I was scheduled to go in 2 hrs earlier than normal this morning, when I got a message from our Worship Leader cancelling the early practice. My first thought was Thank goodness!
I began to think about how I appeared to her. Probably as very willing to work, showing up on time, every time. I'm one of those people who you can count on to be there every time, and I will work tirelessly the whole time, and if you said "can you stay an extra hour?" I would.
But then I thought, if my boss was Jesus, would I do the same? And I realized that it's more because I signed up for this, so I treat it like a job, and the worship leader like my employer. However, if it were Jesus and I were just following Him and He gave people the opportunity to leave after a long hard day of work, if no one took it, I would be loathe to be the first one (I wouldn't speak up, so would stay if everyone else did - peer pressure at its finest!). But, if someone else said "I have to go home", I would too, even if I didn't have something else to do. I imagine I would just be worn out, and need a break. And then I would spend the rest of the night at home relaxing.
There's some sort of ethic about there being an employer vs. being just a friend. There's also a difference between a set event I'm committing for and a spontaneous "let's help people today". I really don't think Jesus had a set schedule, where if you followed Him in the morning, He was going to tell you "okay, we're doing X at 10 AM, this other event at noon, and a third event this evening". He probably just followed things as they came up. In fact, the lack of organization would probably frustrate me to no end, because I like to know where I am going in my day. We all do.
So I felt the urge to look up some verses on authority (figures) in the Bible. Who are we supposed to give our authority to? God, of course. But what does that look like on a day to day basis? Sure, I still give my authority to God. But that says nothing about spontaneity vs. a job.
In the Bible, God does say we're supposed to work hard. We're supposed to work for employers like we're working for God. And I believe we're supposed to work tirelessly on every workday. We are also commanded to take a day of rest every week to combat this (the Sabbath), to give our bodies and minds time to relax. I myself had a GREAT worship day with the Lord two days ago now, and have felt very spiritually refreshed since then.
Bible verses for the day (a lot of these deal with Jesus and his authority):
Ecclesiastes 8:8 No man has the authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death... but Jesus does. While the disciples were out in the storm, he stopped the wind and waves with a motion of His hand. He Himself also clearly knew when He was going to die, and specifically said "I have authority to lay down my life, and to take it up again"(see John 10:18). So it's clear that no mere man has this authority, so then Jesus must not be a mere man. This is an argument that He is part of the Godhead.
Similarly, this verse speaks to me. I, being a mere man, do not have authority over the things in my life. God does. I need to trust God, and trust in His plan.
Isaiah 22:20-22 Then it will come about in that day that I will summon my servant [] and I will clothe him with your tunic, and tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, and he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens, no one will shut. When he shuts, no one will open. This again speaks of the Christ to me. Though a different servant's name is mentioned, the Bible often parallels itself, with different people filling the same roles (or Christ filling other people's roles in metaphor). I believe Jesus himself quotes this passage about "What I shut, no one will open, and what I open, no one will shut". This passage also refers to being a father of the house of Judah, the line from which the Messiah would come. So this passage is Messianic as well, showing that Jesus has authority, tying Him to the house of Judah, and giving Him the absolute unmovable power of God.
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority. And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? This passage is preceded by a long explanation of the people worshiping false gods and turning away from God. Clearly, as humans, we are not meant to have our own authority. As Jesus says, "You do not know where you come from, and you do not know where you are going." It's the same thing as not knowing our day or time of death, or what's going to happen in life. Yet people try to claim their own authority, clinging to that and following it.
The problem here is not only do we as individuals do it, but priests (whose sole power comes from the fact that they're supposed to be serving God!) start falling in love with power. And an even bigger problem is that the common people are seeing this evil and embracing it! But the ending line is the clincher. At first I read it as "Everyone else is leaning on their own authority/understanding and following their own will and not God's, and people are willingly embracing evil over good. But what will you do?" As in, the choice is left to you, the individual.
On 2nd reading, after reading it in context (the whole chapter), which has mentioned God's destruction, it's a little more like, But God is coming to destroy at the end of it, and what will you do then? So less of a choice to you the individual and more like, But you're going to get your comeuppance at the end.
The verse I really wanted today was:
Matthew 16: 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind on Earth shall have been bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will have been loosed in Heaven.
That's a lot of power and authority! Kind of like Adam having authority over all the animals in the Garden of Eden. It's a lot of responsibility too (not an excuse to go wild).
So I'm having trouble putting all this together as authority. The Bible says we're supposed to serve our authority figures (bosses, leaders, etc.) with the same devotion as if we're serving God, because God put them in place there. Really, it's just another outlet of serving God, and God likes our devotion.
Yet, He gives us a lot of authority and independence over ourselves too.
