Category: Approach God (Page 13 of 18)

How Blessings Can Be a Curse.

rich-guyIt’s a fairly common saying. We say it without thinking about it and once we say it, we rarely change anything about our life. Really, it’s only something people in the western culture say.

“I saw how little they had and it really made me appreciate what I have.”

Typically, I’ve heard it from church folk after returning from a missions trip in some harshly impoverished third-world country. This is not to say that non-church people don’t say it, they do, but among us it shall not be so. I’m not suggesting that we not appreciate the blessings that God pours out on us. On the contrary, we ought to bless the name of the LORD for the good things He does and has done for us. We need, for our own humility and for His majesty, to remember and number our blessings before Him. Without doing that, we begin to think we deserve all we have and are, ourselves, responsible for earning it. What I am suggesting is that our blessings may not be for the sake of our comfort or even our own benefit.

For all of my Christian life I’ve been told that God blesses those He loves. But recently, as I’ve studied, I can’t find that. He disciplines those He loves, but I can’t find the blessings one (someone point me to it, if I missed it). I know that in Matthew 7:11 Jesus tells us that our “Father who is in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask him,” but I’m not sure that means we’ll get whatever we want. More and more, I tend to lean toward the idea that Jesus was talking about the good things that come with a life full of Him; love, forgiveness, wholeness, purpose, etc. No doubt God blesses us with other good things, material things, but because of Jesus’ communal and servant oriented character, I have a hard time believing that even the material things are wholly intended for us.

I’m convinced that other’s poverty and lack is not intended to make us appreciate our blessings more. Of course it’s ingrained into us to react that way. I’m guilty, 100 times over, of this very thing. I see another’s poverty and breathe a sigh of relief that it’s not me and never think a second thought about how my plenty might reduce their lack. I tried to figure out where we get this mentality from. I assumed that, like Christians often do, there was a passage of scripture that was taken out of context. Often it isn’t intentional, but it still carries the same ill effects.

In studying, I came across 2 Corinthians 9:8. It says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need…” If we read just this part, it’s easy to get caught up on the word “generously” and miss that it applies to what we need, not what we want. It’s also important to read the remainder of that verse, “…and plenty left over to share with others.” As far as I can tell, the promise is that we’ll have what we need to live and out of that there will be plenty left to share with other that are in need. That’s the NLT.

If we look at another translation, like the ESV, it actually translates a bit differently. It says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” When I read it that way it takes on a whole different context. Written this way it leads me to a place where God’s grace is the provision. It’s grace that becomes the resource that fills every need (emotional, physical, material, relational, etc.) and allows me to give, in large amounts (that’s the definition of abound) in EVERY good work. This means that not only can I meet a person’s material needs, but with God’s grace through Jesus, I can meet some of the other needs they may have.

povertydayUsing another person’s lack as a tool to remind us of our abundant blessing is a dangerous affair. It can easily cause us to retreat into whatever area we feel provides us with the security of our abundance. Most times that isn’s God. Often we’ll retreat into working harder, to earn more, so that we can ensure our prosperity. But that isn’t the way of the Kingdom. When Jesus saw another’s need, it didn’t cause Him to relish in the fullness of His divine provision; it caused Him to touch the unclean, to eat with the lowly, to give to the outcast. It caused Him to give from His abundance. When our blessing causes us to be relieved that we’re not “them,” than we’ve turned it into a curse.

Using another person’s lack as a tool to remind us of our abundant blessing is a dangerous affair.

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The song, Blessed Be Your Name, says “Every blessing You pour out, I’ll turn back to praise.” The only way we turn His blessings into praise is by pouring them out on those in need. When we do that, our blessing, given by Him, become about Him and glorify Him. Others’ lack ought to move us to react rather than relief.

What would it look like if others’ need moved us to reaction rather than relief?

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Katy Perry Isn’t a Christian!

katy_perryAmid the glitz and glamour of the most recent Hollywood gathering, musicians and stars strut the red carpet showing off the latest fashion of the designer that paid them the most. There are speeches made and jokes told and performances… performed, all for the purpose of sucking us into a world that “everybody” dreams about being a part of. And, somewhere in all that, awards are handed out. It’s The Grammy’s!

To be honest, I didn’t watch them. I was busy enjoying my birthday dinner at The Melting Pot (go there!) and watching the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead (watch that!).

 

But, even though I didn’t watch it, without looking for it, I know two things that happened.

1. LaCrae won a grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for the song Messenger. Bravo for that!

2. Katy Perry isn’t a Christian.

Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know there are plenty of Christians that made sure to make that known after her remarks to Ryan Seacrest during her Grammy interview.  I won’t call anyone out in particular, but just check the google, the Facebook or the twitter and you’ll find it. Here’s what she said:

“It’s funny, I was praying and I got a word from God and He says, ‘You got this and I got you.’ And then I was on top of the lion and a guy, a random guy, just looked on me with a headset that I’ve never communicated with before and he just looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘You got this.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, this is God confirming I can do this.”

