The Canadian Press recently reported that the oldest son of Vito Rizzuto, the godfather of the Canadian Mafia, has been assassinated. Nick Rizzuto was killed next to his new Mercedes SLK 340. A perfect example of Jesus' words:
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
Although Nick Jr was never charged of any crimes, and we have no way of knowing how involved in the mafia he was, his death shows just how futile the life of sin is. Vito paid for his sins with the life of his son.
What about you? What will be your legacy? Will the world be better off because of your birth, or because of your death?
The same newspaper that I read about Nick Rizzuto, also had a story about a local boy, here in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, who's legacy is shaping up quite differently.
Ian Henderson, a 13 year old young man, decided to forgo Christmas presents this year, and instead ask that he receive donations towards his new charity: Warm Holidays. So far he has raised $533 towards buying blankets to homeless people. This may not seem like much. But the spirit of selflessness that it exemplifies is truly great and worthy of emulation. This young man knows more about the meaning of life than many philosophers and college professors.
We live by giving. As the words of Jesus say: give, and it will be given to you. Nothing promises to give you more happiness and satisfaction in life, than living to be a blessing to others. Don't be satisfied with just the occasional generous act. Even Hitler was probably nice sometimes. Strive to be truly unselfish. Seek God's help, for He is more than willing to give it. He wants to protect you from your natural inclination to be selfish, and make your life a true blessing.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Nigeria: A Window into Human Interconnectedness
Time magazine recently reported concerning the peace process in Nigeria. Let me summarize the article:
"For a few brief weeks this autumn, there were hopes that the long-running civil war in the Niger Delta in southeastern Nigeria might finally be coming to an end. President Umaru Mousa Yar'Adua announced an amnesty deal for rebels and promised billions of dollars of investment in the poor but oil-rich delta, a 10% stake for the local population in the region's oil ventures and a small monthly stipend and re-training for ex-fighters. In return, thousands of militants declared a ceasefire and handed in their weapons, while their leaders initiated talks with the government on an eventual peace deal."
..."As the New Year approaches, however, hopes for peace are evaporating fast, largely because of two factors. First, the main drivers in the government toward negotiating a truce with the rebels have been out of action for weeks. Yar'Adua, a chain smoker with chronic health problems, has been in Saudi Arabia for nearly a month receiving treatment for pericarditis, an inflammation around the heart."
...In an interview with TIME this month, Anthony said he was "quite pessimistic" about the chances of forging a lasting peace because of the deteriorating health of the President — "I am categorically saying that [his] death may mean the death of Nigeria"
I wonder: when the President of Nigeria took his first puff from a cigarette, probably as a teenager, if he knew at the time that a nation would one day be sacrificed because of that decision.
There are few in the world today who seem to understand the principle that no human being is an island. There is no such thing as a private sin. No such thing as a bad habit which only affects me. Humanity is very much like a vast sea: every drop produces ripples, albeit, in varying degrees.
I often hear people asking why God seems so stern in the Bible when dealing with sin? How can a God who flooded the earth, commanded the extermination of nations, and rained fire on cities, not to mention, will one day destroy all the wicked, be a God of love?
From a human stand point, sin doesn't look like that big a deal. "I'm not hurting anybody", "so long as I indulge in moderation", "what's the big deal?" are expressions that are often used to justify our actions. From our limited perspective, we rarely see the full impact of our actions.
We don't see that the rude comment we made to someone at the grocery store, led that person to yell at their children. We don't see that our moderate drinking, influenced someone else to become a drunk. We don't see that our irresponsible behavior while teenagers, made us inept parents as adults, and which led our children to commit even greater evils. As the old saying goes: "hurt people hurt people, who hurt people, etc."
God sees sin in a very different way than we see it. He sees the full impact of our every thought, word, and action, on everyone around us, and the impact they then have on others, etc. He sees all the evil on the planet in the light of the fact that none of it was necessary. All of it could have been avoided if we would just have followed Him.
Is it any wonder God hates sin so much? If every cry in the planet was daily continually ringing in your ears, if every act of brutality was open to your view, if every rape, murder, suicide, mental illness, and all the anguish of the human race was always there in front of you, wouldn't you hate sin? Wouldn't you long for the day when you could destroy it?
It's a wonder God has waited so long. But what is He waiting for? The Bible says this:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
When God destroys sin, it's game over for all those who are choosing it. God wants to save as many as possible. He won't wait forever.
"For a few brief weeks this autumn, there were hopes that the long-running civil war in the Niger Delta in southeastern Nigeria might finally be coming to an end. President Umaru Mousa Yar'Adua announced an amnesty deal for rebels and promised billions of dollars of investment in the poor but oil-rich delta, a 10% stake for the local population in the region's oil ventures and a small monthly stipend and re-training for ex-fighters. In return, thousands of militants declared a ceasefire and handed in their weapons, while their leaders initiated talks with the government on an eventual peace deal."
