Those of us who are blessed to have children know that it is a great responsibility to care for them and an even greater task to ensure that they become men and women of faith and character. I was reflecting on Psalm 127 today along with an ongoing dialogue I have been having with my wife. While I always value my boys and understand my special role in parenting them into manhood, I don't always recognize just how important it is to God that I devote significant time and energy to their growth and development. So, let me share what I believe God has to say on this critical subject based on the Psalm.
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? - Psalm 127:1-2 (The Message)
The first part of the psalm addresses the foolishness of pursuing things without the direction and approval of God. Solomon clearly expresses how important it is to have God directly involved in guiding and directing our actions. I am a big time offender in this area. I want to do things MY way and in MY time frame. I often pray about things but have a tendency to try to push God one way or the other rather than listening and responding in obedience to Him. Sooner or later I hope to actually learn that God will not be coerced in to giving me quick and easy answers to suit my needs. If I had to sum up these verses in a quick phrase it would be: it is much easier to labor for God than to work against Him.
Children are a gift from the Lord; babies are a reward. Children who are born to a young man are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. Happy is the man who has his bag full of arrows. They will not be defeated when they fight their enemies at the city gate. - Psalm 127:3-5 (NCV)
Children are a gift and a reward; they are arrows in the hand of a warrior. Archers in this time were valuable assets to an army. They could strike with great accuracy and from a greater distance away. They would be equal to today's snipers. Solomon says that we have the best possible weapons system against an enemy attack when we have our children beside us. Certainly in ancient times, right up until the present, families have fought together in armed conflicts and certainly no greater comraderie can exist than in such a relationship. By having well-trained, properly equipped children we have our greatest allies in the war against the enemy. (The movie 300 has a great example of this.) When we train our children well, they will stand by us as the strongest defenders of our character and credibility as individuals. Basically, our investment and instruction of our children will serve as a validation of our stewardship of God's gifts. In order for us to effectively minister to others and help them grow in their faith journey, we need to have an established track record of success with our own children.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
What is our purpose and role as Christians in a fallen world?
I have decided to just jump in way over my head right off the bat with this post. Honestly, I don't know if I really know the full answer to the question I pose, but here are some thoughts based on recent interactions and life events.
1. Balancing relatability and the idea of "salt and light" can be a real struggle. I try to be as much of a "normal" person as I can be and maybe that is a detriment. I don't ever want to come accross as some holier than thou type who thinks they have unlocked the deepest theological truths and modeled it flawlessly. I screw up a lot. I screw up a whole lot! I have more questions about the Bible and various doctrines than I have answers most of the time. I want people to see me as one of the guys...who does things a bit different.
2. I can't believe how many Christians just don't get it. For a group of people who are supposed to reach out to the lost and serve others, most Christians fail to actively display love and compassion. I have been going around and around with some classmates about the importance of action over knowledge. In my mind, there is nothing more important than putting your money where your mouth is when it comes to being a follower of Christ. You can read every book, hear every sermon, and memorize the Bible from cover to cover; but if you lack love for God and love for people....you have missed the whole point. I have so much growing to do in this area it makes my head spin, but if Jesus felt great sorrow for the lost, then I need to have those same feelings and then actually try to do something. I love Jesus' words on the subject, "wisdom is proved right by its actions."
3. All Christians have a responsibility to every other member of society to reach out to the hurting, to help the sick and the poor, and to be the hands and feet of God in this world. Again, debate has broken out in a class about the responsibility of counselors when patients want to injure or kill themselves. I think we need to take this much more personally than many classmates. That doesn't mean that if a client commits suicide you hold on to grief and guilt for the rest of your life. It means that we step up to the plate and say that as the church we must do better at spreading the message of hope and encouragement found in the Gospel. It means that we must get our hands dirty and take the lead in reversing some of the negative trends in society.
4. When are Christians going to transform something worldly into a Godly vessel? The devil has perverted so many of God's creations that one wonders if there is anything left that he hasn't corrupted. So, is it possible to reclaim some of what we have lost? Even if it isn't, should we sit on our hands or go out and fight for truth and purity to reign supreme in areas of our lives which have been tainted? We aren't called to be casual observers, waiting on the sidelines for Christ's return.
