Picking and Choosing
It has been another beautiful day of sun and the changing color of the leaves as Autumn is upon us! Thank You, Father, for the beauty from Your bounteous hand!
1 Corinthians 6:1-11 (<<click here to read the passage)
Something that is off about our practice of living out our Christianity is that we do a lot of picking and choosing when it comes to Scripture. Today’s passage is an excellent example.
When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers [God’s holy people]! v1 NLT
I’m sure there are Christians who practice this directive of the Apostle Paul, but I have no idea where they might be. In my 60+ years, I’ve not experienced or seen such a thing occur in the Church.
Paul follows up with,
I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? v5 NLT
Personally, I’ve come to hold that we don’t take people to court. I know that some things that happen in life demand justice, but why don’t we, those who claim Christ as our Savior, why don’t we have some means wholly honored by the Church, of deciding disputes amongst the Body of believers? Sure, it would be involved, and sure, all parties would have to agree regarding the decisions rendered, but as my Life Application Study Bible states,
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, so why should we turn to those who lack God’s wisdom?
But then Paul throws out an even heftier punch of shame!
Why, the very fact that you have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, it is you who wrong and defraud, and you do this even to your brothers and sisters. v7-8 AMP
The mind of Christ should prevail in every one of us, but unfortunately, our humanity too often rears its ugly head, claiming the victory.
For a point of transparency, I know there are things I battle against regularly that I shouldn’t think, much less say. I lost count a long time ago of the number of times that the word “fool” comes to mind and tongue, especially while driving – the things people do!
Jesus said in Matthew 5:22,
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [an Aramaic term of contempt – idiot] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. NIV
We may struggle. We may fall. But may we go beyond – far beyond – what our human nature yields so quickly to. We should always strive to abide by what God has set before us. Onward and upward, my friends!
Oct 24th, 2023, Tues, 12:50 pm
Point One Finger, Three Fingers Point Back
A beautiful, sunny, crisp Autumn day – thank You, Father, for the gift of Your creation in all of its glory!
1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (<<click here to read the passage)
Have you heard the phrase, “When you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back at you”? Basically, when we accuse someone else, often we are guilty as well. Sometimes we’re guilty of the same offense (we just may be better at hiding it), and other times we’re guilty of sin, just as heinous.
In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul is very clear and straightforward. But before we get too far down this road, read once more verses 12-13,
It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” NLT
I spoke of this not that long ago, but our modern-day church culture is quite caught up in our accusations of those in the wrong, spiritually. The thing is many “believers” put their entire focus on those outside the church…all the while neglecting the importance of keeping our own houses clean. Our society is replete with politicians, and church leadership quick on their heels, calling out the world…for being the world. Yes, on multiple fronts those outside the church are in the wrong. But Scripture clearly states that it is not our responsibility to judge outsiders…God will judge those on the outside.
We like to put ourselves and other mere human beings on pedestals and from that stance it is easy to point out the wrongs of others. But doing that also makes it fairly easy to distract others from the truth of our sin. If others are looking at “them” and “their” sin, they are less likely to notice our sin. There is definitely some spiritual sleight-of-hand going on here.
If we would take care of the log in our eye, then we could genuinely…lovingly, help remove the speck of dust from the eyes of others. Those are the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…dare we ignore them? Read them yourself!
Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5 AMP
Lord Jesus, help us. We like keeping our sin hidden, but You see it all. Your light leaves absolutely nothing in the shadows. The world – our filthy, disgusting, contaminated world – needs us, not to condemn but to love…to model the humility and compassion of You. Very few of us have changed because someone assaulted and berated us for the error of our ways (and if that’s how we corrected it, I’m not sure that that is a very solid foundation on which to build our spiritual lives.) A life built on Your love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness, is the foundation upon which to build.
Oct 23rd, 2023, Mon, 12:42 pm
Hands Lying Forlornly in My Lap
Father, there was a lot squeezed into this weekend, today included. Help my mind to focus as the day is drawing to a close. Amen.
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If I asked for a show of hands from all my readers who could honestly say that their walk with the Lord has been without fault or failure, I know that I wouldn’t be alone with my hands lying forlornly in my lap.
We are all in good company in that no human being, with the exception of Jesus, has ever done so. This morning’s sermon referenced King David, the man after God’s own heart. In his early years, he was a pinnacle of devotion and faithfulness to the Lord. But the comfort and security of his successful reign as king set the stage for him to yield to temptation. He yielded to lust…then to adultery…and then to murder, to cover his egregious sin.
He was confronted by the Prophet Nathan and honestly, humbly repented and sought the Lord’s forgiveness, suffering multiple, heart-wrenching consequences for a good part of the rest of his life. Psalm 51 came out of this time of sin and his seeking of forgiveness. (Please, click on the reference to read the passage.)
This morning our closing hymn at church was a Charles Wesley hymn entitled, Weary of Wandering from My God.
One of my sources included this story which was found in “The Methodist Hymn-book Illustrated” written by John Telford. It reads as follows
The Chaplain of Glasgow prison once found a young woman eighteen or nineteen standing in her cell with her hymn-book in her hand. ‘She looked up, and, holding it out, said to me, “This is a hymn which I’m much ta’en up wi’.” I read the first two lines, and found my eyes filling with tears as I looked at her and said, “Are you weary of wandering from your God?” The answer was “Yes, indeed I am.” Thereupon I had the great privilege of dealing with an anxious soul.
‘Next Sunday we not only sang the hymn, but I preached specially to weary wanderers. The following day an old man grasped my hand as I entered his cell, and in an earnest and solemn voice said, “When the great day comes there will be found a soul among the redeemed, brought there through that hymn we sang yesterday, for” he continued, “when you read out, ‘Weary of wandering from my God,’ I said, ‘That’s me. I’m weary, and I’m ready to return,’ and,” he added, “come back to my God I have.”’ (London, The Epworth Press, Fifth edition, 1929) pp. 225-6
It is a beautiful hymn, the second verse speaks to me. Read it and if you’d like, click on the video of a gentleman playing the tune we used this morning. (His rendition is a couple of verses long.)
