I mean, just look at them. They've got major problems.
They're liars and cheaters. They're hypocrites. They're fools. They're judgmental and selfish. They're often not very likeable. Christians are just as likely to be at the center of a scandal as anyone else, just as likely to throw away friendships, marriages, careers, and lives due to foolish choices and sinful living. They say they believe in kindness, but they're just as likely to walk by the needy without lending a helping hand, just as likely to waste their resources on themselves and things of this world. They say they believe in purity, but they're just as likely to be into pornography, just as likely to be unfaithful and engage in sex before marriage. When things get difficult or monotonous, they're just as likely to walk away from their commitments, even if those commitments were made with sacred vows before God.
Christians are totally messed up.
Did I mention that I'm one of them?
To those of you who walked away from God because of your dislike of Christians, I completely understand your sentiment. Why would you want to be involved with these people? They've got some serious issues. However, that's kind of the point.
Don't judge God based on his followers. God is not limited by the foolishness of his people. God is the creator of the universe and all that it holds, which includes you. He loves you more than you could ever know. Your choice to follow God is between you and God, not between you and the Christian community. The truth of the gospel is not affected by its followers' ability to be sinless. Don't reject God because of Christians. Instead, accept God because He loves you. He loves you despite the sins you've committed, despite your flaws and mistakes. As humans, we've all got problems. A Christian is simply someone who has accepted that, due to their own sinfulness and their own long list of problems and mistakes, they need a savior. And the only true savior is Jesus.
As Christians, we certainly should be striving to be living righteous, godly lives. The Bible tells us to follow God's commandments, and that should be our goal. However, even those who seek to live righteously will fail. Some fail more often or in bigger ways than others, but we all fail. One thing we should not do is sit around comparing each other's sins. You sinned in this way and I sinned in that way, and perhaps my sins are greater than yours, but sin is sin and you need just as much grace as I do. God doesn't have a sin meter for each of us. The mere fact that we are sinful at all is what separates us from God, not the amount of sin. It is the same Jesus that wipes all the sin away and promises us eternal life, where we will all be sinless.
We should not live our lives in order to look good to everyone else. We're all sinners and we all know it. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to have foolish moments, and we're going to made bad decisions. A Christian who says they have no sin is a liar and a hypocrite. There is no such thing as a perfect Christian. The fact that we are all sinful is part of the point of our message: we all need Jesus. We all need to be saved. God will take us in not because of anything great we've done, but because of his love for us and the sacrifice of his son Jesus on the cross. He loves each and every one despite our sins. Don't turn him away because of the rest of us. Accept his love because it is real and true.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
What Are You Worshipping Today?
"Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry."
- 1 Corinthians 10: 14
Idolatry is first defined as "the religious worship of idols." Well, this seems an easy enough thing to avoid, doesn't it? I certainly don't own or use anything used in idol worship. I don't bow down to a physical object and worship it or pray to it. So I should be in the clear here.
Right?
The second definition of idolatry is "excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc." I would define it more specifically as "excessive time or thought spent on something unhealthy or dangerous, or something that detracts from or causes harm to the much more important things in life."
In today's American culture, idol worship is rarely overtly worshipping an object. And yet, idolatry is a major problem today, it's just that we usually don't know or recognize it. But it is rampant, and it affects each and every one of us.
The subtlety of idolatry is what makes it so dangerous. We often don't even realize that we're doing it. There may not even be anything directly wrong with what we're doing; it's the amount of focus and energy we put toward it that can turn it into idolatry. One of the examples in today's society is people who spend all of their time playing computer or video games. They basically live their lives online, neglecting their real life responsibilities, and completely shutting out the influence of God in their lives.
There is certainly nothing wrong with having hobbies, computer games included. I have several hobbies, including computer and card games. The issue with such things is not what you do, but how you're doing it. If your hobby is taking up all of your time and not allowing you to be present in other real life situations, then you may have an issue with idolatry.
