The Bullet of Loving Jesus: All Our Forms
Seems to me some folks have unusual and sometimes questionable ways of expressing their love for Jesus Christ. The hundreds of responses people make to Jesus can be most confusing.
Some worship with shouting and uplifted hands while others sit in Quiet contemplation. One hears Christian music all the way from bouncy beat piano to minor key pipe organ. There is simple country guitar gospel or complex cantatas by Stainer of Dubois. Songs for Jesus are proclaimed from subjective romanticism to objective transcendentalism. Some would even force us to make a choice between the tambourine or Bach!
What is the true response to Jesus Christ? What is the best symbolic expression for His followers?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Bullet of Grace: Language
The following story is by radio personality and Bible teacher, Martin De Haan.
“In the aisle of a neighborhood store, a 3-year-old caught my attention. I heard him before I saw him. ‘Ohhh myy Gaaa---d.’ Then he said it again. From the height of his father’s knee, he mirrored the irony of a generation which, while attempting to remove the name of God from public life, has developed an obsession with profanity.
I remember getting my mouth washed out with soap as a child for repeatedly using similar words at the dinner table. Later in my high school years, I spoke the forbidden language among friends in an awkward adolescent rite of passage.
But the problem is not locked in the past. On occasion I still catch myself expressing feelings of self-contempt, frustration or anger in silent or muffled profanity. I cringe at the thought of letting such words and emotions slip out in public. I’m fearful when I hear stories of how the most unlikely people have been known to ‘swear like a trooper’ when coming out of surgical anesthesia.
Where does this profane impulse come from? Profanity doesn’t just happen. It is rooted in the dark muck of fallen human nature (Romans 3:9-14). In a twisted way, it does something for us. The aggressive or careless use of damn or hell or God expresses feelings of anger, anxiety or arrogance. They are aggressive words, which express the opposite of submission or the touch of grace. They sow our latent desire to achieve dominance nor only over the restraints of social custom but over the One who has told us not to misuse His name (Exodus 20:7).
Profane impulses are red flags of the soul. They never signal a submissive relationship to the Father. They never show God’s grace. They never reflect a good awareness of the presence of God, Who is so patient and full of mercy. It is because we see and believe so poorly that we speak so carelessly.”
As I read these words, I’m reminded that the solution to a “dirty mouth” is not soap, but the Savior. He can and will change our attitudes and actions. And, yes, even our words, as we let Him rule in our hearts.
The following story is by radio personality and Bible teacher, Martin De Haan.
“In the aisle of a neighborhood store, a 3-year-old caught my attention. I heard him before I saw him. ‘Ohhh myy Gaaa---d.’ Then he said it again. From the height of his father’s knee, he mirrored the irony of a generation which, while attempting to remove the name of God from public life, has developed an obsession with profanity.
I remember getting my mouth washed out with soap as a child for repeatedly using similar words at the dinner table. Later in my high school years, I spoke the forbidden language among friends in an awkward adolescent rite of passage.
But the problem is not locked in the past. On occasion I still catch myself expressing feelings of self-contempt, frustration or anger in silent or muffled profanity. I cringe at the thought of letting such words and emotions slip out in public. I’m fearful when I hear stories of how the most unlikely people have been known to ‘swear like a trooper’ when coming out of surgical anesthesia.
Where does this profane impulse come from? Profanity doesn’t just happen. It is rooted in the dark muck of fallen human nature (Romans 3:9-14). In a twisted way, it does something for us. The aggressive or careless use of damn or hell or God expresses feelings of anger, anxiety or arrogance. They are aggressive words, which express the opposite of submission or the touch of grace. They sow our latent desire to achieve dominance nor only over the restraints of social custom but over the One who has told us not to misuse His name (Exodus 20:7).
Profane impulses are red flags of the soul. They never signal a submissive relationship to the Father. They never show God’s grace. They never reflect a good awareness of the presence of God, Who is so patient and full of mercy. It is because we see and believe so poorly that we speak so carelessly.”
