Christianity

Our View of God, Our View of Man, and Why It Matters

Leave a Comment / October 2, 2016

Following is an abbreviated version of the talk I prepared for a Mom’s group this morning.  I thank them for having me and, as this is the second request to speak on this particular topic in a matter of months, I thought some of you might be interested in it, as well.

Holiness.  What is it?  And why does it matter?  Why has this word almost disappeared from mainstream Christianity?

I think it is in great part because we do not have a biblical definition of Who God is.  We like to read about a “god” who meets our every need, who helps us find our purpose, and who grants our wishes. We aren’t so thrilled about a God who requires us to live holy and pure lives. We fill our minds with books that tell us who we want God to be, instead of the biblical description of God. God is holy, all-knowing, supreme, and loving. He hates sin and cannot tolerate it in any form.  We need to get to know the God of the Bible in order to properly understand holiness. God doesn’t exist to give me purpose and He doesn’t exist to fulfill my every need. His wrath is mentioned in scripture more times than His love. We can’t fully understand holiness if we are trying to define God in a way that pleases our emotions.

I also believe that an unbiblical understanding of who we are as human beings is to blame. I heard a song on Christian radio a few months ago that says “Jesus help me understand that I was worth dying for.”  I turned it off immediately. That isn’t biblical at all. The Bible tells us we WEREN’T worth dying for. That is the amazing beauty of salvation. It is God’s free gift to us, even though we were without any merit whatsoever. Over and over, outside the church and inside the church, we hear the common theme of how beautiful we are to Jesus. But this is not a biblical theme. Only through Jesus do we become pure and white and beautiful.  Only through Him do we have any merit.

If we have a LOW view of God and a HIGH view of ourselves, it leads us to have a very LOW view of sin.  We start believing that sin isn’t important.  That God understands and will forgive.  We don’t care about pleasing Him…we are more concerned with receiving blessings from the big “genie” in the sky. We become wrapped up in our own selfish desires, rights, and concerns and expect God to meet us there…instead of bending ourselves to His will and purposes. Holiness isn’t about a list of do’s and don’ts (what many like to call “legalism”), but it is instead a desire to show our love and gratitude to the God who has made a way for me, a sinner, to be reconciled with Him through the amazing sacrifice of His Son.

And this idea should affect all areas of our lives. I like to use the word “peas” to help me remember some of these areas (I really wanted to think of a meaningful word–but, alas, “peas” is the only thing my mind could come up with!)

1. Presentation–how do we present ourselves?  What kind of language do we use?  Are we modest in our dress?  Do we complain all of the time?  What do our priorities show about what we view as important? Can people tell we love the Lord by how we present ourselves?

2.  Entertainment–what do we watch?  What do we listen to?  What do we read?  If we couldn’t invite Jesus to join us…if our choices are full of the things God hates…then we can be sure we shouldn’t be watching, listening to, or reading it.  I fail to understand the rationalization that goes on in this area on a consistent basis by believers. If God hates it, we shouldn’t want any part of it — in real life OR on a page, a screen, or our car radio.

3.  Attitude–Who are we at home?  Are we kind, loving, and patient, or do we only put that face on when we are at church or work?  How would our families describe us? Do we think of others and their needs? Do we have an attitude of graciousness and kindness or do others view us as selfish, unpleasant, or angry?

4.  Stewardship–How do we spend our money?  Do we live in constant debt? How do we treat the bodies we have been blessed with? Do we overeat or eat to comfort ourselves?  How about the hours of each day?  Do we waste hours on activities that have no eternal value whatsoever?

Each of us probably struggles in one area more than another, but we all struggle.  I, personally, REALLY struggle with some of the things I have just mentioned.  But all four of the things listed above aren’t options but should be an outpouring of the love we feel for our God.

You see, holiness is about pleasing the Lord with every area of our life.  Eric Ludy puts it this way: ” Anything that turns the mind to self instead of the heavenly is opposite of Jesus; if it will not serve the purposes of Jesus Christ it has no allowance to be there.”

You know in your heart today where you struggle.  You know what part of your life you are struggling to live in purity and holiness.  We are all different.  But we are all the same in this:  We battle against our flesh and selfish desires.

