http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3813670937/
John Wayne has always been one of my favorite actors. He always portrayed the kind of guy that I would like to be; tough but fair, strong yet gentle. As John Bernard Books, in The Shootist he said "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them." When he was of a mind, he could kick butt with the best of them.
When I read the Bible, I tend to be pulled to characters who fall into the same category. David and his Mighty Men (the "Dirty Dozen" of the old Testament, right?) are recorded as having such exploits that their story would make a great action/thriller movie. The Bible records where each of them would find themselves in a bad situation and the Holy Spirit would anoint them and there they go...they would fight and fight, usually against great odds, while all the while being poorly armed. They would defeat a bunch of highly trained, motivated soldiers and then move on (some might say that they "kicked butt and took names").
Then comes Shamgar. This Old Testament hero wiped the floor with 600 soldiers, with the anointing of the holy spirit. Wow! All he had was an ox goad (8 ft pointy stick) and his God...and that would suffice.
So, why is it that we have people in church who seem to misunderstand this very simple biblical concept: If God anoints you to do something, then you will be awesome? People make silly comments like "She can't sing very well, but isn't her singing anointed?" or "Pastor Mike. That choir may be well rehearsed, but we are anointed!" They were awful! Also, I am also reminded, when people want to justify allowing a soloist who can't carry a tune in a bucket, that "The Bible says to 'Make a joyful noise'." How often that is misquoted, and out of context.
People often covet gifts that they do not posses. They fail to realize that God does not bless all of his children with the same gifts and talents. We aren't all arms in this body, you know. So many lust after the position of vocal chords, though. I have to remind people that if God calls you to do something then he will also equip you to do that something. Therefore, common sense dictates that if he has not equipped, then maybe he has not called. I once was asked to organize a youth praise band, as I am both a musician and singer. I started off our first meeting with "If you are called to sing, then you will sing. If you are not called to sing, then we need to find where your gifts and talents lie and help you to develop them in that area of ministry." I was not allowed to tell these interested teens that they could not sing. Instead, I was instructed to give them a dead microphone, so we did not offend them or their parents. (Remember the Andy Griffith episode where Barney was given the dead mic and someone else sang from back stage?) Needless to say, but I will anyway, I would not do it. How can I, as a professing Christian, lie to these kids and their parents? What happened to "Speak the truth, in love?" Wouldn't it make sense that if we taught people that we would tell them the truth, even if it hurt, that they could always trust us to be honest. If not, would we not teach our congregations to suspect our honestly?
There are many things that I lack the knowledge and skills to accomplish. I truly believe that an intelligent person knows what they don't know. Therefore they know what they need to learn to avoid ignorance. If God has not given me the talent to sing, then I should not ask to be a soloist. If he has not called me to preach, then I should avoid the pulpit. (Following this line of reasoning, some folks might argue that I shouldn't blog.) After all, we wouldn't allow someone with no musical ability to play the piano for Sunday morning worship service, would we? Shouldn't we take a look at all the qualified candidates (believers with talent) and choose the best. If my savior was to physically walk down the aisle and sit in the front row, this Sunday, I would want our best musicians and singers on the praise and worship team. I would want to please the boss, so to speak.
John Wayne's J.B. Books said that he treated people the way he expected to be treated. Sound familiar?
Afterthought: Can anyone give me the scripture reference for "Blessed are the tithe payers, for they shall be coddled and appeased"?
Showing posts with label biblical instruction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biblical instruction. Show all posts
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Understanding Nature: A prelude to A Study in Forgiveness
This blog is going to be different, I think. I am hunting for real answers, instead of just blogging what I have learned.
Some years back, I realized that I was expecting non-believers to follow the same rules of conduct that I believed were expected of believers. Why did I expect people to act contrary to their nature? I would not try and pet a lion or tiger, for I would fully expect that they would, in the least, bite me, or, in the most, devour me. I would never expect a new-born baby to lead a quite existence, but would rather prepare myself for crying that resulted from hunger or discomfort. So why would I expect adults to lead a life that was contrary to the nature that leads them? When a non-believer "does me wrong", why am I surprised or offended? What makes me feel that this person somehow owes me fairness or "right-doing"? Is my pride a factor? Do I feel that I deserve more? The Bible is clear when it speaks about us having a sin nature. We are all born with a nature that aligns us with the "father of perdition." Therefore, by nature, we all tend to lean toward wrong actions and attitude more than right. When we accept Christ into our lives, and begin to pattern our lives after his example and teachings, his nature begins to grow in us. Although I would like to say that the new purges the old, I cannot. Here, I am not referring to forgiveness. Merely the nature that guides our thoughts and actions. One might compare this mix of natures by taking a glass and filling it with cold coffee. If the coffee represented the sin nature and pure filtered water represented Christ's nature, then we could visualize what would happen if either or both were added to the glass. When an unbeliever accepts Christ, it is as though water is poured into the glass of coffee. The glass overflows and the contents are spilled out as it reaches and overtakes the rim of the glass. The more that this new believer studies and prays and grows more mature in the knowledge of Christ, the more water is poured into the glass and the more diluted the coffee becomes. If a person adds the things of Christ to their lives,(reading of scripture, prayer time, practicing the teachings of Christ) then water is added. If they add the things of the sin nature, then coffee is added. This is not to say works and deeds. This is more about spiritual maturity and relationship with Christ.
