One Thing I Hate about You

I’m tempted to dislike someone. Not just anyone, but a particular someone. The source of my dislike is a person who mouthed off to my nine-year-old boy. I didn’t hear it, but my son told us about the incident. On two separate ocassions, this person told my son to “shut your mouth” during baseball practice.

Not long after the first occurrence, I was outside doing some yardwork, when this snippet of a verse ran through my head:

“Regard no one from a worldly point of view...”

I recognized the verse. It’s from 2 Corinthians 5:14-16:

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

Paul is saying that he and others once regarded Christ “as just a person” and not as who he really is — the one that died for everyone’s sins. So, in the same manner, I ought not to regard this other person from a worldly point of view, but as one for whom Christ died.

So now I’m busted. That means this person is not really just the loud-mouthed jerk I think she is. It means she’s either a Christian or she’s not. If so, then she’s my sister in Christ. (Ouch.) If not, then I ought to be more concerned about her salvation than how much I or my son have been wronged. (Ouch again.)

The Bible talks a lot about suffering as a Christian. Many people take that to mean bad things, like sickness, are going to happen to us. But I think otherwise. Godly suffering is suffering for doing the right thing. And that manifests both externally and internally. Externally, we can suffer pursecution for doing the right thing. But internally, we suffer in the flesh by doing the right thing.

Here’s what I mean.

While this issue with my son needs to be addressed, my flesh would like to handle things quite differently than the Spirit of God would:

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. - Galatians 5:17 (NIV)

While neither the sinful nature (i.e., the flesh) or the Spirit referred to in this verse are me, the conflict takes place within me. I suffer emotionally while this takes place, as I stuggle to yield to the Spirit within me rather than my flesh.

Ergo, the suffering...

He Gives and Takes Away... or Does He?

I had a discussion on Facebook with a friend of mine regarding the Haitian earthquake. He had linked to a video in which a Haitian pastor quoted Job 1:21:

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

My friend was impressed with the pastor’s spirituality, and even made this statement: “Everything is by God, through God, and for God’s glory.”

Perhaps you agree with that. I don’t. The problem with The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away is that it cannot be applied to the situation in Haiti. Let me explain why.

Job had a covenant with God and, if you recall, Satan made this accusation about Job:

“…stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and surely he will curse you to your face.”

You see, God specifically allowed Satan access to Job in order to prove that Satan’s accusation was not true. And while many religious leaders have come forth with their opinions on why it happened, this cannot be the case with Haiti, because the nation of Haiti is not in covenant with God.

Others believe that is God is “dealing” with Haiti’s sin, because of voodoo. But there’s a problem with that as well: God is currently “not counting men’s sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19). There will come a day when God will judge men’s sins (Acts 17:31), but that day is not today.

Romans 1:18-32 clearly states how God pours out his wrath — by giving Men over to the sinful desires of their hearts, to shameful lusts and to a depraved mind. God does not pour out his wrath in the form of earthquakes or natural disasters. Nor does he allow man-made disasters, such as 9/11, to occur to punish a nation’s sins.

The problem with getting our theology from the book of Job is that most of it consists of Job and his friends expounding incorrect doctrine. Verses like, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away,” are often quoted as examples of the proper attitude we should take in the face of tragedy. Yet if we are to accept these words from Job as “the true nature of God,” then what about the other things he said about God, such as:

You formed me with your hands; you made me,
yet now you completely destroy me. (Job 10:8)

You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me. (Job 30:21)

God hates me and angrily tears me apart.
He snaps his teeth at me
and pierces me with his eyes. (Job 16:9)

If I hold up my head, you hunt me like a lion
and again show your terrible power against me. (Job 10:16)

When a plague sweeps through,
he laughs at the death of the innocent.
The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,
and God blinds the eyes of the judges.
If he’s not the one who does it, who is? (Job 9:23-24)

Why is it that pastors never quote these verses as an accurate description of God’s character? Could it be because they sound more like a description of Satan rather than God? (See 1 Peter 5:8.) Scripture calls him the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and says that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

That’s why I disagreed with my friend when he wrote, “Everything is by God, through God, and for God’s glory.” James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” There’s nothing “good” or “perfect” about what’s happening in Haiti right now.

God will certainly use tragedies like this to his greater glory, but I do not believe that he in any way ordains them for the purpose of building the character of his saints, judging the sins of unbelievers, or furthering his glory.

“Take your son, your only son...”

I’ve been listening to a sermon about the nature and goodness of God. The pastor pointed out that, as James 1:13 says, God will never tempt us with evil, that the only test that comes from God is the test of obedience – Will you obey Me?

One of the examples he used to illustrate his point was God’s command that Abraham sacrifice his son Issac. And that got me thinking... killing your son... that’s pretty, well... evil.

Yet the Scripture says that God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.

I’m confused...

So I got to thinking, the very idea of doing such a thing in this day-and-age, in our culture, is so despicable, so horrifying, that it defies the senses to imagine God telling anyone to do such a thing.

But let’s put it into it’s proper context – how Abraham would have seen it, that is.

Human sacrifice was a very ancient custom. Among those who practiced it in Biblical times were the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Canaanites, the Scythians, the Egyptians, and the Persians, to name a few.

