Expendable

At church last week, the guest pastor said "We are expendable."

I understand what he meant, but I still don't like it.

If we don't do what God has called us to do, He can get someone else to do it. He doesn't need us, not really. He is God all by Himself. We are expendable.

I don't like that way of thinking. Sure, it's true that if you don't listen to God then He could get someone else to do what you're supposed to, but I've read the book of Jonah, and I know that our God is a God of second-chances.

He may shake up our lives with storms, and put us into really uncomfortable situations, but He will get our attention. We are His children and He wants our obedience. For those who are called, and not just called but chosen for the Kingdom of God, I don't believe we are expendable.

He knows the very number of our hairs. I can't think of anyone I love enough to count the hairs on their head. But He loves us that much. And because He loves those whom He has called, I don't believe we are expendable.

Just my thought for today.
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"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29-31).

"For many are invited, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

Uncommon Sense

"Common sense ain't near as common as it used to be," sings Darryl Worley in his song Keep the Change.

I have often mourned the loss of humanity's common sense.

Example: A person (not me) goes out on the 4th of July, gets deliberately drunk, goes through a sign that says "Road closed," and sets off fireworks in the middle of a National Forest.  A national forest. 

True story. It happened.

But it's not really common sense that we're lacking is it? It's wisdom. We no longer have the kind of wisdom that comes from The Divine. When we, as a society, turn from God, all the wisdom, the discernment, and the things that should be apparent to everyone aren't anymore.

Notice that it's called a sense. Wisdom is meant to be a sense. We can touch, taste, see, and hear, but we can also discern if we have wisdom. With God, we can have wisdom, and if we seek Him daily it can become as helpful to us as one of the other senses we trust so readily.

So really, it's not the common sense that we're lacking because wisdom is anything but common.
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"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1:5)

Temper, Temper!

I'm easily annoyed, though less easily now than when I was a teenager. Still, sometimes I do get annoyed. I'm more a passive-aggressive type though (which could be worse).

Still, my temper is much better. It could still use some work though. So, in an effort to learn more, I wanted to post some Bible verses that deal with anger.

However, I have started following this blog, and she has a fantastic post about dealing with anger. So, instead of posting all of the verses, I'm just going to encourage you all to read her post (watch her video too if you want), check out some of her other posts, and follow her too.

Two verses I do want to leave you with are:
Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
James 1:19-20 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

How do you manage your anger and walk away when you're about to lose your temper?

We Need a RIOT

This is, so far, my favorite Carman song. RIOT = Righteous Invasion of Truth. And boy, do we need one. We need the righteous truth to invade our society and break the shackles that bind so many people, to open our eyes to the wonder and glory of God.

I hope you enjoy the song.

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"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6).

Well, Rush Me to the Burn Unit

"Have you been called to go out on a limb for God? You can bet it won't be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy. Ask Joseph. Or, better yet, ask Jesus. He knows better than anyone the cost of hanging on a tree" (Max Lucado, In the Manger).

OUCH!!!!!!!

That one hurt.

Sometimes I don't want to go out on the limb for God because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the same things over and over again. So I complain. About the same things. Over and over again.

But why should I complain or refuse to do something God has asked me to do when it's nothing like what He asked Jesus to do? Jesus, who knows exactly what it costs to go out on a limb for God.

Ouch.

So, what do I have to complain about when God doesn't ask me to do anything He hasn't already done Himself?
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Remember, even Jesus cried out to God, but He still did what God asked of Him.

"And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?')" (Mark 15:34).

Dare to Serve

So, I watched Regency House Party - a documentary/reality show where people live, dress, and behave as though they were in the Regency era - and I noticed a theme that is common in these types of reality shows. People often have a hard time showing respect to those portraying someone of a higher class, especially in the beginning. We're not used to that in our modern day society.

So, I wondered, what's the big deal? You signed up for this experience. You've only been there a day and already you want to quit? Why? It's pride. Their pride gets the better of them, and they act disrespectfully in an effort to keep from losing "who they are."

