Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Play nicely with your fellow citizens

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“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,” (Ephesians 2:19, NASB)

Too often I have experienced situations, even in good churches, where people lose sight of the fact that the person in the next pew is a fellow citizen, with the same access to God. True, I’ve seen this more in unhealthy churches, but unfortunately, it can happen in any church.

It usually happens when one thinks himself of more value or superior in some way. It could be because of education, or length of service in the church. It could be because of a sordid background. Pride can find a million reasons to look down on another person. This should have no place in the church of Jesus Christ.

Divided Church Citizens

The antidote is to keep in mind that Jesus tells us that the one who wants to be first has to be the servant of all (Mark 9:35). Oh, and that whole beam and speck thing should be remembered also. What can you see in your fellow church member that isn’t a problem in your own heart?

Jesus has no tolerance for pride. Pride is always destructive and is the chief sin and chief tool of the Enemy.

Whether you are a leader or a follower, whether you are a teacher or a student, whether you are a shepherd or a sheep, this should be kept in mind: We’re all equal at the foot of the Cross. What do you have of eternal value that was not given to you? If you cannot earn your spiritual standing, what is there to be proud about?

So play nicely with that saint in the next pew, you will likely get to spend eternity with him.

C. S. Lewis on educators

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Lewis on Educators

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments. By starving the sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to the propagandist when he comes. For famished nature will be avenged and a hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head.”

-C. S. Lewis in The Abolition of Man

6 principles to avoid moral failure

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Moral Failure

To my knowledge, no-one who experiences moral failure set out to end up there. No-one gets up in the morning and declares that it looks like a good day to fail. Failure is not a goal; it is a consequence of choices made along the way. So how can we avoid moral failure? I think these six principles will help:

  1. Set a relational hierarchy. It is important to understand relational priorities. Jesus tells us that the two great commands are to love God and then to love our neighbor. From this, we know that the relationship with God is first priority. After God comes spouse, children, parents, etc. Understand your priorities and adjust your activities and time spent accordingly. Confusion with regard to relational priorities can open doors that should never be opened.
  2. Do not compromise. Set your standards and stick to them.
  3. Be more concerned about living rightly than being liked. Peer pressure does not end when formal education ends. Friends and coworkers can pressure you to compromise on your values in order to fit in. This can be particularly problematic in work environments when a lack of conformance might cause you to be viewed as not being a “team player.”
  4. Live in the truth. Don’t do anything or go anywhere that you would be embarrassed to have you spouse, children, parents, church family or pastor hear about. Don’t do anything that you would be prompted to lie about if confronted.
  5. Set your boundaries and do not cross them. If the goal is to avoid lust, shows or pictures that some would find acceptable may not be acceptable to you. Jesus said that it would be better to gouge out your eyes than participate in lust. So set a boundary at the point where lust is not a problem and do not cross over it. If you need help in staying within the boundary ask for it.
  6. Focus on ending well. Life is not a sprint, it is an endurance race. The analogy is no less true because it is over used. The secret to finishing strong is to keep moving toward the goal.

Do you have any that you would like to add? Please add them to the comments below.

Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places?

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (Ephesians 1:3, NASB)

Spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

When I read this verse, there is something that haunts me. Paul tells me that I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. The verb is past tense, so it has already happened. Why then do I often feel so unblessed?

It seems that if I were to appropriate this promise that my life would be lived differently. This is what haunts me.

The question then becomes, “what inhibits me from appropriating this promise?” The truthful answer is that I don’t really know what holds me back.

Perhaps it is because I am unable to imagine what “every spiritual blessing” looks like. It must be independent of my circumstances, but it doesn’t feel that way. Often my circumstances cause me to look to the heavens and ask “what happened?” This is in spite of the fact that I’ve had it easier in life than many. Yet, I struggle to look beyond the stuff that is in front of my and see beyond.

Perhaps it is because my understanding of God is too small. As a result, my trust is too small. If I really understood God and his expectations for me, I might live differently. I might be more inclined to act and less inclined to wait until the opportunity is passed.

I do not know whether to admire or pity those who seem so presumptuous in appropriating all the blessings in the Bible. Yet, when I read those promises, there is a nagging sense in the back of my mind that perhaps these who pursue with such reckless abandon are the ones who have it right after all.

Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places has been my blessing. Perhaps I will start living that way.

How about you?

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