There are certainly seasons of life where certain activities or responsibilities take up more of our time. It all comes down to this: God should always be the most important thing in our lives. If anything, whether it be a person or thing or activity, takes that top spot away, that's when it becomes idolatry. That's when we start to have other gods before the one true God, who is more than worthy enough to take that top spot. The most important thing in our life is the thing that has the most impact on us, and granting that role to anything other than our creator is foolish. We often wonder why we do not feel God moving in our lives. Perhaps it is because we do not give Him top honors in our life, and our attention is instead diverted elsewhere.
Worship is not just direct praise and bowing down; we worship with our time and our thoughts. Giving all of our strength and attention to something is a form of worship. Are you worshipping the world, or something or someone in this world? Or are you worshipping the one who created the world? What are you worshipping today?
God has given us more than we could ever deserve. He sacrified His son Jesus Christ so that we may be saved. Idolatry is the way we sinners say that such things are not enough; it is how we choose the world over God. We all must reevaluate our priorities and ensure that only God is the most important thing to us.
Thank you God for all you have done for us, all you have given us, all of which we could never deserve or repay. Forgive us for the times we give in to the allure of the world and look to it more than we look to you. You are the one true God, and may we ever look to you as our source in life. Amen.
- 1 Corinthians 10: 14
Idolatry is first defined as "the religious worship of idols." Well, this seems an easy enough thing to avoid, doesn't it? I certainly don't own or use anything used in idol worship. I don't bow down to a physical object and worship it or pray to it. So I should be in the clear here.
Right?
The second definition of idolatry is "excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc." I would define it more specifically as "excessive time or thought spent on something unhealthy or dangerous, or something that detracts from or causes harm to the much more important things in life."
In today's American culture, idol worship is rarely overtly worshipping an object. And yet, idolatry is a major problem today, it's just that we usually don't know or recognize it. But it is rampant, and it affects each and every one of us.
The subtlety of idolatry is what makes it so dangerous. We often don't even realize that we're doing it. There may not even be anything directly wrong with what we're doing; it's the amount of focus and energy we put toward it that can turn it into idolatry. One of the examples in today's society is people who spend all of their time playing computer or video games. They basically live their lives online, neglecting their real life responsibilities, and completely shutting out the influence of God in their lives.
There is certainly nothing wrong with having hobbies, computer games included. I have several hobbies, including computer and card games. The issue with such things is not what you do, but how you're doing it. If your hobby is taking up all of your time and not allowing you to be present in other real life situations, then you may have an issue with idolatry.
There are certainly seasons of life where certain activities or responsibilities take up more of our time. It all comes down to this: God should always be the most important thing in our lives. If anything, whether it be a person or thing or activity, takes that top spot away, that's when it becomes idolatry. That's when we start to have other gods before the one true God, who is more than worthy enough to take that top spot. The most important thing in our life is the thing that has the most impact on us, and granting that role to anything other than our creator is foolish. We often wonder why we do not feel God moving in our lives. Perhaps it is because we do not give Him top honors in our life, and our attention is instead diverted elsewhere.
Worship is not just direct praise and bowing down; we worship with our time and our thoughts. Giving all of our strength and attention to something is a form of worship. Are you worshipping the world, or something or someone in this world? Or are you worshipping the one who created the world? What are you worshipping today?
God has given us more than we could ever deserve. He sacrified His son Jesus Christ so that we may be saved. Idolatry is the way we sinners say that such things are not enough; it is how we choose the world over God. We all must reevaluate our priorities and ensure that only God is the most important thing to us.
Thank you God for all you have done for us, all you have given us, all of which we could never deserve or repay. Forgive us for the times we give in to the allure of the world and look to it more than we look to you. You are the one true God, and may we ever look to you as our source in life. Amen.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Crutches
"Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers. It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other people's business."
- Jesse Ventura
I remember when this quote was made years ago, back when Jesse Ventura was the governor of my state. It is a point of view shared by many others around the world. Many other such quotes have been made, of course, but this is the one I'm going to focus on.
Here's the kicker: I don't completely disagree with his assessment.