..."As the New Year approaches, however, hopes for peace are evaporating fast, largely because of two factors. First, the main drivers in the government toward negotiating a truce with the rebels have been out of action for weeks. Yar'Adua, a chain smoker with chronic health problems, has been in Saudi Arabia for nearly a month receiving treatment for pericarditis, an inflammation around the heart."
...In an interview with TIME this month, Anthony said he was "quite pessimistic" about the chances of forging a lasting peace because of the deteriorating health of the President — "I am categorically saying that [his] death may mean the death of Nigeria"
I wonder: when the President of Nigeria took his first puff from a cigarette, probably as a teenager, if he knew at the time that a nation would one day be sacrificed because of that decision.
There are few in the world today who seem to understand the principle that no human being is an island. There is no such thing as a private sin. No such thing as a bad habit which only affects me. Humanity is very much like a vast sea: every drop produces ripples, albeit, in varying degrees.
I often hear people asking why God seems so stern in the Bible when dealing with sin? How can a God who flooded the earth, commanded the extermination of nations, and rained fire on cities, not to mention, will one day destroy all the wicked, be a God of love?
From a human stand point, sin doesn't look like that big a deal. "I'm not hurting anybody", "so long as I indulge in moderation", "what's the big deal?" are expressions that are often used to justify our actions. From our limited perspective, we rarely see the full impact of our actions.
We don't see that the rude comment we made to someone at the grocery store, led that person to yell at their children. We don't see that our moderate drinking, influenced someone else to become a drunk. We don't see that our irresponsible behavior while teenagers, made us inept parents as adults, and which led our children to commit even greater evils. As the old saying goes: "hurt people hurt people, who hurt people, etc."
God sees sin in a very different way than we see it. He sees the full impact of our every thought, word, and action, on everyone around us, and the impact they then have on others, etc. He sees all the evil on the planet in the light of the fact that none of it was necessary. All of it could have been avoided if we would just have followed Him.
Is it any wonder God hates sin so much? If every cry in the planet was daily continually ringing in your ears, if every act of brutality was open to your view, if every rape, murder, suicide, mental illness, and all the anguish of the human race was always there in front of you, wouldn't you hate sin? Wouldn't you long for the day when you could destroy it?
It's a wonder God has waited so long. But what is He waiting for? The Bible says this:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
When God destroys sin, it's game over for all those who are choosing it. God wants to save as many as possible. He won't wait forever.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Crayon Box
Here's a story that was read at my son's play group in November. I don't remember what the title was, but it went something like this.
There once was a box of crayons, that did not get along.
The red one disliked the green one; the black one disliked the blue one.
"What an ugly color" the orange would say of gray.
"I sure don't like the way yellow looks", said pink.
But one day, a little child came and took that box of crayons.
With the red crayon he drew a ball; with the green, some grass,
With the black, shoes; with the blue, the sky.
Although all were different, each was essential.
And the presence of each one, made the picture complete.
This was not a religious story book, but the point of the story was deeply theological.
For a long time now, humanity has been looking for a way to get along. We have all these differences that work to divide us.
Like those crayons, we need something bigger than all of us to unite us.
We need a master plan, some sort of order that brings out the full potential of all.
Communism was one attempt to bring this about. The idea was that by concentrating the efforts of the people in one direction, harmony, equity, and fraternity would result. This was not the first attempt to unite people around a human system.
For centuries and millennia, men have sought to establish a "new order" that would bring peace to the human race. All of the great conquerors: Cyrus, Alexander, Napoleon, saw themselves as liberators, men who would conquer the world and abolish war. The Roman Empire came closest to achieving this, at least in the west. The Pax Romana lasted around 200 years. But that peace was built on one of the most barbaric and cruel forms of execution ever devised by mankind: Crucifixion.
For up to a week, men would hang from a pole, exposed to the elements, literally to rot alive. It may have been unsavory, but it was effective. That was the cost of peace.
Back in Genesis 11, we read about the tower of babel. The builders of this great tower had the seemingly noble goal of uniting the world. Obviously the tower was meant to be a political and cultural center for the world. But this effort displeased God.
Is God against peace? Not at all. But in His wisdom, he saw the oppression and cruelty the the concentration of power around a few men would lead. He divided the nations so that oppression of tyrants would be limited to a certain geographical location; and their power would never be absolute or invincible. I for one, am glad He did that.
So is there any hope for peace? Certainly not around a human system. Absolute power can only corrupt absolutely. Democracy works because it limits the power of the government. The best way to preserve some freedom for the majority, is for the world to remain politically divided.
The Book of Daniel, interestingly written mostly from Babylon (connected to the Hebrew word Babel), records a great statue in chapter 2 that outlined in advance the failed attempts of man to establish peace on earth. Finally, the vision culminates with a rock being cut out without hands, demolishing the statue, and filling the whole earth. We're told that this statue represents the kingdom of God, and would endure forever.
