Did you know that most adults practice the sin of Parent Idolatry. It's true. Maybe it's you. Here are some questions to help you determine if it's you.
1. Does what your parents say about you have any effect on how you feel about yourself?
2. Does how your parents treat your siblings have any effect on how you feel about yourself?
3. Do you worry or wonder about how your parents will respond to decision you are making about your life?
4. Have you ever made a decision but then changed it because your parents didn't agree with it?
5. Do you ever seek your parents advice over your spouse?
If you answered yes to any of the above you may be guilty of Parent Idolatry. What this means is that part of your brain is still working from a child perspective. To a child parents are gods. Parents know everything, they have no faults, they know their children better than anyone else and in a child's mind his parents created him. But the truth is that parents are just two people who had sex. Think about it.(or not, yuck!) In the creation process of a child the parents play a very small role. All they do is connect the sperm to the egg so that you can be formed. Parents are merely connectors and caregivers for a child.
The real creator is God. He is the one that created you and he is the one who truly knows you intimately. He is the one that we should be looking to for approval and he is where we determine our identity. The best part about this system is that God will always think you are special, he will never compare you or look down on you like your human parents. His is the one who is capable of perfect unconditional love. As human parents we try very hard to show unconditional love to our kids but because we are flawed the way we love will be flawed and if our children are taught that we are where they get their identity then they will end up very disappointed and spending quite a bit of money in counseling.
Jesus' first sermon was on this same issue. In Luke chapter two we are given a story of Jesus in his youth. Because of some cultural circumstances Jesus is unknowing left in Jerusalem by his parents. When they return to look for him they find him in the temple teaching. Check out this exchange:
"The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.
His mother said, "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you."
He said, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?" But they had no idea what he was talking about.
So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.
Do you see what happened. In the very first words that we get from Jesus in the Bible we see him dethroning his parents as his god and sharing that his God was the father in heaven. They asked why have you done this to us and he says my life is not about you but about God. Jesus still loved his parents and the Bible even makes a point to tell us that lived with them in obedience, but we need to see here that their approval was not what he was after. This is a very important lesson for all of us to learn not just as kids but as parent also. Our job is not put ourselves in a divine position in our children's lives but to position our children's hearts on the truly divine father in heaven. God put children in our lives so that we could raise them or disciple them into a relationship with Him. If we decide to do anything else we might as well start putting money away for the counseling sessions.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Day at the Pantry
This morning I spent a couple of hours at “Minnie’s Food Pantry” in Plano, tx. I became a member of the board a couple of months ago and today was the day that the board was to come out and serve those in the community that where coming to get their weekly supply of Food. Not only was the board coming out but so was the Mayor of Plano Phil Dyer and of course the media. Needless to say this was my kind of party. I’m ashamed to say that I was coming only because I was expected to make an appearance. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy serving, but that was not my intent for showing up today. I don’t think I knew what to expect. In the board meetings we had made such a big deal about the Mayor being there and the marketing video that I was confused about what my job would be.
This morning I woke up and pondered my outfit for sometime. I didn’t want to dress up and look like I was trying to impress the Mayor and yet I didn’t want to dress to casually and be that young punk on the board that didn’t know any better. So, I found a look somewhere in between. When I arrived I realized that I had overdressed. Everyone was there to work and their attire showed it. I was kind of embarrassed even to be in jeans because a lot of the work was going to be outside. But, I pushed my pride aside and jumped in.
There was a line for the food pantry that stretched around the corner of the building it was located in. Needy families that lived in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country coming just to get a two weeks supply of food. It was very eye opening. So we served them and we served them hard. I saw the faces of these people come and go. There was no dominate race and many of them drove nicer cars than my own. I was struck with the reality of what their lives must be like. I thought of shame and depression I would feel if I were in that line waiting to get food for my family. Knowing that for me this would have been the last resort and it would have taken everything in me to ask for help. So, I smiled at them and prayed for them knowing that their stomach would be full but for many of them their souls and spirits would remain empty. These are people who live in the wealthiest country on the planet and sadly many of us are only a paycheck away from that same fate. It made me value family, because I know that I would have to go through a ton a family before I ended up in that bread line. I thank God for that.
