I was posed this question tonight. And the answer I came to was her heart. I don't think I did a good job in explaining it earlier, but I think I have a good way right now. Earlier, I started talking about beliefs about who God is and theology, but I think that doesn't fully capture the idea of what makes up someone's heart. This one question however, I think does the job pretty well.
What makes you cry?
Inextricably linked to this question is why do you cry? It's a simple question yet the answer tells us so much about a person. The last time I cried was at a Chicago Tabernacle Prayer meeting. The pastor had just read Exodus 40 about how God's glory comes down and fills the temple and the last coherent thought I had was "where is God's glory today?" and then I started to cry. What makes you weep? Does the thought of people going to hell bring you to tears? Does the idea of God's glory coming down move you? Do you weep over the fallen state of the church? Are you grieved by the ruin of Joseph?
Cryings is so interesting. You see, we cry when we're happy, when we're frustrated, when we're sad, when we laugh to much, when we're angry, it's like an overflow of any kind of emotion brings us to tears. I think these things show us what we have in our hearts. Jesus says that the overflow of our hearts manifests itself in our actions and if our action is weeping, then what is in our hearts determines why. Do you weep over the same things that Jesus wept over? And if you don't, can you really say that you know His heart?
To me, that's the most important thing. Maybe I'll have the most inspiring conversations, or have the most fun, or even share the same passions, but if the heart isn't there, then I can't see something working out. I mean obviously if God has taken care of providing someone, I'm not going to argue because He can change someone's heart. To really walk the same path means sharing in a lot of things. It's easy to share joy, harder perhaps to share in someone's anger or hurt, but I believe someone I can share my grief with is amazing and rare. I think that goes for our relationship with God too. Has God shown you His grief? Again, it's easy to be happy when others are happy, and perhaps the things that hurt our friends hurt us, but when someone cries over the same things you cry about, whatever the emotion may be, I think that shows a connection of heart.
You would have thought I would mention love somewhere in here. It fits somewhere in here, but I'm not sure where haha. To love someone, perhaps that in itself assumes something of a sharing of heart, but perhaps not in the same way that I'm talking about. Yeah, definitely not in the same way I'm talking about. As usual, this pondering is nothing more than that, thoughts and musings. I still believe I'm not ready for a relationship and it's not God's will right now however much I may want one.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Self Defeating? What the book says about the book
It may be strange to read what the Bible, has to say about the Bible, but remember, at the time the Bible was being written, there were no bibles. In the time of Noah, Abraham, David, Daniel, they did not have Bibles. At most, they had scrolls of history or perhaps some of the scrolls of prophets (The only reference I can think of is when Daniel reads the scroll of Jeremiah). Then you look at the Gospels and the epistles, all written before 100 CE, but Bibles weren't compiled until 300 CE or something. So the New Testament references to "scriptures" (graphe in Greek, which means holy writ) it probably refers to the Old Testament, which was compiled by then. I believe there is a future (future for back then) meaning though, which prophetically refers to the Bible as a whole. It's not a new concept that the Bible has contemporary for its time as well as future significance.
And so is that weird? The bible talks about itself, and says things about itself. Well, if you don't believe in the Bible or God, then you read things like
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
-Romans 15:4
or
5 "Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Prov 30:5-6
and you say, the Word of God isn't flawless or it doesn't encourage me because I don't believe in it, which is perfectly logical. I don't think it's self defeating though. I've seen in a number of books, in the forward or introduction, where the author does some explaining of the book itself. That's pretty usual, something like "This book is not meant to be ..." or "You should read this book in this way..." and that's fine. The one who wrote the book knows what he was thinking at the time and then addresses some misconceptions people may have when reading the book.
Well, I believe the Bible does the exact same thing. God, who inspires the Word of God, says this is how you should approach scripture. If we have questions about any book, who better to ask then the one who wrote it? And who wrote the Bible? Well... God. Sure, maybe those verses aren't good for convincing someone of the Bible's truth, but for people who already believe or are open to it, it's a way for them to see what God was thinking when He wrote this book. Not only that, we get an insight into the lives of past people and see their reactions to this Word. If Paul says, this Word is good for teaching and correcting and we're not using the Bible for those things, then we better examine how we're doing things because Paul is one of the pinnacles of an example of a Christian.
I think another question we have to ask ourselves is do we even know what God says about the Bible? More than anything we learn about God through reading the Word and to know Him is more valuable than any teaching or rule. It is like a friend who writes you a letter to tell you about something he did. Well, you learn about what he did, but you also see his reactions to it and you get insight into who he is through that letter. And that perhaps is the most important thing.
And so is that weird? The bible talks about itself, and says things about itself. Well, if you don't believe in the Bible or God, then you read things like
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
-Romans 15:4
or
5 "Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Prov 30:5-6
and you say, the Word of God isn't flawless or it doesn't encourage me because I don't believe in it, which is perfectly logical. I don't think it's self defeating though. I've seen in a number of books, in the forward or introduction, where the author does some explaining of the book itself. That's pretty usual, something like "This book is not meant to be ..." or "You should read this book in this way..." and that's fine. The one who wrote the book knows what he was thinking at the time and then addresses some misconceptions people may have when reading the book.