Just as this rock was cut out without human hands, there is nothing human beings can do to fulfill this vision (or to stop it). But we can bring people hope by telling them about it.
There once was a box of crayons, that did not get along.
The red one disliked the green one; the black one disliked the blue one.
"What an ugly color" the orange would say of gray.
"I sure don't like the way yellow looks", said pink.
But one day, a little child came and took that box of crayons.
With the red crayon he drew a ball; with the green, some grass,
With the black, shoes; with the blue, the sky.
Although all were different, each was essential.
And the presence of each one, made the picture complete.
This was not a religious story book, but the point of the story was deeply theological.
For a long time now, humanity has been looking for a way to get along. We have all these differences that work to divide us.
Like those crayons, we need something bigger than all of us to unite us.
We need a master plan, some sort of order that brings out the full potential of all.
Communism was one attempt to bring this about. The idea was that by concentrating the efforts of the people in one direction, harmony, equity, and fraternity would result. This was not the first attempt to unite people around a human system.
For centuries and millennia, men have sought to establish a "new order" that would bring peace to the human race. All of the great conquerors: Cyrus, Alexander, Napoleon, saw themselves as liberators, men who would conquer the world and abolish war. The Roman Empire came closest to achieving this, at least in the west. The Pax Romana lasted around 200 years. But that peace was built on one of the most barbaric and cruel forms of execution ever devised by mankind: Crucifixion.
For up to a week, men would hang from a pole, exposed to the elements, literally to rot alive. It may have been unsavory, but it was effective. That was the cost of peace.
Back in Genesis 11, we read about the tower of babel. The builders of this great tower had the seemingly noble goal of uniting the world. Obviously the tower was meant to be a political and cultural center for the world. But this effort displeased God.
Is God against peace? Not at all. But in His wisdom, he saw the oppression and cruelty the the concentration of power around a few men would lead. He divided the nations so that oppression of tyrants would be limited to a certain geographical location; and their power would never be absolute or invincible. I for one, am glad He did that.
So is there any hope for peace? Certainly not around a human system. Absolute power can only corrupt absolutely. Democracy works because it limits the power of the government. The best way to preserve some freedom for the majority, is for the world to remain politically divided.
The Book of Daniel, interestingly written mostly from Babylon (connected to the Hebrew word Babel), records a great statue in chapter 2 that outlined in advance the failed attempts of man to establish peace on earth. Finally, the vision culminates with a rock being cut out without hands, demolishing the statue, and filling the whole earth. We're told that this statue represents the kingdom of God, and would endure forever.
Just as this rock was cut out without human hands, there is nothing human beings can do to fulfill this vision (or to stop it). But we can bring people hope by telling them about it.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
What To Do With Guilt?
One of the biggest barriers between people and Jesus is guilt. I've actually had people tell me things along the lines of: "Jesus?... no thank you, I have enough guilt in my life."
In a way, this reaction makes sense. After all, we understand that Jesus was perfect, that He never sinned, not even with His thoughts. We understand that He will one day judge us according to all the words, actions, and thoughts we have ever done. There's plenty of fodder there to feed our guilt.
People will sometimes read passages such as this one:
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Psalm 5:5,6
Or again
God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalm 7:11
So God hates all workers of iniquity, and he is angry with them every day? Well he must not feel very good about me then. Why would I want to serve someone who hates me?
But wait a minute: how do you know these texts are talking about you?
There's an important detail that many people have missed in these texts: its that God does not consider everyone who happens to sin to be "wicked".
Now, it's true that we are all sinners in His eyes. We all break His law. But the term "wicked", is a special term, reserved for people who not only sin, but have chosen sin in the light of God's grace.
The Bible talks about the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. This sin is no small sin that people just commit unaware. It's basically transgressing your own conscience. It's more than just the common sins that come from ignorance of God's law and His character of love. It's people who know the truth but persistently and definitely choose to silence their conscience and choose selfishness.
The Bible gives us one definite person who committed this sin: Judas. He was later called the son of perdition. Which means that he had become so linked with sin, that he was a child of it.
Judas was not some person who did not know any better. He spent 3 1/2 years of his life spending every waking moment with Jesus. He rejected Jesus in the full light of His love and power. That kind of sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit. I want to suggest to you, that it is this special class of sinners who are described by the term "wicked."
Now, maybe you're thinking: I've done some pretty rotten things, I am probably one of those "wicked" people.
Remember that a wicked person cannot be forgiven, because they are so hardened that they can never repent. If you are reading this blog, you probably have not crossed that line.
In the bible, here are some sins that were forgiven: adultery, murder, incest, betrayal, blasphemy, idolatry.
If you have a desire to be made right with God. That is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still working to save you and that you have not committed the unpardonable sin.