But let us remember this:

 “God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments.”  A.W. Pink

 May we never give up our quest to please our heavenly Father with our life and our choices.  May we keep Him and knowing Him as our priority. May we turn away from our rebellious hearts.  And may we be wise and discerning in what we allow in our minds and our lives.  And may we never forget that the Lord will be with us all of the way, to strengthen and guide us.  He is faithful forever.  What a great God we serve!

 

Resources:

The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink (book) I wish every Christian would read this book.  It has been invaluable in helping me understand who God is.

The Power of a Holy Life by John MacArthur (article) Excellent article on how Holy Living affects the world around us.

No More Games: Living and Breathing the Holiness of God by James MacDonald (sermon series) I haven’t heard this whole series but what I have heard is excellent!

The Impossible Task

2 Comments / April 16, 2012

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful.  It was the perfect temperature to work outside and I took it upon myself to clean up my back patio.  Unfortunately, you can’t help but notice the gas grill if you are out there.  I am not one to clean my gas grill every year, so I knew it was in desperate need of attention.  I was also pretty sure that it wouldn’t be a high priority for my husband anytime soon.  So I went inside and googled “How to clean a gas grill” (yes, I realize that shows just how infrequently I have cleaned my grill!)  I found some good information and, armed with instructions encased in a sheet protector, went outside to get started.   I put the grates in a big tub of soapy water and then started scrubbing the main grill.  And rubbing.  And scrubbing.  Maybe a vacuum would work better.  I pulled out my little handheld vacuum to suck up the debris on the bottom.  Some of it came up and some of it was so glued to the bottom from greasy residue it didn’t want to budge.  I stood and stared at the dumb thing.  What to try?  I got a magic eraser.  Aahh…now that was working…a little.  But, oh, the effort that took just to show a tiny glimmer of the old silver shine.  I worked at that for about a half hour and then decided that it was foolish to clean it perfectly, as it would end up back the way it was after a few weeks of grilling, anyway.  I instead turned my attention to the grates soaking in the tub.  I had less success with these than I had had with the grill!  I could hardly rub even a small area to a silver gleam.

As I scrubbed, I couldn’t help but think of the parallel to the Christian life.  I could try to make myself as clean as possible, so as to stand pure and righteous before God, but I could never “scrub” my life enough to make myself completely white.  There would always be sticky, greasy, stains and large blotches of black, no matter how much effort I put forth.  It gave me good insight into why Jesus had to die for my sins in order for me to be saved.  His sacrifice enables me to stand white and pure before God, because He took my punishment.  I had never thought of it like that before.  Praise filled my heart.

And then my thoughts turned towards living life.  So, if Jesus makes me white, why bother cleaning up my life at all?  Kind of like the grill, my best efforts to clean up my life don’t really amount to much.  I might get a corner cleaned up over here or a small piece of the grate shining brightly over there…but I will never be able to come even close to perfection.  Again the question–why bother?

Of course, we are to live godly lives because we love the Lord (I John 2) but could there be another reason?  As I contemplated this, I realized that cleaning my grill makes it work better.  It is more efficient and burns cleaner.  It grills the food better and it looks nicer.  Sure, I can’t get it perfect, but my efforts are still not without their rewards.  Our lives are like that, too.  Sure, we won’t ever make ourselves perfect.  But following God’s commandments will lead to rewards in our lives here on earth.  And just like my dirty grill said something about me (laziness or too busy, perhaps?); so our lives, if we claim to be a Christian, say something about God. What does our life say about the Holy God we claim to serve?  Isn’t He and His reputation worth giving ourselves a good “scrubbing” for?

And, unlike my solo task of scrubbing that grill, we have help with cleaning up our lives.  God sent the Holy Spirit as our Helper (John 14:15-17).  Isn’t that an encouraging thought?  We do not have to work at this alone.

As I finished cleaning the grill, I can’t say I was filled with a great sense of accomplishment.  But, surprisingly, when I pulled everything back together, it did look a lot cleaner than it was before.  My efforts did show.  Life is often the same way–while we are in the midst of change we can get discouraged and lost.  But if we keep working at it, we will come out on the other side saying- Yes, I can see a difference.  It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better!

