Hammer on Anvil '

My friend expressed to me that he didn't understand why the other driver was so rude: there was nothing he could have done to get out of the guy's way, why couldn't he see that?
I have written about 1 Corinthians 13 before. "Love is patient, love is kind..." Many of us don't realize this is the most important concept in the Bible. Let's put two and two together here: Christ took our punishment and died for us, who was the embodiment of God, Who is Love. So in theory, we could exchange "Love" for "God" in all these verses. When Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He is challenging us to love like God does. This love is sacrificial; it has no place in the same breath as "me first".

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Social media is an ingrained part of today's culture. Although the innovation appeared some years after my generation reached adulthood, it has transcended many of the hallmarks that once separated my grandparents, parents, and children. We are shocked when faced with a person (even someone elderly) who says, "What's Facebook?" I read an article yesterday chronicling the story of three U.S. colleges who say they've invented a "Facebook score" that employers can, in theory, use to screen potential employees. Check out the article here. Which brings me to my message today.

Followers of Christ are taught that our outward demeanor will tell people much about us. The above verse from Ephesians is one such instruction. The message is clear: use your tongue to build up, not tear down. There is another which is like it: Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.-Colossians 4:5 Having taught not only students, but also adults in Sunday school, I can recall lesson upon lesson that attempts to drill this concept into the minds of God's children.

There seems to be a great disconnect between social media and God's command to speak kindly to one another. So many of the posts I come across are slams against someone. Arguments between friends are becoming public knowledge. Hatred toward a political party (or candidate) or a celebrity is expressed freely, and without remorse. Friends and enemies alike use social media as an opportunity to publicly humiliate each other.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to say that Facebook is evil. This problem is manifested in other arenas as well. Customer service reps are regularly badgered, badmouthed, and cussed out over the phone by customers who are dissatisfied with their company's service. (Regardless of whether that particular rep is personally responsible for the issue). I myself have suffered such wrath from people who, in their rage at something they feel slighted by, fail to recognize that I am a person with feelings just like them.

The heart of the problem is just that: our hearts. We feel angry toward someone or something, and we lash out. And the fact that we don't have to look our victim in the eye while we're doing so makes it all SO much easier. We can pretend that the person on the other end of the line is just a recording. That the person we are posting nasty things about either won't see the post or won't know it's about them. We can pretend that our very public sin against them won't actually hurt them.

Paul reminds us of Jesus' teachings on this subject. Be angry, and yet do not sin; don't let the sun go down on your anger."-Ephesians 4:26 Jesus got angry. And how! He turned over the tables of the merchants selling in the temple! How's that for a public display? The difference is that Jesus' anger was righteous, and His actions were backed up by words that did not aim to hurt or humiliate. His words were meant to call others out on THEIR sin and to bring them to a point of repentance.

We need to step up and recognize the sin we are committing when we post hurtful things on Facebook. At the very least, remember that those words are out on the web FOREVER. Even if you can mend the broken relationship caused by them, you can NEVER take them back. And the ripples of those short moments when you have allowed the devil a foothold will follow you throughout your life. If you continue in this type of behavior, don't be surprised if it comes back around during a job interview.

I read a story two days ago related to the "Occupy Wall Street" protests that quite disturbed me. An Iraq war veteran in his twenties suffered a fractured skull during a riot that broke out among the protesters in Oakland, CA. As saddened as I was to hear of this man's injury, I was even more discouraged to read comments posted by other readers-many of whom accused Oakland's police force of malicious brutality. Such blame-shifting shames and angers me.

In the wake of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and it's spin-offs, I feel it's important for all of us to have a reminder of the type of behavior we are called to as Christians.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.-Colossians 4:5

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel-Philippians 1:27

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.-Philippians 2:3-4

For you were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but thorugh love serve one another.-Galatians 5:13

Christians are not perfect. Perfection is a standard we cannot hold-only Jesus could ever acheive that goal. We will stumble and fall many times throughout our lives as we strive to walk with Christ.

