Proverbs 27:14
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
Especially if by "neighbor" you mean my wife and by "early in the morning" you mean "before 8 AM (or more realistically 9 AM if her drothers could be had)." I've learned from my bride that timing may not always be everything, but it is certainly a-lot-a-thing (Allie would be so proud I didn't say "alot"!).
Some things, though good, can be received poorly depending on the context in which they are given. The Proverb is not saying that blessing your neighbor early in the morning really "is" a curse. It is merely reporting the reality that your neighbor may "count" it as cursing. It is important to know your audience, to know what is a curse and what is a blessing. Any perhaps a whisper would do better than a megaphone at 6 am. Just a thought. That's a freebie for ya. No extra charge.
If you buy me an Amy Grant cd I will say "thank you" and know that you meant well. If you buy me each and every Amy Grant album ever made I will count your blessing as a curse and wonder what I ever did to you.
Know your audience, know your limits, know the Truth, and know how to discern when and for what to be offended. This Proverb is good advice for the early bird neighbor, but it is also great advice for us who are tempted to count as cursing the harmless joys of others because they don't mesh well with our preferences. We are all too often too easily offended by that which is not really offensive.
Always ask yourself, "Is it a sin issue?" or "Is it inherently foolish?" If it is not sin or foolish, then the problem may be with you for having a problem with it.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Thoughts from "Are You Righteous?" - by Tullian Tchividjian
I was recently perusing blogs on the Gospel Coalition website. Among their contributors is Tullian Tchividjian (better known as Billy Graham's grandson and pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church where he took over for Dr. D. James Kennedy after he passed away recently).
This blog is about justification, imputed righteousness, and the grace of God in Jesus Christ. If that is not up your alley, then you either do not know what those terms mean or you are not a Christian.
The topic de jure for "Are You Righteous?" is the penetrating piercing of Jesus' "sermon on the mount." We are not as good as we think we are and the Law is patient in preaching this to us if we have been given ears to hear.
Behavior is all society and religion care about. You do not have to do the right thing for the right reason as long as you don't do the wrong thing for any reason.
An excerpt from the blog says it this way,
"The law enforcement institutions of society are concerned with right behavior. They do not care why people obey the law, so long as they obey it. The person who breaks no laws is righteous in their sight regardless of the motivation that produces law abiding behavior."
Tullian expands on this idea when he says,
"The truth is that God isn’t concerned with any kind of obedience; he’s concerned with a certain kind of obedience. What motivates our obedience determines whether or not it is a sacrifice of praise. Doing the right thing with the wrong heart reveals deep unrighteousness, not devout righteousness. T.S. Eliot said it best, “The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” (emphases added)
I adore Tullian because he is so on point when it comes to the Gospel of God in Jesus. As such, I am basically quoting his entire post, but here is another fantastic synopsis of the dilemma we all face.
"External righteousness is something we can all achieve on our own with a little self-discipline and a lot of self-righteousness. But Jesus wants us to see that regardless of how well we think we’re doing or how righteous we think we’re becoming, when “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” becomes the standard and not “how much I’ve improved over the years”, we realize that we’re a lot worse than we fancy ourselves to be-that unrighteousness is inescapable, that 'even the best things we do have something in them to be pardoned.'"
Lastly, Tullian notes that Jesus died to kill this nagging feeling that we owe Him something in return for what He did for us and the constant struggle with our religious hearts to conjure up morale to do something for Him. Not that we should not work out what God has worked in, but that we should recognize the balance of eternity does not rest on our ability to complete what Christ could not finish on His own or our ability to now pay off the debt of gratitude owed to Jesus for the debt He assumed on the Cross. Jesus is not in the industry of purchasing other's debts to make a profit.
He is not a grace lender. He is a grace Giver.
Tullian summarizes this by quoting someone else (another thing I love about finding faithful pastors is that they lead you to other faithful pastors from whom they glean their inspirations)
"In the cross, “God has stormed the last bastion of the self, the last presumption that you really were going to do something for him…He has died in your place! He has done it. He made it. It is all over, finished, between you and God! He died in your place that death which you must die; he has done it in such a way as to save you. He has borne the whole thing! The fact that there is nothing left for you to do is the death of self and the birth of the new creature” (Forde).
