I realize his chapter is about adultery, but I strongly believe that all sins are appealing. That is why I am drawing conclusions out of these 3 verses and applying them to our sin struggle as believers.
To start off today's blog post I want to tell a true story. If I don't, this post might be a little too short for my taste, and this story I believe has good applications.
One day I was walking up to my dorm room and crossed paths with a buddy I had made. For the sake of his privacy we'll call him Frank. Frank and I had hung out a bit in the past and he had told me some pretty dark things about what he had gone through and what he was dealing with now.
As I was walking upstairs he was just getting back from the workout room. The stench of a hard day's work followed his every step and as we got closer he kindly asked me if he could have a water. I told him he was more than welcome to have one. When we got to my room I opened my quaint mini-fridge and pulled out a nice cold bottle of Walmart's finest bottled H2O. He swiped it out of my hand and in 20 seconds was walking to my trash can to throw away what was now an empty plastic bottle.
Instead of heading off to his dorm he chose to stay and chat. I asked him how he was doing. He told me the same answer anyone would give. He was fine, classes were boring, he was a little tired. Eventually we got on the topic of faith. I love those moments when there's a perfect segway. Unfortunately, I don't remember ours. I asked him where he stood and he said he was fine living in "evil" as he called it. He enjoyed sinning. But the one thing I remember him saying was this: "It takes a stronger man to do evil." My immediate response was "no" and this sort of caught him off guard. I proceeded to tell him that making the right choice is usually the hardest way to go. He agreed in reluctance as I continued on. We sat there for about 30 minutes and it was so evident to me that he was entangled by sin. Stuck in a snare that he felt he couldn't get out of. It really was sad and still is to me. I even offered to pray with him, but he declined and politely stepped out of my room.
In Proverbs 5 Solomon is warning the reader that the adulteress is cunning. Her words are sweet, but lead to death. He says that we need to drink from our own "cistern" (our own wife). We need to delight in her. It is not a sin to have sexual desires toward the one you are married to, but it is a sin to lust after a woman you are not married to. Are those who have placed there faith in Christ not also tied to Him? When you give your life to Christ you have "life in His name" (John 20:31). Just like in marriage we take on the name of Christ. At this point we ought to delight in Him. We are no longer identified with sin. The price has been paid.
Now when we sin it is as if we were cheating on Jesus. We are not perfect, we still have a battle to fight against the enemy (Satan), but we now feel convicted. We realize the weight of our sin. We understand that it pains God when we miss the mark. We need to find ourselves intoxicated with the relationship we have with Christ. Although the path toward death is intoxicating, we need to be aware that the "prize" at the end of that road is destruction and total separation from God.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Proverbs 4:24 "Judging Properly"
Once again, I would suggest reading the whole chapter. Proverbs is a great book to go through every month. Simply read a chapter a day and you'd be surprised how much will stick with you!
Solomon, for the majority of Proverbs, addresses the reader as "son." In Proverbs 4:20-27 he is offering advice as to how to live in wisdom so that it will stick. Something that isn't usually emphasized in the home. Often times I find myself not wanting to do something because it is morally wrong. However, I believe it to be more valid to have the outlook of Solomon (a.k.a. a pretty wise dude). He talks about pondering the paths of your feet (v. 26) and the words you speak.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
"Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
Crooked is defined as when something is "not straight" or even "dishonest." When we think of bad talk we think slander, maybe gossip. Being discouraging or even lying, but do we think about the times we've corrected someone in the wrong manner or setting? Some would label this as "judging." This was something that was frowned upon while I was growing up. The thought of someone "calling you out" on what you did the night after you were singing the name of Jesus was just rude! I definitely did not enjoy being the one who was the leader in youth group and yet sought every opportunity to put myself above those around me. It was and is a harsh reality that we live in.
