Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved. And it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.
Since I've been participating in a woman's group this past year we have been talking a lot about faith. In particular, is it faith that saves? The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith. It is also clear that we cannot do anything to reach that salvation, it is a free gift of God. However, there are some questions here.
Can salvation be a free gift if it has a requirement: faith?
Aren't we DOING something to get that salvation if we have to have faith?
And, if faith is that influential in salvation, what happens when we doubt?
There are also questions as to the role faith plays after salvation. Will faith, or lack there-off influence what happens in our lives? For instance, will I be healed from disease if I just have faith? Will I not be able to pay the bills if I don't have faith? Is it sin for me to use birth-control because I'm not having faith that God will provide for me in my family just what I need.
There is also the common atheist argument against faith. I was saddened, but not actually surprised to have my husband ask me this one night.
Why would a good God demand that we have faith in order to be saved, but then fail to provide us the proof we need to be saved. Especially if, all it would take is for Him to show up, say a word, do a something miraculous. A famous Atheist quote answers the question, what would you say to God if you died and ended up standing before His judgement seat. "Sir,Why have you taken such great pains to conceal yourself"
Is it fare that God demand our faith when belief in Him is, admittedly as a Christian, very hard.
When my husband expressed that frustration to me, God answered it very clearly for me.
My faith hasn't saved me. Don't get me wrong, my faith plays a role. It is clear that is has. There are countless verses explaining justification by Faith. It is as much in the Old Testament teachings as it is in the New Testament. Faith in God saves. So why can I say that my faith hasn't saved me.
There are many people who have faith and are not saved. Humanists have faith in humans. Scientism has faith in Science and hard proof. Buddhists have faith in the teachings of Buddha, while Islam places its faith in Allah. All are not saved. No matter how strong or weak their faith. No matter if that faith pushes them to murder, to die or to rescue.
Now imagine that I have faith that God exists. That He created the world, that He is who the Bible said who He is, but Christ, contrary to scripture, was not God. If we was just a man and the Jewish viewpoint was correct. Would my faith save me?
No, it would fail. The Bible is clear that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22)
We further read that without the call of Christ, even the free will choice to become a Christian would have not been possible.( John 15:16) And that Christ is responsible not just for our creation, our call and our justification, but also for our perfection (Hebrews 12:2)
What does this all mean. Does our faith mean nothing? Of course not. The Bible is clear that our faith is fundamental in our salvation. But it is a one time choice, freely made but influenced to it's outcome by the intervention of the Spirit. In the end, it is not our faith that saves us, it is Christ that saves us. This is why nothing can take us out of the hand of our Lord, because while our feelings and beliefs may change, Christ never does. It is He who saves you, and it is He who keeps you.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Saturday, June 28, 2014
The Heart of a Woman, the Heart of Christ.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the Joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of of the throne of God....Hebrews 12:1-2
I am a complimentarian in theology.
"Complimentarianism Is the view that though man and woman were created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to compliment each other via different roles and responsibilities manifested in marriage, family life religious leadership and elsewhere."...Theopedia www.theopedia.com/complimentarianism.
In Genesis God created man and women, and He created us...both man and woman, in HIS image. What does this mean. That means that in the essential core of every man and woman there is something inherent in them that is meant to point back to God.
I believe that for man; that is their role as leader. Leadership means sacrifice, it means protecting. It means laying yourself down for the good of others. It means being held responsible for the actions of others. It may sound enviable to be the "leader", but I will say right now...I do not wish I was a man. God has a heavy charge to lay on them
So if that is a heart of man, what is the heart of woman. God calls woman the "helper". It is not an offensive term. It is the same term used to describe the Holy spirit. When I hear this term I think of long suffering. I think of patience through pain. I think of the garden of Gethsemane. In reading John chapters 17-18 we see a trait in Christ that the Bible speaks very highly of. Despite knowing what pain was coming. Despite knowing the horror and death that awaited Him, Christ lay himself down to the will of God and to the pain. While doing that though, there was no bitterness. Christ didn't throw up emotional walls, He didn't shut out His friends or try to run from His feelings. No, Christ felt the pain deeply. He experience the fear fully, he drew in the agony of waiting for the worst. He searched for the will of the Father with great trepidation. In all this he was, as the Bible says, silent like a lamb to the slaughter. (Isaiah 53:7)
I think this is the beauty that Christ want to share with us as women. The beauty of the woman is that we are the weaker vessel. We are the warm arms for the world. We are the soft place to land. We are the safe haven. Children when in pain cry for their mothers. Men, when weary from a long day at work seek comfort in their wives. When men go without the touch of women they wither away. To be blunt, sex is a desire for women, but for men it is a NEED. Men need us.