I know I have given you a lot of it, but all of it is soooo good. Check it out. I may have hit on some highlights, but the overall message is strung together beautifully as he weaves Biblical passages with quotes of famous dead people and real life experiences.
This blog is about justification, imputed righteousness, and the grace of God in Jesus Christ. If that is not up your alley, then you either do not know what those terms mean or you are not a Christian.
The topic de jure for "Are You Righteous?" is the penetrating piercing of Jesus' "sermon on the mount." We are not as good as we think we are and the Law is patient in preaching this to us if we have been given ears to hear.
Behavior is all society and religion care about. You do not have to do the right thing for the right reason as long as you don't do the wrong thing for any reason.
An excerpt from the blog says it this way,
"The law enforcement institutions of society are concerned with right behavior. They do not care why people obey the law, so long as they obey it. The person who breaks no laws is righteous in their sight regardless of the motivation that produces law abiding behavior."
Tullian expands on this idea when he says,
"The truth is that God isn’t concerned with any kind of obedience; he’s concerned with a certain kind of obedience. What motivates our obedience determines whether or not it is a sacrifice of praise. Doing the right thing with the wrong heart reveals deep unrighteousness, not devout righteousness. T.S. Eliot said it best, “The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” (emphases added)
I adore Tullian because he is so on point when it comes to the Gospel of God in Jesus. As such, I am basically quoting his entire post, but here is another fantastic synopsis of the dilemma we all face.
"External righteousness is something we can all achieve on our own with a little self-discipline and a lot of self-righteousness. But Jesus wants us to see that regardless of how well we think we’re doing or how righteous we think we’re becoming, when “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” becomes the standard and not “how much I’ve improved over the years”, we realize that we’re a lot worse than we fancy ourselves to be-that unrighteousness is inescapable, that 'even the best things we do have something in them to be pardoned.'"
Lastly, Tullian notes that Jesus died to kill this nagging feeling that we owe Him something in return for what He did for us and the constant struggle with our religious hearts to conjure up morale to do something for Him. Not that we should not work out what God has worked in, but that we should recognize the balance of eternity does not rest on our ability to complete what Christ could not finish on His own or our ability to now pay off the debt of gratitude owed to Jesus for the debt He assumed on the Cross. Jesus is not in the industry of purchasing other's debts to make a profit.
He is not a grace lender. He is a grace Giver.
Tullian summarizes this by quoting someone else (another thing I love about finding faithful pastors is that they lead you to other faithful pastors from whom they glean their inspirations)
"In the cross, “God has stormed the last bastion of the self, the last presumption that you really were going to do something for him…He has died in your place! He has done it. He made it. It is all over, finished, between you and God! He died in your place that death which you must die; he has done it in such a way as to save you. He has borne the whole thing! The fact that there is nothing left for you to do is the death of self and the birth of the new creature” (Forde).
I know I have given you a lot of it, but all of it is soooo good. Check it out. I may have hit on some highlights, but the overall message is strung together beautifully as he weaves Biblical passages with quotes of famous dead people and real life experiences.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Book Review: "Pastor Dad" by Mark Driscoll
I recently downloaded and read this short book by Pastor Mark Driscoll.
You can get it for FREE ---> HERE
If you are remotely familiar with Mark Driscoll and his teaching style and focus, this book will not provide much in the way of "new" information. However, that information is helpfully condensed and concentrated into very short, poignant chapters.
If you have never heard of Mark Driscoll or only heard his name being bantered about among other Christians, this is a great introductory summation of his teachings on men, marriage, and ministry. The chapters are very brief and readable. This makes it a very encouraging and easy book to read for those who do not typically spend much time with their noses in books (i.e. most men).
I love being a dad. I am humbled and excited that God has made me the personal pastor of my wife and children. It is a weighty, glorious calling. I am often overwhelmed by the magnitude of what there is to be taught. There is so much I have yet to understand. Yet, I am not paralyzed into inactivity, but motivated into energetic purpose in leading my family to know and love God.
Whether or not the door of opportunity ever opens a way to another audience with whom God grants me influence, I will always be husband and father to those given me by God. I love pastoring my children. It is a joy to dwell on methods, materials, and means by which I can communicate and prepare my children to know and love God and the Gospel of His Christ. I love leading my wife and thinking of myself as her husband, friend, lover, leader, and pastor. These are not tasks or offices to which I am called because I came in or expect anytime soon to be what is rightly referred to as "qualified." It is not a matter of being a husband or father. I AM those things. No one questions if I am a husband or father. All married men are husbands and all men with children are fathers.
