As I was reading 1 Kings 13 today, I was genuinely confused. I understood what happened but I couldn't see much as to why things happened or the implications of people's actions and decisions. Usually, I just read some commentary and move on. Today, I decided to give it a rest and revisit the passage later. Well, the later was just now. I must say, when you seek wisdom and truth from God, He does not disappoint.
1 Kings 13
Summary: King Jeroboam was sacrificing to the false gods. A man of God came to the altar and rebuked the king and spoke prophecies that the Lord had shown him. King Jeroboam reached out to snag the man of God but his hand shriveled. Jeroboam asked for the man of God to intercede with the Lord and so that his hand could get healed, and it did.
God instructed to man of God to not eat or drink anything and to also not came back the way he came. Jeroboam offers him food but the man complies with the Lords instructions. An old, deceptive prophet finds the man of God and lies to him, saying that the Lord desired that he come back and eat-so the man did. The Lord killed the man of God and the old prophet turned to the Lord. King Jeroboam did not.
I'll start off by focusing on King Jeroboam. This man is genuinely living in sincere foolishness. Here's what I find interesting. He tried to kill the man of God and was thwarted when his hand shriveled. The man of God said that the altar at which Jeroboam was sacrificing would be split into two-and it split into two on the spot. In light of all of this, Jeroboam does not turn to the Lord. He merely sought the Lord's healing so that he could have a normal hand. How many times are we like Jeroboam in this case? We know the truth and righteousness of the Lord and yet when afflicted, we seek comfort, healing, or strength from the Lord? I think we can all say that Jeroboam was a fool but I would venture to say that when we seek things from the Lord, we are fools as well. We are instructed to seek the Lord, to seek His face and not His hand. His hand will come. When seeking the Lord, everything else will fall in line as we grow in our relationship with Him.
The other thing that I found interesting was the old prophet. I don't know what this guys motives were to deceive the man of the God but I will say this: He was deceitful and he pulled it off. He disguised himself as a man of God as well and spoke "words of the Lord". This is something that we need to be wary of in our own relationship with Christ. Books and speakers are awesome and all but they are no substitute for the actual word of God which contains the ultimate truth. Just because a speaker is some great guy or the author is some famous person does not necessarily mean that the words are those of truth and righteousness.
I know that my last blog was titled closing thoughts on sincerity but I couldn't help but find this passage also going back to the idea of being sincerely wrong. The man of God did what he thought was right. He knew that the Lord gave him instructs but the old prophet said that God gave a different set of instructions (which was a lie). The man of God did not know that he was doing wrong by eating food at the old prophet's house. He was sincere in his obedience and compliance to what he THOUGHT was the will of God. In actuality, God did not want him to eat from the old man's house and in fact instructed him not to. The old man was merely lying but for his disobedience, the man of God was killed. Don't become mistaken in walking down a path of sincerity but also ignorance and foolishness. Walk a path in which sincerity and the truth and wisdom of the Lord are mutually inclusive.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Closing Thoughts on Sincerity
On Friday, we watched a message from Voddie Baucham titled "A Warning to Insincere Worshipers" from the Passion: One Day Conference back in 2000. While the video was quite old, as noted by a much different style of dress, the message was still gripping and applicable as the truth in God's word is timeless. He spoke on Isaiah 1:10-15
10 Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 "The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
It's pretty clear in this passage that the Lord does not desire our actions in themselves. He desires our heart. He desires a genuine and sincere heart. I cannot agree more. The Christian life is not and never will be about merely our actions. The more important underlying factor is the source of our actions.
However, I believe that this message should have been marked with an asterisk, or Sincerity*. I am not saying that sincerity isn't required in our worship. Sincerity is demanded of us. Here's where I think the asterisk comes in: Sincerity in what?
I remember a time when I was back in third grade. We were taking a math test and the question talked about finding the perimeter of a square with a side length of 3. So naturally, this meant 3+3+3+3 or 12. Wanting to be cool, I decided to bust out my multiplication skills. So I thought to myself, 6+6 is 12 which means I need two 6's. Ok, so the answer is 6x6 and I wrote it down. Well, we all know (hopefully) that 6x6 is actually 36 and not 12. I had mixed up my multiplication. I was genuine and sincere in my answer, I really meant it. That does not change the fact that I was wrong.
