I wanted to share this Scripture with you from the Old Testament. I believe that it speaks to us in a prophetic way.
1 Samuel 8 - 1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." 10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
Chapter 9 - 1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
I pray that your may be open that you can see what the Lord is saying, and that your ears may be opened that you can hear what the Lord is saying.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
One Leaving the Nest!
OK, it is now official! My oldest daughter, Deonna, is getting married! Her fiance is a wonderful young man from Cleveland, Ohio named Chris. I think they will make a wonderful couple. They both complement each other in wonderful ways. I am happy for both of them, but this is the first one to leave the nest, so it was somewhat emotional for me. Be sure to check back for updates!
Monday, August 25, 2008
An Objective We Must Achieve
This is today's devotion that I sent out. I wanted to share it with others as a reminder that we are not lone rangers or lone groups in the body of Christ. There is one body of which we are several members.
Acts 14:22 (KJV) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Note the passion, the fervent commitment on the part of the body of Christ that together, we must enter into the kingdom of God. Failure is not an option. Whatever trials or tribulations we must endure are of little cost compared to the objective of entering into the kingdom of God. We leave no one behind that desires to enter. Has this passion dissipated since that first generation of believers? Are we now more committed to superficial things such as denomination or doctrine? Or even more disconcerting, have we become more engrossed in self than in others? Many times, it appears the statement has changed to “I must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” The personal responsibility of helping others enter has been discarded like so many flotsam and jetsam. Bear another’s burden in order to help them enter into the kingdom? I have enough burdens of my own! It is time we begin to strip away those issues of little consequence and begin focusing on the true objective – we must enter into the kingdom of God.
I pray that this will serve as a reminder that we keep our focus on what the true goal is.
Acts 14:22 (KJV) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Note the passion, the fervent commitment on the part of the body of Christ that together, we must enter into the kingdom of God. Failure is not an option. Whatever trials or tribulations we must endure are of little cost compared to the objective of entering into the kingdom of God. We leave no one behind that desires to enter. Has this passion dissipated since that first generation of believers? Are we now more committed to superficial things such as denomination or doctrine? Or even more disconcerting, have we become more engrossed in self than in others? Many times, it appears the statement has changed to “I must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” The personal responsibility of helping others enter has been discarded like so many flotsam and jetsam. Bear another’s burden in order to help them enter into the kingdom? I have enough burdens of my own! It is time we begin to strip away those issues of little consequence and begin focusing on the true objective – we must enter into the kingdom of God.
I pray that this will serve as a reminder that we keep our focus on what the true goal is.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A House Divided
It is amazing to me how we, as Christians, have allowed ourselves to become so easily divided over specific areas of Scripture. What's more, we have become so obsessed with being right, we completely neglect that our aim should be to come into the knowledge of the truth, then conform our lives to the truth. There are certainly areas where we can agree to disagree, yet still move forward together to continue to build the body of Christ. Yet, in our selfishness, we prefer that we are right, and we want to prove why the other person is wrong.
We must be extremely diligent to pursue truth. Jesus Himself admonished us when He said a house divided against itself cannot stand. Is there any wonder why the Gospel of the Kingdom has been prohibited from flowing freely in the world? The moment we come across something that sounds good to our ears, we immediately attach ourselves to it. Yet, this is not the truth that Jesus preached. His truth is loving and simple, but it is a hard truth. I find it interesting that He left us with a simple commission - to make disciples of all nations. Many in the body of Christ are doing everything else but that!
The most dangerous threat in the body of Christ is education. Many are willing to give instant credibility to one with a series of letters behind his or her name; yet, we forget that the Gospel was spread through men like Peter, who was described as unlearned and ignorant. This is because more faith is put in the education rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christianity is not an organization; it is an organism. It is a living, breathing body made up of individual members working together with one head, that being Jesus Christ. Will there be one that reads this that will be provoked to give thought to his or her life in Christ Jesus, and begin to seek out and walk in the truth?