I also, thought about how privileged I was to be a part of the work going on there. As I was driving away from the food pantry I thought to myself “That is what I want to be doing when Jesus comes back!” Serving others or something like it. Something that is not about me and my stupid wants. What do you hope to NOT be doing when Jesus returns?
This morning I woke up and pondered my outfit for sometime. I didn’t want to dress up and look like I was trying to impress the Mayor and yet I didn’t want to dress to casually and be that young punk on the board that didn’t know any better. So, I found a look somewhere in between. When I arrived I realized that I had overdressed. Everyone was there to work and their attire showed it. I was kind of embarrassed even to be in jeans because a lot of the work was going to be outside. But, I pushed my pride aside and jumped in.
There was a line for the food pantry that stretched around the corner of the building it was located in. Needy families that lived in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country coming just to get a two weeks supply of food. It was very eye opening. So we served them and we served them hard. I saw the faces of these people come and go. There was no dominate race and many of them drove nicer cars than my own. I was struck with the reality of what their lives must be like. I thought of shame and depression I would feel if I were in that line waiting to get food for my family. Knowing that for me this would have been the last resort and it would have taken everything in me to ask for help. So, I smiled at them and prayed for them knowing that their stomach would be full but for many of them their souls and spirits would remain empty. These are people who live in the wealthiest country on the planet and sadly many of us are only a paycheck away from that same fate. It made me value family, because I know that I would have to go through a ton a family before I ended up in that bread line. I thank God for that.
I also, thought about how privileged I was to be a part of the work going on there. As I was driving away from the food pantry I thought to myself “That is what I want to be doing when Jesus comes back!” Serving others or something like it. Something that is not about me and my stupid wants. What do you hope to NOT be doing when Jesus returns?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Forgiveness of God
I’ve been reading through the Old Testament lately and I have been amazed at the forgiveness of God. It feels weird to write that because growing up all I heard about from the Old Testament was the wrath of God. People would say the Old Testament God was the God of wrath and the New Testament God was the God of love. I don’t really see that as the appropriate description. Granted you could say both of those things about God but if you look at the big story of the Bible you come to the conclusion that forgiveness is truly God’s most amazing action.
Now, in the Old Testament we do see a lot of God’s wrath, but this wrath was not undeserved or unmotivated. In fact God’s wrath comes after the Israelites have done something corporately to spit in God’s face, which happened on a number of occasions. Whether it was complaining about the food God provided, stealing from evil cities that God gave into their hands or creating idols for worship, the Israelites never ceased to find ways to give God the middle finger. The Israelites turn from God, experience God’s wrath, repent, and then receive God blessing again. The ebbs and flows of their behavior were almost bipolar in nature. One could say that along with the manna from heaven God should have been dropping blue pills. This behavior goes on and on which is why I love God. He forgives us.
If I were God I would wipe the human race off the face of the earth every hundred years or so just for good measure, but God doesn’t do that, he forgives. Why you might ask? Well some would say that it is because he loves his creation and he wants us to see how to love also.
In the Old Testament book of Hosea we read of a man named Hosea who God constantly asked to show forgiveness to his adulteress wife Gomer. He would and shortly afterward she would go out and cheat on him again. Each time God commanded Hosea to go out to get her and bring her home to be with him. Through this story God is showing his people, Israel, how he has had to love them all these years. He is also showing us the amount of forgiveness he expects from us.
I don’t know about you but the gift of forgiveness is not a one that many seem to possess these days. With all the lawsuits, road rage and gang violence going on everyday I would think that we have developed more of a gift of revenge than forgiveness. Many of us upon reading this would nod our heads in agreement and band together to stop such violence without seeing the log stretching full out in our own eyes. Many of us practice the act of revenge through the holding of grudges, the withholding love and affection from our children or sex from our spouse and finding joy in the misfortunes of those who have embarrassed or harmed you among others. These acts of revenge or un-forgiveness seem to go unnoticed when compared to more obvious examples of revenge mention earlier, but they are revenge nonetheless. This I hope opens our eyes to rabid un-forgiveness that we demonstrate in our daily lives, thus reveling the how incredible God is to forgive us for ills we heap upon Him and because our ills or sins as they are more commonly called we deserve death, but God showed his love for us that while we were still sinners he sent his only son Jesus to die in our place. Pouring his out his “Old Testament wrath” on His own Son because of His “New Testament love” for us resulting in the ultimate expression of forgiveness. Who do you need to forgive?
