One of the jobs I have for the summer involves lots of time sitting. Really I just sit all day and stuff envelopes or do other things. I never realized until I started at this job how taxing sitting all day can be. I feel fine for an hour or two, but then my back starts to hurt. I try to have good posture and to sit properly, but mid-way through the day that just seems impossible. I just want to slouch because I am sure that will make my back feel better.
The conversation in my head usually goes like this:
"Okay so it's been like 3 hours. My back hurts pretty bad. If I just slouch for like a second, though, I will feel so much better. That's what I should do. I mean it's probably not good for my back, but it will just be a second."
I think sin is a lot like that. Sometimes doing things the right way, the good way, is really taxing. We feel as though it is too hard to continue to live uprightly. So we say to ourselves, "I'll just slack off for a little bit. I mean it isn't good to slack off on being good, but it will just be for a little bit. It will make it all better."
This sort of attitude is very attractive, but will eventually lead to suffering, much like slouching. In both instances, you slip from the standard a little bit, but then it just becomes easier and easier to slip. Soon you are incapable of sitting up straight without immensely greater pain, or of living uprightly.
Proverbs 23:17-18 are a good reminder when we feel like spiritually slouching.
"Let not your heart envy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off"
If we can persevere without slouching spiritually, we will be taken care of. Sinning and giving up on being morally upright isn't worth it. It isn't better, and it will lead to bad habits; physically slouching will lead to bad posture and back problems, but spiritually slouching will lead to things that are much worse. Let's try our hardest to keep from slouching, even when doing what's right is difficult.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Catering to the Weaker Brother
I have been thinking a lot lately about catering to the weaker brother and what that should mean for me as a Christian. I have talked to many different people and read many different things on this topic and the disparity between the views on the subject are sort of shocking to me. If we are taking the bible, and we are reading it, and we are doing it, I think we will know where to stand with regards to the weaker brother.
1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14:1-15:7 are the main places to look at to learn about the Christian attitude toward a weaker brother. In these passages, this weaker brother is one whose conscience is defiled when they partake in certain activities that they think are wrong although they are not. The main example used in both places is food. If a brother cannot eat certain types of acceptable food (both food sacrificed to idols and formerly unclean foods are acceptable under Christ) without believing he is sinning, he is considered to be the weaker brother.
In this post, I'm not interested in telling the weaker brother what to do. I think he should not violate his conscience, and that he should search the scriptures to gain knowledge, as all Christians should. I am, however, very interested in talking about the responsibilities of the stronger brother, who does not abstain, to his weaker brother. I encourage you to read the entirety of the passages mentioned above, but I want to highlight just a couple verses that I think really drive Paul's point home.
Romans 14:19- So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
1 Corinthians 8:12, 13- Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
When we interact with someone who thinks something is sinful that we know to be sanctioned, we need to take one for the team and not do that thing. If we do it, we run the risk of encouraging the weaker brother to also partake and to violate his conscience, and that's a sin. Now, 1 Cor 8:8 tells us that we are no worse or better off for eating foods or doing/not doing whatever approved thing, and Romans 14:3 tells both eaters and non-eaters that they should not pass judgement on one another, but we are supposed to be worrying about ourselves and our salvation (Romans 14:12). Stronger brothers cannot force weaker brothers to feel okay about their actions, but they can abstain from doing the things that offend the weaker brother. If stronger brothers are working for peace and mutual upbuilding, they will abstain from their liberties if need-be. I think that's what the bible teaches.
Maybe I will have more encouragement for weaker brothers on another day.
1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14:1-15:7 are the main places to look at to learn about the Christian attitude toward a weaker brother. In these passages, this weaker brother is one whose conscience is defiled when they partake in certain activities that they think are wrong although they are not. The main example used in both places is food. If a brother cannot eat certain types of acceptable food (both food sacrificed to idols and formerly unclean foods are acceptable under Christ) without believing he is sinning, he is considered to be the weaker brother.
In this post, I'm not interested in telling the weaker brother what to do. I think he should not violate his conscience, and that he should search the scriptures to gain knowledge, as all Christians should. I am, however, very interested in talking about the responsibilities of the stronger brother, who does not abstain, to his weaker brother. I encourage you to read the entirety of the passages mentioned above, but I want to highlight just a couple verses that I think really drive Paul's point home.
Romans 14:19- So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
1 Corinthians 8:12, 13- Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
When we interact with someone who thinks something is sinful that we know to be sanctioned, we need to take one for the team and not do that thing. If we do it, we run the risk of encouraging the weaker brother to also partake and to violate his conscience, and that's a sin. Now, 1 Cor 8:8 tells us that we are no worse or better off for eating foods or doing/not doing whatever approved thing, and Romans 14:3 tells both eaters and non-eaters that they should not pass judgement on one another, but we are supposed to be worrying about ourselves and our salvation (Romans 14:12). Stronger brothers cannot force weaker brothers to feel okay about their actions, but they can abstain from doing the things that offend the weaker brother. If stronger brothers are working for peace and mutual upbuilding, they will abstain from their liberties if need-be. I think that's what the bible teaches.