Weary of Wandering from My God
- Weary of wandering from my God,
And now made willing to return
I hear and bow me to the rod
For thee, not without hope, I mourn:
I have an Advocate above
A Friend before the throne of love. - O Jesus, full of truth and grace
More full of grace than I of sin
Yet once again I seek Thy face:
Open Thine arms and take me in
And freely my backslidings heal
And love the faithless sinner still. - Thou know’st the way to bring me back
My fallen spirit to restore
O for Thy truth and mercy’s sake,
Forgive, and bid me sin no more:
The ruins of my soul repair
And make my heart a house of prayer. - The stone to flesh again convert,
The veil of sin again remove;
Sprinkle Thy blood upon my heart,
And melt it by Thy dying love;
This rebel heart by love subdue,
And make it soft, and make it new. - Ah! give me, Lord, the tender heart
That trembles at the approach of sin;
A godly fear of sin impart,
Implant, and root it deep within,
That I may dread Thy gracious power,
And never dare to offend Thee more.
Words: Charles Wesley, 1749
Music: John B. Dykes, 1861
Oct 22nd, 2023, Sun, 7:27 pm
High Beams of Life
Transporting a busload of preschoolers to a pumpkin farm, with animals and all, was a trip on top of a trip! Thank You, Father, for safety and the blessings on new hearts and minds experiencing Your creation!
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One thing about driving my bus in the pre-dawn hours is the fact that I am by no means alone on the roads I travel. In the olden days of my youth, we had high beams, but in that era, you’d push a button on the floorboard with your left foot to activate and deactivate them. They were just halogen low-beam and high-beam bulbs. Most new vehicles have LED lights, some have HID, and some now have laser lights. Regardless, overall, most are very bright.
I am guilty on occasion as well, but people regularly forget they have their high beams on, and it’s tough seeing where you’re going while being blinded.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that often, it’s not so much a high beam problem, but it is a matter of where the vehicle is on the road. If a pickup truck is towing a heavy trailer, the back of the truck is lower, which angles the front end up, making low beams shine right in your face. Vehicles sitting at intersections across from you often sit in an incline, causing the same effect.
All of these situations just happen. There may be people who intentionally blind other drivers, but I think those would be far and few between.
How often are we just rolling along in our daily routine when we are caught unawares by someone’s anger or frustration out of nowhere? We are not necessarily picked out of the crowd to take aim at, but often, we are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s not intentional; it just happens.
It can be challenging to respond this way, but we need to train ourselves, with the Holy Spirit’s patience and resolve, to respond in love instead of firing back in anger. Our response, too, might be not to react outwardly but to inwardly boil and fume about the unfairness of it all. It’s easy to let those kinds of things ruin our day, which often spills onto those around us.
Here’s a more pointed example. Let’s compare the truck hauling a heavy trailer to someone overwhelmed with life. Many people are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders…and they often feel that they are alone. Everything is against them, and they can’t seem to catch a break. It’s probably not their intention, but those excess burdens can cause them to rear up, and because you happen to be in front of them, you take the brunt of their frustrations, fear, and loneliness.
When we drive, there’s not a lot you can do sometimes except to lash back, but if the opportunity arises, pray that the Lord will give you words of love and understanding to ease whatever you can of their load. The greatest thing you can do for them is to pray for them. If possible, it would be great to pray for them personally right there and then if they are receptive to that.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that we are to be salt and light in this world. It doesn’t just happen; they are deliberate acts on our part. We must pray for ourselves, as well. We can make a difference!
…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16b NIV
Oct 19th, 2023, Thurs, 5:20 pm
Rid Your Life of Empty Words
My busy mind needs to slow down to hear Your word and directive, Father. May it be so. Amen.
1 Corinthians 4:8-20 (<<click here to read the passage)
The Apostle Paul wasn’t done addressing the issue at hand with the church in Corinth, so I need to go a little further, as well.
Obviously, the battle of pride against humility is nothing new. It’s as old as time. Sin in the world likes to stir up the “it’s all about me” mentality – the “I’m better than you are” frame of mind. And even though you would think it wouldn’t be the case – the Church is not exempt.
I think if we are honest with ourselves, we all deal with self-serving mindsets. Some of us may more readily sidestep them and keep them at bay, and others embrace them with little or no hesitancy.
Others might think otherwise but living a Christ-honoring life is most definitely not a simple and easy task. Plain and simple, it is hard work. And it requires constant dependence on Him to get us through each day. We are weak and “prone to wander” as the old hymn states (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing).
Where the pride factors in is when we don’t do that. My Life Application Study Bible notes state that we may know all the right words to say, but our lives don’t reflect God’s power. Many people talk a lot about faith, but that’s all it is – talk.
A Christ-honoring life is to be lived, not just discussed.
I was talking with a friend of mine from one of my churches last Sunday, and she shared that in two recent instances, her actions – her life – spoke more loudly than words that may have come out of her mouth. Living and not just speaking her faith impacted peoples’ lives for eternity!
It is not all about us. If that is your frame of mind, then hear this loud and clear…you are in the wrong. You need to humbly seek the Lord’s forgiveness and earnestly seek His will – not your own.
There is a big difference between knowing the right words and living them out. Don’t be content to have the right answers about Christ. Empty words have no power at all – rid your life of them. Let your life show that God’s power is really working in you.
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. vs 20 NLT
Amen, and amen.
Oct 18th, 2023, Wed, 12:57 pm