These are the words of scripture for you:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:6-8
So what should you do with your guilt? Accept God's forgiveness. Accept that Jesus died for a sinner like you. You may be a great sinner, but Jesus is a greater savior. Accept Jesus' forgiveness, and please, forgive yourself. You may see some awful consequences, caused by your past sins, but claim this promise.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Yes, Jesus has the power to bring good, even out of your worst mistakes. You may have to suffer because of them. But you can know that God will ultimately bring good out of them if you choose to follow Him.
Listen to this powerful song, written by King David after he sinned. Read along on the screen from Psalm 51:1-4 NKJV, then read the full psalm
Song Title: "Have Mercy Upon Me O God" from the CD: Green Pastures
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
In a way, this reaction makes sense. After all, we understand that Jesus was perfect, that He never sinned, not even with His thoughts. We understand that He will one day judge us according to all the words, actions, and thoughts we have ever done. There's plenty of fodder there to feed our guilt.
People will sometimes read passages such as this one:
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Psalm 5:5,6
Or again
God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
Psalm 7:11
So God hates all workers of iniquity, and he is angry with them every day? Well he must not feel very good about me then. Why would I want to serve someone who hates me?
But wait a minute: how do you know these texts are talking about you?
There's an important detail that many people have missed in these texts: its that God does not consider everyone who happens to sin to be "wicked".
Now, it's true that we are all sinners in His eyes. We all break His law. But the term "wicked", is a special term, reserved for people who not only sin, but have chosen sin in the light of God's grace.
The Bible talks about the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. This sin is no small sin that people just commit unaware. It's basically transgressing your own conscience. It's more than just the common sins that come from ignorance of God's law and His character of love. It's people who know the truth but persistently and definitely choose to silence their conscience and choose selfishness.
The Bible gives us one definite person who committed this sin: Judas. He was later called the son of perdition. Which means that he had become so linked with sin, that he was a child of it.
Judas was not some person who did not know any better. He spent 3 1/2 years of his life spending every waking moment with Jesus. He rejected Jesus in the full light of His love and power. That kind of sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit. I want to suggest to you, that it is this special class of sinners who are described by the term "wicked."
Now, maybe you're thinking: I've done some pretty rotten things, I am probably one of those "wicked" people.
Remember that a wicked person cannot be forgiven, because they are so hardened that they can never repent. If you are reading this blog, you probably have not crossed that line.
In the bible, here are some sins that were forgiven: adultery, murder, incest, betrayal, blasphemy, idolatry.
If you have a desire to be made right with God. That is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still working to save you and that you have not committed the unpardonable sin.
These are the words of scripture for you:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:6-8
So what should you do with your guilt? Accept God's forgiveness. Accept that Jesus died for a sinner like you. You may be a great sinner, but Jesus is a greater savior. Accept Jesus' forgiveness, and please, forgive yourself. You may see some awful consequences, caused by your past sins, but claim this promise.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Yes, Jesus has the power to bring good, even out of your worst mistakes. You may have to suffer because of them. But you can know that God will ultimately bring good out of them if you choose to follow Him.
Listen to this powerful song, written by King David after he sinned. Read along on the screen from Psalm 51:1-4 NKJV, then read the full psalm
Song Title: "Have Mercy Upon Me O God" from the CD: Green Pastures
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
Friday, December 25, 2009
The David Goldman Story
The associate press recently reported that Sean Goldman has been returned to his biological father, David Goldman. Let me summarize this story for you.
On June 16, 2004, David Goldman brought his Brazilian wife, Bruno, her parents, and his four year old son Sean to the Newark Airport in New Jersey.
David thought his wife was just taking a short trip to Brazil with their son, but once she got there, she divorced David and told him that if he wanted to see his son again, he had to give her sole custody.
David filed for a custody hearing in New Jersey, which is in accordance to international law, but his wife's new husband, a lawyer, is well-connected in the Brazilian political establishment, and was therefore able to avoid the law.
When David's wife died in 2009, her Brazilian husband sought to move David's name from Sean's birth records, so that David would no longer be legally considered Sean's father.
A custody hearing was finally scheduled for December 22, 2009, in which David won his son back and is now on his way home, 4 1/2 years since he last saw his son!
How we admire a father who is determined to have his son back no matter what the cost. Many people have grown up without a father. Or worse, many grew up with a father that showed very little interest in them. Maybe you're thinking to yourself: how I wish I had a father who loves me as much as David loves his son Sean.
The fact of the matter is you do; actually, He loves you much more.
Many have this picture of God as a tyrant who is just acking to judge us. We see Him as this stern figure, looking down from heaven in contempt, shaking his finger at us. One bumper sticker I once read said: Jesus is coming soon, and boy is he mad.
In many ways this is true. Jesus is mad. He's angry about the millions of children sold as sex slaves each year. He's angry about the billions who go to bed hungry, when He has provided more than enough food to feed everyone. He's angry about the endless violence done in His name. Wouldn't you be if someone was doing this to your children?
God is angry, because He is love. This world is a place of indescribable suffering. If we were to see it all for a moment, we would surely lose our sanity. But God sees every bit of it.
