Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
WOW! What a contrast of today's world! Think about it. What is normal in this world? Aren't we always inpatient? We want everything fast, we want the convenience of not having to wait. I was thinking today about Google and the Internet... before those two things existed and we needed information, we had to go to the library! That required a great amount of patience for sure! Now, if we can't find the info in seconds, we surely get inpatient!
The greekbible.com has some interesting words relating to the original term used here for "patience": μακροθυμέω,verb \{mak-roth-oo-meh'-o}
1) to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart 1a) to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles 1b) to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others 1b1) to be mild and slow in avenging 1b2) to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish.
Kindness? There is example after example of how we can be so unkind to each other every day. Even people who are "religious" can be some of the most unkind people in this world. Intolerant of what some people choose to do, rather than approach those people with kindness and love, they spout vitriol from their mouths.
Envy? Our whole society is constantly bombarded with marketing messages that are designed to evoke envy in our hearts that leads us to buy something just because the Joneses have it. While we all acknowledge that outright envy is bad, we indulge in it every day.
Again, here are some sobering words on the original word meaning for "envy": ζηλόω,verb \{dzay-lo'-o}
1) to burn with zeal 1a) to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, anger 1a1) in a good sense, to be zealous in the pursuit of good 1b) to desire earnestly, pursue 1b1) to desire one earnestly, to strive after, busy one's self about him 1b2) to exert one's self for one (that he may not be torn from me) 1b3) to be the object of the zeal of others, to be zealously sought after 1c) to envy (greekbible.com)
Boast? Love does not boast... yet it is one of our favorite things to do. We look at what we have done, what we have, what others don't have and we boast about it, it's the American way. Yet, the word says that love does not boast. Meaning that if we act in love, we would never boast, we would never gain joy at the expense of another.
Love is not proud? Yet we thrive on pride every day. Pride is the other side of the coin from envy. We are proud when people envy us, it's part of the American dream, to work hard so you can own stuff and be proud.
Notice how all these things that love is not are connected. Imagine someone walking into a room and immediately you see that person impatiently working through the crowd, boasting and pridefully speaking, what would be your first impression? Probably that they are rude and self seeking. And in this verse it says love is never those thins so your first impression might also be that this person has no love.
Ever know someone who has no love? They are usually easily angered and you hate to speak to them about any issue because you are afraid of the "blow up". They will spare no time to point out the flaws of others and flash into explosive diatribes but never stop to account for their own flaws or wrong doings. Sadly, that's more common that needs to be.
In the end, if we were to really understand LOVE, our lives would be way different. But in a society that "loves" everything, I love coke, I love Chevy, I love this and I love that, we have become desensitized to the word "love" and have lost the true meaning of it.
In Spanish there are different words for love. For example, you would never say "Yo amo Coca Cola" - You would say "Me gusta la Coca Cola" or "I like Coke". You use the word "amor" only when it relates to God and family. "Yo amo a Dios", I love God, "Yo te amo", I love you. I don't "amo" my friends, I "quiero" my friends. It's the same thing with the Greek words for love where you have "agape" God's absolute unconditional love, "phileo", brotherly love and "eros", a sensual impulsive love.
As pointed out above, the verse uses "agape" for love. So when we seek for the meaning of true love, when we ask ourselves, "do we really know what love is?" we should refer to God's unconditional love. Because if we believe that God is in us, then his agape love resides in us and we can simply pray to God that he loves others through us, even when we fail to love ourselves.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Your punishment has already been executed
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 NIV
This morning I woke up and it was like God whispering into my ear saying "the law is for the lawless"... I knew exactly what verse He was talking about and I immediately started to think... "NO I don't want to write about this verse...!"
You see, I believe these is one of those verses in the Bible that can be used for good as well as for evil. While I'm no Bible scholar, perhaps you will allow me to share some thoughts about this very difficult verse.
Why do I say it is difficult? To start with, the word "homosexuality" appears in today's verse. Immediately, the readership is potentially divided into two and now this very blog post is at the risk of alienating one person or another. No matter what your thoughts might be about homosexuality, can you hang in here with me for a while?
I chose to focus on the word "homosexuality" in this verse because it can be such a divisive word when it comes to "religion". The sadness of it all is that this passage really has nothing to do with that. Yet, taken out of context (as the devil is good at doing) the verse can be used to condemn people who might not be thought of as fit for "the church."
