Far too often we don't take everything to God in prayer. Some people don't mention the small things that are bothering them. Others don't mention that great problems impacting our world today.
I was musing on why we don't take all of our requests before God, no matter how big or how small. I came up with several possibilities.
Is this because we don't want to bother God even though He specifically invited us to cast all our cares upon Him?
Or is it because we don't have any God-sized projects in our life?
If all I am doing is a Liz-sized goal, then I don't feel the need to ask God or others for help. If everything that I am doing is within my power and my abilities, than I don't need help. I got it covered.
But when I join God in a God-sized project, then I am asking for help and guidance for sure!!!! I am leaning on Him for every step.
Kingdom work is all around us.
The question is: Will we join God in His work?
Now, we should be warned: We aren't enough for the project, but God is. It will take more than we have to give, but we aren't working all on our own. We are working alongside our brothers and sisters, as well as with God.
Just because we live in a sinful, broken world does not give a pass to isolate ourselves in our church buildings as we don't do anything about the state of the world. No! As Christians, we are called to help the hurting, comfort the mourning, feed the hungry, and pray for our enemies. We are called to visit the sick and the prisoners. We are to share the Gospel, the Good News, with the lost, the hurting, the hopeless.
Instead of driving past the person holding a sign, we can give them something to eat. Recently, I saw a couple sitting on the ground talking to a homeless man. They had brought him a to-go meal and were talking with him as he ate. When I saw that couple and realized what they were doing, I realized that was what Jesus would be doing in our present day and age.
Instead of barely interacting with cashiers and waitresses, we can ask them how we can pray for them today.
Instead of buying whatever is the cheapest or most convenient, we can buy what is most in line with Kingdom practices.
As followers of Christ, we are called to find where God is working, join Him, and then we'd better hold on! It is a wild ride of faith, tears, and prayers for those involved in a God-sized project.
Will we join in the Kingdom work going on around us?
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Finding Connections Instead of Dehumanizing Our Opponents
I've been noticing a disturbing trend on social media. It's not a recent trend, but it's been breaking my heart recently.
People have been roasting & shaming those who hold opposing beliefs on whatever hot button issue is close to their heart. Then the poster's friends join in with self-righteous judgment, shaking their heads at the evil of their opponent's ways.
But these conversations have escalated recently. Instead of questioning the judgment of an opponent, or even their salvation, people have jumped to doubting the humanity of those who disagree with them.
I see adjectives like "evil" and "inhumane" describing their opponents and I tremble. These are adjectives that start the slippery slope to genocide. When we stop seeing our opponents as people, as emotional, thoughtful, intelligent people, as flawed, broken, hurting people, we kill off some of our humanness even as we decry their lack of humanness. When we view them as less than human because of their views, we start to rationalize treating them as less than human. When we get to that point, it's only a small step from thought to action, from judgment turning into action.
We don't understand the other side because we aren't taking the effort to find and seek them out and to LISTEN and ASK QUESTIONS! Instead we retreat within our herd of like-minded friends and relatives, asking ourselves, "how could a human support this opposing view?" to which the mob cries back, "I don't know. It's evil." This, my dear brothers & sisters is social media at its worst. This is the Church at its worst.
How can anyone support...?
In order to actually answer this question, you'll need to get off your chair, leave your computer/phone, and find someone who supports the thing that you oppose. Form a friendship with them. See how they treat their spouse, co-workers, and pets. When you have a relationship with them, ask them about their views in a loving and gentle way.
"Hey, can I talk to you about <______>? A while back, you told me that you support it and I was hoping that you could share your reasoning with me. I'm willing to listen."
And, hopefully, they will share their heart on this subject. And I pray that you will listen, without interrupting or defending or attacking. You are seeking to understand their view, not start a debate. You should not mentally be forming a rebuttal or counter-argument while they are speaking, but simply listening.
When they are done sharing, thank them. It takes courage to open up and share something near to your heart.
Take time to reflect on their answer. I don't expect you to change your views or opinions, but I do hope you will begin to see the humanity of your opponent.
In Acts 17, we see a biblical example of Paul doing this. When he arrived in Athens, he walked around and saw idolatry everywhere. Some Bible commentaries say that idols almost outnumbered people in Athens!! It did distress him to see a city full of idols, but he interacted with Jews, God-fearing Greeks, Epicureans philosophers, Stoic philosophers, and people he encountered in the marketplace. He was invited to address the people at the Areopagus. Paul got up and began to talk to the people of Athens. He told them that he sees how religious they are. He references an altar that he saw on a walk around Athens, an altar that was dedicated to an unknown God. He used that to segue into the Good News of Jesus. He reminded the people that God created everything and isn't confined to our temples. God doesn't need us, but we desperately need Him to survive. God wants people to seek Him. Paul went on to quote from several philosophers (Epimenides and Aratus in case you were curious) to make a further connection. He gets to the heart of the Gospel: our need to repent. Not everyone who heard Paul's speech believed, but several did.
