Abundance vs. Need

Acts19

This morning I was reading Acts 19 and practicing meditation, and there was a specific part of this passage that stuck out to me. It was verses 18-20 which reads as follows;

"Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned then in the sight of all. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily."

This stuck out to me because earlier this morning I began to think about my tax return. I know you’re thinking, “How in the world will this make any connection?” but let me progress. My wife and I have been thinking about how to spend our tax return. Immediately when I heard we were getting one I began to think of all the things I could consume--new camera, cymbals, clothes, shoes, etc. But then I began to think about how I don't need those things, and there are people in the world or even our city who need things that they can't afford. I recently heard a story about a woman in our church who lost her job and their family is on the verge of bankruptcy, there's a guy in my neighborhood who owes 2,000 on back MLGW bills, a neighbor of mine wants a job and can't get one because of his past, and the list goes on and on and on...

Deny Yourself

I began to think, “Where's the sin in spending a little on us and spending most on someone else?” Then I thought about something I heard yesterday at a men's lunch. The speaker said that Satan wants us to think of ourselves. The enemy wants us to deem ourselves better than everyone else. That way we continually think of our neighbor less and less. But he challenged us to consistently deny ourselves as Christ did in Luke 9:23. The argument may arise that the poor are always with us, or there will always be those who are hurting, but I believe that Christians have to strive to make a dent in that hurt. Needs should be met and people need to know the grace of God.

America's Idols

As far as the Acts 19 reference is concerned, I think the magic in their lives is equivalent to the idols in our own lives. For them they placed trust in magic spells, but we place trust in things such as houses, cars, sports, academics, money, or savings among many others. Temptations are always present, they may just look different for different people. In this passage they put their books out in public which was believed to defile the power of the magic. Next, they burned the books which signified they didn't want anything to do with or anyone else to have them. These books were very expensive and they could have sold them and made money to give to the Lord, but they didn't want anyone else to delve into these practices, they simply wanted to trust God with their lives.

Take today what you need

Consequently, another thing that I am overwhelmed by is that some people have the opposite of need and hurt. I am overwhelmed by people's abundance, not unbelievers, but Christians who have even an overabundance. In Exodus 16 we see the illustration of the manna and how some took as they needed and some stored it up till the morning, and it became full of maggots. I, too, need this as much as those whose I am writing about. As I write these very words I am thinking of my own desires in this manner. I believe I am beginning to ramble so I will attempt to glue it together. There are people who store up money because they don't need as much as they bring in. In some cases this could be considered being good stewards, and maybe it is, but I believe it's not when we know of a need our "brother" or "sister" has. Are we not called to be our brother's keeper? How can we love those we are not like if can't even love those who we are lik? Are we not called to love our neighbor as ourselves? Don't get me wrong, I not saying we shouldn't have a savings account. It's just hard for me to have much of one when I know people are hurting.

Love your enemies?

If we can't love our on brothers and sisters, how will we ever be able love our enemies as Christ calls us to in Matthew 5:43-44? I know this is hard to chew on-- I mean, it is not easy for me either. I have grown up in a culture that says to protect yourself, look out for “No. 1”, get as much as you can, but I believe this is not Biblical. I believe we are literally called to deny ourselves and love others as we would love ourselves. I think of radical revolutionaries like Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, and Shane Claiborne. They have all given up things and become a little less comfortable in their lives for the sake of Christ. I pray I can become more like this in my own life. I pray we can all do this more as we see brothers, sisters, and people we may not even know who are in need.

Ask yourself...

How can you become more uncomfortable for the cause of Christ and for the sake of others?

What can you give up for these reasons?

How engage other people to think along these lines?

Theology Banter

Have you ever been in the midst of a conversation about theology? I am not referring to the calm ones over a cup of coffee or a pint, but rather the ones that involve heated arguing about who is right and who is wrong. Yes, the ones where some ones ego is in play. I don't know about you, but they drive me crazy!

"I can't believe you're a pre-millennialist, how could believe that."

How?

"You believe you can lose your salvation?"

Why?

