A number of years ago, I went to a Tenebrae Service (it is a service held on Good Friday and is very quiet, somber and reflective in nature) and during the course of the service, I came across Psalms 24. As I reflected on the passage, there are several key elements that I took away from that passage and I have been reminded of those as of recently.
The crux of the passage for me is in verses 3-6 where King David ask the all important question of who can actually ascend the hill of the Lord. What David is really asking is God really approachable and personable, or is God some sort of distant Deity that rules with an iron fist. In the time of David, the thought of the day that the Deities of the day sat on top of the highest mountain ruling the earth. So if people wanted to meet with the deity, they would encamp around a particular mountain and I would venture to guess that a few brave souls would try and climb that mountain to meet their god. What David is telling us, is that not only God approachable and personable, but there are requirements to being in His presence.
The first requirement is that our actions do matter. What we do and how we treat people is important to God. I think how we treat people through our actions is important, because we can easily either degrade or uplift people by what we do to them or for them. As important as to focus on our actions, we also need to be careful what we say. If you spend any time on social media, people are quite vicious to each other. Some of it is that there is a lack of accountability. I can call someone a jerk on Facebook and have no fear of being punched in the face as if I were to do it in person. So here is my question, do our words and actions build each other up, or do they tend to be sarcastic in nature and tend to tear people down or apart. What we do and say is a reflection of the condition or heart.
The second requirement is that as much as our words and actions matter, our intentions matter just as much. One of the things I have wrestled with is that is doing the wrong thing for the right reason still wrong. I have come to the conclusion that it is still wrong just as doing the right thing for the wrong reason is just as wrong. I know I have been guilty of this, it is dong something nice so that I might gain favor with someone or that it will get me out of some future trouble. Our are intentions God fearing or self fulfilling. To help decipher where our intentions lie, as who will be glorified the most, ourselves, others or God along with does it build people up or bring them down. Our goal is so that our actions and actions match up and this only can happen through God changing our heart. Here is a good reminder. Our thoughts/intentions often leads to words, our words often lead to actions and our actions builds our character. So if any one thing goes unchecked for a period of time, it can lead to some serious issues.
The third requirement is that we be pure in heart. This harkens back to the Beatitudes found in Mathew 5. Being pure in heart is more than just looking the part. It is more than showing up to church/small group along with doing and saying all the churchy things are important, but are we doing these things out of show or is it because we are the real deal. When we do things for show, it eventually will catch up with us and our true colors will shine through. In essence, sometimes faking it till you make it is still faking it no matter how hard one tries.
Being pure in heart often manifest itself in how we treat other people. Are we people of our word and keep up what we promise to the best of our ability. Do we honor our commitments in a timely manner while doing it to the best of our ability. How do we treat others who honor who may owe us something? Do we treat them with respect our do we gouge them for everything they are worth. Being pure in heart is loving God with all we have, and letting Him transform us while loving our neighbor as ourselves. Being pure in heart does not mean we are nieve or aloof. It means we take an honest look at life and where we are at. It also is knowing what we are created for and pursuing that while setting our hearts and minds to everything that is good, right, pure and just.
The fourth requirement is that not all who wants to ascend the hill of the Lord will make it. Whether the cost is to great, or we are being stubborn, or good ole apathy, not everyone will make it to heaven. Even though God is a personable and not only wants to meet with us, but provides a way, not all will do it. We are reminded at the beginning of the chapter that God is the Creator of all and all the earth belongs to Him. We can not reach heaven on our own terms, because God is Holy, Just and Righteous, and our sin without the atoning work of Jesus wont get us into heaven. Getting into heaven on our own is about as easy as getting into the Oval Office without the blessing or the invitation of the President. The rock n world has made a keen observation about this world and eternity. If there is a stairway to heaven and a highway to hell, this should tell us about the expected traffic flow to both places. My final question is this, are we Christians in name only, or are we becoming disciples, putting into practice what it means to love God with everything we have and loving our neighbors as ourselves day in and day out?
Monday, November 20, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Picking up my cross
In a previous post, I discussed some of my observations from N.T. Wrights book The Day the Revolution Started. There is one thought that I didn't explore in the post because in all reality, it deserves its own post and I will try and tackle it today. The thought is that when Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16, that if they wanted to follow Him, they needed to deny themselves and pick up their crosses. This is a scary thought, not matter the time period, and what does it mean for us to pick up our cross and to bear it daily. There are several implications to this phrase that scare me and here is the first one.
The first implication is that the phrase "to pick up ones cross" has a totally different meaning in the first century then it does today. The Romans were really good at finding gruesome ways getting rid of infidels and criminals. The most gruesome way was the death by cross, because people died by suffocation when they were executed this way. This means someone was going to die a long and painful death. What made this phrase so revolting is that in the first century, you could find crosses up and down road with people being executed this way. The imagery would of provoked great fear in to those who would of heard Jesus say those words and it is a realization that picking up ones cross would lead to humiliation, great pain, and eventually death. What Jesus is really saying, is that following Him is not easy, pretty and it involves us dying to ourselves on a daily basis so that He may fully reign in us. Essentially Jesus is drawing the line in the sand. It is either our way or His way, and there is no middle ground. Its an all or nothing type of deal and there are consequences for what we chose.
The second implication that I realized is that as Americans, we don't handle death well. Whether it is not talking about/to trying to put a positive spin on it or searching for the best medical attention we can afford or find. In a book I am reading by Caleb Wilde, The Confessions of a Funeral Director, he makes the observation that when he is picking up a body from an institution for embalming, he is usually directed to the back door for pick up of the deceased body. The implication is that we like to hid death and if we hide it, that means it either didn't happen, or its not real or that we do not have to deal with it right now. People deal with death in their own way, and I find some of them rather weird, especially in the planning of the service or at the funeral service itself. In all reality, there are only two ways we leave this planet and the first and most popular one right now is by death.
The other part of this implication is that when we die to ourselves, it leads to a life better than we could have planned for ourselves. In the spring time, if we want to see new leaves, the old ones need to die and to fall off either during the previous fall or during the winter. But there always seems to be the pesky leaf or two that still holds on, and the only way it will fall off is if there is new life being coming in behind it. In essence, if we want new leaves, the old ones have to die and fall off first. This is the same way in life, we all want new habits, or a different outlook on life. The only way this will happen is if we put to death the old, so we can have not only new life, but so we can have it abundantly. To look at it this way, to die just to die is kind of pointless and maybe even a little vain, but are we allowing death to ourselves so that can shape us into the people He wants us to be.