What is my point with all of this?
Instead of piously staying within our Christian circles, asking each other, "How can anyone support...?", we need to be out engaging our country's culture. (Pious in this case meaning "characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion")
We need to be spreading the Good News to all we encounter.
We need to make connections from our culture that can serve as an opening to spread the Gospel.
We need to see the humanity of those who disagree with us, as we pray earnestly for their salvation.
People have been roasting & shaming those who hold opposing beliefs on whatever hot button issue is close to their heart. Then the poster's friends join in with self-righteous judgment, shaking their heads at the evil of their opponent's ways.
But these conversations have escalated recently. Instead of questioning the judgment of an opponent, or even their salvation, people have jumped to doubting the humanity of those who disagree with them.
I see adjectives like "evil" and "inhumane" describing their opponents and I tremble. These are adjectives that start the slippery slope to genocide. When we stop seeing our opponents as people, as emotional, thoughtful, intelligent people, as flawed, broken, hurting people, we kill off some of our humanness even as we decry their lack of humanness. When we view them as less than human because of their views, we start to rationalize treating them as less than human. When we get to that point, it's only a small step from thought to action, from judgment turning into action.
We don't understand the other side because we aren't taking the effort to find and seek them out and to LISTEN and ASK QUESTIONS! Instead we retreat within our herd of like-minded friends and relatives, asking ourselves, "how could a human support this opposing view?" to which the mob cries back, "I don't know. It's evil." This, my dear brothers & sisters is social media at its worst. This is the Church at its worst.
How can anyone support...?
In order to actually answer this question, you'll need to get off your chair, leave your computer/phone, and find someone who supports the thing that you oppose. Form a friendship with them. See how they treat their spouse, co-workers, and pets. When you have a relationship with them, ask them about their views in a loving and gentle way.
"Hey, can I talk to you about <______>? A while back, you told me that you support it and I was hoping that you could share your reasoning with me. I'm willing to listen."
And, hopefully, they will share their heart on this subject. And I pray that you will listen, without interrupting or defending or attacking. You are seeking to understand their view, not start a debate. You should not mentally be forming a rebuttal or counter-argument while they are speaking, but simply listening.
When they are done sharing, thank them. It takes courage to open up and share something near to your heart.
Take time to reflect on their answer. I don't expect you to change your views or opinions, but I do hope you will begin to see the humanity of your opponent.
In Acts 17, we see a biblical example of Paul doing this. When he arrived in Athens, he walked around and saw idolatry everywhere. Some Bible commentaries say that idols almost outnumbered people in Athens!! It did distress him to see a city full of idols, but he interacted with Jews, God-fearing Greeks, Epicureans philosophers, Stoic philosophers, and people he encountered in the marketplace. He was invited to address the people at the Areopagus. Paul got up and began to talk to the people of Athens. He told them that he sees how religious they are. He references an altar that he saw on a walk around Athens, an altar that was dedicated to an unknown God. He used that to segue into the Good News of Jesus. He reminded the people that God created everything and isn't confined to our temples. God doesn't need us, but we desperately need Him to survive. God wants people to seek Him. Paul went on to quote from several philosophers (Epimenides and Aratus in case you were curious) to make a further connection. He gets to the heart of the Gospel: our need to repent. Not everyone who heard Paul's speech believed, but several did.
What is my point with all of this?
Instead of piously staying within our Christian circles, asking each other, "How can anyone support...?", we need to be out engaging our country's culture. (Pious in this case meaning "characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion")
We need to be spreading the Good News to all we encounter.
We need to make connections from our culture that can serve as an opening to spread the Gospel.
We need to see the humanity of those who disagree with us, as we pray earnestly for their salvation.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Purging My Idols
What is idolatry?
Exodus 20:1-6 covers the first and second commandments, namely, not having any other gods before God and not having idols.
No other gods before me.
No idols.
This should be simple, but idols are a tricky thing.
We may not have altars and statues in our homes, but that doesn't mean that we are living in "idol-free" zones. The devil just shifted the worship of idols inward.
An idol is anything we worship instead of God.
An idol is anything we love more than God.
An idol is probably the thing or person that came to mind when you read those definitions.
Idols can be good things that we elevate too high.
Idols can be addictions or things that we can't live without.
Idols can be people, places, or things that we turn to first instead of God, when we need help.
Idols can be anything or anyone we look to for our value.
