When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus replied that we are to love God and love each other. I've heard sin described as anything that comes between us and God. To get a little more specific, anything that comes between us and obedience to God.
So now the holiday season is upon us. A time of reflection and joy. A time to come together with loved ones and a time to help those in need. It's the perfect time for those of us that have found the joy of new life in Christ to live out the greatest commandment.
When the sky turns gray and the temperature drops, peace on earth seems to be far from everyone's mind. Instead, the air is full of upturned noses smugly declaring "Jesus is the reason for the season". There are boycotts of stores and parades due to titles not being reverent enough. While I'm sure many religious leaders of Jesus' time would agree with these practices and whole-heartedly participate in them, I have to wonder if Jesus himself would. Is this the way He intended for us to behave when He instructed us to love people?
It seems that Paul went to great lengths to advise Christians on how to live and how to spread the good news. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of being respectful and loving of those outside the church. He instructed us to do whatever possible short of sin in order to fit in and to not offend. Paul knew that hate doesn't turn hearts. He knew that because he listened to Jesus. He also knew that through experience.
So when you are confronted with the inevitable "Happy Holidays" this season, don't respond with a snide "Merry CHRISTmas". Respond with love. Give a smile, a nod, and a best wishes for the season. If possible, engage in a friendly discussion. If the Holy Spirit chooses you to try and witness to the person, it's important to build a relationship based on trust and love, not on judgement and condemnation.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Daniel the sinner
I consider Daniel to be one of the most intriguing people in the Bible. Maybe it's because the lion's den story is one of the few that stuck with me from my youth. I didn't "get it" or even know the context of it, but it stuck with me. A believer that was thrown in to a room with a bunch of hungry lions because of his faith and the lions didn't eat him.
These days it is that I can't seem to find record of his sin or failures. Almost all the other old and new testament heroes from Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to Peter to Paul have at least one incident recorded in the Bible that is evidence of them "falling short" or "stumbling". Daniel is a Jew in exile during a time when God has turned from the Jews. Most of his "fellow believers" are living lives of total compromise, choosing to blend in with their captors rather then live an obedient life. On a number of occasions, Daniel makes the tough choice to remain uncompromising about his faith and actions even if it looks like it will cost him his life. If there were truly "righteous" men in the Bible, men who can earn their way into God's favor by their own fearless actions, Daniel would be near the top of that list.
Then I get to Daniel 9 and 10. Daniel is praying for a return from exile. He is praying for God's people. The way his prayers are worded, he repeatedly says "we have sinned and done wrong." He appeals to God not on account of his own righteousness, faithfulness, or accomplishments, but appeals to God's mercy and forgiveness while lumping himself in with all the others that have turned from God and earned this exile.
If I put myself in Daniel's shoes, I'd likely try to separate myself from the others around me...I'd still pray for them... but from a distance. I would also remind God of all the times I had been faithful. My prayer would be more like "God, it's me Daniel. You remember me, the one that you saved from the lion's den because I refused to put any other God before you. I'm the one you blessed with health and fitness because I refused to compromise my purity. God, I'm coming to you pure and devoted on behalf of my brothers, your people, who are wicked and have sinned. I'm coming to you on their behalf to plead for mercy and a return from exile..." You get the picture. I've earned some favor in His eyes, right? That way maybe God would at least recognize that I'm not like "those people" and might still deliver me from captivity while everyone remains enslaved. Like maybe the all knowing forgot that I was a captive. That sounds kind of like the prayer of the Pharisee in the new testament when he says "God, I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there..." Ouch.
But Daniel doesn't do that. He knows better. He knows that God is Holy, He is set apart. Daniel knows that no matter how hard we try and what we accomplish, we ALL are sinners compared to God. No human under his own strength can compare to God's perfection and beauty. As someone who had numerous glimpses into the invisible world of God through visions and visitations, Daniel would have a unique understanding of this. Even when angels tell him "you are highly esteemed" (9:23) Daniel considers himself unclean and unworthy. It's not because he hates himself and it isn't false humility. On the contrary, it's because he understands Holiness, he understands how far even the best examples of mankind are below the heavenly realm.