In Eden Adam had animals, he had the beauty of nature, he had the personal living presence of God walking in the garden with him; yet he needed more. He needed Eve...mother to all.
You see, the beauty of woman is also our greatest curse. That curse is that we are purposely created to be open and unprotected. We are created in such a way that we need the protection of men to be whole (not necessarily in marriage, but that of fathers, pastors and warriors).
In the world however, Satan has used the very thing that was meant to protect us, that we were meant to shelter in the wonder of our gentleness, to cause us great pain. Men have used and abused women in the most profoundly heart-breaking way since creation.
So what do we do as woman in those situations? How do we mirror the beauty of Christ in those instances? We stay open.
It is our first reaction as human that when pain is caused us that we retreat inside an emotional or sometimes physical barrier to avoid this pain. We wall ourselves off. Had Christ done this in the garden, our salvation would have never been possible. Had Christ reacted as most of us do to the pain he felt through His life...both before and after that John 17-18 moment, we would not have the safety of His love to run to, but would find instead a wall of bitterness, anger and selfishness.
No, Christ allowed the pain to fall on Him in it's fullness...for the joy set before Him. This is the call on all Christianity: to rejoice in suffering and to "Go out to Him" (Hebrews 13:13). But there is special need for women to do this: we are the picture of Christ to the world in our joyful suffering.
Now, I don't mean in this that we are to remain in abusive situations that we are not called to. Or that we are to simply accept pain and never look for a way out. I don't mean that we shouldn't use wisdom in our relationships to avoid unnecessary pain. What I do mean though, is that we should not stop holding out our arms because they are bruised broken or bleeding. Like Christ, who's arms where wide open on the cross, not because they were nailed there; but because He in His love for us chose to stay there.
No man has this call, and so the strength of man is a different kind. So stand up tall woman of God. Open your arms to the world. Draw in the hurting, the orphaned, the afflicted. Draw in the weary warrior to find rest with you. Draw in the scared child to find a home in your heart. Draw in the broken and tired women around you to help bear their hurt unselfishly and fully invested. How grateful I am for the women who are in my life who fully invest themselves into my life...even if it means bearing great pain on my behalf!
Finally, know that you do not stand alone. When the pain falls down on you without buffer, remember that you are in Christ. He is the one who is your shelter. So when you feel the pain, He feels it so much stronger for you.
Let us glorify Chris together and endure the pain so that when the joy comes it is not held back by the walls we foolishly built to keep out the pain. And though the sorrows may last for a night, Joy will come in the morning. The promises for our pain are promises that last but for a moment, the promises for our joy will be forever in the glory of our greatest Joy: Christ.
I am a complimentarian in theology.
"Complimentarianism Is the view that though man and woman were created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to compliment each other via different roles and responsibilities manifested in marriage, family life religious leadership and elsewhere."...Theopedia www.theopedia.com/complimentarianism.
In Genesis God created man and women, and He created us...both man and woman, in HIS image. What does this mean. That means that in the essential core of every man and woman there is something inherent in them that is meant to point back to God.
