"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
This message has been ingrained in us since we were in kindergarten. "Keep your hands to yourself." and "Treat others the way you would want to be treated". It's the simplest of rules, but it never ceases to amaze me how bad we are at it.
One thing though, is that we often treat others how we would want to be treated as we are now. It is a completely flawed idea to think that what I want is completely what someone else would want to. You wouldn't buy your wife an Xbox if she hates video games but you happen to enjoy them. We, at any given moment, are entirely different people with different sets of needs. You cannot love someone the way you want to love them, but only the way they want to be loved.
What good news can you bring to a child whose dad is in jail and whose mother is feeding an addiction through prostitution? "You are a sinner and Jesus Christ died for you" is of little to no comfort. Be mindful of other people and you will communicate the gospel, whether by word or by deed. Jesus is a great communicator because he knows each of us intimately.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you if you were in their shoes.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Isaiah 48:10-11
"See , I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another."
It is the popular thing to do in the Christian life to blame it all of Satan when troubles come. This is an egregious mistake. Though Satan seeks to devour us, not all affliction comes from him. Satan's only aim is to watch us suffer. He delights in our pains, however those who are strong in the Lord are already victorious.
However, is it beyond God to punish us, that we might repent? To afflict us, that we may seek him more? It is a dangerous delusion to pretend God is only "love" as we define how we are to be loved. God will NOT be boxed by our conceptions of Him. As a parent will discipline their child, how much more will the Lord discipline us? How much more will we be afflicted if we stray?
God's love is wild and unpredictable. If we continue to ignore affliction from God and blame it all on Satan, we will fail to repent. Naturally, Satan is more than happy to take all the blame if it means God cannot discipline you. God will not share his glory with another. Satan has no power in your life, so do not underestimate God. Do not make a personal God.
It is the popular thing to do in the Christian life to blame it all of Satan when troubles come. This is an egregious mistake. Though Satan seeks to devour us, not all affliction comes from him. Satan's only aim is to watch us suffer. He delights in our pains, however those who are strong in the Lord are already victorious.
However, is it beyond God to punish us, that we might repent? To afflict us, that we may seek him more? It is a dangerous delusion to pretend God is only "love" as we define how we are to be loved. God will NOT be boxed by our conceptions of Him. As a parent will discipline their child, how much more will the Lord discipline us? How much more will we be afflicted if we stray?
God's love is wild and unpredictable. If we continue to ignore affliction from God and blame it all on Satan, we will fail to repent. Naturally, Satan is more than happy to take all the blame if it means God cannot discipline you. God will not share his glory with another. Satan has no power in your life, so do not underestimate God. Do not make a personal God.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Joshua 13:33
"But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them."
Sometimes it seems that everyone else always has it so much better than you. The entire world is getting their share and you're left holding the door for them.
Ironically, Moses was from the tribe of Levi, so you'd expect the Levites to get the choicest piece of land, however Moses allots them no land at all. Nevertheless, they get something far greater than land: in exchange for their service in the temple as mediators of the covenant of God, the LORD himself becomes their inheritance.
Such is the life of anyone called by God and ordained by him to serve in any capacity (i.e. any and everyone who chooses to bear the name of Christ). We may not get land, or wealth, or much of any worldly possessions, but our sacrifice garners us so much more than we could ever earn in a lifetime.
Don't underestimate what it means to be called by God. It means that you lay down your life and your will in favor of the Father's will. It means to bear your cross, to lay down your life for the world who may not even like you. It means to be like Christ in word and deed. It means you give up control in holy submission to God, but in exchange through your obedience, God becomes your inheritance as He promised.
Sometimes it seems that everyone else always has it so much better than you. The entire world is getting their share and you're left holding the door for them.
Ironically, Moses was from the tribe of Levi, so you'd expect the Levites to get the choicest piece of land, however Moses allots them no land at all. Nevertheless, they get something far greater than land: in exchange for their service in the temple as mediators of the covenant of God, the LORD himself becomes their inheritance.
Such is the life of anyone called by God and ordained by him to serve in any capacity (i.e. any and everyone who chooses to bear the name of Christ). We may not get land, or wealth, or much of any worldly possessions, but our sacrifice garners us so much more than we could ever earn in a lifetime.
Don't underestimate what it means to be called by God. It means that you lay down your life and your will in favor of the Father's will. It means to bear your cross, to lay down your life for the world who may not even like you. It means to be like Christ in word and deed. It means you give up control in holy submission to God, but in exchange through your obedience, God becomes your inheritance as He promised.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Ezekiel 37:13
"Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open up your graves and bring you up from them."
Day in and day out, we put our bodies to work. We demand so much from them that sometimes we work ourselves to the point of exhaustion. Our dry bones cry out for rest, but can find no relief. And for what? A pat on the back? A paycheck? Life at times can seem like a cruel joke, trapped within this grave of a body with no way out. Truly if there was no way into God, there would be no sense in keeping up this charade.
I may sound grim, but we are dead until we can find relief, until we can find someone to release us from our graves, from our burdens. Fortunately, it is Christ who says "Come to me all you who are weary and overburdened and I will give you rest." It is he who exchanges burdens with us, so that the death he died on the cross he died for all. As Paul says, through Christ's death all have died, but in his resurrection we are remade, reborn, recreated anew.
We are no longer graves, but temples of the Holy God who sets his spirit to rest upon us, who nourishes us from the inside out, and who gives life to these dry and thirsty bones.
If you have a few more minutes to spare, this song is worth checking out:
Day in and day out, we put our bodies to work. We demand so much from them that sometimes we work ourselves to the point of exhaustion. Our dry bones cry out for rest, but can find no relief. And for what? A pat on the back? A paycheck? Life at times can seem like a cruel joke, trapped within this grave of a body with no way out. Truly if there was no way into God, there would be no sense in keeping up this charade.
I may sound grim, but we are dead until we can find relief, until we can find someone to release us from our graves, from our burdens. Fortunately, it is Christ who says "Come to me all you who are weary and overburdened and I will give you rest." It is he who exchanges burdens with us, so that the death he died on the cross he died for all. As Paul says, through Christ's death all have died, but in his resurrection we are remade, reborn, recreated anew.
We are no longer graves, but temples of the Holy God who sets his spirit to rest upon us, who nourishes us from the inside out, and who gives life to these dry and thirsty bones.
If you have a few more minutes to spare, this song is worth checking out:
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