The question that is most poignant and substantive will be answered best by my wife and children when I am lowered into the ground before them:
"Was I a good husband or father?"
There are good husbands and bad ones. Good fathers and bad ones. No married man can skip this section of their resume at the judgment. No father can skip their duties as "does not apply." If you neglect these areas to focus on work, hobby, friends, sports, technology, etc... you will not be credited for the investment you made into them, but chastized for your neglect of your wife and children. I hate the fact that I feel I have to plead with men to love their wives and children. It drives me absolutely bonkers. But I am there at that point reminded how easily my dark heart could be equally as apathetic.
Thank you Jesus for granting me love and concern and responsibility for my wife and children. May You ever refresh my commitment to them in my commitment to You. May I never serve them to the exception of You, but by serving You, always serve them. You are good to give me these desires, drives, and ambitions. I am humbled that I do not struggle to want to be a good husband and dad.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Not a Hunger Game.
Proverbs 27:7
One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
Those that are satisfied are content to turn away even from sweet things like honey for they know that more of something good may turn the present sweetness sickly.
In contrast, those that are never satisfied and discontent are eager to fill their void and indulge even in things bitter and bad and call them "good" in a last ditch effort to find any semblance of satisfaction.
You've seen the woman starved for affection invite into her world the big bad wolf because she would rather hear a little flattery than a lot of nothing. She pretends the bitter wolf is sweet because she desires so desperately to eat something (anything).
If she were full, she would recognize the bitter herb for what it was. Because she is desperate, she distorts reality intentionally and places a veil (or rose-colored glasses as it were) over her own eyes.
My children, be full in the LORD. In fullness and contentment there is vast protection from the trappings of this life that present themselves as beautiful, though they are rotten to the core (insert word of the day "meretricious" here). Only in the satisfaction of being filled by the Spirit can you resist the pitfalls of over-indulgence in the sweet things and the avoidance of the bitter rest of it your peers will choke down because they are famished.
One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
Those that are satisfied are content to turn away even from sweet things like honey for they know that more of something good may turn the present sweetness sickly.
In contrast, those that are never satisfied and discontent are eager to fill their void and indulge even in things bitter and bad and call them "good" in a last ditch effort to find any semblance of satisfaction.
You've seen the woman starved for affection invite into her world the big bad wolf because she would rather hear a little flattery than a lot of nothing. She pretends the bitter wolf is sweet because she desires so desperately to eat something (anything).
If she were full, she would recognize the bitter herb for what it was. Because she is desperate, she distorts reality intentionally and places a veil (or rose-colored glasses as it were) over her own eyes.
My children, be full in the LORD. In fullness and contentment there is vast protection from the trappings of this life that present themselves as beautiful, though they are rotten to the core (insert word of the day "meretricious" here). Only in the satisfaction of being filled by the Spirit can you resist the pitfalls of over-indulgence in the sweet things and the avoidance of the bitter rest of it your peers will choke down because they are famished.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thoughts from "The Double-Reach of Self-Righteousness" by Tullian Tchividjian
Read the full blog HERE.
Tullian points out,
"the thing that gets in the way of our love for God and a deep appreciation of his grace is not so much our unrighteous badness but our self-righteous goodness."
He goes on to say,
"...it’s always the immoral person that gets the Gospel before the moral person. It’s the prostitute who understands grace; it’s the Pharisee who doesn’t. It’s the unrighteous younger brother who gets it before the self-righteous older brother.
There is, however, another side to self-righteousness that younger-brother types need to be careful of. There’s an equally dangerous form of self-righteousness that plagues the unconventional, the liberal, and the non-religious types. We “authentic”, anti-legalists can become just as guilty of legalism in the opposite direction. What do I mean?
It’s simple: we become self-righteous against those who are self-righteous. Many younger evangelicals today are reacting to their parents’ conservative, buttoned-down, rule-keeping flavor of “older brother religion” with a type of liberal, untucked, rule-breaking flavor of “younger brother irreligion” which screams, “That’s right, I know I don’t have it all together and you think you do; I know I’m not good and you think you are. That makes me better than you.”
See the irony?