As I read these words, I’m reminded that the solution to a “dirty mouth” is not soap, but the Savior. He can and will change our attitudes and actions. And, yes, even our words, as we let Him rule in our hearts.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Bullet of Scale: The Perfect Instrument (Part 3)
Only 6,000 stars are visible from the earth with the naked eye. The most visible from any one location is 2,000. No human equipped with only his “natural ability” would conclude that stars number in the thousands. He could smugly denounce any view that there might be millions with the skeptical retort of “show me!”
Until some “super natural” ability presented itself man would be confined to the limitations of his naked eye. With the development of the telescope, however, we now know that stars are not numbered in the thousands but in trillions. Statistical calculations by astronomers indicate there are at least 100 trillion stars. That’s 100 with 10 zeros after it. There are between one billion and tour trillion stars in a galaxy with the number of galaxies numbered at ten billion! What does puny little man with his “naked eye” know of all that?
Man’s “naked soul” can never see the true reality and glory of life unless some “supernatural Spiritual telescope” falls into his hands. The Father has made us a gift of such an “instrument” … Jesus Christ!
An honest and continuous “look” at Him will reveal to all earnest seekers the wonder and greatness of the living God! It’s an intoxicating experience and the closer you get the bigger He is!!!
Picture credit: “Geologist Elliot Morris at eyepiece of newly completed telescope,” USGS photo P879B, F1221. USGS Open-File Report 2005-1190, Figure 010c.
Image file: /htmllib/btch545/btch545j/btch545z/pap0010c.jpg
Only 6,000 stars are visible from the earth with the naked eye. The most visible from any one location is 2,000. No human equipped with only his “natural ability” would conclude that stars number in the thousands. He could smugly denounce any view that there might be millions with the skeptical retort of “show me!”
Until some “super natural” ability presented itself man would be confined to the limitations of his naked eye. With the development of the telescope, however, we now know that stars are not numbered in the thousands but in trillions. Statistical calculations by astronomers indicate there are at least 100 trillion stars. That’s 100 with 10 zeros after it. There are between one billion and tour trillion stars in a galaxy with the number of galaxies numbered at ten billion! What does puny little man with his “naked eye” know of all that?
Man’s “naked soul” can never see the true reality and glory of life unless some “supernatural Spiritual telescope” falls into his hands. The Father has made us a gift of such an “instrument” … Jesus Christ!
An honest and continuous “look” at Him will reveal to all earnest seekers the wonder and greatness of the living God! It’s an intoxicating experience and the closer you get the bigger He is!!!
Picture credit: “Geologist Elliot Morris at eyepiece of newly completed telescope,” USGS photo P879B, F1221. USGS Open-File Report 2005-1190, Figure 010c.
Image file: /htmllib/btch545/btch545j/btch545z/pap0010c.jpg
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Bullet of Scale: The Size of Stars (Part 2)
Our sun is a star yet one of the smallest. Stars are classed as “supergiants” … 100 to 1000 times the diameter of our sun … and “dwarfs” the great majority of stars including our sun.
But, back to my friend, Antares. I shared with my family that it is so large you could slice it in two as you would an orange and half of it would still be too large to pass between the earth and our sun! That is “big, big.”
A chance comment by my son then gave rise to the following thought. “They look so small, but, the closer you get the bigger they get.” It stuck me immediately that this is exactly how it is with God.
Our sun is a star yet one of the smallest. Stars are classed as “supergiants” … 100 to 1000 times the diameter of our sun … and “dwarfs” the great majority of stars including our sun.
But, back to my friend, Antares. I shared with my family that it is so large you could slice it in two as you would an orange and half of it would still be too large to pass between the earth and our sun! That is “big, big.”
A chance comment by my son then gave rise to the following thought. “They look so small, but, the closer you get the bigger they get.” It stuck me immediately that this is exactly how it is with God.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Bullet of Scale: The Wonder of the Night Sky (Part 1)
My family and I were once spending some sweet and rare time together in our back yard. The dark of the night enabled us to enjoy the wonder of the star-studded sky. The heavens were unusually brilliant and stars of various sizes and intensity became an object for our discussion.
