What Counts

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" -Gal 5:6

Everyone's relationship with God is unique like a snowflake or a fingerprint. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that we relate to God in different ways and that we draw closer to Him in our unique ways. One can concede the fact that there are multiple paths to God without descending to pluralism. Out of the multitude of the flock there over time arises a multitude of religious traditions. Each saint is drawn to God in different ways and as the number of saints increases so does the number of traditions. This is a good thing because it allows us to learn from one another. If one man draws closer to God by repeating mantras, perhaps many can. If one woman draws close by singing songs, perhaps many can. The only thing to remember when following traditions is to remember what it is that really counts.

Helpful

If Scripture shows you how everyone except you is living wrong then you're not reading it right.

Psalms

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit."
-Psalm 51:10-12

Often a a simple psalm is worth more than a volume of insights or theological cleverness. I have the feeling that God values the psalms sung by our hearts more than he values the ideas conceived by our minds.

Faith And Works

A group of young Christians came to speak to a well-renowned Professor about a certain matter they had been discussing. They all stood together now in his office and after a brief awkward silence, a student stepped forward, cleared his throat and asked, "Teacher, we've been taught that everyone does evil and that God hates evil. But how are we saved?" The teacher paused for moment and then asked, "What is it that the teachers of the Scriptures have taught you?"

The student who had asked the question replied, "They teach that men are saved by faith alone. They teach what the Apostle Paul taught when he wrote 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.' If we could earn our way to heaven why would Jesus have had to come and die?"

A second student immediately replied, "I've been taught that saying that we are saved by faith alone is just Easy-Believism. If we are saved only by faith then why does James write that faith without works is dead? Why does he ask, rhetorically, if such a faith can save? Do you believe that dead faith alone is all you need? Clearly we need faith and works!"

A this moment a third student interjected, "This hair-splitting between faith and works is ridiculous! A work, like giving to poor, is clearly a work and we all recognize it as such. But is believing a certain way any less of a work? Giving to the poor is a work done by hands and believing a creed is a work done by the mind but both are works. Both require something of us. If we use honest terms you'll all agree that we're saved by works, and works alone, because what else is there in life? Everything we say, think, do, dream, imagine - it's all a work of some sort."

All the students began to speak at the same time arguing amongst themselves so that they didn't notice the Professor gathering his things to leave for the day until he had stood up from his desk and walked halfway to the door that the group was presently blocking. Reminded again of his presence and why they had come , they all fell silent and gazed at him waiting to see whose side he would choose and what his arguments were.

The Teacher paused and said to them, "We are not saved by faith. Neither are we saved by works." Then he passed through the crowd and walked out of the office.

Upside Down

Homosexuality is preached against from nearly every pulpit, but why is it that so few people take a stand against rampant pre-martial sex?

Why do we swat at the gnats but ignore the bees?

Knowledge

"Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin." Proverbs 10:14

Some things, like knowledge, are good for their own sake.

A Heartless Apostle

The Apostle Paul writes this, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'" This sounds heartless to some modern thinking especially when one considers that God freely gives everything to us whether we earn it or not. Or does he?

When the Israelites where held in bondage by the Egyptians with no hope or means of any kind of escape God answered their many prayers and fought the Egyptians on their behalf. He worked powerful miracles and destroyed Pharaoh's army in the sea without any Israelite needing to lift a hand. Yet once they had been freed and became a people capable of forging weapons and assembling armies, God stopped doing all the fighting for them. They had to fight their own battles and shed their own blood, though God continued to bless their efforts. When they wandered the barren desert and were unable to grow crops, God provided manna from heaven. Yet when they were about to enter the promised land, the manna ceased to appear and they had to provide their own food.

It is not for lack of faith that we work with our own hands or even save a portion of the fruits of our labor. It is not for lack of a heart that many of us find the idea of subsidizing laziness a revolting one. God lifted up the helpless until they could stand on their own feet at which point they were expected to. Sounds like a good plan.

Theology of Freedom

Many of the doctrinal differences between different sects of the Christian faith are close relatives of each other in the sense that they diverge from a common point. That common point is the question of how the goodness of freedom is to be balanced against its potential misuse to do evil.

Consider the doctrine of the communion of saints as an example. Some sects allow or even encourage their members to ask for the intercession of departed brothers and sisters in the faith. Since God is the God of the living, can we imagine an afterlife where the departed faithful were cut off from communion with God? And if they continue to live and commune with God and are a "cloud of witnesses" about us, why can't we ask for their intercession as we might ask those living in the world to intercede for us? Other sects disallow this practice out of the fear that it might to into idolatry. They fear the possibility that their members will fall into the practice of praying to their ancestors as though they had the power of gods and were gods. It is reasoned that any potential benefits derived from these additional intercessors is not worth the risk of falling into idolatry. So the disputes are not so much over the doctrine so much as the balancing of freedom against abuse.

