Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Job 2:10
. . . Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?...
How often do you give thanks to God? "A lot", ok good. How often do you thank God when you have a great day, a great result, a compliment a promotion, a raise? "All the time", ok good. How often do you look back and thank God for something you thought was bad at the time, but now you see what God's plan was and are thankful? "Often", ok good.
How often do you thank God while trouble is happening in our life, right then at that moment? .... I'll bet our answers vary here quite a bit.
Reflection:
Job was one of the wealthiest men of his time. In a flash however, he lost all of his possessions, children, and for the most part of his health. The verse from Job 2:10 that I have quoted above, came after all of this happened.
Obviously, its easy to give Thanks to God for the good things in our lives. Its also easy to thank God for things that are bad, after we have had time to reflect and/or see how his plan unfolded. But we are told we should be give thanks, ALWAYS.
Easier said then done you say. Well you're preaching to the choir. Why in the world would we be thankful for being sick? Being turned down for a job, laid off, or fired? Relationship problems? Well, the answer to this goes back to one of my previous posts, in that the Bible tells us we have the privilege of suffering for Christ. When we hit bad times in our life, we are being given an opportunity to show just how strong our faith is, and it is at these times that we have the opportunity to please God more than in any other time. This is something we should be thankful for....
It's easy to say we have unconditional trust in God, we believe in God's plan, and so on. But if, when the bad times come, we complain, whine, act confused, or question God, then we are simply all talk. I can personally admit that I had a day of being "all talk" this week, as a nagging cold hit me on top of some other lower points all at once. But when I read this passage just tonight, I realized how foolish this attitude was.
Final Thought:
Think of what you consider to be the "worst" thing happening for you right now. A relationship. Project. Paper. Health issue. Your baseball team is in last place. Your favorite TV show got cancelled. Now go pray, and give thanks for this part of your life. Maybe it is part of a plan that will turn out to be good. Maybe this "bad thing" will all come around full circle into something good. Or maybe it won't. Maybe it is Satan tempting you away from God. Or maybe it's just something you'll have to deal with. Regardless, be thankful for this opportunity to show off your faith, by remaining loyal to God despite a rough patch in life.
I Thessalonians 5:16- 18: "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Jesus Christ"
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Lead by.....serving?
Scripture I am reflecting on: Mark 10:43-45
. . . "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
What are the first things that pop in your head when you think of a leader? Power? Control? Wealth? Status? Respect? Who is the person who pops in your head when you think of a "leader". The President? A pastor, priest? A coach? Brad Pitt screaming "We are lions!" in Troy?
I bet there aren't many of us out there who can say "servant" was the first word that came to mind. Yet, this is exactly what Jesus tells us should be what we think of to be a leader. Jesus was the ultimate "leader." Yet, he did so in a way that seems to be contrary to our modern view of a leader. Jesus was a servant to us all. He gave his life away to serve us. This is the model we should think of when we set out to be leaders.
Reflection:
I came upon this verse in a roundabout way during some morning devotional time. I, through coincidence that could have only been the Holy Spirit, was compelled to read 1 Peter. In my reading, I was particularly stopped at 1 Peter 5:1-4. where Peter is advising the elders on how to be leaders within the Church. At this point I knew why I was compelled to read this Scripture, because I have been struggling with this topic in my head for some time now. I read the comment in my Bible on this verse, which directed me to the verses in Mark which I quoted above.
Leadership is always something that has been very intriguing, and appealing to me, for mostly the wrong reasons. I remember how happy I was whenever I was named a team captain, but not for a good reason like being someone who helped others on the team, but because of the higher status that came with the assumption of the captain. I remember always volunteering to be the leader on all of my undergraduate group projects, but not for a good reason like leading and helping the group all work together and create something positive, but because I just wanted the power to make all the decisions because I felt like I was the smartest of the bunch. When you think back on times where you were in leadership, do you feel you used this position in a positive way?
I say all this to lead into my real reason for wanting to reflect on this topic, and that is spiritual leadership. Becoming a spiritual leader is one of my primary goals for the near future, and finding this passage was as timely as it can get. Now that I am at a point where I feel rock solid in my faith, I crave the ability to now use this to become a leader in my own life, particularly within my own family, but also just in general daily life as well. Probably my main reason for starting this blog was in hopes that it may reach a few people who were in my shoes not too long ago (skeptical and "spiritual-less") I have struggled with how to accomplish this goal though. Do I seek out people to "lead". Do I find people to quote Scripture too?
I finally received my answer today, "be a servant." Or as I tend to interpret it, "set an example" "lead by example" "help out those in need". And when you truly think about this, I imagine it makes clear and perfect sense. Which do you think will have a better effect, telling someone they should pray, or doing so yourself and letting them see all the Glory that comes from doing so? I am sure you can think of better examples, but the point should ring true to us all.
