Fooling Ourselves

Yeah, keep smiling, con man.

The following tale is a true story.

A certain missionary, while in China, spent the morning at a local outdoor market. The air was infused with the smell of dumplings and deep fried "Chinese donuts". Growing hungry, the missionary's eyes were drawn to a peanut salesman's stock of fresh walnuts.

As is customary in Chinese marketplaces, a certain amount of haggling is expected. But so is flagrant market fraud and various clever cons. Even though the missionary watched very carefully the weighing of the walnuts so as to avoid receiving a lighter load than the scale indicated, his desire to be generous and caring kept him from bargaining too hard for a deal. Instead -- though the missionary had no need of so many walnuts -- he offered a very fair price for a four kilogram (~9 lbs) bag of walnuts instead of the two kilograms that would have been plenty. He didn't notice any trickery in the weighing of his purchase so he felt good about being generous.

Once the missionary reached his apartment, he eagerly untied the plastic bag and emptied the fragrant walnuts into a large bowl and got ready to try them.

To his chagrin, the walnuts were nearly impossible to open, and when they were forced open, the nut inside was swollen and stuck to the nooks and crannies of the shell. The missionary realized he had been tricked! As a daily practice, the walnut salesman must have purposefully soaked his crop in water to increase its weight! Anger and resentment grew in the heart of the missionary. After all, he just wanted to be kind and helpful; but in return, he was betrayed and mocked.

It took some quite meditation and prayer before the missionary could find peace for himself and forgiveness from God.

When he contemplated more about the Walnut Salesman, the missionary began to feel sorry for him. For a little bit of extra money, the Walnut Salesman's greed forced him into an extra heavy load of walnuts every morning. If sold truly fresh walnuts, his burden would be much lighter than the waterlogged walnuts he carried daily. His con job made enemies with every one of his clients. If he were more honest, he could have satisfied patrons become repeat customers and perhaps even make some friends.

Instead, he was just fooling himself.

His greed did little to bring joy to his life and in the end, his dishonesty can only create bitterness and layers upon layers of guilt and remorse.But isn't this a picture of our relationship with God? God does nothing but good things for us - it's His very nature to do nothing but loving things for us - and how do we repay him? With betrayal, disobedience, and mockery.

We are only fooling ourselves when we try our own way. When we work extra hard for that bonus check at the end of the quarter or when we cheat a little in order to keep a larger portion for ourselves, we're only fooling ourselves. Our joy and our fortune doesn't come from these things. It comes from a heart that is dedicated to God.

Let's take inventory of ourselves and pray that we have hearts that seek after Him.

Who Are You...

... that the Lord of Heaven and earth should die for you?

It's amazing how nowadays there are so many different ways to worship, so many creative avenues which we can use to praise God. Here's one that I happened to stumble upon:

I don't know about you guys, but I got misty watching it.

Psalm 8:3-4
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

Take some time to sit before God in prayer and thank him for his salvation!

And why yes, I did just learn to embed YouTube videos on the blog!

Someone Else's Sacrifice?

One popular misconception that atheists or anti-Christians hold is that the idea of God's sacrificial atonement for sin through Jesus Christ is in fact an unkind, unforgiving act.

Their question is simply, "Why couldn't God, in all his loving-kindness simply forgive us our sins? Why did he have to use Jesus as a sacrifice?" They imagine an illogical scenario like this:

You're at a playground and Joe walks up and punches you in the stomach. You have two options; you can forgive him and move on, or you can justifiably punch him back. The latter being fair in the cosmic scale of equity. But inexplicably, instead of punching Joe in return or forgiving him outright, you pull in George, an innocent bystander, and punch him in the stomach instead.

That's how some critics of Christianity view Jesus' death on the cross. Why did God the Father drag his own son to be punished for sins that he could have simply forgave? To them, it's illogical and cruel.

