The really great thing about songs, I think, is that no matter what the original intent of the song might have been a little piece of it can take on a life all it's own for me at different times.
Don Henley's song, Heart Of The Matter, is about a guy who's lost the love of his life. He doesn't know what to do and he's really been trying to figure it out. But the chorus in particular is speaking to me in a very different way. At it's core, the song is about forgiveness.
I've been trying to get down
to the heart of the matter.
But my will gets weak,
and my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it's about forgiveness...
The Bible has a lot to say about forgiveness. In Matthew chapter 18:21-35 Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. In the story a king wanted to settle accounts with his servants but had mercy on one servant who owed much but couldn't pay. The servant promised to pay it in full so the king had mercy on him and just canceled the debt. But the servant turns around and demands payment on a debt from another servant and when the second servant promises to pay in full, the first servant refuses and his the second thrown in jail! When the king heard what happened, he called the first servant in and threw him in jail and had him tortured until he could repay his debt since he wouldn't show another the same mercy shown to him.
Through Jesus, God has agreed to cancel the debt we owe for our sin. What he asks in return is that we show that same love and mercy to others. I know I've had times in my life when I didn't want to have mercy on someone...when I wanted to see them punished to the fullest. I'm not proud of it, but I have to be honest and there are times when that's been my heart. Forgiveness requires us to remember exactly what we deserve, exactly why we deserve it, and exactly how we're going to escape that fate. We can't help but have forgiveness in our hearts for anyone else when we remember that.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
I Believed, Therefore I Have Spoken
I have to give a big shout-out to my good friend Mike. He is an inspiration to me and constant source of faith through scripture reminders. He sent this to me yesterday, and it has inspired what you are about to read today.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -- 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NIV
Do you often find yourself hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck-down? Do things sometimes seem to unravel before you very eyes and you feel helpless to do anything about it?
I find myself in a position where I have quite possibly lost a friend, and I really have no idea what I did to cause it. I'm definitely perplexed. Knowing what the problem is and identifying where things went wrong are two different things. It's confusing and I think that is exactly what Satan wants to get out of these situations. He finds a crack and then drives a wedge and the next thing you know things have blown up in your face and you feel pretty helpless to do anything about it. I've tried reaching my friend and I've apologized the only way I know how. I wish he'd talk to me, but I'm doing the only thing I know to do to try and fix it.
I actually think there is a bunch of this going on around me right now. I can think of other relationships, and not necessarily my relationships, that are strained at best. People are hurting, feeling persecuted and struck-down...looking for answers. That's why I love Mike so much. It never fails that when something is really pressing on me and I struggle to find the right path through it, he is there with just the right verse to get my mind switched on. He is truly an answered prayer, and on more than one occasion.
The answer is right there, in that passage. It's an answer for a great number of things. It's the way to heal strained relationships. It's the sure-fire way to get yourself back on track. The answer, as it always is and which should come as absolutely no surprise, is to first seek God's truth through prayer and through scripture and then to speak the truth throughout our lives. We believe in Jesus, therefore we have the power and the duty to speak His truth. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to do so.
Our relationships suffer because we allow our pride and our fears to step in and take over. We don't want to say something because we're afraid things are going to blow up even worse so we just sit on our hands, bite our tongues, and hope it will go away. We let pride blind us so that it's always someone else's fault instead of humbling ourselves before both God and our fellow man (or woman). We refuse to admit our own mistakes but insist on it from others.
The truth is a real bugger. It can seem awfully condemning at times, but it's really the opposite. The Bible says in John 8:32, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The truth frees us because it's Jesus' truth and it sharpens us just like I wrote yesterday. It shaves away the dull edges where deception, pride, and fear are constantly lurking. It sharpens us to God's love and to the truth of Jesus in our lives. It empowers us to speak that truth freely and without reservation. It allows us to mend the broken and to heal the sick.
I don't write this lightly, but I do write it truthfully. It's time to examine every one of your relationships, beginning with your relationship with God. Are you being completely honest in all of them? Is your heart really focused on God in every area of your life so that you know you walk in Truth? Is there air that needs clearing? Apologies to make? Tears to shed?
I believe there is, therefore I have spoken. It's time to come together as God's children, in love and in truth, not as prideful siblings who can't help but bicker over every little thing. It's time to tell Satan he isn't welcome and to butt out in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Remember, without those three nothing is possible and with them nothing can stop us.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -- 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NIV
Do you often find yourself hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck-down? Do things sometimes seem to unravel before you very eyes and you feel helpless to do anything about it?
