Are you missing the point?

You don't know the Bible.  At least, not until you let go of your preconceptions.  Culture, personal history, and familiarity can breed pride.  Here is how they can affect the way we look at Scripture.

 

Our technological and scientific understanding of the world around us grows by the second.  In many ways, the pace of our culture and the way that we exchange information could be a stumbling block when dealing with Scripture.  Remember, it was written for an ancient culture completely unlike ours. We need to be able to step into the culture of the ancient Israelites.  Their culture enjoyed a much slower pace and was family/group oriented, whereas we live in a fast-food, “it's all about me” society.  This can lead us to believe the Bible was written just for us instead of applying the ancient meaning to our present situation.  Context before culture.

 

Because of our personal history in the church, we may become overly familiar with certain passages. In other words, we have had the passage pounded into our heads through Sunday school and sermons since we were small children.  That kind of thinking leads us to believe there is nothing more we can learn from the passage.  Often, there is still much we can learn and we may find out our previous understanding was incomplete. 

 

Finally, we like to be right.  Our pride can cause us to come to a passage “with a theological agenda already formulated” (1).  Not only does that make for a bad study of the passage, it can be hazardous to our spiritual health.  The Bible contains a wealth of life lessons and spiritual knowledge.  Bringing our own agenda to the text overrides God’s word, causing us to miss the point.  The target is finding the message He wants us to get from the passage.

 

In our study of God's word we, like our Bibles, should be open.  Leave behind any preconceived ideas you may have and you will find many new treasures along the way.  Get the point?

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(1) Duvall and Hayes. 2012. Grasping God's Word.

Where Is The Love?

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:22-24  NIV

Have you heard this one lately?  “People who go to church are nothing but back-stabbing hypocrites.  They smile to your face and then turn around and talk down about you to their Christian friends”.  They come looking for hope and beauty and find a panel of judges and whisperers.  I hear it more often than I care to recount.  The fact that this statement comes from the mouths of people from all walks of life speaks to the underlying truth in it.  This is not the picture of God that the Bible paints. 

I chose the above verse for this blog because, consciously or unconsciously, we pass judgment on others though we are no better than even the worst of sinners.  Therefore, we are in no place to elevate ourselves in judgment above another.  

Jesus showed a prideful people that love for God was not about the amount of scripture you could memorize or how closely you could follow the Law of Moses.  In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus tells us being faithful begins by loving God above all else, and ends with loving one another as we love ourselves. 

Dear friends, remember that Jesus was humble.  Though he was God incarnate, Jesus chose to serve.  Instead of expecting royal treatment, he lowered himself and washed the feet of his disciples.  He was a friend to the tax collectors, the adulterers, the outcasts.  He did not look at them sideways because of the way they acted or dressed.  He welcomed them with love and grace.  He is our example.  Our attitude toward others should mirror His.  Jesus would tell us plank-eyed saints to be a guiding hand, not a stumbling block.  Do not be a self-righteous judge, but a joyful witness.  I encourage everyone to look at themselves in the mirror, but look at others through the eyes of Jesus.        

New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep

Every new year we make promises to ourselves about improving ourselves in some manner.  Our resolve strengthened by the promise of a clean slate, we vow to eat better, exercise more, or get out of debt.  Most New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by the end of the first week.  With that in mind, I offer three resolutions that require minimal effort.  However, their impact on the lives of those who keep them can be profound.

First, spend more time being a kid.  If you have kids, this may simply mean getting down on the floor and playing with them.  In doing so, our spirits are fueled by their imagination and capacity to see the good in things.  Time spent with a child, in their world and on their terms serves as a reminder of simpler times before the specter of responsibility came knocking.  There is freedom in the smile of a happy child, both for them and for those who witness it.

Second, be a better partner, husband, wife, and friend.  Many times that means lending an ear, a shoulder, a helping hand, or a hand to hold.  Other times it means being willing to put ourselves on the back burner in order to accommodate the needs of another.  Everyone has that friend they refer to as a “shirt-off-his-back” type of person.  Most wish they could be like that.  I ask, what’s stopping you?

           
           Third, stop worrying.  “What if” will kill you.  There are stacks upon stacks of reports and studies showing the adverse effects stress and anxiety have on the human body.  If it’s in the past, there is nothing that can change it.  Leave it in the past.  Future things belong to God, for He alone knows our path.  In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asks, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  The answer is no one.  That does not mean that we should not make plans or keep our responsibilities.  God makes clear that we are to do our due diligence in our lives.  However, when we rely on and trust in God, our future is manageable.

These are easy to keep if you remain diligent.  Plus, there is no guilt when you slip up and have a cupcake.  Happy New Year everyone.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV