there has been a lot of talk about 'tolerance' in the past few years. but if you honestly think about all the times you've heard it used, it really just means, 'don't you DARE disagree with ME!'
that's not tolerance; that's egomania.
but you may still be thinking, 'how could a loving God exclude anyone? how could a merciful God send anyone to Hell?' good question.
i don't claim to know all the details of how it works, but i know that God has STANDARDS and because He will never contradict himself, He justly enforces those standards.
here's an illustration:
not too long ago, i was making potato soup. i reached into my bag of potatoes to select those which needed to be used soon: the older, wrinklier, softer ones. well, one of those potatoes had a spot. a black and squishy spot, which had started permeating the whole potato.
so what did i do? did i say, 'oh well,' and throw the whole potato in my soup pot? NO! i knew that part of the potato wouldn't taste good, so i used my knife to cut out that spot, along with any part of the potato that might have been starting to turn brown. i even took a closer look at the potatoes that had been touching it, to be sure the rot hadn't spread across to them.
what kind of cook would i be if i'd left that nasty, rotting spot on the potato? and what kind of host would i be if i'd served it up to my guests?
our sins affect us like the gooey, black rot affects the potato. it grows, it eats away the good stuff, it turns everything around it into a stinking, gooey mess. God says, 'no gooey, black rot allowed in My presence!' and He sticks with His standards.
sadly, all of us, on our own, are full of gooey, black rot. and we're hopeless to fix ourselves. we're as good at fixing our sinfulness as a black, drippy, stinky potato is at becoming creamy white and solid again!
but thankfully, God also says, 'I'll save you!!!' and He sent His own CHILD to die on our behalf. all we have to do is admit our wrongness and accept His gift!
that is LOVING! that is MERCIFUL!
the question is not, 'how could a loving God send anyone to Hell?' that is like saying, 'how could God have integrity!?'
rather, the question is: 'how could you reject God's gift and CHOOSE to go to Hell?'
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
who gets the glory?
how do you feel about the following phrases?
'give God the glory'
'we were created for God'
'we will spend eternity praising God in heaven'
'live your life to please God'
'my purpose in life is to know God'
i admit that i used to secretly think heaven would be really boring if all we did was worship God!
i also remember one particular chapel sermon at wheaton college. the pastor made the point that we, as americans, want to glorify ourselves, not God. in fact, we think it's selfish of God to want our praise. we struggle with the thought of Him saying He's a jealous God (He says it in Exodus 20:5 and 34:14, to just name a couple places).
in fact, we live our lives as though 'it's all about ME!'
we want to be the center of attention... at all times.
we think, 'what about my purpose for ME? what about recognition for all the things I'VE done? isn't it normal and even good to be praised sometimes?'
how do YOU feel about spending your life on earth and in eternity with the purpose of glorifying God?
today, as i drove home from work, a song about being made for God came on the radio. here are some of the lyrics, speaking to God:
I was made to love You, I was made to find You
I was made just for You, made to adore You
I was made to love, and be loved by, You
You were here before me, You were waiting on me
and You said You'd keep me, never would You leave me
I was made to love, and be loved by, You
when God made us, He made us FOR HIMSELF. that wasn't selfish or egotistical of Him; He's GOD! if you went to ceramics class and made a pot, you wouldn't think it was selfish if you had made it for yourself. and you sure would hope it was useful enough to hold your soup! you made it. you're the creator, it's the dish! same with us. yes, we are more valuable than a ceramic bowl, but the Bible says God is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
now, just for a minute, imagine yourself as a piece of clay in God's hands:
"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands!'"
Isaiah 45:9
now, just because you're a potsherd, a piece of clay, doesn't mean God doesn't care about you. it doesn't mean you don't have an important purpose. it doesn't mean humans weren't created specially, higher than any other part of creation.
but it does mean we must learn to see ourselves in perspective. it means we must be malleable to HIS purpose, not headstrong for ours. it means HE knows best, not you. it means HE is the only One deserving ANY praise!
here's my paraphrase of Psalm 139. notice how we are completely helpless under God's authority, but notice also how caring and loving towards us He is!
Lord, You know EVERYTHING about me: every movement I make.
You know every time I go to work, every time I sit down to watch t.v.
You see me singing in the kitchen, or packing in the basement.
While I'm still thinking of a sentence, You know what I'm about to say.
You are all around me, above me and below me;
nothing can get to me that You don't allow.
