For Easter I received a book called Though Waters Roar. All in all it was interesting, but far too sad for my taste. Anyway, that's not the point of this post. In fact, I only bring this up because the last few pages of the book are more than worth reading. Basically, this book is about a girl during prohibition helping her poor friend who was tricked into transporting alcohol from Canada to a saloon in the States. However, the friends have two young children and they cannot risk getting thrown in jail because the husband will never get a job and they are broke already. Long story short, that's where the heroine-- Harriet-- comes in. Harriet volunteers to deliver the alcohol herself under the condition that they agree to never, EVER, do anything like that again. Gratefully, her friends accept her offer, but in an unfortunate turn of events, Harriet is caught with the alcohol on her way to the saloon and thrown in jail. After she proves that she is not in to make money for herself by helping the police capture the still, she is freed and she goes to her grandma to tell her about what has happened. The problem? Her grandmother has fought for prohibition and against alcohol almost her entire life because her husband was an alcoholic.
All right, sorry that took so long. Now we have finally arrived to the part that really matters. At almost the end of the book, Harriet's grandmother tells her, "Jesus' harshest words were for the moral guardians of His day-- the Pharisees. They wanted to dictate morality, too, but Jesus called them hypocrites and whitewashed tombs. It isn't our calling as Christians to write laws that force people to live moral lives. As much as our communities might need it, and as bad as things are, imposing our morality on others isn't the answer. It doesn't work. People may be forced to give up alcohol, but they are still going to hell. That's our calling-- to bring people to Christ-- not to force them to behave the way we want them to or to solve all their external problems." She goes on to tell Harriet about different laws in the past that couldn't make people's hearts change. The Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free, but it couldn't make people treat the former slaves as their equals. Prohibition could make drinking illegal, but if people's hearts were evil then it wouldn't really make a difference. They would still be wicked.
Now, please don't get me wrong, I do not say this or repeat this because I believe we should never have laws. God has laws, and I believe that our country should hold laws that uphold the laws that God gave. I believe this sincerely. What I am saying, however, is that laws do not change people's hearts. If one made all the laws in the world, it would not change the hearts of the people whose responsibility it was to uphold these laws. Only God can change hearts, and we must be willing to share the incredible news of the gospel with others, through evangelism and discipleship. Do you think that it's possible that sometimes Satan might distract us by getting us so involved in other causes, whether noble or not, that distract us from our ultimate goal-- to tell people about Christ and become like Christ?
I used to pray sometimes that God would change some laws in America. That He would change American's standards-- because it's always nice to live in a more moral society, right? But you know what I'm praying for now?
A revival.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Search for Eternal Life
The last few weeks in Literature, we've been studying philosophy/ ancient Greek literature/ world views. It's very interesting to read about what the Greeks believed and what ideas shaped there thinking for centuries. But more than that, I find myself saddened by how misled these people were. Among the works that we've read in the past week or two are, "The Search for Everlasting Life" (from The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest works of literature in existence today), "The Death of Hector" (from the Iliad, by Homer), "The Return of Odysseus" (from the Odyssey, by Homer), "The Brevity of Life" (attributed to Semonides), "On Early Death" (by Lucian), "Unhappy Dionysius" (author unknown), "Elegy for Heraclitus" (by Callimachus), The Fables of Aesop, Antigone (by Sophocles), The Death of Socrates (by Plato), and Two Images from The Republic (by Plato). If you are familiar with any or all of these works, then you know that many of them deal with the same three key questions: What is the meaning of life? Is there a life after death, and, if so, how do I obtain it? What is the best way to live your life? Of course the questions I just listed are not by any means an exhaustive list, but the three questions that kept popping into my mind as I thought over all these poems, stories, and plays. Socrates wrote extensively on the question, "What is the best way to live?" Because he never believed in the gods of the Greeks. However, although he was wise in not adopting the Greek 'gods,' he never found the love and satisfaction of being forgiven by the true God. He was sentenced to death on the charges of 'denying the existence of the gods and corrupting the young men of the city' but without the true God, he died for nothing.