Just most of it.
When people say that religion is a crutch, I have this to say: they're right, and for followers of Jesus, that's the way it should be.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3: 5-6
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4: 19
God is our great provider, and part of surrendering our lives to Him is accepting that we need Him. The Bible does not say that we are strong enough on our own, or that we do not need anything from God in order to survive and live successful lives. No, it says to rely on Him for everything. So yes, God is our crutch, for without Him we cannot walk. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Most importantly, salvation comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ and accept His salvation for our sins. This is something we cannot acquire on our own: Jesus died for us, and only by leaning on that salvation can we enter Heaven once we die. Attempting to get to Heaven on our own is foolishness. Jesus is our crutch to get there, and accepting this truth is the only way to salvation.
When it comes to organized religion being a sham: I wouldn't stretch it that far, but I will say this: organized religion has some major problems. Why is that? Because the organization of religion is run by sinners like you and me. It is run by people with major problems, just like every religious and secular organization in the world. I do believe that Christian leaders should hold themselves up to a very high moral standard, but expecting such people to have perfect records is expecting the impossible. The only human to ever have a perfect record was Jesus Christ. The Christian church can be a wonderful thing that spreads the good news of Jesus, but it is still run by sinners in a sinful world.
Oh, and we're all sinners with major problems, by the way. I couldn't do any better.
Yet I am not a Christian because of the church. My belief in Jesus is not based on the quality of religious leadership or the inner workings of the Christian organization. I am a Christ followers for this reason: it's true. Don't let Christians turn you off from Christianity, because ultimately, for you, it's not about the rest of us. It's not about how Christians behave or how sinful they are, because we're all sinners. It's about love and salvation. It's about your eternity. It's about you and Jesus.
I have no doubt in my soul that Jesus Christ is not a fairy tale, and that there is a true God in Heaven looking down on me. I believe that there was real blood shed on a real cross by a real human, and that the death of Jesus and His resurrection on the third day is the reason that I will spend eternity in Heaven. This is not some work of fiction I enjoy, it is the truth that I follow in my life. It impacts everything I do.
On a side note, and I have posted about this before in more detail, but we are not really meant to be religious. Religion is man made and run by those pesky sinners. Religion is traditional and ritualistic. Religion is following rules for the sake of following rules. The world sees me as religious, but I try to live beyond that. I try to live as a follower of the one and true God, and the choices I make are due to them being the right choices, not simply because a religion tells me so.
There are many around the world who think that anyone who believes in God is weak minded, which is just a politically correct way of calling someone stupid. They say we invented God because we wanted to believe there is more to this life, more than just birth, death, and a few meaningless years in between. First, it is hard to talk to anyone who things anyone with a differing opinion from them is "weak minded." I would never define an atheist or otherwise non-Christian person as weak minded. I may think they need Jesus, but that certainly doesn't mean they're unintelligent. Also, believing in God is not something to be done only by those who turn their brains off. To me, it is only logical that there is a God, and I cannot fathom a universe coming to existence without such a being.
Finally, Ventura is certainly right about one thing: going out and sticking their noses in other people's business. We Christians should be involved in the lives of non-believers, so that we can minister and witness to them, giving them opportunities to accept Jesus as their savior. Is this because we're nosy? No, it comes down to one truth: without Jesus, everyone on this planet will be alone for eternity. It is our duty as Christ followers to spread the gospel, not because we're trying to increase our religion's dominance or get more people to come to church. No, we do this because the love and grace of our lord Jesus Christ compels us to, because we do not want to see anyone perish. We share the gospel because it's true.
In closing, Christians are imperfect beings whom Jesus died for, just like everybody else. The difference is that we have chosen to believe it. We have chosen to accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We have accepted the fact that we need God to have a full and fulfilling life. Even if the world chides us and does not understand, Jesus is our crutch, because without Him we cannot stand.
- Jesse Ventura
I remember when this quote was made years ago, back when Jesse Ventura was the governor of my state. It is a point of view shared by many others around the world. Many other such quotes have been made, of course, but this is the one I'm going to focus on.