The third implication is that picking up ones cross shows ones commitment level. When Jesus tells His disciples and us for that matter, following Him is an all or nothing commitment. We can not pick and choose what we want to follow or make some half ass commitment in following Him. Jesus keeps it really real, and really simple. To quote the movie Happy Gilmore, "Do you want a piece of me Bob" and Bob Barkers response is "I don't want a piece of you, I want the whole thing." By the way, God is the same way, He doesn't want just a piece of us, but He wants all of us. I know in my life, when I am not fully committed, I don't give it my all, and not only do I miss out on some really cool stuff, we are cheating God and others. When we half ass it with God, we are really saying that we are either lazy, apathetic, or we are willing to only follow God on the parts we want to or until it gets rough. In all honesty, we demand all of God, we demand all of other people, and yet we only require minimal effort from ourselves. This does not seem right and it isn't
The last implication is that in order for us not only to have eternal life, but a life worth living on this side of heaven is that we need to die to ourselves. Are we willing to live our lives comfortably, or at be the king of our castle on this side of eternity and totally miss an eternity with God. I get it, we all want to be like Sinatra and do things our way, but how often does doing things our way actually work out. In my experience when we do this, our lives turns into a Michael Bay move with a lot of explosions, action, but the story line is lacking at best. We have to be honest with ourselves and realize that most if not all of our ideas and motives are questionable at best. Its really asking what is the point of having everything I want and or desire if it leads me to missing out on eternal life. The last I checked, what God values is not only way better, but it is also better than anything this world has to offer. So, how often are we picking up our cross and dying to ourselves so that we can seek Gods Kingdom and Righteousness first. The last time I checked this needs to be at leas a daily thing if not a moment by moment decision,
The first implication is that the phrase "to pick up ones cross" has a totally different meaning in the first century then it does today. The Romans were really good at finding gruesome ways getting rid of infidels and criminals. The most gruesome way was the death by cross, because people died by suffocation when they were executed this way. This means someone was going to die a long and painful death. What made this phrase so revolting is that in the first century, you could find crosses up and down road with people being executed this way. The imagery would of provoked great fear in to those who would of heard Jesus say those words and it is a realization that picking up ones cross would lead to humiliation, great pain, and eventually death. What Jesus is really saying, is that following Him is not easy, pretty and it involves us dying to ourselves on a daily basis so that He may fully reign in us. Essentially Jesus is drawing the line in the sand. It is either our way or His way, and there is no middle ground. Its an all or nothing type of deal and there are consequences for what we chose.
The second implication that I realized is that as Americans, we don't handle death well. Whether it is not talking about/to trying to put a positive spin on it or searching for the best medical attention we can afford or find. In a book I am reading by Caleb Wilde, The Confessions of a Funeral Director, he makes the observation that when he is picking up a body from an institution for embalming, he is usually directed to the back door for pick up of the deceased body. The implication is that we like to hid death and if we hide it, that means it either didn't happen, or its not real or that we do not have to deal with it right now. People deal with death in their own way, and I find some of them rather weird, especially in the planning of the service or at the funeral service itself. In all reality, there are only two ways we leave this planet and the first and most popular one right now is by death.
The other part of this implication is that when we die to ourselves, it leads to a life better than we could have planned for ourselves. In the spring time, if we want to see new leaves, the old ones need to die and to fall off either during the previous fall or during the winter. But there always seems to be the pesky leaf or two that still holds on, and the only way it will fall off is if there is new life being coming in behind it. In essence, if we want new leaves, the old ones have to die and fall off first. This is the same way in life, we all want new habits, or a different outlook on life. The only way this will happen is if we put to death the old, so we can have not only new life, but so we can have it abundantly. To look at it this way, to die just to die is kind of pointless and maybe even a little vain, but are we allowing death to ourselves so that can shape us into the people He wants us to be.
The third implication is that picking up ones cross shows ones commitment level. When Jesus tells His disciples and us for that matter, following Him is an all or nothing commitment. We can not pick and choose what we want to follow or make some half ass commitment in following Him. Jesus keeps it really real, and really simple. To quote the movie Happy Gilmore, "Do you want a piece of me Bob" and Bob Barkers response is "I don't want a piece of you, I want the whole thing." By the way, God is the same way, He doesn't want just a piece of us, but He wants all of us. I know in my life, when I am not fully committed, I don't give it my all, and not only do I miss out on some really cool stuff, we are cheating God and others. When we half ass it with God, we are really saying that we are either lazy, apathetic, or we are willing to only follow God on the parts we want to or until it gets rough. In all honesty, we demand all of God, we demand all of other people, and yet we only require minimal effort from ourselves. This does not seem right and it isn't
The last implication is that in order for us not only to have eternal life, but a life worth living on this side of heaven is that we need to die to ourselves. Are we willing to live our lives comfortably, or at be the king of our castle on this side of eternity and totally miss an eternity with God. I get it, we all want to be like Sinatra and do things our way, but how often does doing things our way actually work out. In my experience when we do this, our lives turns into a Michael Bay move with a lot of explosions, action, but the story line is lacking at best. We have to be honest with ourselves and realize that most if not all of our ideas and motives are questionable at best. Its really asking what is the point of having everything I want and or desire if it leads me to missing out on eternal life. The last I checked, what God values is not only way better, but it is also better than anything this world has to offer. So, how often are we picking up our cross and dying to ourselves so that we can seek Gods Kingdom and Righteousness first. The last time I checked this needs to be at leas a daily thing if not a moment by moment decision,
Saturday, November 4, 2017
Being still
Today is the opening of Minnesota's favorite holiday which is rifle season for hunting deer. People put on their favorite color of orange and head to their favorite hunting places to spend at least the weekend if not the full week of hunting, eating and sharing exaggerated tales of days gone by. I know for many, my family included, the hunting is cool, getting a deer is even better, but it is the ability to share several meals with friends you haven't seen since the last deer season is the highlight of the season. One of the characteristics of being a good hunter is the ability to be stay still and to be quiet for long periods of time. When one is able to do this, our senses our usually heightened because the chances of that trophy deer to walk by increases. There are several observations that I have made about being quiet and still that hit close to home.
The first one is that as Americans, we have a hard time being quiet and still. If we don't have our earphones plugged in, surfing our social media accounts, or watching/doing the next great thing, we find something else to distract our attention. If any of you have ever watched tv with me while I have held the remote knows that I cant stay one station long and I despise commercials. It got to the point when I would go over to a friends house, I could not touch the remote. Sometimes in order to be quiet, we have to be content with where we are and with our situation. Being content often gets rid of our distractions to be people pleasers, and learning to find value in what we have. Here is just a forewarning, being content does not mean we are lazy. Just as any good hunter knows deer movement and knowing when to change locations and where too, being content should lead us to do the same thing. Its knowing when and where we need to grow and making those changes without making a big scene out of it.
The second observation is that learning how to be still and content is that it limits the bonehead decisions. How often when things are not going well, or even when they are, we make a rash decision and it ends up back firing on us. These decisions tend to be messy and to use a popular phrase, its like poop hitting the fan. When we are learning to be content with what we have, we may not know what all of our steps are going to be, but we know what the next one is and it is taking it. There are plenty of times where that next step takes us out of our comfort zone, but we know it is the next step and it is an important one. It is learning the difference between taking risk and being stupid. The last time I checked, God doesn't call us to stupidity. Where God is calling us is often where we are fighting against the most or just avoiding all together. This usually leads to a lot of awkward silence.