We must never forget that God is Love. His justice, His wrath, His laws, must all be understood in the context of His love. More than anything else, the Bible is the story of a Father who passionately pursues His wayward children and is seeking to bring them home.
In Genesis, we read that God made everything good. In chapter 3, we learn about how our parents were deceived by the Devil, who spoke through a serpent. In between we have the record of God's desperate desire to get us back, to communicate His love and power to us. To let us know that help is on the way, and not to give up. We learn that God's rescue plan involved more than starting a website, appearing on tv shows, and hiring expensive lawyers. Our rescue cost the life of our Creator. Jesus Christ, who made all things, gave His life to save us.
For God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners: Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
God wants you to know this:
First of all, I understand. I'm not angry at you. Yes, the things you do make me angry because I can see the pain they inflict on you and others. But I understand why you do them. I don't hate you. I want to help you. There is hope in your future. I have good plans for your life. I want to make you happy. I want to teach you what true happiness is all about. I want to make you just like me. I want to teach you to trust me. Will you let me in?
God's plan to save you has already been accomplished. But now you must choose. Will you give up your selfishness and let Jesus show you what true unselfishness is all about? Will you let God make you into what you were meant to be? Will you be reconciled with God?
Song Title: "For I Know The Thoughts" from the CD: Sing To The Lord
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
On June 16, 2004, David Goldman brought his Brazilian wife, Bruno, her parents, and his four year old son Sean to the Newark Airport in New Jersey.
David thought his wife was just taking a short trip to Brazil with their son, but once she got there, she divorced David and told him that if he wanted to see his son again, he had to give her sole custody.
David filed for a custody hearing in New Jersey, which is in accordance to international law, but his wife's new husband, a lawyer, is well-connected in the Brazilian political establishment, and was therefore able to avoid the law.
When David's wife died in 2009, her Brazilian husband sought to move David's name from Sean's birth records, so that David would no longer be legally considered Sean's father.
A custody hearing was finally scheduled for December 22, 2009, in which David won his son back and is now on his way home, 4 1/2 years since he last saw his son!
How we admire a father who is determined to have his son back no matter what the cost. Many people have grown up without a father. Or worse, many grew up with a father that showed very little interest in them. Maybe you're thinking to yourself: how I wish I had a father who loves me as much as David loves his son Sean.
The fact of the matter is you do; actually, He loves you much more.
Many have this picture of God as a tyrant who is just acking to judge us. We see Him as this stern figure, looking down from heaven in contempt, shaking his finger at us. One bumper sticker I once read said: Jesus is coming soon, and boy is he mad.
In many ways this is true. Jesus is mad. He's angry about the millions of children sold as sex slaves each year. He's angry about the billions who go to bed hungry, when He has provided more than enough food to feed everyone. He's angry about the endless violence done in His name. Wouldn't you be if someone was doing this to your children?
God is angry, because He is love. This world is a place of indescribable suffering. If we were to see it all for a moment, we would surely lose our sanity. But God sees every bit of it.
We must never forget that God is Love. His justice, His wrath, His laws, must all be understood in the context of His love. More than anything else, the Bible is the story of a Father who passionately pursues His wayward children and is seeking to bring them home.
In Genesis, we read that God made everything good. In chapter 3, we learn about how our parents were deceived by the Devil, who spoke through a serpent. In between we have the record of God's desperate desire to get us back, to communicate His love and power to us. To let us know that help is on the way, and not to give up. We learn that God's rescue plan involved more than starting a website, appearing on tv shows, and hiring expensive lawyers. Our rescue cost the life of our Creator. Jesus Christ, who made all things, gave His life to save us.
For God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners: Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
God wants you to know this:
First of all, I understand. I'm not angry at you. Yes, the things you do make me angry because I can see the pain they inflict on you and others. But I understand why you do them. I don't hate you. I want to help you. There is hope in your future. I have good plans for your life. I want to make you happy. I want to teach you what true happiness is all about. I want to make you just like me. I want to teach you to trust me. Will you let me in?
God's plan to save you has already been accomplished. But now you must choose. Will you give up your selfishness and let Jesus show you what true unselfishness is all about? Will you let God make you into what you were meant to be? Will you be reconciled with God?
Song Title: "For I Know The Thoughts" from the CD: Sing To The Lord
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
A God I Can Worship
There's a lot of people pushing religion these days. But one thing that concerns me is that people are trying to get others to worship God for the wrong reasons. In the process I fear that God is coming across as a very self-centered being.
Why should we worship God? Here are some of the common reasons I hear:
Because He's Powerful
Because you'll go to hell if you don't
Because He created you
Because He'll make you happy
Before we can give this question a proper answer, we need to back up and ask a more foundational question: why did God create us? What is the purpose for our existence?
The common response I get is: God created us to worship Him.