What are ways we can be spiritual leaders. Sure, there are obvious ones. Go to Church, preach the Word, counsel those in need, donate to charity. But I think the more subtle areas are where we can really make our marks as Christians. Help the elderly if you see them having a problem carrying something, greet the cashier at the coffee shop with a smile, hello, and thank you when picking up your coffee, give thanks whenever someone helps you at any point of the day, and pray for them to find joy in their day. Wait some of you might be saying, what happened to the whole leadership topic? Well, I think the examples I gave are exactly the examples of leadership Jesus had in mind when talking to his disciples. We are supposed to seek out serving and helping others, and what better way to do this then in the occurrences that happened to us everyday? When someone knows your a Christian, and you are able to help them out, brighten their day, or even just give them a smile; then you have succeeded as being a Christian leader, and could very well have helped someone find their way as well.
Final Thought:
"Being a leader does not mean seeking ways to meet your own needs, but finding ways to help with the needs of others." While most of you reading this probably know this much better than myself, it seems that becoming a spiritual leader is not something that is supposed to be voluntary. We are called to be leaders, and I think that calling is of no greater importance than in our current society where morals are going by the wayside. This isn't to say that we are all supposed to become ministers. But we should always have our eyes open for a chance to be a leader, the way Jesus tells us to be. This can be anything from providing food or finances to someone, talking with someone battling with an issue, or even just guiding someone through a bad day. The lesson (I think), is to seek out opportunities, and when faced with an opportunity to be a Christian leader, to not only take the opportunity, but to be thankful for the opportunity to do so, and take joy out of accomplishing something as such a leader.
It is a privilege that we are given to have the chance to be spiritual leaders in God's name. Embrace it! Enjoy it! And in case this blog didn't really motivate you (or make any sense):
1 Peter: 3-4
"Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears; you will receive a crown of never ending glory and honor."
Motivated? :)
. . . "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."
What are the first things that pop in your head when you think of a leader? Power? Control? Wealth? Status? Respect? Who is the person who pops in your head when you think of a "leader". The President? A pastor, priest? A coach? Brad Pitt screaming "We are lions!" in Troy?
I bet there aren't many of us out there who can say "servant" was the first word that came to mind. Yet, this is exactly what Jesus tells us should be what we think of to be a leader. Jesus was the ultimate "leader." Yet, he did so in a way that seems to be contrary to our modern view of a leader. Jesus was a servant to us all. He gave his life away to serve us. This is the model we should think of when we set out to be leaders.
Reflection:
I came upon this verse in a roundabout way during some morning devotional time. I, through coincidence that could have only been the Holy Spirit, was compelled to read 1 Peter. In my reading, I was particularly stopped at 1 Peter 5:1-4. where Peter is advising the elders on how to be leaders within the Church. At this point I knew why I was compelled to read this Scripture, because I have been struggling with this topic in my head for some time now. I read the comment in my Bible on this verse, which directed me to the verses in Mark which I quoted above.
Leadership is always something that has been very intriguing, and appealing to me, for mostly the wrong reasons. I remember how happy I was whenever I was named a team captain, but not for a good reason like being someone who helped others on the team, but because of the higher status that came with the assumption of the captain. I remember always volunteering to be the leader on all of my undergraduate group projects, but not for a good reason like leading and helping the group all work together and create something positive, but because I just wanted the power to make all the decisions because I felt like I was the smartest of the bunch. When you think back on times where you were in leadership, do you feel you used this position in a positive way?
I say all this to lead into my real reason for wanting to reflect on this topic, and that is spiritual leadership. Becoming a spiritual leader is one of my primary goals for the near future, and finding this passage was as timely as it can get. Now that I am at a point where I feel rock solid in my faith, I crave the ability to now use this to become a leader in my own life, particularly within my own family, but also just in general daily life as well. Probably my main reason for starting this blog was in hopes that it may reach a few people who were in my shoes not too long ago (skeptical and "spiritual-less") I have struggled with how to accomplish this goal though. Do I seek out people to "lead". Do I find people to quote Scripture too?
I finally received my answer today, "be a servant." Or as I tend to interpret it, "set an example" "lead by example" "help out those in need". And when you truly think about this, I imagine it makes clear and perfect sense. Which do you think will have a better effect, telling someone they should pray, or doing so yourself and letting them see all the Glory that comes from doing so? I am sure you can think of better examples, but the point should ring true to us all.