The third observation about being content is that we listen. When we listen, we are not listening to respond, but listening to learn. This usually happens when the world is throwing the kitchen sink at us and Murphy and his stupid laws are camping out in your life, During this time who we listen to is very important. We will hear those dominate voices in our life, and they range from your a no good idiot, to what on Gods green earth are you doing, to people who are in your corner giving you encouragement and telling you to keep on keeping on. If we listen close enough, the next step that we should take often comes in a still small voice, and the only way we can hear it is if we turn off the noise and shut up. Often during these times we are in the valley and maybe even in the shadow of death, but its where we grow the most because in the valley is where the good grass is. The last time I checked, God usually doesn't send out emails, rent billboards or post on our Facebook walls to talk to us or make His point, but He often speaks to us in the still small voice. Are we quiet enough to find it and listen to it, or do we keep listening to the distractions.
The fourth observation comes from Psalms 46. The Psalmist writing about how the chaos of life is throwing the author for a loop. To put it in modern terms, it is being stuck in a crappy job with no way out, bills that are pilling up, unfavorable medical situation to family/relational strife. I have seen verse ten broken down this way:
Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know that
Be still and know
Be still and
Be still
Be
We can have all the right answers and we can put away all of the distractions, but its about knowing who we are, knowing God and living in the present situation that we a child of His no matter what and living in that reality. The sooner we realize that our life is about our actions coming out of who we are and not vice versa, the better life will be.
The first one is that as Americans, we have a hard time being quiet and still. If we don't have our earphones plugged in, surfing our social media accounts, or watching/doing the next great thing, we find something else to distract our attention. If any of you have ever watched tv with me while I have held the remote knows that I cant stay one station long and I despise commercials. It got to the point when I would go over to a friends house, I could not touch the remote. Sometimes in order to be quiet, we have to be content with where we are and with our situation. Being content often gets rid of our distractions to be people pleasers, and learning to find value in what we have. Here is just a forewarning, being content does not mean we are lazy. Just as any good hunter knows deer movement and knowing when to change locations and where too, being content should lead us to do the same thing. Its knowing when and where we need to grow and making those changes without making a big scene out of it.
The second observation is that learning how to be still and content is that it limits the bonehead decisions. How often when things are not going well, or even when they are, we make a rash decision and it ends up back firing on us. These decisions tend to be messy and to use a popular phrase, its like poop hitting the fan. When we are learning to be content with what we have, we may not know what all of our steps are going to be, but we know what the next one is and it is taking it. There are plenty of times where that next step takes us out of our comfort zone, but we know it is the next step and it is an important one. It is learning the difference between taking risk and being stupid. The last time I checked, God doesn't call us to stupidity. Where God is calling us is often where we are fighting against the most or just avoiding all together. This usually leads to a lot of awkward silence.
The third observation about being content is that we listen. When we listen, we are not listening to respond, but listening to learn. This usually happens when the world is throwing the kitchen sink at us and Murphy and his stupid laws are camping out in your life, During this time who we listen to is very important. We will hear those dominate voices in our life, and they range from your a no good idiot, to what on Gods green earth are you doing, to people who are in your corner giving you encouragement and telling you to keep on keeping on. If we listen close enough, the next step that we should take often comes in a still small voice, and the only way we can hear it is if we turn off the noise and shut up. Often during these times we are in the valley and maybe even in the shadow of death, but its where we grow the most because in the valley is where the good grass is. The last time I checked, God usually doesn't send out emails, rent billboards or post on our Facebook walls to talk to us or make His point, but He often speaks to us in the still small voice. Are we quiet enough to find it and listen to it, or do we keep listening to the distractions.
The fourth observation comes from Psalms 46. The Psalmist writing about how the chaos of life is throwing the author for a loop. To put it in modern terms, it is being stuck in a crappy job with no way out, bills that are pilling up, unfavorable medical situation to family/relational strife. I have seen verse ten broken down this way:
Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know that
Be still and know
Be still and
Be still
Be
We can have all the right answers and we can put away all of the distractions, but its about knowing who we are, knowing God and living in the present situation that we a child of His no matter what and living in that reality. The sooner we realize that our life is about our actions coming out of who we are and not vice versa, the better life will be.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
revolution of love
I just recently finished up my new favorite NT Wright book, which is The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus' Crucifixion. Not only does the book explore the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it also puts the rubber to the road of the practicality of what Jesus did for us. There are several things that NT Wright talks about in the book that caught my attention that is worth exploring.
The first observation that occurred to me is that NT Wright doesn't give as much time on the different atonement theories as I would have thought. The different atonement theories are the Ransom Theory, where Christ death and resurrection was used as a ransom to buy us back from some Satan. The Penal Substitution Theory is where God took our place on the cross. The Recapitulation Theory is that Christ death and resurrection turns our disobedience to obedience. The example theory is that Christ provides an example for us so that we have an example to follow. These theories all have some positives along with glaring weaknesses. The author puts them into their place and the author puts them in their perspective place for something better.
The second observation that I made is that NT Wright focused more on covenant theology instead of the atonement theories. We can see throughout the Bible that God has created covenants with His people. Covenant is different than a promise because both parties agree to it and there are dire consequences if one or both parties do not meet up to expectation. Two of the more famous covenants that we see made in the Bible are made with Noah and Abraham. Noah's covenant was that God will not flood the earth again and we were given Gods word through the rainbow. The other famous covenant made was with Abraham and that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Gods ultimate covenant is that He will be our God and that we will be His people. Christ death and resurrection provides the way for it to happen.
The third observation that I made is this idea that leaving this earth and getting to go to heaven may not be the most Biblical idea out there. This idea leads to an escapist theology that relies on us getting saved and then wanting to get out of here. We find in the Creation story in Genesis that when God created the heavens and the earth, He called it good. There is also the statement in Revelation that Jesus comes to make all things new. The third question is that why would Jesus suffer a brutal death and be resurrected in bodily form if heaven was our final destination. Throughout the four Gospels, there is a lot of time devoted to the Kingdom of God. When the discussion of God's kingdom came about, there are two things to notice. The first one is that Gods Kingdom is in the here and now and also not yet, which means we are living in Gods Kingdom, but it still needs to be completed. The second observation is that with all of the talk about the Kingdom of God, there is no mention of escaping to that mansion on the hill. Here is a quick reminder, our salvation can not be bought or even earned. It comes from Gods grace and Him desiring to be in relationship with His creation. If salvation and the Kingdom of God is in the here and now, should it change how we live and see ourselves and other people?
My final observation is an actual quote from the book and here it is.
What if having our sins forgiven is to small of a thing, but the death and resurrection is about the
kingdom being restored and a royal priesthood being realized.