In "The Search for Everlasting Life," a king named Gilgamesh's best friend, Enkidu, died. He could not live in peace after this because he feared death. Because of this, he travelled long and far to meet a man named Utnapishtim, who has obtained eternal life. Gilgamesh embarks on a most daunting and before unattempted journey to reach Utnapishtim. Along the way, he meets a woman named Siduri. Upon his explaining to her his quest to find eternal life, she replies, "Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When thte gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping." She goes on to say something to the extent of, "Live it up while you can, bud. This is the only life you're gettin'." (Although as I'm sure you will believe she does not use that exact terminology.) Finally, Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim. Just when he is leaving again, Utnapishtim says that he will find a plant in the water that will restore his youth-- Gilgamesh finds this plant, but a serpant takes it away. In the end, despite his best efforts, Gilgamesh dies. Sad story, no? But it accurately displays how fleeting this life is, and how hopeless when we do not have the assurance of eternal life. Utnapishtim, who is the "Noah" figure for the Greeks (he supposedly survived a huge flood cast by the gods because the people awoke them from their sleep) was seemingly given eternal life merely by chance. How great is the God that we serve to not merely give us eternal life as a matter of chance or because we weren't the main source of His wrath at that particular moment.
If you have read this far, I commend you greatly. The point of this whole post is this: the Greeks lived in spiritual darkness for years upon years. Their faith rested in the whims of the gods-- if the weather was bad, it meant the gods must have been angry. If you were too noisy and accidently woke the gods from an afternoon nap, they sent a flood. Death and life were left in the hands of 'gods' who were no better than we-- in many cases, worse! But the Greeks were not the only ones confused. Still today, people all over the world live in spiritual darkness and decay. Here in Japan, with less than .1% of the people claim to be Christians, I can see first-hand the horror and hopelessness that surrounds a nation that needs the Lord. I think that Gilgamesh represents a lot of people today who are looking for eternal life-- but looking for it in the wrong place. Eternal life does not rest in the hands of gods, but in the ultimate hands of the one true God, the One and Only. The search for truth can end for many, if we are willing to share it.
In "The Search for Everlasting Life," a king named Gilgamesh's best friend, Enkidu, died. He could not live in peace after this because he feared death. Because of this, he travelled long and far to meet a man named Utnapishtim, who has obtained eternal life. Gilgamesh embarks on a most daunting and before unattempted journey to reach Utnapishtim. Along the way, he meets a woman named Siduri. Upon his explaining to her his quest to find eternal life, she replies, "Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When thte gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping." She goes on to say something to the extent of, "Live it up while you can, bud. This is the only life you're gettin'." (Although as I'm sure you will believe she does not use that exact terminology.) Finally, Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim. Just when he is leaving again, Utnapishtim says that he will find a plant in the water that will restore his youth-- Gilgamesh finds this plant, but a serpant takes it away. In the end, despite his best efforts, Gilgamesh dies. Sad story, no? But it accurately displays how fleeting this life is, and how hopeless when we do not have the assurance of eternal life. Utnapishtim, who is the "Noah" figure for the Greeks (he supposedly survived a huge flood cast by the gods because the people awoke them from their sleep) was seemingly given eternal life merely by chance. How great is the God that we serve to not merely give us eternal life as a matter of chance or because we weren't the main source of His wrath at that particular moment.
If you have read this far, I commend you greatly. The point of this whole post is this: the Greeks lived in spiritual darkness for years upon years. Their faith rested in the whims of the gods-- if the weather was bad, it meant the gods must have been angry. If you were too noisy and accidently woke the gods from an afternoon nap, they sent a flood. Death and life were left in the hands of 'gods' who were no better than we-- in many cases, worse! But the Greeks were not the only ones confused. Still today, people all over the world live in spiritual darkness and decay. Here in Japan, with less than .1% of the people claim to be Christians, I can see first-hand the horror and hopelessness that surrounds a nation that needs the Lord. I think that Gilgamesh represents a lot of people today who are looking for eternal life-- but looking for it in the wrong place. Eternal life does not rest in the hands of gods, but in the ultimate hands of the one true God, the One and Only. The search for truth can end for many, if we are willing to share it.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
"I am your Shield, and Reward, and Righteousness"
"Whether you go to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it.'" Many Christians would recognize or could even quote this verse, found in Isaiah 30:21, from memory. But I wonder how many people who claim to be Christians live this verse out in their day-to-day lives? It's a hard thing to have faith, really. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, "Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
That, my friends, is faith. And it has been a struggle for all of mankind down through the ages. Even Christians often have doubts about whether or not God really exists or whether or not they are truly saved. Having faith can be so difficult!
