Today in church we were discussing the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. For those of you who may not be familar, the story of Mary and Martha is goes like this...
Martha invited Jesus to stay at their house when He was passing through their village. Her sister Mary is sitting in the living room at Jesus' feet, listening to Him talk. Meanwhile, Martha is busy in the kitchen trying to make all the preparations for His stay. Martha comes to Jesus and asks if He would tell Mary to get up and give her a hand. Well, instead of Jesus commending Martha for her hard work, He commends Mary for choosing what was most important--sitting at His feet.
I started thinking about how recently I've been very "Martha-like." Right now, I'm at a point of really wrestling with what God may have in store for me for the rest of my life. I want to know my "calling" and what I should be doing with my life long-term. Where will I be in 10 years? How can I best serve His kingdom with my gifts, skills, and passions? Well, I recognized that a lot of my questions were about me. Although I want to serve Jesus and ultimately be doing what He wants me to, the questions in themselves are about ME. What should I be doing? Where should I be going? Like Martha, I have been "anxious about many things" and perhaps neglected the One thing that is most important--sitting at the feet of Christ.
After thinking about my "Martha tendencies," I began to think about what kind of disciple I would be like if I lived in Jesus' time. You have Peter who put his foot in his mouth a lot. Then there's the infamous "doubting Thomas." John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. What would I go down in history as? Well, I decided that if I were to be appointed the 13th disciple, I probably would've been known as Cara the planner. I would have been the one that was portrayed as trying to keep Jesus on top of His agenda. As soon as I learned that Jesus had a purpose to fulfill, I would've been right there with the planner and timeline making sure He got it all done. The problem is that my focus would've been in the completely wrong place. First of all, Jesus doesn't need anyone to help keep Him in check. :) Secondly, my mindset can't be on the task at hand, but the One who is above all of it. The tasks at hand may be important, but they aren't the "end all, be all"--Jesus is.
So, let us sit at His feet and remember the things that are most important--the "good portion that cannot be taken away from us."
What type of disciple would you be?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
reflections...
Ever have one of those days were certain themes just seem to echo throughout? This morning I read John 4 and the story of the Woman at the Well. I was struck by how she gets so caught up in certain aspects of her conversation with Jesus that she almost missed the big picture. She had a very clear need: She had been living an unfulfilling life, bouncing around from one guy to the next. She was given a very specific promise: Christ would satisfy her and fill her with streams of living water. And she almost got really caught up in a Jew vs. Samaritan theological debate about where the best place for worship is instead of recognizing the Messiah right in front of her. (Thank goodness Jesus is gracious and she finally gets it!)
Later, at work one of my co-workers is telling me about her friend who is struggling right now. Her friend recognizes that Jesus is the only way and believes the truth about certain aspects of God. Yet, she is so caught up in her own life and desires that she is afraid to surrender. Yet again, we have a very clear need and a very specific promise...but the nitty gritty is getting in the way of the big picture. Her friend is so caught up in the specifics (which are for her what she might lose by becoming a Christian) that she neglects to see the living water that is offered right in front of her.
Tonight I read Augustine and this passage stood out to me:
"'Return, sinners, to your heart' (Isaiah 46:8) and adhere to Him who made you. Stand with Him and you will stand fast. Rest in Him and you will be at rest. Whear ater you going along rough paths? What is the goal of your journey? The good which you love (the earthly pleasures, things, relationships, etc) is from him. But it is only as it is related to Him that it is good and sweet. Otherwise it will justly become bitter; for all that comes from Him is unjulstly loved if He has been abandoned. With what end in view do you again and again walk along difficult and laborious paths? There is no rest where you seek for it. Seek for what you seek, but it is not where you are looking for it. You seek the happy life in the region of death; it is not there. How can there be a happy life where there is not even life?"
How can the good really be all that good without Him? For those of us who have "tasted and seen" we recognize that all the pleasures in the world amount nothing in comparison to Christ.
Later, at work one of my co-workers is telling me about her friend who is struggling right now. Her friend recognizes that Jesus is the only way and believes the truth about certain aspects of God. Yet, she is so caught up in her own life and desires that she is afraid to surrender. Yet again, we have a very clear need and a very specific promise...but the nitty gritty is getting in the way of the big picture. Her friend is so caught up in the specifics (which are for her what she might lose by becoming a Christian) that she neglects to see the living water that is offered right in front of her.