Recently my friend said something that I wished I would've thought of and been able to use in many of conversations. Though I would want to use it for my own gain of sounding smarter than I really am and making people who make me feel small feel even smaller. God knows this and knew that years prior I wasn't mature enough to handle words like these and use them with in a graceful manner. All that to say my friend said this "the discussion of theology is only good to the extent that it glorifies God".

I have never heard it said better...

It kind of blew me away...

One of the first things I ever learned about theology is that questions will only lead to more questions...

which could be disheartening, but I find it exciting that God will always fill us. He is inexhaustible as Trip Lee says.

I feel God gave us theology so complex for the means of growing closer to him through wrestling with scripture and constantly coming to him for guidance through this wrestling.

I think it becomes wrong and maybe even sin when we put someone down and make divides over non essential theology. Though there are most definitely essentials on which we should stand firm, this post is speaking about the non essentials which so many times are elevated for the sake of a pat on someone's ego.

It just erks me that someone takes an opportunity teach someone or grow themselves and turns it into an opportunity to stroke their ego. I believe that their is a very small place for ego in a christians life... I know some people are born with that struggle, but they should fight it the same way that someone fight an addiction to alcohol or pornography. We view sin so lop sided from God's view but, that is a post for another time...

I enjoy the banter of theology with a good friend over a coffee or an occasional pint where we can discuss and learn from one another despite our different interpretations and views. I do however, despise the building up of ones ego over such things. I think is dangerous even. I think this leads to self righteousness which the Bible tells us clearly is evil and wrong. I believe as christians we are to constantly give away credit and knowledge. Having a right view of ourselves as servants to our neighbors.

We need to realize that we can all learn something from people we come in contact with.

We need to bestow what little we know on other people around us.

We can even learn from people that we choose to disciple.

We need to be stewards of these things.

Genuinely changed

The world is hungry for genuinely changed people. Leo Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing humanity but nobody thinks of changing himself.”

This was a quote that I heard last week and really hit me. We always like to blame people and point the finger.

"Obama's going to ruin the country"

"it's Bush's fault"

"we've inherited this deficit"

You never hear anyone say emphatically "yes, it was my fault", "I messed up". Maybe it is because people perceive that as weak, i don't know? On the contrary, I know it takes a strong person to say he was wrong. I saw my pastor admit his hidden sin when I was in high school. He knew that the majority of the congregation and the city would look at him with disgrace, but he followed God's guidance and confessed his sin and now helps people with the same struggles. God has a plan that is better than we could ever imagine, even when it doesn't look that way.

I also have a friend who picked up from everything he has known for almost the past two decades and moved his family half way across the nation. He struggles sometimes with the decision that He feels God wanted him to make. This all reminds me of the Israelites in the desert. They were disgusted making bricks day after day. God delivered them and they had to wander in the desert, but they often wanted to go back. God had promised them to promise land and they knew that but often forgot it.

I know this rings true in my life for the times sin creeps in. I can feel so close to God and then in a lull I forget and think that sin looks better for the moment. This is the plague of life.

We forget...

We forget that God is life ...

We forget that God has our best in mind...

In the same way I feel this quote is true. We idolize people who can inspire and mobilize the masses. We don't idolize people who start an after school program or mentor one kid who doesn't have a father. God has a way of flipping the world's priorities on their head. He has different ideas for the words like success, happiness, rich, poor, truth, and lies. I feel that we Christians even miss these ideas many times. We forget that glory is not what really matters and that won't satisfy us.

We need to make a shift to doing the small things and inspiring people we come in contact with to do the same. If each Christian committed to truly serving the one block they live on then how much closer would we be to changing the world? If we all were truly neighbors to our neighborhoods what would happen?

We also need to make a conscious effort as Christians to look and live different than the world. We need to show the world that We have been truly an radically changed by the grace of God. So many times we look and act just like the people that would say they don't know Christ. We don't look and act like we have been genuinely changed. No wonder people are leaving the christian faith, no wonder faith systems like Islam are growing exponentially, because people live a radically different life. They live like they have something to believe in. Ask yourself first...

Do you really believe what you say you believe?

Does your life reflect that belief?

Are you truly changed?

Really?