The end of another year is here. In 2021 I read my Bible through in a year (at least I will if I don't give up in the last two days). Let me begin this post with a defense of "just reading" the Bible. I do Bible study and meditation, but when I do my read the Bible in a year reading I usually "just read" it. Now, some would say, and I used to say, that if one reads at too quick a pace it's fruitless. Well, after doing another year of reading my Bible in a year I don't find that true. "Just reading" has increased my recall of the entire Bible. It has helped me see trends and patterns throughout large swaths of books and the Bible as a whole and to become more familiar with the Bible in general.
So, if your 2022 resolution is reading the Bible in a year, I encourage you to not approach "just reading" the Bible, rather than doing an in-depth study, as pointless. Just read the Bible any way you can.
With that prelude done, below are the Top 10 posts of mine from the year 2021. Perhaps this Top 10 isn't a very accurate list and is just a random ten, but when I compiled the list it felt Top 10.
During Advent I want to take four non-sacred aspects of Christmastime and look at how we can use them to point ourselves and our families to Christ. We will look at Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas food and Christmas presents. Hopefully, these four things will train your eyes to remember Jesus well.
I was rarely the "I got to have it" kid when it came to Christmas. There's only a couple years I remember being fixated on a thing I just had to have.
One year I badly wanted the Ghostbusters car. We were dirt poor that year and my parents scrimped and saved to get me that one thing. Since it was their only gift to me they went big. They made a parachute for it, rang a bell (that they claimed was from Santa's sleigh) and had me run out to see it had been dropped down for me late from old Kris Kringle. I still fondly remember that Christmas. My Aunt Sally got us the original Nintendo that year, but even that amazing gift couldn't compete with the one thing my parents worked so hard to give me.
Another year I just had to have a Super Nintendo. To be honest, I only really wanted to play NBA Jam Tournament Edition. I was, in my recollection, a pain in the butt. I remember begging my mom and dad and hinting and hinting and hinting. The Warrensburg, Missouri Pizza Hut had the arcade version of NBA Jam so I just had to have my dad play with me so he could understand what an amazing gift this would be for his beloved first born son. On Christmas Eve as we opened gifts my mom accidentally gave me the Super Game Boy cartridge before she gave me the Super Nintendo itself. I was thrilled at seeing that cartridge because I knew my begging and pleading and hinting had paid off.
Did you have a gift you were fixated on as a kid?
"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." John 3:16
When God wanted to give the greatest gift, what did He give? His Son.
When we think about the gifts of Christmas our minds should come often to Jesus Himself. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit offer us all sorts of amazing gifts: eternal life, forgiveness of sins, adoption, justification, sanctification, reconciliation with God, glorified bodies, the New Heaven and New Earth, and more. All of these Gospel gifts are found IN the person of Jesus. When we get Jesus we get it all.
Jesus is the gift of Christmas.
Jesus cannot and will not be earned. He was given to us out of the extreme love of God.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith... and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..." Ephesians 2:8
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
The present of Jesus cannot be earned and IN Him is the eternal life and all that the other Gospel benefits. We are like children on Christmas who have no means to earn what we want or need most. We, like children, simply need to receive the gifts the One who loves us purchased for us.
This Christmas we can't miss Jesus. As we finish our shopping and as we open our good gifts, may we never forget the ultimate gift we got at Christmas: Jesus our Immanuel! God with us! When Moses asked to see the face of God he was denied. Mary got to kiss the face of God. The incarnation of Jesus and His sacrifice for us is no small gift, it is THE gift.
Reflect on the gift of Jesus and desire Him more than I coveted a Ghostbusters car or Super Nintendo today.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Rays!
We hope this year has been a good one and this e-letter finds you well. 2021 was another eventful year for us.
(We cannot legally name or show the face of our foster son)
At the end of January Matt was diagnosed with COVID-19 but his case was very mild. He isolated in the bedroom for a week, which was tough for everyone. Matt went a little nuts without the family and Christine went a little nuts parenting solo and dropping meals outside the bedroom door for Matt. We had to postpone Anna's 2nd birthday dinner until Matt was out of isolation. It was interesting to say the least.
COVID-19 hit us again around Thanksgiving. We were about to head out to Christine's parents' house for Thanksgiving when Joshua was diagnosed with COVID after finding out a classmate had it. Our plans were changed and we spent Thanksgiving alone as a family. All the kids seem to have had it, though we only tested Joshua, and all the kids had mild cases. Christine jokes that our year began and ended with COVID.
We began 2021 as a family of four. We end 2021 as a family of six. The day after Easter our foster son moved in with us. He had lived with us for five months previously and needed to live with a foster family again and requested us, roughly one year after leaving us the first time. He will turn 17 on Christmas Eve. Then on May 20th our son Gideon was born at 4:02 p.m. weighing 7lbs 12oz. The other kids and grandma and grandpa had to wait at home to see him until we brought him home from the hospital due to, you guessed it, coronavirus protocol. Our house is full and the kids enjoy each other very much.
As if adding two humans wasn't enough, we also added a dog this year. Our yellow lab Reece moved into our house on January 4th. She's a great dog and is so good with the kids, even when Gideon craws up her back as she snoozes. It's hard to believe she's been with us for less than a full year. Walking her has probably added years to Matt and Christine's lives.
It's at this juncture of the letter we feel the need to assure you that Matt and Christine aren't gluttons for punishment. This year seems eventful enough without adding trips to the Omaha Zoo, the family farm in Southwest Iowa and the Ray Family Reunion in Minnesota (which included a few no-shows due to positive COVID-19 tests).
God has been so good to us this year. Each one of our little kids has a lullaby song unique to him or her. Little Gideon's is "God is So Good". That song seems a good theme for our year. Not everything was planned or went according to plan; some things went completely awry and some things went far better than we could have hoped for and some good came in unplanned, but through it all God has been so good.
At the end of the year we take inventory of our year: Our year was great. At Christmas we take time to remember the good news of great joy. In 2021 God has been with us, He has been Emmanuel. Jesus' birth isn't just a cute story of a baby's birth, Jesus' birth is the reason we can celebrate 2021 and look hopefully toward 2022.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Rays!
Our kids' ages as of this letter: Joshua-4, Anna-2, Gideon-7 months
During Advent I want to take four non-sacred aspects of Christmastime and look at how we can use them to point ourselves and our families to Christ. We will look at Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas food and Christmas presents. Hopefully, these four things will train your eyes to remember Jesus well.