I find myself in a position where I have quite possibly lost a friend, and I really have no idea what I did to cause it. I'm definitely perplexed. Knowing what the problem is and identifying where things went wrong are two different things. It's confusing and I think that is exactly what Satan wants to get out of these situations. He finds a crack and then drives a wedge and the next thing you know things have blown up in your face and you feel pretty helpless to do anything about it. I've tried reaching my friend and I've apologized the only way I know how. I wish he'd talk to me, but I'm doing the only thing I know to do to try and fix it.
I actually think there is a bunch of this going on around me right now. I can think of other relationships, and not necessarily my relationships, that are strained at best. People are hurting, feeling persecuted and struck-down...looking for answers. That's why I love Mike so much. It never fails that when something is really pressing on me and I struggle to find the right path through it, he is there with just the right verse to get my mind switched on. He is truly an answered prayer, and on more than one occasion.
The answer is right there, in that passage. It's an answer for a great number of things. It's the way to heal strained relationships. It's the sure-fire way to get yourself back on track. The answer, as it always is and which should come as absolutely no surprise, is to first seek God's truth through prayer and through scripture and then to speak the truth throughout our lives. We believe in Jesus, therefore we have the power and the duty to speak His truth. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to do so.
Our relationships suffer because we allow our pride and our fears to step in and take over. We don't want to say something because we're afraid things are going to blow up even worse so we just sit on our hands, bite our tongues, and hope it will go away. We let pride blind us so that it's always someone else's fault instead of humbling ourselves before both God and our fellow man (or woman). We refuse to admit our own mistakes but insist on it from others.
The truth is a real bugger. It can seem awfully condemning at times, but it's really the opposite. The Bible says in John 8:32, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The truth frees us because it's Jesus' truth and it sharpens us just like I wrote yesterday. It shaves away the dull edges where deception, pride, and fear are constantly lurking. It sharpens us to God's love and to the truth of Jesus in our lives. It empowers us to speak that truth freely and without reservation. It allows us to mend the broken and to heal the sick.
I don't write this lightly, but I do write it truthfully. It's time to examine every one of your relationships, beginning with your relationship with God. Are you being completely honest in all of them? Is your heart really focused on God in every area of your life so that you know you walk in Truth? Is there air that needs clearing? Apologies to make? Tears to shed?
I believe there is, therefore I have spoken. It's time to come together as God's children, in love and in truth, not as prideful siblings who can't help but bicker over every little thing. It's time to tell Satan he isn't welcome and to butt out in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Remember, without those three nothing is possible and with them nothing can stop us.
Monday, October 04, 2010
The Sharpener
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. -- Proverbs 27:17 NIV
Does something seem a little funny to you about this verse? Is it just me? I've read it plenty of times and heard it plenty more. Slam dunk, right? We're here to be each other's sharpener.
Except I don't think that's what it is saying. I started to question my thinking on this verse today because of that first part...as iron sharpens iron. I may be wrong of course, but my thinking is that won't work. You wouldn't use any type of iron implement to sharpen another iron implement. As far as I know things that need sharpening are sharpened by putting their edge up against something harder so that the excess edge can be stripped away leaving a smooth, sharp surface...and that something harder is usually stone. We'll come back to this in a moment.
I ended up doing some research because I was curious. What I found is most people are just like me and when they really think about it that verse doesn't really make sense to them either. After some more research and some more thought, I'm of the opinion that what the Bible is really telling us here is that we need to recognize that when we receive truth, accountability, and counsel from our loved ones that it is God working to sharpen us through them. You see, I believe that Jesus is the sharpener. Jesus is the one to cut away our dull edges so that we can do the cutting that He needs done. Jesus is the stone (or The Rock) that does that work in us.
I can't sharpen you and you can't sharpen me. When we've gotten off course and lost our way, it isn't the counsel of man that bring us back to God, it's God who beckons us back. It's the Holy Spirit working through those that God has put in our lives to lead us back where we belong.
I say this today so that you will understand when things go wrong. Don't try to fix it yourself and don't ignore what the people who love you are saying to you...even if they are the very people who contributed to things going badly! Submerse yourself in prayer and remember to be forgiving and kind. Look for God speaking to you through the world around you. You are never as alone as you think you are, and the way for things to get better is to let Jesus sharpen you where you've dulled, because iron can't sharpen iron, but The Rock sure can.
Does something seem a little funny to you about this verse? Is it just me? I've read it plenty of times and heard it plenty more. Slam dunk, right? We're here to be each other's sharpener.
