Getting Used to the Stink

   There are a few Febreze commercials going around that go something like: “you get used to the odors in your car. You think it smells fine, but your passengers smell this (it shows a dog, or something that stinks). You have gone nose blind. Use Febreze to take care of the odors you’ve gone nose blind to.” Of course, I am paraphrasing.

   Well, now there is a new item out called Scriptureze. It gets rid of the stink of sin. All you need to do is put a Bible on your shelf; and that will get rid of sin stink. A novel idea right?

   It doesn’t quite work that way. But, the sad fact is most people in America have gotten used to the stink of sin. It may not be a sin that the world says is really bad. It could be gossiping about a co-worker, lying to a friend, or cheating at a game. All of these are sins; and all of them are equal in God’s eyes. A murderer is no better than a gossiper. But, it seems like America has come up with these “respectable sins.” The sins that are okay because they are not as bad as this. And, that is not okay.

   Another aspect of this is that many people consider themselves Christians in America. According to ABC News, as of July 18, 83% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. But, a few of my questions for them would be: “do you go to church?” “Do you read the Bible?” “Do you let what you read change you?” “Do you apply the Bible to your life?” Are you growing in your relationship with God?” See, saying you are a Christian is easy. Most people coast through life saying “I am a Christian” because they go to church every week. But, there is a difference between religion and relationship.

   The religion part of this is having a Bible in your house, going to church, maybe helping people at church every once in a while, being a “good person,” and tithing. Doing all of this is good; but if this is all “Christians” are doing then they are missing the point. Christianity is all about the relationship with God. If there is no relationship then we are dead because of our sin.

   See that is the actual way to get rid of the stink of sin; and it is the only way. One must have a relationship with God; and believe that Jesus died on the cross for his sins. It is a sad truth that many people miss this point. They believe that being Christian is basically a country club type thing. You go to church, meet people who can help you out, and maybe you help them out once in a while. This is totally untrue; and it is our job as followers of Christ to help other Christians realize they need a relationship with God. It is more than just doing the legalistic things in order to get your ticket to heaven. It is all about the relationship.

   So are you going blind to the stink of sin in your life? Are you just doing the legalistic things you believe you are required to do? Do you have an actual relationship with Christ?

   Romans 3:23, Matthew 5:27-28, Romans 8:31-32

   (Febreze commercial example link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU3AXM1Q8m4

   (ABC News poll link) http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90356&page=1

A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 4

   Continued from "A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 3” (link here).

   You sit down after your hard work disassembling your last bridge. You are exhausted from trying to reach others; and building and breaking bridges. In the beginning of your mission you may not have let anything dissuade you; because you had such success reaching others. But, after your last two failures you are wondering if it is all worth it. Why should you get hurt for no reason?

You are feeling so defeated. Then you remember you haven’t prayed for a while. So you pray that God would help you through this difficult time.

   Suddenly you look up and see a man in white. He walks over to you. Out of habit you grab a stone because you don’t want to get hurt again. The man sits down. He is silent for a little and you wonder why he is here, and why he isn’t saying anything. He looks at your head and you remember it is still bleeding from getting hit by a stone. He brings out a bowl of water and a cloth. He dips the cloth in water and begins cleaning your wound. The water drips down your face; it feels cool and clean. You reach up to your head and realize your wound is healed.

   The man finishes cleaning your wounds. Then he asks you how your week has gone. Normally you would just say fine, since this man is a total stranger, but for some reason you feel like you know this man. So you tell him about the girl and the man. Then you tell him why you were trying to help them.

   He is quiet for a moment then says that it is good you are trying to minister to others; but it is not your job to fix all the problems in the world. The only one who can fix things that seem like problems is God. And that not everyone will be reached at the same time, in the same way, or by the same person. He says you won’t be able to reach everyone you talk to because they may not be ready or the Holy Spirit has yet to call them.

   You understand what he is saying but you ask him what you should do if someone does not want your help. Should you still minister to them? The man says that ministry can be done in many different ways. In fact, many times people just need a friend or someone to care for them. So, one of the best ways to minister to someone is to be there for them; and pray for them continually that she will come to Christ. And, maybe someday that person may come to Christ because of your prayers, friendship, or example.

   What the man says makes sense. But there’s one thing that you still have a question about. You ask him why your shield failed to protect you at one point. The man says it is because you took your eyes off him. Suddenly you realize this man is Jesus. You fall on your face knowing you are not worthy. He lifts you up and says your sins are forgiven. He then says that when you started out your relationship with him you had a lot of faith. But, when trials came you forgot to have faith. You focused too much on the rocks or problems of life rather than trusting that he had a plan for you.