Growing up my favorites were the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kisses in the middle. Sometimes my mom put those Branch's star chocolates in the middle. They tasted best fresh out of the oven, but I would eat them whenever I could.
My wife likes the traditional Christmas cookies that you decorate yourself. We take food coloring and make frosting and use sprinkles to decorate our snowmen, bells, stockings and Santa hats. We even have a cookie cutter that's in the shape of the state of Iowa. I find it hard to not just eat them instead of placing them on the wax paper to dry.
Then there's the drinks. Eggnog comes in too small of a container. I wouldn't mind buying a gallon for myself at the store. My mom, some years, makes hot wassail, which is awesome. And our tradition before opening presents is drinking sparking grape juice, or pretend wine as Joshua calls it.
Christmas Eve after church was soup night when I was younger. I can still smell the house upon returning from Christmas Eve service, if I close my eyes. At my wife's side I've become partial to Swedish meatballs on or around Christmas.
What are some of the Christmas tastes and smells you love?
"Then they asked Him, 'What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe in you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from Heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.' 'Sir,' they said, 'from now on give us this bread.' Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirst." John 6:30-35
As we feast on the Christmastime foods, may we remember that Jesus is the Bread of Life. That He is the satisfying drink.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good;" Psalm 34:8a
Jesus invites us during Advent, and all year, to experience Him; to taste and see. Jesus will be found metaphorically fulfilling and pleasing. Jesus will be found far better than even those peanut butter blossom cookies. He will be more fulfilling than gallons upon gallons of eggnog. Jesus is the One our spiritual tastebuds have been searching for and what our spiritual stomachs need more than anything else.
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Luke 26:26-28
As we enjoy the tastes and delicious smells of this holiday may we not forget to taste and see that the LORD is good. May we go to the Bread of Life even as we enjoy our aunt's homemade bread. As we drink our pretend, or real, wine may we remember the sacrifice of the God-Man's birthday we are celebrating.
If you have kids use these treats to teach them about Jesus... you will have their attention. And when you eat and drink do it all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) today.
During Advent I want to take four non-sacred aspects of Christmastime and look at how we can use them to point ourselves and our families to Christ. We will look at Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas food and Christmas presents. Hopefully, these four things will train your eyes to remember Jesus well.
My wife insists upon having a real Christmas tree. She loves the look and the smell of the tree in our living room. I like it too, but I could easily be persuaded to buy an artificial tree rather than purchasing a $60 tree every year. That said, the real tree is better.
Besides, the tradition of the real tree has been cemented. Our oldest adores the tree and everything about it.
Don't get me wrong, I love our Christmas tree, just not as much as Christine does. The real tree is her tradition. My tradition is having mostly original ornaments rather than glass balls. I love all the "Baby's Firsts" and preschool project ornaments. The hokier the better for me. Part of this is that the balls remind me of divorce. When my parents split, one of them got the family ornaments and the other bought glass balls. But the main reason I love the original ornaments, from the Hallmark to the hokey, is that each one has a story. Decorating the tree with Joshua and Anna is a kinetic story time where they learn our family history.
We have an angel (from a thrift shop) atop our tree. We have this and not a star because as a very young boy I was adamant that the wise men and the star aren't supposed to be there until after Christmas. Even the nativity set was assembled with the wise men still on the way.
Our tree is lovely to me. Our tree tells a story, but can it tell a better story than the history of the Matt Ray family.
If you grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, like I did, you know what special music is. Special music was that portion of the service when a group or soloist sang to the congregation. My Mimi often sang the song "He Grew the Tree" by Barbara Mandrell.
I loved to hear my grandma sing of God's sovereignty and foreknowledge and planning. The song's chorus says, "He grew the tree He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross." Then it says, "Nothing took His life, with love He gave it. He was crucified on a tree that He created. With great love for man, God gave with His plan. He grew the tree so that we might go free."
"The reason the Father loves me is that I lay down my life... only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." John 10:17-18a
This Christmastime as you look at your tree, real or artificial, remember that He grew the tree He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross. The lively and bright green tree of Christmas becomes the deadly wood shrouded in darkness at midday on Good Friday.
Let your tree point you to the cross during Advent today.
During Advent I want to take four non-sacred aspects of Christmastime and look at how we can use them to point ourselves and our families to Christ. We will look at Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas food and Christmas presents. Hopefully, these four things will train your eyes to remember Jesus well.
"Kids, let's go drive around and look at the lights." "Yes!"
This is something we do quite regularly during Christmastime. In fact, the radio station I work for encourages people to go out on Thursday nights to look at the lights while continuous Christmas music is played. So, we pile in the car and explore different neighborhoods in our beloved hometown. The kids love pointing out all the different lights they see.
Our favorite house is 103 Eliasen Avenue in Waverly. The Wiechmann family, each year, synchs their many lights to music on a radio frequency to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Waverly Lights is a a fun tradition.
When our family is with my in-laws we go to see Rotary Lights. Each Christmastime the LaCrosse Rotary Club collects donations for the food bank and roughly 160,000 visitors gaze at over 3,000,000 lights in amazing displays throughout the park.
Christmas lights are part of our tradition. We have them in our house and on our house. We love to look at them. As night comes sooner and lasts longer we get more opportunities to look at electric lights. Some say this tradition has pagan roots, like many Christmastime traditions. Perhaps that's true, but what do Christmas lights tell us about Christmas?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5 (emphasis mine).
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (emphasis mine).
As we drive around looking at the lights, let us see the Light of the World. Let us show our kids the beautiful lights in the dark night and let's point them to the Light that shines in the darkness. Let us gaze at the beauty of coordinated electric light while pondering the Light of Life that shocked our dead self to eternal life.
Let's train our eyes and minds to take every sight and every thought of light captive this Advent. Let's take the non-sacred Christmastime tradition of Christmas lights and use it to set our hearts and minds on the Holy One, the Light of the World today.
Last year on Thanksgiving we stayed home. We had a single friend come to our house for the feast that Christine made. It was Christine's first time making the traditional meal and she enjoyed it, and so did we. Last year was not our traditional Thanksgiving, but it was good.
This year was supposed to be different. We were back on the holiday schedule. This year we were to be with Christine's parents for Thanksgiving and mine for Christmas. We were going to leave Wednesday afternoon and stay until Saturday. The kids were going to see their grandparents and aunt and uncle. Aunt Becca and Uncle Mike were going to see Gideon for the first time.
