I find that some Christians think that the Bible is no more than a book of wisdom. They see it as somewhat helpful but believe that its principles may not apply in all situations. They seek the Bible to confirm what they want to do, give them encouragement when things aren't going well and even give advice on how they can employ God to give them what they want. They do not understand what the Bible really is.
The Bible is God's message to the world. The principles recorded in the Bible are not optional. They are interpreted by the Holy Spirit to reveal spiritual things to spiritual people. It was written by people who were inspired by the Spirit. It contains all the necessary instructions for a Christian to become mature. It should be read, heard, meditated upon, analyzed, memorized and followed. It is more powerful than any or all of the Christian be-bop songs on the radio in leading a person to become a fully functional follower of Jesus Christ.
It is impossible to do what is contrary to what the Bible says and still be in the middle of God's will. God's word is consistent. The Bible is the best commentary on the Bible. It is interpreted in the context of the day, in the context of the passage, in the context of the book and in the context of the whole Bible. The principles are clear to those who seek Him. These principles will lead the Christian to a closer walk with the Lord. Disobedience to these principles will lead them further away.
I have said it before: The most important thing a Christian can do is spend a portion of his/her day (Five minutes is a good start. Early is the best time.) reading the Bible and listening to for the Holy Spirit to speak.
The Bible is not like any other book you have read. It is God's message to you.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
There Is No Love in Bitterness
Why is it that so many Christians are bitter? Sure, they may have had some terrible things happen in their lives. Yes, their lives may not have turned out like they thought they would. No one doubts that tragedy and hard times can turn your life around but why do some people have such bitterness about it? Why is it that those who say they profess to Jesus have no knowledge of forgiving? Why do they not understand letting their pain go?
Bitterness is a common malady. It is rehearsing wrongs committed against you. You get madder each time these wrongs are "relived" in your mind. Your thoughts of revenge do no good.
Bitterness makes the one wronged into a helpless victim. Revenge is the action of someone who is helpless. I think that's why this motif sells so well in Hollywood. People want to see the one who does wrong to "get theirs." They care little if the civil rights are stepped upon. They care little of what motivated the wrong doer. They want revenge for the other person. Seeing another get revenge doesn't give relief. It perpetuates the dream of revenge. It makes us all more bitter.
Some people act bitterly when they stand for a cause. They feel that others have violated the supreme rules which should have been followed and feel justified in violent actions to claim revenge. Thus, you will see normally, law-abiding citizens sabotage loggers equipment. They will confront whalers on the ocean. They will yell angrily at those who enter abortion clinics. They will fly airplanes into IRS buildings.
Please note that I am not saying we should be silent about the things we care passionately about. I hate abortion but I have to love those who get abortions. I have to tell them about forgiveness. I preach against it but I still have to keep the bitterness from infecting my life.
Jesus was horribly treated after He was arrested. He was beaten, spat upon and put through a scourging. People lied about Him. One of His friends denied he knew Him. One of them turned Him in.
Jesus never became bitter because He understood "for God so loved the world." His sacrifice came from His love. In the end He truly practiced what He preached. He asked for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him.
There just is no love in bitterness.
Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Bitterness is a common malady. It is rehearsing wrongs committed against you. You get madder each time these wrongs are "relived" in your mind. Your thoughts of revenge do no good.
Bitterness makes the one wronged into a helpless victim. Revenge is the action of someone who is helpless. I think that's why this motif sells so well in Hollywood. People want to see the one who does wrong to "get theirs." They care little if the civil rights are stepped upon. They care little of what motivated the wrong doer. They want revenge for the other person. Seeing another get revenge doesn't give relief. It perpetuates the dream of revenge. It makes us all more bitter.
Some people act bitterly when they stand for a cause. They feel that others have violated the supreme rules which should have been followed and feel justified in violent actions to claim revenge. Thus, you will see normally, law-abiding citizens sabotage loggers equipment. They will confront whalers on the ocean. They will yell angrily at those who enter abortion clinics. They will fly airplanes into IRS buildings.