I believe that for man; that is their role as leader. Leadership means sacrifice, it means protecting. It means laying yourself down for the good of others. It means being held responsible for the actions of others. It may sound enviable to be the "leader", but I will say right now...I do not wish I was a man. God has a heavy charge to lay on them
So if that is a heart of man, what is the heart of woman. God calls woman the "helper". It is not an offensive term. It is the same term used to describe the Holy spirit. When I hear this term I think of long suffering. I think of patience through pain. I think of the garden of Gethsemane. In reading John chapters 17-18 we see a trait in Christ that the Bible speaks very highly of. Despite knowing what pain was coming. Despite knowing the horror and death that awaited Him, Christ lay himself down to the will of God and to the pain. While doing that though, there was no bitterness. Christ didn't throw up emotional walls, He didn't shut out His friends or try to run from His feelings. No, Christ felt the pain deeply. He experience the fear fully, he drew in the agony of waiting for the worst. He searched for the will of the Father with great trepidation. In all this he was, as the Bible says, silent like a lamb to the slaughter. (Isaiah 53:7)
I think this is the beauty that Christ want to share with us as women. The beauty of the woman is that we are the weaker vessel. We are the warm arms for the world. We are the soft place to land. We are the safe haven. Children when in pain cry for their mothers. Men, when weary from a long day at work seek comfort in their wives. When men go without the touch of women they wither away. To be blunt, sex is a desire for women, but for men it is a NEED. Men need us.
In Eden Adam had animals, he had the beauty of nature, he had the personal living presence of God walking in the garden with him; yet he needed more. He needed Eve...mother to all.
You see, the beauty of woman is also our greatest curse. That curse is that we are purposely created to be open and unprotected. We are created in such a way that we need the protection of men to be whole (not necessarily in marriage, but that of fathers, pastors and warriors).
In the world however, Satan has used the very thing that was meant to protect us, that we were meant to shelter in the wonder of our gentleness, to cause us great pain. Men have used and abused women in the most profoundly heart-breaking way since creation.
So what do we do as woman in those situations? How do we mirror the beauty of Christ in those instances? We stay open.
It is our first reaction as human that when pain is caused us that we retreat inside an emotional or sometimes physical barrier to avoid this pain. We wall ourselves off. Had Christ done this in the garden, our salvation would have never been possible. Had Christ reacted as most of us do to the pain he felt through His life...both before and after that John 17-18 moment, we would not have the safety of His love to run to, but would find instead a wall of bitterness, anger and selfishness.
No, Christ allowed the pain to fall on Him in it's fullness...for the joy set before Him. This is the call on all Christianity: to rejoice in suffering and to "Go out to Him" (Hebrews 13:13). But there is special need for women to do this: we are the picture of Christ to the world in our joyful suffering.
Now, I don't mean in this that we are to remain in abusive situations that we are not called to. Or that we are to simply accept pain and never look for a way out. I don't mean that we shouldn't use wisdom in our relationships to avoid unnecessary pain. What I do mean though, is that we should not stop holding out our arms because they are bruised broken or bleeding. Like Christ, who's arms where wide open on the cross, not because they were nailed there; but because He in His love for us chose to stay there.
No man has this call, and so the strength of man is a different kind. So stand up tall woman of God. Open your arms to the world. Draw in the hurting, the orphaned, the afflicted. Draw in the weary warrior to find rest with you. Draw in the scared child to find a home in your heart. Draw in the broken and tired women around you to help bear their hurt unselfishly and fully invested. How grateful I am for the women who are in my life who fully invest themselves into my life...even if it means bearing great pain on my behalf!
Finally, know that you do not stand alone. When the pain falls down on you without buffer, remember that you are in Christ. He is the one who is your shelter. So when you feel the pain, He feels it so much stronger for you.
Let us glorify Chris together and endure the pain so that when the joy comes it is not held back by the walls we foolishly built to keep out the pain. And though the sorrows may last for a night, Joy will come in the morning. The promises for our pain are promises that last but for a moment, the promises for our joy will be forever in the glory of our greatest Joy: Christ.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Lest Not Ye Be Judged.
Racism. It's a pretty nasty accusation, more so today than ever. And it should be. In fact, racism is probably hated a lot less than is should be.
If it is so detestable though, then why is it still so common.
I am a white (well, whitish...American mutt to be exact) middle class American. So, I know that I haven't seen a lot of racism, at least not directed at me. Still, I have seen more then my fair share. I've seen it directed from all races, towards all races. I've seen it in small ways, and in huge doses. I've seen a lot of things that were not racism called racism, and I've seen a lot of racism simply shrugged off.
I've seen enough to begin to wonder if everyone maybe has a bit of racism.