Then Tuesday Joshua tested positive for COVID-19. Our plans were wrecked. It was even too late to get a turkey thawed for Thanksgiving.
So, here we are again. Another COVID Thanksgiving, this time with fried chicken.
We're disappointed. This isn't the holiday we expected or wanted, but there are lots of reasons to be thankful. I asked Joshua Tuesday afternoon if we could still be thankful even without grandma and grandpa and turkey. He said, "Yes!"
Here are Joshua's reasons to be thankful: "I am thankful for: God, my house, pizza, books, myself, Daddy, Mommy, Anna, Gideon, my family, everyone, cookies, mashed potatoes (likely not true), walls, words and letters, and our clock.
Anna's reason to be thankful: "I am thankful for: Gideon, the moon and mashed potatoes."
This isn't the Thanksgiving we planned but it's what we got. We'd rather be with extended family now anticipating pies and turkey tomorrow. We'd rather be playing board games and talking with family with drink in hand by the fireplace. I'd rather not have another Thanksgiving like this, but I am aware at how much I am blessed. My problems are silly compared to most people currently living on this planet and are ridiculous compared to most people who have ever lived on this earth. I am blessed materially far beyond the wildest dreams of most kings in the grand scope of history.
Most importantly, I'm blessed spiritually infinitely beyond measure. I was an enemy of God and now I am His child (Romans 5). I was responsible for the sin for which Jesus suffered and died and yet He is not ashamed to call me His brother (Hebrews 2:11). I am a joint heir with Jesus instead of kindling for Hell's fire.
I am so thankful. I have to remind myself of that. My memory is so short and I'm extremely near-sighted when life doesn't fit my plan. I need Thanksgiving to help me remember my many reasons to be full of gratitude and not a bad attitude.
Happy Thanksgiving! Feast, remember and count your many blessings today.
It was April, 2010 and we were just about to enter the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls for a concert featuring Casting Crowns. I was escorting the high school students to the correct entrance when my fellow leader Becky said, "Amber has been in a really bad car accident and has been air lifted to Iowa City."
We decided to not mention it to the kids so they could enjoy the concert because they couldn't do anything and we didn't really know anything.
Meanwhile, I was in a bit of shock. I couldn't focus on the concert. The only song I remember hearing was "Praise You in This Storm", to which I replied in my head, "Shut up, Casting Crowns! Not now."
My thoughts were partially on Amber. I thought of her and her family, but then I was comforted knowing that if she died, her eternity was secure. She knew and loved Jesus, of that I was sure. My mind went to the urgency of getting the unsaved and unsure kids in the youth group to know and love Him before they were the ones being air lifted.
That night one girl's name came into my mind and I can't tell you exactly why. I believe God placed her name in my mind and I became burdened to see her proclaim Jesus as Savior and live for Him.
(Amber did survive through miracle after miracle and now she's a wonderful woman, wife, foster mom, disciple and teacher)
So, I had this student on my mind. Then, I don't remember how, we got it set up to meet weekly and study the Bible at the local coffee shop. God had answered one of my prayers.
We met and met and met. I watched her grow slowly yet surely. I helped her navigate problems in her life and felt as though I was making the difference God impressed upon my heart to make.
Then one night after midnight I got a call. This student was hysterical and inebriated. So, I went to her house to find her and three others there without adult supervision. Looooooooong story short... I took multiple sets of keys away, I took a knife away, I helped her sober up and stay safe. It was a youth leader's unheralded late night duty fulfilled.
A few days later I told her we needed to meet to talk about what had transpired. We did and she could not have cared less. She refused to recognize her sin, her depraved actions, her dangerous behavior and her problem. I felt as though I was beating my head against a brick wall. She just kept saying, "I don't know why you think this is a big deal." She, looking back, was simply a stubborn kid, but I was hurt because I wanted something more for her than she wanted for herself.
I called my pastor. We met in his car outside the Spring Waverly Horse Sale. I wept big, fat tears in his car as I described my godly burden for this student and my inability to help her. I was frustrated to the max and I couldn't understand how I crumbled over this one soul and he was shepherding so many more.
Pastor Jim took me to a passage that saved my ministry life.
In the book of Luke, Jesus sent out 72 people to minister and they had massive success. Jesus' response to them upon their return was odd and life saving for me.
"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven." Luke 10:17-20
Verse 20 saved my sanity. I would not be involved in youth ministry still without it. I would not be a foster parent without it. I would not be a sane parent without it. Pastor Jim dropped a gem in my lap that afternoon that has kept me keeping on.
See, our joy must never be rooted in success. The young girl from this story is a woman of whom I am proud of today. She didn't stay stubborn through this teenage crisis. But that's not where I found joy. I learned that to stay sane in ministry I had to keep my central joy my salvation. I had to remember the wonderful, unexplainably wonderful, joy that comes from knowing my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Friends, in ministry and in all of life we will have success and we will have seemingly fruitless labor. Rejoice not that you win or lose some battles. Rejoice that your name is written in Heaven. Jesus knew there would be days when the demons didn't flee. He knew there would be days when the crowd would turn to Him in the thousands after Peter's first sermon and that Paul would be stoned by the crowd after one of his. The outcomes of our work aren't where we root our joy. Our salvation is.
Should we cheer when we get wins? Absolutely. Should our joy be anchored to success? Absolutely not.
On Sunday mornings our church has a parenting class that is going through a series of videos by Paul David Tripp. The class has been incredibly helpful to Christine and I. (I would recommend you join us at 8:30 Sunday mornings at Grace Baptist Church.)
Now, I have read Paul David Tripp's book Parentingand really enjoyed it, but this video series and the conversations with other parents is so helpful. We're already employing his five questions to ask to get to the heart of our kids' issue when addressing a problem and it's working well with our four year old.
Today my mind was on my kids and how to raise them in a Christian home. I was thinking how glad I am that my kids were dedicated in a local church that is dedicated to helping us raise them and, quite frankly, raise us in the Lord.
As I was in the pew during Sunday service I sat instead of standing during songs because I was holding my sleeping baby. We don't use hymnals at church anymore but we still have hymnals in the racks. My four year old opened it to pretend as though he was reading the song we were singing. He just so happened to flip open to a hymn that I had never heard before. I glanced at the lyrics and was engrossed in the beautiful words. I came home and looked up the hymn on YouTube and thought I should share the lyrics and song with you, too. I hope you are encouraged by this wonderful, prayerful song today.