In other words, they’re proud that they’re not self-righteous! Hmmm…"
He concludes,
"So the question is not whether you are self-righteous, but rather, in which direction does your self-righteousness lean? ...Thankfully, while our self-righteousness reaches far, God’s grace reaches farther. And the good news is, that it reaches in both directions!"
I, again, have reprinted a good portion of this blog post for you, but eagerly encourage you to hit the link above and read it in its entirity to capture the full weight of the appeal being made Hopefully this taste has whetted your appetite for the full meal.. Tullian has a profound gift for preaching the Gospel's power to release us, free us, forgive us, and empower us to honor God with our lives..
The love of God in the Gospel inspires reciprocal love which ends in devotion and displays of grand romantical gesture. Attempting to love Him only by the Law often provokes jealousy, pride, and boastful works on which confidence is claimed apart from Christ -- whether in pridefully declaring that "no one's perfect" as a backhanded confidence in one's sinfulness or by pridefully declaring that "no one else is perfect" as a ignorant confidence in one's sinlessness.
Tullian points out,
"the thing that gets in the way of our love for God and a deep appreciation of his grace is not so much our unrighteous badness but our self-righteous goodness."
He goes on to say,
"...it’s always the immoral person that gets the Gospel before the moral person. It’s the prostitute who understands grace; it’s the Pharisee who doesn’t. It’s the unrighteous younger brother who gets it before the self-righteous older brother.
There is, however, another side to self-righteousness that younger-brother types need to be careful of. There’s an equally dangerous form of self-righteousness that plagues the unconventional, the liberal, and the non-religious types. We “authentic”, anti-legalists can become just as guilty of legalism in the opposite direction. What do I mean?
It’s simple: we become self-righteous against those who are self-righteous. Many younger evangelicals today are reacting to their parents’ conservative, buttoned-down, rule-keeping flavor of “older brother religion” with a type of liberal, untucked, rule-breaking flavor of “younger brother irreligion” which screams, “That’s right, I know I don’t have it all together and you think you do; I know I’m not good and you think you are. That makes me better than you.”
See the irony?
In other words, they’re proud that they’re not self-righteous! Hmmm…"
He concludes,
"So the question is not whether you are self-righteous, but rather, in which direction does your self-righteousness lean? ...Thankfully, while our self-righteousness reaches far, God’s grace reaches farther. And the good news is, that it reaches in both directions!"
I, again, have reprinted a good portion of this blog post for you, but eagerly encourage you to hit the link above and read it in its entirity to capture the full weight of the appeal being made Hopefully this taste has whetted your appetite for the full meal.. Tullian has a profound gift for preaching the Gospel's power to release us, free us, forgive us, and empower us to honor God with our lives..
The love of God in the Gospel inspires reciprocal love which ends in devotion and displays of grand romantical gesture. Attempting to love Him only by the Law often provokes jealousy, pride, and boastful works on which confidence is claimed apart from Christ -- whether in pridefully declaring that "no one's perfect" as a backhanded confidence in one's sinfulness or by pridefully declaring that "no one else is perfect" as a ignorant confidence in one's sinlessness.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Going without without Christ
In My Utmost for His Highest this morning I read the following words:
"God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself."
I used to have the distorted notion that my going without was of some inherent value (regardless of the motivation and application of my foregoing the thing), as though me not having something was a benefit to you (and by you and mean y'all).
The person who counts their life as nothing, but also does not count Christ as everything has merely thrown their life away. Paul tells of scenarios where a person could be burnt at the stake or impoverished of basic necessities both without love and without God's blessing upon them. You can sell all that you have and martyr yourself for the wrong reasons or with the wrong motivations apparently and that is not something to which our thoughts often gravitate. We typically reward the foregoing as virtuous without requiring its end to be virtuous.
God's "love tank" (a la Love in 5 Languages) is never on "E." He does not NEED your love, your stuff, your anything. He gives you everything you could ever give to Him. He desires your love, sacrifice, devotion, and self-denial as acts of genuine, cheerful worship.
Your religious exercises, your "if you only come through for me this time Lord I will never _____ again(s)," your attempts to impress men (including yourself) are more often than not merely mirages (check me and my alliteration machine out). You usually give things up to get something else, not Someone else. You seek to find yourself by giving up other things rather than seeking to know God by casting off that which He commands. We often give up more than He asks in our efforts to earn favor before Him and then hold too tightly to that from which He clearly has commanded us to abstain.
