Wars and our ways

Romans 12:17-21 "Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people. Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord.' But 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head.' Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good."

I don't normally get on political rants because I don't believe this subject is typically handled well in the Church sphere, but I am reading through Romans 12 the past couple days and am blown away by the way we speak one way but scripture is in the other direction.

Over the past 11 years, we have been involved in two official wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because of an attack on our home turf. I understand why people feel the way they do. To see on tv live thousands of people murdered is painful and psychologically scarring. The idea that a group of people would do something so horrific doesn't seem possible, but how did we respond?

"If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch." -George W. Bush

"As Americans, we want peace -- we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the will and whims of a ruthless and aggressive dictator. I'm not willing to stake one American life on trusting Saddam Hussein." -George W. Bush

"Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." -George W. Bush

This was the response of our president. A self professed evangelical Christian. Do these quotes fit the narrative of scripture? The better question I believe we have to ask is, "Do these quotes fit the nationalism that has been mixed in with the Gospel?"

This isn't a popular statement for the typical "Gun toting, God fearing" Christian to hear, but I believe we have to begin to question the story we have been given by an American Exceptionalism driven conquest of the world.

If we are truly the shining city on the hill as Reagan claimed (through military strength), we have to ask what does scripture say about that city......not the political narrative of men.

Are we doing the will of God or men when we counter strike, embargo, and create sanctions? We ask why the world could be this way.......maybe it's because the shining city on the hill has become the fortified military instillation on the hill.

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. -George Bush

Maybe our president was right without knowing it. The enemy has put us in a place of disbelief, sadness, and anger. None of those belong with them who trust God is on the throne.

Would love to hear thoughts :-) - Posted in the moment

Daily meditation

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer."

Joyful- rejoice exceedingly and thrive

Hope- joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation

Patient- to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ

Trouble- a pressing, pressing together, pressure

Persistent- to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing

Prayer- prayer addressed to God

"Be rejoicing and thriving in the joyful and confident understanding that Christ will return, holdfast that Christ is with you in the midst of the pressures and struggles of this world, and always be attentive and open to the voice of Christ while in continuous communion with Him through out your day"

This scripture is such a sobering reminder to me on how I am to approach everyday and the lack of insight, care, and communion I have with God somedays. None of us are perfect, but each one of us that has believed on the Name of Jesus is being perfected by His Word both written and revelatory on His Word.

How often do I get so wrapped up in the problem of the moment and don't stop to recognize He is with me. It's a promise. My eyes everyday should be fixed on Him and His return, my feet should be steady in the trials knowing Romans 8:28 is as true today as it was when it was written, and my heart and mind should be consumed with a daily continuous communication with the one that is eternal wisdom and truth.

"Father help me to internalize this text and have it become my daily meditation through the good and hard times. You are my strength, my shield, and hope forever. Amen

Worship is so much more than an emotional feeling

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer."

So I was reading Romans 12 in a study of worship, and I ran across this text. It began to speak to me. In the midst of Paul through Romans showing us this beautiful picture of the plan of God, he breaks into praise for God and His greatness.

"O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his adviser? Or who has given him something only to have him pay it back? " For all things are from him, by him, and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen."

After this interlude of praise, he begins to instruct us in how we are to worship because of this great gift of Grace from the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus. I can almost hear him getting excited as he dictates this to the person assisting him. Caught up in the presence of God he begins to exclaim to us,

"I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is- what is proper, pleasing, and perfect."

He is pleading with us, "After hearing this great story of redemption that we now have experienced personally, our only natural response is to give ourselves fully to Gods ways and plans! To live this life as a servant of the Lord impacting those around us and giving what we have recieved so freely IS WORSHIP!!!" But it doesn't end there. He begins to speak of our lives not just as doers, but students continually learning from the master. He shows us we are not to conform to this world and it's selfishness, but to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts? No! It says our minds! Worship, although impacting to our souls and hearts, is a renewing of our thinking. When we come together our objective is to hear those words we sing, to hear those words spoken by whom ever is teaching, and to listen to the testimonies of Gods goodness spoken by others. We come together to see our thinking become like Jesus' thinking. Repentance isn't defined as a change of heart, but instead a change of mind.

Prov. 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself."

In arother translation it say mind in place of heart, but in looking at the original word, it speaks primarily of that what is inside us. Our own personal understanding separate from the perfect understand of God.

Proverbs 28:26 "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,But he who walks wisely will be delivered."

We must seek to worship in spirit and truth. Not from our heart out, but from the Father inward. God is the initiator of all good things, the Spirit is the teacher of what we receive, and the mind renewed directs the heart in Gods ways. I've wrote enough for now, but the scripture I started with will have to wait until tomorrow. Remember though, Worship is a response to Gods goodness and simultaneously a renewing of our minds. A perfect circle :-)

Why is corporate prayer a secondary priority so often?

"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company." (Romans 15:30-32 NASB) Sometimes when I read these scriptures like this, I wonder if my/our priorities are right according to scripture. I wonder if we have lost the absolute command to pray in our daily lives. At least in my circle of friends, I find devote Jesus loving people who have a heart for the goodness of God, but when I place us against the images of scripture like Acts 2 "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." or above where Paul calls for corporate prayer on behalf of His ministry....I wonder what is missing? Is it simply we are to busy and allow things of less eternal importance to take priority over those things in Acts 2? Is it that maybe we just don't know how or wonder if it really works? My hearts mourns for a people that places prayer as a secondary activity in the same lines as playing a video game, watching a TV show, or playing a sport. Yet, I find myself doing nothing to facilitate that in my community. I desire what is right but allow fear, negative thoughts, and uncertainty to define my outlook on life..... As I think about this right now, I wonder if we don't pray because we have no way to measure or find results in the active? As Americans we so often need the instant gratification that prayer sometimes doesn't offer. We need to know we are apart of a definable cause that will produce a definable effect. We have become so sterile through our scientific methodologies when it comes to God. My friend Corban would say something like, "God is always the cause alone. We are simply and beautifully only the effect of God moving." Simply put.....when we begin to look for the effects of what we have done, we are attempting to take the place of God as the only cause that creates effects. Would we pray more if we came to the activity of prayer knowing only one thing.

As we listen for God to speak something into us trusting he is the cause, we then in effect pray it out-not looking for the effect to measure, but instead that the prayer we pray is the effect itself.

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12, 13 NASB) Although it seems that we are at work this scripture brings us back into alignment with the truth. Everything we do for the Lord is in reality an effect of what He has already done in us. My thoughts today..... Lord work a work of Faith in me that I would pray your will recognizing you are the cause of all things and I am simply and beautifully only an effect of that great work you are doing in this world.