The observation is this, sometimes I think we think to little of Gods grace or we try to limit it to certain things or we just want to place it in a cute little box. Gods grace is so much more than we realize. Gods grace and power tore the Vail in the temple to the Holy of Holies so that anyone can have access to God. When we accept Gods grace, we become a member of the royal priesthood. What this entails is another blog post. A quick reference would be to read the book of Hebrews. Being a member of the royal priesthood means that we are pointing people towards Jesus and putting skin on what grace, mercy and forgiveness looks like. This is reflecting the image of God and realizing that His love is revolutionary and when we embrace the power of love instead of the love of power cool things happen and the world is changed
The first observation that occurred to me is that NT Wright doesn't give as much time on the different atonement theories as I would have thought. The different atonement theories are the Ransom Theory, where Christ death and resurrection was used as a ransom to buy us back from some Satan. The Penal Substitution Theory is where God took our place on the cross. The Recapitulation Theory is that Christ death and resurrection turns our disobedience to obedience. The example theory is that Christ provides an example for us so that we have an example to follow. These theories all have some positives along with glaring weaknesses. The author puts them into their place and the author puts them in their perspective place for something better.
The second observation that I made is that NT Wright focused more on covenant theology instead of the atonement theories. We can see throughout the Bible that God has created covenants with His people. Covenant is different than a promise because both parties agree to it and there are dire consequences if one or both parties do not meet up to expectation. Two of the more famous covenants that we see made in the Bible are made with Noah and Abraham. Noah's covenant was that God will not flood the earth again and we were given Gods word through the rainbow. The other famous covenant made was with Abraham and that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Gods ultimate covenant is that He will be our God and that we will be His people. Christ death and resurrection provides the way for it to happen.
The third observation that I made is this idea that leaving this earth and getting to go to heaven may not be the most Biblical idea out there. This idea leads to an escapist theology that relies on us getting saved and then wanting to get out of here. We find in the Creation story in Genesis that when God created the heavens and the earth, He called it good. There is also the statement in Revelation that Jesus comes to make all things new. The third question is that why would Jesus suffer a brutal death and be resurrected in bodily form if heaven was our final destination. Throughout the four Gospels, there is a lot of time devoted to the Kingdom of God. When the discussion of God's kingdom came about, there are two things to notice. The first one is that Gods Kingdom is in the here and now and also not yet, which means we are living in Gods Kingdom, but it still needs to be completed. The second observation is that with all of the talk about the Kingdom of God, there is no mention of escaping to that mansion on the hill. Here is a quick reminder, our salvation can not be bought or even earned. It comes from Gods grace and Him desiring to be in relationship with His creation. If salvation and the Kingdom of God is in the here and now, should it change how we live and see ourselves and other people?
My final observation is an actual quote from the book and here it is.
What if having our sins forgiven is to small of a thing, but the death and resurrection is about the
kingdom being restored and a royal priesthood being realized.
The observation is this, sometimes I think we think to little of Gods grace or we try to limit it to certain things or we just want to place it in a cute little box. Gods grace is so much more than we realize. Gods grace and power tore the Vail in the temple to the Holy of Holies so that anyone can have access to God. When we accept Gods grace, we become a member of the royal priesthood. What this entails is another blog post. A quick reference would be to read the book of Hebrews. Being a member of the royal priesthood means that we are pointing people towards Jesus and putting skin on what grace, mercy and forgiveness looks like. This is reflecting the image of God and realizing that His love is revolutionary and when we embrace the power of love instead of the love of power cool things happen and the world is changed
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Lamenting
One observation I have made is this, and it is that the prophets of the Old Testament are not for the faint of heart nor do you get the warm fuzzes from reading them. There more in tuned with being Gods messenger to the nation of Israel in times of destruction and often provide a warning to people of what will happen if things won't change. They are more concerned with the message and life change, and not being liked or followed by scores of people. I think this what our culture has dubbed "real talk." Real talk cares not so much about feelings, but about the message. As Christians, we should be concerned with real talk, and more importantly, are we doing it out of love, with grace and humility, and aiming that it leads to life change. In essence, real talk, the messenger gets out of the way, and provides the message that God has given to them. One prophet that provides a lot of real talk is the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations. What inspired this post is the book Prophetic Lamentations by Soong-Chan Rah. The book came out of a several week preaching series on the book of Lamentations at a church he was a pastor at.
Here is a brief synopsis on the book of Lamentations. The city of Jerusalem is in ruins cause Babylon came and torched the city, and hauled off all of the promising talent, while leaving everyone else in the midst of chaos and despair. People were left for dead and the Temple, which was a place of worship and even national identity for the nation of Israel was no more because it was torched. The state of Jerusalem at that time is every country song/end of the world/zombie move x10.in the midst of the chaos, destruction, and hopelessness, the book of Lamentations teaches us what it means to really lament and that there can be hope in the mist of our despair. You know things are bad when Jeremiah walks around Jerusalem in his naked proclaiming Gods message. Maybe he felt that he wasn't being heard or desperate times calls for desperate measures.
The first observation about true lamenting is that lamenting is being brutally honest with ourselves, others and God. How often do we sugar coat things to make them better than what they really are. The flip side of that is how often do we make mountains out of mole hills. True lamenting is taking a look at the situation and admitting that the marriage is over, that the relationship is beyond repair, we are never going to have our dream job. True lamenting is grieving those things, but also moving on. It is living within those consequences and moving forward. It is not letting a certain person or situation handicap us. True lamenting also takes stock in how our actions contributed to where we are at. Not only does lamenting take a look at our actions, but it also takes a look at are attitudes, intentions, talents, or the lack there of and seeing how they all played apart to where we are at. Tue lamenting is taking a look at all things and coming up with a plan to fix things when possible, and to grow and mature from this.
This also means we are completely honest with God. When I think of true lamenting, sometimes I think it is giving God the preverbal finger and being totally angry/frustrated/lost with God. Its admitting to not knowing what is going on and that we are extremely angry. Where true lamenting comes in, is when we learn to be quiet and listen to God. Just like Job we demand our day in court with God, but we also have to embrace Gods response to us because where were we when He created the heavens and the earth. I find that a lot of my frustration with God comes from my own stupidity and sinful actions, thoughts and intentions.
The second observation about lamenting is the idea that we put false hope away. One of the more popular sayings among Christians is that it may be Friday, but Sunday is coming. It is referencing Easter and the resurrection. Having this thinking often minimizes the pain, struggle and sin that has taken place. There are times where we need to be comfortable with living in the Easter Saturday. I did an internship with the spiritual care team at a Catholic hospital and I went to the Good Friday service held in the chapel. The box where the wafers are kept for commune is closed up when not in use, until Good Friday, where the wafers are removed and the box is left open. This spoke volumes to me because it signified that God was dead and any hope that we have when the way of Elvis and left the building. How often in our lamenting do we thing that God either abandoned us, doesn't care, or just all out died. This is a hard place to be in and we have all been there. True lamenting allows us to be honest with our emotions and to fully take stock in what is going on. We have a choice to either keep on keeping on, or just walk away from it all. When we keep on keeping on, God will reach down and reveal Himself to us and we just have to look for it.