Firstly, God had to devise a plan to atone for the sins of man because without doing so, there would be no point in us doing good. If doing his will and not doing his will result in the same thing; reconciliation and closeness to God, then what's the point of having rules or a God-given moral code of absolute right and wrong? We might as well live how we please and just let God forgive us all in the end. That would be chaos, and as it were, unloving.

After all, do parents that love their children let them do whatever they want only to forgive them of their mistakes? No, parents give their children rules and boundaries that are sometimes broken. When they're broken, the children are punished or reprimanded and then forgiven to try again. That's the model of a loving relationship; that's God's model for us to follow.

Secondly, Jesus, when he died on the cross for our sins, wasn't an unwilling third party. It wasn't that God didn't want to suffer or forgive us and dragged Jesus, kicking and screaming, into the picture.

Jesus is, in fact, God himself! Jesus' sacrifice IS God's sacrifice. It's true sacrifice because God sacrificed himself to die for our sins.

In the end, God's plan for atonement and reconciliation is still the most beautiful, perfect plan conceivable.

Prayer of Confession

Sometimes Christians feel like they can "out-sin" God's grace. I am happy to report that is not possible. The Bible says:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Not just some, but ALL. Past. Present. Future. Never forget the blood of Jesus covers ALL sins!



Take some time to confess your sins and be right with God. Oh, and if you didn't make it to prayer meeting last night, you're in luck: there's two more opportunities next week!

Let's see what God will do with a church fully committed to praying to him!

I love cats...

We Got to Pray Just to Make It Today

For you "Old Skool" cats, a great reminder to pray...

Pray

MC Hammer

That's word, we pray, pray, pray
We got to pray just to make it today
I said, “We pray”, pray, ah yeah we pray, pray
We got to pray just to make it today, that's word, we pray

All my life I wanted to make it to the top
Some said I wouldn't they told me no, but I didn't stop
Working hard, making those moves everyday
And on my knees every night, you know I pray

Now I just think that you can do what ever you want
I'm bustin' these rhymes making this money and I won't
Forget my people or my town or my ways
And on my knees, every night, I'm still gonna pray

Time and time and time and time and time again
I kept on knocking, but these people wouldn't let me in
I tried and tried and tried and tried to make a way
But nothing happened till that day I prayed

Children dying, oh so fast from this or that
Need that money, bookin’ that dope, smokin' that crack
Ten years old, stand outside, better look out
Dead and gone, never had a chance, what's it all about?

All our missions start to doubt, here we go
Kicking back, read these words, we need to know
Living high, living good, living long
Take a minute, bust a prayer and you're good to go

We're sending this one out to the Lord and we thank you
And we know we need to pray ‘cause all the blessings
That are good they come from above and once again

We want to say, “Thank you” to the Lord

With all our love, we outta here.

That's why we pray!

Hammer didn't always get it right (does anyone?), but on this one he was spot on. As Christians we need to pray just to make it today! Take some time to pray to the Lord right now. And get to prayer meeting on Wednesdays! This means YOU!

Constructing a Baby

under construction?

An important distinction to make when thinking about the unborn is that while they are still in gestation, a living thing (like a human fetus,) is "under development." Contrast this with the incomplete creation of an innanimate thing (like a plasma TV or a car,) which is "under construction."

No one would look at a 50" aluminum frame and call it a TV. It's not a TV until it's completed and ready for use. Before it's completed, it's under construction.

But a human baby while still in gestation is under development. It's still a human, it's just not a fully developed human. This is an important distiction to make and is often cause for confusion when the controversial topic of abortion is discussed.

(Consider this: a one-month old baby girl is not capable of eating solid food, drinking water, reasoning or reproduction and therefore, still "not fully developed." But she's still human. The state of one's development has nothing to do with their value or quantification as a human. Why should a developing fetus be considered anything less than human?)

One Man's Treasure. . .

. . . is another man's trash.

