Monday, October 29, 2012

Clear As Water

If we were to be completely honest with ourselves, everything we live for is about appearances. Even those who intentionally rebel or are obnoxious are doing it to create the look they want.

As a society, we have gotten very good at a habit of lying. We smile to one person's face, then tear them to shreds behind their back... or in our heads. But, we want the image of looking good and polite, so we don't really think it's a problem. Ultimately, God is the One we answer to. And He really doesn't care what we look like on the outside, He's concerned with our heart. He knows what we think about.

Psalm 139 is a horrible Psalm for those who are content with their life. It invites the One who sees our innermost thoughts to bring them to light and purge them with the intent of changing one's life. I dare anyone who reads this to truly pray and apply this Psalm to their life.

Someone told me this summer that coveting is the only one of the Ten Commandments that you can break in your head. Have you ever had something that really just nagged and bothered you? Yeah, this has been that thing for me.

It's clear in Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28 (Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.... Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.) That we can sin in our minds. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that what we say in our heart is who we truly are.

So, with all that said, let me tell you how it applied to my own personal life. 

I've been taught my whole life that the only thing required of myself in my family was obedience. That's what the Bible said. I remember a bunch of messages as a kid directed toward what obedience is and what it is not, and I got really good at it. Yeah, I messed up occasionally, but I am pretty much the model daughter. 

But trouble was brewing in my heart. Though no one could tell from the outside smile, in my heart I was disobeying. 


In my head I'm standing up
I had traded true respect and submission for obedience. The thing that caught my attention was that this attitude was spreading in my life. Content to obey so long as I could complain in my head. Whether it was about teachers assigning too much homework, not getting the people I wanted on my crew at camp, not getting even the job I wanted when I wanted it. All around me are people who hold some claim to authority in my life. Some I've voluntarily allowed, like my boss, others are defaulted, like my parents. But there is One who've I've voluntarily allowed to be my defaulted authority.  (He's my authority whether I were saved or not, but I chose to live by His authority while I'm still alive). 

Sin is like blue food coloring in water. It starts out stark and noticeable, only affecting a small part of the water when first dropped in, but soon diffuses itself to the entire cup. Only a drop, you would never think it were there unless you looked for it. 

But that's what God does. He looks, not just for the rock at the bottom of the cup which can be quickly removed, but for the subtle stuff that is much harder to filter out. He wants our lives to be pure, and clear so that others can see Him through our lives, not a tainted image. 

Praise Him for continually drawing us to Himself!

Psalm 139

O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


Because of Him,
Missa

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mirror Image

Mirrors are interesting things. Why did God create something that would show an image of oneself? Reflective surfaces are something we take for granted.... yet have you considered how much of a miracle they are?

I once heard a pastor say that everything is a sermon illustration...

Maybe that's why God created mirrors.



I was reading James 1 this weekend, and this verse caught my eye:

James 1:23-24 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Common enough verse... I've read it a dozen times, memorized it in elementary school, yeah, I got this.

Well, this week this verse took on a whole new meaning to me. 

Mirrors tend to be a bit bigger than one's face. This generally means that you can see more than just yourself... you can see what's behind you. 

If you were spend all the time you have dedicated to the mirror focusing on every single person behind you, you might not look your best. In fact your flaws may not have been improved in the least.  You walked away... not knowing what matter of man you are.

What I'm trying to get at, is I have a huge personal flaw. When I look at God's Word, instead of looking for imperfections I need to fix, I instead see the uglies of everyone else.

"If only _____ could see that verse"
"Well ______ needs to change that"
"______ would be under such conviction if they had the dedication to learning that I do"

As Lucile Ball would say:

Ewwwwww

Wow. Where does that pride come from? I'm gazing at the written word that communicates the essence of God, and all I can do is play god by matching the verse to it's obvious recipient (i.e. NOT ME).

So, you will probably never (not very often) hear me say this again. When you are studying your Bible on your own, this is the time to focus on yourself..... in the most non-self-focused way possible. One of the purposes of Bible study is to grow your relationship with God. We can use the mirror of the Scripture to see where our blemishes are, what sin is it that's keeping us from God. It's a time to examine ourselves.... and let One who knows us better then we do examine us (Psalm 139:23-24). God's Word demands a response. We have the ability for that response to be ignoring our ugliness, or our response can be to clean ourselves up.

Will my life reflect what the Holy Spirit has done in my heart?

Because of Him,
Missa

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Unattainable Quality?

Some things I don't understand.

Like Baseball on TV... Really!  Who decided that was remotely entertaining?
And letting 3rd graders learn how to "play" the Recorder....  Worst screeching noise ever.... like a dying Banshee.

But I want to know why one of the most desirable Christian qualities seems to be unattainable. Just when you think you've got it... you've lost it.

I'm talking, of course, of humility.

First, to examine the opposite characteristic: that of pride.  Pride is referred to multiple times, particularly in the Proverbs, as being an abomination to God. There seems to be no middle ground to cling to.  You are either humble or proud. So is this a sin that we are constantly in servitude to?  Can we never gain victory over it? If our relationship with God is constantly out of whack... are we never to enjoy the privileges of children of God?

Sounds extreme.... but... well... it makes sense if you follow the thought to it's natural conclusion....

You know what... it's hopeless. We all fail at Christianity. Let's quit trying!.... to do it ourselves....

And now that that is out of our system, we can figure out how to "attain" the unattainable....

And. you. can't. do. it.

This is where God comes in. Actually, He should have been at the beginning, if we were to truly put Him in His rightful place.

We have before us, the best example of humility to be found anywhere. There are 4 biographical books written on Him in the New Testament. Of course I am referring to our Lord, Jesus Christ, Creator of the universe.

One thing that stands out to us, as it has to Christians for millennia is the incident when He washes the disciples' feet. God, kneeling down to wash filth off of the lowest of the low's feet.  Wow. This is humility.

It still feels a bit ambiguous to me, though. Here's some definitions/anti definitions of humility.

  • Humility is not insisting you don't deserve something. Christ never set that example anywhere that I can see. He deserved everything, and yet gave up all... which leads to my next point
  • Humility is knowing what you deserve, and yet giving all up for the benefit of another.
  • Humility is when we realize that life is not all about us, but rather about God, which leads us to serve others.
  • Humility and confidence are not mutually exclusive
When your life becomes about something Bigger than your life, it will change your life. What humility really is is a switch of focus. Pride is complete focus on yourself, Humility is focus on God, which produces the fruit of service.

One final facet of humility comes with confession of sin. In our pride, we rationalize all of our sin: the blatant outward sins on bad days or other people, the quiet inner sins that "didn't affect anyone else". I wrote a post here about being willing to apologize for your "justifiable" sin, but before our relationship with others can be mended, we need to repair the relationship with God. It takes a lot of humility to view yourself in the light that God views you and your sin.

So, is humility unattainable? Yes... in your own strength. God gives us the proper tenderness of heart for us to properly represent Him in this world with humility.

Because of Him,
Missa