Maybe I will have more encouragement for weaker brothers on another day.
Later
Galatians 6:10
"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."
James 1:27
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
1 Thessalonians 5:15
"See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone."
Hebrews 13:16
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Isaiah 1:17
"learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
As Christians, we have lots of opportunities to do good. I would say that probably every single day I have the opportunity to be kind to my fellow man, or to help or encourage another person in some way. The problem is that for some reason I don't always take those opportunities. I want to take them, and I want to help other people, but because of one simple rationalization, I do not.
Often when I am confronted with a situation where I can help someone, especially financially, I think to myself, "What if someone else needs this money later, and I've wasted it on this person who needs it less than that person? I better save it up for the next situation." This sort of reasoning happens in other things too. "I should really take the time to encourage this person now, but I can't really give it my best effort right now. I better wait until later when I can devote more time to their problem so I can help them better." For every sort of opportunity we have to do good, there is this kind of "later" excuse.
While I would like to think that I am alone in making these kind of excuses, and that once I change my attitude the problem will be solved, I think this rationalization is probably incipient amongst well-meaning, thoughtful Christian people. It seems reasonable, and it comes from a place of wanting to do the most possible good, but it has to stop.
It has to stop because we are not guaranteed "later". Think of the rich fool from Luke 12:
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
This parable doesn't teach us specifically about doing good to others, but I think it gives us valuable insight about how we should approach opportunities to help people. The rich man in this story made these grand plans for later, plans he would never be able to carry out because he died that night. I don't think his plans were necessarily bad (like our plans to help people at some imaginary later date), but they were pointless because he couldn't carry them out. The truth is that we "know neither the day nor the hour" (Matt 25:13) when the Lord will return or when our souls will be required of us. If we pass by an opportunity to do good, that might be it. We may get no other opportunities. And maybe that's really morbid, but I think that we should do good in every situation like it is the only time we have to do good. If we treated every opportunity to help others like the culminating event of our lives, I think we would be more like Christ.
Let's stop making excuses about time or resources and start taking every opportunity to do good to others as if "later" was not an option.
"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."
James 1:27
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
1 Thessalonians 5:15
"See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone."
Hebrews 13:16
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Isaiah 1:17
"learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
As Christians, we have lots of opportunities to do good. I would say that probably every single day I have the opportunity to be kind to my fellow man, or to help or encourage another person in some way. The problem is that for some reason I don't always take those opportunities. I want to take them, and I want to help other people, but because of one simple rationalization, I do not.
Often when I am confronted with a situation where I can help someone, especially financially, I think to myself, "What if someone else needs this money later, and I've wasted it on this person who needs it less than that person? I better save it up for the next situation." This sort of reasoning happens in other things too. "I should really take the time to encourage this person now, but I can't really give it my best effort right now. I better wait until later when I can devote more time to their problem so I can help them better." For every sort of opportunity we have to do good, there is this kind of "later" excuse.
While I would like to think that I am alone in making these kind of excuses, and that once I change my attitude the problem will be solved, I think this rationalization is probably incipient amongst well-meaning, thoughtful Christian people. It seems reasonable, and it comes from a place of wanting to do the most possible good, but it has to stop.
It has to stop because we are not guaranteed "later". Think of the rich fool from Luke 12:
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
This parable doesn't teach us specifically about doing good to others, but I think it gives us valuable insight about how we should approach opportunities to help people. The rich man in this story made these grand plans for later, plans he would never be able to carry out because he died that night. I don't think his plans were necessarily bad (like our plans to help people at some imaginary later date), but they were pointless because he couldn't carry them out. The truth is that we "know neither the day nor the hour" (Matt 25:13) when the Lord will return or when our souls will be required of us. If we pass by an opportunity to do good, that might be it. We may get no other opportunities. And maybe that's really morbid, but I think that we should do good in every situation like it is the only time we have to do good. If we treated every opportunity to help others like the culminating event of our lives, I think we would be more like Christ.
Let's stop making excuses about time or resources and start taking every opportunity to do good to others as if "later" was not an option.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Forgiveness
I find it really ironic that I decided mid-week last week to write on forgiveness, and then forgot to post until today--missing my weekly post for the first time this year. So, I'm going to have to forgive myself for that, and ask for your forgiveness for not sticking to my plan.
I got the idea to talk about forgiveness the other day after I said my nighttime prayer. In this prayer, I think I asked forgiveness for not being as diligent in my Bible study as I should be. I think I hadn't read my bible at all that day, and it was probably 2 am, and I just wasn't going to do it and I felt really sorry for that. After I prayed this prayer, I felt so relieved. I don't always feel relieved when I pray for forgiveness (which is likely a mistake), but this time I really contemplated God's forgiving power and his willingness to forgive, and I knew that it was all going to be okay. I knew the Lord heard me, and that he let go of my past. He forgot it. It didn't count anymore. He trusted me to do better.