When read in context of the previous verses, what the Apostle Paul is trying to do with this letter is settle the record straight with "false teachers." Those are teachers who teach a gospel of works. You do this, you do that and you are saved. In other words, follow the law and you are saved. This kind of thinking leads people astray and away from the true Gospel which points to a Savior. Someone who saves you despite who you are instead of the effort to save yourself by keeping rules.
It's ironic that Paul's writing which is meant to free us from the law, is used to bind us to it even further. Please don't misunderstand my choice of words when I say "free us from the law." I didn't say we now have license to do whatever the hell we want! What I meant is that Paul's words are meant to free us from condemnation.
Back to false teachers: I remember the book series "Left Behind" as it featured a pastor who was left behind after the "rapture". Throughout the story, the pastor realized what he had done wrong. He was left behind because he did not REALLY believe in the Gospel of a Savior but taught the Gospel of works which is totally dependent on the law. This is really Paul's central theme of his message.
When you look at the list of sins it's not just about "homosexuality". This is an all inclusive list. He covers ALL of humanity with his list and to make sure, at the end he says "whatever else". In other words, if you think you are good enough to escape this list, consider anything else you do that you KNOW is against God. If you say you don't sin, you are deceived.
Paul's specific point in doing this is to point the reader to God's plan to save us (the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious) and without a Savior, we are reduced to just that. With a savior, even though we deserve death, we are free in that our debt is paid for and because of that, God does not see our sinful nature, he sees HIS purity in all of us.
Let me close with this simple analogy to explain how I see the true Gospel Paul is talking about. Maybe it can help you too:
When you come to your "judgment day" you find yourself in a court room. In this court room you find a VERY SMALL guy with lots of notes. He is yelling in the court, going through a litany of "violations." You realize that he is talking about YOU. You are all the sudden reliving all of the wrong choices you made in your life, all of your transgressions, your lies, EVERYTHING. You suddenly realize this is the DEVIL and you are amazed at how little and un-intimidating he really is. Yet, his words continue to pierce your heart and you realize you are in a hell of a desperate situation as the judge is intently listening to his words.
That's about when you notice Jesus next to you. He is calmly waiting for the devil to finish. Finally, after a hellish account of your actions the devil says "I rest my case". Then Jesus gets up, calmly, and says "Your honor, may I submit the 'Book of Life' as Exhibit A? There you will find the defendant's name. As you see, his transgressions as so eloquently put forth by the devil have been already prosecuted and paid for. Therefore, the defendant's record is clean without any blemish. I ask that you dismiss the accused immediately."
That's the true Gospel. You believe in a Savior. Someone who can do what YOU CANNOT do. He kept EVERY aspect of the law and was sacrificed for you. He took your place in death so when you hear the painful account of all your wrong doings, you can be confident that He will step in to declare that your punishment has already been executed. Now imagine the alternative, arguing with the devil, trying to justify your existence. Trying to make a case that your "good deeds" outweigh the bad ones.
Now it is up to you, it's your choice. Do you trust yourself to keep up with a litany of rules, traditions and religious activities in order to save yourself? Or do you want to rely on faith that the little child "Emmanuel" which we celebrate during Christmas came to us to serve as our stand-in for the punishment we deserve?
If your choice is the latter, its really easy. Romans 10:9 says: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Whatever your choice, I would love to know.
This morning I woke up and it was like God whispering into my ear saying "the law is for the lawless"... I knew exactly what verse He was talking about and I immediately started to think... "NO I don't want to write about this verse...!"
You see, I believe these is one of those verses in the Bible that can be used for good as well as for evil. While I'm no Bible scholar, perhaps you will allow me to share some thoughts about this very difficult verse.
Why do I say it is difficult? To start with, the word "homosexuality" appears in today's verse. Immediately, the readership is potentially divided into two and now this very blog post is at the risk of alienating one person or another. No matter what your thoughts might be about homosexuality, can you hang in here with me for a while?
I chose to focus on the word "homosexuality" in this verse because it can be such a divisive word when it comes to "religion". The sadness of it all is that this passage really has nothing to do with that. Yet, taken out of context (as the devil is good at doing) the verse can be used to condemn people who might not be thought of as fit for "the church."