   You feel so ashamed but you still have one burning question. You ask him why he never came to you before. He said he is always with you even if you don’t see him. He was with you when people threw rocks at you, when you built your wall, and when you began to build bridges to others. You may not see him physically but sometimes you may see him in small miracles, in people, or events. He is always with you.

   So, that concludes my “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges” saga. I purposefully did not tell you some answers or interpretations till now because sometimes life does feel hopeless.  I’m pretty sure you felt sorry or hopeless when you were reading about the girl who cuts herself. But, the good news is that no matter how hopeless life may seem we have a friend who is with us always: Jesus.

   So are you feeling defeated at all? What can you do to regain hope and faith? If you were the main character in this story what would you do after your meeting with Christ? Would you continue to minister to others or give up because it is too hard?

   Matthew 5:16, John 14:16-17, Ephesians 6:10

Love is Kind of a Funny Word

   There is an old DC Talk song that still moves me today. I remember hearing it when I was younger and I didn’t really think much of it. Today, I realize how important those lyrics are. The song is called Luv Is A Verb (Lyrics at the bottom). Today it seems like more and more people are just using the word “love” flippantly. In reality, love is so much more.

   “Love is a word that requires some action.” Love is kind of a funny word. Many people, when asked what the definition of love is they do not have an answer. Love is very difficult to define because you cannot see love. It is kind of a word like liberty, you can’t see that either. In order to tell if someone loves you, or something, there is action required. This means we need to do things in order to show our love for others.

   There are many different ways to show your love for others. But, Dr. Gary Chapman has found 5 specific ways that most people liked to be love. He calls these ways The 5 Love Languages (link to The 5 Love Languages quiz here). Here is a brief synopsis of each of the love languages:

      1. Words of Affirmation: this person loves it when she is verbally praised for something 

          she does.

      2. Acts of Service: kind of self-explanatory, but this person loves it when someone
          does things for him; or helps him with his work.

      3. Receiving Gifts: this person enjoys when someone gives her gifts. The gift does not 

          have to be expensive. It could be a card or something you saw that made you think
          of her.

      4. Quality Time: a person with this love language likes it when you just listen to him. I 

          mean really listen, without any distractions.

      5. Physical Touch: finally, people with this love language like it when you touch them. It 

          can be anything from holding hands to hugs.

   Some of these love languages may not be your forte. For example: I do not like physical touch; but I have a lot of friends with the love language of physical touch. I may not like that love language, but I know they do. So, I give them hugs even though it is a stretch for me. See, that’s what I think the definition of love is. It is respecting others; and sacrificing your time, money, self, and so on for that person because you love them that much.

   As I said before, love is a tough word to describe; but we are called to love others. Jesus showed his love for us by sacrificing himself on the cross so we could have quality time with him. While he was on earth, he showed his love to others; and I can see that he showed the love languages to his followers.

   The point is we may not be able to show love to others at all times; but God always loves us. He knows our needs and wants. He gives us what we need; and sometimes even things we want. He knows what is best for us. We just need to trust him and love him.

   So, do you know what your love language is? Are you showing love to others through your actions? Do you show your love and devotion to God?

   Mark 5:34, John 13:1-20, John 2:1-11, John 4:7-26, Matthew 8:1-4

   Luv Is A Verb lyrics

   The 5 LoveLanguages quiz

A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 3

   Continued from the blog post “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 2” (link here).

   You look out over the chasm that is before you. Part of you just wants to lie down and give up. After your failure with the last girl you wonder if telling others the truth is worth it at all. Then you remember how depressed you used to be; and you don’t want anyone to feel that way. So, you begin to build another bridge across the chasm.

   After hours of work, your bridge is finally complete. You sigh and hope this time goes better than the last time. You walk over and see a man dressed in a suit. He has charts, graphs, and money all around him. He is on his phone and seems to be in his own world. You go over and see he has a pile of rocks near him as well.

   A rock is thrown toward him. You quickly grab your shield and block the rock. The man just continues to talk on the phone. You expected him to at least look at you. You walk up to the man and he doesn’t even acknowledge you. While you are trying to get his attention another stone is thrown. You don’t see it coming and it hits the man. But, oddly enough, the stone just bounces off him. It doesn’t even make a bruise and the man continues to talk on the phone.

   You start to tell the man the truth but he doesn’t listen. So you decide maybe it would be easier for him to listen if he had fewer distractions. You begin to pick up his money. That gets the man’s attention. He hangs his phone up and stares at you angrily. You then start to tell him the truth. He bends down, picks up a rock, and throws it at you. You dodge it and he throws another one. You grab your shield and try to block it but for some reason the rock goes through the shield. He keeps throwing rocks at you until you run back to your bridge.