Isn’t it amazing what  you can learn while cleaning your grill?

Using Words Wisely

Leave a Comment / April 12, 2012

Before I start today, I just want you to know that I have my husband’s permission to tell this story.  He learned a good lesson through this incident several years ago. I feel so blessed to be married to someone who admits his mistakes and chooses to grow from them.  Now on to the story–

“What does he want now?  He always has a problem, doesn’t he?  He is such a pain!” These words, or at least words like these, spilled out of my husband’s mouth as he spewed much of the frustration he had felt towards a troublesome customer for some years.  His employee was at the complaining customer’s property and had called with a question.  Unfortunately for my husband, the employee on the other end of the call was using his Nextel and had put it on speaker phone.  He had called with the customer right beside him and said customer had just heard my husband’s entire deluge of words directed at him.

What to do?  Our employee handled it as best he could.  He left my husband know immediately and in a nonchalant way that the man was right beside him and listening.  The conversation became stilted and was finished quickly.  My husband’s heart sank.  What kind of mess had he gotten himself into now?   He tries to treat all customers courteously and kindly, but every now and again, one stretches him to his limits.

After the mortifying realization of what had occurred, he made the decision to go and apologize to this man.  And, quite honestly, he was very well received.  After the apology and some open discussion, our relationship with this customer improved considerably and he is still our customer to this day.

As we laugh about it now, we also realize that there are some important lessons to be learned from the unfortunate incident.

1.         There will be people who frustrate us in life.  It is important that we apply scriptural principles in our dealings with them.  In Luke 6:31, Jesus says: And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  If we apply this principle with the irritating people in our lives, it should change our responses.

2.         It is important to choose our words carefully, even when we are frustrated or irritated.  Too often we spout off words we don’t even mean in the heat of the moment.  Whether they are about someone or directly to that person, we need to use self-control when we express our frustration.

3.         Don’t be too proud to apologize.  The last thing my husband wanted to do was to go to this customer and apologize.  First, he doesn’t know him that well personally and second, it was just downright embarrassing.  So many times we are afraid to face the person we have offended or hurt, so we just pretend it will go away.  But it doesn’t!  That pain and hurt, even if forgiven, often lingers on in the heart of the person we hurt.  It is important that we offer our sincere apology immediately.   In the case of this customer, it was the best thing my husband could have done.  And, from my own experience (with my many mistakes in life!), it does get easier the more you do it.  If you are out of practice of apologizing, the first time will be agonizing.  You will stumble over your words and hesitate and feel foolish.  But try it!  I think you will find it so beneficial to your relationships, and at the very least, you will know that you have done the right thing.

4.         It is important to choose our words carefully always, but especially when we are in a public setting–on the phone, in the bleachers or on the sidelines, in a church hallway, or at a family gathering.  Ephesians 4:29 says: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  Does my speech impart grace to the hearers?  What a great test for our language.

Life is full of unpleasant, uncomfortable, and awkward circumstances.  It is important that we don’t miss the life lessons hidden in those moments.  The story above was just one such moment and even now, years later, we still think on the lessons we learned from that unpleasant incident.

10 Ways to Render a Christian Ineffective

1 Comment / April 11, 2012

Okay, so it isn’t Monday or Thursday, but this week you get a bonus post!   Here is my list of 10 ways to render Christians ineffective for the cause of Christ.

1.         Get them so addicted to entertainment and material pleasures that nothing else seems important.

2.         Have them become so reliant on others to solve their problems and meet their needs that they never have to rely on God for anything.

3.         Busy their lives with sports, games, meetings, jobs, and church functions that they are far too busy to read their Bibles, much less anything else.

4.         Fool them into believing that they can do anything they want and claim it all forgiven, and even sanctioned, by the grace of God.

5.         Put out a thousand translations of the Bible and convince them that it doesn’t matter which one you use, as long as it is called the “Bible”.

6.         Get them so wrapped up in fighting over insignificant things that they never focus on the issues that really matter.

7.         Teach them to believe that the only ways to show true Christian love is giving to the poor and tolerating the beliefs of others, even at the cost of the Truth.

