This afternoon as I was trying to catch a quick cat nap, a thought popped into my head, "Men everywhere act like kings and treat everyone else as slaves. But we, as followers of Jesus Christ, should think of ourselves as merely slaves, and treat everyone else as if they were kings." This theme is everywhere in Scripture, especially the new testament as taught by Jesus.
"But Jesus called them together and said,"You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whomever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came to not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt 20:25-28 NLT).
But humility is so hard a call in today's selfish world. All around us are images and messages telling us to indulge ourselves for "we are worth it". A condo development in town is called, "Centerpoint: Where life revolves around you!" But what is the cost of these messages? What is the fruit of acting like the world revolves around you? Arrogance, selfishness, narcissism are the nasty fruit of following some very attractively wrapped deceptions.
They are even worse when coming from a christian, someone who is supposed to think of him or herself as a slave of righteousness. And we wonder why the Gospel message is often ignored. Have we looked in the mirror lately? Have we taken off our masks to see the ugly truth within? For God does not judge like man does. For man judges by the outside, but the Lord looks into the heart. What does He see in yours? Maybe this is why we repel more people then we attract.
None of us ever set out to act this way, most of us do sincerely wish to act in manner worthy of our calling in Christ. But past hurts, selfishness, and the evil within us, keep us from doing the good we desire. Paul talks about this in the book of Romans:
"I have discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind, I want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin." (Rom 7:21-25).
How do you live out being in slave in Christ? How do you remember to think of others as more important then yourself? Where do you struggle with this?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Riches that last...
As the Christmas season approaches, I am overwhelmed by the amount of commercials that try to convince us that we cannot possibly live without some certain product. Whether it be jewels for a certain someone, or latest toys or video games for our children, somehow our lives are not complete unless we go out and spend a ton of money this holiday season. It seems in order to have the "perfect" Christmas, we must spend an arm and a leg to do so.
But what happens a few days after Christmas? The pretty wrappers are thrown away, the kids invariably enjoyed playing with the boxes more than the expensive toys, and the brand new watch doesn't work and needs to be returned. The sweater Grandma sent is too small, and needs to be exchanged. And we are left feeling empty. Then the credit card bill comes in January, and we are left feeling ever more empty.
Is there a solution to this? In all our quest for the "perfect" Christmas have we missed the point entirely? Are there in fact, gifts that never wear out?
I believe there are. Jesus said, "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:19-21). Perhaps our definition of treasure is completely wrong. For what good is treasure if ultimately it will turn to dust? Treasure that turns to garbage is not worth chasing after. It's certainly not worth sacrificing our families and closest relationships for. What good is it for your children to grow up with bedrooms loaded with toys, only to end up with empty, bitter hearts? While you were out chasing everything you thought they wanted, they missed spending time with the only thing they ever really wanted - you.
Perhaps the true treasures of this life are actually in the relationships with family and friends. The Bible says that the only thing that continues on into the next life are relationships; not houses, cars, stereos and that cottage by the lake you've been dreaming of. My husband and I are not rich in the material sense, but I believe we are richer than most for we have love, hope, faith, and contentment. Most people in North America cannot say that. It seems that with all of our many blessings, instead of learning that we are blessed in order to be able to share, we have become all the more fat, selfish and demanding, complaining that our new expensive iphone is too slow. This, while up to a billion people in this world don't even know where their next meal is coming from!
We ignore, abuse and disrespect our parents and grandparents, who after living far longer than we have, have mountains of wisdom they would love to share. But we dismiss them because, my goodness, Mom can barely use email - how could she know anything about life these days? Because though times and technology change, human nature does not. We are all capable of extreme evil and desperately need to be reminded that we are not perfect, neither is anyone else, and that kindness, grace and mercy go a long way in making this life a little better for everyone.
We ignore our children and teenagers because they are too wrapped up in video games or facebook to care about anything else. Perhaps in judging the book by it's cover, maybe spend time with your kids and get to know the real them, not just your perceptions. You may find you have unearthed a hidden treasure or talent you knew nothing about before. There is a good reason why the Bible says that children are a reward. Do yourself a favour and find out why. The office can wait. So can your TV. Didn't you get that new PVR for Christmas, anyway?
I am not against generosity and showing gratitude. I am also aware that these tools can make life and connecting with other people a lot easier. But be careful that you are actually connecting with people, and not the shiny new toys that facilitate it.
But what happens a few days after Christmas? The pretty wrappers are thrown away, the kids invariably enjoyed playing with the boxes more than the expensive toys, and the brand new watch doesn't work and needs to be returned. The sweater Grandma sent is too small, and needs to be exchanged. And we are left feeling empty. Then the credit card bill comes in January, and we are left feeling ever more empty.
Is there a solution to this? In all our quest for the "perfect" Christmas have we missed the point entirely? Are there in fact, gifts that never wear out?
I believe there are. Jesus said, "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:19-21). Perhaps our definition of treasure is completely wrong. For what good is treasure if ultimately it will turn to dust? Treasure that turns to garbage is not worth chasing after. It's certainly not worth sacrificing our families and closest relationships for. What good is it for your children to grow up with bedrooms loaded with toys, only to end up with empty, bitter hearts? While you were out chasing everything you thought they wanted, they missed spending time with the only thing they ever really wanted - you.
Perhaps the true treasures of this life are actually in the relationships with family and friends. The Bible says that the only thing that continues on into the next life are relationships; not houses, cars, stereos and that cottage by the lake you've been dreaming of. My husband and I are not rich in the material sense, but I believe we are richer than most for we have love, hope, faith, and contentment. Most people in North America cannot say that. It seems that with all of our many blessings, instead of learning that we are blessed in order to be able to share, we have become all the more fat, selfish and demanding, complaining that our new expensive iphone is too slow. This, while up to a billion people in this world don't even know where their next meal is coming from!
We ignore, abuse and disrespect our parents and grandparents, who after living far longer than we have, have mountains of wisdom they would love to share. But we dismiss them because, my goodness, Mom can barely use email - how could she know anything about life these days? Because though times and technology change, human nature does not. We are all capable of extreme evil and desperately need to be reminded that we are not perfect, neither is anyone else, and that kindness, grace and mercy go a long way in making this life a little better for everyone.
We ignore our children and teenagers because they are too wrapped up in video games or facebook to care about anything else. Perhaps in judging the book by it's cover, maybe spend time with your kids and get to know the real them, not just your perceptions. You may find you have unearthed a hidden treasure or talent you knew nothing about before. There is a good reason why the Bible says that children are a reward. Do yourself a favour and find out why. The office can wait. So can your TV. Didn't you get that new PVR for Christmas, anyway?
I am not against generosity and showing gratitude. I am also aware that these tools can make life and connecting with other people a lot easier. But be careful that you are actually connecting with people, and not the shiny new toys that facilitate it.
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