I knew this to be the case because of these passages (And so many more, of course. Forgiveness is really the message of the Bible):
1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Matthew 7:7-8 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Acts 13:38-39 - Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
God is definitely forgiving us all the time when we repent of our sins. And that is so powerful!
And here's what I really want to take away from this. We should be forgiving people all the time. We shouldn't spend time not forgiving those who have wronged us. On the cross, Christ forgave not only an unworthy criminal only because he asked to be remembered, but he also asked that God forgive all of the people who were actively killing him.
Jesus did not forgive those people, and does not forgive us, in a way that changes our relationship with him. We certainly don't deserve to be forgiven at all, but that doesn't stop him from forgiving. And our unworthiness also doesn't cause him hesitancy, or cause him to distance himself from us, or care for us any less. We sin. We repent. God forgives us. And it's like it never happened. This doesn't always take away the physical consequences of sin, but it does take away the spiritual consequences. Through forgiveness we avoid separation from God. Though his mercy he saves us from death.
I think that we all need to be more like Christ in our relationships. We know that Christ admonishes us to forgive "seventy times seven" (Matt 18:22), but our attitude about this forgiveness is important. Christ has the kind of forgiveness that lets us back in even though we are guaranteed to hurt him again. His forgiveness forgets previous wrongs, trusting us to make the right decision in the future. His forgiveness comes from perfect love.
We take the easy way out by saying "I forgive them, but things have to change. Our relationship can't be the same. I have to remember what they did to me, so I don't get hurt." What if Christ said that to us? ..."I'm so glad you've turned from that sin and want to do the right thing now, but I actually can't let you back into a relationship with me. You crucify me day by day and that's just too much for me to handle." No. We don't want that. So why would we want that in our relationships? Why would we strive to act differently than our savior? I definitely understand that it is difficult, and I know that there are circumstances, but we have to remember Christ when it comes to forgiving.
Christ absolves us completely of our sins, forgetting our wrongs and giving us infinite chances although we are unworthy. How are we going to treat those who sin against us?
I got the idea to talk about forgiveness the other day after I said my nighttime prayer. In this prayer, I think I asked forgiveness for not being as diligent in my Bible study as I should be. I think I hadn't read my bible at all that day, and it was probably 2 am, and I just wasn't going to do it and I felt really sorry for that. After I prayed this prayer, I felt so relieved. I don't always feel relieved when I pray for forgiveness (which is likely a mistake), but this time I really contemplated God's forgiving power and his willingness to forgive, and I knew that it was all going to be okay. I knew the Lord heard me, and that he let go of my past. He forgot it. It didn't count anymore. He trusted me to do better.
I knew this to be the case because of these passages (And so many more, of course. Forgiveness is really the message of the Bible):
1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Matthew 7:7-8 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Acts 13:38-39 - Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
God is definitely forgiving us all the time when we repent of our sins. And that is so powerful!
And here's what I really want to take away from this. We should be forgiving people all the time. We shouldn't spend time not forgiving those who have wronged us. On the cross, Christ forgave not only an unworthy criminal only because he asked to be remembered, but he also asked that God forgive all of the people who were actively killing him.
Jesus did not forgive those people, and does not forgive us, in a way that changes our relationship with him. We certainly don't deserve to be forgiven at all, but that doesn't stop him from forgiving. And our unworthiness also doesn't cause him hesitancy, or cause him to distance himself from us, or care for us any less. We sin. We repent. God forgives us. And it's like it never happened. This doesn't always take away the physical consequences of sin, but it does take away the spiritual consequences. Through forgiveness we avoid separation from God. Though his mercy he saves us from death.
I think that we all need to be more like Christ in our relationships. We know that Christ admonishes us to forgive "seventy times seven" (Matt 18:22), but our attitude about this forgiveness is important. Christ has the kind of forgiveness that lets us back in even though we are guaranteed to hurt him again. His forgiveness forgets previous wrongs, trusting us to make the right decision in the future. His forgiveness comes from perfect love.
We take the easy way out by saying "I forgive them, but things have to change. Our relationship can't be the same. I have to remember what they did to me, so I don't get hurt." What if Christ said that to us? ..."I'm so glad you've turned from that sin and want to do the right thing now, but I actually can't let you back into a relationship with me. You crucify me day by day and that's just too much for me to handle." No. We don't want that. So why would we want that in our relationships? Why would we strive to act differently than our savior? I definitely understand that it is difficult, and I know that there are circumstances, but we have to remember Christ when it comes to forgiving.
Christ absolves us completely of our sins, forgetting our wrongs and giving us infinite chances although we are unworthy. How are we going to treat those who sin against us?
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