8.         Fool them into believing the only way to reach the lost is to become like them.

9.         Teach them that a simple prayer is all it takes to declare themselves saved, even if there has never been a transformed life or even a little bit of fruit to give evidence of that salvation.

10.       Have them put so much focus on their feelings and emotions that they lose all taste for  True doctrine.

After-Easter Days

Leave a Comment / April 9, 2012

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from a book called “The Cross of Christ” .  This seemed so appropriate for the day after Easter.

Easter morning is the beginning of a unique and most tenderly interesting portion of our blessed Savior’s life. It is the transition period between His earthly ministry and His heavenly exaltation. Like the Indian summer of the year, there is a tender veil of loveliness and mystery about it which links it with both worlds, and makes it a peculiarly appropriate pattern of a life hid with Christ in God, in which we may walk with Him all our days with our heads in heaven, while our feet still tread the earth below. May the Holy Spirit vividly reveal to us such glimpses of this blessed life as will enable us to reproduce it in our own experience and to walk with Him with a new sense of His abiding presence and glorious reality!

This glad resurrection morning dispels from the religion of Jesus all the shadow of the sepulcher and all the morbid atmosphere of sorrow, depression, and death. The Christ of true Christianity is not a bleeding, thorn-crowned Ecce Homo, but a gold and radiant face, bright as the springtime morning and radiant with immortal life. “I am the Living One; I was dead,” is His message, and “Behold I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:18). Oh, may this day impress upon our hearts the reality of a risen and living Christ, until He shall be more actual to us than any other personality; and we shall know what it means to be not only “reconciled to him through the death of his Son,” but “shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10).

What a picture of easy and uttermost triumph is that resurrection scene! Satan had done his utmost; men had done their best to hold the Captive of the tomb. But without an effort the mighty Sleeper calmly rose before the Easter dawn, deliberately laying off the grave clothes and wrapping up the napkin, and putting all in place as naturally as any of us this morning arranged our bedroom. Then through that colossal stone that closed His tomb, He passed without even rolling it aside or breaking the seal. And before the guards could know that He was risen, He was standing calmly in the garden, talking with Mary as though nothing had happened. The infinite facility with which He put His feet on every foe and rose above every obstacle is, perhaps, the most overwhelming impression we have received from all the incidents of His resurrection.

So, too, we see the same victorious power expressed in the attitude of the angel who followed Him, and with a single touch rolled away the stone from the sepulcher and coolly sat down upon it, and then looked in the faces of the keepers till they grew pale with terror and flew in horror and dismay without a struggle.

Such is our risen Christ still, the mighty Victor over all His foes and ours. Could we see Him now, we would behold Him sitting on His Father’s throne, undismayed by all the powers of darkness, and “since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool” (Hebrews 10:13). Oh, how it cheers our timid hearts to behold our glorious and victorious Captain, and to hear Him say of every adversary and every difficulty, “I have overcome for you.” God help us to see the Captain as Joshua beheld Him, and before Him the walls of every Jericho will fall and the legions of every opposing force will melt away!

—The Cross of Christ, by A.B. Simpson

Glorious Freedom

2 Comments / March 23, 2016

Johnny was born into slavery. He was hauling water and helping his mama in the kitchen since he could remember. As he grew older, he became his master’s special servant. He would help his master get dressed in the morning, run errands for him, and serve his meals. He was expected to be available at all times, just in case his master needed anything. Johnny obeyed his master, Mr. Clark, because that was his duty.

But, over the years, a strange thing happened. Mr. Clark began to feel a fatherly love in his heart for young Johnny. He saw Johnny’s lack of education and hired a tutor. He saw his need for clothing and hired a tailor. He even started having Johnny join him in the main dining room for meals. You see, Mr. Clark did not have any children and was a very lonely man. After several years, Mr. Clark decided to adopt Johnny as his very own son. Mr. Clark even changed his will so that Johnny became the sole heir of his vast estate.

After Mr. Clark adopted Johnny, you may think that their relationship changed. Suddenly, Johnny  could do what he wanted. He was free. But Johnny continued to serve Mr. Clark in the same capacity. Only now it wasn’t because it was his duty but, instead, because of his love for his master–who was now also his father.