I believe that this culture like never before calls us to self-centered and apathetic behavior. My response to that is harsh. Don't be like the world. Take responsibility for yourself and your brother. Don't be politically correct. Be the truth.

God calls us to speak life into this world. You know what that means? That means we hold the key to life in our hands. We should be leading, not following. There are so many lost people out there-we cannot afford to be known as one of them. We are Christ's disciples. He knew us before we were born. He predestined us to become like Him. He has called us, and justified us, and glorified us for the purpose of glorifying Him. 'With great privilege comes great responsibility.' Let's see if we're up to the challenge.

Gossip is a word all Christians recognize as bad. It is also something many Christians struggle with.

First of all, it's everywhere. Magazines at the counters of every store scream headlines-you can't help but look. Most of the major internet home pages contain links to a website devoted to gossip. (And I have found myself there more times than I'd like to mention). Even our daily news programs on television and radio have gossip segments. (My favorite is called 'celebrity crap')

Another problem is that many times it is disguised as something else in our lives. When we share concerns in our Sunday school class, it is easy and fairly common to offer up more information than our Christian friends need to know in order to pray for the situation. Sometimes, we don't recognize that we are disguising our gossip as a 'prayer request'.

I am no saint when it comes to this topic. As you can read from my comments above, I struggle with this subject even now, years after I made an agreement with the Lord to stay away from gossip. Paul writes to the Ephesians: "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." 4:29. I believe, though I would never presume to change the Bible, that the heart of this issue goes a little something like this: Let no unwholesome thought proceed from your heart.

I have been spending some time recently with Christian friends who embody this concept. Just by looking at them and talking to them, you can tell they harbor no unwholesome thoughts about anyone. On first evaluation of people like this, it can be perceived as naivety. After closer consideration, I have found it refreshing, and quite admirable. With a person like this, there is a level of honesty you don't find anywhere else. There's no guessing if they are thinking something bad about you when they are saying something good. In a friendship with this person, you can relax. Which is how it should be.

I want to challenge all of us to take a good look at our "thought life". The Bible tells us that what comes forth from our mouths is born in our hearts. Whether or not the words are actually spoken, the thoughts are just as poisonous to ourselves as well as our relationships. The basic attitude of Christianity is to see people the way Jesus sees them. That includes ourselves, (self-esteem), our Christian friends (brothers and sisters in Christ), our non-Christian friends (our mission field) and our enemies. We can tame our tongues in public, but unless we allow God to soften our hearts, we will not develop loving relationships, with Him or the people of His creation.

We were created to worship. From Cain & Abel giving the tithe of their labors to Revelation 14:7--"Fear God, and give Him glory...worship Him who made the heaven & the earth..."--the Bible is filled with references to worship. The desire to worship is so ingrained in our DNA that even if we don't know God, we will still worship something. "Burn with fire the graven images; do not covet the silver or the gold that is on it or take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it" Deut. 7:25 (paraphrased). Money, possessions, drugs, relationships, and even the desire for safety or prosperity can become objects of our worship.

When we worship the wrong things, people can see it. There is commitment-however misplaced. There is passion-we are all in. That's why it's so hard to break the hold these things can get on us.

I would be willing to bet that each of us at some point has checked out our neighbors during church. We have watched others as they sing, looked at the paper of the person next to us on the pew to see if we're on the same page. Ever notice how many frowns are in a congregation during worship? That's so ironic to me. As we stand and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords, we can't even muster a happy look! Some of the time, we may even be stifling a yawn! When we worship worldly things, we put everything we have into it, but when we worship God, we fail to give even a tithe of our energy.

Why is there such a disparity between these things? Why must we be quiet, subdued, composed--even bored--when we worship the one true God? David wasn't reserved in his worship. 2 Samuel 6:14-15 says, "And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn." Wasn't David called, "a man after God's own heart"? He had a love for God that was true, passionate, and enduring-despite his failures and sins recorded in the Bible.

