Sunday, September 02, 2007
In All Things Moderation?
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.One thing that I find to be utterly amazing is the phenomenon known as "the bandwagon" - whatever's hot or happening right now is what masses of people flock to, be it the newest trend or the hottest sports team. Whoever's on top at that moment gets all of the accolades - from Lena Horne to Jayne Kennedy to Vanessa Williams to Halle Berry - even though they're the same person at 60 that they were at 50 or 40 or 30. This year everyone is riding for the Indianapolis Colts when last year it was the Steelers and the year before that it was the Patriots - whoever is the dominant team or figure of the day gets all of the props, yet the Pittsburgh Steelers are always the Steelers, the Colts are always the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots are always the New England Patriots, and the Lions, unfortunately, are always the Detroit Lions. There is no loyalty anymore, no conviction that I will ride or die with my team, that I am a fan of this or that actor or actress, or that I am a child of the living King. Too often we who are called by the name of Christ are as double-minded as the most fickle sports fan or trend-following entertainment junkie. We like Jesus and all, but if the party's over there then all too often we can be found right where the party's at, Jesus or no Jesus. We're sometimey with our relationship with our Savior, the One who bled and died for us, the One who made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. We try to get full-time blessings out of a part-time relationship with the Creator of the universe - as if God could be pimped.
James 1:5-8
It's because we're scared.
Within American culture one of the worst things that you can be called is an "extremist." Think about it - when is the last time that you've heard the term "extremist" used to compliment someone? Yet anyone who takes an uncompromising stand on any issue is, by definition, an extremist. Most of us are extremists when it comes to breathing - we are extremely Pro Breathing. That seems silly, of course, because you have to breathe in order to remain in the land of the living, as Lavel Crawford reminded the world on Last Comic Standing. Is it not just as silly that we would waver in our commitment to the Way, the Truth, and the Life - the only way to the Father and eternal life? Certainly there are those who will say that they can only take religion in small doses - indeed, in moderation - and with that I can agree: religion will send you straight to Hell. I'm talking about a personal relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ. In that day religious folk will hear Jesus say, "I never knew you" while the redeemed of the Lord will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"
It's time for us to grow up, dining on the meatier matters instead of constantly having to be fed spiritual Similac. We need to be so solid in our walk with Jesus Christ that we can feed others, helping them to stand firm in their walk with Jesus Christ, but too often we find ourselves siding with the world against the cause of Christ - the jokes we laugh at, the gossip we call up, the mess that we deal in betrays our distance from the One who truly loves us, the One who is faithful even when we are faithless. We may not say the words "Forget Jesus!" but we nonetheless deny Him before men through our actions. "Would a child of the King say that?" "Would a child of the King do that?" "Would a child of the King act like that?" We need the courage to stand upon our convictions. We need wisdom to stick with God in each and every environment that we find ourselves in. We need to let our light so shine that people will see our good works and give God the glory, acknowledging Him as creator and accepting His Son as savior.
Who you with?
May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who calls us to be extreme in our faithfulness,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.
May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who calls us to be extreme in our faithfulness,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.
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