The truth is, without this whole "calling out process" the body of Christ would be stagnant. Constantly we as the body of Christ are dealing with personal or communal struggles. Be it insincere worship in a church service, or watching inappropriate things on our own time. If my sins were not called out by a believing brother of mine, then I would have no way of growing. I would find it difficult to repent! This is one of the things I love about being in BYX (a Christian fraternity on my college campus). I am surrounded by solid guys who care so much about my relationship with Christ that they would ask the hard questions. The probing questions that used to grind my gears.
Back to the Bible though. Crooked speech isn't just these negative things. Obviously, judging can be done in a wrong fashion. If you see one of your believing brothers/sisters drinking at a party it's probably not a good idea to grab the closest bullhorn and start rebuking the person. In fact, I'd bet he/she would be far more impacted and appreciative of a personal and sincere conversation. The Bible talks about judging properly. People so often refer to the whole, "Do not judge, lest you be judged." We've all heard it a million times. Here's a good verse I hadn't heard until just recently: "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. 'Purge the evil person from among you.'” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). So here we find it is our job as followers of Christ to judge those inside the Church. God will judge those outside.
Brothers and sisters, it's time we all watched out for each other. It is not often someone calls themselves out for their own sin. Put all pride aside and speak in love and with patience!
Solomon, for the majority of Proverbs, addresses the reader as "son." In Proverbs 4:20-27 he is offering advice as to how to live in wisdom so that it will stick. Something that isn't usually emphasized in the home. Often times I find myself not wanting to do something because it is morally wrong. However, I believe it to be more valid to have the outlook of Solomon (a.k.a. a pretty wise dude). He talks about pondering the paths of your feet (v. 26) and the words you speak.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
"Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
Crooked is defined as when something is "not straight" or even "dishonest." When we think of bad talk we think slander, maybe gossip. Being discouraging or even lying, but do we think about the times we've corrected someone in the wrong manner or setting? Some would label this as "judging." This was something that was frowned upon while I was growing up. The thought of someone "calling you out" on what you did the night after you were singing the name of Jesus was just rude! I definitely did not enjoy being the one who was the leader in youth group and yet sought every opportunity to put myself above those around me. It was and is a harsh reality that we live in.
The truth is, without this whole "calling out process" the body of Christ would be stagnant. Constantly we as the body of Christ are dealing with personal or communal struggles. Be it insincere worship in a church service, or watching inappropriate things on our own time. If my sins were not called out by a believing brother of mine, then I would have no way of growing. I would find it difficult to repent! This is one of the things I love about being in BYX (a Christian fraternity on my college campus). I am surrounded by solid guys who care so much about my relationship with Christ that they would ask the hard questions. The probing questions that used to grind my gears.
Back to the Bible though. Crooked speech isn't just these negative things. Obviously, judging can be done in a wrong fashion. If you see one of your believing brothers/sisters drinking at a party it's probably not a good idea to grab the closest bullhorn and start rebuking the person. In fact, I'd bet he/she would be far more impacted and appreciative of a personal and sincere conversation. The Bible talks about judging properly. People so often refer to the whole, "Do not judge, lest you be judged." We've all heard it a million times. Here's a good verse I hadn't heard until just recently: "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. 'Purge the evil person from among you.'” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). So here we find it is our job as followers of Christ to judge those inside the Church. God will judge those outside.
Brothers and sisters, it's time we all watched out for each other. It is not often someone calls themselves out for their own sin. Put all pride aside and speak in love and with patience!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Isaiah 6 and Romans 9
As with any of my posts I would highly recommend you read the chapter before you read any of this. For all I know I could be pulling things out of context left and right. I won't be focusing on the whole chapter. Instead, I want to talk about the parts that stick out to me.
In this chapter Isaiah is in the Temple of the Lord in heaven. He stands before the Lord of hosts and the seraphim. The Hebrew word "serapim" means "fiery," so these creatures were blazing and also had six wings. They proclaim the holiness of God thrice. This is a reminder to Isaiah of the "moral purity separateness above creation" (ESV Study Bible notes) of God. Isaiah shudders and immediately responds to God that he is unworthy to be in His presence. One of the seraphim flies to Isaiah and touches his mouth with a burning coal. This signifies atonement for his sins, therefore qualifying him to be in the presence of the Most High. This is a most beautiful picture of grace.