Falling back on my old Air Force pilot-celestial navigation training I pointed out one of my favorite stars – Antares, the first magnitude (brightest) star of the constellation Scorpius (Scorpion). To think that there are eighty-eight constellations (groups of stars in a pattern) identified by humans (such as the Big Dipper) and yet that millions of stars exist staggers the mind.
My family and I were once spending some sweet and rare time together in our back yard. The dark of the night enabled us to enjoy the wonder of the star-studded sky. The heavens were unusually brilliant and stars of various sizes and intensity became an object for our discussion.
Falling back on my old Air Force pilot-celestial navigation training I pointed out one of my favorite stars – Antares, the first magnitude (brightest) star of the constellation Scorpius (Scorpion). To think that there are eighty-eight constellations (groups of stars in a pattern) identified by humans (such as the Big Dipper) and yet that millions of stars exist staggers the mind.
Image: The M7 Open Star Cluster in Scorpius: Credit & Copyright: Allan Cook & Adam Block, NOAO, AURA, NSF
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Bullet of Knowing God: Finding the Reality (Part 2)
Like it or not, all of us try to act out our view of God, or perfection, or greatness, or our ideal. They are one in the same. First, we play God by assuming we can live independently of others … and even of God Himself. Second, we play God in the casual way we judge, berate, condemn and reject our fellow man. Although we deny it verbally, we act toward others as though we possessed perfect knowledge about their situations. Thirdly, we play God when we put ourselves at the center of our universe. We view ourselves as the whole and not simply a part of reality. Lastly, and most seriously, we play God when we exalt ourselves in rejecting the truth and authority of the True God.
Where does one get clued in on what God is really like? How does a person find his or her place in this vast scheme of things and “plug in”? The answer is in Jesus Christ, the only perfect Man who ever lived. His life defies imitation. It can be explained only in terms of God. He blows humanities’ ideas of God to pieces! He is not vengeful, stuffy, dull, uncompassionate or worried. The God Jesus revealed is forgiving, free, exciting, loving and has everything under control. People experience hell in their lives because they’re attempting to follow “a God” of their own making who is false and inadequate. People’s insane experiment to try and be human without the God who created us is as foolish as trying to live a week without breathing.
Human pride continually projects us into the roll of God – a part we can never play. We don’t possess the power or the script. Only God can be God. Come, let us be human … God’s kind of humanity … is the only realistic choice open to all of us. “Except you become as little children, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3).
Like it or not, all of us try to act out our view of God, or perfection, or greatness, or our ideal. They are one in the same. First, we play God by assuming we can live independently of others … and even of God Himself. Second, we play God in the casual way we judge, berate, condemn and reject our fellow man. Although we deny it verbally, we act toward others as though we possessed perfect knowledge about their situations. Thirdly, we play God when we put ourselves at the center of our universe. We view ourselves as the whole and not simply a part of reality. Lastly, and most seriously, we play God when we exalt ourselves in rejecting the truth and authority of the True God.
Where does one get clued in on what God is really like? How does a person find his or her place in this vast scheme of things and “plug in”? The answer is in Jesus Christ, the only perfect Man who ever lived. His life defies imitation. It can be explained only in terms of God. He blows humanities’ ideas of God to pieces! He is not vengeful, stuffy, dull, uncompassionate or worried. The God Jesus revealed is forgiving, free, exciting, loving and has everything under control. People experience hell in their lives because they’re attempting to follow “a God” of their own making who is false and inadequate. People’s insane experiment to try and be human without the God who created us is as foolish as trying to live a week without breathing.
Human pride continually projects us into the roll of God – a part we can never play. We don’t possess the power or the script. Only God can be God. Come, let us be human … God’s kind of humanity … is the only realistic choice open to all of us. “Except you become as little children, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3).