When read in context of the previous verses, what the Apostle Paul is trying to do with this letter is settle the record straight with "false teachers." Those are teachers who teach a gospel of works. You do this, you do that and you are saved. In other words, follow the law and you are saved. This kind of thinking leads people astray and away from the true Gospel which points to a Savior. Someone who saves you despite who you are instead of the effort to save yourself by keeping rules.
It's ironic that Paul's writing which is meant to free us from the law, is used to bind us to it even further. Please don't misunderstand my choice of words when I say "free us from the law." I didn't say we now have license to do whatever the hell we want! What I meant is that Paul's words are meant to free us from condemnation.
Back to false teachers: I remember the book series "Left Behind" as it featured a pastor who was left behind after the "rapture". Throughout the story, the pastor realized what he had done wrong. He was left behind because he did not REALLY believe in the Gospel of a Savior but taught the Gospel of works which is totally dependent on the law. This is really Paul's central theme of his message.
When you look at the list of sins it's not just about "homosexuality". This is an all inclusive list. He covers ALL of humanity with his list and to make sure, at the end he says "whatever else". In other words, if you think you are good enough to escape this list, consider anything else you do that you KNOW is against God. If you say you don't sin, you are deceived.
Paul's specific point in doing this is to point the reader to God's plan to save us (the lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious) and without a Savior, we are reduced to just that. With a savior, even though we deserve death, we are free in that our debt is paid for and because of that, God does not see our sinful nature, he sees HIS purity in all of us.
Let me close with this simple analogy to explain how I see the true Gospel Paul is talking about. Maybe it can help you too:
When you come to your "judgment day" you find yourself in a court room. In this court room you find a VERY SMALL guy with lots of notes. He is yelling in the court, going through a litany of "violations." You realize that he is talking about YOU. You are all the sudden reliving all of the wrong choices you made in your life, all of your transgressions, your lies, EVERYTHING. You suddenly realize this is the DEVIL and you are amazed at how little and un-intimidating he really is. Yet, his words continue to pierce your heart and you realize you are in a hell of a desperate situation as the judge is intently listening to his words.
That's about when you notice Jesus next to you. He is calmly waiting for the devil to finish. Finally, after a hellish account of your actions the devil says "I rest my case". Then Jesus gets up, calmly, and says "Your honor, may I submit the 'Book of Life' as Exhibit A? There you will find the defendant's name. As you see, his transgressions as so eloquently put forth by the devil have been already prosecuted and paid for. Therefore, the defendant's record is clean without any blemish. I ask that you dismiss the accused immediately."
That's the true Gospel. You believe in a Savior. Someone who can do what YOU CANNOT do. He kept EVERY aspect of the law and was sacrificed for you. He took your place in death so when you hear the painful account of all your wrong doings, you can be confident that He will step in to declare that your punishment has already been executed. Now imagine the alternative, arguing with the devil, trying to justify your existence. Trying to make a case that your "good deeds" outweigh the bad ones.
Now it is up to you, it's your choice. Do you trust yourself to keep up with a litany of rules, traditions and religious activities in order to save yourself? Or do you want to rely on faith that the little child "Emmanuel" which we celebrate during Christmas came to us to serve as our stand-in for the punishment we deserve?
If your choice is the latter, its really easy. Romans 10:9 says: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Whatever your choice, I would love to know.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
God's love reigns.
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6
Here in the United States many celebrate Christmas. The stores are adorned and the feeding frenzy of Christmas shoppers is at is height. We celebrate but often without any understanding or reverence for the reason for the season. After all, we are talking about CHRISTmas, so who is this Christ?
Today's verse happens after Jesus washes the disciples' feet as a sign of his servant heart. He then predicts his demise and Peter boldly proclaims his loyalty but Jesus breaks his bubble when he predicts that Peter will deny him three times. Then he tells his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled because he is going ahead to prepare a place for them in his father's house. Finally he tells them "You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Doubting Thomas takes his place in saying “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” That's when Jesus finally delivers today's verse: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Now many will take offense to this verse. Certainly people of other religions can't submit to this and they will not consider it truth. Someone who is agnostic or atheist doesn't comprehend this verse and will dismiss it as religious dogma. I can certainly understand the sentiment, Jesus' statement is divisive. It divides believers from unbelievers. In this statement lies a line, the line that you either cross into faith or stand in disbelieve of the REAL central message behind CHRISTmas which is so eloquently stated by the Apostle John in the famous verse John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Now I am obviously a believer but I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of an unbeliever. There was a time in my life that I didn't want to even talk about this. I didn't care to know truth, dogma or anything that challenged the mere physical nature of my existence. I operated under the laws of physics, living day to day and relying on my self to get me through each day. Looking back I remember that I used to call myself a "born again agnostic." Although I was an unbeliever, I could not get past the acknowledgement that something bigger than me operated in this world. I think that's the case for most people. Maybe they haven't submitted to a particular religion or believe but deep in their hearts, they know something is out there watching over them.