Well, I believe the Bible does the exact same thing. God, who inspires the Word of God, says this is how you should approach scripture. If we have questions about any book, who better to ask then the one who wrote it? And who wrote the Bible? Well... God. Sure, maybe those verses aren't good for convincing someone of the Bible's truth, but for people who already believe or are open to it, it's a way for them to see what God was thinking when He wrote this book. Not only that, we get an insight into the lives of past people and see their reactions to this Word. If Paul says, this Word is good for teaching and correcting and we're not using the Bible for those things, then we better examine how we're doing things because Paul is one of the pinnacles of an example of a Christian.
I think another question we have to ask ourselves is do we even know what God says about the Bible? More than anything we learn about God through reading the Word and to know Him is more valuable than any teaching or rule. It is like a friend who writes you a letter to tell you about something he did. Well, you learn about what he did, but you also see his reactions to it and you get insight into who he is through that letter. And that perhaps is the most important thing.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Reference for an upcoming post
Joel 2
12 "Even now," declares the LORD,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Isaiah 22
12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty,
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!
"Let us eat and drink," you say,
"for tomorrow we die!"
Isaiah 58
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Jeremiah 7
9 " 'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
Amos 6
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end.
Rev 2
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
12 "Even now," declares the LORD,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Isaiah 22
12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty,
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!
"Let us eat and drink," you say,
"for tomorrow we die!"
Isaiah 58
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Jeremiah 7
9 " 'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
Amos 6
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end.
Rev 2
1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Monday, September 1, 2008
The nature of sin: What is sin pt 2
The other post got long so I decided to split it up into two posts each addressing different ideas.
I think Christians these days don't understand what sin is. Not that we don't know when we do it or when others do it. (I think sometimes we're too quick to always point out other people's failings) Rather we don't understand it. I've heard people talk about how much of a sinner they are, and they're laughing and smiling and they talk about a good movie they watched in the same way and I wonder if they really know the nature of sin. I think it's amazing what Hosea says in the 4th and 5th chapters respectively about sin and more specifically idolatry.
They consult a wooden idol
and are answered by a stick of wood.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God.
Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge the LORD.
Look at that, a spirit of prostitution. Now can you imagine a man going around saying look at me I had sex with all sorts of women last night... oh wait... we do that all the time don't we... in fact that's something we put on a pedestal and esteem... Okay bad example, but imagine this, a man going around saying with a smile, man I cheated on my wife last night or I just cheated on my girlfriend, and he doesn't feel a thing and he talks about it casually. You'd say that man is heartless, cruel even. Well now, you talk about sin that breaks the heart of God and you casually talk about it and you say it like it's a trivial matter. You have the spirit of prostitution! You've been prostituting yourself to this world and I think if we realized the grievance we've caused God, we could not ever talk about it so lightly.
To say I am a sinner is not a light statement. With that comes everything that the Bible states about sin, you've grieved God, you deserve death, hell even, you've spit in God's face and worse yet, you've prostituted yourself in front of Him. And because we don't understand sin, we don't understand the true grace of forgiveness. It's become a cheap word these days that we throw around without understanding it. Paul is a man who understands grace, a man who says this "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." (1 Tim 1:15) Well, no wonder he had such an awesome understanding of Jesus' mercy and grace. I bet he had tears in his eyes when he was writing that.
I think the more mature we get in Christ, the more we see ourselves for how God sees us, both the potential and the failing. Listen to a man like Paul Washer talk about his past life. You'll see what I mean.
I think Christians these days don't understand what sin is. Not that we don't know when we do it or when others do it. (I think sometimes we're too quick to always point out other people's failings) Rather we don't understand it. I've heard people talk about how much of a sinner they are, and they're laughing and smiling and they talk about a good movie they watched in the same way and I wonder if they really know the nature of sin. I think it's amazing what Hosea says in the 4th and 5th chapters respectively about sin and more specifically idolatry.
They consult a wooden idol
and are answered by a stick of wood.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God.
Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge the LORD.
Look at that, a spirit of prostitution. Now can you imagine a man going around saying look at me I had sex with all sorts of women last night... oh wait... we do that all the time don't we... in fact that's something we put on a pedestal and esteem... Okay bad example, but imagine this, a man going around saying with a smile, man I cheated on my wife last night or I just cheated on my girlfriend, and he doesn't feel a thing and he talks about it casually. You'd say that man is heartless, cruel even. Well now, you talk about sin that breaks the heart of God and you casually talk about it and you say it like it's a trivial matter. You have the spirit of prostitution! You've been prostituting yourself to this world and I think if we realized the grievance we've caused God, we could not ever talk about it so lightly.
To say I am a sinner is not a light statement. With that comes everything that the Bible states about sin, you've grieved God, you deserve death, hell even, you've spit in God's face and worse yet, you've prostituted yourself in front of Him. And because we don't understand sin, we don't understand the true grace of forgiveness. It's become a cheap word these days that we throw around without understanding it. Paul is a man who understands grace, a man who says this "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." (1 Tim 1:15) Well, no wonder he had such an awesome understanding of Jesus' mercy and grace. I bet he had tears in his eyes when he was writing that.
