Proverbs 18:24
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
In my personal reading and study, I almost always use one of two translations of the Bible: the English Standard Version or the New Living Translation. When I read this passage, I was using the NLT (which is printed above). Although the ESV is a newer translation, the NLT is more "modern"; and that impacted the way that I read this verse.
In this passage, the NLT uses quotation marks in "...'friends' who destroy each other..." as a modern, tongue-in-cheek way of indicating that friends who destroy each other are not really friends at all. I think we have all witnessed that in one way or another; whether you have experienced that firsthand or not. We've all seen friendships that were based on something temporary and trivial implode, but we've also seen two people, who seemed to be great friends, slowly drift apart and then proceed to start tearing each other apart, whether with words, physical actions, or attitudes.
So what is a real friend? What does that sort of relationship look like?
To me, a real friend, someone who is in my 'core' group of friends knows more of you than you would ever show to a casual acquaintance. For me, a real friend is someone who is more than a casual acquaintance that also happens to be nice, fun, and trustworthy. A real friend is someone I have intimacy with, someone I can count on in all situations, and someone who knows and believes in my character and values enough to stand up for them. (Maybe this is why I've always had a very small, quality group of close friends...)
If you identify with my description of my real friends, you know how important they are; how awesome it is to have a real friend. From what I know about God's character and from what I've read in His Word, I fully believe that God wants us to have real friends. I also believe that if we are Christian, we should emulate the character of God and we should want other people to have real friends too.
We see people every day in our schools, jobs, and families that could benefit greatly from having a real friend. It's time for us to step up and be that friend.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Hurt at Home
Matthew 5:44-45
Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
Recently, our small groups have been talking about persecution. Persecution is something that we usually associate with foreign countries, so I want to look at it a little closer to home.
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he was persecuted in His own country and by His own people. As Christians, we are called to act as Christ did; to literally be 'little Christs'. So, to me, if we're doing our job and acting as Christ acted, we should probably expect the same treatment Christ received.
If we take a look at recent headlines, we see Church burnings, shootings, and illustrations of the growing prejudice against Christians in our country. Whether the methods involve intimidation or violence, the intent is to prevent Christianity from spreading.
Persecution is a daily occurrence in this country, and although it is not always as severe as some of the stories that we hear from around the world, the frequency and severity seem to be increasing.
More and more we are told where we can display scriptures and religious symbols, prayer is often frowned upon or even prohibited in public, and the word 'Christmas' is increasingly replaced by 'holiday'.
With all that said, you may be surprised to learn that I think a good deal of this is our fault. You see, by standing around and watching these events occur, we tell the world that our freedom of religious expression is not important to us. Every time shop at a 'holiday' sale, we're telling retailers that we don’t care whether they call it Christmas or not. And, every time we are too weak or scarred to start a prayer group or Bible study in our school or office, we're saying "You might as well ban Bible studies, because none of us care enough to start one anyway."
The good news about this struggle is this: The outcome is clear; God wins and no one can stop him. In the mean time, we have two choices: we can let the persecution, name calling, and nasty looks bother us, we can quit praying when we go out to eat, we can keep our Christianity a secret and just slide by, or we can hold our heads high, stand firm, and use persecution as a means to share our faith and grow the Kingdom.
It's really your choice. Either way, we’re going to be persecuted. But, for us, I don't think it should be not about the persecution that we endure, but about how we use that persecution as a means to love people into a relationship with Christ.
Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
Recently, our small groups have been talking about persecution. Persecution is something that we usually associate with foreign countries, so I want to look at it a little closer to home.
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he was persecuted in His own country and by His own people. As Christians, we are called to act as Christ did; to literally be 'little Christs'. So, to me, if we're doing our job and acting as Christ acted, we should probably expect the same treatment Christ received.
If we take a look at recent headlines, we see Church burnings, shootings, and illustrations of the growing prejudice against Christians in our country. Whether the methods involve intimidation or violence, the intent is to prevent Christianity from spreading.
Persecution is a daily occurrence in this country, and although it is not always as severe as some of the stories that we hear from around the world, the frequency and severity seem to be increasing.
More and more we are told where we can display scriptures and religious symbols, prayer is often frowned upon or even prohibited in public, and the word 'Christmas' is increasingly replaced by 'holiday'.
With all that said, you may be surprised to learn that I think a good deal of this is our fault. You see, by standing around and watching these events occur, we tell the world that our freedom of religious expression is not important to us. Every time shop at a 'holiday' sale, we're telling retailers that we don’t care whether they call it Christmas or not. And, every time we are too weak or scarred to start a prayer group or Bible study in our school or office, we're saying "You might as well ban Bible studies, because none of us care enough to start one anyway."
The good news about this struggle is this: The outcome is clear; God wins and no one can stop him. In the mean time, we have two choices: we can let the persecution, name calling, and nasty looks bother us, we can quit praying when we go out to eat, we can keep our Christianity a secret and just slide by, or we can hold our heads high, stand firm, and use persecution as a means to share our faith and grow the Kingdom.