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The Bullet of Knowing God: What Kind of God? (Part 1)
Come, Let Us Play God is the title of a book that intrigued me. The author (Leroy Augenstein) investigates and comments on the various ways that men and women assume for themselves the prerogatives that belong only to God. Two questions come to mind as we deal with this idea. First, how does one play like God, and secondly, what is one’s idea of the God he’s playing? Let’s take the latter question first.
It would be amusing if it were not so pathetic … the ideas people get about God. Some view God as a celestial Batman eager to swoop down from heaven and clobber “bad guys.” Others view Him as a stuffy “Judge of the Universe” waiting to sternly evaluate all who stand before Him. He sits with arms folded daring anyone to ask Him for anything. Still others indentify God with religion. As religion is usually a “last resort” enterprise, God is viewed as running an “atmospheric flop house” for the drop outs of life. Another view is the Puritan, holier than thou, naughty no-no God. He’s having a dull time in heaven and it “bugs Him” when folks have fun (sin) on earth! One must include the “Know it all” view. I know what’s best, and I’ll do it my way, regardless! Shape up or move out. A computer God, if you please!
Another false view of God sees Him as the proprietor of hell. He’s invested a lot of money in this piece of real estate and will be terribly disappointed if a lot of folks don’t end up going there! There are many more views but a final one for our purposes would be the Frantic View. God is nervously pacing the floors of heaven wringing His hands in despair over the world condition. This is seeing God as a victim of situations too big to handle.
Come, Let Us Play God is the title of a book that intrigued me. The author (Leroy Augenstein) investigates and comments on the various ways that men and women assume for themselves the prerogatives that belong only to God. Two questions come to mind as we deal with this idea. First, how does one play like God, and secondly, what is one’s idea of the God he’s playing? Let’s take the latter question first.
It would be amusing if it were not so pathetic … the ideas people get about God. Some view God as a celestial Batman eager to swoop down from heaven and clobber “bad guys.” Others view Him as a stuffy “Judge of the Universe” waiting to sternly evaluate all who stand before Him. He sits with arms folded daring anyone to ask Him for anything. Still others indentify God with religion. As religion is usually a “last resort” enterprise, God is viewed as running an “atmospheric flop house” for the drop outs of life. Another view is the Puritan, holier than thou, naughty no-no God. He’s having a dull time in heaven and it “bugs Him” when folks have fun (sin) on earth! One must include the “Know it all” view. I know what’s best, and I’ll do it my way, regardless! Shape up or move out. A computer God, if you please!
Another false view of God sees Him as the proprietor of hell. He’s invested a lot of money in this piece of real estate and will be terribly disappointed if a lot of folks don’t end up going there! There are many more views but a final one for our purposes would be the Frantic View. God is nervously pacing the floors of heaven wringing His hands in despair over the world condition. This is seeing God as a victim of situations too big to handle.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
The Bullet of Priority: Choosing the Best
Former President Woodrow Wilson once commented that, “Many people are defeated by secondary successes.” A person who succeeds at business but loses his or her family in the process would have limited success, at best, in the total view. A father who provides his son with money and creature comforts but fails to spend enough time with him to win his respect is no success. Humanities’ major mistake is that they have given priority effort to secondary concerns. Even our success defeats us! No one can ever find true joy and lasting purpose until “the great priority” of existence is faced … God! It is here that those who testify to God’s dullness must answer a critical question, “Have you ever tried living with God as your first priority?” Jesus Christ stated that the solution to all men’s quests (and women’s too) was in seeking FIRST the Kingdome of God! (Matthew 6:33). Making God a low priority insures spiritual dullness!
To give priority effort to secondary causes is unfulfilling and frustrating. To give secondary effort to primary concerns results in guilt and a sense of panic. But, giving primary attention to priority issues leads to excitement, purpose and satisfaction. Jesus Christ promised that only the Father could make us the kind of people we yearn to be. Christians know at least one thing for sure … Jesus Christ is not dull. He is the most exciting Person you can ever meet. His is alive and well on planet earth.
Is life for you dull? Have you checked your priorities? May we suggest Jesus Christ? All who desire can meet Him, the presence of His Spirit, right now!