Yet, as we look closer in scripture, there are few things that are spoken of as highly as having faith. What an amazing thing! Simply believing God is one of the most highly spoken of virtues in the Bible. In Hebrews, chapter 11, the passage that I quoted earlier, there are verses about many different Biblical heroes throughout the Bible. Yet no one person was spoken of more in this chapter than the patriarch Abraham.
11:8-12, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-- and Sarah herself was barren-- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." 17-19, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
James 2:23 says, "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."
Galatians 3:6-9, "Consider Abraham: 'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' so those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."
Abraham lived during the Old Testament times, yet he was mentioned again and again in the New Testament. Why? Because his faith was counted unto him as righteousness.
That, my friends, is faith. And it has been a struggle for all of mankind down through the ages. Even Christians often have doubts about whether or not God really exists or whether or not they are truly saved. Having faith can be so difficult!
Yet, as we look closer in scripture, there are few things that are spoken of as highly as having faith. What an amazing thing! Simply believing God is one of the most highly spoken of virtues in the Bible. In Hebrews, chapter 11, the passage that I quoted earlier, there are verses about many different Biblical heroes throughout the Bible. Yet no one person was spoken of more in this chapter than the patriarch Abraham.
11:8-12, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-- and Sarah herself was barren-- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." 17-19, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
James 2:23 says, "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."
Galatians 3:6-9, "Consider Abraham: 'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' so those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."
Abraham lived during the Old Testament times, yet he was mentioned again and again in the New Testament. Why? Because his faith was counted unto him as righteousness.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sometimes It Just Happens
Last night, our family invited another family over for dinner. At about 5:58, two minutes before said family was scheduled to arrive, Mom checked on the pizza in the oven and smoke started pouring out. Apparently some pizza that was not on a baking sheet had spilled between the rack and fallen on the bottom of the oven.
Now, you have to understand that our smoke detector is very close to our oven. So our very loud smoke detector will go off even if something is not burning. Here is the scene that ensued after finding that the pizza had started dripping onto the bottom of the oven.
Mom runs to grab some oven mits and take the pizzas out of the oven, while Dad and I frantically start throwing open windows and the sliding glass doors. Then Mom grabs a spatula and starts scraping burnt pizza from the bottom of the oven. Dad starts waving oven mits around the smoke detector to keep it from going off. Then, in an attempt to scrape all the pizza out of the oven, removes the oven racks while I continue to wave the oven mits around the smoke detector.
Of course, it just couldn't be that easy. There were also... ahem, *technical* difficulties putting the oven racks back into the oven. Yes. And pizzas still were not done baking. Lovely.
The scene continues.
Dad: "I wonder why these racks won't go back in?" CLING, CLASH, CLUMP! Titus: "OUCH! My finger is stuck!" I run over and find that Ti's finger is stuck under the closet door. I pull his finger out from under the door, attempting to be gentle. CLING, CLASH, CLUMP! CLING, CLASH, CLUMP!
With a happy ending for all, Dad figured out how to put the oven racks back into the oven, the pizza was put onto a baking sheet, and our guests still had not arrived. Yay!
The moral of the story: it never hurts to be just a couple minutes late for dinner at my house.
Now, you have to understand that our smoke detector is very close to our oven. So our very loud smoke detector will go off even if something is not burning. Here is the scene that ensued after finding that the pizza had started dripping onto the bottom of the oven.