"A Christian Home" by Barbara B. Hart
O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,
Where Christ is Head, and Counselor and Guide;
Where every child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that tho' his footsteps waver
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!
O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho' days be dark and dim.
O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech to ev'ry tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,
Since March 11, 2020 I have gained a new appreciation for face-to-face communication.
On March 11th COVID-19 went from being something over there to something here. We remember hearing about 14 days to flatten the curve. We remember President Trump telling us to stay home for the good of our nation. We remember Dr. Fauci becoming a household name. On March 11th we watched sporting events cancel and it hit home to us.
It wasn't 14 days. The social distancing and mass isolation lasted longer, and that's by no means a political statement. The things we used to do in person we did over something we called ZOOM. We had meetings through e-mail. We spent much more time than we dreamed not doing real face-to-face communication.
In that time our vitriol online has only gotten worse. We're a meaner people online today than we were on March 10th, 2020. We type things with Facebook muscles that we would never say face-to-face.
I say all this not to say the COVID-19 mitigation measures were too much. This isn't some attempt at making masks sound anti-Biblical. I'm not saying that at all. What I want is more real communication. I want us not to abandon face-to-face communication as a primary means of living and communing as we progress beyond this pandemic.
"I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete." 2 John 12
The Apostle John ended his second epistle like this. He, who had just written inspired Words of God, says that face-to-face communication was preferable to writing a longer letter.
Let that sink in: He had just written infallible, Holy Spirit inspired words and he finishes by extolling face-to-face communication!
If face-to-face communication is better for the Apostle John, then perhaps you should schedule a coffee date rather than penning that e-mail. If this form of conversing is so valuable, then perhaps you should debate that controversial subject on the couch and not on Twitter.
Since last Wednesday 2 John 12 has been on my mind and since last Wednesday I have been thinking about eyebrows.
Eyebrows are amazing and so stinking odd. Think about it. You have two (or one for us unibrowers) lines of hair on the middle of your face. Right in the middle of your face. Why? Perhaps to keep sweat from dripping in our eyes, but I think God also gave them to us for communication.
Draw a face on a sheet of paper, but add no eyebrows. Now draw downward pointed eyebrows. What is the face? Angry. Draw two raised brows: surprised. Pencil in one raised eyebrow and one in normal position: confused. At the dinner table move your eyebrows with your little kids and see if they can guess your emotions. Just think of all the communication that comes just from these two strips of weirdly placed hair. Ever see someone without eyebrows who hadn't painted them on yet? It's disconcerting and confusing and I think that's because our brains feel unable to read that person's emotions.
And you could do that exercise with several parts of your face, shoulders, hands, feet, wobbling knees and more. We know that our bodies were made, in part, to be communication devices. Don't waste this.
Before you comment on this, I'm not saying you can't write. I just wrote this. I'm not against audio-only communication. I work in radio. What I am saying is that before we shoot off an e-mail, type a Facebook comment or record a voicemail, we should ask if we should be like John and save it for face-to-face conversation.
Think before you write and speak and remember the God-given value of face-to-face communication today.
A couple of Fridays ago I was listening to Bill Arnold's radio program as he interviewed a former pastor at Willow Creek. I don't recall the guest's name but I was struck by the verse they discussed. They only talked about Psalm 106:20 for about 25 minutes. Their conversation caused me to meditate on that verse off and on since.
"They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass." Psalm 106:20 NIV
"They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass." Psalm 106:20 ESV
Psalm 106 is a retelling of some of the history of the people of Israel. Verse 20 refers to the golden calf that the people worshipped when they had quite literally seen the awesomeness of God, the glory of God first hand. This verse highlights the utter stupidity of what they did. I know not every translation does this, but I love that my NIV Bible has the comma before "which eats grass", because I can just hear the sarcasm dripping from that statement.
The people of Israel exchanged the glory of God Almighty for an ox... an ox that eats grass. See, Yahweh is the God of the burning bush, the God that is a fire that needs to consume nothing in order to exist. Our God is self-sufficient and these people exchanged Him for an image of a bull, that eats grass. What the psalmist is doing is deconstructing the idol.
I think a healthy exercise we should all do is deconstructing idols.
I have things, good things, in my life that I desire to make idols. John Calvin said, "the human heart is a perpetual idol factory" and mine is no different. I can turn my job, my kids, my wife, my pleasures, my self into idols. I have found deconstructing these idols a helpful exercise to keep them in their place and off the tabernacle of my heart.
Let me give you an example.
I love doing play-by-play. I strive to do my best in describing the action. I want to excel in bringing people the action they care so much about. It is my job to be contagiously excited about sports and I rarely struggle to be excited about what I'm seeing and doing. My passion for this aspect of my job and any praise I get from those listening can easily go from being a good thing to a god thing. It can become an idol.
So, I deconstruct it.
I pull the thing apart until I realize how small it is in comparison to God Almighty. I think about how what I'm doing is really just describing high school and college kids playing, let's say, football. It's really just me talking in a room with another guy talking about what I see. It's really just me watching and describing people playing football It's really just me talking about kids playing a game. At its core it's me talking about kids playing outside.
I have considered filling the space in the tabernacle of my heart with me talking about kids playing outside. How much less stupid is that than an image of a cow, that eats grass?
All that's not to say I then walk away thinking my job is pointless and I should quit. No. I'm going to be the best at it that I can be and I'm going to serve all the grandmas and moms and neighbors and community members that want to experience the game. I'm still going to strive for excellence but I'm not going to let it be an idol in my life. When I deconstruct my idols I realize that I don't necessarily have to love it less, most of the time, but I have to love my God so much more. Christ is my all-in-all, not a bull that eats grass. Jesus is supreme, not talking about kids playing outside.
Israel wasn't commanded to get rid of bulls or oxen, but to stop worshipping these things that eat grass and then poop it out their butts. Bulls are bulls, God is God.
Right now think of a good thing that threatens to become a god thing in your life. Take that idol and deconstruct it. Mentally rip it apart until you chuckle about how silly it would be to dedicate your life to that thing as a god. Think about what you're prone to worship and realize how utterly meaningless it is, to steal from Ecclesiastes. In fact, read Ecclesiastes if you need help learning how to deconstruct idols. Then compare that thing you've deconstructing to the Almighty God who created the universe with His Word.
Deconstruct your idols and then run to the One worthy of our worship today.
My wife recently lamented that 3:30-7:00 p.m. is the longest 3 and a half hours of parenting.