So the picture I get from that is that God was feeling a little insecure. So he created little humans who could remind him of just how wonderful he is. And if they didn't really feel like it, well he would afflict them with all kinds of curses and then afterward torture them in hell for all eternity hahahahah! (maniacal laughter) Or he could obliterate them, whatever.
Now, people mean well, and they probably don't have this particular scenario in mind when they give those kinds of answers. But it still begs reflection. If God truly is loving, then He must have loving and unselfish reasons for creating us. It has to be more than just filling churches.
You can see how God's motive in creating us would affect our motives for worshiping Him. If all God is after is our worship, then He really doesn't care one way or another what motivates us to worship Him. It can be fear, hope of reward, or any combination of things. What matters is that we worship Him. If God has our happiness in mind. Than it would matter to Him that we worship Him from right motives.
Ok, so let's ask the first fundamental question: why did God create us?
Let's see what the Bible says:
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; Psalm 8:3-6
Here we read that God made us to take care of this planet He made. It also says that He crowned us with glory and honor. Indeed, if you look at the story of Genesis, you can see how this is so.
After each day of Creation, God said: it is good. The earth, as it was when God made it, was perfect. Everything was made to provide for our happiness. And God gave us this planet as our home and made us it's caretakers so that by caring for the animals and plants, we could learn about His joy that He gets from taking care of us.
The picture we get from Creation is that God made us for the joy of making us happy. Sort of like human parents get their joy from the joy of their children.
Why do we have children? Is it so we can feel better about ourselves? If that's the reason you had kids, has it worked? It sure hasn't for me. Having kids is a great joy, but life revolves around them, not me. Their happiness, not my own, is what counts in this relationship.
There's another event in history that sheds light on this topic. One of the most touching and well-known passages of the Bible says:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Here we get the exact opposite reaction that we would expect from a God who created us to satisfy his own vanity. When we turned from God's way, and brought death on ourselves as a result, God gave up His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.
So we get here this radical picture of God's love, that it is unselfish to the point of being self-destructive!
This tells us that GOD IS LOVE. Perfect, unselfish Love.
Which means that He created us for the joy of making us happy and showering us with His love.
So why should we worship God? Or a better question is, why does God request our worship?
The answer is that we need to worship Him.
Study after study has shown that gratitude makes people happier, more generous, and more successful in life. Gratitude towards God gives us the power to overcome our own selfishness and find true happiness and meaning in life.
On the flip side, without praising and worshiping God, life becomes all about us. We are never satisfied, we demand of others unfairly, we destroy relationships, we hurt others, and ourselves.
God wants us to worship Him, not from fear of punishment or selfish desire for reward, but because we recognize His love for us and our need of Him.
Song Title: Come to the Waters, from the CD: Sing to the Lord
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
Worshiping just any God won't do. We need to worship a God who is love, a God who genuinely cares about us, a God who wants to make us happy and is willing to give even His life to save us. I can think of only one God who meets that criteria. He is the true, unselfish God, for whom the heart of humanity has always longed for. Only the worship of an unselfish, personal God, can make us unselfish and bring peace in our hearts.
What about suffering? What about death? What about the fact that I feel so alone and can't see any evidence for this God of love? What about the apparent cruelty displayed in the Bible?
We'll get to that. But right now, I want to invite you to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Look at Jesus hanging on the cross for your sins and wonder at the fact that God cares about you that much. True answers begin with understanding this one crucial fact: God Is Love.
Why should we worship God? Here are some of the common reasons I hear:
Because He's Powerful
Because you'll go to hell if you don't
Because He created you
Because He'll make you happy
Before we can give this question a proper answer, we need to back up and ask a more foundational question: why did God create us? What is the purpose for our existence?
The common response I get is: God created us to worship Him.
So the picture I get from that is that God was feeling a little insecure. So he created little humans who could remind him of just how wonderful he is. And if they didn't really feel like it, well he would afflict them with all kinds of curses and then afterward torture them in hell for all eternity hahahahah! (maniacal laughter) Or he could obliterate them, whatever.
Now, people mean well, and they probably don't have this particular scenario in mind when they give those kinds of answers. But it still begs reflection. If God truly is loving, then He must have loving and unselfish reasons for creating us. It has to be more than just filling churches.
You can see how God's motive in creating us would affect our motives for worshiping Him. If all God is after is our worship, then He really doesn't care one way or another what motivates us to worship Him. It can be fear, hope of reward, or any combination of things. What matters is that we worship Him. If God has our happiness in mind. Than it would matter to Him that we worship Him from right motives.
Ok, so let's ask the first fundamental question: why did God create us?
Let's see what the Bible says:
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; Psalm 8:3-6
Here we read that God made us to take care of this planet He made. It also says that He crowned us with glory and honor. Indeed, if you look at the story of Genesis, you can see how this is so.
After each day of Creation, God said: it is good. The earth, as it was when God made it, was perfect. Everything was made to provide for our happiness. And God gave us this planet as our home and made us it's caretakers so that by caring for the animals and plants, we could learn about His joy that He gets from taking care of us.