Take this biblical example now. In 1 Samuel 15, God instructed Saul, the king of Israel at that time, to go and destroy the Amalekites. The instructions were clear: destroy EVERYTHING and take NOTHING. Saul then attacked the Amalekites. Rather than destroying everything, he took their king and the best of the livestock back to offer up to the Lord. When Saul offered his sacrifice, the Lord did not accept it. Saul was genuine in his offering and sincere as could be. However, he was misguided, incorrect, and straight up wrong in his sacrifice.
Here's the caveat of sincerity. We can be as sincere as we want but if we if we are sincerely wrong, all that sincerity was for naught. Sincerity is no excuse for ignorance. It doesn't matter how sincere or how genuine our motives are if we are living and doing things contrary to the will of God in which we learn through reading His word. It is not okay to say "Oh well, sorry God. I was sincere in my actions and I just didn't know that they offended you." Look at Saul. Saul was sincere and yet God said that he was "grieved that [He] made Saul king". This stresses the importance of knowing God and His will through spending time with Him. Yes, sincerity is an integral part of our worship. However, that sincerity needs to be coupled with the knowledge and obedience of the Lord's commands.
10 Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 "The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
It's pretty clear in this passage that the Lord does not desire our actions in themselves. He desires our heart. He desires a genuine and sincere heart. I cannot agree more. The Christian life is not and never will be about merely our actions. The more important underlying factor is the source of our actions.
However, I believe that this message should have been marked with an asterisk, or Sincerity*. I am not saying that sincerity isn't required in our worship. Sincerity is demanded of us. Here's where I think the asterisk comes in: Sincerity in what?
I remember a time when I was back in third grade. We were taking a math test and the question talked about finding the perimeter of a square with a side length of 3. So naturally, this meant 3+3+3+3 or 12. Wanting to be cool, I decided to bust out my multiplication skills. So I thought to myself, 6+6 is 12 which means I need two 6's. Ok, so the answer is 6x6 and I wrote it down. Well, we all know (hopefully) that 6x6 is actually 36 and not 12. I had mixed up my multiplication. I was genuine and sincere in my answer, I really meant it. That does not change the fact that I was wrong.
Take this biblical example now. In 1 Samuel 15, God instructed Saul, the king of Israel at that time, to go and destroy the Amalekites. The instructions were clear: destroy EVERYTHING and take NOTHING. Saul then attacked the Amalekites. Rather than destroying everything, he took their king and the best of the livestock back to offer up to the Lord. When Saul offered his sacrifice, the Lord did not accept it. Saul was genuine in his offering and sincere as could be. However, he was misguided, incorrect, and straight up wrong in his sacrifice.
Here's the caveat of sincerity. We can be as sincere as we want but if we if we are sincerely wrong, all that sincerity was for naught. Sincerity is no excuse for ignorance. It doesn't matter how sincere or how genuine our motives are if we are living and doing things contrary to the will of God in which we learn through reading His word. It is not okay to say "Oh well, sorry God. I was sincere in my actions and I just didn't know that they offended you." Look at Saul. Saul was sincere and yet God said that he was "grieved that [He] made Saul king". This stresses the importance of knowing God and His will through spending time with Him. Yes, sincerity is an integral part of our worship. However, that sincerity needs to be coupled with the knowledge and obedience of the Lord's commands.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sometimes the Hardest Thing and the Right Thing Are the Same
Convenience. We live in a society filled with convenience. These days, we don't even have to leave our homes to get what we want. We can call and order food. We can buy groceries online. Instead of going out and buying a book, we can buy the e-book online. We love convenience. Another example of convenience is Las Vegas. There, we can get a glimpse of internationally acclaimed attractions like pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. In this case, convenience skews reality. People marvel at the sight of such things. Yes, it's convenient to go to Vegas and get an all in one tour of the world. However, it's not real. The Eiffel Tower in Vegas pales in comparison to the real thing.
