Powerful Words

I am always amazed at the power words have.
Wrap your head around that.
Written (or typed) words can change lives.
 

 

They inform.

They instruct.

They caution.

They invite. 
They encourage. 
They inspire.

They hope.

They hurt.

They heal.

They are powerful, and yet we use them without much thought most of the time. I'm reminded of the verses in James that talk about the power of the tongue and compare it to the bit in a horses mouth or the rudder of a ship with the power to set forests ablaze.  

Being a writer who also loves to read, I'm faced with using words and reading them all the time. I cringe when I think of how easily I can shoot off a text, make a sarcastic comment to a friend, or even create a Facebook status without much thought. It's usually only after time that we see the results of our words, whether negative or positive. 

I pray that, in all that I write or say, I would honor the Lord in all of it.  Whether it's a Facebook or blog post, an article, or even a text message, I want to be able to say it was written with thought.  I don't want to live aimlessly and I don't want to speak flippantly either.

Do you think about what you casually say? What you write? What you post? If so, how do you sensor what you post on Facebook or text to someone?

___________________

Check out this article for a beautifully written, extremely powerful follow-up post about the Steubenville trail by the talented Ann Voskamp. She is a woman who uses her words powerfully with God's purpose in mind. I immensely respect her and her writing!

Hearing & Doing {Thinking Theology} | Part 2

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock..." Matthew 7:24 (to 27)

As I mentioned in Part 1 of Hearing & Doing,  we are saved to something.  We have not been freed from sin and death to seclude ourselves from the world or to continue on in our lives the way we want them to be.  Instead, the Lord says that if we are listening to His word, we will be called to action because of it (James 1:22, 2:14; 1 John 3:18 etc.).

I referenced verses from Romans 7 & 8 in the previous post but I wanted to move further into chapter 8, verse 26 which says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness..." This, to me, is the key.  Christ accomplished salvation on the cross and when we put our faith and trust in Him, we receive the free gift of salvation (this is the gospel).  We must remember this daily - sometimes even by the minute - but we also must remember that, with the introduction of the Holy Spirit into our lives, we are called to action.  No, these actions will not save us and our salvation is not dependent on them, but a hearer that is truly changed will desire to do.  James says this and more so clearly.

I turned to Acts 2:42-47 for a guide for my own life with regards to how my life should be shaped by these revelations.  These are my initial observations about what the church in Acts became devoted to as they were filled with the Holy Spirit:

They were...

• Devoted to teaching (learning)
• Devoted to fellowship & meals
• Devoted to prayer (& praise)
• Meeting needs
• Meeting together
• Reaching out to the lost

What a list!  When I first read through his passage I was slightly overwhelmed, but as I mentioned before, we must remember that we partake in them with the help of the Holy Spirit!  It is in God's strength that we learn and fellowship together and meet each others needs. 

To bring this close to home, I'll point out a few areas in which I've been challenged:

• Finances
• How are we spending the money God has entrusted to us?  
• Do we wait on helping others until we have taken care of our own needs first?
• Are we willing to sacrifice our more lavish desires for simpler things so we're living within our means and able to give more?
•  Friendships
• Who do we spend our time with?
• What does that time look like?  Is it profitable or always self-focused?
• What is the point of your friendships?
• Are you friends with non-Christians?  
• I'd say this is one of the most important things to ask yourself.  Do you have friends who do not know Christ that you spend time with for the purpose of showing them His love?
•  Free Time
• How do you spend your free time?
• Do you use your free time as an excuse to do what you want, or what the Lord would have you do?
•  Work
• What is your focus on when you are at work? 
• Are you a living representation of Christ to your co-workers?  
• Do you work hard and do your best because you represent Christ?
• Do you look for opportunities to invite your co-workers into your life so they can see Christ in you?
• Home
• Have you asked the Lord where you should live? 
• Do you feel compelled to live beyond what you can afford?  
• Are you opening your home to others?
• Are you reaching out to those in your community? 

Those are some loaded questions, huh? I'm answering them myself as well. They aren't all-inclusive, but they are a great start to get us thinking about our daily lives.  I pray these questions would prompt us to ask the Lord to show us what needs to change and then change it with His help!  I hope that we would make this life about Him - not us.

***
For sermons on these topics and others like them check out the end of The Mission of God series titled "The Gospel in Real Life" by Cornerstone Church. 