Daniel makes me question myself. I often talk to God as if He's "merely" a friend. I know there is scripture to support the fact that we can talk to God this way, but I think it's important to remember He is so much more than that. That we are so much less than worthy to be His friend. The fact that He allows that kind of relationship is another testament to His grace and His love. To equate a relationship with Him to a trusted high school buddy is to minimize His holiness, majesty, might, and omnipotence. As nice as it is to talk to God as I would a human friend, it is the times I approach with humility and reverence that I actually feel the closest to Him. It's when I approach Him in a way that more fully acknowledges who He is instead of how I would like Him to be that things get deep and that the earth moves.
Daniel got it. Do I?
These days it is that I can't seem to find record of his sin or failures. Almost all the other old and new testament heroes from Adam to Abraham to Moses to David to Peter to Paul have at least one incident recorded in the Bible that is evidence of them "falling short" or "stumbling". Daniel is a Jew in exile during a time when God has turned from the Jews. Most of his "fellow believers" are living lives of total compromise, choosing to blend in with their captors rather then live an obedient life. On a number of occasions, Daniel makes the tough choice to remain uncompromising about his faith and actions even if it looks like it will cost him his life. If there were truly "righteous" men in the Bible, men who can earn their way into God's favor by their own fearless actions, Daniel would be near the top of that list.
Then I get to Daniel 9 and 10. Daniel is praying for a return from exile. He is praying for God's people. The way his prayers are worded, he repeatedly says "we have sinned and done wrong." He appeals to God not on account of his own righteousness, faithfulness, or accomplishments, but appeals to God's mercy and forgiveness while lumping himself in with all the others that have turned from God and earned this exile.
If I put myself in Daniel's shoes, I'd likely try to separate myself from the others around me...I'd still pray for them... but from a distance. I would also remind God of all the times I had been faithful. My prayer would be more like "God, it's me Daniel. You remember me, the one that you saved from the lion's den because I refused to put any other God before you. I'm the one you blessed with health and fitness because I refused to compromise my purity. God, I'm coming to you pure and devoted on behalf of my brothers, your people, who are wicked and have sinned. I'm coming to you on their behalf to plead for mercy and a return from exile..." You get the picture. I've earned some favor in His eyes, right? That way maybe God would at least recognize that I'm not like "those people" and might still deliver me from captivity while everyone remains enslaved. Like maybe the all knowing forgot that I was a captive. That sounds kind of like the prayer of the Pharisee in the new testament when he says "God, I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there..." Ouch.
But Daniel doesn't do that. He knows better. He knows that God is Holy, He is set apart. Daniel knows that no matter how hard we try and what we accomplish, we ALL are sinners compared to God. No human under his own strength can compare to God's perfection and beauty. As someone who had numerous glimpses into the invisible world of God through visions and visitations, Daniel would have a unique understanding of this. Even when angels tell him "you are highly esteemed" (9:23) Daniel considers himself unclean and unworthy. It's not because he hates himself and it isn't false humility. On the contrary, it's because he understands Holiness, he understands how far even the best examples of mankind are below the heavenly realm.
Daniel makes me question myself. I often talk to God as if He's "merely" a friend. I know there is scripture to support the fact that we can talk to God this way, but I think it's important to remember He is so much more than that. That we are so much less than worthy to be His friend. The fact that He allows that kind of relationship is another testament to His grace and His love. To equate a relationship with Him to a trusted high school buddy is to minimize His holiness, majesty, might, and omnipotence. As nice as it is to talk to God as I would a human friend, it is the times I approach with humility and reverence that I actually feel the closest to Him. It's when I approach Him in a way that more fully acknowledges who He is instead of how I would like Him to be that things get deep and that the earth moves.
Daniel got it. Do I?
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