Friend or Foe?

I ran across this comment earlier this week:

Rick Warren has an innate ability to accept people without approving of their behavior.  He also has one of my favorite quotes: “You can’t win your enemies to Christ.  You can only win your friends.”  That one statement has completely changed the way I view people with a different worldview than mine.

Not really much to say about that, except maybe a short prayer -- Lord, make me more like that.

Important Question

This past Sunday, during the 9 am hour, the middle school kids and I were discussing Steven in Acts 7.  The three themes we talked about were how Steven knew the Word,  believed it and then talked about it -- boldly.

We ended our discussion with these three statements regarding our Christian life.

1.    We need to know God's Word with our heads.

2.    We need to love God with our hearts.

3.    We need to share God with our our mouth.

I asked them which is most difficult to do.  The collective response was #3.  I think that's what most of us would say.  But it struck me that morning that if #2 was really true, #3 would take care of itself.  When I suggested that, they seemed to quiet down a bit.  Certainly more quiet than they had been the rest of the morning.  ;-)   Perhaps I struck a nerve.

The thing I like about teaching middle school, is that they're old enough so you can press on them and push beyond some of those traditional Sunday School answers they're used to giving.

The thing that also happens when you press them -- is that you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself the same questions!  Jesus said in Luke 6:45 that out of the mouth comes the overflow of the heart. 

So the question is: What's in my heart?

That's the important question.

8 Letters

This past summer Pastor Brett allowed me to “preach” one Sunday while he was on sabbatical.  I related how Daniel 3 was an encouragement to me during a difficult time in my life.  (Daniel 3 is the chapter in which Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown into the furnace.)

One of my key points came from verse 18.  It is underlined and asterisked in my Bible.  The king gives these guys once last chance to bow down to the golden image.  They refuse.  There is a bit of a dialogue, but in verse 18 they say three very important words:  BUT   IF   NOT   Their allegiance and commitment was to God.  They knew He could save them, BUT IF NOT, they were still going to be faithful.

Just the other day, I read an article by Margaret Feinberg.  She had met a guy with a tattoo across his bicep.  You guessed it.  It said, BUT IF NOT.  He related this story from Daniel 3 to her and after a little while, she realized that these eight letters were the same amount in the word “faithful”.  And if you read on further in that chapter, you will see that the faithfulness of these three guys caused a prideful king to praise the Almighty God that we serve.

While I think that would be a cool looking tattoo, I don’t know if I have enough of a bicep to pull it off.  However, I can ask God to help me be faithful, even in circumstances where the result may be BUT IF NOT.  

General Petraeus

How disappointing it was to hear the news Friday about the resignation of CIA Director, David Petraeus, due to an extramarital affair.  This is a man, who has done so much for our country.  Politicians on both sides of the aisle had the utmost respect for him.  Mrs. Petraeus, as well, has been an advocate for military families and has been very important to those who have served our country in the military.

I have a friend from college, who is an army chaplain, and he had the privilege of serving under General Petraeus in Iraq.  Glen said he was an outstanding leader and could not say enough good about the man.

It's easy to be a Saturday-Morning-Critic.  But we don't have to think very hard about examples in the Bible, do we?  King David and Bathsheba immediately come to mind.  Less obvious - or should I say something we don't like to admit -  is the reminder Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount.  He said that adultery is a matter of the heart.  That can hit us Saturday-Morning-Critics a little closer to home, doesn't it.  I don't know if General Petraeus is a follower of Christ or not.  I hope so.  Or perhaps this experience will nudge him towards Christ.

By coincidence, on the same day Petraeus' announcement was made, I heard the audio from this video clip.  It was used in a sermon about the afore mentioned text from the Sermon on the Mount.  This personifies the term I sometimes use: Soli Deo Gloria.  It is Latin for Glory to God alone.

This video is sort of long (9 minutes), but it truly does represent what Christ can do in a marriage.  It's worth ten minutes of your times this weekend.  Watch.  Then, go and recommit your marriage to God.

SDG

Elections

This blog, unlike some others will be brief.  I can hear the cheering now.   I was watching the 10 PM news on Tuesday night (11/6) on channel  4, wanted to hear about the elections.   During the coverage CBS came on to announce the projected winner of the Presidential election.  One of the reporters made an observation that really caught my attention.  He said a total of over six billion dollars (that is $6,000,000,000.00) was spent on the elections and nothing has really changed.  We have the same President, and we have the same divided Congress.  Wow! I wondered what it would be like if we gave even half that amount to our churches, or charities, or even our schools.  All that money spent for just a few new faces and we are left with the same parties, the same problems, what did we really accomplish?  It remains to be seen, but at least we could vote.

Now what we must do is follow Paul’s advice in Romans 13, to work with and pray for all of our leaders, whether  we voted for that person or not. 

A Four Letter Word

I saw a headline this week in the Star Tribune that stated more than $18 million dollars has been spent on the Marriage Amendment vote that is coming up next week.  That's a lot of money!  And no doubt you have seen the yard signs, billboards, flyers in the mail, TV ads and countless articles and commentaries on this issue.

I believe it is an important issue.  But even more important, have been a number of blog posts, articles and even sermons from our own pastor regarding the bigger issue -- the eternal issue if you will. This issue is controversial and will remain so after the election, no matter which block of voters win.  But many in the evangelical world have encouraged other believers to use a four-letter word: love.

I was reminded this week of the story in the Bible about the woman caught in adultery.  There were many from 'the church' to accuse her; to stone her and actually kill her for her deed.  They bring her to Jesus and he quietly draws in the dirt.  (Someday we'll find out if it was anything in particular or if He was just thinking.  It's one of those; Why is this in the Bible questions.)  He suggests that the ones who were innocent should throw the first stone.  He didn't say; "Get a bigger stone."  He just showed her love, even though she was guilty.

The Bible doesn't indicate that this lady turned her life around and became a follower of Christ.  Jesus did say, 'go and sin no more'.  And perhaps she did change, particularly after someone showed her such love when she knew her life was on the line.

Paul Young (author of The Shack and someone familiar with controversy as well) once said; "It's easier to be right than it is to love."  Think about it.  That's really true, isn't it?

After November 7th, let's keep that in mind.  No matter the outcome of the vote, let's show the love of God to all people.  That's the bigger issue.