We must be extremely diligent to pursue truth. Jesus Himself admonished us when He said a house divided against itself cannot stand. Is there any wonder why the Gospel of the Kingdom has been prohibited from flowing freely in the world? The moment we come across something that sounds good to our ears, we immediately attach ourselves to it. Yet, this is not the truth that Jesus preached. His truth is loving and simple, but it is a hard truth. I find it interesting that He left us with a simple commission - to make disciples of all nations. Many in the body of Christ are doing everything else but that!
The most dangerous threat in the body of Christ is education. Many are willing to give instant credibility to one with a series of letters behind his or her name; yet, we forget that the Gospel was spread through men like Peter, who was described as unlearned and ignorant. This is because more faith is put in the education rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christianity is not an organization; it is an organism. It is a living, breathing body made up of individual members working together with one head, that being Jesus Christ. Will there be one that reads this that will be provoked to give thought to his or her life in Christ Jesus, and begin to seek out and walk in the truth?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Our Thinking Must Change
I know that many times I am a generalist, and this is one post that will be true to that description, but hear me out. For my concern is for the American Christian, not those of other countries or cultures.
We, in America, live in a capitalistic society. We also have such things as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. While each of these attributes sound good, they also pose a huge threat to the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom being spread. Why? Because a majority of Christians in America allow those principles to supercede the Gospel which has been entrusted to us. In general, we want the Bible to conform to those earthly principles, rather than conforming our lives and those principles to the Bible.
Think about it for a moment. The Gospel is the same whether we live in affluent neighborhoods in America, or if we live destitute on the streets of poorest nations. The Bible does not regard capitalism, socialism or any other type of man-made government. The government the prophet Isaiah speaks of is the one that will be upon His shoulders. If Jesus became poor for our sakes, should we not be doing that for the sake of others? Why then do we continue to use the Bible to justify our desire for material possessions? It is time for us to change our thinking, and as Paul said "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
We, in America, live in a capitalistic society. We also have such things as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. While each of these attributes sound good, they also pose a huge threat to the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom being spread. Why? Because a majority of Christians in America allow those principles to supercede the Gospel which has been entrusted to us. In general, we want the Bible to conform to those earthly principles, rather than conforming our lives and those principles to the Bible.
Think about it for a moment. The Gospel is the same whether we live in affluent neighborhoods in America, or if we live destitute on the streets of poorest nations. The Bible does not regard capitalism, socialism or any other type of man-made government. The government the prophet Isaiah speaks of is the one that will be upon His shoulders. If Jesus became poor for our sakes, should we not be doing that for the sake of others? Why then do we continue to use the Bible to justify our desire for material possessions? It is time for us to change our thinking, and as Paul said "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Friday, July 25, 2008
How will you respond when they ask?
Recently, someone asked me why Jesus, if He was God, did not just spiritually transport Himself through the sepulcher, instead of removing the stone. I simply explained to him that human beings cannot do that, and since Jesus was a human being when He died, he would have to be resurrected as a human being. His facial appearance indicated an understanding of and an appreciation for the response. The brief encounter made me wonder, however, if I am prepared to answer the harder questions. Why does God allow suffering? Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Why didn’t God answer my prayer? Even more compelling, how do I explain my faith? How do I argue that which I have never seen? Are you prepared to answer these and other questions? Your faith is not for you alone. Freely you have received, and you are to freely give your faith to others.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
They won't think!
This post is a diversion from more recent posts, but one that I believe is important to the issue of a renewed mind. In 1921, Thomas Edison wrote a piece entitled "They Won't Think." By historical accounts, Edision himself was an atheist. However, he was married to Mina Miller, a devout Methodist. It is interesting to read his persective on the importance of thinking, and realize that while he found great value in exercising the mind, he would neither acknowledge nor give honor to the God that gave him his mind. Here is the piece in its entirety:
THEY WON'T THINK.....dated 1921 by Thomas Edison
EVERY MAN has some forte, something he can do better than he can do anything else. Many men, however, never find the job they are best suited for. And often this is because they do not think enough. Too many men drift lazily into any job, suited or unsuited for them; and when they don't get along well they blame everybody and everything but themselves.
Grouches are nearly always pinheads, small men who have never made any effort to improve their mental capacity.