Hearing & Doing {Thinking Theology} | Part 1

I have been thinking a lot on hearing and doing.  I've spent a lot of time in 1 John where this is emphasized but also in James over my Christmas vacation.  Some of the statements I've read are so clear that I wonder how we get away with rationalizing lazy Christianity.  I'll warn you now - this post is inspired by a passion that I have for making every area of our lives subject to the Lord and is not just about walking away feeling good about ourselves as Christians.  I pray it touches your heart where needed and know that I'm speaking to myself as much as any of you, my dear readers!

First, let me share a few of the verses that have stuck out to me (emphasis mine):

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says." James 1:22

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?"  James 2:14

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17

"Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by is good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." James 3:13

That is a lot of doing, isn't it?

Now, I know a quick response to this always seems to be that we are not saved by works.  Amen!  I completely agree. But, the Bible also makes it very clear that if we claim to have faith but it is "not accompanied by action" then it is dead.  Dead mean's it is not actually faith - it's a lie.

I have often met people who will claim to be Christians but who sadly fit into this last category - living a lie with dead faith.  You (or I) can claim to have put our faith in Christ, but if we continue on in the lifestyle we've always lived, we are lying.  We are claiming something that sounds good and even looks good to others (maybe we claim faith because it helps us fit in or because it's what we've always known) but if we've relegated God to a small portion of our lives, it's all false. God isn't satisfied with the leftovers.

How do we know where our faith stands? Romans 7:18b says,  "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."  Here, Paul explains that we can desire to do good and yet fail when we attempt to carry it out because we are doing it by ourselves (apart from Christ).  We aren't expressing a faith that resides in Christ, but one that resides within ourselves.  This form of doing will not bring salvation and is not an evidence of salvation because it is placed in the wrong thing. 

Paul goes on in Romans 8:1-2 and verse 9 to say, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death...You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."  The key in all of this is the gospel!  His death on the cross is complete and He has finished that work. It's very clear - when we are saved by Christ and redeemed to a life as a part of His people, we are freed completely from sin and death to a life devoted to Him.

He has saved us for a purpose.

This is a radical call for action!  Christ requires our heart and our lives. We cannot be completely His when we are still holding on to our own fleshly desires. We cannot be content giving Him Sunday morning and keeping the rest of the week for ourselves. We cannot be wholly His when we are seeking our own way.

So what is our excuse?  Why aren't we doing?  (And realize when I say that, it is within the understanding of "doing" through His help and with His direction, not as a prerequisite for salvation or grace).  Do we shy away from releasing hold of our lives to Him?  Do we make excuses to continue to live the way we want?

I pray you will ask these questions and contemplate them today.  What is holding  you back from being His?  Tomorrow I will focus on the beautiful fact that we are not alone in this!  I hope you check back in to see the rest of this truth unfold in practical ways.

A Lesson in Trust

As I sat listening to the rain last night, I reflected on the fact that God knows where each of those little raindrops fall.  He knows the number of grains of sand on the beach.  He knows each of our hearts. 

This was (and still is) a huge comfort to me in the wake of tragedies like what happened in Connecticut as well as things that have hit more closely to home for me in the past few weeks.   There have been many tears and nights filled with worry lately.

Then on Thursday morning I read this passage in James:

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I was especially convicted by verses 6-8.  The Lord revealed to me that I was asking things of Him without any faith and I knew it because I would pray and then agonize over what I had just "turned over" to God.  It was as if I had opened up my hands, offered my worry and pain to Him, and then taken it right back. 

When I realized I had been doing this, I felt a huge weight lifted.  By diagnosing the problem, I was able to see the solution.  God tells us to ask in faith which means to trust Him.  As I realized this, the words to one of my favorite verses came to mind, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" (Proverbs 3:5a).  If I'm being ruled by anxiety and worry, I'm not trusting and I will be "driven and tossed by the wind". 

Life is difficult and uncertain, but one thing is true - when we put our trust in the Lord, the God who created the universe and who sent His Son to reconcile a people for Himself, we put our trust in the only thing that can really help us.  It will do no good to turn to politics, or people, or laws, or even to morals.  None of these things will give us true justice or peace. 

I am praying for those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy - praying for peace for them, for those around them to love them with Christs love, and for God's name to be lifted high in the wake of heartache and loss during what should be a season of love and giving.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

~Isaiah 9:6~