A Couple Of The Many Times That The Heavenly Father Has Reminded Me Of Who Really Is Boss

1.  I go to Kroger after church.  I buy a case of diet Big K soda.  It is rather late.  I ask my wife, "Do I go home?"  I ask my mom, "Do I go home?"  They both say "yes, go home."  I know I should go home.  The case of soda busts as I am walking up the stairs to my office.  Four or five cans burst and spill everywhere.  I make a mess by not listening to Him.

2.  I am in the office.  It is late.  Do I go home?  Do I stay?  I have an idea that I need to stay, get a few more things done before I leave.  Only the TV waits for me in my apartment.  I flip a coin.  Staying is heads.  The apartment is tails.  It comes up tails two times in a row.  I pack up.  I shut down my computer which has updates to install.  I am ready to go.  I look out the window.  It starts to pour.  The much needed rain proves that He is in control.

I have a long way to go in my life.  I have a lot of things to learn.  I have to learn to live a life of repentance.  I have to learn to live a life for Christ.  It isn't easy, but He is in control.  If I remain faithful, "walk upright," and pray, He'll lead me.

The Jefferson Bible

I've had always these conflicted thoughts about The Jefferson Bible (The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth).  It was one of those readings that pushed me to be baptized.  But the underlying "cut and paste" mentality behind the book worries me.  I have no idea exactly what Jefferson's intentions were, but Jesus' miracles have meaning too.

The other day an elder gave a lesson where he went through Matthew and just recounted the miracles.  As a believer, it was a powerful.  But as a non-believer, I don't think it would have been powerful.  I needed the cold deism of The Jefferson Bible to see what Jesus was really about, what He really had to say.

I guess it gets back to the "what should be" versus "what is."  Yes, we should take the Bible as a whole.  But many people want rationality.  The desire for rationality is a fact.  Maybe it shouldn't, but if The Jefferson Bible gets one closer to Christ, then I am hesitant to condemn it.

More Thoughts On 'What Is' Versus 'What Should Be' Or Why I Never Understood The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil"

There is a sense of fatalism in the crucifixion of Christ (Matthew 26).  It had to happen.  From a 'what is' perspective, Jesus' death is horrible travesty created by mankind.  From a God, 'what should be' perspective, it had to happen, "as it is written."  The 'what is' perspective is important here, but the 'what should be' perspective in the sense that Christ died so that we may live is more important.  Dwelling on the evilness of mankind and the fact that man could crucify God is telling and something a Christian needs to know.  But the real lesson, the 'what should be' lesson  that Christ died so we could be forgiven and Christ's death was always part of God's plan is the essence of Christianity.    

The point here is that Christianity requires Christians to be 'what should be' people.  A Christian cannot live with 'what is' attitude without compromising Christ.  He must continuously search and strive for 'what should be.'

    

Sacrifice And What Should Be

I've always had a problem with the term "sacrifice."  I don't think that sacrificing decisions are sustainable.  You can only hurt yourself for so long.  Eventually there has to be a pay-off.

From one perspective, being a Christian requires sacrifice today for eternal rewards.  Pain in this world for an eternity in heaven.  I would think this is the predominant perspective among Christians.

But another way to look at it (I think) is from a "what is?" versus "what should be?" perspective.  Sin is 'what is.'  It exists.  Sin feels good in a 'what is,' worldly sense.  Righteousness feels bad in a 'what is,' worldly sense, but it feels so good in a 'what should be' sense.  And sin feels so bad in a 'what should be' sense.  Righteousness is 'what should be.'

If we confine ourselves to thinking about things in a 'what is' sense, my sustainability question is very relevant.  I don't think you can keep telling 'what is' people that the rewards are heavenly.  In the Lord's prayer, Jesus says "...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)."  We need to emulate God's will so earth will be more like heaven.  God's will is the ultimate 'what should be.'  

The Thing About The Thing

One of the struggles of being a Christian is how much to put in to the church, how much to put into benevolence, how much effort to put into evangelism, how much time to put in to Wednesday night invitations.  One must balance.  We can't completely tune out the world, and the Lord wants us to be involved in His work.

So I reflect on Luke 10:38-42.  It is a difficult passage.  Someone has to worry.  Someone has to "make the preparations."  Someone has to organize and plan.  Paul warns against idleness in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-14.   

My answer is somewhat cryptic:  If Jesus is teaching, then we need to stop the things we're doing and focus on Him. Now learning when Jesus is teaching, that is a more difficult lesson.  A lesson that will take a lifetime to learn.

Heavenly Father,
Help me to learn Your lessons.
Help me to recognize when You're teaching.
Help me to learn how to listen.
Keep me from idleness.
Help me to passionate for You.
It is in Jesus' name that I pray.

(Part Of) What I Was Trying To Get At In My Perceptions Versus Intentions Lesson

From Patrick English at www.audioevangelism.com:

"But who else is watching us? In Matthew 5:16, Christ told His disciples in His sermon on the mount to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." 

We must realize that our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, other Christians, children, and even complete strangers are watching us too! And because of this, we should be mindful of how we conduct ourselves in life."

Topics I Am Thinking About

1.  A preacher on Saturday discussed the idea: "If you exalt yourself, you will be humbled.  If you humble yourself, you will be exalted."  "If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel."

2.  Last Wednesday night, a teacher discussed the implications of humanism.  The "state of the world today" is a complicated issue.  But I heard a comedian discuss the problem in what I think are the correct terms.  Paraphrasing him:  "Today, we celebrate 'what is."  People want their sex tapes released.  They want people to know they were abused.  It used to be that people cared more about what should be.  Now there this total acceptance of the world as it is."  Like I said, this is a complicated issue.

3.  I was talking with a guy about service and what it means "to serve."  This is another one of a complicated situations that is most likely contextual.  But I think it might be a good topic to expand on eventually.