm by saying He couldn't or wouldn't be sovereign in certain situations. And I most certainly will not argue that when Jesus says, "you did not choose me, but I have chosen you," He wasn't talking about the fact that the disciples were hand-picked by Him. Nor will I say that He did not also choose me. That would be presumptuous and erroneous...not to mention egotistical.
So, how do you balance THIS: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Romans 8:29-30.
with THIS: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;"
Deuteronomy 30:19
These two verses seem to contradict themselves. In Deuteronomy, we are told "YOU CHOOSE." In Romans were told "GOD CHOSE." I have very good friends who believe that we have absolutely no say in the matter of our salvation, and that if we're going to be saved it's because God chose for us to be saved and only us. As though we are an elite society or something. As though God lined us up in gym class, looked at us in a row, and picked his buddies to be on His dodge ball team.
But that can't be true.
James tells us "but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors." James 2:9. So if it is sin to be partial, obviously, God can't be partial. Because He CANNOT sin.
And Paul tells us "for this is good and acceptable in the sight of our God and Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4.
So how in the world can choice and predestination go hand in hand? As I was listening to one of Mr. Norvell's podcasts, he spoke of predestination and perfectly expressed predestination and free will work together in the kingdom. This is what he said: "Our callings are predestined. Our choices are not."
And my skullcap went flying. The statement literally blew my mind. It was this fantastic light bulb moment. Everything that we argue about in "predestination versus free will" is solved by those two little sentences.
Romans 11:29 says that the gifts of God and the calling of God are irrevocable. If God gifts a man named Jimmy with the ability to write books, then Jimmy will always have that gifting. God is not an Indian giver. If Jimmy does something stupid or selfish with that gift, God will not take it back. His gifts are free and eternal.
If God calls Jimmy to write Christian novels and books, that call is always there. BUT Jimmy has the right and the ability to say "yes" or to say "no." If Jimmy says yes, everything is fantastic and he is fulfilling the calling God has for his life and seeing the fruit of the labor. If Jimmy says "no," the call doesn't go away...but the blessings and the fruit do, and Jimmy will (perhaps) spend the rest of his life running away from the call.
Look at the story of Jonah. In Chapter One God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah said, "no" and ran away from the call. He ended up in the belly of a great fish, where he finally repented and accepted the call. The call never went away. God didn't renege or change His mind. In chapter three, Jonah stepped into the calling that had always been there. The gift and the call endured, even though Jonah fought tooth and nail to keep from having to do it.
So, you see, there is no reason to argue about predestination anymore. We are all predestined to have talents and abilities and callings. But we still have the free will to be rebellious and say "NO" if we so choose, or to be obedient and say "YES" if we so choose.
If you look at the scripture in Deuteronomy 30:19 again, with this revelation, you'll see that God has predestined the life and the death. "I have set before you this day life and death, blessing and cursing." Both paths are laid out. There is the path of life and blessing, and there is the path of death and cursing. "Life and Blessings" is a narrow path that leads to salvation through Christ. "Death and Cursing" is a wide path that leads to outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The courses are marked, the finish line determined, the mode of transportation set. At the starting line Jesus calls out to everyone, "Take the narrow path, heed the call which I am calling you to, use your gifts to glorify the Father, and receive salvation through the Son."
Both paths are made available. Both paths lead to real and legitimate finish lines. Both paths are predestined.
But we must choose which path we take.
And our CHOICE determines our destiny.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
There Are Some Things God Can't Do
There are some things God just flat out can't do. Before you guys shoot me, or gather up a mob for a lynching, let me clarify myself. I am not disputing His sovereignty. I'm not saying that He is incapable. I'm not saying He's smaller than He claims to be or less powerful than His Word tells us He is. I believe God is able to do much more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Our God is not an impotent faceless blob floating in outer space. He is not a man who lived and died and was deified by friends. He is not an old man with a beard, sitting on a throne who looks down with disdain at us meager humans. He is not an uncaring or inactive God.
He does all good things. He loves. He saves. He heals. He restores. He redeems. He rescues. He corrects. He chastises. He gives mercy and grace. He leads, guides, directs, teaches, comforts, and instructs. James 1:17 tells us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation and shadow of turning." This scripture tells us that all good things come from God. So if it is good, He can do it. But this scripture also tells us something God CANNOT do.
1. God cannot change.
the second half of James 1:17 says "with whom there is NO VARIATION and SHADOW OF TURNING." So...if there is no variation in God, that means that he CANNOT CHANGE. Malachi 3:6a demonstrates this further: "For I am the Lord, I do not change." I dont' know about you, but I'm convinced. I mean, this is coming from the Lord's mouth, through the prophet Malachi. Pretty sure that makes this an inarguable truth.