1. Balancing relatability and the idea of "salt and light" can be a real struggle. I try to be as much of a "normal" person as I can be and maybe that is a detriment. I don't ever want to come accross as some holier than thou type who thinks they have unlocked the deepest theological truths and modeled it flawlessly. I screw up a lot. I screw up a whole lot! I have more questions about the Bible and various doctrines than I have answers most of the time. I want people to see me as one of the guys...who does things a bit different.
2. I can't believe how many Christians just don't get it. For a group of people who are supposed to reach out to the lost and serve others, most Christians fail to actively display love and compassion. I have been going around and around with some classmates about the importance of action over knowledge. In my mind, there is nothing more important than putting your money where your mouth is when it comes to being a follower of Christ. You can read every book, hear every sermon, and memorize the Bible from cover to cover; but if you lack love for God and love for people....you have missed the whole point. I have so much growing to do in this area it makes my head spin, but if Jesus felt great sorrow for the lost, then I need to have those same feelings and then actually try to do something. I love Jesus' words on the subject, "wisdom is proved right by its actions."
3. All Christians have a responsibility to every other member of society to reach out to the hurting, to help the sick and the poor, and to be the hands and feet of God in this world. Again, debate has broken out in a class about the responsibility of counselors when patients want to injure or kill themselves. I think we need to take this much more personally than many classmates. That doesn't mean that if a client commits suicide you hold on to grief and guilt for the rest of your life. It means that we step up to the plate and say that as the church we must do better at spreading the message of hope and encouragement found in the Gospel. It means that we must get our hands dirty and take the lead in reversing some of the negative trends in society.
4. When are Christians going to transform something worldly into a Godly vessel? The devil has perverted so many of God's creations that one wonders if there is anything left that he hasn't corrupted. So, is it possible to reclaim some of what we have lost? Even if it isn't, should we sit on our hands or go out and fight for truth and purity to reign supreme in areas of our lives which have been tainted? We aren't called to be casual observers, waiting on the sidelines for Christ's return.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Total Comittment
I read something today that struck me right between the eyes and I don't think it is coincidental that I am in the middle of a course on discipleship. God has a funny way of illuminating Scripture that you have read before to give it new depth in your relationship with Him.
It comes from John 11 and is the narrative of Lazarus being raised from the dead. The text notes how the disciples were questioning Jesus' decision to go back to Judea when they all knew that people were trying to kill Him there. Basically, they were saying that He was crazy for going and they were scared about what that meant for them. Then Thomas makes a great statement (Yes, the same Thomas who wouldn't believe the resurrection claims without hands-on proof). "Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Thomas, with all his doubts decides that it is better to go with Jesus to death than to walk through life without meaning and purpose and that is exactly what Jesus had given to these twelve men. (All but John would eventually die a martyr's death to proclaim the Gospel.) So, here is what I get out of this passage...
1. Even when we have serious doubts of faith, those are the times when God affirms Himself in our lives most vividly. It is OK to doubt, because it can build an unwavering faith after you have experienced the lows. God isn't scared of the hard questions man presents; just ask Job!
2. It is better to be committed to the cause of Christ even though it "costs" us something, than to aimlessly wander through life lacking commitment to anything.
3. When you invest your life in people with love, passion and commitment; you will develop what Blanchard calls "raving fans". People who are committed co-laborers with deep dedication to you and the cause of Christ.
I want to be that kind of committed to the greatest cause of all time. I want to be what George Barna calls "a desperately hungering zealot" for the Kingdom of God. I have a lot of work to do before I get there, "but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14)
It comes from John 11 and is the narrative of Lazarus being raised from the dead. The text notes how the disciples were questioning Jesus' decision to go back to Judea when they all knew that people were trying to kill Him there. Basically, they were saying that He was crazy for going and they were scared about what that meant for them. Then Thomas makes a great statement (Yes, the same Thomas who wouldn't believe the resurrection claims without hands-on proof). "Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Thomas, with all his doubts decides that it is better to go with Jesus to death than to walk through life without meaning and purpose and that is exactly what Jesus had given to these twelve men. (All but John would eventually die a martyr's death to proclaim the Gospel.) So, here is what I get out of this passage...
1. Even when we have serious doubts of faith, those are the times when God affirms Himself in our lives most vividly. It is OK to doubt, because it can build an unwavering faith after you have experienced the lows. God isn't scared of the hard questions man presents; just ask Job!
2. It is better to be committed to the cause of Christ even though it "costs" us something, than to aimlessly wander through life lacking commitment to anything.