1 Kings 12:25-33.
This Jeroboam guy, the guy that craftily and opportunistically took the throne from Rehoboam was quite cunning. He knew that he would lose control if the Israelites turned back to God and worshiped Him. In Jewish culture, the men were required to travel to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year. So to undermine this, Jeroboam built golden calves. One was located at Bethel, a town 10 miles north of Jerusalem on a highly trafficked road. The other was built at Dan, the northernmost city in Israel.
Jeroboam played this off like a act of love to his people. "It is too much or you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel." Here's the nutty part. After all that God had done for the Israelites, they quickly forgot and worshiped these calves! Part of the reason? It was so much easier to go to these calves than to go to Jerusalem. In their convenience, they neglected the Lord and His command to not worship false idols.
To think, the Israelites must have been saying "Wow, worshiping these new Gods is so much easier than worshiping the old God. I like this better." They were lulled into sinning and thinking that the convenient and yet totally fake god was better than the Lord. The people that once worshiped God were now caught in a false reality fostered by convenience.
Now here's a real question: how often do we do this? For the sake of our convenience, how often do we neglect the Lord and His commands? Just because it might be easier for us to follow something that is contrary to what God desires does not make it better nor does it make it the right thing to do. We shouldn't live for convenience. We shouldn't even live to see the fruit of our results and to feel all warm and fuzzy about it afterward. Even when doing the right thing is hard, do it anyway. The reward that we live for is greater than any consolation of doing things the easy and yet an non-glorifying way. Our reward is in heaven, not on earth.
Keep fighting the good fight!
1 Timothy 6:11-16
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
1 Kings 12:25-33.
This Jeroboam guy, the guy that craftily and opportunistically took the throne from Rehoboam was quite cunning. He knew that he would lose control if the Israelites turned back to God and worshiped Him. In Jewish culture, the men were required to travel to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year. So to undermine this, Jeroboam built golden calves. One was located at Bethel, a town 10 miles north of Jerusalem on a highly trafficked road. The other was built at Dan, the northernmost city in Israel.
Jeroboam played this off like a act of love to his people. "It is too much or you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel." Here's the nutty part. After all that God had done for the Israelites, they quickly forgot and worshiped these calves! Part of the reason? It was so much easier to go to these calves than to go to Jerusalem. In their convenience, they neglected the Lord and His command to not worship false idols.
To think, the Israelites must have been saying "Wow, worshiping these new Gods is so much easier than worshiping the old God. I like this better." They were lulled into sinning and thinking that the convenient and yet totally fake god was better than the Lord. The people that once worshiped God were now caught in a false reality fostered by convenience.
Now here's a real question: how often do we do this? For the sake of our convenience, how often do we neglect the Lord and His commands? Just because it might be easier for us to follow something that is contrary to what God desires does not make it better nor does it make it the right thing to do. We shouldn't live for convenience. We shouldn't even live to see the fruit of our results and to feel all warm and fuzzy about it afterward. Even when doing the right thing is hard, do it anyway. The reward that we live for is greater than any consolation of doing things the easy and yet an non-glorifying way. Our reward is in heaven, not on earth.
Keep fighting the good fight!
1 Timothy 6:11-16
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
Conflict, Consensus, and Foolishness
Jeremiah 17:5-9
5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
The message of this passage ties in very much with what I read in 1 Kings the other day. Rehoboam turned from the Lord and consulted with his peers. All together, they came up with a plan of action on how Rehoboam should rule the Israelites: with an iron fist. Well, things turned out poorly and Rehoboam lost the throne. Wait, what's going on? Even though the majority agreed upon an idea, they were wrong? Yes, they were wrong. In fact, they were fools.
Here's the problem: they listened to the wisdom of man and not the Lord's. As it says in 1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";". Ultimately, we're a bunch of sad and pathetic fools who know a lot less than we think we do. We are people of pride and 'wisdom', which in reality is a boat of foolishness.
This happens so often when we find ourselves in tight situations. We rely upon our own 'wisdom' to get us out of situations. We use our logic to dig ourselves out of holes, to recover and set our feet upon solid group. We compromise God's commands for our perceived best interest as we listen to our hearts. However, in Jeremiah 17:9, God describes our hearts as deceitful beyond cure! Knowing that our hearts are deceitful, how then can we listen to it?