What else, then, can God NOT do? If James 1:17 displays that all good things are from God, then we can infer that all BAD things are not from God. And, all bad things are SIN. So, it's not a stretch, by any means, to say that God CANNOT sin. But that is a broad statement, so I'll break it down.
2. God cannot lie.
"Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." Hebrews 6; 17-18. Now, that's pretty straightforward. It is impossible for God to lie. There's no arguing the black and white of that statement.
3. God cannot relent without intercession or repentance.
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie and relent. For He is not a man that He should relent." 1 Sam 15:29. Now, this scripture also says that God will not relent...and this is true when there is no intercession. However, we see several times in scripture where men of God intereceded when the Lord was angry at a nation because of sin, and God relented. (See Exodus 32:15-35; Jonah 1:1-3, 3:1-10). But, without repentance or intercession, God will not relent.
4. God cannot fail.
"Behold this day I am going the way of all the earth. and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed." Joshua 23:14. In fact, God is so completely unable to fail, that He has already succeeded in all things to which He set His hand. "Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37. And how can we be conquerors unless our God has already succeeded and won?
5. God cannot renege on His promises.
"Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses." 1 Kings 8:56. If that's not enough, here's another scripture: "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." 1 Cor 1:20
6. God cannot renege on the giftings He gives us.
"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Romans 11:29. His gifts are freely given. Our talents are ours to use as we so decide. There are hundreds of thousands of musicians on earth. They were gifted with the ability to play a chosen intrument. Some play for the Lord. Many do not. But God gave those abilities to each man, and has not and cannot revoke those gifts because we have chosen in our free will to use those gifts for things other than His glory.
7. God cannot be tempted, and cannot tempt.
"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." James 1:13. Pretty self-explanatory. So, the next time you're tempted to do something wrong, or you're in the middle of wanting to do the wrong thing. Remember, this might be a test to see what you'll choose, but God is not tempting you to do the wrong thing. He's testing you in an attempt to help you learn to do the right thing.
8. God cannot be mocked.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Gal 6:9. I read that as meaning that God will not put up with people who mock him. Time and time again in the Word and even in modern society, there are stories of people who mock the Lord receiving the recompense of their mocking. Bon Scott, the deceased lead singer of AC/DC, is a prime example of that. Just look at two of the group's most famous songs: "Highway to Hell" and "Hell's Bells." Scott died at age 33, shortly after recording "Highway to Hell."
So...you see, there really are some things that God flat out CANNOT do. And, I for one, and very glad He cannot do them. If He could do them, He wouldn't be a God worth serving or believing in, would He? Because what would make Him any different from any other God...or any other human being that walked the earth? And I don't want to serve or worship a man who will disappoint or become petty or lie or cheat or change his mind. I want to worship an unchanging, loving, infallible God whose promises are true and gifts are free.
Thank God there are some things He cannot do.
He does all good things. He loves. He saves. He heals. He restores. He redeems. He rescues. He corrects. He chastises. He gives mercy and grace. He leads, guides, directs, teaches, comforts, and instructs. James 1:17 tells us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation and shadow of turning." This scripture tells us that all good things come from God. So if it is good, He can do it. But this scripture also tells us something God CANNOT do.
1. God cannot change.
the second half of James 1:17 says "with whom there is NO VARIATION and SHADOW OF TURNING." So...if there is no variation in God, that means that he CANNOT CHANGE. Malachi 3:6a demonstrates this further: "For I am the Lord, I do not change." I dont' know about you, but I'm convinced. I mean, this is coming from the Lord's mouth, through the prophet Malachi. Pretty sure that makes this an inarguable truth.
What else, then, can God NOT do? If James 1:17 displays that all good things are from God, then we can infer that all BAD things are not from God. And, all bad things are SIN. So, it's not a stretch, by any means, to say that God CANNOT sin. But that is a broad statement, so I'll break it down.
2. God cannot lie.
"Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." Hebrews 6; 17-18. Now, that's pretty straightforward. It is impossible for God to lie. There's no arguing the black and white of that statement.
3. God cannot relent without intercession or repentance.
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie and relent. For He is not a man that He should relent." 1 Sam 15:29. Now, this scripture also says that God will not relent...and this is true when there is no intercession. However, we see several times in scripture where men of God intereceded when the Lord was angry at a nation because of sin, and God relented. (See Exodus 32:15-35; Jonah 1:1-3, 3:1-10). But, without repentance or intercession, God will not relent.
