*Scriptures take from Biblegateway.com
Matthew 6:19-24
A lot of what Jesus speaks about in the sermon on the mount can make us feel uncomfortable. Nothing, for me personally at least, makes me feel as uncomfortable as being given only two options. I enjoy living in a nation where I don't have to be just a Democrat or Republican (I can be Independent), where I don't have to like just vanilla or chocolate (I can choose strawberry), where I can choose from the hundreds of channels available on the cable network my campus provides. I like having options. In these Scriptures passages, however, Jesus makes it blatantly clear that there is no gray area, only black and white.
Side One:
Here you can lay up treasures on earth. Store your money away so that you can buy that well-deserved vacation. Splurge a little bit more than you would normally on those shiny trinkets. Get clothes that are trendy, knowing full well that you're going to buy a new wardrobe next year so you won't be outdated. Watch a movie or television show that you know has images you'll struggle to get out of your mind. Serve both God and "mammon" (riches).
Side Two:
Here you can lay up treasures in heaven. Give, give, give until you feel what I like to call "the pinch." It's a idea that C. S. Lewis (my bff if he were alive) propagated, that you haven't given enough until it starts to hurt a little. Spend your overtime pay on sending an orphan a Christmas basket or feeding a missionary family in persecuting nation. Give a little extra in the offering basket this Sunday because of that touching sermon, even though you were saving that money for that dream bag that finally came on sale. Filter your field of vision to exclude shows/movies that make you depressed and bitter. Learn to love God first and let that love lead you to love in all its other forms (loving my neighbor as myself, for example).
I write to you plainly because here it is plainly presented. Darkness is the absence of light, so where there is light, darkness cannot also be. Where there is holiness and righteousness, there cannot also be sin. It's hard to accept in a world where we see a spectrum to everything, but daily I see reminders that the boundaries of the standards by which we must live are clearly delineated by Scripture. John's first epistle can be particularly convicting:
"... let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil ... Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him ..." [1 John 3:7-9]
Or what of Paul's epistle to the Romans:
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. " [Romans 6:16-17]
Earlier he writes how "our old man was crucified with [Christ]" [verse 6] and that when Christ died, "He died to sin once for all" [verse 10]. When we choose to go back to our old ways, we are walking in old man and not the "new creation" [2 Corinthians 5:17] God made us to be, and we, essentially, put the cross to shame by denying its power to transform our lives. What examples then are we demonstrating to the world? Even more so, how can we possibly be say we are living the life of someone who is "saved from sin" if we return to that which enslaved us?
There is so much more I could write. But honestly, what more can I say? If this devotional is making you feel uncomfortable, then good. How much more do I feel uncomfortable by writing it? But it must be said. The summary is given by Jesus Himself in John 14:15 - "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Holiness is not a optional way of living Christianity; it is the only alternative to sin. The decision is ours.
God bless,
Alisha -/-
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A Watching World Wonder Why
* Scriptures taken from Biblegateway.com
Matthew 6:1-18
This is a rather large portion of the sermon on the mount to lump together, especially since there were studies in chapter 5 with as little as two verses. I opted to put these together because they share one common theme. We have the choice to announce our deeds, or to commit them in secret (where the Father sees) and allow Him to reward us openly.
As in all the other parts of the sermon on the mount that we have looked at, we can read Christ's message and instantly know what point He is trying to make. And as in all the other studies, I feel little need to add on to what He said; it really does not need much clarification. So I'd rather take a different angle on this familiar scripture:
Motivation. When I took an acting class, we would joke about the clichéd actor who would ask the director, "What is my motivation?" My professor would explain that, most times, the motivation for a character was his circumstances. Each motion and vocal inflection were a part of his struggle in ascertain a particular goal. I fear that if we were to look inside our hearts and be completely honest with ourselves, we would find that that is, in fact, our Christian walk. We're all actors manipulating circumstances to pursue a goal. This was the sin of the Pharisees. They would use any form of pomp and circumstance to announce their good works. They would pray an elongated dissertation to appear holier than others. They would literally paint their faces white to elicit sympathy and praise from their neighbors so they could "silently" announce their fasting. In this era, such traditions are absurd, but pride has since adorned a three-piece suit. We find more acceptable ways of showcasing our holiness. This devotional is not about condemning the praising and encouraging of one another for our good deeds. But we must ask the question, what is our motivation? Are we sharing our testimonies to inspire others to do likewise, or are we itching for a pat on the back?
If the answer is that you are not sure, then Jesus offers sound advice. Eliminate temptation from the start. Perform good works so covertly that your left hand doesn't know what your right hands is doing [verse 3]. Pray in your "prayer closet", after shutting the door at first [verse 6]. (This is sound advice - apart the humility factor - since in solitude we can be less hesitant to be honest in our confessions and more free to worship however the Spirit may lead.) Fast in a manner that shows you to be strong, not weak, in the flesh [verses 17, 18]. This is, after all, a key concept in fasting - to deny the physical in an effort to focus on edifying the spiritual. A distant relative of mine decided to fight cancer without medicinal therapy. She was a mother of two young children at the time, and it was easy for our church to pity her. But, ironically, as we sat with tears in our eyes, she stood firm, a pillar of strength in the midst of the darkest part of her life. That image of her is forever burned in my head.