It's really your choice. Either way, we’re going to be persecuted. But, for us, I don't think it should be not about the persecution that we endure, but about how we use that persecution as a means to love people into a relationship with Christ.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Focus on The Detail
Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back— it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
As I read this account of the day of the resurrection, a couple of details struck me:
The women were already on their way to the tomb when they questioned who would roll the stone out of their way. To me, this says that they didn't worry about seemingly big details like how they were going to get into the tomb, but focused only on the biggest detail: that they were going to honor Jesus' body.
How many times do we talk ourselves out of doing something that we feel called to do simply because we can't figure out all the details? How much more effective would we be as Christians if we focused only on the biggest detail of our calling and took the rest on faith.
Just a little pondering that I've been doing this afternoon. Do y'all have any thoughts? Leave them in the comments section below.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back— it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
As I read this account of the day of the resurrection, a couple of details struck me:
The women were already on their way to the tomb when they questioned who would roll the stone out of their way. To me, this says that they didn't worry about seemingly big details like how they were going to get into the tomb, but focused only on the biggest detail: that they were going to honor Jesus' body.
How many times do we talk ourselves out of doing something that we feel called to do simply because we can't figure out all the details? How much more effective would we be as Christians if we focused only on the biggest detail of our calling and took the rest on faith.
Just a little pondering that I've been doing this afternoon. Do y'all have any thoughts? Leave them in the comments section below.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Prepare the Way
Matthew 3:3
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"
As I was reading about John the Baptist today, I was challenged, so I'll pass that challenge on to you:
Do our words, actions, and attitudes prepare the way for Christ in others' lives? What about in your own life?
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"
As I was reading about John the Baptist today, I was challenged, so I'll pass that challenge on to you:
Do our words, actions, and attitudes prepare the way for Christ in others' lives? What about in your own life?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Dead Men Walking
Matthew 27:50-53
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
It's 'funny' how you can read the same passage of Scripture sixty times and get something different out of it every time.
I read this today and its imagery really struck me: you're standing in Jerusalem on the day of Jesus' death and not only does the temple curtain tear, the earth shake, and the sky go dark, but just to make sure you notice that something huge just happened, the bodies of Godly people who died years ago are wandering through the streets.
It's hard to halfheartedly believe something that crazy. The scripture isn't a metaphor; it's not a simile; it doesn't use 'like' or 'as'; it happened. Either you believe that real dead bodies hopped up out of their real graves and walked into real Jerusalem, or your Jesus is not the one described in the Bible. How's that for an acid test? Pretty crazy.
What are your thoughts? Leave them as comments.
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
It's 'funny' how you can read the same passage of Scripture sixty times and get something different out of it every time.
I read this today and its imagery really struck me: you're standing in Jerusalem on the day of Jesus' death and not only does the temple curtain tear, the earth shake, and the sky go dark, but just to make sure you notice that something huge just happened, the bodies of Godly people who died years ago are wandering through the streets.
It's hard to halfheartedly believe something that crazy. The scripture isn't a metaphor; it's not a simile; it doesn't use 'like' or 'as'; it happened. Either you believe that real dead bodies hopped up out of their real graves and walked into real Jerusalem, or your Jesus is not the one described in the Bible. How's that for an acid test? Pretty crazy.
What are your thoughts? Leave them as comments.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Promises
Jeremiah 33:20-21
“This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken. Only then will he no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. The same is true for my covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before me.
As I read this passage this morning, it really hit home with me. I was reminded how small we are and how big God is: that we could no more disrupt God's plan than we could disrupt the rhythm of day and night. That is both humbling and comforting.
“This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken. Only then will he no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. The same is true for my covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before me.
As I read this passage this morning, it really hit home with me. I was reminded how small we are and how big God is: that we could no more disrupt God's plan than we could disrupt the rhythm of day and night. That is both humbling and comforting.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Attitude Check? Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150
As an assistant youth pastor, one of my favorite parts (if not the favorite part) of my job is leading worship. We have a youth worship service every Sunday morning, do a short worship set before Wednesday night small groups, and tend to salt and pepper all of our events with worship whenever possible.
As much as I love leading people in worship, it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding; and sometimes, I just don't feel up to it. But, over the years, I've found that I can respond to my lack of feeling in one of two ways. I can say, to myself, either:
It is incredibly humbling to see the vast difference that my team and I experience when I choose B instead of A.
Have you let God work through you this week, or have you tried to do it on your own?
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
As an assistant youth pastor, one of my favorite parts (if not the favorite part) of my job is leading worship. We have a youth worship service every Sunday morning, do a short worship set before Wednesday night small groups, and tend to salt and pepper all of our events with worship whenever possible.
As much as I love leading people in worship, it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding; and sometimes, I just don't feel up to it. But, over the years, I've found that I can respond to my lack of feeling in one of two ways. I can say, to myself, either:
A. "I don't feel like leading worship, but I'll push on and do my best."
or
B. "I don't feel like leading worship, so I can have even more confidence that God is the one leading worship."
or
B. "I don't feel like leading worship, so I can have even more confidence that God is the one leading worship."
It is incredibly humbling to see the vast difference that my team and I experience when I choose B instead of A.
Have you let God work through you this week, or have you tried to do it on your own?
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