Former President Woodrow Wilson once commented that, “Many people are defeated by secondary successes.” A person who succeeds at business but loses his or her family in the process would have limited success, at best, in the total view. A father who provides his son with money and creature comforts but fails to spend enough time with him to win his respect is no success. Humanities’ major mistake is that they have given priority effort to secondary concerns. Even our success defeats us! No one can ever find true joy and lasting purpose until “the great priority” of existence is faced … God! It is here that those who testify to God’s dullness must answer a critical question, “Have you ever tried living with God as your first priority?” Jesus Christ stated that the solution to all men’s quests (and women’s too) was in seeking FIRST the Kingdome of God! (Matthew 6:33). Making God a low priority insures spiritual dullness!
To give priority effort to secondary causes is unfulfilling and frustrating. To give secondary effort to primary concerns results in guilt and a sense of panic. But, giving primary attention to priority issues leads to excitement, purpose and satisfaction. Jesus Christ promised that only the Father could make us the kind of people we yearn to be. Christians know at least one thing for sure … Jesus Christ is not dull. He is the most exciting Person you can ever meet. His is alive and well on planet earth.
Is life for you dull? Have you checked your priorities? May we suggest Jesus Christ? All who desire can meet Him, the presence of His Spirit, right now!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Bullet of Priority: What is Dull?
One of the biggest hindrances to possessing an exciting faith is the notion that the things of God are dull! Prayer, Bible reading, church, hymn singing, Christian service and the like are, to the uneducated, a waste of time for the “young man going places.” For the person who’s “getting ahead” at full speed, the encumbrances of religion must be thrown off. Most tell themselves that when they get settled and have more time, they’ll put God back on their agenda. But alas, time gets more hectic and that “settled” illusion seems to still exist somewhere in the future. Hence, the God issue continues as a low priority item throughout life.
The amazing thing is that most folks do not recognize the basic dullness of their daily lives. Up for breakfast, kids to school, garbage out, off to work, sheets changed, lunch and small talk, pick up the kids, hit the grocery store, routine smiles, hi’s and bye’s, deadline at the office (panic), home for supper, “How did it go today?” … “Fine!” Mow the yard, watch the boob tube or just sit around … then off to bed to rest up for your next exciting day of more of the same!! An occasional party, trip or “big” purchase breaks the monotony. Minor problems are blow into crises by folks looking for purpose. Small things are made to look big by people desperately looking fore reality. Thousands of us have pondered the question, either secretly or openly, “Is this all there is to life?” With all of our conveniences and leisure time, life should be full and happy. Yet, authorities tell us that boredom is one of the chief illnesses of the age. One can even be bored with one’s busyness!
One of the biggest hindrances to possessing an exciting faith is the notion that the things of God are dull! Prayer, Bible reading, church, hymn singing, Christian service and the like are, to the uneducated, a waste of time for the “young man going places.” For the person who’s “getting ahead” at full speed, the encumbrances of religion must be thrown off. Most tell themselves that when they get settled and have more time, they’ll put God back on their agenda. But alas, time gets more hectic and that “settled” illusion seems to still exist somewhere in the future. Hence, the God issue continues as a low priority item throughout life.
The amazing thing is that most folks do not recognize the basic dullness of their daily lives. Up for breakfast, kids to school, garbage out, off to work, sheets changed, lunch and small talk, pick up the kids, hit the grocery store, routine smiles, hi’s and bye’s, deadline at the office (panic), home for supper, “How did it go today?” … “Fine!” Mow the yard, watch the boob tube or just sit around … then off to bed to rest up for your next exciting day of more of the same!! An occasional party, trip or “big” purchase breaks the monotony. Minor problems are blow into crises by folks looking for purpose. Small things are made to look big by people desperately looking fore reality. Thousands of us have pondered the question, either secretly or openly, “Is this all there is to life?” With all of our conveniences and leisure time, life should be full and happy. Yet, authorities tell us that boredom is one of the chief illnesses of the age. One can even be bored with one’s busyness!
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