Here's the kicker: I don't completely disagree with his assessment.
Just most of it.
When people say that religion is a crutch, I have this to say: they're right, and for followers of Jesus, that's the way it should be.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3: 5-6
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4: 19
God is our great provider, and part of surrendering our lives to Him is accepting that we need Him. The Bible does not say that we are strong enough on our own, or that we do not need anything from God in order to survive and live successful lives. No, it says to rely on Him for everything. So yes, God is our crutch, for without Him we cannot walk. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Most importantly, salvation comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ and accept His salvation for our sins. This is something we cannot acquire on our own: Jesus died for us, and only by leaning on that salvation can we enter Heaven once we die. Attempting to get to Heaven on our own is foolishness. Jesus is our crutch to get there, and accepting this truth is the only way to salvation.
When it comes to organized religion being a sham: I wouldn't stretch it that far, but I will say this: organized religion has some major problems. Why is that? Because the organization of religion is run by sinners like you and me. It is run by people with major problems, just like every religious and secular organization in the world. I do believe that Christian leaders should hold themselves up to a very high moral standard, but expecting such people to have perfect records is expecting the impossible. The only human to ever have a perfect record was Jesus Christ. The Christian church can be a wonderful thing that spreads the good news of Jesus, but it is still run by sinners in a sinful world.
Oh, and we're all sinners with major problems, by the way. I couldn't do any better.
Yet I am not a Christian because of the church. My belief in Jesus is not based on the quality of religious leadership or the inner workings of the Christian organization. I am a Christ followers for this reason: it's true. Don't let Christians turn you off from Christianity, because ultimately, for you, it's not about the rest of us. It's not about how Christians behave or how sinful they are, because we're all sinners. It's about love and salvation. It's about your eternity. It's about you and Jesus.
I have no doubt in my soul that Jesus Christ is not a fairy tale, and that there is a true God in Heaven looking down on me. I believe that there was real blood shed on a real cross by a real human, and that the death of Jesus and His resurrection on the third day is the reason that I will spend eternity in Heaven. This is not some work of fiction I enjoy, it is the truth that I follow in my life. It impacts everything I do.
On a side note, and I have posted about this before in more detail, but we are not really meant to be religious. Religion is man made and run by those pesky sinners. Religion is traditional and ritualistic. Religion is following rules for the sake of following rules. The world sees me as religious, but I try to live beyond that. I try to live as a follower of the one and true God, and the choices I make are due to them being the right choices, not simply because a religion tells me so.
There are many around the world who think that anyone who believes in God is weak minded, which is just a politically correct way of calling someone stupid. They say we invented God because we wanted to believe there is more to this life, more than just birth, death, and a few meaningless years in between. First, it is hard to talk to anyone who things anyone with a differing opinion from them is "weak minded." I would never define an atheist or otherwise non-Christian person as weak minded. I may think they need Jesus, but that certainly doesn't mean they're unintelligent. Also, believing in God is not something to be done only by those who turn their brains off. To me, it is only logical that there is a God, and I cannot fathom a universe coming to existence without such a being.
Finally, Ventura is certainly right about one thing: going out and sticking their noses in other people's business. We Christians should be involved in the lives of non-believers, so that we can minister and witness to them, giving them opportunities to accept Jesus as their savior. Is this because we're nosy? No, it comes down to one truth: without Jesus, everyone on this planet will be alone for eternity. It is our duty as Christ followers to spread the gospel, not because we're trying to increase our religion's dominance or get more people to come to church. No, we do this because the love and grace of our lord Jesus Christ compels us to, because we do not want to see anyone perish. We share the gospel because it's true.
In closing, Christians are imperfect beings whom Jesus died for, just like everybody else. The difference is that we have chosen to believe it. We have chosen to accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We have accepted the fact that we need God to have a full and fulfilling life. Even if the world chides us and does not understand, Jesus is our crutch, because without Him we cannot stand.
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