I would submit to you that our freedom in Christ is quite similar. I believe that Christian freedom has been misinterpreted for so long now, that we don’t even question whether or not today’s definition of “Christian Freedom” is biblical. Christian freedom isn’t about what we are allowed to do–it is about what we can do. What can we do to please the Father who adopted us as sons and daughters? What choice will bring glory to God?

This applies to everything–from the tone of voice we choose to use when we are frustrated to whom we decide to marry. From what show or movie we watch on our television after a long, hard day to which career path we follow. Our desire to please the One who saved us should encompass every decision we make.

If we view Christian freedom as an excuse to fulfill our own desires and lusts (Galatians 5:13), we mock the cross. Christ loved us so much that He died to free us from the heavy chains of sin. And yet so many of us crawl right back to the sinful place we started and wallow there, claiming Christ’s continual forgiveness–or even worse yet, claiming that our salvation has eradicated the need for “rules”.  And you would be right: Rules no longer dictate our behavior after we are saved.

But is this even the question we should be asking? Just like Johnny obeyed out of love, so we, too, upon our adoption by our Heavenly Father, change from obeying God’s law out of duty to obeying it out of love.  The law doesn’t change–our hearts change. What is expected of us doesn’t change, it is why we do what is expected of us that changes. No longer do we feel like obedience is a chore, but, instead, we now consider it a privilege. And so, from the smallest choice to every life-changing decision, our question becomes: How can I best please my God?

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, may we remember that Christ died and rose again to free us from our chains. May we consider this amazing grace and our eternal inheritance with all sobriety and sacredness. And may we endeavor to please Him because we love Him more than we love ourselves.

 

Are You Sure About That?

3 Comments / May 17, 2016

The headlines read “26 Years Later, Haven’t Lost Anyone”. The article went on to give the lawn company’s philosophy and why they never – yes, it said NEVER – have lost a customer. Having owned a lawn company for 25 years, my husband first recognized the impossibility of this statement. And then he started laughing as he realized that he was actually bidding some work for one of their unhappy customers. The credibility of that company and of the newspaper that ran the article was thrown into question after reading what we knew, firsthand, to be an outright lie.

Around this same time, our daughter was in a car accident with another driver, a young girl. There were not any witnesses of the incident and the young girl proceeded to lie about what had occurred. Our auto insurance is headed to battle over it, as the dents in the cars tell the true story and they believe they will be able to prove it was not our daughter’s fault.

We also had two incidents with buying mowers recently. In one, a verbal agreement was made and we were on our way to pick it up (a drive of several hours) when we were called and told that he had sold the mower to someone who had offered to pay him more. In the other case, we traveled to Philadelphia to pick one up, being told it was in mint condition, only to hear a tap in the motor.

So, what do all of these stories have in common? Integrity.

No longer do people feel it necessary to be truthful in advertising…to keep their word…to be honest in their interactions with others.  Instead they do whatever is to their own advantage, with no concern for the truth.

The lack of concern about the truth in this culture is truly frightening. But the lie that there are no moral absolutes has seeped its way into the culture so thoroughly, that now we are reaping the consequences. And they will be heavy consequences. You could see it happening twenty years ago. I remember a song in the 80s talking about this change in teaching absolute truth to our public school students. You could see it happening when TV sitcoms would (and still do) glorify and make light of someone telling a lie to get something they wanted. You could also see it coming, when parents started to set examples of lying on their taxes and being dishonest about sick days and why they couldn’t come to the phone. Another big red flag was when a person’s “happiness” became the ultimate goal for life.  You see, these things set the stage for a generation that has no respect for the truth, unless it is to their advantage.

So, as a Christian (and, hopefully, as one who practices telling the truth), what are we to do? Well, first and foremost, of course, is that we stand out in this culture by being honorable and trustworthy. We should tell the truth, no matter what the outcome (Proverbs 14:5). We also need to be unwavering and to set a godly example as we teach our children the importance of honesty and integrity.

Another important thing we need to do in this day and age is to listen to everything with the proverbial grain of salt .  Whether it is in the newspaper, on the TV news or on a reality show, or even hearing a story about someone else’s tragic circumstances from a friend, we shouldn’t be so quick to believe what we hear.  So many are the agendas and slants given to stories, that we need to be really careful in what we believe.