In fact, I think some of the worst racists are the one who deny it the most; who say they are color blind or that they don't "see color." Its a worse injustice I feel (and please share your feelings on this) because it says, "I don't see you are who you are, I see you as I want to see you." .
God created race. He created the beauty of each race: of each minute shade and difference, and of each human. What He did was perfect, it was beautiful. It is beautiful. Diversity is one of the churches most desirable assets and nothing delights me more than true unity in diversity in a church.
Now, having started this way, I don't think race is the only thing that should be addressed when talking about discrimination. And I don't speak from a place of perfection. I know I have judged based on race before. Just as I know I have judged based on gender, on body build, on religion the list goes on.
When I was working as a camp councilor I remember a young man who came to camp. He was huge. He towered over everyone else there, and he was built like the hulk. My first reaction: to judge him based on his size. Surely he would be trouble. Of course, I noticed I was doing it, but kept my reservations. Turns out, he was one of the sweetest kids on the campus that week. I felt so ashamed and guilty.
Later, while working in day care, I remember being informed that a certain child was going through a rough situation at home. Her parents were getting divorced...actually their second go around. The father was a youth leader at the church that ran the day care. I remember becoming so judgmental, thinking the church should have fired him. That He shouldn't have been allowed to be in ministry if he was leaving his family like that.
Turns out his wife had cheated on him. They had tried to work it out, but it had happened again. I had judged him based on my opinion that men hurt women, woman don't hurt men.
I had to apologize to my husband (at that time my fiance') for that. That was hard.
Why is this so common. What is it underlying in almost every human soul? Racism, Class-ism, Ageism, the list goes on...and probably doesn't even name them all.
The Bible doesn't tell us not to judge. It says Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged. (read Matthew 7:1-5) In John 7:24 it is even more clear "Do not judge with appearances, but judge with right judgement". We have to judge, in order to protect ourselves, protect our family, protect our churches. We are told to cast out wolves. To be wary of false teachers. However, the Bible says we will experience that judgement with which we judged. I definitely don't want to be found guilty for being a woman, or for being 6 ft tall, or for being white. Yet I have judged others based on those reasons.
God hates shallow judgement. He HATES racism. Why? I think there are four reasons. Three are rather obvious, the final one kind of shocked me.
1 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because He called His Creation Good
The Bible says that God called his creation good. It was beautiful. It was just as he wanted it and race was a product of creation, not of the fall. If someone showed me a picture of a child with downs' syndrome and said "this child is beautiful." I would agree, the child is beautiful, the down-syndrome is not. The down-syndrome is a result of the fall. Despite the fact that here on earth God has used this to create a beautiful person who may love with a deep capacity, may be brave, may be strong; despite the fact that we should love that child just as he is; I am sure you would join me in praying that in the face of God's glory in heaven that child will be healed to worship God forever in holiness and perfection.
Race is different, even more so than a lot of other forms of bigotry. It is especially evil to hate based on a form that God created as an original perfection. The races of this earth: every one, were created with the same words the created the great natural beauties of the world. To hate a race is like hating the grand canyon, a sunset, the ocean. It is evil because these things are the handiwork of God. (P.S. all these points could also be used to argue against hating yourself...just putting that out there)
2 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because He Created Us in His Image
No matter how you read into this: physical attributes (less likely as God is spirit) or Spiritual attributes. The fact is, God created our bodies and called them perfect. God created our Spirits and called them perfect. God created the ability for us to form culture and though it is not perfect, it is a beautiful thing. ( as long as the "Christian" culture transcends in the life of the church)
To Hate what God created in His image is to hate God. To look upon the perfect handiwork of God (marred as it may have become by sin) and say " I am better" is to spit in the face of the creator and judge ourselves to be better than Him, How DARE we.
3 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because We are Taking His Place as Judge
The Bible tells us that God judges the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) By hating people based on race or other similar factors, we are adding to the law of God, a offense He is none to fond of. (Deuteronomy 4:2) Remember, Satan means "accuser" and even he can only accuse based on God's law.
By judging we are often times being more brazen then Satan himself. We are trying to set ourselves up as judge over man. (sometimes we wrongly judge people, but based off of real sin, like "homophobia" or other such examples) This is thoroughly detestable. I wouldn't want to be in Satan's position when God gives justice to Him for all that he has done against God and the people He loves. Yet so often I set myself up for that very judgement.