Please note that I am not saying we should be silent about the things we care passionately about. I hate abortion but I have to love those who get abortions. I have to tell them about forgiveness. I preach against it but I still have to keep the bitterness from infecting my life.
Jesus was horribly treated after He was arrested. He was beaten, spat upon and put through a scourging. People lied about Him. One of His friends denied he knew Him. One of them turned Him in.
Jesus never became bitter because He understood "for God so loved the world." His sacrifice came from His love. In the end He truly practiced what He preached. He asked for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him.
There just is no love in bitterness.
Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Monday, April 19, 2010
Did Jesus Dance?
Jesus is invited to the wedding at Cana. We all know the story. It is one of Jesus turning water into wine. The wedding feast had run out of wine. It was a tremendous embarrassment. Jesus' mother, Mary, knew He could do something about it. (How do you suppose she knew that?) She knew He would do something about it. (Why would she suppose that?) He didn't disappoint her.
He has the servants fill six stone jars which are used for ceremonial cleansing with water. The servants would know what they had put in those jars. They were hewn out of stone. I have seen these "jars" in Israel. Our guide in Israel said that only God can make a stone. These were special jars. The servants, all the while knowing they had only put water in the jars, were instructed to take some to the master of the feast. It was the best wine he had tasted! He rebuked the bridegroom for holding the best wine for last. The servants and Jesus' disciples knew the truth. This wine was nothing but water until Jesus changed it.
The movies about Jesus present a man who never smiles. He never tells a joke. He never does anything fun. He walks as if He glides over everything. No one really knows Him. I don't think I would like Him.
But Jesus was invited to weddings and to peoples' houses to eat. He was applauded and approached by little children. Can such a melancholic man be invited to so many joyous occasions? I don't think so. I think He was a lot of fun. I think this is why they invited Him.
So, at the wedding feast Jesus would have enjoyed Himself. He would have laughed, told and listened to stories. He would have danced- yes, I believe He did! But the party was not over when His mother came to Him. So, He made more wine.
That's why Zacchaeus was so joyful when Jesus said He was coming to his house. He didn't come to condemn Zacchaeus any more than He came to condemn any of us. He came to give us life- full life. This is joy indescribable. It is given by a joyful Jesus.
Luke 19:5-6 (ESV)
And when jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
He has the servants fill six stone jars which are used for ceremonial cleansing with water. The servants would know what they had put in those jars. They were hewn out of stone. I have seen these "jars" in Israel. Our guide in Israel said that only God can make a stone. These were special jars. The servants, all the while knowing they had only put water in the jars, were instructed to take some to the master of the feast. It was the best wine he had tasted! He rebuked the bridegroom for holding the best wine for last. The servants and Jesus' disciples knew the truth. This wine was nothing but water until Jesus changed it.
The movies about Jesus present a man who never smiles. He never tells a joke. He never does anything fun. He walks as if He glides over everything. No one really knows Him. I don't think I would like Him.
But Jesus was invited to weddings and to peoples' houses to eat. He was applauded and approached by little children. Can such a melancholic man be invited to so many joyous occasions? I don't think so. I think He was a lot of fun. I think this is why they invited Him.
So, at the wedding feast Jesus would have enjoyed Himself. He would have laughed, told and listened to stories. He would have danced- yes, I believe He did! But the party was not over when His mother came to Him. So, He made more wine.
That's why Zacchaeus was so joyful when Jesus said He was coming to his house. He didn't come to condemn Zacchaeus any more than He came to condemn any of us. He came to give us life- full life. This is joy indescribable. It is given by a joyful Jesus.
Luke 19:5-6 (ESV)
And when jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Letters from God
We seem fascinated with who we are. We print the prayers we pray to God and forget the answers He has given to us. We forget that He contacted us first. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us." He loved us first. He contacted us first. And out of His love God still contacts us.
Often Congressmen and women offer resolutions which take no real action from anyone else. These resolutions are read to a practically empty room. They are recorded and sent to their home districts to make someone feel good about their 100th birthday or 75th wedding anniversary or some other accomplishment. The recipients often take their resolutions and frame them. They point to these and say they were recognized by Congress. They don't know that Congress wasn't actually there when this was read. They don't know that it took no real action by Congress for this to be read. The prayers of a lot of people resemble resolutions from Congress. No response is necessary.