4. God cannot fail.
"Behold this day I am going the way of all the earth. and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed." Joshua 23:14. In fact, God is so completely unable to fail, that He has already succeeded in all things to which He set His hand. "Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37. And how can we be conquerors unless our God has already succeeded and won?
5. God cannot renege on His promises.
"Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses." 1 Kings 8:56. If that's not enough, here's another scripture: "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." 1 Cor 1:20
6. God cannot renege on the giftings He gives us.
"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Romans 11:29. His gifts are freely given. Our talents are ours to use as we so decide. There are hundreds of thousands of musicians on earth. They were gifted with the ability to play a chosen intrument. Some play for the Lord. Many do not. But God gave those abilities to each man, and has not and cannot revoke those gifts because we have chosen in our free will to use those gifts for things other than His glory.
7. God cannot be tempted, and cannot tempt.
"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." James 1:13. Pretty self-explanatory. So, the next time you're tempted to do something wrong, or you're in the middle of wanting to do the wrong thing. Remember, this might be a test to see what you'll choose, but God is not tempting you to do the wrong thing. He's testing you in an attempt to help you learn to do the right thing.
8. God cannot be mocked.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Gal 6:9. I read that as meaning that God will not put up with people who mock him. Time and time again in the Word and even in modern society, there are stories of people who mock the Lord receiving the recompense of their mocking. Bon Scott, the deceased lead singer of AC/DC, is a prime example of that. Just look at two of the group's most famous songs: "Highway to Hell" and "Hell's Bells." Scott died at age 33, shortly after recording "Highway to Hell."
So...you see, there really are some things that God flat out CANNOT do. And, I for one, and very glad He cannot do them. If He could do them, He wouldn't be a God worth serving or believing in, would He? Because what would make Him any different from any other God...or any other human being that walked the earth? And I don't want to serve or worship a man who will disappoint or become petty or lie or cheat or change his mind. I want to worship an unchanging, loving, infallible God whose promises are true and gifts are free.
Thank God there are some things He cannot do.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Contentment vs. Satisfaction
So, this idea has been rolling through my mind the last couple of days: that there is a difference between satisfaction and contentment. I think most people tend to lump the two words together as absolute synonyms. Generally speaking, that's usually okay, but though they have similar meanings, they are also obviously different. Here are the definitions of the two words found on dictionary.com.
Contentment:
1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind
2. the act of making contentedly satisfied.
Satisfaction:
1. an act of satisfying; fulfillment; gratification.
2. the state of being satisfied; contentment.
3. the cause or means of being satisfied.
4. confident acceptance of something as satisfactory, dependable, true, etc.
5. reparation or compensation, as for a wrong or injury.
6. the opportunity to redress or right a wrong, as by a duel.
7. payment or discharge, as of a debt or obligation.
So, you see the words are very similar. But when I think about them, what sets them apart from each other is a division of state of soul and spirit versus state of body and mind.
I see satisfaction as a state of body and mind. If someone steals from me, I could take them to court and receive satisfactino through monetary recompense. If I want to learn more about a particular subject, I can satisfy my curiosity by reading books or listening to lectures or watching historical footage. If my stomach is growling, I can satisfy my hunger by eating a sandwich. Eventually, though, I become hungry again, and must reach for a snack or make another meal. Likewise, learning is a life-long process that can and will never be completely fulfilled. And the money I was repaid might be adequate restitution, but isn't life-changing. We can satisfy ourselves for a moment, but because of human nature, our satisfaction is fleeting and must constantly be addressed.
I see contentment as a state of soul and spirit. I can be hungry, unable to satisfy my hunger, but still be content in my life. I can be destitute of money, unable to get enough to adequately provide for my needs, but still be content in my soul. I can lack knowledge or experience, etc. but still be content in my spirit.
The primary and distinguishing difference is simple. Satisfaction is for the flesh. Contentment is for the Spirit. I can lack earthly things, but be content in the Lord. I doubt I will ever be fully satisfied with where I am in the Lord. I always want to know more about Him, be more in tune with Him, have a closer relationship with Him. But I am and have always been content in Him, lacking no good thing. And the truth of the matter is that you can't satisfy your flesh, or fleshly desires, (or carnal man) and also satisfy your spirit. The two are at war with one another. But if you are content in the Lord, the satisfaction of the flesh doesn't mean quite as much as it used to.
My goal in life is to always be content in the Lord. If I am content in the Lord, I know that he is providing all my earthly needs. My flesh (the carnal man) may not receive satisfaction, but my soul will be content. And the soul is much more important then the flesh.
"Therefore do not worry, saying "what shall we eat?" or "what shall we drink?" or "what shall we wear?" for after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33
"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 Timothy 6:6-8
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17
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