4 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because it Defames the Name of Christ and His Gospel.
Here it might get confusing (and long) stick with it. I don't think lack of education (yeah whole other rant there) or even pride are the cause of racism. Might they contribute...sure.
I believe the cause is simply this: we think that Christ's sacrifice is not enough for us. This is true even for the unbeliever. I think at the heart of every hateful thought, be it towards another for their sin or towards another about race, is the need to build ourselves up. In order to make myself better I need to be better than you. Instead of holding ourselves up to God's standard we fabricate our own. Girls, we do this all the time: girls that are heavier than us have no self control, while the girls who are prettier are vain. The girls who accept male attention are loose, while those who turn them down are arrogant. The list could go on forever. In order to create a standard by which we feel superior we will grasp at any straw we can find. We will justify ourselves by some of the most wild ideas.
"I'm better than them because...." That is why Racism is so huge. That is why racism exists among the most elite and the most downtrodden. That is why the poor hate the rich and the rich pity and despise the poor. That is why the most outspoken advocates of "tolerance" are usually those carrying about the most hate.
All this is because God has placed eternity in our hearts. We know that we will stand accountable to a higher morality some day. Most religion tries to define that very feeling. We know that we will fail. We create these hatreds based, I believe, mostly on the desire to make ourselves better. we try to reach the top by stepping on the heads of those who get in our way. The easier it is to beat them down, the faster they fall under our feet so we can reach our "goal". We want to make ourselves better in our own sight...
In doing this we are saying that what Christ did on the cross is not good enough. We are trying to take glory from God. Christs death on the cross was for all mankind. We cannot take what is His without incurring His wrath.
So what do we do. If there is a little bit of this bigotry in us all, where to we run. We run to the cross. Only there is the wrath of God absorbed, and the justice of God met. Only there does the love and forgiveness of God run down on us. The key to overcoming guilt is not to lessen the offense, but to overpower it with forgiveness given at great cost. There at the cross, as we kneel in humility to Christ, we kneel alongside men and woman from every tribe, every tongue and every nation. We are all equal because we all need our Savior.
Please share your thoughts? Do you agree? Do you have any stories you would like to share to help illustrate? What did you disagree with?
If it is so detestable though, then why is it still so common.
I am a white (well, whitish...American mutt to be exact) middle class American. So, I know that I haven't seen a lot of racism, at least not directed at me. Still, I have seen more then my fair share. I've seen it directed from all races, towards all races. I've seen it in small ways, and in huge doses. I've seen a lot of things that were not racism called racism, and I've seen a lot of racism simply shrugged off.
I've seen enough to begin to wonder if everyone maybe has a bit of racism.
In fact, I think some of the worst racists are the one who deny it the most; who say they are color blind or that they don't "see color." Its a worse injustice I feel (and please share your feelings on this) because it says, "I don't see you are who you are, I see you as I want to see you." .
God created race. He created the beauty of each race: of each minute shade and difference, and of each human. What He did was perfect, it was beautiful. It is beautiful. Diversity is one of the churches most desirable assets and nothing delights me more than true unity in diversity in a church.
Now, having started this way, I don't think race is the only thing that should be addressed when talking about discrimination. And I don't speak from a place of perfection. I know I have judged based on race before. Just as I know I have judged based on gender, on body build, on religion the list goes on.
When I was working as a camp councilor I remember a young man who came to camp. He was huge. He towered over everyone else there, and he was built like the hulk. My first reaction: to judge him based on his size. Surely he would be trouble. Of course, I noticed I was doing it, but kept my reservations. Turns out, he was one of the sweetest kids on the campus that week. I felt so ashamed and guilty.
Later, while working in day care, I remember being informed that a certain child was going through a rough situation at home. Her parents were getting divorced...actually their second go around. The father was a youth leader at the church that ran the day care. I remember becoming so judgmental, thinking the church should have fired him. That He shouldn't have been allowed to be in ministry if he was leaving his family like that.
