What kind of pet peeves do you have? I have to admit I have my fair share of them. For example, why can't people seem to understand how a 4-way stop works? If you get to the intersection first, you go first; if you get there at the same time, the one on the right goes first. Simple, right? Apparently not. Nearly every day I drive up to a 4-way stop and another driver should go first, but they wait and wait and then wave for me to go first. It's great to be kind and polite, but the rules of the road were set up for everyone's safety. If you want to let someone go ahead of you, do it at the grocery store check out or hold the door open for them. On the road, just follow the rules; it's safer for everyone.
OK, now here's the point of this. As I was just thinking about what I was writing, I could feel myself on the verge of getting "worked up." Why is that? Because this is one of my pet peeves. It's one of those things that I let bother me. Why do we seem to have a problem with letting things bother us like this? Should Christians have a mindset that leads to being easily upset and angry about things? I don't think so. I'm not talking about being a little aggravated or frustrated; I'm talking about getting angry over things that really don't matter.
Paul said, "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5). The qualities of meekness and gentleness are evidence of the Lord's influence in our lives. Paul listed this among what he called "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23). If we are truly following the Spirit's teaching, then we will demonstrate gentleness rather than harshness toward other people.
Hand in hand with gentleness, and immediately following it in Paul's description of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Without self-control, there will be no gentleness. You see, we demonstrate a gentle attitude toward others because we choose to do so. I suppose everyone gets frustrated or aggravated about different things now and then. I think Jesus even seemed to be a little frustrated with His followers at times. For example, Jesus told His apostles about how He was about to leave them, but that He was doing all of this to make it possible for men to come to the Father through Him. In response to this, Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (John 14:8). To me, Jesus seems to show a little bit of frustration with Philip in His response: "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "Show us the Father"?'" (John 14:9). If Jesus was frustrated with Philip, He chose not to react harshly toward him. He responded with gentleness. Frustration, aggravation, even anger can and must be controlled. Paul said, "'Be angry and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:26-27). By refusing to control these kinds of emotions, we give an opportunity to the devil in our lives. Many sins can result when someone fails to control his temper.
So let's be careful about our pet peeves. Let's make sure we maintain control and never let our emotions control us. Even if you're frustrated or angry, always try to maintain that spirit of gentleness.
Oh, and it would really help me out a lot if you would make sure you go when you're supposed to at that 4-way stop.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
"Is that God?"
I was reading Adam Faughn's blog yesterday and he told a story about his little girl and teaching her about giving. His story reminded me of one with our daughter. Emma is 3 years old and my wife often gives her some money to put in the collection plate. When she does, she tells Emma, "it's time to give our money to God." Well one Sunday she had told Emma that after giving her a dollar. While they were waiting for the men to arrive with the collection plates, Emma looked at the dollar, saw George Washington's picture on it and asked, "Is that God?"
There's a pretty good lesson there for us. How many people look at a dollar and think it is God? They love money, they live for money, they sacrifice their time and sometimes their relationships for money--money is their God. I'm pretty sure this is the reason Paul said that covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
I don't know how long it has been this way in American culture, but for a long time success has been equated with the accumulation of wealth. The more money you have, the more successful you are. Many people think they are better than others just because they have more money than they do. We need to be reminded of Paul's warning: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV). Is it even necessary in today's world to enumerate the kinds of sorrows that result from a love for money? We've all seen too much evidence of the truthfulness of this statement to deny it. Everything from violent crime to broken homes is often tied directly to a love for money.
Here's another object lesson from a dollar bill that might be wise for everyone to consider. On the back of a dollar bill is a picture of an eagle with its wings outstretched. Whenever you see that eagle, think of Proverbs 23:5
There's a pretty good lesson there for us. How many people look at a dollar and think it is God? They love money, they live for money, they sacrifice their time and sometimes their relationships for money--money is their God. I'm pretty sure this is the reason Paul said that covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
I don't know how long it has been this way in American culture, but for a long time success has been equated with the accumulation of wealth. The more money you have, the more successful you are. Many people think they are better than others just because they have more money than they do. We need to be reminded of Paul's warning: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV). Is it even necessary in today's world to enumerate the kinds of sorrows that result from a love for money? We've all seen too much evidence of the truthfulness of this statement to deny it. Everything from violent crime to broken homes is often tied directly to a love for money.