Now, in the Old Testament we do see a lot of God’s wrath, but this wrath was not undeserved or unmotivated. In fact God’s wrath comes after the Israelites have done something corporately to spit in God’s face, which happened on a number of occasions. Whether it was complaining about the food God provided, stealing from evil cities that God gave into their hands or creating idols for worship, the Israelites never ceased to find ways to give God the middle finger. The Israelites turn from God, experience God’s wrath, repent, and then receive God blessing again. The ebbs and flows of their behavior were almost bipolar in nature. One could say that along with the manna from heaven God should have been dropping blue pills. This behavior goes on and on which is why I love God. He forgives us.
If I were God I would wipe the human race off the face of the earth every hundred years or so just for good measure, but God doesn’t do that, he forgives. Why you might ask? Well some would say that it is because he loves his creation and he wants us to see how to love also.
In the Old Testament book of Hosea we read of a man named Hosea who God constantly asked to show forgiveness to his adulteress wife Gomer. He would and shortly afterward she would go out and cheat on him again. Each time God commanded Hosea to go out to get her and bring her home to be with him. Through this story God is showing his people, Israel, how he has had to love them all these years. He is also showing us the amount of forgiveness he expects from us.
I don’t know about you but the gift of forgiveness is not a one that many seem to possess these days. With all the lawsuits, road rage and gang violence going on everyday I would think that we have developed more of a gift of revenge than forgiveness. Many of us upon reading this would nod our heads in agreement and band together to stop such violence without seeing the log stretching full out in our own eyes. Many of us practice the act of revenge through the holding of grudges, the withholding love and affection from our children or sex from our spouse and finding joy in the misfortunes of those who have embarrassed or harmed you among others. These acts of revenge or un-forgiveness seem to go unnoticed when compared to more obvious examples of revenge mention earlier, but they are revenge nonetheless. This I hope opens our eyes to rabid un-forgiveness that we demonstrate in our daily lives, thus reveling the how incredible God is to forgive us for ills we heap upon Him and because our ills or sins as they are more commonly called we deserve death, but God showed his love for us that while we were still sinners he sent his only son Jesus to die in our place. Pouring his out his “Old Testament wrath” on His own Son because of His “New Testament love” for us resulting in the ultimate expression of forgiveness. Who do you need to forgive?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Have you ever watched a dog dream?
I have two dogs that I love. One is a border collie/ lab mutt named Mason and the other is a border collie/ German Shepard mutt we named Dakota. As you can tell from the breeds these are energetic and active dogs. The breeds that they represent, for the most part, are engineered to herd other animals. In fact most days in my home you can find my son running around the house laughing because Dakota is licking and nipping at his legs to get him to move in some direction. (Usually it is away from wherever she is trying to nap)
One of the reasons I love my dogs is because they are great outdoor dogs. I love taking them out to open spaces or forests and letting them loose because I can tell how much they love it too. In fact in my house If I even touch a dog leash I will immediately be bowled over by two of the most excited creatures you have ever seen. The point is my dogs love being outside in the open running free. Now like other dogs they also enjoy sleeping and they take part in this activity quite a bit as well.
Occasionally, I’ll be watching TV and one of them, let’s say Mason, is asleep at my feet or somewhere near by and I’ll catch him dreaming. If you have ever seen a dog dream you know that it can be somewhat disturbing at first. My attention is usually drawn toward them because they make some sort or shortened whimpering sound. Glancing over at them I notice their body convulsing and twitching uncontrollably. This is very disconcerting until I notice that their eyes are closed and I realize that they are dreaming. As I watch I become somewhat saddened by the whole display, because I know in my heart that they are not dreaming about sitting in the house all day waiting for us to come home from work. No, they are dreaming about the outdoors. They are dreaming about that rabbit that they chased after the other day or the mud puddle they ran through or the other dog they ran into on the street who has been given the freedom to run around outdoors.