Tonight I read Augustine and this passage stood out to me:
"'Return, sinners, to your heart' (Isaiah 46:8) and adhere to Him who made you. Stand with Him and you will stand fast. Rest in Him and you will be at rest. Whear ater you going along rough paths? What is the goal of your journey? The good which you love (the earthly pleasures, things, relationships, etc) is from him. But it is only as it is related to Him that it is good and sweet. Otherwise it will justly become bitter; for all that comes from Him is unjulstly loved if He has been abandoned. With what end in view do you again and again walk along difficult and laborious paths? There is no rest where you seek for it. Seek for what you seek, but it is not where you are looking for it. You seek the happy life in the region of death; it is not there. How can there be a happy life where there is not even life?"
How can the good really be all that good without Him? For those of us who have "tasted and seen" we recognize that all the pleasures in the world amount nothing in comparison to Christ.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Taking What I Want...
I recently read 2 of the books from the series by Stieg Larsson, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” After reading some of the books, I decided to watch the first movie. (FYI—I am not recommending this movie per se. It is very violent and graphic if you decide to check it out). There was an interesting line that struck me towards the end of the movie. A guy who was a murderer and a rapist was asked why he killed innocent women. He responded back with a striking comment—“I was just doing what every man wants to do—to have exactly what he wants.”
Interesting motive. He was just taking “what he wanted.” And after all, this is every man’s dream? Although it really disgusted me at the time, I realized that what he said was true in one sense. Every man (and woman) at the core of our beings has a desire to “have” what we want.
I thought back to Adam and Eve in the Garden. Wasn’t that their desire as well? “You can eat of any tree except…” And what did they do? They weren’t satisfied with all the other trees in the Garden. They had to “have” the one that they wanted.
Augustine reflected on one aspect of this in his book "Confessions." I happened to read this section right after I watched the movie. Let’s see what he has to say…
Augustine is reflecting upon a time in his youth when he and his friends stole a bunch of pears (comparable to breaking into a video game store in our day :)). His act of stealing was a way of “imitating God.” He acknowledges that as humans we take pleasure in “imitating” God—who is all powerful and is over all things. We put ourselves in a position of authority and choose to take what we like. We like to try to exert our autonomy and “freedom,” yet must come to the realization that “there is no place where one can ultimately escape.”
Our “freedom” in taking what we “want,” will only lead to bondage and fear. The man in the movie found this out. I can personally attest to that as well. Freedom apart from God is not freedom at all. The objects that we covet for the “taking” will end up “taking” us instead.
As Paul says in Romans 7: "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Yes, thanks be to God who rescues us from this body of sin and death!
Interesting motive. He was just taking “what he wanted.” And after all, this is every man’s dream? Although it really disgusted me at the time, I realized that what he said was true in one sense. Every man (and woman) at the core of our beings has a desire to “have” what we want.
I thought back to Adam and Eve in the Garden. Wasn’t that their desire as well? “You can eat of any tree except…” And what did they do? They weren’t satisfied with all the other trees in the Garden. They had to “have” the one that they wanted.
Augustine reflected on one aspect of this in his book "Confessions." I happened to read this section right after I watched the movie. Let’s see what he has to say…
“So the soul fornicates (Ps. 72:27) when it is turned away from you and seeks
outside you the pure and clear intentions which are not to be found except by
returning to you. In their perverted way all humanity imitates you.
Yet they put themselves at a distance from you and exalt themselves against
you. But even by thus imitating you they acknowledge that you are the
Creator of all nature and so concede that there is no place where one can
entirely escape from you…Was it possible to take pleasure in what was illicit
for no reason other than it was not allowed?”
Augustine is reflecting upon a time in his youth when he and his friends stole a bunch of pears (comparable to breaking into a video game store in our day :)). His act of stealing was a way of “imitating God.” He acknowledges that as humans we take pleasure in “imitating” God—who is all powerful and is over all things. We put ourselves in a position of authority and choose to take what we like. We like to try to exert our autonomy and “freedom,” yet must come to the realization that “there is no place where one can ultimately escape.”
Our “freedom” in taking what we “want,” will only lead to bondage and fear. The man in the movie found this out. I can personally attest to that as well. Freedom apart from God is not freedom at all. The objects that we covet for the “taking” will end up “taking” us instead.
As Paul says in Romans 7: "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Yes, thanks be to God who rescues us from this body of sin and death!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Book of Eli
This weekend I watched The Book of Eli for the first time. (As a side note, if you haven't seen the movie yet, don't worry--I won't fill my post with spoilers!) Generally after watching a movie, I don't leave feeling convicted (unless the conviction is for watching the movie to begin with!). However, the Book of Eli was a different story.