Here's another object lesson from a dollar bill that might be wise for everyone to consider. On the back of a dollar bill is a picture of an eagle with its wings outstretched. Whenever you see that eagle, think of Proverbs 23:5
Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Commitment
A few days ago I asked why we drove everywhere we went instead of walking or riding a bike if our destination is only a short distance away. The reason I offered was, convenience. Well, guess what: today is the second day in a row I've ridden my bike to the church building. We only live about 1.4 miles from the church building, so it's not a bad ride at all. However, there are 3 hurdles I'm going to be faced with every time I get on the bike.
1. The highway. The shortest route to the church building is the main highway through town. It's really not all that busy, but it's a 4-lane road and it's a little bit intimidating.
2. The hill. About 2/3 of the way to the building I can take a side road to get off the highway. The problem is that there is a pretty big hill to climb. I made it up yesterday, but today I had to walk part of the way.
3. The heat. Summertime in Alabama is not known for its cool temperatures. I may not live that far from the building, but when you carry as much extra weight as I do, temperature is a big consideration.
Individually, these 3 hurdles are not all that much. Together, they are a little more to consider. Now please understand: I'm 43 years old, terribly out of shape, and very much overweight. To a young and/or physically fit person, this probably sounds like nothing. But it's a pretty big deal for me. Oh well, you have to start somewhere, they say.
So what will determine whether these things keep me from riding to work on a regular basis? Commitment. If I am committed enough to getting in shape and saving a little bit on gas, I'll keep it up regardless of the difficulties.
Isn't that true in our spiritual lives as well? Living faithfully for the Lord is not always easy. We face pressures from many different sources. Will we stay faithful in spite of those difficulties, or will we allow the pressures to defeat us in our attempt to live faithfully? The answer is in commitment.
Jesus said that if we will follow Him we must deny self, take up the cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). I'll never forget how Keith Mosher, one of my instructors at Memphis School of Preaching used to explain the concept of taking up the cross. He would remind us that in the First Century the cross did not have the same meaning to people that it does today. The cross today has a religious connotation, and so people think of taking up the cross as bearing some burden as we serve the Lord. But in the First Century, the cross was simply an implement of execution. When someone took up his cross in Jesus' day, he was on the way to be killed. Brother Mosher used to say, if we put this in modern day terms, it would be, "take up your electric chair and follow me." That sheds a whole different light on what Jesus meant. The commitment to follow Christ must be so complete that we put ourselves to death. We no longer live for self. In fact, Jesus must live in us. This is exactly what Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, NKJV).
There's another parallel here, too. The obstacles I face in my daily bike ride may seem insignificant to some. It all depends on where your strengths lie. If you are very physically fit and you begin to ridicule me for being discouraged by the kinds of things I mentioned, you might just keep me from pressing on toward my goal. Spiritually, we have the same situation. What may seem like strong temptations and overpowering pressures to one person may seem insignificant to another. We need to make sure that we never ridicule or make light of another person's struggles.
Have you ever been around someone who always has to tell you about something he's experienced that makes your difficulty insignificant? You tell someone about some bad thing that's happened to you, or some problem you're facing, and then you can always tell when it's coming. The first thing they say when you've finished your story is, "Well that's nothing, one time I..." This kind of attitude is very discouraging and demeaning.