The picture we get from Creation is that God made us for the joy of making us happy. Sort of like human parents get their joy from the joy of their children.
Why do we have children? Is it so we can feel better about ourselves? If that's the reason you had kids, has it worked? It sure hasn't for me. Having kids is a great joy, but life revolves around them, not me. Their happiness, not my own, is what counts in this relationship.
There's another event in history that sheds light on this topic. One of the most touching and well-known passages of the Bible says:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Here we get the exact opposite reaction that we would expect from a God who created us to satisfy his own vanity. When we turned from God's way, and brought death on ourselves as a result, God gave up His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.
So we get here this radical picture of God's love, that it is unselfish to the point of being self-destructive!
This tells us that GOD IS LOVE. Perfect, unselfish Love.
Which means that He created us for the joy of making us happy and showering us with His love.
So why should we worship God? Or a better question is, why does God request our worship?
The answer is that we need to worship Him.
Study after study has shown that gratitude makes people happier, more generous, and more successful in life. Gratitude towards God gives us the power to overcome our own selfishness and find true happiness and meaning in life.
On the flip side, without praising and worshiping God, life becomes all about us. We are never satisfied, we demand of others unfairly, we destroy relationships, we hurt others, and ourselves.
God wants us to worship Him, not from fear of punishment or selfish desire for reward, but because we recognize His love for us and our need of Him.
Song Title: Come to the Waters, from the CD: Sing to the Lord
Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs
Worshiping just any God won't do. We need to worship a God who is love, a God who genuinely cares about us, a God who wants to make us happy and is willing to give even His life to save us. I can think of only one God who meets that criteria. He is the true, unselfish God, for whom the heart of humanity has always longed for. Only the worship of an unselfish, personal God, can make us unselfish and bring peace in our hearts.
What about suffering? What about death? What about the fact that I feel so alone and can't see any evidence for this God of love? What about the apparent cruelty displayed in the Bible?
We'll get to that. But right now, I want to invite you to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Look at Jesus hanging on the cross for your sins and wonder at the fact that God cares about you that much. True answers begin with understanding this one crucial fact: God Is Love.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Selfish Balance
An Interesting News Story
Buying green could make you more likely to lie, cheat and steal: study
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Buying green may help save the planet, but a new study suggests it might also make you more prone to cheat, steal, and be selfish.
In a paper to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science, University of Toronto researchers Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong studied how students behaved after being given the option of purchasing environmentally friendly products, like organic yogourt or biodegradable laundry detergent, or conventional items.
They found students who chose green products were less likely to act altruistically afterwards than those who were simply exposed to green products.
The study, said Mazar, an assistant professor of marketing with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, builds on research into the idea of “moral regulation” — that people either consciously or unconsciously balance bad deeds with good ones.
“What has been shown so far is that when we engage in actions that give us some kind of moral, warm glow — let’s call it that — that afterwards we are more likely to transgress,” Mazar said.
What an interesting window into human nature. If we think about it, we are all guilty of this sort of behavior. We rationalize our selfishness through the unselfish deeds we have done. We don't usually do this on purpose. Usually we say things like, "I know this is wrong, but at least I'm not doing that...."
We like to balance our unselfishness with a little bit of selfishness. Celebrities are experts at this. They can't be faithful to their marriage, so they start a charity in Africa. Their music is demeaning to women, so they support a women's shelter. They act in raunchy films, so they endorse safe-sex education.
What about us, what do we justify through our good deeds? Cheating, lying, stealing, greed, vanity?
Human beings want to feel good about themselves, but we also love what is bad and selfish.
Paul said it this way:
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Romans 7:19
Selfishness is an extremely natural thing for us. We can't help it. We have these desires that we just can't seem to keep under control.
The sad thing is, selfishness works against our own happiness. From what I've observed in myself and others, I can conclude that selfishness tends towards misery, and unselfishness, towards happiness. Happiness comes from being unselfish.
The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever Isaiah 32:17
Selfishness makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. After all, survival of the fittest requires that I look out first and foremost for myself. But if evolution is true, where does this ideal of unselfishness come from?
Yes, I realize that altruistic behavior can have survival advantages, yet that is only the case when it is exercised within the boundaries of a genetically related group (wolf pack, ant colony, herd of geese, etc). Human beings however universally feel compassion for those outside of our own family, tribe, or even nation, or at least we know we should. Where does that come from? Where does the desire for genuine unselfishness come from, to the point where our happiness is inseparably linked to our ability to see ourselves as "good people"? One of the worst things you can ever say to most people is that they are morally deficient. Just try and call someone "selfish," see what response you get. We are extremely sensitive about our moral status
Let me suggest that it comes from an unselfish God. Maybe this is a new concept for you.