Mom runs to grab some oven mits and take the pizzas out of the oven, while Dad and I frantically start throwing open windows and the sliding glass doors. Then Mom grabs a spatula and starts scraping burnt pizza from the bottom of the oven. Dad starts waving oven mits around the smoke detector to keep it from going off. Then, in an attempt to scrape all the pizza out of the oven, removes the oven racks while I continue to wave the oven mits around the smoke detector.
Of course, it just couldn't be that easy. There were also... ahem, *technical* difficulties putting the oven racks back into the oven. Yes. And pizzas still were not done baking. Lovely.
The scene continues.
Dad: "I wonder why these racks won't go back in?" CLING, CLASH, CLUMP! Titus: "OUCH! My finger is stuck!" I run over and find that Ti's finger is stuck under the closet door. I pull his finger out from under the door, attempting to be gentle. CLING, CLASH, CLUMP! CLING, CLASH, CLUMP!
With a happy ending for all, Dad figured out how to put the oven racks back into the oven, the pizza was put onto a baking sheet, and our guests still had not arrived. Yay!
The moral of the story: it never hurts to be just a couple minutes late for dinner at my house.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A Hungry Baby
I have not posted my '$15 or Less' weekends these past two weeks! I have completely forgotten... so sorry.
With that said, I would like you for a moment to please think of the worst sound you can imagine. For mothers, I would imagine that there are few sounds that are worse than that of their hungry baby's cry. The cry of a truly hungry baby is something that plagues many areas, even today. For $9, one can provide food for a starving child for a whole week through Samaritan's Purse International Relief.
(Photo credit: Samaritan's Purse International Relief: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/)
God bless you all!
With that said, I would like you for a moment to please think of the worst sound you can imagine. For mothers, I would imagine that there are few sounds that are worse than that of their hungry baby's cry. The cry of a truly hungry baby is something that plagues many areas, even today. For $9, one can provide food for a starving child for a whole week through Samaritan's Purse International Relief.
(Photo credit: Samaritan's Purse International Relief: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/)God bless you all!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Will I Be His Disciple?
A friend of mine is involved with an online writing class/ forum. It's called the One Year Adventure Novel program, and from what I've seen, it's really neat. Some of the students (or authors, I should say :) really are amazing. Sometimes my friend will tell me about things that various students post on the forum for everyone to read and enjoy. One young lady, named Ashley Jones, on the forum wrote a poem that really sticks out as something we as Christians should think about more often.
Muslims and American Christians
"The Muslims bow to the floor
Their voices all in one accord.
They shout in unison, to Allah they pray
All their lives, five times a day.
They even bow in a certain direction,
Facing Mecca with flawless perfection.
The people honor the month of Ramadan
By giving up the food they rely upon,
By abstaining from ignoble deeds,
And not adhering to their every need.
Don't you find there behavior sort of odd?
Since they serve a false god?
So-called ‘American Christians’ hardly pray.
Not even close to five times a day!
Attendance levels look kind of bleak
They go to church maybe once a week.
The self-styled Christians live their own lives
Not paying mind to another’s strife,
Nor giving to the needs of the poor,
Wanting for themselves more and more!
Scorning Jesus Christ’s name,
Playing their silly little Christian game.
Don’t you find their behavior sort of odd?
Since they serve the true God?"
~Ashley Jones, Copyright 2010
Now, no matter how much one agrees or disagrees with the theological views of the Muslims, you have to admire that kind of commitment! Fasting, ignoring thier own personal preferences, and praying upwards of five times throughout the day.
Wow.
What if Christians in America (an avowed 81% of Americans) had a commitment like that?
The last two lines of the first stanza ring true with me. "Don't you find their behavior sort of odd? Since they serve a false god?" My answer: a resounding 'YES!' It's easy for me to say this because I have been redeemed and loved by the true amazing, all-powerful, loving, rational, merciful God-- the One and Only.
BUT-- am I willing to give Him the same kind of complete, total, and absolute devotion that the most devout Muslim would give to Allah? It's a silly question, really, but it's a valid one. Isn't it only right if I do?