Instinctually a dog is called to the outside world that’s where it belongs that’s where it thrives. Dogs were not meant to be locked up in a house or a cage all day just for our enjoyment, No they were meant to be free. Now, I am no animal rights activist so don’t let my verbiage turn you off if you have animals living in your house. I am merely walking us through this scenario to help us see something in our own lives spiritually.
When we become a Christian the book of Acts tells us that we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. Many of us, once we’ve received the Holy Spirit, try to keep it caged up or domesticate it like we do a house pet, but the spirit of God was not given to you for the sole purpose of your enjoyment in your house. The spirit of God was meant to run free through you in to the outside world. Unfortunately, in many of us the spirit lies in our lives twitching and dreaming of the “outside” world where it can chase after the souls of unbelievers in your midst. Where it can run through the muddied lives of sinners and wash them clean. Where it can make contact with itself in another believer who is letting the spirit in their lives run free.
We do not control the spirit, but how we allow it to use us in God’s plan for this world is under our control. In reading through the book of Jonah recently I was reminded that God can and will work despite our attempts to cage up His spirit, but as a believer I find very little satisfaction in that. I am of course glad that my fear and idiocy cannot get in the way of God’s plan, but my soul longs to be used by God to do great things! I possess the same power and spirit in me that Jesus and the great prophets were filled with and yet my fear and desire for comfort keep that power at bay in my life. I want to see this power unleashed in my life and I want to inspire others to do the same. So, I hope this blog, for those who read it, will do that for you and this entry will be a starting point. Unleash the power of the Holy Spirit in you life. Let it run free!
One of the reasons I love my dogs is because they are great outdoor dogs. I love taking them out to open spaces or forests and letting them loose because I can tell how much they love it too. In fact in my house If I even touch a dog leash I will immediately be bowled over by two of the most excited creatures you have ever seen. The point is my dogs love being outside in the open running free. Now like other dogs they also enjoy sleeping and they take part in this activity quite a bit as well.
Occasionally, I’ll be watching TV and one of them, let’s say Mason, is asleep at my feet or somewhere near by and I’ll catch him dreaming. If you have ever seen a dog dream you know that it can be somewhat disturbing at first. My attention is usually drawn toward them because they make some sort or shortened whimpering sound. Glancing over at them I notice their body convulsing and twitching uncontrollably. This is very disconcerting until I notice that their eyes are closed and I realize that they are dreaming. As I watch I become somewhat saddened by the whole display, because I know in my heart that they are not dreaming about sitting in the house all day waiting for us to come home from work. No, they are dreaming about the outdoors. They are dreaming about that rabbit that they chased after the other day or the mud puddle they ran through or the other dog they ran into on the street who has been given the freedom to run around outdoors.
Instinctually a dog is called to the outside world that’s where it belongs that’s where it thrives. Dogs were not meant to be locked up in a house or a cage all day just for our enjoyment, No they were meant to be free. Now, I am no animal rights activist so don’t let my verbiage turn you off if you have animals living in your house. I am merely walking us through this scenario to help us see something in our own lives spiritually.
When we become a Christian the book of Acts tells us that we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. Many of us, once we’ve received the Holy Spirit, try to keep it caged up or domesticate it like we do a house pet, but the spirit of God was not given to you for the sole purpose of your enjoyment in your house. The spirit of God was meant to run free through you in to the outside world. Unfortunately, in many of us the spirit lies in our lives twitching and dreaming of the “outside” world where it can chase after the souls of unbelievers in your midst. Where it can run through the muddied lives of sinners and wash them clean. Where it can make contact with itself in another believer who is letting the spirit in their lives run free.
We do not control the spirit, but how we allow it to use us in God’s plan for this world is under our control. In reading through the book of Jonah recently I was reminded that God can and will work despite our attempts to cage up His spirit, but as a believer I find very little satisfaction in that. I am of course glad that my fear and idiocy cannot get in the way of God’s plan, but my soul longs to be used by God to do great things! I possess the same power and spirit in me that Jesus and the great prophets were filled with and yet my fear and desire for comfort keep that power at bay in my life. I want to see this power unleashed in my life and I want to inspire others to do the same. So, I hope this blog, for those who read it, will do that for you and this entry will be a starting point. Unleash the power of the Holy Spirit in you life. Let it run free!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
What will your reception in Heaven Look Like?