Between 3:30 and 7:00 the kids have begun to get on each other's nerves, they've gotten hangry, dinner had to be prepared while shouts were heard in the other room, appropriate vegetable to meat ratios had to be negotiated with them, and that's all before bed time. Bed time too often consists of reminding the little ones of the value of peeing and hand washing while convincing them to stand on the stool and brush their teeth. Then there's the crying that occurs when we call our daughter Anna instead of Pharaoh. And the worst part of: Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas; Joshua, take off your clothes and put on your pajamas... and all this noise wakes our baby who cries in his crib.
Some nights getting them to bed and going downstairs alone feels like our reward.
Not every day is as exhausting as that sounds, but too many days are. There are some days when we wonder why on earth we do this parenting thing.
Then, I look at the sign our friend Alyssa made for us when our oldest was about to be born. I see the sign that reminds me of the days, weeks, months and years of begging God to allow us to be parents.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12
That sign helps me remember what blessings my kids are to me. It reminds me of the very goodness of the LORD that I had grumbled about in my heart. In that moment I'm aware that I am very much like the Israelites in the wilderness that stupidly remembered their slavery fondly every moment they didn't have things easy.
That sign, that verse, has helped me be a better parent. I used to not see it so clearly, but then my friend Paul helped me assemble bunk beds. Tucking Joshua into the top bunk draws my eyes to the Word of God in the form of beautiful art every night I get the blessing of putting them to bed.
The blessing: that verse helps me see being their dad as a greater blessing than the blessing of finally getting to the daily finish line of bed time.
Do you have signs that point you to the truth in your home? Do you have physical reminders of spiritual truths that catch your eye and your mind's attention? Perhaps you should or perhaps you should actually notice them.
I'm thankful for the sign that points me from frustration to gratitude today.
Church, there are many things that can divide us. The fault lines of division are seemingly growing deeper and wider, at least in my neck of the woods. There are lines being drawn in the sand in every direction.
Unless you live under a rock, you know that one of the issues dividing citizens of the world, Americans and Christians is the issue of what to do about the COVID-19 vaccines. Some of you believe we should definitely take the vaccine and some think we should definitely not. To some, the vaccine is a life-saving shot and to others, it is a potentially deadly jab.
I see many seeking to divide us further and I, to my delight, see others trying to unite us. I've seen many uniters say something to the effect of, "There's no wrong answer. Just do what's right for you and your family."
I think that's dumb.
There most certainly is a right answer. Some of you may be offended by that statement, but you know you believe there are right answers to the vaccination question. Unity within the Church of Jesus Christ is highly important (see John chapter 17) but relativism is a stupid answer to an important goal.
We can't let relativism be the basis of our peace.
G. K. Chesterton has said, "Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as the opening of the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid." Relativism about the best ice cream flavor is okay. Relativism about important topics in the midst of a pandemic is an unreasonable expectation that few would or should impose upon themself. So, relativism can't be our basis for unity and peace in the Church.
Let me put the mirror in front of myself. I am thoroughly convinced that the COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective. In my job I have been afforded the opportunity to speak directly to my county's health department administrator, several medical doctors, physicians and researchers from the American College of Public Health and more experts in the field. I have listened to those working in the emergency departments that are swamped with sadness. I have seen the stats on who's being ventilated and who is dying from COVID-19 and it's mostly unvaccinated people.
I am convinced by what I have seen, heard, read and experienced first hand with my own vaccination. I believe that these vaccines are a great good for society. I firmly believe that if your doctor says you can and should be vaccinated that you should get vaccinated for the good of you and your neighbor.
Let's keep the mirror in front of my own face.
Can I be thoroughly convinced that I am right and that you are wrong and still be kind? Can I be more unified with the person at my local church who disagrees with me about this important topic than I am with a stranger that is in the choir I was preaching to above?
Again, G. K. Chesterton once said, "A bigot is not the one who thinks he is right. Every sane man or woman thinks they're right. The bigot is the one who cannot understand how the other person came to be wrong."
Do I ever give effort to trying to understand the arguments of the other side? Or do I assume they're a selfish idiot that wants to infect everyone they meet? Did you skip over my brief explanation of why I believe I am right?
The Body of Christ can't be splintered but relativistic thinking isn't the ligament that holds the members together.
Then what is?
Jesus Christ, the head, is what holds it all together. In Jesus' own group of 12 men there was reason for great division. Think about Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. One man worked for the Roman government while the other was part of a group bent on overthrowing the Romans. What brought those two men with diametrically opposite views together? Jesus.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit... just as you were called to one hope when you were called... one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:2-6
I think some of you reading this are right when it comes to your understanding of the COVID-19 vaccine and I firmly believe some of you reading this are wrong. My unity and peace with you won't come from pretending I don't think that way. Rather, I'm going to value my Lord and Savior and His wishes for unity above all. I'm going to remember that there is much more that unites me to you than divides us in Christ. Frankly, I'm going to follow many of the proverbs and shut up when I want to argue with you. I'm going to try hard not to be as snarky and sarcastic as I can be (I'm really good at sarcasm) and I'm simply going to bear with you some times.
Church, let's not spend our time "quarreling about words" (2 Timothy 2:14), even though topics like this are important. Let's remember that hands need feet, that eyes and ears have to work together. We are the Body of Christ and we need to start acting like it.
Read up. Listen to experts. Talk with your actual doctor. Come to an informed decision. Have a strong point of view. Think you're right. But don't let us dare throw away the unity Jesus prayed for right before He was arrested to be crucified in part to bring us together.
"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD."
Proverbs 18:22
Today is our 8th wedding anniversary. How can so much have happened since that Summer day? How can I love her more than I did then? How did we live before kids? Seriously, I don't remember.
The last 8 years have been the best years of my life. Perfect?: No. Best. I have gotten what is good and received favor from the LORD. I have a partner, a friend, a lover and my closest family member in her. I have watched her birth children, love foster children, deal with my crazy schedule, put up with me and grow more beautiful by the day.
8 years ago Christine walked down the aisle at Grace Baptist Church to my recording of "I Will Be Here" (thanks Kat, Cody and Austin). 8 years ago those words felt true and today I know they are. I didn't know exactly what marriage was going to look like for real, but I knew I wanted to find out with Christine Marie. Today I know that my promise was to cleave to her and to try my hardest to love her well. I too often fail at loving well, but I refuse to fail at staying.
Happy Anniversary, Christine! The promise remains: I will be here.