As I write on this topic, I find myself filled with sadness at the state of this culture. I could see it coming and now I realize that we are here.  I also know the inevitable outcome of a country that holds no respect for the truth. But, alas, here we are. And so it is our duty and responsibility to live the Christian life with integrity in a culture that holds no esteem for the truth.

 

 

Righteous Anger

8 Comments / March 29, 2012

I found myself really angry the other day. My daughter, Susan (names have been changed to protect the innocent), had said something very hurtful to me. We were sitting as a family at the dinner table eating and talking, when out popped this comment from Susan’s mouth. I felt myself grow hot with anger. My pride was hurt and I grew cold and quiet. I escaped to my office and spent the rest of the night working, as far from Susan as I could get. The following morning I did not treat Susan very kindly. She finally asked me about why I wasn’t being very nice. And, I am ashamed to say, that all of that coldness and those hurt feelings came welling up in me and I started explaining to her in a very loud and not-so-nice voice why her comment had been hurtful, unkind, and downright wrong. And then I walked out and I may have even slammed the door.

I was immediately totally and completely ashamed of myself. My whole reaction from the time the comment was made to the moment I spoke unkindly was sinful. What had I just done? And why was I so angry? I was angry because of a derogatory comment directed towards me. My sinful self shines so brightly in situations like this. And I am mortified at how quickly it shows itself. And so, within five minutes, I was apologizing, and a few minutes later we had a good long talk as to why that comment was made in the first place (which was actually frustration about a totally different situation).

So what does it matter? Why do I feel this is worth a blog post? In a conversation with a woman the other day she was telling me about her husband’s anger and how he will use the excuse that Jesus got angry. Many of us do that. Well, Jesus got angry, so I am allowed to get angry. We don’t view anger as the sin it is.

But, let’s stop and think for just a moment about that incident in the temple (Mark 11). Jesus went into the temple and drove out the moneychangers. Why was He angry that they were there? He was angry because they were offending God the Father. They were turning worship into a business.

And then let’s turn back to the last time we got angry. Was it because someone used God’s name in vain? Or because they are murdering babies in the womb every day? Or perhaps because they have glorified sin and have offended my Savior? In my case, it was because someone offended my pride. Other times it is because I don’t get my own way. Or perhaps someone did something hurtful to my child and I get angry about that.

Truly righteous anger is when we are offended because someone is offending our God. Any other anger is sinful. That is hard to swallow if we are someone who grows angry rather quickly. Some of us are so prone to outbursts of anger that we don’t even give it a thought anymore. It is just part of who we are and we don’t even feel conviction about it. We tell our spouses and children that it is just who we are and we can’t change it (which is just a lie and an excuse, of course).

And some of us rarely get angry. Our personalities are just pretty laid back and we don’t get riled about much of anything. If you are like this, you are probably wondering why I would even write on this topic.

And some of you are like me – very convicted about how angry and offended we get and realizing that this is not an attitude that pleases God. And so we continue the cycle of growing angry and then apologizing. And while I don’t expect perfection on this side of heaven, I have seen many people grow and mature in this area of anger. Even in my own life I have noticed that these angry moments have grown fewer and farther between. We can have victory in Christ! We don’t have to let our anger rule over us…but instead must choose to rule over it.

As I look out my window this morning, I see a beautiful sun-drenched sky. I see the beginning of a new day. Let’s take our focus off of ourselves for this one day. Let’s turn away from our offended and angry thoughts and stop and think for just a second about why we are so angry instead of letting our emotions take over. Let’s say YES to the Spirit and NO to the flesh. (Galatians 5: 16-25).

Hunger Games Mania

33 Comments / March 26, 2012

Can someone please explain to me the Hunger Games Craze?  Why are Christians flocking to this movie in droves?  I am so confused by this.

Over the weekend I was discussing this with a group of ladies and as we discussed the plot, certain things came up.  Words like dark and depressing and suicide.  A plot of children trying to kill each other or be killed.  A sinister town with an evil game.