What are ways we can be spiritual leaders. Sure, there are obvious ones. Go to Church, preach the Word, counsel those in need, donate to charity. But I think the more subtle areas are where we can really make our marks as Christians. Help the elderly if you see them having a problem carrying something, greet the cashier at the coffee shop with a smile, hello, and thank you when picking up your coffee, give thanks whenever someone helps you at any point of the day, and pray for them to find joy in their day. Wait some of you might be saying, what happened to the whole leadership topic? Well, I think the examples I gave are exactly the examples of leadership Jesus had in mind when talking to his disciples. We are supposed to seek out serving and helping others, and what better way to do this then in the occurrences that happened to us everyday? When someone knows your a Christian, and you are able to help them out, brighten their day, or even just give them a smile; then you have succeeded as being a Christian leader, and could very well have helped someone find their way as well.
Final Thought:
"Being a leader does not mean seeking ways to meet your own needs, but finding ways to help with the needs of others." While most of you reading this probably know this much better than myself, it seems that becoming a spiritual leader is not something that is supposed to be voluntary. We are called to be leaders, and I think that calling is of no greater importance than in our current society where morals are going by the wayside. This isn't to say that we are all supposed to become ministers. But we should always have our eyes open for a chance to be a leader, the way Jesus tells us to be. This can be anything from providing food or finances to someone, talking with someone battling with an issue, or even just guiding someone through a bad day. The lesson (I think), is to seek out opportunities, and when faced with an opportunity to be a Christian leader, to not only take the opportunity, but to be thankful for the opportunity to do so, and take joy out of accomplishing something as such a leader.
It is a privilege that we are given to have the chance to be spiritual leaders in God's name. Embrace it! Enjoy it! And in case this blog didn't really motivate you (or make any sense):
1 Peter: 3-4
"Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears; you will receive a crown of never ending glory and honor."
Motivated? :)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
"No worries"
Scripture I'm Reflecting On: Luke 12:25-26
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?
No great explanation is needed here to explain this verse. It's powerful though (at least to me) to read this phrase about worrying written so simply. I mean, really, what does worrying actually accomplish? The answer is nothing at all. Naturally everyone worries about something from time to time. Family members, friends, work, etc....I'm not sure that its realistic for us as fallen individuals to completely eliminate that. But when we stop and think about most of the stuff we "worry" about, was it really worth it?
Reflection:
I am probably writing this post for myself than any reader, as I doubt many people worry more than I do, particularly about nonsense. I admittedly have not even read Luke before, I just happened to see this verse on a sign somewhere today, and when I read it I knew that sign was meant for me.
Think of something you worry about the most, and think about how it affects your life. For me, my worst flaw in this area is worrying about what other people think about me. As much as I've made a conscious effort to stop, I just always fall back into the trap of wondering, "what is that person behind me in line thinking", "is that group of people over there laughing at me". Sadly it doesn't end with strangers for me, which in reflection is why I probably have always had a low number of friends. Its hard to be close to people if you are consistently worrying about what others think of you. This line of thinking naturally leads to you imagining the worst of what they are thinking, and down the slope you go. Do you ever wonder what people think about you? What they think of your dress? Whether they liked your speech? Whether they think your smart? Dumb? Funny? Annoying?
One of the biggest traps we fall into (or at least I do consistently) is using past experiences to justify our worries. For instance, my one serious "relationship" ended in rather horrible fashion to say the least where I found out I had basically been lied to (and worse) over several years. While I was able to get over the situation fairly well, I now tend to use this experience to justify "worrying" habits, such as to keep my guard up anytime I meet someone new, thinking (worrying) when I get close to someone "I'm just wont ever be good enough for this person" attitude..or worse, worrying someone will eventually do something to hurt you. These are more serious and somewhat extreme examples, but the point could apply in any aspect of life. We can find excuses to worry about everything, even very simple little things. A test, an interview, a meeting, an event, how your hair looks, is this outfit cute. The next time you find yourself worrying about something, consider using that time to devote to prayer. I think it will make this "worrying" we do a whole lot easier.
A famous athlete (and Christian) once said of worrying... "It is something the enemy uses to draw us away from the purpose of life" Believe me, from personal knowledge, I can tell you this is absolutely true. As I am typing this it is disheartening to think of all the time wasted, all the relationships lost (past and present), and all the experiences I have missed out on due to something as simple as worrying.
The next time you have an idea you are passionate about, instead of worrying about what could go wrong, just go do it! The next time you meet someone, instead of worrying about the bad things that they may be thinking or may do to you , just assume they enjoyed meeting you. Next time your in a sporting event, instead of worrying about what will happen if you lose, just go out and have fun.