Idols can be who or what we look to, in order to solve our problems.
Uncomfortable yet?
Idols are tricky because they lie to us and tell us that they are harmless, natural even. So if you think of something or someone very dear to you and then think, "oh that's not really an idol." I challenge you to prove it: Fast from it and see how it impacts you.
We are often blind to our own idols. Sometimes we need to ask a trusted friend what idols they see in our lives.
The Lord does not accept second place in our lives. Will you join me in purging the idols that have take residence in our hearts?
Exodus 20:1-6 covers the first and second commandments, namely, not having any other gods before God and not having idols.
No other gods before me.
No idols.
This should be simple, but idols are a tricky thing.
We may not have altars and statues in our homes, but that doesn't mean that we are living in "idol-free" zones. The devil just shifted the worship of idols inward.
An idol is anything we worship instead of God.
An idol is anything we love more than God.
An idol is probably the thing or person that came to mind when you read those definitions.
Idols can be good things that we elevate too high.
Idols can be addictions or things that we can't live without.
Idols can be people, places, or things that we turn to first instead of God, when we need help.
Idols can be anything or anyone we look to for our value.
Idols can be who or what we look to, in order to solve our problems.
Uncomfortable yet?
Idols are tricky because they lie to us and tell us that they are harmless, natural even. So if you think of something or someone very dear to you and then think, "oh that's not really an idol." I challenge you to prove it: Fast from it and see how it impacts you.
We are often blind to our own idols. Sometimes we need to ask a trusted friend what idols they see in our lives.
The Lord does not accept second place in our lives. Will you join me in purging the idols that have take residence in our hearts?
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Learning from the Past
George Santayna is the author to whom this quote is attributed: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
In college I was a social studies education major, focusing on history, economics, & psychology. So knowing about the world's history & learning from it is something which is a passion of mine.
Earlier today, I saw a quote on social media attributed to Anne Frank, from her diary. So naturally, I borrowed the e-book from our local library & read the diary entry for the date quoted, to verify the accuracy of the quote. It was correct & therefore I posted it below:
On Wednesday, January 13, 1943, Anne Frank wrote the following passage in her diary:
"Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. They’re allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them, and even then, they’re robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. The Christians in Holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to Germany. Everyone is scared. Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight."
Frank, Otto, and Mirjam Pressler, editors. “Wednesday, January 13, 1943.” The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, Anchor Books, 1991.
Isn't it disturbing when you read a snippet of a quote (the bolded parts above) & can't immediately tell if it is from the Holocaust or our present day & age?
Somewhere along the line, the Church has stopped questioning the State. It has stopped helping the victims of the State and instead the Church is piously standing behind the State saying, "Well they shouldn't have broken the law if they don't want to be treated this way." It is our role to care for those whom Society deems unworthy of its aid: the poor, the foreigner, the widow, the orphan, and the enemy. At least that is one consistent theme in the Bible.
It is not the role of the Church to pass judgment on those breaking the State's laws. It is our role to spread the Gospel to all people as we love both our neighbors and our enemies.
We should be disturbed that Anne's description of the Nazi-occupied Netherlands sound so close to ICE raids and detention centers in the US.
God, have mercy on us all.
In college I was a social studies education major, focusing on history, economics, & psychology. So knowing about the world's history & learning from it is something which is a passion of mine.
Earlier today, I saw a quote on social media attributed to Anne Frank, from her diary. So naturally, I borrowed the e-book from our local library & read the diary entry for the date quoted, to verify the accuracy of the quote. It was correct & therefore I posted it below:
On Wednesday, January 13, 1943, Anne Frank wrote the following passage in her diary:
"Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. They’re allowed to take only a knapsack and a little cash with them, and even then, they’re robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. The Christians in Holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to Germany. Everyone is scared. Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight."
Frank, Otto, and Mirjam Pressler, editors. “Wednesday, January 13, 1943.” The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, Anchor Books, 1991.
Isn't it disturbing when you read a snippet of a quote (the bolded parts above) & can't immediately tell if it is from the Holocaust or our present day & age?
Somewhere along the line, the Church has stopped questioning the State. It has stopped helping the victims of the State and instead the Church is piously standing behind the State saying, "Well they shouldn't have broken the law if they don't want to be treated this way." It is our role to care for those whom Society deems unworthy of its aid: the poor, the foreigner, the widow, the orphan, and the enemy. At least that is one consistent theme in the Bible.
It is not the role of the Church to pass judgment on those breaking the State's laws. It is our role to spread the Gospel to all people as we love both our neighbors and our enemies.
We should be disturbed that Anne's description of the Nazi-occupied Netherlands sound so close to ICE raids and detention centers in the US.
God, have mercy on us all.
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