Love may not be enough
Love the Lord you God and keep his requirements, his decrees, and his commands always. Deuteronomy 11:1
Love is a powerful thing. It gets inside of us... changes us. Love compels us outside our safe zones and into the territory where great men and women dare to tread. We know that love is kind and void of envy, jealousy and pride. We know that love never fails. The L word is so powerful that one might be tempted to think that all you need is love. But they would be incredibly shortsighted.
Imagine a spouse that only expressed love in word, but never in deed. Now imagine if that spouse gambled away the family funds and acted promiscuously but always said, "I love you". Could you believe a man or woman like that? Ones actions must accompany their words and vice-versa, ones words must be in accord with their actions. Who can trust a man or woman who does not practice the messages of their own sermons? We call those sorts of people disillusioned hypocrites or plain old liars.
Jesus says that whoever has and obeys his commands is the one that loves him (John 14:21).
I think that Jesus is saying that a word without action is nothing more than lip service. My guess is that God is looking for people that not only say the words, but live the life. That combination, words and action, are the thing that change the world. Love may not be enough to change the world, but I but your actions coupled with love will do the trick.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Beginning of Faith
Beginning of Faith
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3
I read an article in National Geographic about a 14,000 year old city named Göbekli Tepe located in Turkey. The scientist excavating the site has come to a new conclusion about why humans have built societies in ancient times. Previously, "Anthropologists have assumed that organized religion began as a way of salving tensions... in large societies." In other words, religion was a way to tame the masses. But now they think that a shared religion might be the reason humans have gathered to build society.
I think those scientist are right. A shared religion could be a great reason for hundreds of people to settle into one area. Religion might be a great way to calm the masses and establish a code of conduct, laws and ethics. For many, religion is a set of laws, agreed upon protocols and socially acceptable behaviors. Religion really is a product of humans, but Faith is a product of God. Faith predates religion. God gave us faith (a living and thriving relationship), which is only available in first hand communion with the Father. And that has nothing to do with religion.
Our faith in God is His gift to us. And our faith is nothing new; it is something that began before the foundations of the universe were even planted. It is something sure, reliable, time-tested and trustworthy. Faith in God is the thing that we live by, and it will be the thing that brings us home to God.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3
I read an article in National Geographic about a 14,000 year old city named Göbekli Tepe located in Turkey. The scientist excavating the site has come to a new conclusion about why humans have built societies in ancient times. Previously, "Anthropologists have assumed that organized religion began as a way of salving tensions... in large societies." In other words, religion was a way to tame the masses. But now they think that a shared religion might be the reason humans have gathered to build society.
I think those scientist are right. A shared religion could be a great reason for hundreds of people to settle into one area. Religion might be a great way to calm the masses and establish a code of conduct, laws and ethics. For many, religion is a set of laws, agreed upon protocols and socially acceptable behaviors. Religion really is a product of humans, but Faith is a product of God. Faith predates religion. God gave us faith (a living and thriving relationship), which is only available in first hand communion with the Father. And that has nothing to do with religion.
Our faith in God is His gift to us. And our faith is nothing new; it is something that began before the foundations of the universe were even planted. It is something sure, reliable, time-tested and trustworthy. Faith in God is the thing that we live by, and it will be the thing that brings us home to God.
Friday, September 14, 2012
A Dependable God
A Dependable God
"O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way."
1 Kings 8:23 NIV
When I think of the state of our world, one word that comes to mind is uncertainty. There are moral failures in our world leaders. Scientists give weight to our unease with calculated predictions of impending disasters. And even in our churches, some seem to have been bewitched and have fallen away from sound doctrine and morality. The upheaval in this world is such that it seems there is nothing left that we can depend on, nothing we can grasp hold of for safety.
In these uncertain times, we need something dependable, firm in its convictions and unchanging. We need something that cannot be swayed by public opinion. And I suppose you already know I am speaking of God. But I am not speaking of the flimsy sort of "every man's" moldable God. I am not speaking of the God we can define, but of the one that defines us. In short, I am speaking of the God of scripture or some people call Him Jesus.
The writer speaks from his experience that God keeps his love covenant with those that continue wholeheartedly in His way. If government and church have failed you, God will not. If the people around you have failed, God does not fail. I remember making friends with a man named Gus. After a brief amount of time, Gus had become a believer. We prayed together and I stood with my friend as he faced some hard decisions in his life. Later Gus told me that I am someone he can depend on. At first I felt proud to be someone important in his life. But in short time God helped me to see my arrogance in accepting the complement... Later I told Gus that, "I am your friend and I will try my best to be there for you. But eventually, I will fail you. My human nature will be certain to do that. But be sure to place all of your trust in someone that will never fail you. Place your trust in God, he never fails."