Will I serve my God no matter what expectations I'm surrounded by? No matter who I'm with? No matter where I am? Will I love Him with the kind of love with which He first loved me? Will I give Him my trust; my whole heart?
Would I give everything up for the One and Only?
Luke 14:27, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, he cannot be My disciple."
Muslims and American Christians
"The Muslims bow to the floor
Their voices all in one accord.
They shout in unison, to Allah they pray
All their lives, five times a day.
They even bow in a certain direction,
Facing Mecca with flawless perfection.
The people honor the month of Ramadan
By giving up the food they rely upon,
By abstaining from ignoble deeds,
And not adhering to their every need.
Don't you find there behavior sort of odd?
Since they serve a false god?
So-called ‘American Christians’ hardly pray.
Not even close to five times a day!
Attendance levels look kind of bleak
They go to church maybe once a week.
The self-styled Christians live their own lives
Not paying mind to another’s strife,
Nor giving to the needs of the poor,
Wanting for themselves more and more!
Scorning Jesus Christ’s name,
Playing their silly little Christian game.
Don’t you find their behavior sort of odd?
Since they serve the true God?"
~Ashley Jones, Copyright 2010
Now, no matter how much one agrees or disagrees with the theological views of the Muslims, you have to admire that kind of commitment! Fasting, ignoring thier own personal preferences, and praying upwards of five times throughout the day.
Wow.
What if Christians in America (an avowed 81% of Americans) had a commitment like that?
The last two lines of the first stanza ring true with me. "Don't you find their behavior sort of odd? Since they serve a false god?" My answer: a resounding 'YES!' It's easy for me to say this because I have been redeemed and loved by the true amazing, all-powerful, loving, rational, merciful God-- the One and Only.
BUT-- am I willing to give Him the same kind of complete, total, and absolute devotion that the most devout Muslim would give to Allah? It's a silly question, really, but it's a valid one. Isn't it only right if I do?
Will I serve my God no matter what expectations I'm surrounded by? No matter who I'm with? No matter where I am? Will I love Him with the kind of love with which He first loved me? Will I give Him my trust; my whole heart?
Would I give everything up for the One and Only?
Luke 14:27, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, he cannot be My disciple."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
He Is My Portion
Lately, I've been reading a lot in my devotions about how God is all we need.
Lamentations 3:24, "I say to myself, 'the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"
Exodus 15:2, "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
1 Chronicles 16:11, "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek His face always.
Psalm 28:8, "The LORD is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one."
Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 105:4, "Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always."
Isaiah 12:2, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation."
Is that true of you? I think of how often we, even as Christians, try to come before God bringing Jesus plus something else. But we cannot in any way be justifiable before our Lord with Jesus plus anything else. It is either Jesus that we depend on for everything, or it is not. Either God will be one's portion, or something else will have first priority in life. This is sometimes a very hard concept to grasp. We think that we understand that Jesus is all we need, yet sometimes we are not willing to make Jesus all that we have. As Corrie ten Boom once said, "You can never know that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have." It really is easy to think that we can approach God's throne bringing something of our own. But we cannot. It's either Jesus, or something else.
God is jealous for our affections...
Is He your portion?
Lamentations 3:24, "I say to myself, 'the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.'"
Exodus 15:2, "The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
1 Chronicles 16:11, "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek His face always.
Psalm 28:8, "The LORD is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one."
Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 105:4, "Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always."
Isaiah 12:2, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation."
Is that true of you? I think of how often we, even as Christians, try to come before God bringing Jesus plus something else. But we cannot in any way be justifiable before our Lord with Jesus plus anything else. It is either Jesus that we depend on for everything, or it is not. Either God will be one's portion, or something else will have first priority in life. This is sometimes a very hard concept to grasp. We think that we understand that Jesus is all we need, yet sometimes we are not willing to make Jesus all that we have. As Corrie ten Boom once said, "You can never know that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have." It really is easy to think that we can approach God's throne bringing something of our own. But we cannot. It's either Jesus, or something else.
God is jealous for our affections...
Is He your portion?
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