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Do You Hunger And Thirst After Real Righteousness

September 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

Wow! Steve that’s a great question, you may be thinking to yourself.  Of course, you could be thinking that’s a stupid question why is he asking it?  My reasoning is this, I have been asking it to myself more and more recently.  Lukewarm.  In Crazy Love, Francis Chan gives an overview of what a lukewarm Christian looks like. I think I fit into several of his descriptions, and that bothers me.  As I was reflecting over the last couple of weeks, this verse kept coming to my mind.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, because they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)  This is not some kind of false righteousness.  This is not the piety of a person that wants to look good to hold his or her job. This is not self righteousness that proves you are better than everyone else.  THIS IS NOT A SUNDAY MORNING RIGHTEOUSNESS.   This is righteousness that hurts.  This is righteousness that gives.  This is righteousness that shares in the lives of others, not because they are our friends, but because they need to see Jesus at work.

What is real righteousness?  Real righteousness is seeking the face of God and his will for your life. Trusting in Jesus and letting him guide and direct you.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

Long for God in all you do. Brother Lawrence in The Practice of The Presence of God says,

“I make it my priority to stay in His holy presence, wherein I keep up a simple attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God.”

Brother Lawrence wanted to see the face of God in all he did.  Whether it was peeling potatoes or washing dishes, he sought God. If we diligently seek him we will be rewarded by him.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

Do You Hunger and Thirst After Real Righteousness?

It is not easy, but it is simple.  If you came to Christ late in life like I did you have spent many years thinking about things other than God.  You have put many things in His rightful place in your life so it will take time to learn to love him as we should.  If you don’t know Christ I urge you to ask him to show himself to you.  That is the best place to start.  If you have asked Jesus to come into your life then you can start by asking him to help you love him more.  Don’t force it, because when you fail you may give up.  Just relax and accept that you may stumble and possibly fall, but if you truly hunger and thirst after him you will be rewarded.

Filed Under: Discipleship Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Vacation Review – What I Learned From Taking a Week Off

September 20, 2010 By 6 Comments

For the first time in the at least ten years my wife children and I took a vacation that did not involve going to see someone else.  We went to St. Augustine Florida for three days then relaxed at our local beach and attractions for the rest of the week.

One of the big things was staying off the computer for the entire week.  I think this helped me focus more and decide on some other things I want to do.  Earlier this year we traveled to see my wife’s father.  I made sure to take the computer, and blogged while I was gone.  I used the excuse that I just wanted to have it to check email but could not leave it alone.  I think that addiction is broken and I have already turned off twitter this morning because it is tiring to hear the same people say the same things they were saying before I left.  Sorry twitter, I’m just not that in to you.

I walk too fast.  I look at walking as a means to get somewhere not a time to enjoy the company of those I am with.  I was told on my return that I had walked past a good friends brother while on one of my walking missions.  I never heard him say hello, and never paid attention to where I was going. I have begun to walk slower and be more attentive when I am out.  Spending a week walking with people that are at least a foot or two shorter than I am helped since they can’t keep up with my pace, and my pace may be contributing to my back pain.

I don’t have to please anyone but God.  I have tried for a long time to write and act like I thought people wanted to read and see.  I saw while I was away that I can not be someone else.  I can’t write what I don’t know or understand, and I can’t be some one I am not.  I know this sounds like a confessional, and in a way it is, but if my confession helps someone else see then it is worth the time putting it out in the open.

Filed Under: Personal

Gainesville Florida Church To Burn Koran

September 7, 2010 By 3 Comments

Have you every been in a church meeting and the question came up, “How can we better show Muslims the love of Christ?”  The usual answers start something simple like, acknowledge their participation in school volunteering. Go to the local Muslim leaders and find a way we can work together.  Burn the Koran at our September 11th picnic and broadcast it on the internet.

 

Yep, you read the last one right.  The Dove World Outreach Center  of Gainesville Florida decided that the best way to show the love of Jesus Christ to the world would be to burn Korans. They may have outreach in their name, but I don’t think this is outreach.I’m not sure what part of, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” (Mark 12:31) or “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things,” (Galatians 5:22-23) this church is operating under, but it seems they may have missed these passages in the bible.  This also seems to be a growing problem in many churches across the United States.

In his book Reason For God Tim Keller says the way to judge groups is not by their standard for their members, but by the way they treat others,

“Which community has beliefs that lead it to treat persons in other communities with love and respect–to serve them and meet their needs? Which community’s beliefs lead it to demonize and attack those who violate their boundaries rather than treating them with kindness, humility, and winsomeness? We should criticize Christians when they are condemning and ungracious to unbelievers.”

When churches do stupid things like this they do nothing but drive people away from the cross of Christ.  Acts like this are not what Christians are to do.  People who do thing like this usually just want publicity for a book or money for themselves.  Christ came a died on a cross to show his love for humanity.  When churches do stupid stunts like this or carry signs that say “God hates fags,” they are turning their backs on the GREAT SACRIFICE Christ made to unite us with God.

This is not an issue of freedom of religion, it is a publicity stunt and nothing more.  Besides that, it is just plain stupid.

Image courtesy of robynejay via cc2.0 license

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