A Super Bowl ring may never be considered "trash," but in comparison to that which God has in store for us it is. But for the vast majority of us non-Super Bowl winners, we never have to make that choice to sacrifice a Super Bowl ring in order to benefit others. Today I came across the story of a man who did. You can read that story here.

People spend their lives chasing dreams like winning a Super Bowl, and owning Super Bowl rings. In reality trophies and rings are just temporary items that have no eternal value. . . but it can be used to affect someone's eternity, as Cherry is trying to do.

Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

It is really encouraging to see people live out their faith and literally put their money where their beliefs are.

But it is also really cool thinking about owning a Super Bowl ring too. Although if I did win it, I would not know what to do with it. Probably sell it because I can't afford the taxes on it! But I digress. . . If you would like a chance to own a piece of history AND help the children of the world as well, you can purchase tickets at the Celebrities for Charity website here.

There's a War Outside Still Ragin'...

... you say it ain't ours anymore to win. Bruce Springsteen didn't know how right he was when he wrote those lyrics.

There is a spiritual battle going on around us 24/7 and whether you are Christian or not, you are involved.

The war is on for souls, but many Christians are either unaware of this battle or indifferent to it.

Although it is a spiritual war, its results can be plainly seen in the physical world, ranging from casual indifference to the truth to violent hostility towards Christ's followers. In fact, you can read about the persecution of Christians at the Voice of the Martyrs website here.

One way that we can better fight this battle is through prayer. We can pray that God would demolish the strongholds of Satan and lift the darkness from our loved ones that do not know him. We can pray for protection for those who face persecution or the threat of persecution daily.

Whether we realize it or not, we all contribute one way or another to this battle.

Indifferent or lukewarm Christians seem to help the cause of Satan more than God's. Lack of prayer inhibits God's work in our world. But on the flip side, Christians with fire brings light to the darkness. Fervent prayers of righteous prayer warriors usher in God's work in the world.

How have you contributed to this battle lately?

No Middle Ground for Abortion

Senator Joe Biden, when asked about his views on abortion, basically said that he accepts his church's teachings on when life begins, but wouldn't impose his personal beliefs on others.

Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason had a good response to Senator Biden's watered down convictions. In this excerpt from the STR blog, Mr. Koukl recounts his discussion with another man with a similar viewpoint as the Senator's:

I once had a discussion with a man who offered this nonsense to me at a conference. He said he was personally opposed to abortion, but didn’t think it was right to force his views on others. I asked him the question I always pose when I encounter such a feeble notion: “Why are you personally against abortion?”

He responded with the answer I always get. “I believe abortion kills a baby,” he said, “That is why I am against it. But that’s just my own personal view.”

“Let me see if I understand you,” I said. “You are convinced abortion kills an innocent child, yet you think the law should allow women to do that to their own babies. Did I get that right?”

He objected to my wording, but when I asked him what part of his view I misunderstood, he was silent. I hadn’t misunderstood it. That was his view.
The logic of the modified pro-choice position reduces to, “I think it’s wrong to kill my own children, but I don’t think we should stop other people from killing
theirs.”

Notice that this critique has nothing to do with whether abortion is right or wrong. That’s a different question. I am simply pointing out that the modified pro-choice view deals itself a fatal blow. That is Biden’s blunder, and the blunder of anyone else advancing such a foolish notion.

There's no middle ground for abortion rights. (Read the entire blog post here.)

Judaism and Human Rights

How Judaism was the foundation of modern human rights:



... an excerpt from the upcoming documentary movie, The Birth of Freedom.

Not All Everything are Created Equal

While it's taboo in most North American social circles to 'discriminate' against particular people groups because it's almost always labeled as racism or xenophobia, one Australian community took steps to accept the building of a Catholic school within its bounds shortly after denying the application for a similar school of Muslim faith.

Is that discriminatory? Is it illegal racism? You can read more about the case HERE and decide for yourself, but I want to take a moment to analyze whether it is valid to reject certain things without fear of being labeled a racist or a xenophobe.