Except I don't think that's what it is saying. I started to question my thinking on this verse today because of that first part...as iron sharpens iron. I may be wrong of course, but my thinking is that won't work. You wouldn't use any type of iron implement to sharpen another iron implement. As far as I know things that need sharpening are sharpened by putting their edge up against something harder so that the excess edge can be stripped away leaving a smooth, sharp surface...and that something harder is usually stone. We'll come back to this in a moment.
I ended up doing some research because I was curious. What I found is most people are just like me and when they really think about it that verse doesn't really make sense to them either. After some more research and some more thought, I'm of the opinion that what the Bible is really telling us here is that we need to recognize that when we receive truth, accountability, and counsel from our loved ones that it is God working to sharpen us through them. You see, I believe that Jesus is the sharpener. Jesus is the one to cut away our dull edges so that we can do the cutting that He needs done. Jesus is the stone (or The Rock) that does that work in us.
I can't sharpen you and you can't sharpen me. When we've gotten off course and lost our way, it isn't the counsel of man that bring us back to God, it's God who beckons us back. It's the Holy Spirit working through those that God has put in our lives to lead us back where we belong.
I say this today so that you will understand when things go wrong. Don't try to fix it yourself and don't ignore what the people who love you are saying to you...even if they are the very people who contributed to things going badly! Submerse yourself in prayer and remember to be forgiving and kind. Look for God speaking to you through the world around you. You are never as alone as you think you are, and the way for things to get better is to let Jesus sharpen you where you've dulled, because iron can't sharpen iron, but The Rock sure can.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
N-Ought-Y
I don't really like that word...ought. I'm being completely serious. It's a naughty word. It's about good intentions and good intentions really aren't worth the time it takes to utter one. In Star Wars Yoda says "Do or do not. There is no try." He's right.
We all have things we ought to do. All that means is we realize we should be doing it and are consciously avoiding it! We ought to clean out the garage. We ought to call our grandparents more often. We ought to spend more time praying. The only thing "ought to" is ever going to buy you is regret as you look back on the opportunity that is long gone and realize there was a blessing there that you missed.
I try to add some humor when I write most of these as long as it doesn't get in the way of what I feel God is giving me to write about. I think it's a good idea and that it keeps the reader interested. But there are also times when the blunt truth is all that's called for and this is one of those times. That thing you've been saying you ought to do that you haven't done? Unless that thing is a direct act of disobedience to God, you are bound by your faith to do it. In fact, it's disobedience to NOT do what you feel you ought to be doing. Don't believe me? See what the Bible has to say on the subject:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. -- James 4:17 NIV
I've neglected some people I shouldn't neglect and I've not said some things that needed saying. I ought to have done those things just like I ought to have done a billion other things. It's very clear that it is sin to avoid doing what God has put in front of us to do. Whatever it is, I'm urging you to not let it sit any longer. If God has put it on your heart that you need to do something, don't let yourself get caught up saying you ought to have done it as you look back at the aftermath of your inaction.
We commit sins by doing and we commit sins by not doing. The Bible is very clear on that. Everyone makes mistakes. We all do or say things that wind up having unintended impacts on others. That's understandable. But to absolutely know we should do something, that God is calling us to something, and not do it...well, that's just out and out sinning and unacceptable. I know I'm asking forgiveness for all the things I ought to have done and didn't do, and I'm going to continue to ask for accountability from others when I fail in the future.
How will you handle the "ought to" situations in your life?
We all have things we ought to do. All that means is we realize we should be doing it and are consciously avoiding it! We ought to clean out the garage. We ought to call our grandparents more often. We ought to spend more time praying. The only thing "ought to" is ever going to buy you is regret as you look back on the opportunity that is long gone and realize there was a blessing there that you missed.
I try to add some humor when I write most of these as long as it doesn't get in the way of what I feel God is giving me to write about. I think it's a good idea and that it keeps the reader interested. But there are also times when the blunt truth is all that's called for and this is one of those times. That thing you've been saying you ought to do that you haven't done? Unless that thing is a direct act of disobedience to God, you are bound by your faith to do it. In fact, it's disobedience to NOT do what you feel you ought to be doing. Don't believe me? See what the Bible has to say on the subject:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. -- James 4:17 NIV
I've neglected some people I shouldn't neglect and I've not said some things that needed saying. I ought to have done those things just like I ought to have done a billion other things. It's very clear that it is sin to avoid doing what God has put in front of us to do. Whatever it is, I'm urging you to not let it sit any longer. If God has put it on your heart that you need to do something, don't let yourself get caught up saying you ought to have done it as you look back at the aftermath of your inaction.