(Article link HERE)

Because people are entitled to their opinions, they can say whatever they want, but as Christians, we ought to be careful who we say isn’t “in”. This isn’t about calling out sin, which is important, as long as it starts with yours (HERE is a blog on that). This is about making a definitive statement about the condition of a person’s heart and what Jesus might be doing in it. We simply aren’t allowed to do that.

Most of the comments revolve around the fact that Katy said she heard from God before her Super Bowl Half Time performance and how that does’t make her a follower of Jesus. While I agree that giving God “props” for a touchdown or winning an award doesn’t make you a Jesus follower, I would caution you to be careful when making a statement that excludes the work that God may be doing in them.

As Christians, when we say things that excludes someone from our “club” it does nothing but alienate them and ignores the might and majesty of God. Just because He may not be speaking to others in the perfect way He spoke to you, doesn’t make it less perfect. It makes it grace. When we do this, we trample grace. In that case, if grace is our business, it looks like we’re headed for bankruptcy.

In Katy’s case, she grew up in the church, as a Christian, singing christian music. I assume (and this is only my assumption) that at some point during that time she spoke to God and He spoke to her. So her saying she heard from God isn’t so far-fetched. I’m not saying she’s following Christ well, or even at all, just that she’s been exposed to the truth and knows the difference. And in that, Christ can work.

My friend Tori Karr said this on the article I posted on FB:

I believe we all fall away at some point in our lives, just not to this degree. Being lazy, living for ourselves, talking about others, etc. Katy Perry’s is just magnified because she is in the spotlight and she merely sings about what MANY Christians think on a daily basis, so struggle alone in your head or tell everyone all about it, we’re very similar. I’ve met several Christian artists who were less than pleasant to be around and I could argue they were not Christ-like at all (fame and fortune gets to them just like Katy Perry). I know that she doesn’t use her stance well but when she one day realizes she needs Christ fully, think of all the people who are following her that she may help lead to Christ one day. I’m on her team. We can judge her or we can hope for the best that she will one day “return.”

She’s smart. I have a lot of smart friends.

All that to say, God’s work in others is a mystery to us and we ought to view it as that… something that we know little or nothing about, but that amazes us.

Keep talking to God, Katy!

Sorrow Comes. Jesus Overcomes.

HopeThe last few weeks have been difficult for so many of my friends. From the loss of loved ones to scary medical news, it’s been rough. The thing that pulled me into reality is the fact that each piece of news came out of nowhere. I’ve always known this is the case with tragedy, most times. Tragedy doesn’t typically call and say that it’s coming to visit. Instead, it kicks in the door and ravages everything in it’s path.

Sorrow comes.

It’s inevitable. No one is immune. Tragedy will come violently crashing into your’s or a loved one’s life. In that moment there is little that can be said to comfort or make sense of it. In those moments, sometimes the best possible answer is to simply be with the one that is hurting.

Jesus said “For wherever two or three are gathered in My name, there I Am in the midst of them.” Let me first point out that the “I Am” Jesus used is the same one that God used with Moses and the same one He routinely used to identify Him and The Father as one. He was telling us that HE, the presence and power of God, would be in the midst of them. Secondly, let me clarify that Him saying this doesn’t mean that He isn’t present when we’re by ourself, He is. He meant that He honors the gathering. I’ve said this a number of times before and I’ll continue to say it; we can experience Jesus in all His glory and completeness when we’re alone, but there is something different that happens when we gather. As the saints gather together, there’s a fullness in Christ, through that community, that cannot be experienced any other way. Because Jesus loves His church, because He honors the gathering, He shows up in a different way bringing with Him a fullness that is nearly undefinable. The gathering is important, but not just for Sunday morning service. The part that we rarely talk about is that this promise isn’t reserved solely for celebration. Jesus’ promise isn’t relegated to happy moments of singing while we gather in a building for an hour every week.

I would offer that as much as Jesus’ promise is for celebrating together, it’s more for when we gather to mourn together. When we gather in two or three to grieve and mourn, Jesus is in the midst of that; present with all the power and presence of God. In those times He brings a fullness that is translated through His people into His peace and comfort. In that we are encouraged and reminded to hope in Him; to cling to His completeness and enoughness.

Corporate grieving is just as important as corporate celebration. We see it throughout the bible. There are so many times in the Old Testament that it says Israel gathered and mourned as a nation. After Jesus was crucified many of the disciples were together, mourning, when Mary told them the tomb was empty. Gathering together to mourn will look different for different people, but it’s still an element of Gospel-centered community that can’t be dismissed. We gather to encourage and remember Jesus’ promises. Promises like, He has overcome the world, He will wipe our tears, He is with us, and He will return. In Him there is all hope.

Jesus Overcomes.

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