Final Thought:
Luke didn't include this quote from Jesus in his Gospel because he was just trying to fill space or liked the way Jesus sounded when he said it. Luke 12:22-34 is completely devoted to this warning about worrying. Clearly, Jesus (and consequently Luke) knows this is something we need to be aware of, concerned about, and consciously fight against. Jesus doesn't appear to be asking us not to worry, but commanding us not too. But fear not, because Jesus also promises to provide for us, and as long as we can embrace that, then really, worrying seems kind of silly. We are blessed to have a providing and sustaining God, and if we just remember that the next time we get the "worry itch", I think we will be able to handle the given situation with a lot less stress and a lot more happiness.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being our provider and sustainer, even in the worst of times. I pray for perspective and guidance on the problems in my life, and I pray for the strength to show my unconditional love and trust in Your plan for me. I pray for all those that are worrying in the world to find comfort and peace in their hearts, and to see Your plan for them.
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?
No great explanation is needed here to explain this verse. It's powerful though (at least to me) to read this phrase about worrying written so simply. I mean, really, what does worrying actually accomplish? The answer is nothing at all. Naturally everyone worries about something from time to time. Family members, friends, work, etc....I'm not sure that its realistic for us as fallen individuals to completely eliminate that. But when we stop and think about most of the stuff we "worry" about, was it really worth it?
Reflection:
I am probably writing this post for myself than any reader, as I doubt many people worry more than I do, particularly about nonsense. I admittedly have not even read Luke before, I just happened to see this verse on a sign somewhere today, and when I read it I knew that sign was meant for me.
Think of something you worry about the most, and think about how it affects your life. For me, my worst flaw in this area is worrying about what other people think about me. As much as I've made a conscious effort to stop, I just always fall back into the trap of wondering, "what is that person behind me in line thinking", "is that group of people over there laughing at me". Sadly it doesn't end with strangers for me, which in reflection is why I probably have always had a low number of friends. Its hard to be close to people if you are consistently worrying about what others think of you. This line of thinking naturally leads to you imagining the worst of what they are thinking, and down the slope you go. Do you ever wonder what people think about you? What they think of your dress? Whether they liked your speech? Whether they think your smart? Dumb? Funny? Annoying?
One of the biggest traps we fall into (or at least I do consistently) is using past experiences to justify our worries. For instance, my one serious "relationship" ended in rather horrible fashion to say the least where I found out I had basically been lied to (and worse) over several years. While I was able to get over the situation fairly well, I now tend to use this experience to justify "worrying" habits, such as to keep my guard up anytime I meet someone new, thinking (worrying) when I get close to someone "I'm just wont ever be good enough for this person" attitude..or worse, worrying someone will eventually do something to hurt you. These are more serious and somewhat extreme examples, but the point could apply in any aspect of life. We can find excuses to worry about everything, even very simple little things. A test, an interview, a meeting, an event, how your hair looks, is this outfit cute. The next time you find yourself worrying about something, consider using that time to devote to prayer. I think it will make this "worrying" we do a whole lot easier.
A famous athlete (and Christian) once said of worrying... "It is something the enemy uses to draw us away from the purpose of life" Believe me, from personal knowledge, I can tell you this is absolutely true. As I am typing this it is disheartening to think of all the time wasted, all the relationships lost (past and present), and all the experiences I have missed out on due to something as simple as worrying.
The next time you have an idea you are passionate about, instead of worrying about what could go wrong, just go do it! The next time you meet someone, instead of worrying about the bad things that they may be thinking or may do to you , just assume they enjoyed meeting you. Next time your in a sporting event, instead of worrying about what will happen if you lose, just go out and have fun.
Final Thought:
Luke didn't include this quote from Jesus in his Gospel because he was just trying to fill space or liked the way Jesus sounded when he said it. Luke 12:22-34 is completely devoted to this warning about worrying. Clearly, Jesus (and consequently Luke) knows this is something we need to be aware of, concerned about, and consciously fight against. Jesus doesn't appear to be asking us not to worry, but commanding us not too. But fear not, because Jesus also promises to provide for us, and as long as we can embrace that, then really, worrying seems kind of silly. We are blessed to have a providing and sustaining God, and if we just remember that the next time we get the "worry itch", I think we will be able to handle the given situation with a lot less stress and a lot more happiness.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being our provider and sustainer, even in the worst of times. I pray for perspective and guidance on the problems in my life, and I pray for the strength to show my unconditional love and trust in Your plan for me. I pray for all those that are worrying in the world to find comfort and peace in their hearts, and to see Your plan for them.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Happy Suffering.....??
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Philippians 2:29 / John 9:3:
"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him."
---Jesus responding to a question about why a man was blind (and later healed)
"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins....This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."
I had planned on writing on the John 9:3 verse tonight, but this morning I read through Philippians and came across the 2:29 verse, and realized I could use both of these to emphasize the same message.