The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if one will only take the pains to train the mind to think.
Why do so many men never amount to anything? Because they don't think.
I am going to have a sign put up all over my plant, reading "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking."
That is true. There is hardly a day that I do not discover how painfully true it is.
What progress individuals could make, and what progress the world would make, if thinking were given proper consideration! It seems to me that not one man in a thousand appreciates what can be accomplished by training the mind to think.
It is because they do not use their thinking powers that so many people have never developed a creditable mentality. The brain that isn't used rusts. The brain that is used responds. The brain is exactly like any other part of the body: it can be strengthened by proper exercise, by proper use. Put your arm in a sling and keep it there for a considerable length of time, and, when you take it out, you find that you can't use it. In the same way, the brain that isn't used suffers atrophy.
By developing your thinking powers you expand the capacity of your brain and attain new abilities. For example, the average person's brain does not observe a thousandth part of what the eye observes. The average brain simply fails to register the things which come before the eye. It is almost incredible how poor our powers of observation--genuine observation--are.
Let me give an illustration: When we first started the incandescent lighting system we had a lamp factory at the bottom of a hill, at Menlo Park. It was a very busy time for us all. Seventy-five of us worked twenty hours every day and slept only four hours--and thrived on it.
I fed them all, and I had a man play an organ all the time we were at work. One midnight, while at lunch, a matter came up which caused me to refer to a cherry tree beside the hill leading from the main works to the lamp factory. Nobody seemed to know anything about the location of the cherry tree. This made me conduct a little investigation, and I found that although twenty-seven of these men had used this path every day for six months not one of them had ever noticed the tree.
The eye sees a great many things, but the average brain records very few of them. Indeed, nobody has the slightest conception of how little the brain 'sees' unless it has been highly trained. I remember dropping in to see a man whose duty was to watch the working of a hundred machines on a table. I asked him if everything was all right.
Yes, everything is all right, he said.
But, I had already noticed that two of the machines had stopped. I drew his attention to them, and he was mortified. He confessed that, although his sole duty was to watch and see that every machine was working, he had not noticed that these two had stopped. I could hide myself off and keep busy at thinking forever. I don't need anybody to amuse me. It is the same way with my friends John Burroughs, the naturalist, and Henry Ford, who is a natural-born mechanic. We can derive the most satisfying kind of joy from thinking and thinking and thinking.
The man who doesn't make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life. He not only misses the greatest pleasure, but he cannot make the most of himself. All progress, all success, springs from thinking.
Of course, even the most concentrated thinking cannot solve every new problem that the brain can conceive. It usually takes me from five to seven years to perfect a thing. Some things I have been working on for twenty-five years--and some of them are still unsolved. My average would be about seven years. The incandescent light was the hardest one of all; it took many years not only of concentrated thought but also of world-wide research. The storage battery took eight years. It took even longer to perfect the phonograph.
Which do I consider my greatest invention? Well, my reply to that would be that I like the phonograph best. Doubtless this is because I love music. And then it has brought so much joy into millions of homes all over the country, and, indeed, all over the world. Music is so helpful to the human mind that it is naturally a source of satisfaction to me that I have helped in some way to make the very finest music available to millions who could not afford to pay the price and time necessary to hear the greatest artists sing and play.
Many inventions are not suitable for the people at large because of their carelessness. Before a thing can be marketed to the masses, it must be made practically fool-proof. Its operation must be made extremely simple. That is one reason, I think, why the phonograph has been so universally adopted. Even a child can operate it.
Another reason, is that people are far more willing to pay for being amused than for anything else.
One great trouble with the world to-day is that people wander from place to place, and are never satisfied with anything. They are shiftless and thoughtless. They revolt at buckling down and doing hard work and hard thinking. They refuse to take the time and the trouble to lay solid foundations. They are too superficial, too flighty, too easily bored. They fail to adopt the right spirit toward their life work, and consequently fail to enjoy the satisfaction and the happiness which comes from doing a job, no matter what it is, absolutely in the best way within their power. Failing to find the joy which they should find in accomplishing something, they turn to every imaginable variety of amusement. Instead of learning to drink in joy through their minds, they try to find it, without effort, through their eyes and their ears--and sometimes their stomachs.
