Too Blessed

After reading Genesis 36:7 I thought it was interesting that Jacob and Esau were so blessed that they weren't able to live near each other because they had accumulated too many possessions and the land could not sustain both Jacob's and Esau's livestock in the same location.  They we so blessed that they couldn't receive another blessing; living near family.  If they were poor they would have been able to live near each other and may have even been forced to share a home, but would have had the blessing of living the end of their lives together.

I think that sounds a lot like the United States and other wealthy nations; we're so blessed that we miss out on other blessings.  We're so wealthy that we can buy or borrow anything and everything we need instead of waking up each day wondering if there will be food on the table or a place to sleep.

Consider a Stick

Consider a stick.  A stick, by itself, is not very useful.  However, a stick on fire (a torch) is something else.  It becomes light when you can't see through the darkness.  It's heat is comfort when you're cold.  It can cook food to nourish you.  It can purify the water you drink.  It can also be used to set other sticks on fire.

I am a stick.  

God's Word is fire.

Unity

Unity, with God or with people, comes through shared struggle. You don't get close to someone by saying "I need to get close to you." It takes action; shared struggle. Hanging out is good, but no amount of hanging out brings the closeness that comes from working together.

When I say struggle, I don't mean that it has to be painful. I think we all know that when we have pain or hurt or difficulty in life it causes us to get closer to God. But, it's not just those negative things that I mean. I'm defining struggle like labor. I think of the people with whom I'm the closest and it's those with whom I've labored/struggled; those I've served alongside in ministry; worship teams, missions teams, leadership teams, sports teams.

1 John 2:6 says, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." Jesus walked with the Father. Jesus labored and struggled for the Kingdom with His friends and disciples.

Dreaming

I just read my last post and it occurred to me that maybe the phrase "American Dream" doesn't mean a hope of great things and a great life that we have, but we'll awaken someday to realize it was indeed just a dream.

On the American Dream

I think that the hardest part about living in the "American Dream" and being a Christian is being willing to give it all up. I think of the apostle Paul and the life he must have lived before he met Christ. It would seem that he was living a sort of American Dream. He must have had wealth to go along with his power and he gave it all up to be a traveling missionary who was routinely beaten and jailed for the way he lived his life.

Now that God has so richly blessed my life, my prayer is that I (and my family) would be willing to give it all up at the drop of a hat to follow Jesus into any circumstance he would lead us.

Get back

I feel like I need to get back to something that's been missing. I'm done with books about God, I just want the Word. And I'm tired of playing quietly on Sunday mornings to three songs that have been precisely prepared, I just want to bang on the drums really loud and worship with my friends to lots of songs that might not go the way we planned with people that might jump up and down, raise their hands in the air, shed some tears, and sing louder than I'm drumming!

"I just can't get past the judgmentalism"

I had a friend email me this:

I've been thinking about starting to go to church again :). And throughout the thought process, I've been thinking a lot about the reasons I stopped. One of the biggest reasons/things that turned me off to it was that I feel like a lot of Christians that I know are very, and openly, judgemental about things people do, even though they may do some things that would not be right in the eyes of God themselves.

And that provoked a though...I was raised to believe that no one has the right to pass judgement except for God. And if God is so quick to forgive those who are truly sorry for their sins, how can people (I guess Christians in this case) be so quick to pass judgement?

Here was my response...for what it's worth.

I think you are right. Many (even most) Christians do tend to see the faults in others instead of graciously finding the good in them. I'm sure I'm guilty of this more often than I'd like to admit. That's a big problem in the American Church. I saw a study that 9 out of 10 young people view Christians as judgmental.

I think it's important to separate out what Chrisitans do and who Christ is. Christianity is a religion full of sinful people in need of God's grace and mercy. Just becuase Chrisitans sin (and are judmental) does not make what they believe wrong. It just means they (we) are in need of forgiveness.

I think that a lot of American Christians base their faith off of what they were taught growing up instead of on their own experience hearing from God through reading His Word and prayer. I'd encourage you, as you think through this for yourself, to take a week or two and thoughtfully read through the book of Matthew. Pay specific attention to what Jesus says and does.

On the other side of the coin, I will say, though, that as much as Jesus talks about not judging others, He does say that we are to hold other Christians accountable for their sake (not for our own). If a "brother" sins against you, the bible says in Matthew 18, that you are to go to him and show him his fault. Also, James 5:20 specifically talks about turning a sinner from the error of his way.

I read in a book about how people view Christians that "If Christians won't point out God's standard; who will?" It may not be popular to talk about God's standards, but if someone doesn't know they're sinning, how are they to ask forgiveness? The key is to "speak the truth in love."

Walking

I have a dog named Rigley. When I take him for walks he pulls so hard at his leash it's like he's trying to pull a car out of a ditch or win the Iditarod all by himself. It's hardly a case of a man and his dog going for a walk. It's more like the dog trying to drag his master where he wants to go, when a walk around the block alongside his master would be fun and healthy for both of them.

When I say that I'm "walking with God" I think that my relationship with God might be like my dog's relationship with me. God's trying to go for a walk with me and I like to claim that I am walking with him, but in reality I'm tugging as hard as I can in whatever direction I want to go; not walking alongside God in the direction He's going. All God wants is for me to walk with Him through life. Not go wherever I want to go with Him in-tow claiming to be walking with Him.

Eventually Rigley and I make it around the block, but it sure isn't enjoyable. In the end, God is sovereign, and He accomplishes his purpose, but how much better would it be if I walked alongside Him instead of trying to take him where I want to go?