This is but one example among a larger set of similarly related doctrines. Consider the differing doctrines pertaining to dancing, drinking, eating meat, etc. When reflecting on these we must reflect on the fundamental question of freedom. And when reflecting on this fundamental question we should consider the type of world that our loving Father decided in His wisdom to create for us and the remarkable extent of the freedom He grants us in it, either to do good or to do evil.

Bricks

A brick might be put to use for building for a church of God which would be a very good thing or a brick might be put to use for smashing a work of art or destroying a human body which would be a great evil. A brick though is just a brick.

Jesus and David

Jesus and David have a lot in common. Jesus participated in weddings, feasts, and festivals while David danced enthusiastically out his overflowing joy. Both were chastised on account on these actions. Both men wept bitterly during their lives. Both men lived in a type of exile. Both developed friendships so deep and meaningful that they were willing to die for them. Both spoke plainly and honestly to God, not holding anything back or hiding behind words. Maybe that's why Scripture calls David a man after God's own heart.

Any Moment

Any moment can be the start of a new life.

Creation

God is creative. The very first thing we learn about God in the very first book of the Bible is that He likes to create things. When we worship, we imitate God by creating from nothing something that is good and pleasing to Him. When someone writes a worship song they create something that did not exist before to honor God and when God's people join in singing it they create with their voices harmony and sound where there was only empty air before. Worship though is not limited to music or singing but springs forth wherever something good is created to fill a chasm - whether it is art, speech, text, prayer, good deeds, etc. In fact, one could define worship in this way: worship is the act of imitating God by creating what is good as an offering of love to Him.

Love

Without love Christianity is what its enemies claim it is.

Cutting Both Ways

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Luke 16:10

This verse is often used as reason to not entrust someone with more responsibility or authority. However, this is a sword that cuts both ways as many parables are. We should use this wisdom to avoid giving more responsibility to someone who clearly cannot handle it, but we should also remember that when someone does prove trustworthy with little that we should not shrink back from trusting them with more. When we start thinking of these parables in only one way, we start losing opportunities to better our lives and the lives of other around us.

Hugs

Nice Idea: Hug a friend.
Good Idea: Hug a stranger.
Great Idea: Hug an enemy.

Holiness

Holiness is a narrow road and its a middle road that winds its way between two extremes. On the one side of the road there is the idea that we live only for our own pleasure. On the other side, there is the idea that we must not taste or touch or engage in details of life for fear that we might dirty ourselves in the process. While both of these ideas are dangerous the latter is more so because it is an imitation of true holiness rather than an outright rebellion against it. True holiness exercises the fullness of the freedom God has granted us for His glory. Fake holiness shys away from the exercise of freedom out of fear because it is not motivated by love of God or people but by the zealous observance of rules and regulations.

Reverence

Its amazing to observe how reverently and with such respect people receive the Eucharist. Care is taken to ensure that no part of the Sacrament falls to or touches the floor and it is received in pious silence. Even when passing in front of the alter, respect is given by a show of reverence because the alter holds the Sacrament. And the respect and reverence itself is not even so amazing as the fact that it is so universally practiced and expected.

It seems markedly incongruous that some of the same believers who treat the Eucharist with such respect do not think they ought to show respect for their own bodies. How can we truly honor what does not even appear to be flesh of God when we do not honor what is clearly flesh made in the image of God? If we bow before alters made by men because they house the Sacrament how should we treat our bodies, created by God, which house the Holy Spirit?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." -- 1 Cor 6:19-20

Parenting

Parenting is such a difficult task because it requires walking a fine line. On the one hand children must be allowed the freedom and liberty to learn and grow - to be tempted and challenged and to learn how to overcome those obstacles. This requires faith and trust in the children and your own ability as a parent. On the other hand it is also the duty of a parent to know their children well enough to know when they are significant danger and to then restrict them for their own protection. This requires the courage to say "no" when its in the best interest of the child. Loving parents engage in this difficult task so that their children will grow to love God and will learn to serve him in a fallen world.

We ought to have the same goal in mind for ourselves, that is to grow into the likeness of Christ and the technique is the same. How much thought do we give to parenting ourselves and what does the way we've grown say about our parenting skills?

Encouragement

Encouragement is telling someone who they really are.