The answer to the question of 'why' is in this same chapter of 2 Samuel. We find our answer in Michal, David's wife. She saw him dancing. She watched him give his whole heart and all his energy to the Lord in front of all the people. Unlike God, she did not see inside his heart. She only saw the exterior. "As the LORD’s chest entered David’s City, Saul’s daughter Michal was watching from a window. She saw King David jumping and dancing before the LORD, and she lost all respect for him." v. 16. Michal drew her own conclusions about David's motives, based solely on appearances. She even said to him, “How did Israel’s king honor himself today? By exposing himself in plain view of the female servants of his subjects like any indecent person would!”

This is the very thing that causes our reservations during worship. At times, we may even make Michal's judgement on people in our own congregation when they lift their hands, kneel at the altar, or speak out an "Amen!" or "Praise the Lord!" It's also what we fear-others looking at us, seeing our true worship and 'losing respect' for us.

Jesus tells us in Matthew that those who seek the approval of men have their reward on this earth. He tells us to do good deeds, and not call attention to ourselves. He tells us to seek God and only God during our prayers. And, as David demonstrates, He tells us to worship without reservations. Our proper response to God's goodness is told in David's response to his wife's criticism: “I was celebrating before the LORD...and I will celebrate before the LORD again! I may humiliate myself even more, and I may be humbled in my own eyes, but I will be honored by the female servants you are talking about!”

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and foremost commandment." Matthew 22: 37-38

For the single dudes out there this is geared towards you. Your responsibility in relationship with or in regards to women requires a high degree intentionality. It starts right at the get go of our interactions with women by keeping our eyes from wandering and our minds to drifting when a beautiful woman walks by or while we're talking with them. This basic level of respect must be established so that we can build up that boundary for where our heart and mind are at while we're with a woman in public. Once we are in private with a woman whether it's just a friend or a love interest, which by the way those lines tend to blur the closer we are emotionally to a woman and the older we get, then the tougher it is to practice discipline physically that we have not practiced mentally. I'm not implying the simple practice of a mental discipline beforehand is enough to keep your blood from pumping and for the temptation to be easy to resist, but it is much the same in principle as hiding the word in your heart. Can the man who does not study the word of God remember a verse or recall a teaching in the midst of adversity when he needs those words the most and they would apply to his situation the greatest? It is part of the foundation. Another part of the foundation is recognition that until you are married no matter how sure you are that you will marry this person or of your love for them that until that wedding vow they are in your care as a precious item and not as something to be taken advantage of. Ask yourself if you were to break up with Ms. Right would you have made it harder or easier for the next guy behind you to go to the next step with her and put her closer to getting in even deeper with the next guy further down the line. ie. If you felt up a girl and did nothing else do you feel ok because you didn't have sex? What about if you broke up, do you think it will be easier or harder for the guy next in line to have sex with her? Can you say you've acted with such self control that this woman after seeing your example knows that there are men of extreme character and integrity out there and encourages her not to settle, but to hold out for such a man and such a marriage? Familiarity is a tough thing to reel back in and especially for women as that is such an emotional connection and much more than just physically satisfying. It is an insult to your friendship and to her beauty to be so careless. Though a friend with benefits seems very tempting and loneliness can be a powerful motivator resist the temptation to cross that line and build familiarity in a place that will put your friend in a worse position with another person after you've long moved on from them. If you find yourself dating someone do whatever you can to operate transparently. Be truthful with yourselves and if you can't be alone together and feel like you'll be able to resist temptation then don't be alone. If you're in a situation that leads you closer to the brink, then seek out accountability before you fall off the edge. Don't just casually walk away, but intentionally flee from sin. In the end you'll develop friendships with women that will give them a clearer picture of who Christ is and what they should be expecting out of a future husband. If it's you then that's great and if it's not then how fantastic for them to be able to say they waited for God's man, because they saw Christ in you and knew what to look for.