Have you every thought about what your entrance into heaven will look like? I’m not talking about the kind of death you are going to experience. No. I’m talking about the kind of reception you will receive. I have you ever thought about that, really? Will the lights suddenly come on and Jesus the prophets and all the angels are standing there screaming in excitement? Or will the lights come on and you’ll be face to face with the devil and his demons yelling ‘Surprise!’ You’re in hell! Look, hell is a real place but for the moment I want to talk to those who have the assurance of their place in heaven. Unfortunately, that is not going to be everyone not even all “Christians.” Now don’t get me wrong the security of salvation is objective or rather a fact. If you have truly given your life to following Jesus and his commands then your salvation is secure. However, your assurance of your place in heaven is subjective. I am not here to assure you of your place in heaven. That’s not my job. I am here to simply ask those of you who are sure you are going to heaven to wonder what sort of reception you life will deserve when you arrive in heaven.
Unfortunately, I think that most of us have not thought too much about that. In fact, I think that many of us will just be happy to get in. That seems sad to me because I don’t think God wanted us to follow him just so that we could make it into heaven, but rather he wanted us to live a life on this planet that would inspire others to follow in our footsteps. Isn’t that what the great commission is all about? When Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations” it is clear that he is leaving them a job to do. Jesus himself was about to ascend into heaven. If the whole purpose of life was just to know how Jesus was and decide to follow Him then Jesus would have taken all the disciples straight to heaven with him right then, but he doesn’t. He leaves them. Why is that? Jesus wanted to give them a chance to live out what they had decided to do. They decided to follow him and now he wanted them to act on that following in such a way that others will also decide and follow.
I think that many of us stop at the decide and don’t really try to follow and truthfully many of us are satisfied with that. The problem I see is that I don’t think those two ideas, decide and follow, are mutually exclusive. I think that if you have truly decided then you are compelled to follow and if you find yourself not compelled to follow then I would contend that you didn’t truly decide. I can hear people saying, “But Markus, once saved always saved.” I am not disagreeing with that. As I wrote earlier the security of salvation is a fact. What I am wondering is if a person who says they are a Christian but then continues to live in there sin, was ever truly saved to begin with.
Look at this in 2 Peter 1:5-10
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The passage is telling us to “make every effort” to add these mentioned qualities to our lives. It is not telling us to accept Jesus and then sit on our butt enjoying the fire insurance we just bought, but rather it is reminding us of who bought us and how we are to model His example. Furthermore verse 9 tells us that those who sit on their butt and don’t seek to increase in these things are nearsighted and blind. Have you ever seen anywhere in the Bible a true follower of Christ being called blind? No. In fact, one of the most famous clichés of salvation comes from the famous song “Amazing Grace” “I once was blind but now I see.” This idea is taken directly from John chapter 9 when Jesus proclaims to have come to the world so that the blind will see (verse 39). Salvation, true salvation is not about faith or actions. It is about faith and actions, they work together and if my faith doesn’t move me to act I would wonder about my faith. But don’t take my word for it examine the scriptures. Look again at the passage above. The writer backs this up in verse 8. “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…”Did you catch that? As followers of Christ, God has an expectation of productivity and effectiveness in our lives. But what are we supposed to produce and effect? Look at the last thing Jesus says before he ascends into heaven in Matthew 28. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” God wants you to introduce Him to your friends and the world around you. You can’t heal a person’s disease but you can introduce them to the doctor. If you had been dying of cancer and someone healed you, what would you do if a loved one contracted cancer? You would take them immediately to the doctor that healed you. Salvation in Christ is no different.
But what does this have to do with my reception into heaven? I think many of us believe that all entrances into heaven are the same, but in the passage above verse 11 implies that you can receive a special reception and I believe it will be based on how you lived as a follower of Christ and how you inspired others in that life. So I asked you, what do you want your reception into heaven to look like?