I think the more mature we get in Christ, the more we see ourselves for how God sees us, both the potential and the failing. Listen to a man like Paul Washer talk about his past life. You'll see what I mean.
The nature of sin: What is sin pt 1
I think one of the greatest failings in the church today is that we don't know what sin is anymore. It's probably one of the most bastardized words in modern Christianity. That and love, we don't know much about either. I don't claim to be an expert, and these are just my thoughts, but I believe sinning is an action, which includes action and non-action. When we do evil, we're sinning, but when we don't do good, we're also sinning. (Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. James 4:17) You've given up all sorts of things for God, you don't drink, don't party, don't smoke, fine, but then what do you do with your time? One question I think everyone should ask themselves is how does your tv/internet/video game/shopping/hobby time compare to your prayer time? We're more serious about sports these days than we are about the Word of God. Ask a man to name statistics and history of teams and players and that's easy, but ask them to recite scripture and suddenly there's a blank.
I heard a preacher say "anything you love more than Jesus is an idol. Don't care what it is." You see if we treated our wives or husbands or boy and girlfriends like we treated God... well maybe we do actually, since the divorce rate in Christian homes is just as bad as the one in secular homes. And on the other side you have people replacing God with their spouses or significant others. I believe that that's the same sin as homosexuality, when you put a man or woman in the place of God, don't care what gender you are, but for some reason, this issue has taken the forefront whereas the idea behind it has not been addressed. You see we don't understand sin, we read the Bible and go fine, that's the way it is, which is right, but we don't take the time to examine it. The pharisees didn't either.
The rich young ruler did all the right things, but he knew not the Lord. More than these lists of good deeds Jesus says to him to first sell his belongings and give to the poor and then "follow me" but the rich man left sadly. Isn't it amazing how this man who follows the word of God so closely was not willing (at this point in time) to let go of his worldy riches to follow Jesus. Anything you love more than Jesus is an idol, don't care what it is. He calls Jesus a good teacher. How many of you know people that say Jesus was a good man or a prophet or a teacher, but Jesus doesn't let us think that. "Why do you call me good?"
We do all these things, but we don't understand them. We say, I don't drink alcohol because I'm a Christian. Well, what does that have to do with Christianity?
We say: Because it's a bad witness. Well so is your bad temper, or the way you treat people, or things you say, or your gossiping or... etc. How come you've only given up drinking?
or maybe we say: The bible says we shouldn't be drunk. Well the Bible says a lot of other things like you should pray all the time, love each other like yourself, forgive people, obey our parents, how come you're not doing those things as well?
or maybe we say something like: I know I don't think about God when I'm drinking. Well, do you think about God when you're playing sports, or video games, or in entertainment or watching tv?
The reasons we don't do certain things are much deeper than the actions themselves, but are indicative of a mindset of sin. If we examined everything, in light of the scriptures, and if we took the time to understand God's motives, we would live very different lifestyles.
I heard a preacher say "anything you love more than Jesus is an idol. Don't care what it is." You see if we treated our wives or husbands or boy and girlfriends like we treated God... well maybe we do actually, since the divorce rate in Christian homes is just as bad as the one in secular homes. And on the other side you have people replacing God with their spouses or significant others. I believe that that's the same sin as homosexuality, when you put a man or woman in the place of God, don't care what gender you are, but for some reason, this issue has taken the forefront whereas the idea behind it has not been addressed. You see we don't understand sin, we read the Bible and go fine, that's the way it is, which is right, but we don't take the time to examine it. The pharisees didn't either.
The rich young ruler did all the right things, but he knew not the Lord. More than these lists of good deeds Jesus says to him to first sell his belongings and give to the poor and then "follow me" but the rich man left sadly. Isn't it amazing how this man who follows the word of God so closely was not willing (at this point in time) to let go of his worldy riches to follow Jesus. Anything you love more than Jesus is an idol, don't care what it is. He calls Jesus a good teacher. How many of you know people that say Jesus was a good man or a prophet or a teacher, but Jesus doesn't let us think that. "Why do you call me good?"
We do all these things, but we don't understand them. We say, I don't drink alcohol because I'm a Christian. Well, what does that have to do with Christianity?
We say: Because it's a bad witness. Well so is your bad temper, or the way you treat people, or things you say, or your gossiping or... etc. How come you've only given up drinking?
or maybe we say: The bible says we shouldn't be drunk. Well the Bible says a lot of other things like you should pray all the time, love each other like yourself, forgive people, obey our parents, how come you're not doing those things as well?
or maybe we say something like: I know I don't think about God when I'm drinking. Well, do you think about God when you're playing sports, or video games, or in entertainment or watching tv?
The reasons we don't do certain things are much deeper than the actions themselves, but are indicative of a mindset of sin. If we examined everything, in light of the scriptures, and if we took the time to understand God's motives, we would live very different lifestyles.
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