Yet, God is speaking to those who will listen. He speaks through the Bible in a remarkable way. He takes a scripture and puts the "hearer's" name on it. Through the Holy Spirit He applies this scripture in a new way. He uses it to teach, correct, encourage righteousness and give direction. He speaks to those who pray without being so enamored with their own prayers that they fail to listen. Frankly, He speaks to those who will shut up and listen!
This morning I asked God what I should write about in this blog. He said to me plainly, "Tell them to listen." So, here it is. What has He said to you?
Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
Often Congressmen and women offer resolutions which take no real action from anyone else. These resolutions are read to a practically empty room. They are recorded and sent to their home districts to make someone feel good about their 100th birthday or 75th wedding anniversary or some other accomplishment. The recipients often take their resolutions and frame them. They point to these and say they were recognized by Congress. They don't know that Congress wasn't actually there when this was read. They don't know that it took no real action by Congress for this to be read. The prayers of a lot of people resemble resolutions from Congress. No response is necessary.
Yet, God is speaking to those who will listen. He speaks through the Bible in a remarkable way. He takes a scripture and puts the "hearer's" name on it. Through the Holy Spirit He applies this scripture in a new way. He uses it to teach, correct, encourage righteousness and give direction. He speaks to those who pray without being so enamored with their own prayers that they fail to listen. Frankly, He speaks to those who will shut up and listen!
This morning I asked God what I should write about in this blog. He said to me plainly, "Tell them to listen." So, here it is. What has He said to you?
Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Blessed Is the Nation Whose God Is the Lord
It is easy to take just about any statement and through innuendo, lack of context and parsing each verb make it into what you want it to say. People do it all the time when they read the Bible. They look for verses they can use to justify what they want to do. They can use the Bible to verify their righteousness as they murder, lie and steal. We shouldn't be surprised that people will do the same thing when reading the US Constitution.
I understand that a judge has ruled that the government, whoever the government is, cannot declare a National Day of Prayer. This comes from an understanding of "Congress shall make no law for the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" from the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. The fact that the framers of these words called for prayer, voted to have Bibles printed from public funds and that then and now there is an established need for chaplains in our armed forces who are publicly funded seems to be ignored.
So you can ignore the context of the words, the practices of those who wrote them and the continued result of their actions and still be a judge who is upholding the rights established with these words. Does anyone else see the foolishness in this? The framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were clearly saying that no one should be made to go to church or practice any religion. I would fight for others rights to ignore religion but I will not stand still while other force me or others within Congress to ignore our faith. This is clearly trampling on the latter clause of "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion.
I realize that what I am about to say sounds like a conspiracy theory but I will still say it. Communists said that religion was the opiate of the masses. They spend decades trying to eradicate it from their countries. They were upfront and deliberate. There are those in the US who are carefully removing it from all phases of our lives. It has been taken from the schools and continues to be slowly removed from places in which it could be seen regularly.
Totalitarian governments want to eliminate religion. Why is that? They do not want a power higher than that which they have established on earth. It is easier to lead a people who believe this is all there is than a people who will fight for righteousness, giving God glory and Someone who can overrule the rules established by man. Those with faith know there is a reward that awaits them. They have Someone within them who motivates them beyond rules. They can't be fully controlled.
Psalm 33:12 (ESV)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
I understand that a judge has ruled that the government, whoever the government is, cannot declare a National Day of Prayer. This comes from an understanding of "Congress shall make no law for the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" from the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. The fact that the framers of these words called for prayer, voted to have Bibles printed from public funds and that then and now there is an established need for chaplains in our armed forces who are publicly funded seems to be ignored.
So you can ignore the context of the words, the practices of those who wrote them and the continued result of their actions and still be a judge who is upholding the rights established with these words. Does anyone else see the foolishness in this? The framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were clearly saying that no one should be made to go to church or practice any religion. I would fight for others rights to ignore religion but I will not stand still while other force me or others within Congress to ignore our faith. This is clearly trampling on the latter clause of "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion.