Am I reading this right? "The privilege of suffering....". "This (blindness) happened so the power of God could be seen in him". ........ummmm......heh?......come again?....#bibletypo?
While I'm obviously making an (weak) attempt at humor, the initial thought of hearing "the privilege of suffering" is a little scary. Equally as scary is the fact that a man was blind his whole life so that "the power of God could be seen in him." The man did nothing wrong (nor his parents) to cause this blindness, its just the plan God had for him. Obviously the story of the blind man comes with a happy ending, but the general concept of trusting God and understanding and appreciating our suffering is not an easy task. Blindness is obviously an extremely tough example of "suffering", but I think this verse can relate to any of our problems. Failing a test, getting rejected for a job, injuries, illnesses, family issues. These can all be examples of our "privilege" to suffer for God.
The takeaway from this verse (and many others) is that we need to trust God, and know that even in our worst of times, we should always look to God for guidance and strength, and ultimately use these times to build our character and demonstrate how strong our faith really is. Easy to say and write, MUCH MUCH harder to do...
Reflection:
We are fallen. We are somewhat selfish. The thought of suffering being in anyway good just doesn't naturally fit into the human mindset. I am extremely guilty of falling into the mindset these verses warn us against. I catch myself all the time saying "Why me" "Of course that happened to me" "Just my luck...".
These versus remind me of the saying I hear so many skeptics or critics say, and admittedly something I've thought in my past..."If this God fella is so great...then why do you get sick" "Why aren't you rich, healthy, and totally awesome." If this God was what you say he is, why wouldn't be bless his followers with all the things great?'
Well the answer to this I think is quite simple, if by following God all of your problems went away and everything was perfect, how many people would follow God? Answer: Everyone. But are we supposed to follow God for the reason of selfishly improving our own lives? No. It is easy to live faithfully if you're getting everything you want. It's easy for a CEO to be nice to his employees during a quarter when hes turning millions in profit. But how does he act when the company takes a loss? It's easy for an athlete to be gracious when their winning, but how do they act after a loss? These low points are when our true character is revealed, and how we react during times in our life when we are "suffering" is when God is watching us closely. It is natural to be sad, annoyed, or maybe even angry during these times in our life. But we should never question, give up, or doubt that God is not taking care of us during these times. He never presents us with a situation we cannot handle, in one way or the other.
Final Thought:
A famous football coach once said, "one man practicing good sportsmanship is better than is far better than 50 others preaching it." I can sit here and write all day, and we can all read and talk about how great were going to be in our bad times, but the only way we truly do right by God is through our actions during our "suffering times." Everyone's path is going to be different. Everyone will face different levels of suffering. Instead of following our "fallen tendencies" of wondering why is this happening to me and not him, use the situation to build character, and create something positive. I have to imagine that nothing brings God more joy then when he sees us remain strong and faithful during these times...
Life example:
Probably the lowest point in my life came when, for lack of a better wording, I blew a gasket at God for an injury I suffered at the peak of my athletic career. If you've ever seen Forrest Gump, the Lt. Dan seen when hes on the shrimp boat in the hurricane is as best of a simulation as I can give you. Anyways, I let this anger linger for a long time, and used it as a reason not to believe. I have thankfully long since accepted and moved past this incident in my life; and continually ask for forgiveness for those years. But I now try and remember those dark points in my life whenever challenges confront me now. I don't claim that I understand, or even will ever understand why that injury was in my cards, but I do understand now that good things could have (and maybe still can) come from that incident had I stopped thinking selfishly and accepted the "suffering" ..lookeing to God for strength and guidance. Reflecting on this situation now helps me when I start getting that "why me" attitude in my current life, and these versus will further help me in situations that seem like low points.
I think the best thing we can do is, on the occasion we start asking ourselves why something bad is happening in our lives, to remember that God, maybe more than any other time, is truly watching over us at that point; and what better time to please Him then by demonstrating our faith in the lowest of times....
To quote one of the worst songs in the history of planet earth "I get knocked down...but I get up again.." (yep....time for bed). God isn't out to beat us up, "knock us down" for good. He will always raise us back up if we let him. Don't lose faith in bad times. Use the bad times, to strengthen your faith...
"For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him."
---Jesus responding to a question about why a man was blind (and later healed)
"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins....This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."
I had planned on writing on the John 9:3 verse tonight, but this morning I read through Philippians and came across the 2:29 verse, and realized I could use both of these to emphasize the same message.
Am I reading this right? "The privilege of suffering....". "This (blindness) happened so the power of God could be seen in him". ........ummmm......heh?......come again?....#bibletypo?
