Thursday, November 30, 2006

Pharisees and sin, continued...

Let’s talk about sin, shall we?
In a comment on my "It’s not about Speed" post, The Other Sarah stated:
"Your post left me with the impression that you are saying we are supposed all to live our lives according to our own understanding of what we think it means to "love God and neighbor", and that our understanding can be completely devoid of any concrete, established, moral or spiritual principles."
The statement was in regard to my definition that "there were only two rules; Love and respect God, and love and respect each other. I may be guilty of over simplifying what Jesus was saying, but he did, in fact state:
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."(Matthew 22)


. Is there more to it? There shouldn’t need to be, but as we are so prone to sin, Jesus gave us many lessons on recognizing and avoiding sin.
We all have a list of things we shouldn’t do, a list of things that are sinful. Stealing, adultery, homicide, cheating, and so on. What if I told you that none of those actions is actually sinful? I’m guessing that some of you are probably getting a little angry, but listen Jesus’ words;
27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5)


I have read that verse many times, and always read it as saying that in addition to adultery, just looking at another person was a sin also. But that is not what it says. Jesus says that instead, "but I tell you", when you look at another, you commit adultery. What he is saying is that it is not the action, but instead, the idea, that is, the motive, that is the sin. Jesus continues this theme through out his lessons;
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." (Matthew 5)
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5)
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." (Matthew 6)
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."(Matthew 6)

16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."(Matthew 6)
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
. (Matthew 6)
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6)
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
(Matthew 7)

What Jesus was saying is that it is the motive, not the action itself that matters. The motive, lust is what makes adultery, as well as premarital and casual sex, wrong. The act of stealing something is not as much the sin, for in truth, everything belongs to God, but instead it is the motive of greed and coveting that is sinful. When you start breaking down the Commandments and the teachings of Jesus in this way, you see it is all about motives. There are the desirable motives; love, honor and trust in God, love of each other, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, trust, and compassion, to name a few. Some of the undesirable motives would be; lust, greed, pride, hate, anger, impatience, unfaithfulness, and a lack of love and trust in God.

So, even looking at sin from a motivational viewpoint, you might think it doesn’t change anything. Stealing is still stealing, killing is still killing, and so on. But is stealing always a sin? What about the man, with a starving family, who after exhausting every avenue he can think of, steals food to feed his family, is he guilty? Or are those who turned him away, or pretended not to see or hear him guilty? What about the man who takes the lives of a number of men defending his family, village, or even his country, is he guilty? What about the women, locked into a marriage she didn’t choose, to a man who is cold and brutal; if she meets and falls in love with someone else, is she guilty? It is all about motives, friends.

Let’s examine some of the issues of today. I believe abortion is wrong, but what about the teen age girl, who, if her Dad finds out she is pregnant, will get beat, perhaps even killed, because of her mistake? That is an extreme case, but there are girls out there who face that very possibility, if not from a parent, then perhaps from the father of the child, or from a boyfriend who was cheated on. What about victims of rape or incest, who may be traumatized having to carry around a child conceived in terror? There is no easy answer here, but perhaps as Christians, we should put aside our beliefs and judgement, and just reach out in love. The real goal should be trying to ensure that unwanted pregnancies don’t happen.

Pornography is rampant these days, especially on the internet. But what is it about pornography that is a sin? I do not believe that images of nakedness are sinful. In fact, in Genesis, it states:
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2)

Even images of sex acts are not necessarily bad. Consider that you can go to the zoo, or watch a National Geographic special where animals are mating. Is it really any different? In truth, it is the lust that occurs when some view these images that is the sin. You look at a picture of a child sitting in a bathtub, and you think "how cute". A pedophile will see that image as porn. Motive. At the fertility clinics, they provide porn to the men who donate. They are helping people who may not have any other chance to conceive a child, so are they sinning by viewing it? In any case, it is not the images themselves that are bad, but the motives for veiwing them, and making them in the first place, that makes them wrong.