I realize that what I am about to say sounds like a conspiracy theory but I will still say it. Communists said that religion was the opiate of the masses. They spend decades trying to eradicate it from their countries. They were upfront and deliberate. There are those in the US who are carefully removing it from all phases of our lives. It has been taken from the schools and continues to be slowly removed from places in which it could be seen regularly.
Totalitarian governments want to eliminate religion. Why is that? They do not want a power higher than that which they have established on earth. It is easier to lead a people who believe this is all there is than a people who will fight for righteousness, giving God glory and Someone who can overrule the rules established by man. Those with faith know there is a reward that awaits them. They have Someone within them who motivates them beyond rules. They can't be fully controlled.
Psalm 33:12 (ESV)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Friday, April 16, 2010
People Need an Overwhelming "Yes!"
Maybe you are the person who can't say "no." You can't say it to your spouse, children or other relatives. You can't say it to your boss or other co-workers. You can't say it to your church. You can't say it to the salesman at your door. It means you have a lot of things you don't want.
It means you are living in a different kind of fear. You are afraid of disappointing others. Your life is frazzled. You are constantly behind. You have cluttered up everything and you can't do the things that you are really good at.
Do you want to keep doing this? Do you want to add so many things that others want to do that you have little time for what God called you to do? Do you want to continue seeking the most elusive joy of being perfect?
Why can't you say "no?" It is because you don't have an overwhelming "yes!"
A couple of years ago our church's benevolence ministry decided that its mission was to feed people who needed food. We got out of the paying rent, utilities, car repairs and a sundry of other bills which were brought to us. We concentrate of feeding people. Each week we give at least a week's food to over a hundred people. We are able to give them everything they need for their meals- even meat! We can do so because the whole church understands what we do. We can do so because we have a reputation for doing so. Other businesses have contributed to what we do. Panera Bread has been incredibly generous in giving us bread. Several grocery stores have added to our pantry of food. We work with the local Food Bank to get much of our food. Our church knows its mission in benevolence and is doing an outstanding job.
It wasn't always that way. Our benevolence ministry did a little bit of everything and didn't have a real mission. The result was a lack of understanding on the part of our church and for those who were in need. Of course, this now means we say "no" to those who come for other things but our "no" comes because we have a resounding "yes!"
Answer honestly: Am I fulfilled as a Christian? Do I know that I am doing what God wants me to do? Am I doing some things I believe I shouldn't be doing? Do I have an overwhelming "yes!" in my life? Your answer to these questions determines what you must do.
God has gifted you to do something that is special for you. You will love to do it once you are involved in it. You will use your spiritual gift(s) to fulfill this service. It may be that you have the gift of teaching and need to teach a Sunday School class. It may be that you have the gift of encouragement and need to lead a small group. It may be that you have the gift of mercy and need to start a grief ministry at your church.
You get better at doing what you are supposed to do each time you do it. You get worse when you are doing something that you are not supposed to do. Doing what you are supposed to do energizes you. Doing what you are not supposed to do just makes you tired. You look forward to doing what you are supposed to do. You dread doing what you shouldn't be doing.
When you have an ovewhelming "yes!" you should also have a resounding "no!" It makes our life into a life giving river rather than a stinky old swamp.
You know what you need to do.
1 Timothy 4:14-15 (NIV)
14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
It means you are living in a different kind of fear. You are afraid of disappointing others. Your life is frazzled. You are constantly behind. You have cluttered up everything and you can't do the things that you are really good at.
Do you want to keep doing this? Do you want to add so many things that others want to do that you have little time for what God called you to do? Do you want to continue seeking the most elusive joy of being perfect?
Why can't you say "no?" It is because you don't have an overwhelming "yes!"
A couple of years ago our church's benevolence ministry decided that its mission was to feed people who needed food. We got out of the paying rent, utilities, car repairs and a sundry of other bills which were brought to us. We concentrate of feeding people. Each week we give at least a week's food to over a hundred people. We are able to give them everything they need for their meals- even meat! We can do so because the whole church understands what we do. We can do so because we have a reputation for doing so. Other businesses have contributed to what we do. Panera Bread has been incredibly generous in giving us bread. Several grocery stores have added to our pantry of food. We work with the local Food Bank to get much of our food. Our church knows its mission in benevolence and is doing an outstanding job.