3. When you invest your life in people with love, passion and commitment; you will develop what Blanchard calls "raving fans". People who are committed co-laborers with deep dedication to you and the cause of Christ.
I want to be that kind of committed to the greatest cause of all time. I want to be what George Barna calls "a desperately hungering zealot" for the Kingdom of God. I have a lot of work to do before I get there, "but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Trip to Sin City
“Sin city” is certainly appropriate when describing Las Vegas. The sights and sounds are a bombardment of sensual images. But what I have seen is simply another example of a lost world crying out in pain. We have so vilified sex that it has been turned into the stuff of deviants and maladjusted people. Really, the problem is we haven’t embraced sex enough and the new move in counseling circles to promote healthy sexual relationships in the confines of marriage is too little, too late…just like many other moves within Christianity. The damage is done in the psyches of those on both sides of the argument. Strict conservatives have painted a picture of sex for procreation not recreation that is indelible. And the sex economists have placed no constraints on sexual gratification and will allow for no infringement on their “rights” to a limitless pursuit of pleasure. So, can there ever be a mediating position?
Here is the problem with mediating positions, by the way. You have one group that calls them respectful compromise and another that calls it being “lukewarm” or “selling out”. So, even in compromise you can’t win with everyone. Therefore, there is no “mediating” position; only a new position that still leaves some on both sides disappointed. Mediating positions were created by politicians to show how they can “work with both sides” and in some areas, compromise is beneficial and necessary.
So, here is a position that embraces the truth of both sides and acknowledges that a small number on both sides will not accept its premise. Sex is the exclusive, uncompromised experience between a woman and a man which God created, without boundaries, for both procreation and recreation. OK, so let me unpack some of what I am saying.
1. God created sex to propagate the species and for pleasure. There are few limits on the enjoyment of sex: it is to occur between man and woman only (homosexuality is not acceptable practice but we are to reach out with love and not simply harsh condemnation to those who are homosexual), it is to occur only in a marriage relationship, and its physical acts are to be mutually acceptable, not coerced by one spouse or the other.
2. That means that in a marriage we are free to explore our sexuality in open ways. As long as our spouse finds something acceptable to explore together, (and it does not involve bringing anyone else into the equation!) then it is acceptable. Men are visually driven and sex driven and the porn industry easily capitalizes on this by providing both in one package. If we find our wife fulfilling our fantasies then the desire to find the external diminishes. Likewise, women are affection driven and communicative. If men start catering to our wives fantasies (yes, they have sexual images of a perfect romantic event despite their ideas being largely different than that of men) then perhaps we can eliminate the Harlequin Romance novels.
I know this is challenging and I feel like I am on thin ice, but I think we need to open up the dialogue rather than continually burying our head in the sand.
Here is the problem with mediating positions, by the way. You have one group that calls them respectful compromise and another that calls it being “lukewarm” or “selling out”. So, even in compromise you can’t win with everyone. Therefore, there is no “mediating” position; only a new position that still leaves some on both sides disappointed. Mediating positions were created by politicians to show how they can “work with both sides” and in some areas, compromise is beneficial and necessary.
So, here is a position that embraces the truth of both sides and acknowledges that a small number on both sides will not accept its premise. Sex is the exclusive, uncompromised experience between a woman and a man which God created, without boundaries, for both procreation and recreation. OK, so let me unpack some of what I am saying.
1. God created sex to propagate the species and for pleasure. There are few limits on the enjoyment of sex: it is to occur between man and woman only (homosexuality is not acceptable practice but we are to reach out with love and not simply harsh condemnation to those who are homosexual), it is to occur only in a marriage relationship, and its physical acts are to be mutually acceptable, not coerced by one spouse or the other.
2. That means that in a marriage we are free to explore our sexuality in open ways. As long as our spouse finds something acceptable to explore together, (and it does not involve bringing anyone else into the equation!) then it is acceptable. Men are visually driven and sex driven and the porn industry easily capitalizes on this by providing both in one package. If we find our wife fulfilling our fantasies then the desire to find the external diminishes. Likewise, women are affection driven and communicative. If men start catering to our wives fantasies (yes, they have sexual images of a perfect romantic event despite their ideas being largely different than that of men) then perhaps we can eliminate the Harlequin Romance novels.
I know this is challenging and I feel like I am on thin ice, but I think we need to open up the dialogue rather than continually burying our head in the sand.
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