I don't even have the power to remove myself from Your presence,
because You are everywhere.
Even if I think I've shut off the light,
You can see me like it's midday.
Even if I've hiked into the depths of a forest,
You are there.
I am in Your hands.
You made every inch of me before I was born.
You started my heart 25 days after I was conceived.
In my 24th week of life in the womb, You gave me fingerprints.
HOW AMAZING!
You planned out every single day of my life before I even took my first breath!
God, I want to know You!
I can't even begin to understand Your mind!
Please stay with me;
spare me from anyone who is evil.
I hate evil, but I want to hate it like You do;
please open my heart and show me anything that displeases You.
If You find that I am on an evil path,
show me the road that leads to You.
we are clearly 'the creaTION,' not 'the CreaTOR.' we don't have anything to be praised about, when it comes down to it! that is why, in the New Testament, Paul (who was born into high class, then studied hard to gain all sorts of credentials, and once he became a Christian was completely on fire for God, did miracles in His name, was inspired to write half the New Testament...) said this: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own... but that which is through faith in Christ..." Philippians 3:8-9
according to the church of his day, Paul of all people could call himself righteous, having been the perfect example of a Jewish leader, but he called his own attempts at 'goodness' garbage, compared to what true righteousness is! he knew that whatever he had to offer on his own wouldn't cut it!
remember that ceramic pot i theorized that you might have made for yourself? it wouldn't matter how many bowls of soup you ate out of it, or how many times you were able to run it through the dishwasher without it cracking, it would NEVER be able to gain your debt. you would never logically be at the point when you should give your life for its sake. or even when you should have to pay for it. you made it, you still own it, and it still is expected to hold your food and go through the dishwasher, no questions asked! that's the position we are in compared to God.
He owes us nothing. we owe Him everything.
incredibly, even though He didn't have to, God chose to become a ceramic pot. He became a piece of clay named Jesus, so that He cold save us! even though He was the CreaTOR of all pots and didn't owe His creaTION anything, He chose to humble Himself and come to save us, because He loved us so much!!!
that is why, even when a Christian suffers because he carries Jesus' name, if he's called names or stoned or burned or beaten or has his family killed in front of him, he praises God. God gave the ultimate sacrifice to us and it compels us to live out every moment worshiping Him. it won't be boring to praise God forever in heaven; it is what we can't wait to do!!! "You see, just at the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (that's us!). Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8) our attitude is usually, 'i ain't dyin for no one!' but maybe, just MAYBE, we could imagine jumping in front of traffic to save someone we are convinced deserves to be saved. but Jesus didn't do it that way; He died for everyone, WHILE WE WERE STILL UNDESERVING!
that is why Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Galatians 6:14a
and that is why, when Peter and some other Christians were found preaching about Jesus, and then FLOGGED for it, they "left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Acts 5:41
Jesus is the Name we praise. and he is the only One worth glorifying.
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord... For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay (that's our bodies) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
it's true that as believers in Jesus, we WILL be given crowns and recognition for the good choices that we've made here on earth, but in the end, we will be so in awe of God when we approach His throne, that I'm sure we will lay our crowns at His feet, following the example of His own heavenly beings. (1 Peter 5:4 & Revelation 4:10)
who is getting the glory in YOUR life?
'give God the glory'
'we were created for God'
'we will spend eternity praising God in heaven'
'live your life to please God'
'my purpose in life is to know God'
i admit that i used to secretly think heaven would be really boring if all we did was worship God!
i also remember one particular chapel sermon at wheaton college. the pastor made the point that we, as americans, want to glorify ourselves, not God. in fact, we think it's selfish of God to want our praise. we struggle with the thought of Him saying He's a jealous God (He says it in Exodus 20:5 and 34:14, to just name a couple places).
in fact, we live our lives as though 'it's all about ME!'
we want to be the center of attention... at all times.
we think, 'what about my purpose for ME? what about recognition for all the things I'VE done? isn't it normal and even good to be praised sometimes?'
how do YOU feel about spending your life on earth and in eternity with the purpose of glorifying God?
today, as i drove home from work, a song about being made for God came on the radio. here are some of the lyrics, speaking to God:
I was made to love You, I was made to find You
I was made just for You, made to adore You
I was made to love, and be loved by, You
You were here before me, You were waiting on me
and You said You'd keep me, never would You leave me
I was made to love, and be loved by, You
when God made us, He made us FOR HIMSELF. that wasn't selfish or egotistical of Him; He's GOD! if you went to ceramics class and made a pot, you wouldn't think it was selfish if you had made it for yourself. and you sure would hope it was useful enough to hold your soup! you made it. you're the creator, it's the dish! same with us. yes, we are more valuable than a ceramic bowl, but the Bible says God is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
now, just for a minute, imagine yourself as a piece of clay in God's hands:
"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands!'"