Turns out his wife had cheated on him. They had tried to work it out, but it had happened again. I had judged him based on my opinion that men hurt women, woman don't hurt men.
I had to apologize to my husband (at that time my fiance') for that. That was hard.
Why is this so common. What is it underlying in almost every human soul? Racism, Class-ism, Ageism, the list goes on...and probably doesn't even name them all.
The Bible doesn't tell us not to judge. It says Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged. (read Matthew 7:1-5) In John 7:24 it is even more clear "Do not judge with appearances, but judge with right judgement". We have to judge, in order to protect ourselves, protect our family, protect our churches. We are told to cast out wolves. To be wary of false teachers. However, the Bible says we will experience that judgement with which we judged. I definitely don't want to be found guilty for being a woman, or for being 6 ft tall, or for being white. Yet I have judged others based on those reasons.
God hates shallow judgement. He HATES racism. Why? I think there are four reasons. Three are rather obvious, the final one kind of shocked me.
1 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because He called His Creation Good
The Bible says that God called his creation good. It was beautiful. It was just as he wanted it and race was a product of creation, not of the fall. If someone showed me a picture of a child with downs' syndrome and said "this child is beautiful." I would agree, the child is beautiful, the down-syndrome is not. The down-syndrome is a result of the fall. Despite the fact that here on earth God has used this to create a beautiful person who may love with a deep capacity, may be brave, may be strong; despite the fact that we should love that child just as he is; I am sure you would join me in praying that in the face of God's glory in heaven that child will be healed to worship God forever in holiness and perfection.
Race is different, even more so than a lot of other forms of bigotry. It is especially evil to hate based on a form that God created as an original perfection. The races of this earth: every one, were created with the same words the created the great natural beauties of the world. To hate a race is like hating the grand canyon, a sunset, the ocean. It is evil because these things are the handiwork of God. (P.S. all these points could also be used to argue against hating yourself...just putting that out there)
2 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because He Created Us in His Image
No matter how you read into this: physical attributes (less likely as God is spirit) or Spiritual attributes. The fact is, God created our bodies and called them perfect. God created our Spirits and called them perfect. God created the ability for us to form culture and though it is not perfect, it is a beautiful thing. ( as long as the "Christian" culture transcends in the life of the church)
To Hate what God created in His image is to hate God. To look upon the perfect handiwork of God (marred as it may have become by sin) and say " I am better" is to spit in the face of the creator and judge ourselves to be better than Him, How DARE we.
3 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because We are Taking His Place as Judge
The Bible tells us that God judges the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) By hating people based on race or other similar factors, we are adding to the law of God, a offense He is none to fond of. (Deuteronomy 4:2) Remember, Satan means "accuser" and even he can only accuse based on God's law.
By judging we are often times being more brazen then Satan himself. We are trying to set ourselves up as judge over man. (sometimes we wrongly judge people, but based off of real sin, like "homophobia" or other such examples) This is thoroughly detestable. I wouldn't want to be in Satan's position when God gives justice to Him for all that he has done against God and the people He loves. Yet so often I set myself up for that very judgement.
4 God Hates Racism/Bigotry Because it Defames the Name of Christ and His Gospel.
Here it might get confusing (and long) stick with it. I don't think lack of education (yeah whole other rant there) or even pride are the cause of racism. Might they contribute...sure.
I believe the cause is simply this: we think that Christ's sacrifice is not enough for us. This is true even for the unbeliever. I think at the heart of every hateful thought, be it towards another for their sin or towards another about race, is the need to build ourselves up. In order to make myself better I need to be better than you. Instead of holding ourselves up to God's standard we fabricate our own. Girls, we do this all the time: girls that are heavier than us have no self control, while the girls who are prettier are vain. The girls who accept male attention are loose, while those who turn them down are arrogant. The list could go on forever. In order to create a standard by which we feel superior we will grasp at any straw we can find. We will justify ourselves by some of the most wild ideas.
"I'm better than them because...." That is why Racism is so huge. That is why racism exists among the most elite and the most downtrodden. That is why the poor hate the rich and the rich pity and despise the poor. That is why the most outspoken advocates of "tolerance" are usually those carrying about the most hate.