For those of you who haven't seen the film, here's a brief synopsis:
The main character Eli, lives in an America that has been destroyed. There was a great war and the land was scorched by the sun. There aren't many people who survived and of those who did, many of them turned to cannibalism to survive. People live off of whatever they can find and as a result society is pretty much non-existent. Eli is in possession of a "very important book," which we discover is the Bible. He feels like it is his purpose in life to survive and transport this book to a safe place. (I'll leave the rest up to you to watch.)
After watching the movie, it hit me how Eli is a representative of every Christ-follower. We have all been given an important task--to be Christ's ambassadors and carry His truth to this world. We are all carriers of His Word and light. Sure, we don't live in as dire circumstances as Eli. Or do we? Are we just as disease-ridden and desperate as people were in his time? It's probably safe to say "yes." In our culture, our disease is comfort. Our desperation comes as a result of recognizing our over-pleasuring, over-filling, and over-quenching never left us satisfied. Our needs are the same.
So, what do we do? Do we recognize the reality of our situation and choose to obediently carry this truth to a lost and dying world? Or do we sit back and think that everything's "alright?" Are we compelled to do whatever it takes to fulfill God's call and purpose? Or do we get lost in opulence and comfort, therefore, refusing to recognize the dire circumstances we are all in?
I don't know about you guys, but I want to be an Eli. I want to be resolute and focused on the task at hand. I want to be a soldier in Christ's army, carrying light, love, and Truth. I don't want to get so lost in what I "see" that I neglect to truly see what is going on around me. My hope is that I can be faithful to the commission given to me so that at the end of the journey, I can resonate with Paul's words in 1st Timothy--"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (1 Timothy 4:7)
For those of you who haven't seen the film, here's a brief synopsis:
The main character Eli, lives in an America that has been destroyed. There was a great war and the land was scorched by the sun. There aren't many people who survived and of those who did, many of them turned to cannibalism to survive. People live off of whatever they can find and as a result society is pretty much non-existent. Eli is in possession of a "very important book," which we discover is the Bible. He feels like it is his purpose in life to survive and transport this book to a safe place. (I'll leave the rest up to you to watch.)
After watching the movie, it hit me how Eli is a representative of every Christ-follower. We have all been given an important task--to be Christ's ambassadors and carry His truth to this world. We are all carriers of His Word and light. Sure, we don't live in as dire circumstances as Eli. Or do we? Are we just as disease-ridden and desperate as people were in his time? It's probably safe to say "yes." In our culture, our disease is comfort. Our desperation comes as a result of recognizing our over-pleasuring, over-filling, and over-quenching never left us satisfied. Our needs are the same.
So, what do we do? Do we recognize the reality of our situation and choose to obediently carry this truth to a lost and dying world? Or do we sit back and think that everything's "alright?" Are we compelled to do whatever it takes to fulfill God's call and purpose? Or do we get lost in opulence and comfort, therefore, refusing to recognize the dire circumstances we are all in?
I don't know about you guys, but I want to be an Eli. I want to be resolute and focused on the task at hand. I want to be a soldier in Christ's army, carrying light, love, and Truth. I don't want to get so lost in what I "see" that I neglect to truly see what is going on around me. My hope is that I can be faithful to the commission given to me so that at the end of the journey, I can resonate with Paul's words in 1st Timothy--"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (1 Timothy 4:7)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
greenbacks
This morning at church my Pastor gave a sermon called "Money Talks." It was different than any other "money" sermon I have ever heard before. He actually brought $10,000 on stage and asked questions of this pile of cash...and unbelievably, the money answered! (Thanks to the help of a guy backstage, of course.) I never thought I'd hear $10,000 talk to me from the church pulpit. It was a little freaky! Anyways, aside from the creativity, it's always interesting to talk about money. There's nothing like mentioning this commodity to make us squirm and start reaching for our wallet to ensure it's safety. However, it's also one of the easiest ways to bring about conviction and self-examination.
Money can easily be viewed as one of, if not "the" most important things in the world. Even for Christians this can be true. We work so hard to get it and then so easily let it go. So much of our effort and time is spent around it. If you want to bless or curse someone--"money" is your guy. Somehow the wallet gets our attention every time. Ever notice how it takes nothing but an unexpected car repair, or a bill in the mail to cause us to utter the cry of, "God help us!" With so much power wrapped up in something, there's the potential for both harm or good to come as a result.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm hoping for the "good" out of that equation! I want my attitude towards money to be one of gratitude and generosity. I would hope my actions would also reflect this. (I have a LONG way to go!) Money is a tool that can be used to benefit so many.
I pray that as I learn to live as "salt and light" in this world, that my money would also serve as that portrayal. May I not get caught up in the world's attitude towards money that I neglect to view it as just another gift to be used for the kingdom.