Listen to the Lord. He is truly wise. Not only so but this passage also notes that those who listen to the Lord and find their confidence in Him are blessed. When in a pinch and in a hectic situation, don't listen to your heart but seek guidance from the Lord.
I think a classic example of this is David (before he became king) while he was running away from Saul. He had the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill Saul as they were unknowingly in the same cave. David realized the foolishness of living outside the will of God and wisely abided by the command not to murder. While this did not end his problem as Saul foolishly pursued David pretty much until death, David honored the Lord through his circumstances. Not only so, but we also see that God delivered David, killed Saul, and placed David on the throne.
The Lord alone is wise. Here's the cool part though. He offers us his wisdom.
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James goes on even further in James 3:17 to describe such wisdom in that the "wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere."
5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
The message of this passage ties in very much with what I read in 1 Kings the other day. Rehoboam turned from the Lord and consulted with his peers. All together, they came up with a plan of action on how Rehoboam should rule the Israelites: with an iron fist. Well, things turned out poorly and Rehoboam lost the throne. Wait, what's going on? Even though the majority agreed upon an idea, they were wrong? Yes, they were wrong. In fact, they were fools.
Here's the problem: they listened to the wisdom of man and not the Lord's. As it says in 1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";". Ultimately, we're a bunch of sad and pathetic fools who know a lot less than we think we do. We are people of pride and 'wisdom', which in reality is a boat of foolishness.
This happens so often when we find ourselves in tight situations. We rely upon our own 'wisdom' to get us out of situations. We use our logic to dig ourselves out of holes, to recover and set our feet upon solid group. We compromise God's commands for our perceived best interest as we listen to our hearts. However, in Jeremiah 17:9, God describes our hearts as deceitful beyond cure! Knowing that our hearts are deceitful, how then can we listen to it?
Listen to the Lord. He is truly wise. Not only so but this passage also notes that those who listen to the Lord and find their confidence in Him are blessed. When in a pinch and in a hectic situation, don't listen to your heart but seek guidance from the Lord.
I think a classic example of this is David (before he became king) while he was running away from Saul. He had the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill Saul as they were unknowingly in the same cave. David realized the foolishness of living outside the will of God and wisely abided by the command not to murder. While this did not end his problem as Saul foolishly pursued David pretty much until death, David honored the Lord through his circumstances. Not only so, but we also see that God delivered David, killed Saul, and placed David on the throne.
The Lord alone is wise. Here's the cool part though. He offers us his wisdom.
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James goes on even further in James 3:17 to describe such wisdom in that the "wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere."
Friday, February 26, 2010
Not Just a Pharisee but an Israelite As Well.
When reading the new testament, it really sucks when think a little bit deeper and realize that you are pharisee. When reading the old testament, I think "Man, those Israelites are really stupid", only to realize that I am an Israelite.
1 Kings 12:1-24
In summary: Solomon dies and his son, Rehoboam takes over as king. The people presents a request to Rehoboam that he might lighten the harsh labor placed upon them. Rehoboam consults the elders and rejects their advice to serve the people. He consults his contemporaries and decides that their advice is best. Instead of serving the people, he oppresses the people. The people complain and drive him out of town and elect Jeroboam as the next king.
A few points
+Rehoboam is a clear fool. Unlike David and Solomon, he did not take any of this up to God prior to consulting people. He did not pray or plead with the Lord for guidance. The wisdom of man is the Lord's foolishness.
+Granted, the Lord doesn't always come down and smack us over the forehead with answers but speaks through people. Well, Rehoboam rejected them as well when he listened to his peers instead of the elders.
+Rehoboam was self-seeking. Instead of doing what was best for his people, he did what was best for himself. As leaders, especially in ministry, our needs and desires come after God's. To fast forward, this is essentially the life and ministry of Christ: placing our best interest above His own and serving us in love, providing a way to eternity with the Father. We are called to imitate Christ so in the same way, our community's needs ought to be of higher priority than our self-interest.
