A Profound Conviction

I went through the book of Micah this past week and read something in Chapter 6 on Monday that has messed me up for a few days. I still can't put my finger on exactly what convicted me in this passage, but I just read it and knew something was not right in my life. Enough talk, here it is:

The Lord is talking through Micah and he says that he is making a case or a charge (kind of like in a courtroom) against Israel.
Micah 6:3
"My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me."

I don't know about you, but that sent some chills down my spine. I was instantly convicted, like the Lord was talking straight to me. The Lord asking me what he has done to burden me. Obviously the answer is nothing. But for some reason, I had this feeling of entitlement, like the Lord owes me something. Frankly, he doesn't owe me anything. He has already paid the greatest price, and yet here I am feeling like he owes me. LORD FORGIVE ME.

The passage continues with the Lord showing Israel all the things he had brought them through. Yet even then, Israel was rebelling against him, saying he wasn't present or he owed them something. The Lord is GOOD and too often we simply forget that. There is a fairly easy remedy (in theory) at the end of that particular passage. It goes like this:

Micah 6:8
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."

Simple as that. However, at least for me, my pride often tends to get in the way of the humbly part. I really need to work on those three things though: Acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly. I'm not sure what they look like acted out in my life, but I'd like to figure it out so I can do them. Feel free to ask me how I'm doing in those areas. What did the Lord speak to you in these couple of verses? I'd love to hear.
Peace and Love to my readers

The Pains of Single Living

No, I'm not talking about romantic relationships. I'm talking about living in an apartment all by myself. One of the things that was hammered home while I was at the Institute at Focus on the Family was to never live by yourself. I understood their reasoning, but now I've experienced it for a year and can say with certainty that it is an important rule to try to live by. I will grant that sometimes life demands otherwise, for instance my situation being an RD in a res hall, or maybe moving to a place where you initially don't know anyone. However, I've found it to be a very negative experience, mainly for the reasons I was warned about at Focus.

Maybe you completely disagree with me when I say single living might be one of the worst things you can do, but hear me out. What I witnessed in my own life was a bit disturbing. Because of my previous knowledge, I was aware of what was happening, but often it was hard to curb the effect of single living. When you live by yourself, you immediately lose all forms of daily accountability and awareness of others. You get home and don't have to be a servant to anyone - you don't have to be selfless. That was the hardest thing to fight because my flesh was loving being focused only on ME. But my spirit sensed that it was wrong. It's kind of like exercise; when you don't lift, your muscles don't grow. If you never have to practice selflessness, you won't learn or grow in that area. I have found my self-awareness diminish along with my desire to and awareness of opportunities to serve others.

Lastly, you don't have individuals to challenge you to grow because they simply aren't around. Say what you will about having accountability partners, etc., but the fact is, your accountability partner most likely isn't going to be around you all the time. A roommate will, and they will force you to address issues that you otherwise wouldn't normally have to address. On a side note, I think living with roommates of the same sex is a great preparation for marriage because it forces you to think of others when often you don't feel like it.

I say all this to let you know selfishness is something I've really been struggling with, and I think it largely stems from living by myself. Feel free to call me out on this if you notice it in my life.

For you recent post-grads out there, take my advice. Do yourselves a favor and find a couple solid people to live with. If you live intentionally with each other, you'll be a better person because of it.

Food For Thought - Mere Mortals

I learned a C.S. Lewis quote at the Focus Institute that I haven't been able to shake. He once said, "You have never met a mere mortal."

I have been wrestling with this for quite some time (since being at FFI last spring) and some recent encounters have brought my internal struggle with this statement back to the forefront of my mind. Here are some previous thoughts that started this fight inside myself between holding onto my comfortable, selfish lifestyle and living with abandon and with an eternal perspective:

I've been humbled many times by this statement, yet I still fail to live like I believe it. What would my life look like if I looked at every person I saw as the eternal being that they are. How many times do I drive by the same shop, and maybe even patronize it, and never engage with the owner? The people that live next door; not mere mortals. How many times do I interact with these people and yet don't genuinely care about their story? Everyone has a story, but do I take the time to listen? Do I take the time to care? How much different would my life look if I saw people as more than mere mortals?

I want to be so involved in my world, but I lose the intentionality of that focus so easily. I'm realizing I'm losing focus because I'm failing to constantly gaze at the nature of God. Two characteristics of God that sting are his humility and his extreme involvement. He is the definition of humility. He humbles himself to the lowly and becomes involved in their very being.

A former professor of mine, Dr. Del Tackett, describes God's involvement very well (yet it's still only finite):
"He listens and he touches. He comforts and he disciplines. He dwells within us and he intercedes. He protects us, he guides us, he provides our every need. He is the vine and he gives us life. He has spoken to us in his word and he keeps us from temptations that we cannot bear. He is deeply involved. God is not apathetic. He does not abstain. He does not abdicate his responsibilities to fulfill his promises. He is faithful to the end. He is the Father to the fatherless. He defends the weak and the needy. He is righteous and he does what is right. He sends rain on the just and the unjust. You cannot accuse God of copping out. He doesn't bail. He doesn't flee. He never retreats and he never abandons the battle. He is deeply involved. He takes the evil king to task and he judges the wicked. He opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. He hears the cries of his people. He listens to them and he answers our prayers. His providential hand has been felt by those who have come before and by those who will come after us. He brings peace in the midst of trials. He opens the prison doors. He sets the captives free. He is present in the foxhole and he knows when a sparrow falls. He is the ever present, the ever near, the everlasting Father. He has not abandoned us and he will not forsake us. He IS INVOLVEMENT! If you want to follow Him, then you must engage in the battle!"

I know this is long, but it gives some food for thought. Let me know what you think

The Prosperity Gospel

I don't know if I've ever heard John Piper this worked up, but he definitely got my attention. 

When I first started watching this, I thought that John Piper was using some strong language, maybe too strong.  But as I watched, I realized that this is a serious problem with the American church.  We are getting sucked into this mindset and we don't even know it.  How is this happening?  What are we thinking?  This mindset prostitutes the gospel and says that it is glorifying God!  We really need to guard ourselves and make sure that we are staying grounded and rooted in the Word.  We need to measure our teaching, against what the Bible says, and not get distracted by the feel good stuff, that isn't necessarily the Truth.