You going without is of no value to me (or God). Neither of us care really if you went the last 2 years without eating chocolate. It is sort of interesting, I guess. Perhaps good conversations filler. I am fascinated in a way by giving stuff up. It is going against the grain to deny yourself in a culture of hedonism, but aeceticism is really just self-indulgent exercise of self control in some ways. Whether the emphasis is on controlling or liberating one's self, the giving or getting is not about God, but about some isolated self-exalted self.
We should give things up because God in Christ gave His all. We get the order wrong . We give up things to get God. We need to get that God gave up Jesus for us, first loved us, was generous with us. In response to this lavish goodness and grace in giving generosity, we respond by following Him diligently and giving up our rights, money, time, and lives to Him. Love begets love. Giving begets giving.
May you dwell richly in His love for you in Christ that in response you gladly give up all He demands and freely enjoy that which for you He has provided.
"God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself."
I used to have the distorted notion that my going without was of some inherent value (regardless of the motivation and application of my foregoing the thing), as though me not having something was a benefit to you (and by you and mean y'all).
The person who counts their life as nothing, but also does not count Christ as everything has merely thrown their life away. Paul tells of scenarios where a person could be burnt at the stake or impoverished of basic necessities both without love and without God's blessing upon them. You can sell all that you have and martyr yourself for the wrong reasons or with the wrong motivations apparently and that is not something to which our thoughts often gravitate. We typically reward the foregoing as virtuous without requiring its end to be virtuous.
God's "love tank" (a la Love in 5 Languages) is never on "E." He does not NEED your love, your stuff, your anything. He gives you everything you could ever give to Him. He desires your love, sacrifice, devotion, and self-denial as acts of genuine, cheerful worship.
Your religious exercises, your "if you only come through for me this time Lord I will never _____ again(s)," your attempts to impress men (including yourself) are more often than not merely mirages (check me and my alliteration machine out). You usually give things up to get something else, not Someone else. You seek to find yourself by giving up other things rather than seeking to know God by casting off that which He commands. We often give up more than He asks in our efforts to earn favor before Him and then hold too tightly to that from which He clearly has commanded us to abstain.
You going without is of no value to me (or God). Neither of us care really if you went the last 2 years without eating chocolate. It is sort of interesting, I guess. Perhaps good conversations filler. I am fascinated in a way by giving stuff up. It is going against the grain to deny yourself in a culture of hedonism, but aeceticism is really just self-indulgent exercise of self control in some ways. Whether the emphasis is on controlling or liberating one's self, the giving or getting is not about God, but about some isolated self-exalted self.
We should give things up because God in Christ gave His all. We get the order wrong . We give up things to get God. We need to get that God gave up Jesus for us, first loved us, was generous with us. In response to this lavish goodness and grace in giving generosity, we respond by following Him diligently and giving up our rights, money, time, and lives to Him. Love begets love. Giving begets giving.
May you dwell richly in His love for you in Christ that in response you gladly give up all He demands and freely enjoy that which for you He has provided.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Thoughts from Ryan Seiler's "Into the Wind"
Check out videos on his Youtube channel HERE.
I recently purchased this album off of iTunes for my wife for Mother's Day. She really enjoys Ryan Seiler's contributions to Anthem. As I was listening to the album, I found many songs that inspired, encouraged and excited me. I love a good album and "Into the Wind" is good from first to last.
Here are just a few highlights of which I have taken note (some including the Biblical verses from which the song either draws directly or references indirectly).
“To See This”
Luke 2:34 34
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed..."
"And We Sing"
Jeremiah 6:14
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace’,
when there is no peace.
"Don't Leave"
Lyrics
"We all agreed that this wouldn't be easy....
Don't make me choose between you and what we're fighting for
we all will lose if we give up and our efforts fall short.
I know it's been such a long time since we've just been friends
and not soldiers on the front line of a war."
"Cannonball Coming"
Lyrics
"There's no turning back; and we can't linger in the past.
There's no turning back. There's little in this life that last.
And I won't take this all for granted 'cause 'this too shall pass.'
Time turns seasons into glances so let's raise a glass
to God, to friends: I hope I see you again."
Ryan Seiler is a very talented musician and songwriter. Please visit one of the links above if you have not yet had the opportunity to hear any of his contributions.
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