Here is a little rabbit trail on the idea of false hopes. We often think that God will come down and make everything better when we cry out to Him. This leads to one of the Bibles most quoted verses, which is Jeremiah 29:11, which the prophet tells us that God has a plan and that is a good plan, and that He has our best interest in mind. What people tend to forget is the context to that verse. Israel is still stuck in captivity and that God told to build houses, plant gardens and marry their children, because they were going to be there for awhile. God isn't always going to be our white knight and come riding in to save us out of our every mess that we are in. There are times where we have to live with those consequences that we brought upon ourselves.
The third observation about lamenting that I pick up on is this idea of Gods mercy. I find it really interesting that in the middle of the book, Jeremiah proclaims Gods goodness and that His mercy is new every day. Jeremiah also reminds us that God will never leave us, and that He is our rock. True lamenting is realizing that God is still God and that He still loves and cares for us. Tue lamenting is a realization that God punishes those whom He loves and calls His own. The other aspect of it is that we live in a fallen world and that others peoples actions will have consequences on our personal lives and there are time those consequences are not good. God will come in and rectify those wrongs and give everyone what they deserve. As it is said, vengeance belongs to God and not us
The fourth observation of lamenting is that there is a community side to it. We can all point out the sins of others and the downfall of different groups and generations, but it is really hard to figure out our own issues whether personally or as a group. True lamenting means that we can come together as a church (local, national or universal), or as a nation and do some introspecting. It is realizing where have fallen short, seeking the forgiveness of God and others. One of the underlying principles to lament is humility. It is taking the honest look at ourselves and not only realizing where we need to improve or ask for help, but it is also doing it. When we truly lament we don't see people as second class citizens, but as people who are worth more than millions because they are created in the very image of the God of the universe
The fifth observation is a short one, but a good one and that is lament can and should be used as a form of worship. If you were to read through the Psalms, lamenting is a very big part of the songs and hymns of this book. Putting our sorrow or life circumstances to song often helps us deal with them and to realize that no matter what we go through, our worship is reorienting ourselves and putting God back on His throne. It is also reminding ourselves and to the world that God loves and cares for us more than we can imagine.
Here is a brief synopsis on the book of Lamentations. The city of Jerusalem is in ruins cause Babylon came and torched the city, and hauled off all of the promising talent, while leaving everyone else in the midst of chaos and despair. People were left for dead and the Temple, which was a place of worship and even national identity for the nation of Israel was no more because it was torched. The state of Jerusalem at that time is every country song/end of the world/zombie move x10.in the midst of the chaos, destruction, and hopelessness, the book of Lamentations teaches us what it means to really lament and that there can be hope in the mist of our despair. You know things are bad when Jeremiah walks around Jerusalem in his naked proclaiming Gods message. Maybe he felt that he wasn't being heard or desperate times calls for desperate measures.
The first observation about true lamenting is that lamenting is being brutally honest with ourselves, others and God. How often do we sugar coat things to make them better than what they really are. The flip side of that is how often do we make mountains out of mole hills. True lamenting is taking a look at the situation and admitting that the marriage is over, that the relationship is beyond repair, we are never going to have our dream job. True lamenting is grieving those things, but also moving on. It is living within those consequences and moving forward. It is not letting a certain person or situation handicap us. True lamenting also takes stock in how our actions contributed to where we are at. Not only does lamenting take a look at our actions, but it also takes a look at are attitudes, intentions, talents, or the lack there of and seeing how they all played apart to where we are at. Tue lamenting is taking a look at all things and coming up with a plan to fix things when possible, and to grow and mature from this.
This also means we are completely honest with God. When I think of true lamenting, sometimes I think it is giving God the preverbal finger and being totally angry/frustrated/lost with God. Its admitting to not knowing what is going on and that we are extremely angry. Where true lamenting comes in, is when we learn to be quiet and listen to God. Just like Job we demand our day in court with God, but we also have to embrace Gods response to us because where were we when He created the heavens and the earth. I find that a lot of my frustration with God comes from my own stupidity and sinful actions, thoughts and intentions.
The second observation about lamenting is the idea that we put false hope away. One of the more popular sayings among Christians is that it may be Friday, but Sunday is coming. It is referencing Easter and the resurrection. Having this thinking often minimizes the pain, struggle and sin that has taken place. There are times where we need to be comfortable with living in the Easter Saturday. I did an internship with the spiritual care team at a Catholic hospital and I went to the Good Friday service held in the chapel. The box where the wafers are kept for commune is closed up when not in use, until Good Friday, where the wafers are removed and the box is left open. This spoke volumes to me because it signified that God was dead and any hope that we have when the way of Elvis and left the building. How often in our lamenting do we thing that God either abandoned us, doesn't care, or just all out died. This is a hard place to be in and we have all been there. True lamenting allows us to be honest with our emotions and to fully take stock in what is going on. We have a choice to either keep on keeping on, or just walk away from it all. When we keep on keeping on, God will reach down and reveal Himself to us and we just have to look for it.
Here is a little rabbit trail on the idea of false hopes. We often think that God will come down and make everything better when we cry out to Him. This leads to one of the Bibles most quoted verses, which is Jeremiah 29:11, which the prophet tells us that God has a plan and that is a good plan, and that He has our best interest in mind. What people tend to forget is the context to that verse. Israel is still stuck in captivity and that God told to build houses, plant gardens and marry their children, because they were going to be there for awhile. God isn't always going to be our white knight and come riding in to save us out of our every mess that we are in. There are times where we have to live with those consequences that we brought upon ourselves.
The third observation about lamenting that I pick up on is this idea of Gods mercy. I find it really interesting that in the middle of the book, Jeremiah proclaims Gods goodness and that His mercy is new every day. Jeremiah also reminds us that God will never leave us, and that He is our rock. True lamenting is realizing that God is still God and that He still loves and cares for us. Tue lamenting is a realization that God punishes those whom He loves and calls His own. The other aspect of it is that we live in a fallen world and that others peoples actions will have consequences on our personal lives and there are time those consequences are not good. God will come in and rectify those wrongs and give everyone what they deserve. As it is said, vengeance belongs to God and not us
The fourth observation of lamenting is that there is a community side to it. We can all point out the sins of others and the downfall of different groups and generations, but it is really hard to figure out our own issues whether personally or as a group. True lamenting means that we can come together as a church (local, national or universal), or as a nation and do some introspecting. It is realizing where have fallen short, seeking the forgiveness of God and others. One of the underlying principles to lament is humility. It is taking the honest look at ourselves and not only realizing where we need to improve or ask for help, but it is also doing it. When we truly lament we don't see people as second class citizens, but as people who are worth more than millions because they are created in the very image of the God of the universe
The fifth observation is a short one, but a good one and that is lament can and should be used as a form of worship. If you were to read through the Psalms, lamenting is a very big part of the songs and hymns of this book. Putting our sorrow or life circumstances to song often helps us deal with them and to realize that no matter what we go through, our worship is reorienting ourselves and putting God back on His throne. It is also reminding ourselves and to the world that God loves and cares for us more than we can imagine.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Being right vs being truthful
I’ve been reading a biography on 18th century politician Henry Clay and he is credited with the quote of "I would rather be right than president." So let me ask a burning question. What is that one thing that you want, desire, or maybe even need, and you are willing to do anything to get it? Are you willing to work hard and honestly for it, or are you willing to cut corners, stretching or concealing the truth, (because all out lying is just plain wrong) or selling out anybody and everybody you can to get what you want or so you can be right? So here are some observations about being right and being truthful.