Unfortunately, I think that most of us have not thought too much about that. In fact, I think that many of us will just be happy to get in. That seems sad to me because I don’t think God wanted us to follow him just so that we could make it into heaven, but rather he wanted us to live a life on this planet that would inspire others to follow in our footsteps. Isn’t that what the great commission is all about? When Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations” it is clear that he is leaving them a job to do. Jesus himself was about to ascend into heaven. If the whole purpose of life was just to know how Jesus was and decide to follow Him then Jesus would have taken all the disciples straight to heaven with him right then, but he doesn’t. He leaves them. Why is that? Jesus wanted to give them a chance to live out what they had decided to do. They decided to follow him and now he wanted them to act on that following in such a way that others will also decide and follow.
I think that many of us stop at the decide and don’t really try to follow and truthfully many of us are satisfied with that. The problem I see is that I don’t think those two ideas, decide and follow, are mutually exclusive. I think that if you have truly decided then you are compelled to follow and if you find yourself not compelled to follow then I would contend that you didn’t truly decide. I can hear people saying, “But Markus, once saved always saved.” I am not disagreeing with that. As I wrote earlier the security of salvation is a fact. What I am wondering is if a person who says they are a Christian but then continues to live in there sin, was ever truly saved to begin with.
Look at this in 2 Peter 1:5-10
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The passage is telling us to “make every effort” to add these mentioned qualities to our lives. It is not telling us to accept Jesus and then sit on our butt enjoying the fire insurance we just bought, but rather it is reminding us of who bought us and how we are to model His example. Furthermore verse 9 tells us that those who sit on their butt and don’t seek to increase in these things are nearsighted and blind. Have you ever seen anywhere in the Bible a true follower of Christ being called blind? No. In fact, one of the most famous clichés of salvation comes from the famous song “Amazing Grace” “I once was blind but now I see.” This idea is taken directly from John chapter 9 when Jesus proclaims to have come to the world so that the blind will see (verse 39). Salvation, true salvation is not about faith or actions. It is about faith and actions, they work together and if my faith doesn’t move me to act I would wonder about my faith. But don’t take my word for it examine the scriptures. Look again at the passage above. The writer backs this up in verse 8. “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…”Did you catch that? As followers of Christ, God has an expectation of productivity and effectiveness in our lives. But what are we supposed to produce and effect? Look at the last thing Jesus says before he ascends into heaven in Matthew 28. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” God wants you to introduce Him to your friends and the world around you. You can’t heal a person’s disease but you can introduce them to the doctor. If you had been dying of cancer and someone healed you, what would you do if a loved one contracted cancer? You would take them immediately to the doctor that healed you. Salvation in Christ is no different.
But what does this have to do with my reception into heaven? I think many of us believe that all entrances into heaven are the same, but in the passage above verse 11 implies that you can receive a special reception and I believe it will be based on how you lived as a follower of Christ and how you inspired others in that life. So I asked you, what do you want your reception into heaven to look like?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Fear of Exposure
Recently I have been reading George Barna's book "Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions" and one of the things that has stuck with me as of late is the idea of "Worldly exposure." For those of you who are reading this that are not Christians, let me let you in on this idea. First of all this is not an offical title to what I am about to explain, but an idea that is birthed from the following phrase, "Be in the world, not of the world." Jesus Christ said in the book of John (from the Bible) that he was not of this world. This statement had two meanings: 1. He was physically not of this world, this was stated so that those around Him would know that he was not just a man but much more, i:e the Son of God and 2. He was not invested in or influenced by the world's ideas. Some Christian's tend to see the latter as a reason to isolate themselves from anything that is not Christian at it's foundation, but what we forget is that eventhough Jesus was not of the world he did come to save it. (John 12:47) To save it means to he had to be in it enough to know what he needed to save it from.
Now, with that being said, George Barna states that," by the age on nine years old most of the moral and spiritual foundations of a child are in place." On reading this my first thought was, "well, I guess I should shield my child from secular TV and movies for the first ten years so that I can fill their head with clear spiritual ideas." While the the filling of a child with clear spiritual ideas is appropriate, I believe that shielding them from the worldly media sources is a bad idea. I think that allowing them to watch certain age appropriate secular shows and movies under parent supervisor is a very healthy thing. During and after the shows narrate and translate what they are seeing and have just seen through the Christian worldview. This will teach them to watch the worldly things through this lens at all times, thus allowing them to see what the world needs to be saved and yet still protecting them from being molded into it's ideas and standards. "Be in the world, not of it."