While I'm obviously making an (weak) attempt at humor, the initial thought of hearing "the privilege of suffering" is a little scary. Equally as scary is the fact that a man was blind his whole life so that "the power of God could be seen in him." The man did nothing wrong (nor his parents) to cause this blindness, its just the plan God had for him. Obviously the story of the blind man comes with a happy ending, but the general concept of trusting God and understanding and appreciating our suffering is not an easy task. Blindness is obviously an extremely tough example of "suffering", but I think this verse can relate to any of our problems. Failing a test, getting rejected for a job, injuries, illnesses, family issues. These can all be examples of our "privilege" to suffer for God.
The takeaway from this verse (and many others) is that we need to trust God, and know that even in our worst of times, we should always look to God for guidance and strength, and ultimately use these times to build our character and demonstrate how strong our faith really is. Easy to say and write, MUCH MUCH harder to do...
Reflection:
We are fallen. We are somewhat selfish. The thought of suffering being in anyway good just doesn't naturally fit into the human mindset. I am extremely guilty of falling into the mindset these verses warn us against. I catch myself all the time saying "Why me" "Of course that happened to me" "Just my luck...".
These versus remind me of the saying I hear so many skeptics or critics say, and admittedly something I've thought in my past..."If this God fella is so great...then why do you get sick" "Why aren't you rich, healthy, and totally awesome." If this God was what you say he is, why wouldn't be bless his followers with all the things great?'
Well the answer to this I think is quite simple, if by following God all of your problems went away and everything was perfect, how many people would follow God? Answer: Everyone. But are we supposed to follow God for the reason of selfishly improving our own lives? No. It is easy to live faithfully if you're getting everything you want. It's easy for a CEO to be nice to his employees during a quarter when hes turning millions in profit. But how does he act when the company takes a loss? It's easy for an athlete to be gracious when their winning, but how do they act after a loss? These low points are when our true character is revealed, and how we react during times in our life when we are "suffering" is when God is watching us closely. It is natural to be sad, annoyed, or maybe even angry during these times in our life. But we should never question, give up, or doubt that God is not taking care of us during these times. He never presents us with a situation we cannot handle, in one way or the other.
Final Thought:
A famous football coach once said, "one man practicing good sportsmanship is better than is far better than 50 others preaching it." I can sit here and write all day, and we can all read and talk about how great were going to be in our bad times, but the only way we truly do right by God is through our actions during our "suffering times." Everyone's path is going to be different. Everyone will face different levels of suffering. Instead of following our "fallen tendencies" of wondering why is this happening to me and not him, use the situation to build character, and create something positive. I have to imagine that nothing brings God more joy then when he sees us remain strong and faithful during these times...
Life example:
Probably the lowest point in my life came when, for lack of a better wording, I blew a gasket at God for an injury I suffered at the peak of my athletic career. If you've ever seen Forrest Gump, the Lt. Dan seen when hes on the shrimp boat in the hurricane is as best of a simulation as I can give you. Anyways, I let this anger linger for a long time, and used it as a reason not to believe. I have thankfully long since accepted and moved past this incident in my life; and continually ask for forgiveness for those years. But I now try and remember those dark points in my life whenever challenges confront me now. I don't claim that I understand, or even will ever understand why that injury was in my cards, but I do understand now that good things could have (and maybe still can) come from that incident had I stopped thinking selfishly and accepted the "suffering" ..lookeing to God for strength and guidance. Reflecting on this situation now helps me when I start getting that "why me" attitude in my current life, and these versus will further help me in situations that seem like low points.
I think the best thing we can do is, on the occasion we start asking ourselves why something bad is happening in our lives, to remember that God, maybe more than any other time, is truly watching over us at that point; and what better time to please Him then by demonstrating our faith in the lowest of times....
To quote one of the worst songs in the history of planet earth "I get knocked down...but I get up again.." (yep....time for bed). God isn't out to beat us up, "knock us down" for good. He will always raise us back up if we let him. Don't lose faith in bad times. Use the bad times, to strengthen your faith...
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Do Your Best, Forget the Rest....
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Galatians 6:4
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Paul intended this verse to be received by Christians who were being negatively judged in their community for not following the "Jewish Law" (required circumcision, etc.). It was important for this group of Christians to stay strong and not compare themselves to those around them, many of whom had great power and wealth. The temptation was likely very high to forget Paul's teachings from Christ and conform to the Jewish leaders, as doing so may have boosted their status in comparison with the others in the community. Paul however, knew the only person we should be looking to compare our actions with was Christ himself, and by doing so we will earn his loving acceptance that will lead to far greater outcomes than money and power.