Paul tells us not to have this attitude toward one another. In Romans 14, he gives instructions on how two different groups of Christians should treat one another. In that time, some people had a conscience problem with eating certain kinds of meats. There was nothing wrong with eating the meat, but some Christians believed there was a problem and would not eat it. Paul told the Christians who did eat the meat not to "despise" the ones who did not (Romans 14:3). The word "despise" means to look down on, to treat with contempt, to ridicule, to make of no account, etc.
We should seek to encourage one another. Commitment to follow Christ is the key to faithfulness. Let's remember that whatever pressure we face can never be greater than the reward Jesus has promised to us. And let's remember that we can be either a great source of encouragement or discouragement to others in their commitment to live faithfully.
1. The highway. The shortest route to the church building is the main highway through town. It's really not all that busy, but it's a 4-lane road and it's a little bit intimidating.
2. The hill. About 2/3 of the way to the building I can take a side road to get off the highway. The problem is that there is a pretty big hill to climb. I made it up yesterday, but today I had to walk part of the way.
3. The heat. Summertime in Alabama is not known for its cool temperatures. I may not live that far from the building, but when you carry as much extra weight as I do, temperature is a big consideration.
Individually, these 3 hurdles are not all that much. Together, they are a little more to consider. Now please understand: I'm 43 years old, terribly out of shape, and very much overweight. To a young and/or physically fit person, this probably sounds like nothing. But it's a pretty big deal for me. Oh well, you have to start somewhere, they say.
So what will determine whether these things keep me from riding to work on a regular basis? Commitment. If I am committed enough to getting in shape and saving a little bit on gas, I'll keep it up regardless of the difficulties.
Isn't that true in our spiritual lives as well? Living faithfully for the Lord is not always easy. We face pressures from many different sources. Will we stay faithful in spite of those difficulties, or will we allow the pressures to defeat us in our attempt to live faithfully? The answer is in commitment.
Jesus said that if we will follow Him we must deny self, take up the cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). I'll never forget how Keith Mosher, one of my instructors at Memphis School of Preaching used to explain the concept of taking up the cross. He would remind us that in the First Century the cross did not have the same meaning to people that it does today. The cross today has a religious connotation, and so people think of taking up the cross as bearing some burden as we serve the Lord. But in the First Century, the cross was simply an implement of execution. When someone took up his cross in Jesus' day, he was on the way to be killed. Brother Mosher used to say, if we put this in modern day terms, it would be, "take up your electric chair and follow me." That sheds a whole different light on what Jesus meant. The commitment to follow Christ must be so complete that we put ourselves to death. We no longer live for self. In fact, Jesus must live in us. This is exactly what Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, NKJV).
There's another parallel here, too. The obstacles I face in my daily bike ride may seem insignificant to some. It all depends on where your strengths lie. If you are very physically fit and you begin to ridicule me for being discouraged by the kinds of things I mentioned, you might just keep me from pressing on toward my goal. Spiritually, we have the same situation. What may seem like strong temptations and overpowering pressures to one person may seem insignificant to another. We need to make sure that we never ridicule or make light of another person's struggles.
Have you ever been around someone who always has to tell you about something he's experienced that makes your difficulty insignificant? You tell someone about some bad thing that's happened to you, or some problem you're facing, and then you can always tell when it's coming. The first thing they say when you've finished your story is, "Well that's nothing, one time I..." This kind of attitude is very discouraging and demeaning.
Paul tells us not to have this attitude toward one another. In Romans 14, he gives instructions on how two different groups of Christians should treat one another. In that time, some people had a conscience problem with eating certain kinds of meats. There was nothing wrong with eating the meat, but some Christians believed there was a problem and would not eat it. Paul told the Christians who did eat the meat not to "despise" the ones who did not (Romans 14:3). The word "despise" means to look down on, to treat with contempt, to ridicule, to make of no account, etc.
We should seek to encourage one another. Commitment to follow Christ is the key to faithfulness. Let's remember that whatever pressure we face can never be greater than the reward Jesus has promised to us. And let's remember that we can be either a great source of encouragement or discouragement to others in their commitment to live faithfully.
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