Being right and being truthful do have some similarities, but I think there are some differences. The first observation about being right is that it follows a strict guideline. The thing about being right, is that it can focus on something that is an objective standard, like how the sun rises in the east. But being right also can be very subjective, and it comes down to personal preference like who is the better football team, the Vikings or Packers. When we focus on the more subjective issues, we tend to argue to we are blue in our face with someone and we will get nowhere fast.
A second observation is that being right is based on our standards that we create. It is really hard to be wrong in our own eyes, especially when we define what is right and wrong. When we get to define what is right and wrong, we tend make what we like into the things that are right, and things that we struggle with or dislike we tend to make wrong. It tends to be very subjective and self glorifying, but in this self glorification, we tend to become weighed down and legalistic. It is doing something because we have to and not because we want to.
A third observation about being right is that we tend to go on personal crusades. We are seeking people to join us and to tear down anybody who opposes us. This thought process tends to over glorify people and making them out better than what they are because they agree with us. We also tend to vilify people who don’t agree with us or are not on our team. A prime example of this is this years presidential election.
Here are some observations about being truthful versus being right. When we are more concerned about being truthful, we are more concerned with making sure things are being done honestly and done the right way the first time. This idea, people are held accountable for their actions and we all check our egos at the door. It is learning and practicing a little bit of humility in our interactions with ourselves, others and God. It is seeing a situation for what it is and working with our biases so that that we do not blow anything out of proportion?
The second observation about being truthful that it is based on objective statements or standards. Truth can stand on its own, and there is no wiggle room around it. Truth is based on something that is concrete and never changing to meet our needs and the times. All truth is found in and through God and He is the standard. When we are truthful, we are aiming to live a Godly life and to have His ways be our ways. It is a realization that all is good and holy comes from God.
The third observation about being truthful is that according to the Gospel of John, when we know the truth, it shall set us free. To put it plainly, when we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember what we say, because our story will always be the same. The other freeing part about truth is that it looks at things fort they way they are and what they could be. Truth takes a look at things honestly and shares it without sugar coating it and there is always a sense of tack. In all reality, it doesnt make a mole hill into a mountain and it doesn’t turn a mountain into a mole hill. The most freeing part of being truthful is that it is done out of love and care not only for other people, but ourselves. When we are truthful, it brings about honesty and in all reality, what is more freeing than honesty and Jesus?
The last observation for now about truth is the idea that it does not seek to gain or manipulate. When we tell people things that we think they want to hear, or expect that from others, we are really lying and manipulating others and ourselves to either get what we want or to make ourselves look better. Truth is about being honest, no matter what the consequences are.
Being right and being truthful do have some similarities, but I think there are some differences. The first observation about being right is that it follows a strict guideline. The thing about being right, is that it can focus on something that is an objective standard, like how the sun rises in the east. But being right also can be very subjective, and it comes down to personal preference like who is the better football team, the Vikings or Packers. When we focus on the more subjective issues, we tend to argue to we are blue in our face with someone and we will get nowhere fast.
A second observation is that being right is based on our standards that we create. It is really hard to be wrong in our own eyes, especially when we define what is right and wrong. When we get to define what is right and wrong, we tend make what we like into the things that are right, and things that we struggle with or dislike we tend to make wrong. It tends to be very subjective and self glorifying, but in this self glorification, we tend to become weighed down and legalistic. It is doing something because we have to and not because we want to.
A third observation about being right is that we tend to go on personal crusades. We are seeking people to join us and to tear down anybody who opposes us. This thought process tends to over glorify people and making them out better than what they are because they agree with us. We also tend to vilify people who don’t agree with us or are not on our team. A prime example of this is this years presidential election.
Here are some observations about being truthful versus being right. When we are more concerned about being truthful, we are more concerned with making sure things are being done honestly and done the right way the first time. This idea, people are held accountable for their actions and we all check our egos at the door. It is learning and practicing a little bit of humility in our interactions with ourselves, others and God. It is seeing a situation for what it is and working with our biases so that that we do not blow anything out of proportion?
The second observation about being truthful that it is based on objective statements or standards. Truth can stand on its own, and there is no wiggle room around it. Truth is based on something that is concrete and never changing to meet our needs and the times. All truth is found in and through God and He is the standard. When we are truthful, we are aiming to live a Godly life and to have His ways be our ways. It is a realization that all is good and holy comes from God.
The third observation about being truthful is that according to the Gospel of John, when we know the truth, it shall set us free. To put it plainly, when we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember what we say, because our story will always be the same. The other freeing part about truth is that it looks at things fort they way they are and what they could be. Truth takes a look at things honestly and shares it without sugar coating it and there is always a sense of tack. In all reality, it doesnt make a mole hill into a mountain and it doesn’t turn a mountain into a mole hill. The most freeing part of being truthful is that it is done out of love and care not only for other people, but ourselves. When we are truthful, it brings about honesty and in all reality, what is more freeing than honesty and Jesus?
The last observation for now about truth is the idea that it does not seek to gain or manipulate. When we tell people things that we think they want to hear, or expect that from others, we are really lying and manipulating others and ourselves to either get what we want or to make ourselves look better. Truth is about being honest, no matter what the consequences are.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
The Marathon of Life
Where I live, the big event of the year is Grandmas Marathon and the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon. They both run along the North Shore of Lake Superior and finish line is in Duluth Mn. This years Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon had a cool story that could of had a very sad ending for one family. A runner by the name of Tim Cernohous collapsed thirty yards from the finish line. Luckily there was a paramedic running not to far behind him and administered medical attention. Tim was revived and finished the race with help of the marathon medical team and then proceeded to a local hospital. I sent the original article to a very good friend and it spurred on a conversation and some of the take ways are listed below. Full disclosure, my friend has coached track/xc and I may have called runners crazy for enjoying to run long pointless miles :) Also, here is the follow up article on the original article here (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/health/4291704-right-place-right-time-runner-who-aided-collapsed-half-marathoner-Duluth).