It is all because they won't think, won't think!
THEY WON'T THINK.....dated 1921 by Thomas Edison
EVERY MAN has some forte, something he can do better than he can do anything else. Many men, however, never find the job they are best suited for. And often this is because they do not think enough. Too many men drift lazily into any job, suited or unsuited for them; and when they don't get along well they blame everybody and everything but themselves.
Grouches are nearly always pinheads, small men who have never made any effort to improve their mental capacity.
The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if one will only take the pains to train the mind to think.
Why do so many men never amount to anything? Because they don't think.
I am going to have a sign put up all over my plant, reading "There is no expedient to which a man will not resort to avoid the real labor of thinking."
That is true. There is hardly a day that I do not discover how painfully true it is.
What progress individuals could make, and what progress the world would make, if thinking were given proper consideration! It seems to me that not one man in a thousand appreciates what can be accomplished by training the mind to think.
It is because they do not use their thinking powers that so many people have never developed a creditable mentality. The brain that isn't used rusts. The brain that is used responds. The brain is exactly like any other part of the body: it can be strengthened by proper exercise, by proper use. Put your arm in a sling and keep it there for a considerable length of time, and, when you take it out, you find that you can't use it. In the same way, the brain that isn't used suffers atrophy.
By developing your thinking powers you expand the capacity of your brain and attain new abilities. For example, the average person's brain does not observe a thousandth part of what the eye observes. The average brain simply fails to register the things which come before the eye. It is almost incredible how poor our powers of observation--genuine observation--are.
Let me give an illustration: When we first started the incandescent lighting system we had a lamp factory at the bottom of a hill, at Menlo Park. It was a very busy time for us all. Seventy-five of us worked twenty hours every day and slept only four hours--and thrived on it.
I fed them all, and I had a man play an organ all the time we were at work. One midnight, while at lunch, a matter came up which caused me to refer to a cherry tree beside the hill leading from the main works to the lamp factory. Nobody seemed to know anything about the location of the cherry tree. This made me conduct a little investigation, and I found that although twenty-seven of these men had used this path every day for six months not one of them had ever noticed the tree.
The eye sees a great many things, but the average brain records very few of them. Indeed, nobody has the slightest conception of how little the brain 'sees' unless it has been highly trained. I remember dropping in to see a man whose duty was to watch the working of a hundred machines on a table. I asked him if everything was all right.
Yes, everything is all right, he said.
But, I had already noticed that two of the machines had stopped. I drew his attention to them, and he was mortified. He confessed that, although his sole duty was to watch and see that every machine was working, he had not noticed that these two had stopped. I could hide myself off and keep busy at thinking forever. I don't need anybody to amuse me. It is the same way with my friends John Burroughs, the naturalist, and Henry Ford, who is a natural-born mechanic. We can derive the most satisfying kind of joy from thinking and thinking and thinking.
The man who doesn't make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life. He not only misses the greatest pleasure, but he cannot make the most of himself. All progress, all success, springs from thinking.
Of course, even the most concentrated thinking cannot solve every new problem that the brain can conceive. It usually takes me from five to seven years to perfect a thing. Some things I have been working on for twenty-five years--and some of them are still unsolved. My average would be about seven years. The incandescent light was the hardest one of all; it took many years not only of concentrated thought but also of world-wide research. The storage battery took eight years. It took even longer to perfect the phonograph.
Which do I consider my greatest invention? Well, my reply to that would be that I like the phonograph best. Doubtless this is because I love music. And then it has brought so much joy into millions of homes all over the country, and, indeed, all over the world. Music is so helpful to the human mind that it is naturally a source of satisfaction to me that I have helped in some way to make the very finest music available to millions who could not afford to pay the price and time necessary to hear the greatest artists sing and play.
Many inventions are not suitable for the people at large because of their carelessness. Before a thing can be marketed to the masses, it must be made practically fool-proof. Its operation must be made extremely simple. That is one reason, I think, why the phonograph has been so universally adopted. Even a child can operate it.