"O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way."
1 Kings 8:23 NIV
When I think of the state of our world, one word that comes to mind is uncertainty. There are moral failures in our world leaders. Scientists give weight to our unease with calculated predictions of impending disasters. And even in our churches, some seem to have been bewitched and have fallen away from sound doctrine and morality. The upheaval in this world is such that it seems there is nothing left that we can depend on, nothing we can grasp hold of for safety.
In these uncertain times, we need something dependable, firm in its convictions and unchanging. We need something that cannot be swayed by public opinion. And I suppose you already know I am speaking of God. But I am not speaking of the flimsy sort of "every man's" moldable God. I am not speaking of the God we can define, but of the one that defines us. In short, I am speaking of the God of scripture or some people call Him Jesus.
The writer speaks from his experience that God keeps his love covenant with those that continue wholeheartedly in His way. If government and church have failed you, God will not. If the people around you have failed, God does not fail. I remember making friends with a man named Gus. After a brief amount of time, Gus had become a believer. We prayed together and I stood with my friend as he faced some hard decisions in his life. Later Gus told me that I am someone he can depend on. At first I felt proud to be someone important in his life. But in short time God helped me to see my arrogance in accepting the complement... Later I told Gus that, "I am your friend and I will try my best to be there for you. But eventually, I will fail you. My human nature will be certain to do that. But be sure to place all of your trust in someone that will never fail you. Place your trust in God, he never fails."
Friday, September 7, 2012
A Faithful Promise
A Faithful Promise
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 NIV
If God is faithful to keep His promises, then why do troubles befall us believers? Does not God promise to keep us from falling (Jude 1:24)? Doesn't God relieve the pressure of temptation before it becomes too much to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13)? And doesn't God say that he will shower us with blessings (Ezekiel 34:26)? If these words are true then we can either question God's integrity or realize the truth; we have misunderstood the nature of godly protection, we don’t understand struggles in the faith and we have misconstrued godly blessing.
I think that we believers have a tendency to apply earthly consequences to God's spiritual promises. Maybe protection from falling isn’t a protection from physical struggles, but the ultimate fall is actually spiritual destruction. The real promise is that God will protect us from spiritual death. And as far as temptation, maybe we focus too closely on the lure to sin. Instead, we should search for the way to escape temptation* and in the process, find God's mercy. And what is the blessing that God wants to shower upon us? Is it a person, place or many things? Or, is the blessing that God longs to shower upon us is a one-on-one relationship? What He desires is for us to grasp the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. I believe the ultimate blessing is the daily attention we receive from the Trinity.
I think it is easier to hold onto the hope we have been promised when we know what the promise is. We will inevitably experience disappointment if we do not know what to expect from God. And more than anything else, He intends to protect our eternity. He even went to a cross to in order to secure that promise.
*The way out of temptation is to flee, as in run for the hills (1 Timothy 6:11)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 NIV
If God is faithful to keep His promises, then why do troubles befall us believers? Does not God promise to keep us from falling (Jude 1:24)? Doesn't God relieve the pressure of temptation before it becomes too much to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13)? And doesn't God say that he will shower us with blessings (Ezekiel 34:26)? If these words are true then we can either question God's integrity or realize the truth; we have misunderstood the nature of godly protection, we don’t understand struggles in the faith and we have misconstrued godly blessing.
I think that we believers have a tendency to apply earthly consequences to God's spiritual promises. Maybe protection from falling isn’t a protection from physical struggles, but the ultimate fall is actually spiritual destruction. The real promise is that God will protect us from spiritual death. And as far as temptation, maybe we focus too closely on the lure to sin. Instead, we should search for the way to escape temptation* and in the process, find God's mercy. And what is the blessing that God wants to shower upon us? Is it a person, place or many things? Or, is the blessing that God longs to shower upon us is a one-on-one relationship? What He desires is for us to grasp the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. I believe the ultimate blessing is the daily attention we receive from the Trinity.
I think it is easier to hold onto the hope we have been promised when we know what the promise is. We will inevitably experience disappointment if we do not know what to expect from God. And more than anything else, He intends to protect our eternity. He even went to a cross to in order to secure that promise.
*The way out of temptation is to flee, as in run for the hills (1 Timothy 6:11)
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