Socialism. It's a big word today isn't it? Our government and the world seems to be leaning more toward the side of big government control. But before my political ideals jump ahead of me, I will state the true problem. Last lesson was on responsibility, something Americans lack. We turn to others to place blame and expect them to take care of us. I said that this is an age of enabling, things are just handed to us. When everyone receives the same reward for their work (or lack thereof), what incentive is there for innovation and progress? In the end, no one works because they receive without earning.
Recalling the parable of the Virgins and their oil, the virgins who came prepared were not stingy for keeping their oil because they are responsible for their own actions. Don't get me wrong, Isaiah 41:17, Psalm 10:14, and Luke 6:20-21, Matthew 25:35 are great examples of how we are to watch after the poor. But we are not to enable them and be used.
However, back to the topic - don't work, don't eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-14 bears the words of the title. This is a principle factor of the Christian nature- personal responsibility for your own actions and well being. Do what you can to do good for yourself, don't expect a hand out.
Acts 20:35
2 Corinthians 8:8-15
Ephesians 4:28
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lessons from Matthew
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Clean Up Your Own Messes!!!
Clean Up Your Own Messes!
In an age of enabling, often times those around us don’t let us hit rock bottom before we turn our lives around. I know a few drug addicts who go “in and out” of addiction because they have never committed to stopping. Family, friends, and maybe even churches refuse to let someone finally receive due punishment for their crimes.
Has anyone heard of the saying, “you play, you pay”? It pertains to sexual immorality and how, if you don’t contain your lust, then you’re left with a child. It’s obvious that when I talk about “clean up your own messes,” I mean more than your dirty room. But lets be honest, who puts everything they use back away right as soon as they complete their task – be it play, work, or entertainment? ß bad grammar.
Those who always clean up after themselves are either murderers or they are called the dreaded word – RESPONSIBLE. “I forgot my homework! Do you know it?” you say to your friend who actually wrote it down. Why do we always know who is responsible? Magically (sarcasm), responsibility is a Godly trait and helps those who practice it successful. My girlfriend is one of those “post-it note people” while at college. She sets regular alarms, consistently writes notes, and plans ahead with many schedules. However, I cannot go without saying that her time management is terrible - which brings me to another point.
OUR IRRESPONSIBILITY CAN AFFECT OTHERS!
In this case I speak of mine. My lack of a schedule when it comes to school leads to procrastination often times and it also drags my diligent girlfriend down with me. To further a point, I am not pointing fingers because I actually have no clue who did/does it. But at times, there is no trashcan liner in the trashcan and yet, it is full to the top with soda cans and drenched in coffee along with various other disgusting concoctions…. nearly every week for the past month. I know for a fact it is tedious work to clean the trashcans because I am the one who has to do it.
In class we spoke of how life isn't fair, but God is. The 25th chapter of Matthew portrays this image perfect.
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[c] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[d] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[e] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Final Judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In conclusion, we came to three points -
1) We are responsible for our own actions and our own faults.
2) Our irresponsibility can effect others lives. Often for the negative.
3) Life isn't fair, but God is. We may be responsible for ourselves, but others effect us. But when we stand before God, there will be no one left to point fingers at aside from ourselves.
Clean up your own messes, they are your responsibility.
In an age of enabling, often times those around us don’t let us hit rock bottom before we turn our lives around. I know a few drug addicts who go “in and out” of addiction because they have never committed to stopping. Family, friends, and maybe even churches refuse to let someone finally receive due punishment for their crimes.
Has anyone heard of the saying, “you play, you pay”? It pertains to sexual immorality and how, if you don’t contain your lust, then you’re left with a child. It’s obvious that when I talk about “clean up your own messes,” I mean more than your dirty room. But lets be honest, who puts everything they use back away right as soon as they complete their task – be it play, work, or entertainment? ß bad grammar.
Those who always clean up after themselves are either murderers or they are called the dreaded word – RESPONSIBLE. “I forgot my homework! Do you know it?” you say to your friend who actually wrote it down. Why do we always know who is responsible? Magically (sarcasm), responsibility is a Godly trait and helps those who practice it successful. My girlfriend is one of those “post-it note people” while at college. She sets regular alarms, consistently writes notes, and plans ahead with many schedules. However, I cannot go without saying that her time management is terrible - which brings me to another point.
OUR IRRESPONSIBILITY CAN AFFECT OTHERS!
In this case I speak of mine. My lack of a schedule when it comes to school leads to procrastination often times and it also drags my diligent girlfriend down with me. To further a point, I am not pointing fingers because I actually have no clue who did/does it. But at times, there is no trashcan liner in the trashcan and yet, it is full to the top with soda cans and drenched in coffee along with various other disgusting concoctions…. nearly every week for the past month. I know for a fact it is tedious work to clean the trashcans because I am the one who has to do it.
In class we spoke of how life isn't fair, but God is. The 25th chapter of Matthew portrays this image perfect.
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[c] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[d] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[e] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Final Judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In conclusion, we came to three points -
1) We are responsible for our own actions and our own faults.
2) Our irresponsibility can effect others lives. Often for the negative.
3) Life isn't fair, but God is. We may be responsible for ourselves, but others effect us. But when we stand before God, there will be no one left to point fingers at aside from ourselves.
Clean up your own messes, they are your responsibility.
Food for thought
If you agree with someone, and love them, then great. But it isn't difficult. Christian love is the hardest and most true - you disagree with the sin, but love the person despite the differences.
Which is more difficult, thus, more true?
Which is more difficult, thus, more true?
Monday, January 2, 2012
Competition
We go harder and do better when we have competition, it is human nature. No one can deny this fact. My personal experience is going from 5 to 14 pull ups, running a mile in the top 5 when I cannot run an entire mile. (At the time I couldn't) However, just like anything else, competition can be both good and bad.
So, in sports, games, or anything, when is competition bad? Obviously competition is bad when people cheat, when people play dirty, when they play unnecessarily rough. No one wants to play with a cheater.
So, in sports, games, or anything, when is competition bad? Obviously competition is bad when people cheat, when people play dirty, when they play unnecessarily rough. No one wants to play with a cheater.
Competition in the church is more like example and encouragement.
Q: Ken Hoover sets an excellent example for us all, and I wish I could be more like him and even smarter one day; this is competition. Is it wrong?
A: No, so long as I don’t become resentful of his knowledge or hostile towards him.
A: No, so long as I don’t become resentful of his knowledge or hostile towards him.
When is competition good?
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV) So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others
This lesson was most definitely short, but my mind is not all here today. So please forgive.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)