Reflection:
We live in a society where people are constantly in competition with each other in all walks of life. Think about how often we compare ourselves to others. When you really think about it, the answer to how much you do compare yourselves with others around you is probably shocking (it was to me). Have you ever seen someone on the street and say "I want to look like her, or I look better than him". Do you watch TV and wish you could "be like that celebrity." Do you go to a co-workers house and compare your material belongings against theirs? Stacking up who has the "cooler" stuff? In conversation, do you constantly find yourself tallying up points like a video game, "Well I have a better house than him, but he has a better job than me, his kid makes higher grades but my kid is a star on the baseball team." When we step back and look at it long and hard, its not hard to see how destructive this line of thinking can be....
We are taught to look to Christ in our lives, and do our best in every challenge we face: and if we do this, we should feel good about the results, whatever they may be. Will they always be positive? No. Will there be times that we work as hard as we can, only to see someone else (coworker, classmate, competitor) obtain better results? Yes. But if we truly did our best, then we should be able to walk away from what we were doing with a smile on our face and a sense of accomplishment in our hearts.
Just within the past few weeks, I can think of numerous times where I compared myself to another, and the common denominator is that every time I have done this, it has put me in a lousy mood. When we are passed up for jobs, or receive a grade we were hoping for more out of, what good does it really do to wonder "how did that person get the job over me?" or "i worked 10x harder than that person, how did they beat me". These thoughts will lead to nothing by increased negativity, anger, and sadness.
Final Thought:
God does not put any challenges in our lives that we cannot handle, in one way or another. We won't always like the results we get in life, or even ever understand what purpose they served. We should understand however, that when we fall short of our goals and expectations, instead of asking "why", we just need to accept the results and be happy with our efforts, knowing Christ is there to comfort us in these situations if we let Him.
Example from my life:
When deciding to enter law school, I put a ton of effort into studying for the entrance exam (LSAT). I had never really done any studying before, so I had very high expectations. Someone else I knew took the test the same week as me, and put minimal effort into the test. While my score turned out to be a good one (higher than the goal I had set for myself), I never really appreciated the score I got because this other person scored higher. Salt was later added to the wound when I was wait-listed for the school I wanted, and this person was accepted....
I let this disappointment of comparing myself to this person linger on for a long time. If I only had been equipped with the spiritual knowledge I have now, I would have been happy with the effort I put in and the results that it afforded me. Instead of wasting a month of my life whining about what had happened, I could have enjoyed all of the great things God was providing in my life at the time.
The aftermath of that story is that, had I obtained the score this other person had, I probably would have attended a different law school. As I look back on that possibility one year later, I thank God consistently for not letting that happening, as I really do not think I would still be in law school if I had gone to this school (as was the fate of this other person). More importantly, I would not be writing this post right now had I attended a Law School, as I certainly needed to attend the School I am at right now to truly welcome Christ into my life. I don't say that to compare my result to this other persons result, or even to say that we will always be able to look back and see such a positive result: but I do just bring this part of my life up as a great example I like to reflect on to prove that God has a plan for us all, one that we may never fully realize or understand in full, but that we should never lose trust in.
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Paul intended this verse to be received by Christians who were being negatively judged in their community for not following the "Jewish Law" (required circumcision, etc.). It was important for this group of Christians to stay strong and not compare themselves to those around them, many of whom had great power and wealth. The temptation was likely very high to forget Paul's teachings from Christ and conform to the Jewish leaders, as doing so may have boosted their status in comparison with the others in the community. Paul however, knew the only person we should be looking to compare our actions with was Christ himself, and by doing so we will earn his loving acceptance that will lead to far greater outcomes than money and power.
Reflection:
We live in a society where people are constantly in competition with each other in all walks of life. Think about how often we compare ourselves to others. When you really think about it, the answer to how much you do compare yourselves with others around you is probably shocking (it was to me). Have you ever seen someone on the street and say "I want to look like her, or I look better than him". Do you watch TV and wish you could "be like that celebrity." Do you go to a co-workers house and compare your material belongings against theirs? Stacking up who has the "cooler" stuff? In conversation, do you constantly find yourself tallying up points like a video game, "Well I have a better house than him, but he has a better job than me, his kid makes higher grades but my kid is a star on the baseball team." When we step back and look at it long and hard, its not hard to see how destructive this line of thinking can be....
We are taught to look to Christ in our lives, and do our best in every challenge we face: and if we do this, we should feel good about the results, whatever they may be. Will they always be positive? No. Will there be times that we work as hard as we can, only to see someone else (coworker, classmate, competitor) obtain better results? Yes. But if we truly did our best, then we should be able to walk away from what we were doing with a smile on our face and a sense of accomplishment in our hearts.