Then there is the issue of homosexuality. Anyone who says that people are not born homosexual are just plain wrong. I have read of studies that verify that the brains of men and women work in dramatically different ways. And in a man born homosexual, his brain works like that of a woman does, while in women born homosexual, they work as a man’s does. I have a friend who is gay, someone who grew up trying to fight what he was. And contrary to what some may believe, he did not become gay because of what people believed. It was a part of him for as long as he can remember, he just tried to fight it, which actually led to other consequences. But I must stress, not all homosexuals are homosexual because they were born that way. For some, it is just a choice, born of lust or boredom. For them, it is just about sex. For those who are born homosexual, it is about more. It is often more about love, trust, and commitment than it is about sex. In fact, if you had two people of the same sex, who loved each other deeply, but never had sex, would their relationship still be wrong? What if they only held hands? What if they only kissed? Is it only the act of sex that makes the relationship wrong? My friends, it has nothing to do with the sex. It is all about the motive in the relationship. Love or lust. Right or wrong.

The whole issue of motives goes much farther. It is at issue in every aspect of our life. For instance, do you take liberties with your taxes, telling yourself every one else does? What about work, do you "borrow" supplies to use at home, telling yourself that the company has more than enough? And what about using work time to check e-mail, play computer games, or for doing any personal matters? Aren’t each of them theft, as well? We can examine our motives for worshiping. Are we doing because we truly love God? Or are we doing it for our kids, or for the community we get at church, or because our parents expect us to. I know people who go to church for those very reasons, and yet see no wrong in it. Do you really consider all you have as belonging to God? We are called to be good stewards of all we are given, yet when we make our purchases, are we making them out of lust, greed, and covetousness , or out of humbleness and a simple desire to meet our needs? Who among us really needs a 50" plasma TV? Do we really need great big, gas guzzling SUV"s, or would something more economical work just as well? When we give at church, or to charities, do we give out of compassion and generosity, or do we give only what we think we will have left over after satisfying our own "needs"? What about your marriage, or other relationships? Do you strive to truly serve your spouse, or is it "all about you"? Is the time you spend with your kids, and how they are raised based on what is truly best for them, or on what works best for yourself? I could go on and on here. I think if we examine our lives based on motives, we will find we are seriously lacking.

When Jesus gave his life for us, he did so, in part, to abolish that list of "rules" that was in place. It was not because no one could live by them, in fact, many of the Pharisees and prominent Jews of the time lived by the rules. But their motives were impure. Everything they did was for show, for their own pride, and not for God’s glory. Jesus labeled them as they were: hypocrites. Let us not be a church of hypocrites too.

Let me be clear, I am in no way condoning pornography, adultery, theft, or any other behavior. While some of the questions and opinions on today’s issues may be just speculation on my part, the premise of motive instead of law is, in fact, Biblical truth. Read your New Testament, concentrating on the Gospels, and it will be clear. If we, as the Christian church, are to be a positive force in the world today, we need to have motives that are pure. Just like the Pharisees, there are too many Christians, including many very prominent ones, who live according to the "rules", but who’s motives are focused on themselves. It is this reason, perhaps, more than any other, that people turn away from the church. Let us become the church that Christ called us to be; a church of love, forgiveness, and compassion, a church devoid of hate, pride and judgement. This is what we are called to be, friends. This is what I hope and pray for each of us to become. May God bless you all richly, Ken

Monday, November 20, 2006

Tis the Season.....

I recieved the following in an Email and thought it would be good to pass it along, as we enter the Christmas season.

Dear children,


It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that
folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I
wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of
you're predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was
actually a time of pagan festival. Really though, I do appreciate being remembered
anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be
most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children
of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate
My birth just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that let Me
go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow
a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and
snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My
followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town
square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a
holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees.
You can & may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if
you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in
relation to you & what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot that one,
look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My
birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it.


1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way
My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers
away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I
know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know
them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording
on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him
that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It
will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't
afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My
birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and
remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive
him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take
their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless?
Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm
smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the
local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your
town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them
a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a
"Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop
shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day
they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their
families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary,
especially one who takes My love & Good News to those who have never heard
My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals & whole families in
your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they
have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I suspect
you don't) buy some food & a few gifts & give them to the Marines, the
Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me & they will make
the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your
belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things
in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your
actions that you are one of mine.

P.S Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me &
do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the
list above & get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now
in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you
love and remember, I LOVE YOU. Jesus

Let's remember the "WHO and WHY" of the Christmas season, and how WE can pass it along, instead of worrying about those who won't. God bless each of you, and may we each truly be thankful for all He has provided, this week, and every week.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

It's not about speed...