It wasn't always that way. Our benevolence ministry did a little bit of everything and didn't have a real mission. The result was a lack of understanding on the part of our church and for those who were in need. Of course, this now means we say "no" to those who come for other things but our "no" comes because we have a resounding "yes!"
Answer honestly: Am I fulfilled as a Christian? Do I know that I am doing what God wants me to do? Am I doing some things I believe I shouldn't be doing? Do I have an overwhelming "yes!" in my life? Your answer to these questions determines what you must do.
God has gifted you to do something that is special for you. You will love to do it once you are involved in it. You will use your spiritual gift(s) to fulfill this service. It may be that you have the gift of teaching and need to teach a Sunday School class. It may be that you have the gift of encouragement and need to lead a small group. It may be that you have the gift of mercy and need to start a grief ministry at your church.
You get better at doing what you are supposed to do each time you do it. You get worse when you are doing something that you are not supposed to do. Doing what you are supposed to do energizes you. Doing what you are not supposed to do just makes you tired. You look forward to doing what you are supposed to do. You dread doing what you shouldn't be doing.
When you have an ovewhelming "yes!" you should also have a resounding "no!" It makes our life into a life giving river rather than a stinky old swamp.
You know what you need to do.
1 Timothy 4:14-15 (NIV)
14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Taxman Cometh!
Stop reading this blog and get back to doing your taxes! (That is, if you haven't already finished them.)
Each year Americans have a infamous day when we all pay our dues. We rifle through 68,000 pages of tax code to find what we are supposed to pay. Even the best accountants don't know all the code. Any of them can make a mistake.
It is on this day that, while we say we live in a free country, we realize that nothing in our country is free! Every service provided, every politician elected, every federal employee, every bit of our security, education, research, roads and a myriad of other things present us with a bill that must be paid.
Many people are wanting to shrink our government and those bills, yet they can't agree on what things to shrink. It seems that everyone has an idea of what needs to stay and go but they can't agree on what those things are. Thus, we are much more likely to have a growing, rather than a shrinking, government. So, the government only has two choices if it continues to grow since it doesn't produce any marketable goods. It can print more money and/or raise the taxes. I can assure you that it will be a combination of both.
On the other hand, God has never wavered in His requirement. He told us that we need to give Him a tenth. That has stood for thousands of years. He never increased the amount. He said that by doing these things He would "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" if we would bring Him this tenth. I am not an accountant but that sounds like a much better deal than the government is giving me.
Please pay your taxes if you haven't already done so. Rejoice in these now because taxes have to go up. Next year you will pay more.
Matthew 22:16-21 (NIV)
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Each year Americans have a infamous day when we all pay our dues. We rifle through 68,000 pages of tax code to find what we are supposed to pay. Even the best accountants don't know all the code. Any of them can make a mistake.
It is on this day that, while we say we live in a free country, we realize that nothing in our country is free! Every service provided, every politician elected, every federal employee, every bit of our security, education, research, roads and a myriad of other things present us with a bill that must be paid.
Many people are wanting to shrink our government and those bills, yet they can't agree on what things to shrink. It seems that everyone has an idea of what needs to stay and go but they can't agree on what those things are. Thus, we are much more likely to have a growing, rather than a shrinking, government. So, the government only has two choices if it continues to grow since it doesn't produce any marketable goods. It can print more money and/or raise the taxes. I can assure you that it will be a combination of both.
On the other hand, God has never wavered in His requirement. He told us that we need to give Him a tenth. That has stood for thousands of years. He never increased the amount. He said that by doing these things He would "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" if we would bring Him this tenth. I am not an accountant but that sounds like a much better deal than the government is giving me.
Please pay your taxes if you haven't already done so. Rejoice in these now because taxes have to go up. Next year you will pay more.
Matthew 22:16-21 (NIV)
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
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