God then asks who will be His mouth-piece on the earth (the role of a prophet). Isaiah, no longer unclean before God, speaks up and says, "Here am I! Send me" (verse 8). Then God tells Isaiah what to tell the people (the Israelites). Isaiah is to warn them of their folly. The Israelites have turned from God to pursue their own pleasures. They no longer delight in Him.
Isaiah is to bring the warning said in verses 9-10, but God says only a few will respond positively and turn back to Himself. The rest will be hardened to the message and be removed from the city. A "tenth" (v. 13) will remain. This is where I get off on my tangent.
Does it seem fair to you that God declares people's hearts would be hardened? I ask this because it is something I have struggled with in the past. It is the reason I left my parents church to hear other beliefs on the matter. I find it incredibly hard to believe that the loving God we talk about has specific "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" (Romans 9:22). In the verse preceding this Paul compares God to a potter and us to the clay. He asks if the clay has any right to tell the potter what it is to become. The obvious answer is no! Still struggling with this? Here's another way I learned to go about this.
Who knows what's best? Do we, or does God? Later on in Isaiah God talks about how much higher His thoughts and ways are than Isaiah's. Who am I to argue that? How on earth would anyone with a finite lifespan and knowledge know more than God, who is not limited to time and has created everything we see and don't see? I know this is a tough pill to swallow, and that is the way it goes. In fact, it is good that you are struggling with this. That shows that you too are human like myself. This conclusion I have come to also reassures me of this: how much more grace and mercy was imparted to me and how much more indebted I am to Christ! Read the rest of Romans 9 and realize how glorious God is! How rich his mercy is to you, the believer!
In this chapter Isaiah is in the Temple of the Lord in heaven. He stands before the Lord of hosts and the seraphim. The Hebrew word "serapim" means "fiery," so these creatures were blazing and also had six wings. They proclaim the holiness of God thrice. This is a reminder to Isaiah of the "moral purity separateness above creation" (ESV Study Bible notes) of God. Isaiah shudders and immediately responds to God that he is unworthy to be in His presence. One of the seraphim flies to Isaiah and touches his mouth with a burning coal. This signifies atonement for his sins, therefore qualifying him to be in the presence of the Most High. This is a most beautiful picture of grace.
God then asks who will be His mouth-piece on the earth (the role of a prophet). Isaiah, no longer unclean before God, speaks up and says, "Here am I! Send me" (verse 8). Then God tells Isaiah what to tell the people (the Israelites). Isaiah is to warn them of their folly. The Israelites have turned from God to pursue their own pleasures. They no longer delight in Him.
Isaiah is to bring the warning said in verses 9-10, but God says only a few will respond positively and turn back to Himself. The rest will be hardened to the message and be removed from the city. A "tenth" (v. 13) will remain. This is where I get off on my tangent.
Does it seem fair to you that God declares people's hearts would be hardened? I ask this because it is something I have struggled with in the past. It is the reason I left my parents church to hear other beliefs on the matter. I find it incredibly hard to believe that the loving God we talk about has specific "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" (Romans 9:22). In the verse preceding this Paul compares God to a potter and us to the clay. He asks if the clay has any right to tell the potter what it is to become. The obvious answer is no! Still struggling with this? Here's another way I learned to go about this.
Who knows what's best? Do we, or does God? Later on in Isaiah God talks about how much higher His thoughts and ways are than Isaiah's. Who am I to argue that? How on earth would anyone with a finite lifespan and knowledge know more than God, who is not limited to time and has created everything we see and don't see? I know this is a tough pill to swallow, and that is the way it goes. In fact, it is good that you are struggling with this. That shows that you too are human like myself. This conclusion I have come to also reassures me of this: how much more grace and mercy was imparted to me and how much more indebted I am to Christ! Read the rest of Romans 9 and realize how glorious God is! How rich his mercy is to you, the believer!
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