The first thought that comes to mind is the difference between individual sports/team sports and which one is better. This has been a debate for ages and it wouldn't surprise me if we continue to have this debate. I was involved in team sports throughout high school and there is nothing better than the fellowship among your teammates and learning to not only do your best but also relying on others to perform up to their talents as well. Being able to set team goals and work towards them is fun and brings great joy and a lot of frustration at times. Team sports can teach that scoring thirty points a game is cool, but if you are always loosing, what's the point. Learning how to win and loose as a team, family, or at your job is an important skill to have but learning what is the best for myself may not be the best for my team, family, coworkers is something that we all need to learn and its not easy. It could be fun to be the Michael Westbrook or James Harden and average near a triple double, but the question is how did their teams fare against the team orientated Golden State Warriors.
The individual sports such as tennis and golf and have team elements to them, but these sports are primarily based on the individual and what they can accomplish. Individual sports can teach many great things such as being a self starter, self reliance and being able to claim all the glory in the win and accountability in the loss. Individual sports can cause people to get better and grow if they want to get better at their respective sports. There are people who enjoy living on an island and being self reliant in everything they do. There is no where to hide or people to throw underneath the bus when you play an individual sport. Some people enjoy looking in the mirror looking where they need to grow, setting goals and reaching them on their own terms.
The Apostle Paul has some interesting things to say about competition and how it translate to our spiritual life. In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that everyone runs this race called life, and if we are to run this race well, there are some things that we need to put into practice. The first one is that we are to have discipline. It means that not only should we set goals, but the types of goals we set and our follow through are important. How can we get somewhere or achieve something if we do not set some obtainable goals to move us towards that goal. We are all moving towards something, whether we have goals or not. The question is, is it worth moving towards or do we just end up there?
The second idea that comes to mind is this idea of endurance. We can have the best goals in the world, but if we do not have endurance, we are going to quit. How many of us have given up on that gym membership by March 1 because we either didn't have the endurance, or we let other things get in the way. Endurance often requires us having some sort of accountability, we can seek the encouragement of others, make the changes to the things that are not working and celebrate the things that are. Endurance often means that we have to do things that we don't want to do, or are extremely difficult. Whether is passing on seconds, eating an apple instead of ice cream, or having a difficult, but needed conversation. Endurance has that element of submission to it. We all bow down to something, whether it is ourselves, other people, or God. Here is the thing about endurance/submission and even life in general. All of us are only given 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, what we do with it, shows what is important to us and what we bow down to.
The third idea is that endurance often leads to discernment. As we go through life, we find out what works and what doesn't work and be bold enough to make changes. None of us would run a race of any length in a three piece suits, because it would be to cumbersome. Now three piece suits are cool and are appropriate for certain situations, but not running. What are those things in your life that are cumbersome that are bring you down and taking you of target. In the words of the Ray Charles song, those things just need to hit the road Jack, and don't come back no more.
The fourth idea is that the destination matters. Its awesome that we are not sitting on the sidelines and actively participating in life, but if we don't know where we are going, we might not get there. Or the more devastating thought, we know where we are going, but its not worth going to. To put in the Christian perspective, heaven is our goal, and how we run is important. Are we looking for the fire insurance, so we don't spend eternity in Hell. As we are on our race to our destination, our character is always being formed, and I hope and pray that it is something worth imitating. I also pray that how you run and the character you are developing is something that other people can imitate. Are we developing such things as peace, patience, self control, godliness love, joy and long suffering. These are the essential characteristics of the Christian life. How well formed characteristics these characteristics are in our life is pretty good measure how we live our life and we respond to what it throws at us.
The fifth idea is that there is a finish line. At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, that he has fought the good fight, and he has finished the race and he is ready to take up his reward. Earthly rewards and accolades are cool, but nothing compares to the eternal reward that we are pursuing. Earthly rewards fades away and champions are eventually forgotten about, but our relationship with not only each other, but with God will last forever. How we develop these relationships shows not only how we are running our race, but what our destination is.
The first thought that comes to mind is the difference between individual sports/team sports and which one is better. This has been a debate for ages and it wouldn't surprise me if we continue to have this debate. I was involved in team sports throughout high school and there is nothing better than the fellowship among your teammates and learning to not only do your best but also relying on others to perform up to their talents as well. Being able to set team goals and work towards them is fun and brings great joy and a lot of frustration at times. Team sports can teach that scoring thirty points a game is cool, but if you are always loosing, what's the point. Learning how to win and loose as a team, family, or at your job is an important skill to have but learning what is the best for myself may not be the best for my team, family, coworkers is something that we all need to learn and its not easy. It could be fun to be the Michael Westbrook or James Harden and average near a triple double, but the question is how did their teams fare against the team orientated Golden State Warriors.
The individual sports such as tennis and golf and have team elements to them, but these sports are primarily based on the individual and what they can accomplish. Individual sports can teach many great things such as being a self starter, self reliance and being able to claim all the glory in the win and accountability in the loss. Individual sports can cause people to get better and grow if they want to get better at their respective sports. There are people who enjoy living on an island and being self reliant in everything they do. There is no where to hide or people to throw underneath the bus when you play an individual sport. Some people enjoy looking in the mirror looking where they need to grow, setting goals and reaching them on their own terms.
The Apostle Paul has some interesting things to say about competition and how it translate to our spiritual life. In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that everyone runs this race called life, and if we are to run this race well, there are some things that we need to put into practice. The first one is that we are to have discipline. It means that not only should we set goals, but the types of goals we set and our follow through are important. How can we get somewhere or achieve something if we do not set some obtainable goals to move us towards that goal. We are all moving towards something, whether we have goals or not. The question is, is it worth moving towards or do we just end up there?
The second idea that comes to mind is this idea of endurance. We can have the best goals in the world, but if we do not have endurance, we are going to quit. How many of us have given up on that gym membership by March 1 because we either didn't have the endurance, or we let other things get in the way. Endurance often requires us having some sort of accountability, we can seek the encouragement of others, make the changes to the things that are not working and celebrate the things that are. Endurance often means that we have to do things that we don't want to do, or are extremely difficult. Whether is passing on seconds, eating an apple instead of ice cream, or having a difficult, but needed conversation. Endurance has that element of submission to it. We all bow down to something, whether it is ourselves, other people, or God. Here is the thing about endurance/submission and even life in general. All of us are only given 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, what we do with it, shows what is important to us and what we bow down to.
The third idea is that endurance often leads to discernment. As we go through life, we find out what works and what doesn't work and be bold enough to make changes. None of us would run a race of any length in a three piece suits, because it would be to cumbersome. Now three piece suits are cool and are appropriate for certain situations, but not running. What are those things in your life that are cumbersome that are bring you down and taking you of target. In the words of the Ray Charles song, those things just need to hit the road Jack, and don't come back no more.