The Takeaway
I think the main message is, Don't serve your employer just because you've been taught you ought to. Do it because you serve the Lord, and desire to please Him by serving your employer (who is on earth with us, who we can see) as you would serve the Lord (who we can't see) (a proxy for God). Serving the Lord in general pleases Him, and if we do this, since He's asked it of us, it pleases Him. Be prepared to go with changes as He crafts the plan for our lives for each of us. So put your heart on serving the Lord and working tirelessly for Him, rather than working tirelessly from 9-5 every day.
Also, it's clear from the above passages that Jesus has God's authority. He is the Servant mentioned many times in the Old Testament, and He has the authority of God (or at least beyond a mere man). I, and you, do not, so don't pretend we do.
At the same time, when we're serving God, we're acting with God's authority (I think that's the gist of the Genesis and Matthew passages giving us power over things). So it's impossible to abuse that, as long as we're serving God.
Make sure your head's in the right place today, and that your eyes are on God.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please don't let me fall into serving an earthly employer. I want to serve you. Please help me to set my eyes on you and serve you all my days, and have that fill my heart, rather than fulfilling a social or societal obligatory need. In the precious name of your Son Jesus Christ, I pray I could follow Him today and be willing to work tirelessly for Him whether it's official or spontaneous, that I would have a heart for Him and the work rather than for the schedule, and that I would have faith that He would give me the energy I will need when I get tired. Amen.
Jedi Council
Showing posts with label Topical Studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Topical Studies. Show all posts
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Devotional: Greed Is a Form of Idolatry
After encouragement from the worship leader at church, I decided to start a short daily devotional. But before I start, I skimmed the inspirational verses on the homepage of Bible.com. The one from yesterday was very apropos to my issues:
Ephesians 5:25-26: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...
When this happens (and it happens often, though not 100%), I feel it's God speaking to me. He's placed many well-placed passages in my life.
What it says to me:
This short verse tells me that no matter how mean your spouse is, you should love your spouse. First, because Christ did it (loved a group of people - the church! Just think of how many more issues a group of people have!), and we're trying to follow Christ's example. Second, that it's a sacrificial love - that you give yourself up for the other person without expecting anything in return. Like Christ gave himself up for sinners, the other person will be rotten at times. Don't expect perfection. This is one of the miracles of Christ - as Paul says, we might give ourselves up for a good man, but an evil one? Who would die for an evil one except Christ? Third, this loving and giving ourselves up for our spouse is in order to sanctify and cleanse them. The verse, if you continue reading, finishes with presenting the church (or our spouses) as holy and blameless before God. This is for God's glory.
Devotion
On to today's devotion:
Colossians 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
The part that struck me out of all this (and believe me, I like instruction manuals on how to live!) is that greed is a form of idolatry. It's true: we feel like we need an item, and in a sense, we are worshiping it. I'm not sure if the rest (evil, and elsewhere it says anger) are also included in that amounting to idolatry, but when I first read through this verse, my heart focused on greed.
What am I greedy for? At times, new things to keep up with the Joneses, I have to admit. A good and peaceful life. What else is an idol in my life? If I'm not careful, Star Wars can be, or my novel, or this idea of peace and meditation. What am I greedy for now? New clothes/toys for my child. The best things for the baby.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to not be greedy. Help me to focus on you and realize that all good things, and all peace, comes from you. Amen
Update: sure enough, greed came up yesterday afternoon (I was waiting to see how it was going to make an appearance). I hadn't told my spouse about my devotional, and Spouse brought up trying not to be jealous of people who had more things than we did. We also visited people who had a much larger and nicer house on a lot of land, and lots of wilderness resources that Spouse and I would love to have. I did find myself thinking on the way home, wondering how they made their money, so that we might be able to follow a similar route. However, I was thinking, do I really want a big house? Do I really care it's on the water? I realized that God gives me everything and could snap His fingers tomorrow and give me a mansion and lots of wealth if He wanted to. Which means we are right now where He wants us. And I'm content with that. He's given us just the right amount of resources to pursue Him. I think any more would be a stumbling block.
Ephesians 5:25-26: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...
When this happens (and it happens often, though not 100%), I feel it's God speaking to me. He's placed many well-placed passages in my life.
What it says to me:
This short verse tells me that no matter how mean your spouse is, you should love your spouse. First, because Christ did it (loved a group of people - the church! Just think of how many more issues a group of people have!), and we're trying to follow Christ's example. Second, that it's a sacrificial love - that you give yourself up for the other person without expecting anything in return. Like Christ gave himself up for sinners, the other person will be rotten at times. Don't expect perfection. This is one of the miracles of Christ - as Paul says, we might give ourselves up for a good man, but an evil one? Who would die for an evil one except Christ? Third, this loving and giving ourselves up for our spouse is in order to sanctify and cleanse them. The verse, if you continue reading, finishes with presenting the church (or our spouses) as holy and blameless before God. This is for God's glory.