Well, it appears that I have lost all 10 of my regular readers. I would hope that it is due to the stretch between posts, and not because of differing opinions. I received some rather nasty e-mails after my post on the old laws, and to be honest, I almost walked away from blogging. I expected that many would disagree, but I did not expect the attacks that took place. I do not even know if the writer(s) were a regular reader as they would not sign a name to the letters. But I do know this. Everything I write is Spirit led. And the Spirit is still leading me to write. So, I will continue as I am led, even if it appears that there is no one to read it. I do not believe, though, that I am being led to write for nothing.
My last post, on speed limits, actually had nothing to do with speed limits. You see, the highway I was referring to was actually the road that we, as Christians, are all on together. God created this road to Him so that we could join Him in Heaven. Early on, there were many rules, tolls, fines, and roadblocks that prevented us from getting anywhere. So God sent His son, Jesus, to clear the road for us. People keep missing this point: It doesn't matter who made the rules, charged the tolls and fines, or who put up the roadblocks. When Jesus died, he removed it all. There are no more speed limits. In fact, He said there were only two rules; Love and respect the Maker of the road, and love and respect each other. Oh, and he asked that we help those who stall out on the side of the road. And he asked that we go into the towns along the highway, to tell people about the highway, and to show them how to get on it. Pretty simple,wouldn't you think?
But instead, we have some people, cruising along in stained glass limousines, and stained glass Humvees, each in their own private little group, enforcing rules that are no longer in effect, making people pay tolls and fines, and even setting up roadblocks to stop those they don't think are worthy. They ignore the many cars broken down on the side of the road, and they would never think of leaving the highway to go into the towns. But my, what a pretty view they have with all that stained glass in the windows.
But I have news for you. There is only one Sheriff, and he is the only one with the power to make rules, enforce rules, or to fine us. That would be Jesus. All those trying to enforce what they believe the rules should be will have to answer in the end. For as we judge, so shall we be judged. As we condemn, so shall we be condemned. As we damn, so shall we be damned.
So, as we travel this road together, remember to be courteous to those who are on the road with you. Help those who break down, or get stuck, and get into the towns, and tell everyone how to get onto the highway. That's it. That is what we as Christians are called to do. Period.
So, when I see you on the highway, I'll try to wave. For sure I will smile. And I will see each of you at the end, where we will each finally ditch our vehicles, and join our Lord and Maker in joyous communion. Won't that be a glorious day! God bless each of you, Ken

Friday, November 03, 2006

Do you want to go faster???

The other day I saw a news item about how Texas has raised the speed limit on some of it’s highways to 80 MPH. I gotta tell you, I started drooling. I am one of those people who likes to drive fast. And if the conditions and traffic permit it, I have been known to drive very fast. Now, don’t get me wrong, I generally obey all the rest of the traffic laws; I use my turn signals, I stop (completely!) at stop signs and stop lights, and I yield to traffic moving faster than me. (Yes, that does happen.) But I do speed, I can’t help it. It’s in my blood. I would do it on the racetrack, except that race cars are a rich persons hobby, which I am not.
But what about those drivers are too timid to drive that fast? You know the ones I’m talking about. They putter along doing exactly 55 MPH, even when the limit is 65 or 70 MPH. If you ask them, they will tell you it is safer driving 55, and they may be right. And if they stay in the right lane, as they are supposed to, than there is little effect to the rest of us who want to drive faster. But we all know what happens, don’t we? There are always those who believe that not only is doing 50 or 55 right for them, but it should be right for every one else. So, they plant themselves in the left lane, and effectively force everyone else to drive slow. I have had too many occasions where I’m cruising along in the left lane, when some bonehead in the right lane, going considerably slower, will just randomly pull into the left lane, usually without even using a turn signal. They will then proceed to match the speed of the right lane traffic. So for the next 5 or 10 miles, myself, and everyone else in the left lane will be looking for any opening to get by this so called "highway vigilante", hopefully without getting into an accident. While I tend to get very impatient, and I have been known to mouth the word MORON to them in their rearview mirror, I will not risk trying to get by when there is no opening. But there are always those who will. They will basically force their way past, coming within inches of causing an accident. So, who is right in that situation, the people trying to do the speed limit, or the driver who believes that it is his job to slow everyone down? And what happens when this starts happening at 80 or 90 MPH, as in Texas? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you educate people on how to drive on the speed ways, er, I mean highways, with respect for all their fellow drivers, whether fast, or slow? With the way people drive now, all I see on the horizon is a lot of wrecked vehicles and lost lives. Too bad, I was really thinking how nice Texas could be. God bless you all, Ken