Isaiah 45:9
now, just because you're a potsherd, a piece of clay, doesn't mean God doesn't care about you. it doesn't mean you don't have an important purpose. it doesn't mean humans weren't created specially, higher than any other part of creation.
but it does mean we must learn to see ourselves in perspective. it means we must be malleable to HIS purpose, not headstrong for ours. it means HE knows best, not you. it means HE is the only One deserving ANY praise!
here's my paraphrase of Psalm 139. notice how we are completely helpless under God's authority, but notice also how caring and loving towards us He is!
Lord, You know EVERYTHING about me: every movement I make.
You know every time I go to work, every time I sit down to watch t.v.
You see me singing in the kitchen, or packing in the basement.
While I'm still thinking of a sentence, You know what I'm about to say.
You are all around me, above me and below me;
nothing can get to me that You don't allow.
I don't even have the power to remove myself from Your presence,
because You are everywhere.
Even if I think I've shut off the light,
You can see me like it's midday.
Even if I've hiked into the depths of a forest,
You are there.
I am in Your hands.
You made every inch of me before I was born.
You started my heart 25 days after I was conceived.
In my 24th week of life in the womb, You gave me fingerprints.
HOW AMAZING!
You planned out every single day of my life before I even took my first breath!
God, I want to know You!
I can't even begin to understand Your mind!
Please stay with me;
spare me from anyone who is evil.
I hate evil, but I want to hate it like You do;
please open my heart and show me anything that displeases You.
If You find that I am on an evil path,
show me the road that leads to You.
we are clearly 'the creaTION,' not 'the CreaTOR.' we don't have anything to be praised about, when it comes down to it! that is why, in the New Testament, Paul (who was born into high class, then studied hard to gain all sorts of credentials, and once he became a Christian was completely on fire for God, did miracles in His name, was inspired to write half the New Testament...) said this: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own... but that which is through faith in Christ..." Philippians 3:8-9
according to the church of his day, Paul of all people could call himself righteous, having been the perfect example of a Jewish leader, but he called his own attempts at 'goodness' garbage, compared to what true righteousness is! he knew that whatever he had to offer on his own wouldn't cut it!
remember that ceramic pot i theorized that you might have made for yourself? it wouldn't matter how many bowls of soup you ate out of it, or how many times you were able to run it through the dishwasher without it cracking, it would NEVER be able to gain your debt. you would never logically be at the point when you should give your life for its sake. or even when you should have to pay for it. you made it, you still own it, and it still is expected to hold your food and go through the dishwasher, no questions asked! that's the position we are in compared to God.
He owes us nothing. we owe Him everything.
incredibly, even though He didn't have to, God chose to become a ceramic pot. He became a piece of clay named Jesus, so that He cold save us! even though He was the CreaTOR of all pots and didn't owe His creaTION anything, He chose to humble Himself and come to save us, because He loved us so much!!!
that is why, even when a Christian suffers because he carries Jesus' name, if he's called names or stoned or burned or beaten or has his family killed in front of him, he praises God. God gave the ultimate sacrifice to us and it compels us to live out every moment worshiping Him. it won't be boring to praise God forever in heaven; it is what we can't wait to do!!! "You see, just at the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (that's us!). Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8) our attitude is usually, 'i ain't dyin for no one!' but maybe, just MAYBE, we could imagine jumping in front of traffic to save someone we are convinced deserves to be saved. but Jesus didn't do it that way; He died for everyone, WHILE WE WERE STILL UNDESERVING!
that is why Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Galatians 6:14a
and that is why, when Peter and some other Christians were found preaching about Jesus, and then FLOGGED for it, they "left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Acts 5:41
Jesus is the Name we praise. and he is the only One worth glorifying.
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord... For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay (that's our bodies) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
it's true that as believers in Jesus, we WILL be given crowns and recognition for the good choices that we've made here on earth, but in the end, we will be so in awe of God when we approach His throne, that I'm sure we will lay our crowns at His feet, following the example of His own heavenly beings. (1 Peter 5:4 & Revelation 4:10)
who is getting the glory in YOUR life?
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