The fourth idea is that the destination matters. Its awesome that we are not sitting on the sidelines and actively participating in life, but if we don't know where we are going, we might not get there. Or the more devastating thought, we know where we are going, but its not worth going to. To put in the Christian perspective, heaven is our goal, and how we run is important. Are we looking for the fire insurance, so we don't spend eternity in Hell. As we are on our race to our destination, our character is always being formed, and I hope and pray that it is something worth imitating. I also pray that how you run and the character you are developing is something that other people can imitate. Are we developing such things as peace, patience, self control, godliness love, joy and long suffering. These are the essential characteristics of the Christian life. How well formed characteristics these characteristics are in our life is pretty good measure how we live our life and we respond to what it throws at us.
The fifth idea is that there is a finish line. At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, that he has fought the good fight, and he has finished the race and he is ready to take up his reward. Earthly rewards and accolades are cool, but nothing compares to the eternal reward that we are pursuing. Earthly rewards fades away and champions are eventually forgotten about, but our relationship with not only each other, but with God will last forever. How we develop these relationships shows not only how we are running our race, but what our destination is.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Peace
I wrote this little ditty on peace for a dear friend. I wanted to do it to show how much I appreciated our friendship and to give him some encouragement. I figured I would share it and hopefully someone else can find it useful.
So here are some basic questions in relations to Peace: What are some the ways you add chaos to your life or to the lives of the people that are close to you? What are some of the distractions that limit you from not only seeking God, but hearing from Him? What do you need to do to change that?
Peace- Freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquil
A lot of things can learn a lot about peace through popular slogans and catch phrases. Two of my favorites are something to the effect of "Peace in the Middle East" and "No Jesus No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace." Popular slogans and catch phrases are cool, but often they miss the point or makes things to be cleaner and neater than what they really are.
The first idea of Peace is this: Peace is not the absence of chaos, strife, or oh crap moments, its how we deal with them. We can stick two people in the same stressful situation and one can make it worse, while the other makes it better. True peace is more than a response, because if it was, we could fake it all the time, True peace is apart of our character and it comes from within. In other words, it can not be manufactured or faked
The second idea of Peace is this: the worlds definition and Gods definition are totally different. The worlds definition tends to be all is right in the world along with conflicts being resolved. It is the end of every action movie, because everything has been made right. Now Gods definition has this in mind and all will be made right when either God calls us home or Christ returns. Gods peace is navigating those tough situations with grace, peace and humility. True peace is taking on the issues as they come and not minimizing or overblowing the situation. Its also realizing that there is a God and we are not Him, so may be we should stop acting like it.
The third idea of Peace is this: The Apostle Paul thinks that peace is a big deal. He has scattered the issue peace all throughout of his letters. I think Paul truly understood that people will look anywhere or do anything to find peace or at least the appearance of it. People are trying to find peace in the next big thing or to get rid of something or activity. Often we have no idea where to find peace, especially in the midst of being tossed all around and being hung upside down. The peace that Paul is talking about does not come from within or some magical drug, but it only comes from God and He is the only one that can give it out. One of Jesus final reminders to us before His ascension was that not only does He give out peace, but He leaves it with us. Gods peace brings comfort, understanding, and courage, no matter what life throws at us.
The fourth idea of Peace is this: sometimes it is being ok with the ambiguous. There are some things or situations that just can not be tied up with a red ribbon while everyone is walking away happy to theme music. I think we should strive for this, but sometimes the hardest part is accepting things we can not change. Whether it is a relationship with a parent, child, significant others, or the ex, sometimes the hardest thing to do is accept the situation as is. This does not mean we keep adding fuel to the fire, but its knowing how to deal with the wierdness cause we all know that life can get weird fast.
The fifth idea of Peace is this: It is actually calming down and realizing that we not God. The Psalmist writes that we are to be still and to know that God is God. In the midst of this Psalm, life is in utter chaos and we have two choices. We can do things the hard way and contribute to the madness and this tends to add fuel to the fire. Or we can defuse the situation be remaining calm and not only realizing that God is still God, but it is putting Him on is throne. As the Prophet Elijah learned, God can be found in a lot of places, but He is most commonly found in the still and quiet voice.
So here are some basic questions in relations to Peace: What are some the ways you add chaos to your life or to the lives of the people that are close to you? What are some of the distractions that limit you from not only seeking God, but hearing from Him? What do you need to do to change that?
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Humilty
My sister got married this past weekend and as a gift I wrote a short piece on humility. My mom added a little pinterest flash to it and then she framed it up. This is what I wrote to them as the begin their marriage and it is good reminder for all of us. I based my rambling thoughts on Phillipians 2, where Christ humbled himself to the point of a gruesome death on a cross and His resurrection allows Him because of this, He is sitting at the right hand of the Father.
The definition of humility is: the quality or condition of being humble, modest opinion, or estimate of ones own importance or rank
As the two of you begin your new life together, the word humility keeps coming to my mind. Here are several things of what humility is and use this as a reminder. Also the ultimate definition of humility is found in Philippians 2
The first key to humility is: knowing who you are and who you belong to
Knowing who you are often saves us an identity crises and from others singing the Who’s famous song Who are You. This prevents us from getting into the trap of a job, title, or letting a relationship define you. Knowing who you are allows you to have peace with your past and know where you are going. It is being comfortable in your own skin and in who you are while still pushing yourself to grow. We all belong to someone, whether it is ourselves, some cause or relationship. Being humble is realizing that first and foremost you are a child of God. When we live in that relationship first everything else is put into its proper place. To put it bluntly, it is getting off of our high horse and choosing to serve instead of being served. When we serve, its not about doing things to get some something. True service calls us out of our comfort zone and to people and situations that challenge us. True service is what God calls us to do and empower us for His glory.
The second key to humility is: learning to forgive and to be forgiven
Yes this means we have to learn to put on the big kid pants and not only seek forgiveness, but grant it also. In every relationship things that are said, done, and forgotten about that will cause disappointment, anger and even resentment. Seeking forgiveness is not only saying "my bad", but also growing in maturity to take steps to correct the situation. Granting forgiveness maybe the hardest part because it not forgetting about the situation, but dealing with it in its proper context and not letting it eat you alive. Humility is granting forgiveness because we have been forgiven much ourselves. Its also not letting that one thing live rent free in our head.
The third key to humility is: being strong and courageous
Life is scary and we can either hide from it or we can face it head on with God. In Joshua 1, the phrase strong and courageous comes up at least four times depending on the version you read. Life tends to through a lot scary stuff at us and there is a lot of uncertainty, but there is hope. God is not only buy our side, He also leads us, walks besides us, and even pushes us at times. True humility is realizing that we can not do it our selves and relying on God and being in relationship is the only way to Go.
The fourth key to Humility is: having a proper view of life
There are times when we need to take lessons from Aaron Rogers and take time to R-E-L-A-X, and there are times when we need to be diligent in what life brings our way. It is being flexible with life and yet having solid boundaries with relationships, commitments, career and life in general.
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