   Feeling defeated you begin to disassemble your bridge again. Your head is throbbing from getting hit by a rock; and you wonder why your shield failed you. As you are working on breaking your bridge you wonder if this is all worth it. Maybe you should just go back and build your wall again.

   So, this week’s edition of “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges” is a metaphor for people who like living in sin. The man in the story idolizes power, fame, and money. He doesn’t care that he’s living in sin. And, he won’t listen to anyone else unless it will bring him something he idolizes. These people aren’t looking for help at all, they are content. Why would they change how they are living if they are being blessed? Why do these people seem to have blessings if they are living in sin?

   Well, it is like what is said in the movie God’s Not Dead. These people are in prison but the door isn’t closed; because, Satan doesn’t want them to turn to God. Satan gives them all the things they desire; until one day it is too late and the door slams shut.

   In the story the man throws a rock at you when you try to minister to him. Would you give up on this man? Well, we are called to minister to these people as well. Some people will not be easy to minister to; but there may be a reason, or a better way, to minister to those people. Tune in next time to find out that reason.

   The man in the story hates you. He may even be an enemy of yours. But, you are called to love this man. God loved us when we were sinners; and that is what we must do.

   Finally, in the story the shield fails you. Why does the shield fail you? Once again, I’m going to say tune in next time to find out. Yeah, I’m being that annoying movie or book that says to be continued.

So are you ministering to people even when it’s hard? Do you give up on people or tasks when they are too hard? Do you have any idols that you need to get rid of?

   This story will be continued in “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 4.”

   Colossians 3:5, Matthew 5:44, Ephesians 6:10

A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 2

   Continuation from the blog post: “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges” (link here).

   You could feel the sweat trickle down your brow as you finally put the last stone in place. You had just completed the bridge you were working on. It looked like the others you had made plain, simple, and yet very sturdy. You didn’t mind that it didn’t look that pretty. You were just happy that it was complete. But, you work isn’t done yet. Even though you were tired you stood up to finish your work.

   You run over to someone else. She is crumpled in a ball covered in bruises. You’ve seen this before; in fact you used to be like this girl. You used to be scared, alone, and beaten. But then you got outside yourself and discovered the truth. And now you know you must share the truth no matter what. You have shared the truth with others; and the process of sharing was typically the same. You build a bridge, find a person who is hurting, block the stones as best you can, then share the truth with them. You have done this hundreds of times; and you don’t expect this time to be any different.

   A stone is thrown and you pull your shield of faith off your back to block it. Then you kneel down to help the girl. You look around her and see magazines with thin women, makeup everywhere, diet pills, and letters. The girl sits up and is covered in blood. This is worse than any other person you have seen before. She looks like a deer in the headlights; she is very pale and she looks shattered. Another rock is thrown and you use your body to block it this time because you did not have time to get your shield out again. You tell the girl she will be alright now. But you look at her; and see a stone in her hand. You think it is a little strange that she was just holding a stone.

   Another rock is thrown and you block it. The girl looks at you and pushes you out of the way. You fall to the ground. When you fall you see one letter that says things like “you are stupid,” “you aren’t pretty,” and “why don’t you just leave so we don’t have to look at your ugly face?” Another rock is thrown that would have gone wide of the girl but she jumps to the rock and gets hit. She crumples down and begins to cut herself with the rock. You stare in horror at what you are seeing. You run over to stop her but she pushes you away. You start to tell her the truth but she shakes her head, covers her ears, and screams.

   You back away because you have no idea what to do. Part of you wants to give up on her but the other part wants to stay and help. You try to talk to her again but she turns away from you again. So you turn toward your bridge and begin to disassemble it.

   This is a metaphor for life again. There will be times when we want to minister to someone but she will not want to hear it; or she will be more comfortable believing lies. This world is covered in sin. In this particular instance this girl finds her identity in the world. She tries so hard to be thin and pretty by the world’s standard. She believes the lies that the devil tells her that she isn’t beautiful unless she is skinny.

   In fact, she believes them so much that she begins to believe that life is not worth living. So, she welcomes the pain. She wants to feel pain so that she feels something. And she wants to end it all.

   These are the people we are ministering to today. Would you be willing to take time out to help this girl? Are you willing to step out with your shield of faith to help others even if you get hurt? Because, that is what we are called to do.

   What would you do in this situation? Would you give up on the girl? Do you have a problem with finding your identity in the world instead of in God?

   This story will be continued in “A Story about Stones, Walls, and Bridges 3.”

   1 John 3:1-3, Mark 16:15-16, Ephesians 6:10