Devotion
On to today's devotion:
Colossians 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
The part that struck me out of all this (and believe me, I like instruction manuals on how to live!) is that greed is a form of idolatry. It's true: we feel like we need an item, and in a sense, we are worshiping it. I'm not sure if the rest (evil, and elsewhere it says anger) are also included in that amounting to idolatry, but when I first read through this verse, my heart focused on greed.
What am I greedy for? At times, new things to keep up with the Joneses, I have to admit. A good and peaceful life. What else is an idol in my life? If I'm not careful, Star Wars can be, or my novel, or this idea of peace and meditation. What am I greedy for now? New clothes/toys for my child. The best things for the baby.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to not be greedy. Help me to focus on you and realize that all good things, and all peace, comes from you. Amen
Update: sure enough, greed came up yesterday afternoon (I was waiting to see how it was going to make an appearance). I hadn't told my spouse about my devotional, and Spouse brought up trying not to be jealous of people who had more things than we did. We also visited people who had a much larger and nicer house on a lot of land, and lots of wilderness resources that Spouse and I would love to have. I did find myself thinking on the way home, wondering how they made their money, so that we might be able to follow a similar route. However, I was thinking, do I really want a big house? Do I really care it's on the water? I realized that God gives me everything and could snap His fingers tomorrow and give me a mansion and lots of wealth if He wanted to. Which means we are right now where He wants us. And I'm content with that. He's given us just the right amount of resources to pursue Him. I think any more would be a stumbling block.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Wisdom
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
Proverbs 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commands, but the babbling fool will be ruined.
Today is my very first blog post.
Today is also Star Wars Day (May 19th). How fitting.
As I sat down to write this, I became overcome with a slight, though nagging, fear. A fear that no one will read my entries, or my Bible commentary will sound childish to them, or that I'm stating the obvious and unable to draw a message or deeper insight. Shallow, pedantic. Trivial. Fear that if I look back on these entries, it will read more like my previous diary entries, leaving me cringing at every turn, and thinking that I missed all the important stuff, and was far too wordy about nothing (or just ranting).
So let me be concise.
I feared, in other words, a lack of wisdom. Does this realization make me wise? I think fools think that they are wise; only those who are not fools can see their own shortcomings. Fools are assured they are "wise", and so never lose their confidence. So this doubt, my slight hesitation, is a good sign.
The Bible talks about wisdom:
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Timothy was a young man, a young person much like myself, who just needed a little encouragement. Paul, an apostle and giant in the faith, gave him that. Let no one look down on me for my lack of wisdom. Sometimes I am afraid, because I am a relatively new believer (and at the same time an old believer).
Like Nicodemus, I hide behind the correct terminology, and no one would ever suspect that I just came to faith recently. (or at least, my understanding of coming to faith has changed where even though I always considered myself a Christian, now I think I hit enough of the checkpoints that most other people would too).
But, as a believer, I need to remember that my wisdom is just as valuable as anyone else's, no matter how long they've been a Christian. My thoughts matter, and my words may change someone's life. Just because I am young, or a "new" Christian, doesn't matter. I still have an infinite supply of wealth to offer the Christian world (fellow Christians), and non-Christians.
The Bible does mention, as stated in the opening verses, that it's not amount of words that make someone wise. It's probably better to remain silent than to feel forced to say something "substantive". No one is perfect, and no one can come up with something extremely deep all of the time. I'll try to do the best I can.
The wise also listen to counsel, and that's how they get wiser. Knowing that I don't know it all, I need to be willing to listen to not only new ideas but gentle correction, in all areas - those where I definitely know I need some help, and ALSO those that I already consider myself "wise". I also need to be willing to be gentle and be an encourager, like Paul, to those struggling in areas where I am more of an expert.
In summary, not having all of the answers, or not being the deepest analyst (in other words, not being a perfect person, which does not exist!) should not keep me from starting this blog or journaling my thoughts.
Take-Away Message
Bible Verse to leave myself with, to meditate on:
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
Somehow this verse seems appropriate, as this is a day of new beginning (of a blog, and a commitment to a true Christian life for me!). I commit to doing the Lord's commandments, and that is what is meant by wisdom in the Bible - you are serving the Lord God. If you fear Him as our Master, and carry out His commands, that is what makes you wise.
cf. almost identical verses: Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10, both of which equate wisdom with fear (or awe/love) of the Lord, and understanding with recognizing what is good and evil in life, and choosing good.
Always choose good.
That is the role of a Jedi, and what I attach to being a Jedi.
Proverbs 1:7 expands on this, with wisdom being the same, but now the caveat is that fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. Also, sometimes someone else will point out good and evil in life that you can't see. Now, you can't just take their word for it (they may not be correct themselves, even if they're sincere), but don't dismiss it just because you didn't think of it.