Another reason, is that people are far more willing to pay for being amused than for anything else.
One great trouble with the world to-day is that people wander from place to place, and are never satisfied with anything. They are shiftless and thoughtless. They revolt at buckling down and doing hard work and hard thinking. They refuse to take the time and the trouble to lay solid foundations. They are too superficial, too flighty, too easily bored. They fail to adopt the right spirit toward their life work, and consequently fail to enjoy the satisfaction and the happiness which comes from doing a job, no matter what it is, absolutely in the best way within their power. Failing to find the joy which they should find in accomplishing something, they turn to every imaginable variety of amusement. Instead of learning to drink in joy through their minds, they try to find it, without effort, through their eyes and their ears--and sometimes their stomachs.
It is all because they won't think, won't think!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Exercise Your Mind
Gal. 3:1 (KJV) - O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
There are two important words in this Scripture that the renewed mind of the Christian must comprehend and understand. The first is the word foolish. The Greek word is anoetos, which translated means not exercising the mind. The second word is bewitched. The Greek word is baskaino, which means to malign or fascinate by false representation. Paul was lamenting that the Galatians, who had received the truth, were willing to easily accept the false teaching that was being presented to them, rather than challenging and defending the truth that had been freely given to them prior. This is the challenge that is set before every Christian. Is the Christian so persuaded by the presentation of a message that he or she fails to test it against the Word of truth? Is that Christian quick to defend the messenger before measuring the accuracy of the message? The result of not exercising the mind is being persuaded by anything that appeals to the senses. It sounds good to me; therefore, it must be true. The enemy will use that lack of knowledge to destroy the very foundation of that believer’s faith. The Lord has given us the ability to renew our minds; it is our responsibility to do it on a constant basis.
There are two important words in this Scripture that the renewed mind of the Christian must comprehend and understand. The first is the word foolish. The Greek word is anoetos, which translated means not exercising the mind. The second word is bewitched. The Greek word is baskaino, which means to malign or fascinate by false representation. Paul was lamenting that the Galatians, who had received the truth, were willing to easily accept the false teaching that was being presented to them, rather than challenging and defending the truth that had been freely given to them prior. This is the challenge that is set before every Christian. Is the Christian so persuaded by the presentation of a message that he or she fails to test it against the Word of truth? Is that Christian quick to defend the messenger before measuring the accuracy of the message? The result of not exercising the mind is being persuaded by anything that appeals to the senses. It sounds good to me; therefore, it must be true. The enemy will use that lack of knowledge to destroy the very foundation of that believer’s faith. The Lord has given us the ability to renew our minds; it is our responsibility to do it on a constant basis.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Renewing Your Mind
Eph. 4:23 (KJV) - And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
The Greek word for renewed in this Scripture is ananeoo, which means to renovate. The definition of renovate is to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair. Hence, I am to restore to good condition the spirit of my mind. The Lord Himself is letting me know that the condition of my mind was depraved when I came to him, and that I must work to restore it to good condition. This renewing is not a single action. The prefix ana in the word implies repetitiveness; therefore, I must restore or repair my mind repeatedly. Renewing my mind must become a habit. Just as I ensure that I provide my body the nourishment that it needs to perform, I must intentionally devote time to renewing my mind. 1 Cor. 15:31 – “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” If I, like Paul, am to die daily, then each day I am resurrected and live anew. If I live anew, then my mind must be renewed each day. We are creatures of habit. Let your habit become one of renewing your mind daily.
The Greek word for renewed in this Scripture is ananeoo, which means to renovate. The definition of renovate is to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair. Hence, I am to restore to good condition the spirit of my mind. The Lord Himself is letting me know that the condition of my mind was depraved when I came to him, and that I must work to restore it to good condition. This renewing is not a single action. The prefix ana in the word implies repetitiveness; therefore, I must restore or repair my mind repeatedly. Renewing my mind must become a habit. Just as I ensure that I provide my body the nourishment that it needs to perform, I must intentionally devote time to renewing my mind. 1 Cor. 15:31 – “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” If I, like Paul, am to die daily, then each day I am resurrected and live anew. If I live anew, then my mind must be renewed each day. We are creatures of habit. Let your habit become one of renewing your mind daily.