One of the sad pastimes of too many Christians is watching videos of people "taking down" ministry leaders. Maybe I just clicked on one and YouTube thought this was my jam and Facebook agreed, too. Maybe. But even if that were the case, we Christians spend entirely too much time exchanging friendly fire.
Before I get too far along I must give a disclaimer: There is a time and a place for calling out false teachers and bullies. There certainly are Biblical reasons to call out men who misuse their church office. We've seen too many times when unfit leaders hurt and led people astray. I've been disappointed too many times by people to whom I gave my respect. Men like Ravi Zacharias that abused instead of shepherded.
But most of the friendly fire I see is YouTube and Facebook warfare against those who disagree on non-essentials. Most of the videos I've watched serve the goal of making the viewer feel superior to those who have ideas that like "that guy". Many of these videos feature clips of other pastors doing the "take downs" without their comments being intended to do such a thing.
Too often I've been around groups of solid Christians who spent more time discussing the who's in and who's out in the acceptable brand of Christian leaders than enjoying the goodness of God and enjoying the company of His people. Recently I found myself joining right in and then feeling the painful correcting of the Holy Spirit that I was being a busybody and gossip.
"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe... as the Lord has assigned to each his task." 1 Corinthians 3:4-5
This glomming on to celebrity pastors and even theological camps and infighting is not what the Good Lord wanted. Consider Jesus' priestly prayer:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21
I'm not saying there aren't good reasons for denominations. That there aren't real theological differences. What I'm saying is that the petty garbage is an affront to our Maker and Redeemer. I hate it when my kids fight, and God must feel very similarly. Some of you may be thinking about how Paul once called out Peter on his hypocrisy. Again, there is right person and a right place and a right time, but most of you aren't the person, most of the time I see it isn't the time and most of the places certainly aren't the place.
I think of two seasoned pastors that I really respect and what they said: My dad and my current senior pastor.
I remember being the one that started a stupid dialog like the one I'm bemoaning now. My dad said (I'm paraphrasing from memory). "I can't stand the fundamentalist who think it's their job to tell everyone else what to do." Now, my dad was not bemoaning fundamentalist in the vein of those who believe the Bible to be 100% true and 100% authoritative. In that moment he was referring to the fundamentalist that like to function like modern day theological police for everyone else's church.
My pastor, Jim Lee, once said when talking about the widespread prosperity gospel in South America: "God is more okay with a needle of truth in a haystack of heresy than we are." Meaning, God works often in the very churches we would refuse to join and through the very pastors we wouldn't recommend to our neighbors.
Does this mean these two men don't care about their best understanding of Christ in the Scripture: Absolutely not. We can care about ourselves and those we've been entrusted to guide without seeing the need to lob grenades on our own comrades.
"Teacher," said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.' 'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." Mark 9:38-40
Heaven's gates may be more narrow than we think but I am sure Heaven will be more ecumenical than most of us think.
If you enjoy videos featuring an edited clip, for instance, of Voddie Baucham "taking down" another lead worker in the harvest than his preaching of the Gospel, I'd imagine he'd be grieved. I have to believe the Father would be more grieved.
You might be thinking: Matt, what's the solution? I'm prone to enjoy this more than I should. My knowledge has indeed made me puffed up and I need love that builds up those outside my theological and denominational camp (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Here's one helpful practice I have done off and on through the years.
Steeple prayers.
When you come across a steeple, you pray for that church. When you come across the school the church plant meets, you lift them up to the Father in prayer. You pray for every body of believers whose building or name you see, then watch your heart grow more ecumenical. Watch your love for the Church grow. Watch your love for Christ's bride deepen. Watch the way you spend less time tearing down and more time wishing to build up those who may be Baptist or Pentecostal or Lutheran or Methodist or Anglican or Catholic. It's hard to feud with your brothers and sisters when you're praying for them.
Stop friendly fire. We have an enemy and he deserves our full attention. Spend less time tearing down and much, much more time asking Jesus to beautify His bride today.
I haven't written on this blog in a while. I wrote for my brothers and I have been working on a sermon. I was given the honor of team preaching this morning with a great man named Dan Bolin. Below is the manuscript of that sermon.
. The last time you were thrilled with God in a worshipful moment, what thrilled your soul? Maybe this was on your own, or at Grace group, or at camp, or hopefully right here in this room. But what stirred your heart into a glowing fire?
When did you really enjoy worship in this room? Perhaps the singing or the prayers or the silence that you could hardly contain, or the preaching... what was it that made you so excited?
I mean, have you busted out “How Can I Keep from Singing Your Praise?!”
And, why do we sing and play music at all? It's not for our entertainment, it's for the worship of God, but why do we do this? Why when I got to the edge of the Grand Canyon did I want to be silent and then burst out in a verse of How Great Thou Art? Why when I first held Gideon did I get the chorus “God is so Good” stuck in my head? Why when the great athletes at the Tokyo Games run or swim faster than we’ve ever seen do we shout “Did you see that?” or “Wow, that’s amazing!” or why do we ascribe the greatness of a local American Ninja Warrior on Facebook?
Today we'll look at Psalm 96. Psalm 96 is the middle of a set of psalms that celebrate the kingship of God. Psalm 93 through 99 invite us to focus on God as King and to sing and praise.
Let's read it together, because we are promised that there is power in the reading of God's Word.
(Read Psalm 96)
If I were to put this psalm into one sentence it would be this: Yahweh is the incomparably awesome Judge of the universe so we happily praise Him and implore all nations to join us.”
Later Dan is going to help us look at what we do and how we do it, but I want to ask, “According to this psalm why is God worthy of our worship?”
There are two answers I want to share from the text. 1) God is incomparably awesome. And 2) Christ will come to judge the world.
1) God is incomparably awesome.
(Read verse 4-6)
Yahweh is great and greatly to be praised. He is awesome and worthy of our praise. This fact is juxtaposed with the other gods.
The psalmist uses a clever pun to help us see this. He writes, “the Elohim are elilim”. In Hebrew Elohim is the more generic word for god; while elilim is the word that means “worthless, useless, futile.” The psalmist is saying all the “gods” are “ungods”. But Yahweh made the heavens.
Our God created the heavens. He is the infinite creator. Everything you can see and everything you can’t see was made by His Word. All other gods are ideas or objects made by objects of creation. The other gods are ultimately pointless whether they are made of wood, stone, bronze, silver, gold or paper.
Why does this matter?