We commit sins by doing and we commit sins by not doing. The Bible is very clear on that. Everyone makes mistakes. We all do or say things that wind up having unintended impacts on others. That's understandable. But to absolutely know we should do something, that God is calling us to something, and not do it...well, that's just out and out sinning and unacceptable. I know I'm asking forgiveness for all the things I ought to have done and didn't do, and I'm going to continue to ask for accountability from others when I fail in the future.
How will you handle the "ought to" situations in your life?
Friday, October 01, 2010
The Big Game
Today Oklahoma and Texas will meet on the field of battle. Surrounded by a crowd split right down the middle, 50/50, the two university football teams will clash to decide the winner of The Red River Rivalry and unofficial leader of the Big 12 South.
It's an annual rite of fall and one of the best rivalries in college sports. The players have dreamed about playing in this game for quite a while. They've toiled through burning hot summer workouts and played through pain just to have an opportunity to take the field and contribute to their team's victory in this very game. The coaches have prepared for this game from back before the season began, knowing the results will help them recruit the best players and bring continued success. The fans are fired up and ready to root for their boys. You probably don't have to ask anyone which side they root for because they probably are wearing something bearing their team's logo and colors.
It's funny how easily and to what extremes we get fired up for a school many of probably never attended. There was even a report a few years back of a Longhorn and a Sooner fan getting into it in a bar that resulted in the Longhorn being injured in a very uncomfortable place. Amazing that people can get wrapped up so far into something like a college team that they are willing to do harm to another.
Why do you think it is that we don't get that riled up about God? Sure, there are those out there that claim just about any faith that are willing to do horrible things in the name of religion. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about those of us who don't consider ourselves a radical of any kind. Why don't we get as fired up for Jesus as we do for a football team? Where is the passion when it comes to our faith? Why don't we prepare ourselves as diligently to do God's work as the players and coaches of our favorite teams do to prepare for their games? It just seems like a lot of times we let God take a back seat to whatever else is going on in our lives when He should be the only thing going on!
The big game when it comes to faith is eternity. No matter what religion a person follows, they do so because they believe their faith will bring them some sort of eternity. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is God in human form and that He died as a sacrifice for every single sin any of us has ever committed. Because we believe in Him, we're told we will receive eternal life together with God in Heaven. If that isn't the best reason to make sure we are prepared and ready to succeed then I don't know what would be.
We need to study to Bible so that we are spiritually ready to hear from God. We need to talk to God continually so that His love shines through our words and actions. We need to worship God with reckless abandon and show our thankfulness for what He's done for us. Those are all traits of someone who fully follows Christ. Those are the people who are prepared to do God's work and to receive the spoils of victory that wait for us in Heaven.
It's an annual rite of fall and one of the best rivalries in college sports. The players have dreamed about playing in this game for quite a while. They've toiled through burning hot summer workouts and played through pain just to have an opportunity to take the field and contribute to their team's victory in this very game. The coaches have prepared for this game from back before the season began, knowing the results will help them recruit the best players and bring continued success. The fans are fired up and ready to root for their boys. You probably don't have to ask anyone which side they root for because they probably are wearing something bearing their team's logo and colors.
It's funny how easily and to what extremes we get fired up for a school many of probably never attended. There was even a report a few years back of a Longhorn and a Sooner fan getting into it in a bar that resulted in the Longhorn being injured in a very uncomfortable place. Amazing that people can get wrapped up so far into something like a college team that they are willing to do harm to another.
Why do you think it is that we don't get that riled up about God? Sure, there are those out there that claim just about any faith that are willing to do horrible things in the name of religion. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about those of us who don't consider ourselves a radical of any kind. Why don't we get as fired up for Jesus as we do for a football team? Where is the passion when it comes to our faith? Why don't we prepare ourselves as diligently to do God's work as the players and coaches of our favorite teams do to prepare for their games? It just seems like a lot of times we let God take a back seat to whatever else is going on in our lives when He should be the only thing going on!
The big game when it comes to faith is eternity. No matter what religion a person follows, they do so because they believe their faith will bring them some sort of eternity. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is God in human form and that He died as a sacrifice for every single sin any of us has ever committed. Because we believe in Him, we're told we will receive eternal life together with God in Heaven. If that isn't the best reason to make sure we are prepared and ready to succeed then I don't know what would be.
We need to study to Bible so that we are spiritually ready to hear from God. We need to talk to God continually so that His love shines through our words and actions. We need to worship God with reckless abandon and show our thankfulness for what He's done for us. Those are all traits of someone who fully follows Christ. Those are the people who are prepared to do God's work and to receive the spoils of victory that wait for us in Heaven.
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