Money can easily be viewed as one of, if not "the" most important things in the world. Even for Christians this can be true. We work so hard to get it and then so easily let it go. So much of our effort and time is spent around it. If you want to bless or curse someone--"money" is your guy. Somehow the wallet gets our attention every time. Ever notice how it takes nothing but an unexpected car repair, or a bill in the mail to cause us to utter the cry of, "God help us!" With so much power wrapped up in something, there's the potential for both harm or good to come as a result.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm hoping for the "good" out of that equation! I want my attitude towards money to be one of gratitude and generosity. I would hope my actions would also reflect this. (I have a LONG way to go!) Money is a tool that can be used to benefit so many.
I pray that as I learn to live as "salt and light" in this world, that my money would also serve as that portrayal. May I not get caught up in the world's attitude towards money that I neglect to view it as just another gift to be used for the kingdom.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
truth in love
Lately I have been wrestling with what does it mean to "speak the truth in love?"
We live in a world where truth is relative and everyone has their right to believe whatever they want. As a result, there are moments when as a Church we have neglected to call out certain truths for what they are. There seems to be such tension between trying not to judge and erring on the side of people-pleasing instead.
I fall into this trap myself. I'm generally a laid-back, non-confrontational type. So, if someone were to be wearing a paper sack for a hat and ask me what I thought about their new look, I might respond by saying, "I'm not sure that it accentuates your best features." Whereas, others might come out and say, "You look like an idiot." :) So, when it comes to "speaking the truth in love," in the past I have been at times overly cautious and focused more on the "loving" part of that statement versus "speaking the truth."
What do we do with this when it comes to the Gospel or God's word? ALWAYS our motivation must be from a place of love. This means, we don't speak until our hearts are in the right place. It means we take a step back and put ourselves in others' shoes. It also means that we rely upon God and allow Him to speak through us.
However, there is a time to speak. The verse wouldn't tell us to speak truth in love if we were never expected to actually speak up. So, how do we do that? And under what context?
A passage from the New Testament came to mind.
In Mark 10:17-22 we see the story of the rich young ruler. He comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by saying "You know the commandments--do not murder, do not steal..." and the list goes on. The young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept these since he was a kid. The Scriptures tell us something very striking next. The verse says, "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." Then, Jesus responds by saying "One thing you lack. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The young man's face falls because he knows he will be unable to do this and he walks away.
Here is a very poignant example of Jesus speaking truth in love. He doesn't shy away from the objective--an invitation to come follow Him. He very clearly lays out what is truth--the requirements laid out in Scripture. Yet, He does so from a very specific and direct motivation--love.
So, how can I follow Christ's example? I am urged to come with an objective to see people come to follow Christ. I can also very clearly lay out truth and Scripture, but first and foremost, my motivation must come from a place of love. I cannot respond out of fear of being disliked. I also cannot respond out of judgment of their actions. I MUST be compelled by love.
We live in a world where truth is relative and everyone has their right to believe whatever they want. As a result, there are moments when as a Church we have neglected to call out certain truths for what they are. There seems to be such tension between trying not to judge and erring on the side of people-pleasing instead.
I fall into this trap myself. I'm generally a laid-back, non-confrontational type. So, if someone were to be wearing a paper sack for a hat and ask me what I thought about their new look, I might respond by saying, "I'm not sure that it accentuates your best features." Whereas, others might come out and say, "You look like an idiot." :) So, when it comes to "speaking the truth in love," in the past I have been at times overly cautious and focused more on the "loving" part of that statement versus "speaking the truth."
What do we do with this when it comes to the Gospel or God's word? ALWAYS our motivation must be from a place of love. This means, we don't speak until our hearts are in the right place. It means we take a step back and put ourselves in others' shoes. It also means that we rely upon God and allow Him to speak through us.
However, there is a time to speak. The verse wouldn't tell us to speak truth in love if we were never expected to actually speak up. So, how do we do that? And under what context?
A passage from the New Testament came to mind.
In Mark 10:17-22 we see the story of the rich young ruler. He comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by saying "You know the commandments--do not murder, do not steal..." and the list goes on. The young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept these since he was a kid. The Scriptures tell us something very striking next. The verse says, "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." Then, Jesus responds by saying "One thing you lack. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The young man's face falls because he knows he will be unable to do this and he walks away.
Here is a very poignant example of Jesus speaking truth in love. He doesn't shy away from the objective--an invitation to come follow Him. He very clearly lays out what is truth--the requirements laid out in Scripture. Yet, He does so from a very specific and direct motivation--love.