+When the Israelites cried out, it was to David, pleading for him to protect his own house. Their unity was found in David, a mere human. As Christians, we need to avoid this sense of association and unity under a certain leader. Our allegiance should not with any person or thing on this earth but under God himself.
+This is exactly what God promised Solomon back in 1 Kings 11. As Solomon did not keep his covenant with the Lord, the Lord said that he would tear the kingdom out Solomon's son's hands. We often forget that God is not only loving but also just. While we are not ultimately condemned for our actions, there are consequences.
I note all of these things with a bit of a cringe. I was so quick to say "Man, stupid Israelites". But man, I'm guilty of almost all of these things.
1 Kings 12:1-24
In summary: Solomon dies and his son, Rehoboam takes over as king. The people presents a request to Rehoboam that he might lighten the harsh labor placed upon them. Rehoboam consults the elders and rejects their advice to serve the people. He consults his contemporaries and decides that their advice is best. Instead of serving the people, he oppresses the people. The people complain and drive him out of town and elect Jeroboam as the next king.
A few points
+Rehoboam is a clear fool. Unlike David and Solomon, he did not take any of this up to God prior to consulting people. He did not pray or plead with the Lord for guidance. The wisdom of man is the Lord's foolishness.
+Granted, the Lord doesn't always come down and smack us over the forehead with answers but speaks through people. Well, Rehoboam rejected them as well when he listened to his peers instead of the elders.
+Rehoboam was self-seeking. Instead of doing what was best for his people, he did what was best for himself. As leaders, especially in ministry, our needs and desires come after God's. To fast forward, this is essentially the life and ministry of Christ: placing our best interest above His own and serving us in love, providing a way to eternity with the Father. We are called to imitate Christ so in the same way, our community's needs ought to be of higher priority than our self-interest.
+When the Israelites cried out, it was to David, pleading for him to protect his own house. Their unity was found in David, a mere human. As Christians, we need to avoid this sense of association and unity under a certain leader. Our allegiance should not with any person or thing on this earth but under God himself.
+This is exactly what God promised Solomon back in 1 Kings 11. As Solomon did not keep his covenant with the Lord, the Lord said that he would tear the kingdom out Solomon's son's hands. We often forget that God is not only loving but also just. While we are not ultimately condemned for our actions, there are consequences.
I note all of these things with a bit of a cringe. I was so quick to say "Man, stupid Israelites". But man, I'm guilty of almost all of these things.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Gossip and the Church
Christians don't gossip, they just pray. That's the running joke anyway. I think that God has been constantly revealing the condition of my heart. One thing that I greatly struggle with is gossip. I am rarely the instigator of it all. However, at the smell of first blood, I jump right in. Did you know that so and so did this? Oh yeah, I heard about that.
Here's the strange thing about gossip. Even though by reputation gossip is full of lies, it can be full of truth as well. I used to feel justified talking about people if everything I said was true. Man, person x isn't pulling their weight in this group project. This person's so lazy and unorganized. While everything may be true, the question then lies not in the validity of the statement but in the motives behind it. Why am I talking about this information? Is it even relevant to anything else that's going on? Is it out of love or out of spite?
Back to the original statement: "Christian's don't gossip, they just pray." I, for one, am partly guilty of this as well. Hey, did you hear that person x is going through this? Let's pray for that person! Well, what if person x didn't want his life to be a public display for the church? I don't deny that prayer is a powerful thing as is group prayer but sometimes people just don't want everyone knowing their business. Let's say my intent was genuine and out of love and that I don't struggle with gossip. Suppose I were to share that prayer request with a group of people that struggle with gossip. I'm at fault for leading my brothers and sisters into the temptation to gossip by sharing such information.
Regardless of the way gossip manifests itself, either through random speech or organized prayer, it is still a sin. Like all other sins, it places a separation between us and the God that loves us so dearly. Not only so, but it also places a barrier between us and others in the church and the community. What kind of person is going to want to go to a church in which he is talked about behind his back? What kind of witnesses are we if the world observes our foolish talk?