Goals
Proverbs 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commands, but the babbling fool will be ruined.
Today is my very first blog post.
Today is also Star Wars Day (May 19th). How fitting.
As I sat down to write this, I became overcome with a slight, though nagging, fear. A fear that no one will read my entries, or my Bible commentary will sound childish to them, or that I'm stating the obvious and unable to draw a message or deeper insight. Shallow, pedantic. Trivial. Fear that if I look back on these entries, it will read more like my previous diary entries, leaving me cringing at every turn, and thinking that I missed all the important stuff, and was far too wordy about nothing (or just ranting).
So let me be concise.
I feared, in other words, a lack of wisdom. Does this realization make me wise? I think fools think that they are wise; only those who are not fools can see their own shortcomings. Fools are assured they are "wise", and so never lose their confidence. So this doubt, my slight hesitation, is a good sign.
The Bible talks about wisdom:
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Timothy was a young man, a young person much like myself, who just needed a little encouragement. Paul, an apostle and giant in the faith, gave him that. Let no one look down on me for my lack of wisdom. Sometimes I am afraid, because I am a relatively new believer (and at the same time an old believer).
Like Nicodemus, I hide behind the correct terminology, and no one would ever suspect that I just came to faith recently. (or at least, my understanding of coming to faith has changed where even though I always considered myself a Christian, now I think I hit enough of the checkpoints that most other people would too).
But, as a believer, I need to remember that my wisdom is just as valuable as anyone else's, no matter how long they've been a Christian. My thoughts matter, and my words may change someone's life. Just because I am young, or a "new" Christian, doesn't matter. I still have an infinite supply of wealth to offer the Christian world (fellow Christians), and non-Christians.
The Bible does mention, as stated in the opening verses, that it's not amount of words that make someone wise. It's probably better to remain silent than to feel forced to say something "substantive". No one is perfect, and no one can come up with something extremely deep all of the time. I'll try to do the best I can.
The wise also listen to counsel, and that's how they get wiser. Knowing that I don't know it all, I need to be willing to listen to not only new ideas but gentle correction, in all areas - those where I definitely know I need some help, and ALSO those that I already consider myself "wise". I also need to be willing to be gentle and be an encourager, like Paul, to those struggling in areas where I am more of an expert.
In summary, not having all of the answers, or not being the deepest analyst (in other words, not being a perfect person, which does not exist!) should not keep me from starting this blog or journaling my thoughts.
Take-Away Message
- Your recognizing that you're not the best at this is a good thing. It means you're already starting off in a humble enough position to learn. This is the first step in growing to become better.
- You do have valuable things to say. Young people have valuable things to say. New Christians have valuable things to say. Everyone, regardless of age or walk of life, has something valuable to offer.
- Be quick to listen and learn from others. Growth, and better wisdom, comes with listening to the advice and recommendations of those around you.
- Only fools are offended by the advice of others. Don't be a fool. Swallow your pride and see it as a learning experience, free to make mistakes.
- Especially in areas where you think you know a lot: be humble enough to listen to others.
- I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. After all, it's helping me become a better person.
- Encourage others who are struggling, knowing how much encouragement means to you when you need it.
- No one's perfect. Don't be hard on yourself for not being perfect. Give yourself grace, as God gives grace to you.
- Don't feel like you have to come up with something substantive every time. Either limit your writings to when you do, or just accept there will be gems mixed in with a lot of "boring" everyday stuff.
- The seed of growth is awe of the Lord, and recognizing His greatness compared to you. Then, rampant growth will occur. You'll grow in understanding, surrounding yourself with those who serve His commands. Eventually, His most dedicated servants all obtain good understanding; someday, you will too.
Bible Verse to leave myself with, to meditate on:
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
Somehow this verse seems appropriate, as this is a day of new beginning (of a blog, and a commitment to a true Christian life for me!). I commit to doing the Lord's commandments, and that is what is meant by wisdom in the Bible - you are serving the Lord God. If you fear Him as our Master, and carry out His commands, that is what makes you wise.
cf. almost identical verses: Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10, both of which equate wisdom with fear (or awe/love) of the Lord, and understanding with recognizing what is good and evil in life, and choosing good.
Always choose good.
That is the role of a Jedi, and what I attach to being a Jedi.
Proverbs 1:7 expands on this, with wisdom being the same, but now the caveat is that fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. Also, sometimes someone else will point out good and evil in life that you can't see. Now, you can't just take their word for it (they may not be correct themselves, even if they're sincere), but don't dismiss it just because you didn't think of it.
Goals
- letting go of a hard-line "perfect" image - no one's perfect
- Being humble
- Listening to others, even those who I don't think know much
- Not judging how much others know about something
- Encouraging those "lesser" in an area than I
- seeing God's greatness for what it is - how infinitely large and above me it is
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