Just within the past few weeks, I can think of numerous times where I compared myself to another, and the common denominator is that every time I have done this, it has put me in a lousy mood. When we are passed up for jobs, or receive a grade we were hoping for more out of, what good does it really do to wonder "how did that person get the job over me?" or "i worked 10x harder than that person, how did they beat me". These thoughts will lead to nothing by increased negativity, anger, and sadness.
Final Thought:
God does not put any challenges in our lives that we cannot handle, in one way or another. We won't always like the results we get in life, or even ever understand what purpose they served. We should understand however, that when we fall short of our goals and expectations, instead of asking "why", we just need to accept the results and be happy with our efforts, knowing Christ is there to comfort us in these situations if we let Him.
Example from my life:
When deciding to enter law school, I put a ton of effort into studying for the entrance exam (LSAT). I had never really done any studying before, so I had very high expectations. Someone else I knew took the test the same week as me, and put minimal effort into the test. While my score turned out to be a good one (higher than the goal I had set for myself), I never really appreciated the score I got because this other person scored higher. Salt was later added to the wound when I was wait-listed for the school I wanted, and this person was accepted....
I let this disappointment of comparing myself to this person linger on for a long time. If I only had been equipped with the spiritual knowledge I have now, I would have been happy with the effort I put in and the results that it afforded me. Instead of wasting a month of my life whining about what had happened, I could have enjoyed all of the great things God was providing in my life at the time.
The aftermath of that story is that, had I obtained the score this other person had, I probably would have attended a different law school. As I look back on that possibility one year later, I thank God consistently for not letting that happening, as I really do not think I would still be in law school if I had gone to this school (as was the fate of this other person). More importantly, I would not be writing this post right now had I attended a Law School, as I certainly needed to attend the School I am at right now to truly welcome Christ into my life. I don't say that to compare my result to this other persons result, or even to say that we will always be able to look back and see such a positive result: but I do just bring this part of my life up as a great example I like to reflect on to prove that God has a plan for us all, one that we may never fully realize or understand in full, but that we should never lose trust in.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Not all danger comes with a Warning Sign
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Proverbs 27:12
"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences"
Is there any hobby, sport, activity in your life where you carefully examine all you are doing to avoid risks? When I play golf, I study each shot looking for what could go wrong, and making sure (to try at least) to avoid the dangers. I'm sure we all can at least sort of relate to having something in our lives that we treat this carefully. When you think about this activity in your life, ask yourself this question: are we as careful in this activity (golf in my example) as we are in our daily spiritual life? I certainly cannot say that I am on a regular basis....
Reflection:
Today more than ever, we are faced with the "dangers" this verse speaks about. And today more than ever, it is very easy to find yourself face to face with these dangers without even realizing it. The internet, TV, movies, and even conversations with people on the street can lead us down a path that we may not want to be on.
Pay attention to the media you watch on TV or the internet. Morals are going out the window, and the Christian faith is being made into a joke on many shows and even news outlets. I challenge you to find more than a handful of shows (and any that are considered "top primetime shows") that don't contain violence, sexual immorality, and/or gross language (among other things).
Am I saying we should refrain from everything with a touch of immorality? Become a "prude" so to speak? Definetly not. Not only is it border-line impossible in today's society to do so, but I don't think thats what this scripture tells us to do either. However, we should recognize when we see these dangers in our daily life, and take the necessary precautions to make sure they do not influence us negatively. There are many people in our lives, maybe even friends, who wont give a second thought to talking about their "sexual conquests", "that crazy movie they saw", "or that comedian who made all the obscene jokes. Can we avoid every one of these conversations? Of course not. But we do have to be ready to recognize the possibility, and be prepared to respond accordingly. Sometimes that may mean just keeping quiet, sometimes it may mean walking away, and sometimes it may require us to say something. But regardless of the answer, the most important thing is not to be sucked in to this mindset that has become prevalent in society, that making light of our spirituality views and moralas is "no big deal"....
This verse doesn't mean "don't have fun", "don't watch tv", "don't engage in any conversation involving something immoral". It just means be careful, and if you see a danger, take the necessary precautions. For instance, if you don't believe in drinking, that doesn't mean you have to stay away from every restaurant that serves alcohol where others will be drinking. But if you know that a certain place will be filled with people pressuring you to drink and you question whether you may "give in", then you should stay away. If you know a movie has violence, sex, language, etc....it doesn't automatically mean you shouldn't watch it. But you should exercise precaution, and possibly avoid such "danger" if you think it will have a negative effect, or influence in a way that puts your faith in a bad light.
Final Thought:
On TV, Sports commentators analyze athletes decisions throughout the game. Imagine we were analyzing our daily decisions from a spiritual perspective, what would be our analysis?
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