My point in today's message is not going to be to convince you one way or the other. I can't do that. Nobody can do that. Its about God speaking into YOUR heart and reveling truths that only you can decide on. What I hope to do here is just let you peek into my heart and listen to MY experience in hope that you open your heart and we can connect. After all, I believe this to be God's will, for us to love each other despite all our flaws, believes and shortcomings.
I believe that when we connect through our hearts, we can see God. After all, God is in us. When we let our walls down, when we become vulnerable and connect, we put aside our pride, our envy, anger and everything that entangles us and we finally can have moments of clarity that show us God's will for us. To love and help each other. To love and help each other when we most need help and we are praying to a higher power for help. That's when God operates THROUGH us to send us love and help. Psalm 138:8 says "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" - I believe he does this through people that open their hearts to you.
So, whether you believe or not that Jesus is THE ONE that God sent to us as a sacrifice, to be our Savior, the reason for the season should still make some sense to you. That at least it should be a celebration of God's love and how he wants to operate in our lives if only we allow him to cultivate his will in our hearts and we would open our hearts to others. Even in a world full of strife, God's love reigns and his people will connect.
Here in the United States many celebrate Christmas. The stores are adorned and the feeding frenzy of Christmas shoppers is at is height. We celebrate but often without any understanding or reverence for the reason for the season. After all, we are talking about CHRISTmas, so who is this Christ?
Today's verse happens after Jesus washes the disciples' feet as a sign of his servant heart. He then predicts his demise and Peter boldly proclaims his loyalty but Jesus breaks his bubble when he predicts that Peter will deny him three times. Then he tells his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled because he is going ahead to prepare a place for them in his father's house. Finally he tells them "You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Doubting Thomas takes his place in saying “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” That's when Jesus finally delivers today's verse: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Now many will take offense to this verse. Certainly people of other religions can't submit to this and they will not consider it truth. Someone who is agnostic or atheist doesn't comprehend this verse and will dismiss it as religious dogma. I can certainly understand the sentiment, Jesus' statement is divisive. It divides believers from unbelievers. In this statement lies a line, the line that you either cross into faith or stand in disbelieve of the REAL central message behind CHRISTmas which is so eloquently stated by the Apostle John in the famous verse John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Now I am obviously a believer but I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of an unbeliever. There was a time in my life that I didn't want to even talk about this. I didn't care to know truth, dogma or anything that challenged the mere physical nature of my existence. I operated under the laws of physics, living day to day and relying on my self to get me through each day. Looking back I remember that I used to call myself a "born again agnostic." Although I was an unbeliever, I could not get past the acknowledgement that something bigger than me operated in this world. I think that's the case for most people. Maybe they haven't submitted to a particular religion or believe but deep in their hearts, they know something is out there watching over them.
My point in today's message is not going to be to convince you one way or the other. I can't do that. Nobody can do that. Its about God speaking into YOUR heart and reveling truths that only you can decide on. What I hope to do here is just let you peek into my heart and listen to MY experience in hope that you open your heart and we can connect. After all, I believe this to be God's will, for us to love each other despite all our flaws, believes and shortcomings.
I believe that when we connect through our hearts, we can see God. After all, God is in us. When we let our walls down, when we become vulnerable and connect, we put aside our pride, our envy, anger and everything that entangles us and we finally can have moments of clarity that show us God's will for us. To love and help each other. To love and help each other when we most need help and we are praying to a higher power for help. That's when God operates THROUGH us to send us love and help. Psalm 138:8 says "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" - I believe he does this through people that open their hearts to you.
So, whether you believe or not that Jesus is THE ONE that God sent to us as a sacrifice, to be our Savior, the reason for the season should still make some sense to you. That at least it should be a celebration of God's love and how he wants to operate in our lives if only we allow him to cultivate his will in our hearts and we would open our hearts to others. Even in a world full of strife, God's love reigns and his people will connect.
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