So, how can I follow Christ's example? I am urged to come with an objective to see people come to follow Christ. I can also very clearly lay out truth and Scripture, but first and foremost, my motivation must come from a place of love. I cannot respond out of fear of being disliked. I also cannot respond out of judgment of their actions. I MUST be compelled by love.
Friday, September 17, 2010
where is our truth coming from?
We live in a society that has diminished the importance of truth. It is not politically correct to state that something is "right" or "wrong." You can hardly get anyone to own up to truth's existence, much less believe in it. All things are relative and left up to the discretion of the individual.
Yet, at the same time, we live in a society that searches for meaning and experience. We want to "be informed" and "be in the know." We follow blogs and watch "reality" tv. We submerge ourselves into the stories of others and procclaim, "now that's REAL!" So, in essence, we are not denying the existence of truth, but confirming that truth is in what we feel vs what we know.
A Madonna line in her song "Bedtime Story" goes like this: "words are useless, especially sentences, they don't stand for anything, how can they explain how I feel?" The experience, the feeling, has become the ultimatum. Words and knowlege have been surpassed.
This is a very scary place to be. In the past, we turned to the "experts" to inform us. We were led by institutions, our parents, the Church, or our leaders. We were driven by concepts such as loyalty, pride, patriotism, and devotion to country, church, and family. Although that is not a perfect system and has many flaws, we have gone in the completely opposite direction. Instead of turning to these experts to tell us what we should know, we rely upon our own individual experiences. I don't know about you, but my individual experiences are flawed as well. Let me share an example:
Since I live in the Chicago suburbs, I enjoy going downtown on occasion. One day I may decide to go to the city and have a wonderful time. I then determine based on my experience that the city is a lovely place and well worth my time there. However, if I were to be given the same exact circumstances the next weekend--even complete with the same great weather, the same companions, same restaurants and sites--I may have a COMPLETELY different experience. After that weekend, I may determine that the city is a trash heap and not worth my effort. It all depends on the state I am in in any given moment.
This is why experience as truth is a disaster. No one experiences things the same, so there would never be a universal belief. Even if I left it up to myself to decide, my mind may change on any given day based on how I feel. This negates the definition of truth in itself. Truth is something that is long-lasting and stands the test of time. It doesn't change or falter with the latest opinion poll or research finding. It isn't defined by those who percieve it. It just is in and of itself.
So, I have to ask myself, "where am I getting my truth?" I am certain that I don't want to base my life around the words of Madonna or the latest Tweet by Ashton Kutcher or even what they tell me on Fox News. How bout you?
Yet, at the same time, we live in a society that searches for meaning and experience. We want to "be informed" and "be in the know." We follow blogs and watch "reality" tv. We submerge ourselves into the stories of others and procclaim, "now that's REAL!" So, in essence, we are not denying the existence of truth, but confirming that truth is in what we feel vs what we know.
A Madonna line in her song "Bedtime Story" goes like this: "words are useless, especially sentences, they don't stand for anything, how can they explain how I feel?" The experience, the feeling, has become the ultimatum. Words and knowlege have been surpassed.
This is a very scary place to be. In the past, we turned to the "experts" to inform us. We were led by institutions, our parents, the Church, or our leaders. We were driven by concepts such as loyalty, pride, patriotism, and devotion to country, church, and family. Although that is not a perfect system and has many flaws, we have gone in the completely opposite direction. Instead of turning to these experts to tell us what we should know, we rely upon our own individual experiences. I don't know about you, but my individual experiences are flawed as well. Let me share an example:
Since I live in the Chicago suburbs, I enjoy going downtown on occasion. One day I may decide to go to the city and have a wonderful time. I then determine based on my experience that the city is a lovely place and well worth my time there. However, if I were to be given the same exact circumstances the next weekend--even complete with the same great weather, the same companions, same restaurants and sites--I may have a COMPLETELY different experience. After that weekend, I may determine that the city is a trash heap and not worth my effort. It all depends on the state I am in in any given moment.
This is why experience as truth is a disaster. No one experiences things the same, so there would never be a universal belief. Even if I left it up to myself to decide, my mind may change on any given day based on how I feel. This negates the definition of truth in itself. Truth is something that is long-lasting and stands the test of time. It doesn't change or falter with the latest opinion poll or research finding. It isn't defined by those who percieve it. It just is in and of itself.
So, I have to ask myself, "where am I getting my truth?" I am certain that I don't want to base my life around the words of Madonna or the latest Tweet by Ashton Kutcher or even what they tell me on Fox News. How bout you?
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