Skip to main content

I Still Need Some Work

After a month on my challenge....my mouth still needs some work. By power of God's Spirit alone, I am able to speak blessing when challenged with a trying situation. At times I yield to His will; other times, I find my flesh is uncrucified. Monday night in prayer, the Spirit drew me into repentance for attitudes of the heart towards a certain community of people. For far too long, the church has felt justified in speaking judgment upon those who are unbelievers. We, like James in John in Luke 9:51-56, often have a harsh spirit towards those who are labeled as 'severe sinners.' How often, for instance, do conservative Christians speak ill of their president? Christ's Spirit compels us not to grumble and complain about our nation, but to rise up in prayer. James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven and consume the unbelievers (vs 54) but Jesus rebuked them and told them, in essence, that they were not of His Spirit as long as they carried that kind of attitude. Jesus told them in verse 56, "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." Maybe I don't sit around speaking derogatory comments about people or leaders; but where is my heart? Is my hidden attitude that of Jesus' or James and John's? Even the subtle attitude of seeing some people as 'REALLY lost' can be a snare to my soul. I must see them as Christ sees them.

A few months ago I was reading 1 John 4:7-16 which deals with the Body of Christ loving one another. It says that anyone who loves is 'born of God and knows God' (vs 7). Born of God indicates new life in Christ. New life is born in the PERSON of Love. Accessing love is accessing God. Love is a person. But, this caused me to wonder and ask, "Lord, how is it that many in the world show better love than Christian's? How can they love and not know you (according to verse 7)?" I waited on the Lord to answer...and answer he did! He told me, "They are closer to the Kingdom than you think! My Kingdom isn't about rules...it's foundations are love, life, and liberty. These who would lay down their life for their friends are closer to the Kingdom than those who claim to be in it and yet do not love. Watch out! For this is how it was with the Pharisees: the 'sons' of the Kingdom are thrown out." The phrase 'they are closer the the Kingdom than you think shocked me! Then, yesterday I was reminded of it again while reading Mark 12:28-34. A scribe declared to Jesus that 'to love [God] with all the heart with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices" (vs 33). Wow. What an answer. This guy was not a disciple of Christ. Yet he understood the importance of love. Jesus answered him in verse 34a, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Dang.

So, I still need some work. I know, Holy One, that it is YOUR work in me, not my work. Forgive us, Lord, where we have had an attitude of judgment and condemnation. Teach us how to love. Teach us, Jesus. Spirit do Your work in me. I place a guard over my mouth that I may not sin against a brother today. Place your seal of fire upon my heart that even the attitudes within me are consumed by firey love. In Jesus name.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Keys

My hands delicately touched the ivory keys. In reverent solace, I took a deep breath as I sat in the darkness of this unfamiliar house. Slowly, I began to let my fingers flow with the emotions I was feeling. It had been months since I had sat at a piano. But this piano was nothing like the one I had known before: this piano was a perfectly tuned Baby Grand, worth thousands of dollars. The piano I had know - my piano - was an old out of tune spinet that I had purchased at a yard sale for $50. And in that moment, as my fingers danced across the meticulously cared for ivory, I realized how deeply I missed my old out-of-tune friend. It was a feeling that came unexpectedly, this grief. It startled me. So, I quickly stuffed it down inside of myself and shook it off as nonsensical. But as warm tears began streaming down my cheeks while I played this Grand, I soon realized that this was an emotion I could no longer deny: I was grieving the loss of my piano. The loss of my piano had come a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Talking With My Mouth Full

This morning, I am praying for wisdom, instruction, discernment, and understanding. I am looking at Proverbs 1:1-7 and asking for all that is hidden there. Lord, I ask for eyes to see and ears to hear. While praying for ears to hear his voice of wisdom and instruction & eyes to see him display it, my vision was filled with a table spread before me. God has put before me a table filled with wisdom and knowledge, delicacies of council and instruction, plates piled with justice and judgment. His face is smiling and it beckons me to 'come and dine.' Once again, the idea that we have been given all things (2 Peter 1:3; 1 Cor 3:21) is presented to me. That includes all wisdom! Paul prayed in Col 1:9-10, 'that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.' Jesus himself promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Now, as I sat pondering this beautiful spread before me, I didn't stop there: ...
Post a Comment
Read more

If Your Eyes Are Bad....So Is Your Mouth

This morning I was praising God and thanking him for the advancement of His kingdom. What a day and hour in which we are living! God is moving all over the globe in demonstrations of power and might. I am amazed at the reports I hear from various ministries and individuals about what God is doing in our day. While pondering this, my heart was led to a friend of mine who tends to speak negatively about the church. Now, I will confess: there is a lot of stuff in church that is disorderly, rotten, and just plain discouraging. It's easy to see the problems and to feel like the church is perishing, especially if the environment one is in personally is NOT seeing the advancement of the Kingdom as desired. This view point usually leads people to talk about 'the remnant' in Christianity; how only a few will really stand in the last days. Is my friend and people in this camp not seeing what I see? Do they not see that His Spirit will be poured out on all flesh? Do they not see that ...
Post a Comment
Read more