As many of you know, I work in retail sales with the general public - mobile communications to be exact. This has afforded me many opportunities to meet a “variety” of people. These are people of different ethnicities, social classes, and personalities.
Some personalities are extremely frustrating and difficult to work with, especially those that are plagued with what I call the “entitlement syndrome.” It’s the assumption that we are entitled to something; in some way we’ve been wronged and are due compensation. Some people are very expressive, and let me know in a number of choice words what and why they are entitled to something.
I shouldn’t be surprised that I face this entitlement syndrome with regularity. According to Consumer Reports Jan. ‘06 edition, “Cell [phone] carriers ranked below services such as hotels, supermarkets, digital cable TV, and even HMOs in terms of how well they please the consumer.” More importantly, I shouldn’t be surprised because I know the selfish, sinful nature of human beings.
It may surprise you when I say this not a post to harp on the “entitlement” attitude of American culture. Actually, it’s an exhortation to self-examination and evangelism. My greatest temptation is to become cynical and self-righteous. I find myself condemning others simply because of their ignorance. I look upon them with contempt because of their disrespect, and I easily notice the “speck” in the corner of their eye.
But what’s most disheartening is the way my heart becomes indifferent to theirs and others lost estate. My sin, self-righteousness, and the “log” protruding from my eye have blinded me to their need of a Savior. My indifference towards those who are rude and disrespectful makes me less apt to be alert and diligent in evangelism.
A faithful brother and co-worker, however, encouraged me with this thought: We as Christians must often be reminded that we are not without sin. It’s easy to notice the sin of others (How often do you point out your spouse’s sin?) and not our sin against God. Self-rightousness will snuff out a desire for evangelism but humility and confession before God fuels it.
Home groups are starting up at Third Avenue, another opportunity for us to invest in one another’s lives, to be deliberate about having spiritual discussions with each other, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. My group has agreed to read through Graeme Goldsworthy’s Prayer and the Knowledge of God. Here he argues that we may struggle with prayer not simply because we are lazy but because we may not actually understand prayer like we should. In the following quotation, he reminds us why we can have confidence we are not praying “to thin air or to the ceiling”:
The intercession of Christ is the perpetual guarantee that we do not speak to thin air or the ceiling when we pray through him. We have access to the Father through him who is the true image of God. Both Paul and the author of Hebrews assure us that there can be no ceiling to stop our prayers since we are accounted as being with Christ in the very presence of the Father (35).
I look forward to good discussions with the members of my home group out this book and about our lives. What an honor it is to follow Christ with others. If you are leading a group, what are your plans and why?
Brad has asked us about stories, and I have to confess that I don’t often read fiction on my own. The reasons for that are a story for another time. I have been reading a couple classic stories to the kids before bedtime so thankfully I have something to share.
In January the older kids and I read the Hobbit. While eldest son can read on his own, I wanted us to experience the book together. Eldest son and only daughter loved the book more than I ever would have imagined, especially the songs.
Over the last couple weeks, we moved on to The Pilgrim’s Progress: A Retelling. I loved this edition for children so much that I bought a copy before I was even married. The illustrations are magnificent –Evangelist for example is a Southern gentleman in a white suit. At first, eldest son was skeptical that it would not be as exciting as Tolkien, but it only took a few pages for him to understand the thrill of fighting Apollyon, flying arrows, etc. They were both clearly sad at the unexpected death of Faithful, and I think partially understanding of the final destination for Christian and Hopeful. D.V. we shall meet Bunyan and all the faithful on that beautiful shore, and we will all have stories to tell.
Marriage should not be entered into lightly for one vows to ”love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health…as long as you both shall live.” This morning on NPR’s StoryCorp, Jethro and Shasti Soudant told how this vow became a reality in Shasti’s battle with Hodgkin’s disease.
She recalled a day during her chemotherapy when she began vomiting and loosing all control of her bowels. Yet, she said that was the “happiest and worst day” in her life. How? It’s obvious why it was her worst. But it was her happiest because at that moment her husband looked her in the face and expressed nothing but love and commitment - the same love and commitment he showed on their wedding day.
Such faithfulness to love and cherish is not something mustered up in the face of tribulation. Hardships will expose our pride and selfishness. Selfless commitment is fostered on a daily basis by humbling ourselves before our spouse. I know my own inadequacies, and will be the first to confess this isn’t easy. So whether our marriages are young or seasoned, let us make a daily practice of being humble before God and our spouse. TABC, pray for godly marriages in our church!
Sean Lucas, in his critical study of Southern Presbyterian and churchman Robert Lewis Dabney, ended with these encouraging words about the Lord’s Day:
[T]he Christian’s highest priority is what he or she does on the Lord’s Day in the worship of the church. That is where redemption ultimately happens in Word and sacrament; that is where Christ rules as King; and that is where the Christian pilgrim can find a foretaste of rest from all the jazz and noise and excitement of this weary world. In the eyes of the world, it may not be much. But to the Christian, that is the house of God and that the gate of heaven (245).
I know it’s only Monday, but it makes me look forward to gathering together with the body of Christ.
I don’t know if Louisville is in the same boat, but we’re under about 8 inches of snow here in DC. It’s really beautiful, but you can just imagine the problems it’s causing around here. It’s funny–we human beings can shoot a man to the moon, split the atom, build cars, put 6000 CDs in a little plastic gadget the size of an Altoids box. But drop a few inches of frozen water on us, and we’re HELPLESS!
A forced dose of beauty and humility. That’s a nice gift the Lord has given us this morning.
I like the conversation, brothers, so don’t consider this an interruption. This was something I was reading last night before I went to bed .
“It’s simply not enough to start well. You have to finish well.” This is what Greg reminded us from Heb. 3-4 this past Sunday. We’re now halfway through the week, and I want to exhort you to that end. It is a false notion to believe that repentance is a one-time occurrence. Repentance is a key characteristic of one who calls him/herself a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8.12-13).
One of the three things that you’ll always find in my Bible is a pamphlet called The Unrepenting Repenter by Jim Elliff (Christian Communicators Worldwide, 1994). If you don’t have a copy, I highly recommend going by the church office to get one. Elliff says, “Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God, and inward turning from sin to God, which is known by its fruit - obedience (Mt. 3.8; Acts 26.20; Lk. 13.5-9).” But in contrast, “The religious man often deceives himself in his repentance…The deceived repenter would be a worse sinner if he could, but society holds him back.” Notice he didn’t say he would be worse if it weren’t for the gospel or the Bible. It’s simply the fear of man conforming him to the institutes of society.
Here are five of twelve substitutes for true repentance from the pamphlet:
You may reform in the actions without repenting in the heart. (Ps. 51.16-17; Joel 2.13)
You may experience the emotion of repentance without the effect of it. (James 1.23-24)
You may repent so generally that you never repent of any specific sin at all. (Prov. 28.13)
You may repent for the love of friends and religious leaders and not repent for the love of God (Is. 1.10-17)
You may repent primarily for temporal gains rather than the glory of God. (Mt. 16.24-26)
These are sobering statements because we could easily claim them as our own. I pray that your repentance would be genuine and specific. Let faith accompany your repentance as you seek to finish well!