How many people are able to meet someone for the very first time and live for decades and be able to state that they "know" that person intimately. I have a hard time remembering names of people and have to rely on frequency of use to remember them. My students learn, rather quickly, that I experience difficulty in committing their names to memory in the first few weeks of school. It is only after I have spent time with them , conversed with them, learned details that will serve as memory markers that I can say that I know my students. When they are promoted to the next grade and I don't see them for a long while, can I honestly say that I "know" them. Not to any significant degree. Then how is it that a person can say that they know Christ when they have never invested any time to get to know him? If we never take the time to converse with him, spend time with him, etc. how can we "know" him?
My favorite author, of all time, is C.S. Lewis. I enjoy his writing. I have read many of his books. I have spent time listening to his ideas and thoughts, through his writings. The more that I read, the more that I feel that I "know" him. Get it?
If I continue to pour clean filtered water into my glass of coffee, eventually there will be little trace of the coffee. But, if I pour water in and periodically pour in more coffee, then whichever gets added more will influence the contents of the cup more and those who look at the cup will surely be able to judge whether or not the cup is useful (drinkable) or not. Should I not be able to look at a glass that is darkened by coffee and know that if I were to take a drink I would not be happy with the taste. After all, I despise coffee. If I see that the glass is not clear and I drink, do I have the right to curse the glass for tasting foul? Should I not have expected it?
Some years back, I realized that I was expecting non-believers to follow the same rules of conduct that I believed were expected of believers. Why did I expect people to act contrary to their nature? I would not try and pet a lion or tiger, for I would fully expect that they would, in the least, bite me, or, in the most, devour me. I would never expect a new-born baby to lead a quite existence, but would rather prepare myself for crying that resulted from hunger or discomfort. So why would I expect adults to lead a life that was contrary to the nature that leads them? When a non-believer "does me wrong", why am I surprised or offended? What makes me feel that this person somehow owes me fairness or "right-doing"? Is my pride a factor? Do I feel that I deserve more? The Bible is clear when it speaks about us having a sin nature. We are all born with a nature that aligns us with the "father of perdition." Therefore, by nature, we all tend to lean toward wrong actions and attitude more than right. When we accept Christ into our lives, and begin to pattern our lives after his example and teachings, his nature begins to grow in us. Although I would like to say that the new purges the old, I cannot. Here, I am not referring to forgiveness. Merely the nature that guides our thoughts and actions. One might compare this mix of natures by taking a glass and filling it with cold coffee. If the coffee represented the sin nature and pure filtered water represented Christ's nature, then we could visualize what would happen if either or both were added to the glass. When an unbeliever accepts Christ, it is as though water is poured into the glass of coffee. The glass overflows and the contents are spilled out as it reaches and overtakes the rim of the glass. The more that this new believer studies and prays and grows more mature in the knowledge of Christ, the more water is poured into the glass and the more diluted the coffee becomes. If a person adds the things of Christ to their lives,(reading of scripture, prayer time, practicing the teachings of Christ) then water is added. If they add the things of the sin nature, then coffee is added. This is not to say works and deeds. This is more about spiritual maturity and relationship with Christ.
How many people are able to meet someone for the very first time and live for decades and be able to state that they "know" that person intimately. I have a hard time remembering names of people and have to rely on frequency of use to remember them. My students learn, rather quickly, that I experience difficulty in committing their names to memory in the first few weeks of school. It is only after I have spent time with them , conversed with them, learned details that will serve as memory markers that I can say that I know my students. When they are promoted to the next grade and I don't see them for a long while, can I honestly say that I "know" them. Not to any significant degree. Then how is it that a person can say that they know Christ when they have never invested any time to get to know him? If we never take the time to converse with him, spend time with him, etc. how can we "know" him?
My favorite author, of all time, is C.S. Lewis. I enjoy his writing. I have read many of his books. I have spent time listening to his ideas and thoughts, through his writings. The more that I read, the more that I feel that I "know" him. Get it?
If I continue to pour clean filtered water into my glass of coffee, eventually there will be little trace of the coffee. But, if I pour water in and periodically pour in more coffee, then whichever gets added more will influence the contents of the cup more and those who look at the cup will surely be able to judge whether or not the cup is useful (drinkable) or not. Should I not be able to look at a glass that is darkened by coffee and know that if I were to take a drink I would not be happy with the taste. After all, I despise coffee. If I see that the glass is not clear and I drink, do I have the right to curse the glass for tasting foul? Should I not have expected it?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
OH MY GOD!
What's with people who chastise others for using the phrase "Oh my god!"? I have heard people correct others for the use of this phrase with the admonition of "You should never use the Lord's name in vain." Really? Are you that uninformed? As you know, My name is Michael. I am a teacher. My name is not teacher, nor do my students call me "teacher". They call me by my name. God's name is YHVH. To some, that is translated as Yahweh, while to others it is Jehovah. His title is God, but not his name. Furthermore, some religions believe that the name of God is to be reverenced and protected from vain use to the extent that they are careful not to speak the name except in very religious circumstances. When someone says the name "Jesus Christ" as a swear, I agree that this is using the Lord's name in vain.
Mote and Beam, brothers and sisters, mote and beam. What ever happened to "2 Timothy 2:15 (New Living Translation) Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
I could be wrong. But at least I err in trying to figure it out. I figure that has to be an improvement on taking what I am told and just passing it on without further research.
What do you think?
Mote and Beam, brothers and sisters, mote and beam. What ever happened to "2 Timothy 2:15 (New Living Translation) Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
I could be wrong. But at least I err in trying to figure it out. I figure that has to be an improvement on taking what I am told and just passing it on without further research.
What do you think?
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