In his 1893 work, The Early Religion of Israel as Set Forth by Biblical Writers and by Modern Critical Historians, James Robertson makes this point:

To Abraham, not unfamiliar with various ways in which among his heathen ancestors the deity was propitiated, the testing question comes, “Art thou prepared to obey thy God as fully as the people about thee obey their gods?” and in the putting forth of his faith in the act of obedience, he learns that the nature of his God is different. Instead, therefore, of saying that the narrative gives proof of the existence of human sacrifice as an early custom in Israel, it is more reasonable to regard it as giving an explanation why it was that, from early time, this had been a prime distinction of Israel that human sacrifice was not practiced as among the heathen.

To rephrase this in 21st Century vernacular, Abraham would not have found it as appalling as we do, because it was not uncommon for heathen deities to demand human sacrifices, so why not Yahweh? So, in context, God’s test of obedience to Abraham was, Will you obey me as fully as those around you obey their gods?

To put it in a modern-day context (and perhaps this is a poor analogy), it would be like God telling you to take your only son and heir, the one he promised you, put him up for adoption, change his name, relinquish all ties to him, and remove him from your will.

Be Careful Where You Put Your But

Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. - Romans 4:19-21 CEV

We all know that the word “but” negates, or changes what comes before it. So if tell my wife or one of my children that, “I love you, but you drive me crazy,” my main point is that “you drive me crazy.” (The “I love you” was only intended to soften it up a bit.) The “I love you” statement is negated by “you drive me crazy,” so that the latter statement is the stronger one.

If I were to reverse my sentence to, “you drive me crazy, but I love you,” it changes the entire point to mean that, in spite of the fact that you drive me crazy, I love you. So where you place your “but” is crucial to your point and, as we’ll see, to your faith. Let’s look at Romans 4:19-21 and see where Abraham placed his.

We know from the Genesis account that Sarah had a difficult time believing what God had promised her husband. I can imagine Abraham trying to reassure her by saying, “I know I’m nearly dead and so is your womb, but I’m certain that God has the power to do what he’s promised.”

Suppose instead he had told her, “I’m sure God has the power to do what he’s promised, but I’m nearly dead and so is your womb.” Do you think he’d be called “the father of us all... who are of the faith of Abraham” (Rom. 4:16) if he had?

We ought to have the faith of Abraham when we speak, but instead we say things like:

“I know God promises to provide for us, but I don’t know how we’ll make ends meet this month.”

“I know the God promises to protect us, but all these burglaries in the neighborhood really have me worried.”

“I know God has promised to forgive me, but I’ve really blown it this time.”

“I know the Bible says God loves me, but I really don’t feel like He does.”

What you’re doing by making statements such as these is walking by sight, not by faith. You’re focused on the bills, the burglaries, your behavior, and how you feel. But faith is literally what is unseen:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. - Heb 11:1-3 KJV

I cannot “see” God’s protection, his provision, his forgiveness, or his love with my physical senses. The word “substance” in this passage comes from the Greek word hypostasis, which means “that which stands beneath” (i.e., a foundation). Greek philosophers such as Aristotle used it to speak of the objective reality of a thing, its inner reality, as opposed to outer form.

So the outer form of a thing might be: “There’s been a lot of burglaries in the neighborhood recently.” But the inner (i.e., unseen) reality is: “God promises to protect us.” (Ps 91)

Focusing on that is walking by faith, not by sight.

The Ultimate Introduction

In this video, comedian Steve Harvey “introduces” Jesus.

It’s Not About You... or is it?

There are a few Christian sayings I don’t particularly like, such as “Everything happens for a reason,” “You’re exactly where God wants you to be,” and “It’s not about you.” It’s the last one I’m addressing in this post.

“It’s not about you.” We hear that all the time in Christian circles. (It’s even the first sentence of a best-selling Christian book.) When people, especially pastors, say this, it’s to remind us that life doesn’t solely revolve around us, our happiness, our problems and our needs. It’s supposed to remind us not to be self-centered.

That’s all well and good, but the problem I have with this statement is that it presents an either-or fallacy, in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there may be other options.

The natural alternative to “It’s not about you” is: “It’s all about God,” which causes people say things that sound spiritual on the surface like, “I’m only a tool,” and “I’m just a vessel.” Makes it sound as if we’re just a length of pipe... like God’s blessings are always on their way to someone else.

In the Old Testament, God dealt with the nation of Israel as a group, working out his purpose and plans through them, sometimes with their cooperation and sometimes without.

Under the New Covenant, God deals with the individual, re-creating us from the inside by giving us a new nature and putting his Spirit within us. Together, we compromise the church, his body on this earth.

So, here’s another option: It is about us… it’s just not all about us. It’s about us and God. After all, isn’t that the point of the gospel, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”? (Colossians 1:27)

So don’t forget, it is about you – Christ in you, that is.

Creating Value in the Workplace

Photo by fotologic

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:22-24:

In a previous post, I said that “work is the creation of value,” and I asked you what value you are creating at your work.

One of the things I do for a living is train sales people and telemarketers. By doing so, I create value by increasing sales. Increased sales means more revenue. More revenue means the company can stay in business, pay its bills and continue to employ the people it employs.

Value isn’t always about money, but it is always about increases or decreases. If you are increasing or decreasing something that your employer wants increased or decreased, then you are creating value.

So again I ask, what value you are creating?