I mean, I get that serving an upper class, and behaving demurely in that type of situation just rubs a lot of people wrong. The whole class system can still be a bit of a sore subject. Sometimes it is for me too. I don't like the idea of serving someone else or having my own opinion trampled on by someone else.

But then, I thought, isn't that what Jesus did? He's Lord of all, King of kings, and He came to serve, not to be served.

So, what if, in any situation - not just something like a class/hierarchy-based reality show - we chose to serve as Jesus served, not giving up our opinions or being afraid of rubbing someone the wrong way, but didn't deliberately pick fights, weren't deliberately disrespectful, and tried even harder to keep our pride from opening our mouth and letting out anger?

What if we dared to serve as He did, lowering himself from Heaven to Earth, becoming human in the humblest way possible, in order to sacrifice himself for all of us?

What if we sacrificed even for those who hate us, who rub us the wrong way, who make our pride rear up and try to take a swing? What if we dared to serve, especially when we feel like we're "too good for that," recognizing that we really did come from humble, lowly beginnings, and just because we have been elevated into The King's courts, doesn't mean we get to be snobbish?

What if, instead of wondering "How dare they?" we ask "How dare we?"

How dare we not serve as He served?
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Jesus said "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Bridging the Gap

"It is man who creates the distance. It is Jesus who builds the bridge" (Max Lucado, In the Manger).

These words really struck a chord within me when I read them. We often feel unworthy, especially when we recall our sins, and the things we have done in the past. We can't possibly understand sometimes how such a wonderful, divine God could want anything to do with us. And so the distance is created.

But God doesn't want distance between us and Him. It's why He sent Jesus to be our Savior. So Jesus could bridge the gap, and we would all have the chance to be close to God.

We have to stop thinking of ourselves as unworthy, and recognize ourselves as God's children. Just as we long to be close to Him, He longs to be close to us. So, we have to be willing to let Jesus bridge the gap so that we can always be close to our Heavenly Father.

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"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded" (James 4:8).

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:10).

A Horrific Post

I don't watch horror movies often. I won't go near most of the modern ones.

However, I admit that I do enjoy Hitchcock films, and Stephen King's books and movies from time to time. Sometimes I like to watch creature features, especially ones where humans have tried to "play God," and cannot control their creation and it backfires horribly (Jurassic Park, Frankenstein). I enjoy older "horror" films the most because they usually just make me laugh. Sometimes I like to watch a film that makes me jump. I'm not sure why. Maybe that's a thought for another post.

So, lately I've been volunteering at my local library. One of the jobs I do is cleaning the library materials - books, DVDs, etc. While cleaning the DVDs and Blu-Rays, I come into close contact with horror movies. A couple of quotes/advertisements from two movies (I don't remember the names) caught my attention, and I wanted to talk about that today.

"Sticks in your mind."

This movie was a horror film. It was one with a possessed doll (Not Chuckie) that's gonna haunt your house and try to kill your children. Why would we want to watch that? I mean, if it's a super creepy movie about demons and possession, why would we want that bad stuff to be stuck in our minds?

"Scarier than Hell."

First of all, I seriously doubt that. Seriously. Think about this sentence for a moment. Really think about it. Second, if a movie is scarier than the fiery pit where lost souls are forever cut off from God, why do people want to watch it?

I guess I just don't understand the appeal. I admit to liking movies that make me jump a little. Then again, The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy made me jump, and it's a Disney comedy, so...it doesn't take a lot, which might be one reason I can't watch super scary movies, and prefer the older, tamer ones.

Personally, though, I don't want to watch scary movies about demons or possessed people or dolls. Especially not if it's "Scarier than Hell," or if it's going to "Stick in my mind." I don't want that stuff in my brain. There's enough stuff going on in the world that terrifies me.

Just my thought for today. Leave a comment if you have some thoughts on any of this. 
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"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).