When someone - like Mr. Emil Sremchevich, president of the Camden/Macarthur Residents' Group - that helped accept the building of the Catholic school in his community but rejects another school of a different faith, it's seen as ethnocentrism and most modern day critics would consider it racism. Although all people are created equal and each have infinite value in the eyes of the crucified Christ, and therefore it is wrong to classify one as less important or more favorable than another, not all IDEAS are created equal.

Suppose I had an idea or worldview that thought all people of Jewish decent were bad and worthy of extermination. Imagine that I, subsequently, managed to garner the support of tens of thousands of followers who I managed to brainwash into thinking the same thing. Shouldn't my followers and I expect to be rejected in all right-thinking communities? Or does the freedom of speech allow me to espouse my hateful ideas? Neither our Constitution nor our Bill of Rights guarantees our right to hate speech and therefore my twisted, racist ideas would not be protected or accepted.

Hitler, would not today, be allowed to build a Nazi Community Center in the middle of downtown Fremont, I don't think.

Imagine then, that there is a community of people who disagree with a particular religion's views regarding women, gays, and those outside of that particular faith. Imagine that that religion's ideas can be seen as hateful and create fear among the community. Are those community members legally required to accept those ideas by allowing them to be taught in a school errected within the community's boundaries? Logic would suggest no. Lawyers and liberal judges might suggest differently.

While I accept all people of different races and ethnic backgrounds, I can, with a clear conscience, reject many people's ideas and worldviews. Not all ideas are created equal. Maybe that makes me an idealogical elitist, but it doesn't make me a racist.

Living What You Believe

Politics aside, I believe as Christians we should be intrigued not by Gov. Sarah Palin, VP nominee as much as Sarah Palin, child of God. You may agree or disagree with her political and even religious views but you can't deny the lengths that she goes to in living out her faith.

When I speak of Gov. Palin living out her faith, I am referring to her son, Trig. It's one thing to say that you believe in the sanctity of life, but it's another when you actually have that choice to make. You can read about it here.

But this post is not specifically about abortion; it's about more than that. It's about living a life worthy of the calling God has for us. Believe it or not, the call to be a child of God, a fellow heir with Jesus is a lofty one and we need to live in a manner that is consistent with that, especially when things are tough!

For the vast majority of us, our everyday "tough" choices may not seem like such in the grand scheme of things. We struggle with things like, who we hang out with, what we watch on TV or movies, what music we listen to, or for a vast minority, sharing the Gospel with a friend or relative.

But really, the tough choice is this: will you deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Jesus? Will you be obedient even if it is expensive, uncomfortable, or even downright painful? If Jesus is truly your Lord you will. Someone once said, "Jesus is not Lord at all if he is not Lord of all."

No matter how difficult the decisions that we face may be, as God's children we show what we believe by our actions. When the "rubber meets the road" what do your actions say about what you believe about God and his ways?

Marvelous Light

One of my favorite "new" praise and worship songs is Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall. Here are the lyrics (and you can hear it here):

I once was fatherless

A stranger with no hope

Your kindness wakened me

Wakened me from my sleep now

Your love it beckons deeply

A call to come and die

By grace now I will come

And take this life take Your life

Sin has lost its power

Death has lost its sting

From the grave You've risen

Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running

Out of darkness out of shame

Through the cross You are the Truth

You are the Life You are the Way

My dead heart now is beating

My deepest stains now clean

Your breath fills up my lungs

Now I'm free now I'm free

My dead heart now is beating

My deepest stains now clean

Your breath fills up my lungs

Now I'm free now I'm free

There's no more shame

No more shame

And now we show the world

Christ in you

Lift my hands and spin around

See the light that I have found

Oh the marvelous light marvelous light

It's Christ in you

Lift my hands and spin around

See the light that I have found

Oh the marvelous light marvelous light

No matter what your situation, you can always go to the marvelous light of Christ!