Everyone not worshipping the one true God is wasting their time. Don’t get me wrong, as far as our government is concerned, I am all for religious freedom. I want all religions to be treated fairly under the law and I want freedom of religious expression, but that does not make all faiths equal. All objects of worship outside of the worship of our God is at best, at best, a pure waste of time.
Muslims, Buddhist, Hindus, Taoist, and pagans of all kinds need to know: great is the LORD and greatly to be praised.
But Matt, I don’t have much interaction with people who are of other faiths. Humans all worship something, whether or not they call it worship. Here are some other worthless gods: academic success, athletic success, economic success, sexual conquest, political power for our party, fun, and the like. Think about it. You see people all around you sacrificing to these gods. Sacrificing time, money, energy and relationships to these idols that the writer of Ecclesiastes labels “meaningless”. These are all worthless in comparison to Yahweh and we know scores of people bowing down to these empty idols daily.
The world is searching for something absolutely wonderful and we know what it is.
In comparison to the ungods all around us, our God is worthy, not worthless. In contrast to all the other things to which we ascribe glory, our God is most glorious and awesome. I found myself worshiping at the sight of the Grand Canyon. God made the Grand Canyon. I remember standing there and the words I uttered when seeing the tiny looking Colorado River was, and Christine can attest to this, “They think that made this?” The world sees majesty and worships the power of erosion! Even if it were erosion from that blip of a river that did that, and that may very well be, who gave erosion its power?: God. The idols of the nations are pieces of wood or stone. Our God made the Grand Canyon with the power of His Word.
In verse 6 the psalmist personifies Splendor and Majesty to walk into the courts before Him and Strength and Beauty themselves to worship Him in His sanctuary. Yahweh is powerful.
Think of Isaiah chapter 6 when he sees the vision of Yahweh in His glory. Woe to me, I am a man of unclean lips and I live amongst people of unclean lips. Think of the flying creatures and the elders and their unending worship of Yahweh.
God is incomparably awesome and worthy of all praise. Throw away all the impotent gods and run to praise the omnipotent God.
2) Christ will come to judge the world
(Read verses 10-13)
Judgement Day is coming!
Does that thrill you or scare you? I’ll venture to guess it sounds scary.
Well, the psalmist sings that judgement is good. Judgement, in this sense of the word, is God coming to set the world right. My kids have The King Jesus Storybible. The book tells the story-arch of the whole Bible to kids in one sitting. It’s wonderful and I recommend it. But the way this children’s book says it is: Jesus comes to make the world right and good again.
Is the world right and good now? Listen to the news, read the headlines. This world isn’t right and good.
What are some of the world’s problems that worry those in our communities whether or not they believe in Jesus? Violence? Fascism? Communism? Tornados? General chaos? Evil seemingly getting its way? Climate change? Racial inequity?
The list of the things that we look at and scream, “This ain’t right!” is long. You have to wait on test results to find out if there’s cancer in you. That ain’t right! Steve was in a car crash and was banged up. That ain’t right. Amara has to use a walker as a child. That ain’t right. We had to go to the basement to hide from a tornado. That ain’t right. Some of you have buried spouse and children. That ain’t right. My baby won’t let Christine sleep at night. That ain’t right. Some of you have family members with diabetes. That ain’t right. Too many of you have fractured families. That ain’t right. Let’s go beyond our congregation. The Uyghurs are in concentration camps in China. That ain’t right. A pandemic has disrupted the whole world. That ain’t right. Drug dealers exploit addicted people. That ain’t right. Girls are being sold around the world as sex slaves. That ain’t right. Black and White, Left and Right, Men and Women can’t live in peace. That ain’t right.
There’s a lot that just ain’t right.
But friends, we have the good news!
Christ the righteous Judge is coming! He is coming to make the world right and good again. The earth and all that is in it will be perfect.
When Jesus comes back cancer goes into the lake of fire and the Devil goes with it. Steve, there’s no car crashes on the New Earth. Amara will run and skip any time she wants. Diabetes won’t exist. Families will not be separated by lack of love. Children won’t need foster care. Tornadoes won’t destroy. Death itself will be dead. People won’t be sold or tortured and every race, tribe and tongue will live as brothers and sisters and sing praises to the King of kings. And I expect babies will sleep through the night.
That’s why we sing my favorite 2nd Coming song Joy to the World!
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King.”
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy."
And my favorite verse that is sadly skipped often:
"No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found."
Christ is the King who will come back to judge the earth. Romans 8:22 says the whole creation groans as it waits for the culmination of the Gospel.
In this psalm we see the heavens themselves being glad. The earth itself is personified as rejoicing. The sea is roaring with praise. This is significant because to an ancient middleastern person the sea represented chaos and everything wrong, yet here it is in line praising its creator and judge. The fields are celebrating. Even the trees of the forest are singing. This makes me think about how Jesus said if the people didn’t praise Him the rocks would.
The universe can’t wait to stop its groaning.
Jesus is coming to make His creation what it should be.
(Read Isaiah 11:3-9)
(Read Revelation 21:1-5)
This is reason to celebrate. But why now, when the world is still ugly?
Our faith requires us to find joy in this future hope. For who hopes for what they already have?
Let me tell you about my grandma. My Mimi lived a rough life. She was orphaned. As a young girl she was raped by a midnight intruder. Her adoptive parents divorced. She married an abusive alcoholic who cheated on her constantly and beat her and her daughters. She raised foster kids from broken homes. She died a relatively young woman. She had many reasons to be as bitter as Naomi in the book of Ruth. But throughout her life she sang and whistled hymns. She knew nearly every verse to every hymn in our Baptist hymnal.
You have to wonder, what kept her singing? What keeps a person who lived a hard life praising?
She picked one song for her funeral in the notes she had made for a day she knew would come. It was Bill and Gloria Gaither’s classic “The King is Coming”. The knowledge that the King is Coming can keep us praising our coming King even when life hurts.
The LORD is incomparably awesome and worthy of our praise. And Christ, the perfect King, is coming back to set this place back in order. Does that thrill your soul? Does that make you want to sing, declare, ascribe and shout?
Let me read you some more lyrics and ask you a question?
Do you feel the world is broken? I do.
Is all creation groaning? It is.
Is a new creation coming? It is.
See, the psalmist is going to tell us some things that we must do and Dan is going to help us see what that is in a bit. But Grace family, I have a very important question for you before we get on to looking at what this psalm commands of us.
Here's another post about social media. It's safe to say there's a lot of posts out there about the dangers of social media, the etiquette of social media and the like floating out there. I've written at least a few times in this vein as well and this is another one of those posts.