Women of God, we are meant to stand firm and shine as lights to this world. How can we do so if we are seeking after the very thing everyone of the world seeks - the approval of others? Would it not be absolutely wonderful if one woman could seek the approval of God first? Would it not be all the more wonderful if a group of say three hundred plus women in a certain Facebook group decided to live up to the title of that very group? What would be the result?
The answer can be found in the lyrics of the Newsboys song Shine, which go:
... The truth is in
The proof is when
You hear your heart start asking,
"What's my motivation?" ...
Shine
Make 'em wonder what you got
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored
Shine
Let it shine before all men
Let 'em see good once again
Let 'em glorify the Lord
I love how this song says that when our hearts start asking, "What's my motivation?" then we can only reach the conclusion that we must "shine before all men" so that they can "see good" and "glorify the Lord." (Does this sound familiar? Matthew 5:16) The good they see can be manifested in quiet acts of service, and these actions can be the most powerful. Quiet acts do not mean we're ignoring the fact that mankind is watching. Rather, we shift our attention to where God alone sees, trusting that He is faithful to reward us openly. And, in the process, we cause the world to wonder why we do what we do the way we do it. We can "make 'em wish they were not on the outside," and wish, instead, to have our motivation.
God bless,
Alisha
Matthew 6:1-18
This is a rather large portion of the sermon on the mount to lump together, especially since there were studies in chapter 5 with as little as two verses. I opted to put these together because they share one common theme. We have the choice to announce our deeds, or to commit them in secret (where the Father sees) and allow Him to reward us openly.
As in all the other parts of the sermon on the mount that we have looked at, we can read Christ's message and instantly know what point He is trying to make. And as in all the other studies, I feel little need to add on to what He said; it really does not need much clarification. So I'd rather take a different angle on this familiar scripture:
Motivation. When I took an acting class, we would joke about the clichéd actor who would ask the director, "What is my motivation?" My professor would explain that, most times, the motivation for a character was his circumstances. Each motion and vocal inflection were a part of his struggle in ascertain a particular goal. I fear that if we were to look inside our hearts and be completely honest with ourselves, we would find that that is, in fact, our Christian walk. We're all actors manipulating circumstances to pursue a goal. This was the sin of the Pharisees. They would use any form of pomp and circumstance to announce their good works. They would pray an elongated dissertation to appear holier than others. They would literally paint their faces white to elicit sympathy and praise from their neighbors so they could "silently" announce their fasting. In this era, such traditions are absurd, but pride has since adorned a three-piece suit. We find more acceptable ways of showcasing our holiness. This devotional is not about condemning the praising and encouraging of one another for our good deeds. But we must ask the question, what is our motivation? Are we sharing our testimonies to inspire others to do likewise, or are we itching for a pat on the back?
If the answer is that you are not sure, then Jesus offers sound advice. Eliminate temptation from the start. Perform good works so covertly that your left hand doesn't know what your right hands is doing [verse 3]. Pray in your "prayer closet", after shutting the door at first [verse 6]. (This is sound advice - apart the humility factor - since in solitude we can be less hesitant to be honest in our confessions and more free to worship however the Spirit may lead.) Fast in a manner that shows you to be strong, not weak, in the flesh [verses 17, 18]. This is, after all, a key concept in fasting - to deny the physical in an effort to focus on edifying the spiritual. A distant relative of mine decided to fight cancer without medicinal therapy. She was a mother of two young children at the time, and it was easy for our church to pity her. But, ironically, as we sat with tears in our eyes, she stood firm, a pillar of strength in the midst of the darkest part of her life. That image of her is forever burned in my head.
Women of God, we are meant to stand firm and shine as lights to this world. How can we do so if we are seeking after the very thing everyone of the world seeks - the approval of others? Would it not be absolutely wonderful if one woman could seek the approval of God first? Would it not be all the more wonderful if a group of say three hundred plus women in a certain Facebook group decided to live up to the title of that very group? What would be the result?
The answer can be found in the lyrics of the Newsboys song Shine, which go:
... The truth is in
The proof is when
You hear your heart start asking,
"What's my motivation?" ...
Shine
Make 'em wonder what you got
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored
Shine
Let it shine before all men
Let 'em see good once again
Let 'em glorify the Lord
I love how this song says that when our hearts start asking, "What's my motivation?" then we can only reach the conclusion that we must "shine before all men" so that they can "see good" and "glorify the Lord." (Does this sound familiar? Matthew 5:16) The good they see can be manifested in quiet acts of service, and these actions can be the most powerful. Quiet acts do not mean we're ignoring the fact that mankind is watching. Rather, we shift our attention to where God alone sees, trusting that He is faithful to reward us openly. And, in the process, we cause the world to wonder why we do what we do the way we do it. We can "make 'em wish they were not on the outside," and wish, instead, to have our motivation.
God bless,
Alisha
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