As we watch children try to kill each other, how do we decide who is the good guy?  If they are the killer and the victim, how do we know who to root for?  Suddenly, the protagonist is the antagonist, too. We know who to root for because the author tells us.  But why?  Why is that character so much better than the others?  Don’t you think the others have the same thoughts and fears and questions?   Aren’t they in the same predicament?

So, does the theme of sacrificial love that is also part of the plot make up for all of this darkness?  I would really like to hear from you why it should?  What am I missing by not seeing this film?  There are so many beautiful stories filled with sacrificial love.  Do we really need to fill our mind with the likes of Hunger Games to enjoy that theme?

I know I am stepping on a ton of toes here.  This movie has been all over Facebook and I know many of you will vehemently disagree with me. Please tell me why?  Tell me why you think a Christian should see this?  I really want to know.

When something is popular in the world, it usually means danger.  At the very least, we need to keep our eyes open to the media around us and the messages they are pumping into our heads.  Did you know that after Harry Potter’s popularity, interest in the occult rose incredibly?  They are not just books and movies.  These things are tools that shape our culture.

As believers, we need to live above the status quo.  We can never let our guard down or take off our armor.  We are soldiers in a spiritual battle.  Discernment isn’t an option, it is a command.

Learning from Twitches

Leave a Comment / March 22, 2012

Rules.  What a bother.  Often we are tempted to think that the rules (or commands) held within the pages of the Bible are there to make our life miserable.  The world tells us that we have no fun as Christians.  And, yes, many are the commands given to us as followers of Jesus Christ and Jesus says if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. (John 14:21).   But what would happen if there weren’t any rules?  Something happened to our family awhile ago that gave insight into this question and led me to the conclusion that perhaps many of the commands Jesus gives us are not only for His glory, but also for OUR protection.

We used to have pet rabbits.  One weekend, after we had just gotten our new baby bunnies, we decided to take them along on a camping trip.  We brought a crate along to set right outside the door of the camper where they could be kept safe and sound.  We gently placed our four bunnies in the crate on Friday night but when we woke up the next morning, we only had three!  My son’s bunny, Twitches, had disappeared.  He must’ve been small enough to squeeze through the narrow bars.  Unfortunately, Twitches did not know that he had everything he needed right where he was.  He didn’t know that he should have been perfectly happy and content.  Instead he longed for adventure and so he escaped the crate only to be eaten or to starve or to drown.  We never did find out what happened to him.  Needless to say, it cast a bit of a shadow over that particular camping trip.

This incident reminds me of God’s commandments.  Sometimes we want to leave God’s “crate”.  It’s not a crate you can see, but it is a safety zone, set up by the commandments and laws God has placed in the Bible.  Here are a few examples:  “Do not commit adultery” brings protection and well-being to the family.  “Do not bear false witness” brings peace and love to relationships.  “Honor your father and mother” keeps young people from making the stupid mistakes their parents made and learned from.  “Do not be unequally yoked together” protects young people from a marriage that could never be truly unified.

We are safe in God’s safety zone, but many of us are not content.  We want the fun the world offers!  We want adventure!  We want to do our own thing and we declare in our hearts that no one- not even God- is going to tell us what to do…and then we reap the consequences.  And often during those consequences we cry out “Why?!” to God angrily. Sinful choices always reap harmful consequences.

God, All-Knowing, has placed great wisdom within the holy scriptures for us to live by.  Great are the blessings to us if we follow the commands found there.  Sure, life won’t be all roses, but we will avoid many painful experiences if we obey the Lord and His commands.  And we will also experience more joy and happiness than anyone in the world could imagine.  You see, the things that look “fun” in the world really aren’t much fun in the end.

And yet so many of us are just like Twitches.  We long for release from the “safety zone”.  We want to experience the WORLD and its lusts and its passions, not realizing that we are going to only end up hurting ourselves and often those we love.  May we cast aside our rebellious spirits and submit ourselves wholly to God…which is the only way we will ever experience peace on this earth.

Exodus 20: 1-7; John 14:21

NOTE:  This was originally published  under the title “Rules – Good or Bad?”  It was one of my first posts.  I felt it deserved an encore, as my readership was very limited at that time, so this is the re-worked original.   
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