Like it or not, social media is a major aspect of a lot of our lives, and how we exist of social media is important.
One of the major ways we interact on social media should be likes of posts/photos of vacations and kids. However, one of the major ways we interact on social media is in ALL CAPS. We (though we deny it) love being angry at one another, we love arguing with one another, we love owning each other for the cause of our side.
Christians, is this how we want to be known?
"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Proverbs 6:16-19 (emphasis added)
A man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
The last line made me think of a Facebook friend of mine. In typical Facebook friendship, I've never seen this person in real life. This post isn't directed at him, but inspired by some of his postings. He, like me, enjoys the give and take of an argument (exchanging and defending of ideas, not a fight). He seems to really enjoy posting controversial questions which lead to an explosion of comments.
Many of the people commenting may be like he and I. They might enjoy a fun, rousing argument. However, many others may actually be mad and it may actually split friends. Is social media the best place for this?
Many news media (especially local news media) like to post controversial stories and then comment "What do you think?" As expected the comments are many and volatile. The media outlet gets lots of traffic and increases its social media presence, but is it worth it and should Christians jump into the fray?
This post isn't to say Christians need not argue ideas and even argue them in the public square. This post is to say "the LORD hates a man who stirs up dissension among brothers and, in fact, finds him detestable." That's a heavy thing. That should apply a weighty warning.
O, be careful little thumbs what you post.
O, be careful little thumbs what you post.
For the Father up above is looking down in love.
O, be careful little thumbs what you post.
Christian, be careful what you post. Many of our beliefs are becoming increasingly unpopular, but that doesn't mean our social media activity should be increasingly detestable to God and that we should exemplify the type of person the book of Proverbs says that God hates. I'll put it bluntly, social media commenting and posting is very unlikely to persuade and is more likely to create dissension. Before you post, use wisdom and run it through prayer.
I have failed in this and unfortunately may continue to fail in this at times. I'm learning that much of the wisdom in the book of Proverbs can be summed up in two words: Shut up.
Pastor Josh said this morning that words are like razors. Razors intended to shave are used to slay in the hands of evil men. Will your words serve a godly purpose or an evil purpose today?
What positions in the local church require the Holy Spirit?
You'll likely answer this question by saying preachers, elders, Sunday School teachers, worship leaders, deacons and the like. Or you'll say, "all of them" but you won't know exactly why other than the answer sounds right.
But what about the facilities team, the kitchen volunteers, the audio-visual team leader, the children's crafts coordinators and the like? Do those sorts of positions within your church really require the empowering of the Holy Spirit? Do those types of roles within the functioning of the church really need spiritual influence or are they not on the spiritual plain?
Let me refer you to a story that will clear up this question. It's from the book of Exodus when God had told Moses how worship in the community of Israel was to be conducted.
"Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge of all kinds of crafts... to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And He has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen and weavers... all of them master craftsmen and designers." Exodus 35:30-35
God filled this man, Bezalel, with the Holy Spirit so he had the ability to lead the facilities team, as it were, so he could lead the interior decorating team, as it were, so he could teach crafts to others. The Holy Spirit that moved within Bezalel and Oholiab was the same that empowered Moses. Don't miss that.
We must avoid the temptation to create categories of spirit and non-spiritual within the workings of the church. Given that the Church and your local church is a spiritual house, the work within it is also spiritual... from the work of the pastor to the facilities team leader.
Don't believe Satan's lies that the manifestation of skills from the Holy Spirit in you are useless or undignified. Serve using the skills God has blessed you to have. Serve in the role the Holy Spirit empowers you to serve knowing that you are serving the God who made you the way you are intentionally.
Show proper honor to all who serve in the house of God today.
Over the last couple months I wrote about the 10 Commandments. It was a great experience dwelling on these verses in Exodus for an extended period of time. It was helpful for my life.
Below are all ten posts in one place. Take time to read one or all (or none, I guess) today.
There's one book that gives my son nightmares. He had a string of nightmares from this book and refuses to let us read it again. Perhaps this book should give us agitation, too.
It's The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster.
In the book Brother Bear gets a brand new bike with hand breaks and multiple speeds for his birthday. Sister Bear sees it and gets extremely jealous. Her parents tell her beware of the green-eyed monster of jealousy. That night she dreams an actual green-eyed monster convince her to steal Brother's new bike and she wrecks it. The next day she realizes that the bike is too big for her and that brother's old bike is perfect for her to move on to now that she's too big for her trike.
This children's story fairly adequately explains the 10th Commandment.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." -Exodus 20:17
Not coveting makes the 10 Commandments. Coveting is the yearning to have the possession of another. Coveting is a heart issue and it made God's Top 10 list. But why? I believe it does because coveting disrupts our relationship with our community and with our God.
Coveting Disrupts Relationships in the Community:
When we covet the things of others we bring an awkwardness into that relationship. We turn our heart away from happiness for them and toward wishing disaster upon them. When we covet we cannot truly be pleased that they have something we deem of value. We can't rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15) if we wish we had it instead of them.
Can you truly be fully happy for a friend who has the truck you can't afford? Can you really rejoice at the pregnancy of your former roommate when you're stuck in infertility? Can you celebrate the wedding of your brother when your last several relationships crumbled? Can you be happy for the good of others? If not, you have a coveting issue.
Do you even rejoice when others mourn the loss of their possessions because it relieves you of your jealousy?
In the Berenstain Bears book, Sister Bear should have been able to experience joy that her brother received a gift that gave him joy, but a covetous heart robbed her of that ability. She also robbed her parents of the joy of giving a good gift because they had to deal with her sin. Coveting spoils our relationships with others.
Coveting Disrupts Relationships with God:
The root problem with coveting is that it accuses God of mismanagement. When we covet we tell God that His gift was delivered to the wrong address. When we covet we tell God, in our heart or out loud, He doesn't know how to do His job. Our coveting screams at our Heavenly Father that He doesn't really love us that much.
Think about The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster. If Sister had received the bike that Brother did she wouldn't have been able to use it. She was too small. She didn't even know how to ride a bike with training wheels yet, let alone a bigger bike. Mama and Papa bear got their children exactly what they needed and wanted at exactly the right time.
God is the perfect Father. He knows just who needs what and when. God knows His children better than they know themselves. God never neglects His adopted kids and never gives them less than the absolute best things for them at no less than the exact perfect moment.
Trust your Heavenly Father. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Don't buy the lies of the Green Eyed Monster today.