Now, with that being said, George Barna states that," by the age on nine years old most of the moral and spiritual foundations of a child are in place." On reading this my first thought was, "well, I guess I should shield my child from secular TV and movies for the first ten years so that I can fill their head with clear spiritual ideas." While the the filling of a child with clear spiritual ideas is appropriate, I believe that shielding them from the worldly media sources is a bad idea. I think that allowing them to watch certain age appropriate secular shows and movies under parent supervisor is a very healthy thing. During and after the shows narrate and translate what they are seeing and have just seen through the Christian worldview. This will teach them to watch the worldly things through this lens at all times, thus allowing them to see what the world needs to be saved and yet still protecting them from being molded into it's ideas and standards. "Be in the world, not of it."
Friday, May 28, 2010
Make It Count
I work at a Church and several years ago I was walking passed the room where our youth service is held and I heard our youth minister say something that has changed the way I look at every situation I find myself in. He said to the kids “Don’t meditate on the question, “why am I here,’ but rather meditate on the thought that you are here” This young youth minister had a knack for philosophy and that night he was in rare form. I walked away thinking about what he said and as I meditated on his words I was filled with a profound since of responsibility.
You see what he was trying to get those kids to do was not think about something they could not control (the situation they were in) but instead to think on what they could control (what they would do in the situation) Life is not always fair and it doesn’t always go the way we want it to, but it is still to be lived. Many of us find ourselves in situations we did not expect or situation that we didn’t expect to be so difficult. A new job, new relationship, new town…you fill in the blank. In those times many of us spend a large amount of the time trying to figure out how we got there. We retrace our steps, talk to friends or our pastor, we meditate or pray all in the name of trying to figure out how we arrived at this point. All the while life has not stopped and in fact it is passing us by a breakneck speed. During that time of “discovery” or introspection we lose out on the opportunity to truly enjoy our present situation. Let me give you an example:
A very good friend of mine just told me that she was pregnant. Now to most people having a child is an exciting time, but when you have just had one six months prior it can be a little daunting. That’s right my friend is now going to be what the labor and delivery nurses affectionately call… a thirteen-monther. My friend now has a choice to make. Whether she likes it or not this baby is going to come and she can either spend the next nine months crying and wondering why this happened to her or she can stiffen up her lip and decide to “enjoy” creating this life that God has put inside her. Of the two I prefer the latter. The reality is that weather you like it our not you are where you are and for us to spend time hating the situation is a waste. You are in it, so you might as well make it count.
This make it count phrase has become sort of a motto for me in my life. I always desire to make what I am doing count. If I have managed to get my lazy bum out of bed and to the gym I don’t need to stand in front of the weights cursing them, I need to put them to work. I’ve made the effort to be there so I might as well make that time count. I am a parent of a two year old and I have a vision for what I want my son to look like spiritually when he leaves my house. Time is moving fast but I don’t what to sit back and think about all the time I’ve lost, because while I’m doing that I lose the time I have with him right then. I need to make the moments count while I am with him.
I don’t believe that anything is coincidental. I believe that God is always guiding my life. If I truly believe in the divinity and the goodness of God then I have to believe that he has me where I am for a reason. I’ll even take it further than that. I believe that God believes that I am the perfect person for this moment in time and place. He knows my gifts and abilities and in his Eternal plan I play a part right here, right now. This is not my right but a privilege that God chose me for this moment. If I sit and wonder why I am here, I not only miss out on the tremendous blessing that he is preparing for me in this, but I also dishonor and betray his trust in me. Think about that in you own life. Do you believe that God is in control of your life? If so where has he put you? How are you honoring his choice to use you in that situation? He could have used anyone but he is using YOU. So don’t wonder why YOU are here, but rather realize that for some eternal reason God has YOU here and then MAKE IT COUNT!
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