If any of you catch me gossiping, call me out on it. I would greatly appreciate it as I am continuing to strive to be more like Christ. While these are the convictions upon my heart, I also hope that they are the convictions upon yours as well. The Bible clearly mandates that we ought not to gossip. It would be awesome if you could all join with me in this in fostering a more God-honoring and welcoming community.
Here's the strange thing about gossip. Even though by reputation gossip is full of lies, it can be full of truth as well. I used to feel justified talking about people if everything I said was true. Man, person x isn't pulling their weight in this group project. This person's so lazy and unorganized. While everything may be true, the question then lies not in the validity of the statement but in the motives behind it. Why am I talking about this information? Is it even relevant to anything else that's going on? Is it out of love or out of spite?
Back to the original statement: "Christian's don't gossip, they just pray." I, for one, am partly guilty of this as well. Hey, did you hear that person x is going through this? Let's pray for that person! Well, what if person x didn't want his life to be a public display for the church? I don't deny that prayer is a powerful thing as is group prayer but sometimes people just don't want everyone knowing their business. Let's say my intent was genuine and out of love and that I don't struggle with gossip. Suppose I were to share that prayer request with a group of people that struggle with gossip. I'm at fault for leading my brothers and sisters into the temptation to gossip by sharing such information.
Regardless of the way gossip manifests itself, either through random speech or organized prayer, it is still a sin. Like all other sins, it places a separation between us and the God that loves us so dearly. Not only so, but it also places a barrier between us and others in the church and the community. What kind of person is going to want to go to a church in which he is talked about behind his back? What kind of witnesses are we if the world observes our foolish talk?
If any of you catch me gossiping, call me out on it. I would greatly appreciate it as I am continuing to strive to be more like Christ. While these are the convictions upon my heart, I also hope that they are the convictions upon yours as well. The Bible clearly mandates that we ought not to gossip. It would be awesome if you could all join with me in this in fostering a more God-honoring and welcoming community.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The God That Promises
1 Kings 10
Back in 1 Kings 3, God offered to give Solomon anything that he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave him that. Pleased by his inquiry, God promised Solomon more than just wisdom but both riches and honor as well. Immediately after that, we saw how God gave Solomon wisdom as there are examples of how he handled difficult situations. Other than the temple and palace's construction, we see little of the wealth and honor up until now.
In chapter 10, the queen of Sheba visited Solomon as his reputation has extended to other kingdoms as well. The queen was taken aback by what she saw when she met Solomon. It says that she "came to test him with hard questions." and that in her report "not even half was told". That's how much God blessed Solomon. He had a great reputation but who God blessed him to be even far exceeded his reputation. The rest of the chapter continues to marvel at his wealth.
We all know that God keeps His promises. Sometimes knowing and believing are two different things. When life comes knocking at our door, how quickly we forget the promises of God! He promises us eternal life and never to leave of forsake us. Passages like 1 Kings 10 just help reassure me of who God is. His word is good. Unlike us, if God promises something,it will happen. Live in the knowledge of God and His promises. It'll make all the difference.
Back in 1 Kings 3, God offered to give Solomon anything that he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave him that. Pleased by his inquiry, God promised Solomon more than just wisdom but both riches and honor as well. Immediately after that, we saw how God gave Solomon wisdom as there are examples of how he handled difficult situations. Other than the temple and palace's construction, we see little of the wealth and honor up until now.
In chapter 10, the queen of Sheba visited Solomon as his reputation has extended to other kingdoms as well. The queen was taken aback by what she saw when she met Solomon. It says that she "came to test him with hard questions." and that in her report "not even half was told". That's how much God blessed Solomon. He had a great reputation but who God blessed him to be even far exceeded his reputation. The rest of the chapter continues to marvel at his wealth.
We all know that God keeps His promises. Sometimes knowing and believing are two different things. When life comes knocking at our door, how quickly we forget the promises of God! He promises us eternal life and never to leave of forsake us. Passages like 1 Kings 10 just help reassure me of who God is. His word is good. Unlike us, if God promises something,it will happen. Live in the knowledge of God and His promises. It'll make all the difference.
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