What if God is completely and utterly unselfish? What if His very existence is devoted to the happiness of His creation. One of my favorite promises states:
delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
God actually cares about the desires of my heart? He actually knows them? ABSOLUTELY
I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope: Jeremiah 29:11
I have come that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. John 10:10
God did not just say this? He proved it when He gave up His Son to die in our place. In doing this, God proved to us that His nature is unselfishness. GOD IS LOVE.
What this means is that God is not some theological obstacle to the fun you want to have. God is on your side. He wants you to be happy. He knows that selfishness will destroy you. But guess what, He doesn't condemn you. He understands!
He knows why you gave in to that temptation that you just can't forgive yourself for. He knows why you have such a short temper, why you act selfishly. He knows that you can't help it.
But here's the thing. He wants to teach you about His love for you, so that it can transform you.
My son (daughter), give me your heart and let your eyes observe to my ways, Proverbs 23:26
God's not out to get you. He's out to save you. He wants to save you from yourself. He doesn't hate sin because it's offensive to Him. He hates sin because it hurts you!!!
He has better things in mind for you, things that lead to happiness, fulfillment, and true meaning in life. He wants to be your personal friend and life coach.
It all starts by getting to know Him. And He has promised: You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13.
Buying green could make you more likely to lie, cheat and steal: study
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Buying green may help save the planet, but a new study suggests it might also make you more prone to cheat, steal, and be selfish.
In a paper to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science, University of Toronto researchers Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong studied how students behaved after being given the option of purchasing environmentally friendly products, like organic yogourt or biodegradable laundry detergent, or conventional items.
They found students who chose green products were less likely to act altruistically afterwards than those who were simply exposed to green products.
The study, said Mazar, an assistant professor of marketing with the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, builds on research into the idea of “moral regulation” — that people either consciously or unconsciously balance bad deeds with good ones.
“What has been shown so far is that when we engage in actions that give us some kind of moral, warm glow — let’s call it that — that afterwards we are more likely to transgress,” Mazar said.
What an interesting window into human nature. If we think about it, we are all guilty of this sort of behavior. We rationalize our selfishness through the unselfish deeds we have done. We don't usually do this on purpose. Usually we say things like, "I know this is wrong, but at least I'm not doing that...."
We like to balance our unselfishness with a little bit of selfishness. Celebrities are experts at this. They can't be faithful to their marriage, so they start a charity in Africa. Their music is demeaning to women, so they support a women's shelter. They act in raunchy films, so they endorse safe-sex education.
What about us, what do we justify through our good deeds? Cheating, lying, stealing, greed, vanity?
Human beings want to feel good about themselves, but we also love what is bad and selfish.
Paul said it this way:
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Romans 7:19
Selfishness is an extremely natural thing for us. We can't help it. We have these desires that we just can't seem to keep under control.
The sad thing is, selfishness works against our own happiness. From what I've observed in myself and others, I can conclude that selfishness tends towards misery, and unselfishness, towards happiness. Happiness comes from being unselfish.
The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever Isaiah 32:17
Selfishness makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. After all, survival of the fittest requires that I look out first and foremost for myself. But if evolution is true, where does this ideal of unselfishness come from?
Yes, I realize that altruistic behavior can have survival advantages, yet that is only the case when it is exercised within the boundaries of a genetically related group (wolf pack, ant colony, herd of geese, etc). Human beings however universally feel compassion for those outside of our own family, tribe, or even nation, or at least we know we should. Where does that come from? Where does the desire for genuine unselfishness come from, to the point where our happiness is inseparably linked to our ability to see ourselves as "good people"? One of the worst things you can ever say to most people is that they are morally deficient. Just try and call someone "selfish," see what response you get. We are extremely sensitive about our moral status
Let me suggest that it comes from an unselfish God. Maybe this is a new concept for you.
What if God is completely and utterly unselfish? What if His very existence is devoted to the happiness of His creation. One of my favorite promises states:
delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
God actually cares about the desires of my heart? He actually knows them? ABSOLUTELY
I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope: Jeremiah 29:11
I have come that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. John 10:10
God did not just say this? He proved it when He gave up His Son to die in our place. In doing this, God proved to us that His nature is unselfishness. GOD IS LOVE.
What this means is that God is not some theological obstacle to the fun you want to have. God is on your side. He wants you to be happy. He knows that selfishness will destroy you. But guess what, He doesn't condemn you. He understands!
He knows why you gave in to that temptation that you just can't forgive yourself for. He knows why you have such a short temper, why you act selfishly. He knows that you can't help it.
But here's the thing. He wants to teach you about His love for you, so that it can transform you.
My son (daughter), give me your heart and let your eyes observe to my ways, Proverbs 23:26
God's not out to get you. He's out to save you. He wants to save you from yourself. He doesn't hate sin because it's offensive to Him. He hates sin because it hurts you!!!
He has better things in mind for you, things that lead to happiness, fulfillment, and true meaning in life. He wants to be your personal friend and life coach.
It all starts by getting to know Him. And He has promised: You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13.
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