All this is because God has placed eternity in our hearts. We know that we will stand accountable to a higher morality some day. Most religion tries to define that very feeling. We know that we will fail. We create these hatreds based, I believe, mostly on the desire to make ourselves better. we try to reach the top by stepping on the heads of those who get in our way. The easier it is to beat them down, the faster they fall under our feet so we can reach our "goal". We want to make ourselves better in our own sight...
In doing this we are saying that what Christ did on the cross is not good enough. We are trying to take glory from God. Christs death on the cross was for all mankind. We cannot take what is His without incurring His wrath.
So what do we do. If there is a little bit of this bigotry in us all, where to we run. We run to the cross. Only there is the wrath of God absorbed, and the justice of God met. Only there does the love and forgiveness of God run down on us. The key to overcoming guilt is not to lessen the offense, but to overpower it with forgiveness given at great cost. There at the cross, as we kneel in humility to Christ, we kneel alongside men and woman from every tribe, every tongue and every nation. We are all equal because we all need our Savior.
Please share your thoughts? Do you agree? Do you have any stories you would like to share to help illustrate? What did you disagree with?
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Jealous Love and Fish
The Big Plan
The dishes were all dirty...all of them, from the spoons to the small plates that we only used for (not so rare) deserts. Clothes lay scattered about the floor. The betta looked pleadingly out at me through green-algae covered glass for some scrap of food...ANYTHING, and I hit play on yet another season premier of "Supernatural" on Netflix. Bored as I was on of watching grown men cry about yet another monster-ridden tragedy, I'd rather face their over-dramatic reactions to made-up sob-stories than face my significantly less dramatic but much more real problems.
Problems. Typical, nothing new. I was to lazy to clean the house. Too tired to wash up after dinner from...well, three nights ago. And frustrated with my loneliness, boredom and ever building sense of guilt. You know that guilt. The stuff that follows you every time you lay down, whether laundry has been washed and folded or not. The stuff that looks back at you in the mirror every time you rub your eyes after "sleeping in" ...again. Can you call is sleeping in if it's the norm. Wouldn't the time you are SUPPOSED to be getting up be getting up early then? The stuff that grabs hold of you when you climb in the car to head home and realize that...you really should get to work again, make dinner, get that floor mopped...and chose instead to boot up the computer and get lost in the nether yet again.
Ok, it might not go just like that for you, but man or woman we all run into those "ok, where exactly is my life going?" moments. I know for us girls especially we are often plagued by a lot of guilt "not pretty enough' 'not skinny enough" "not productive enough" "gossip." "loner" "nag". A lot of ugly names. Some of those things, if we are honest, yeah, we could change. For instance, the house is clean right now! It has been since Sunday. Just finished with yet another round of mopping and dishes... and dinner was pretty good. It took effort, but it's done and I feel good. God answers prayer because, otherwise, I'd still be flipping through Pinterest right now. One of my favorite songs right now is Jars of Clays "Love of a Jealous kind. The words say
" I built another temple to a stranger
Gave away my heart to the rushing wind
set my course to run right into danger,
sought the company of fools instead of friends
I know I have been unfaithful
Lovers in lines
while you are turning over tables with the rage of a jealous kind.
Chose the gallows to the Isle,
Thought that Love would never find.
Hanging ropes will never keep you from the Love of a jealous kind.
Love of a Jealous Kind."
Like the story of Hosea this song reminds us not that God simply forgives sin, but that sin has no power over His love. God's love...I like to call it a "violent Love" though that might sound wrong.. blazes through unfaithfulness and guilt like a freight train through fog. Sin in fact, almost seems to make that love burn stronger. You see, God delights to rescue us. No, He isn't happy with our sin or failure (don't get me wrong, not everything we beat ourselves up over falls into the category...don't let evil get into your head), but it gives him a chance to show His glory. See, just like salvation God's love isn't my effort plus his grace. Its not, I get myself so far and God gives me enough mercy to cover the rest.
God's love is war-like because it conquers us when we don't want it. God's love is offensive because He loves us in-spite of who we are. God's love is REAL LOVE because it all starts with him...and no amount of dirty dishes, or unpaid bills stands in the way of a God who thirsts, for the sake of His glory to love you.
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