Monday, July 21, 2008
A Renewed Mind
This issue of a renewed mind is one that I have been meditating on for some time, and over the next few days I will be posting thoughts here about a renewed mind. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this issue as well, so let me know what the Lord has spoken to you on this matter.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Stepping out of the boat!
Well, this Friday will be a special day for me. It will be my last day at my company. My focus needs to be on the kingdom of God. I know by the world's standard this seems foolish; however, I am reminded that the foolishness of God is greater than man's wisdom. One of the areas of my life that was sacrificed was the daily devotionals that I used to write. I was disturbed that I allowed the cares of this world to precede the work of the kingdom. It is very easy to justify making money to have the lifestyle I want; however, the words of Jesus bring a stinging rebuke to that justification - you cannot serve God and mammon. Lately, I have been speaking about how we have allowed too much of the world to influence the church, when it should be the other way around. For example, we have no problem bringing the world's politics into the church, but what have we done to put the church into the world's politics? This is one of the many issues I will be addressing in the days and months to come.
Monday, January 21, 2008
I am deeply disturbed...
I have been deeply disturbed by some writings that I came across recently. Now, before I go further, I think it is important to understand that I don't read many books. I am not one that is very much into the latest religious bestseller, nor do I purchase a book because it was written by some well-known name in the Christian community. I look for books that will bring life, even if those books were written long ago. Such is the case with The Cost of Discipleship, written in 1937 by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dietrich was a German pastor who opposed the Nazi regime, and was involved in an attempt to overthrow Hitler. The plan failed, and Bonhoeffer was arrested and eventually executed. Yet, in his book, which I have not completed, he made two profound statements which rattled my core. In his discussion of cheap grace, Bonhoeffer wrote that "my only duty as a Christian is to leave the world for an hour or so on a Sunday morning and go to church to be assured that my sins are all forgiven." Why does this comment disturb me so? Because it still rings true today, maybe even more than when it was written. I go to church to fulfill my weekly obligation, and then I go and live life the way I desire the other six days of the week. I so easily forget the words of Jesus as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." I had to look at myself and admit that there were areas of my life where I have accepted the cheap grace that Bonhoeffer describes.
The next statement is actually a question that Bonhoeffer poses, and that is this: "How can we live the Christian life in the modern world?" While the answer sounds simple, its execution is not. The simple answer is obedience to Christ. But how do I do that unless I know what I am to obey? Here again is the result of cheap grace. It is not necessary for me to study the Bible; that is the job of the pastor. And because he is a pastor, he is held to a higher standard than I am. When will I get to the point where I begin to see that I am the problem, and the only way to become a part of the solution is to accept the grace that will cost me something, and that is my life? It is easy for me to read the words of Paul when he says that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Yet, is that what I do? Has the Gospel of Christ affected me personally?
The next statement is actually a question that Bonhoeffer poses, and that is this: "How can we live the Christian life in the modern world?" While the answer sounds simple, its execution is not. The simple answer is obedience to Christ. But how do I do that unless I know what I am to obey? Here again is the result of cheap grace. It is not necessary for me to study the Bible; that is the job of the pastor. And because he is a pastor, he is held to a higher standard than I am. When will I get to the point where I begin to see that I am the problem, and the only way to become a part of the solution is to accept the grace that will cost me something, and that is my life? It is easy for me to read the words of Paul when he says that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Yet, is that what I do? Has the Gospel of Christ affected me personally?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Another year already!
WOW! Time truly seems to go so quickly. It is already 2008! So much has happened in the past year, but the most significant event is the fact that I began a local fellowship, called the Family of God of Cincinnati. We are currently meeting our local YMCA. This was clearly a case where the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak! However, the Lord makes provision when we endeavor to accomplish His will and not ours. Our focus right now is laying the proper foundation, which we are doing by focusing on developing our character. There is a Scripture that the Lord has given me, which I will share in another post, that has brought life to those which I have spoken to. I pray that it will do the same to those who choose to read this blog. May God bless you today!
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