March 31, 2008
It is refreshing to see that the subject is dealt with as a matter of heart. Altogether too often the subject of modesty is simply about rules and regulations. Legalism does not change the heart, however.
A change of heart could indeed change the appearance, though.
Just musing…
March 29, 2008
Because:
Striving for profundity
He spoke more abundantly,
And achieved only redundancy.
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:1,2) KJV
Just musing…
March 29, 2008
Our commenting friend arrives again and says,
“Looking into your heart, I cannot. Hearing your teaching and comparing with the scriptures, I can. I cannot read certain verses in your church because it would offend the ‘watchmen’ over the sheep. In Ezekiel 22 it says that wolves raven for the gain. If I tell the sheep under your ‘care’, that the ‘manna in the pot’ is the same as the ‘corn, oil, and wine in the storehouse’, they may think differently about exchanging the bread of heaven for money. Then you will certainly ‘raven’ as the wolf looking for your dishonest gain that is gone from you.”
Do you see what I mean? This comment proves my point. Though folks have no idea of our lifestyles, they think that our teaching on one particular subject makes us greedy. It simply is not true. They also think that they know how we would respond to their teaching. They do not know. Though they say that they do not know our hearts, they presume to tell us what is there. Only one who is Divine can do that, and Divine they are not.
I cannot but wonder why he has not commented on my post about Your Money And Your Heart. This post shows that I don’t major on extracting money from people, but seek a balance instead. In fact, I’ve not taught tithing at either church that I pastor, but our commenting “friends” think otherwise and accuse me of dishonest gain. I know no one’s heart, but I cannot but can assure you that hypocrisy oozes out of comments such as those above. Such people are incorrigible. Instead of repenting when faced with their sin they simply attack from another angle. God is not impressed well, nor pleased in this sort of behavior.
The people I pastor give willingly without being forced, coerced, or brow-beaten. They love Jesus, and give to glorify Him. I seek to do the same.
Let us remember that we should not be single issue Christians. We should have single heart for the glory of God, but we should seek to glorify God in all things. If we get out of focus on that we become judgmental, proud, and contentious.
“Let all things be done unto edifying.” (1 Cor 14:26) KJV
Just musing…
March 27, 2008
Please note: This post is NOT about tithing. Do NOT - I repeat- Do NOT add a comment about tithing to this post.
This post is about attitudes.
I received this comment in response to a post that I said I would not take comments on:
“If God were to respond to your blog on tithing, He would certainly provide you with all the vitrol you could handle. How about ‘greedy shepherds looking for their own gain’ ‘despise the gain of oppressions’ ‘buy the poor for silver”he that has no money, come”for the sin of his covetousness (gain), I rebuked him’ ‘her rulers with shame do love, give ye’.
If God had not said these things, we would certainly sit mute, eating whatever you fed us. Just what are you feeding the sheep or are you feeding yourselves. There I go again, quoting scripture.”
What is wrong with this comment and others similar ones that I have seen? Simply this: they are wrong.
Why?
Because they are judging without information. They assume that all who preach tithes are rich, greedy, and prey on the ignorant and poor.
How sad that professing Christians, in fighting what they perceive to be wrong, will stoop to the same level as the greedy-for-filthy-lucre preacher.
What level is that?
The level of sin.
It is sinful to be greedy and preach for money and material gain instead of the souls of men. It is just as sinful to judge someone by assumption and accuse them of something of which they are not guilty.
You see, most of my readers don’t know me. I have a modest house. Pastor two small country churches with less than 150 people. I drive an eight year old Ford Focus that is nearing 130k miles. I have a very small bank account, and a very happy life.
I love Jesus, and I hate greed.
I also hate smug judgmental-ism that assumes it knows your heart when it does not even know your face or your lifestyle.
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” (1 Cor 4:5) KJV
Just musing…
March 25, 2008
If you have been blessed with money (or material abundance), why did God let you have it?
There are at least two reasons that He blessed you to have it (although there are more), and those two reasons relate to your heart.
The first reason is that it will test your love for God:
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt 6:24) KJV
Once you’ve been blessed with it you will find it a chore to have balance in your life and heart. Money (and material abundance) puts you to the test. Often, the more you have, the more you want. When God blesses us with much it is often to test us so that we may learn what’s truly in our hearts: Do we love God enough to cling to Him, love Him, and trust Him even in the midst of abundance?
We are also given material blessings that we might enjoy God, the giver of the gift.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Tim 6:17) KJV
God blesses us with abundance that we might find more pleasure in Him. Do we enjoy God more because we have more? Let us not love the gift above the giver.
Where is your heart? What, or whom, do you love?
Just musing…
March 24, 2008
Read it here.
March 21, 2008
Theosource has an interesting post about the fact that the main emphasis of the Gospels was Passion Week.
Read it here.
March 20, 2008
Oklahoma House Representative Sally Kern is facing death threats due to the following statement:
“The very fact that I’m talking to you like this here today puts me in jeopardy,” she said in her speech. “So, so be it. I’m not anti, I’m not gay bashing, but according to God’s Word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle. It has deadly consequences for those people involved in it. They have more suicides … there’s more illness. Their life spans are shorter.”
“It’s not a lifestyle that is good for this nation. As a matter of fact, studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. So it’s the death knell for this country. I honestly think it’s the biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam, which I think is a big threat,”
She has received 30,000 emails! Thirty thousand!!!!!!! Most of them were threatening…..many death threats.
So………this is what tolerance is all about?
I can tell that Ms Kern is tolerant in the true sense of the word.
Read what she has to say:
“I’m not going to apologize for exercising my First Amendment right,” she told The Oklahoman.
She was equally supportive of the rights of homosexual activists to protest her remarks at the state capital. “That’s great they came to the Capitol. This is a free country. They’re exercising their First Amendment right,” Kern told AP.
Where is the true tolerance?
Read the story here.
Just musing…
March 20, 2008
Read it here.
March 15, 2008
