For me, the top ten things which are actually "good news:"
1. God will lead me where He wants me to be, like a gentle shepherd.
2. The grace of God covers me better than my auto, home and health insurance.
3. God talks back (He also heals, guides, directs, prophesies, loves, creates, reveals and saves).
4. God loves me, God cares about me, God accepts me, and God wants me.
5. There is unimaginable power behind saying "Jesus is Lord." God saves, fills, heals, and changes me through it.
6. My small, imperfect offering of worship, praise, prayer, and purpose is multiplied infinitely by God, to be a pleasing offering, holy and acceptable.
7. I am more than saved; I am fulfilled, completed and energized by Jesus Christ.
8. Others, who love Jesus first, can love me, minister to me, admonish me and encourage me. Together, we form the amazing body of Christ.
9. God is deeper, more awesome than I can understand or even conceive (because if I could grasp everything about Him, He wouldn't seem quite as great).
10. The Spirit is moving and working in our world today, as much today as He did in the first century (and all we have to do is ask for Him).
What's in your top ten?
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The (Bitter) Prodigal Older Brother
This an extension to my post on the older brother.
The older brother was mad because grace worked in favor of his prodigal brother. "Older brothers" of our time cynically look down upon those who are in need of grace. Cynical people have a 'contemptous disbelief in people's goodness.' They look down on others as being stupid, foolish, or dissillusioned. They interpret other's actions as intentionally hurtful.
When 'older brothers' see others enjoying the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, they feel threatened. They take it personally and will attack freedom at every opportunity. They will blow up if you insinuate they do not have the Spirit and will think you are judging them and condemning them even though you aren't. They intellectualize their positions and argue incessantly about moot points, proving that the way they see the world is correct (and, consequently, that others are incorrect). They are rarely genuinely happy.
'Older Brothers,' as a whole, can not be appeased. Look at their lives. They usually are in conflict with others (family, business associates and church folks) or have beaten everyone down so much no one will cross them. Cynical people find it hard to submit to leadership. They will argue openly with "nice leadership" and will covertly subvert strong leadership with gossip, whining, and complaining to anyone who will listen. Cynics usually clump together, like the last Cheerios in a bowl and carry out vigilante raids under the cover of darkness to create rifts.
No wonder the Prodigal dad liked the Prodigal Son better and embraced him when he came back home. I imagine he was sick of the bitter older son's whining and griping. At least the Prodigal son had the humility to come back and say he messed up. The older brother was "right" (for all that got him) but was incapable of celebrating because of his cynicism.
I will admit, I am a Prodigal. I enjoy sitting in the celebration under the favor of my Father and I am too busy enjoying the Father's love to notice who is and is not celebrating with me. At least I know the grace of God because I need it often. At least I am familiar with the Father's love and can bask in its warmth. 'Older brothers' can't say that.
Praise God for the Prodigals. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. The poor in spirit are the only ones who recognize the value of unmerited favor.
The older brother was mad because grace worked in favor of his prodigal brother. "Older brothers" of our time cynically look down upon those who are in need of grace. Cynical people have a 'contemptous disbelief in people's goodness.' They look down on others as being stupid, foolish, or dissillusioned. They interpret other's actions as intentionally hurtful.
When 'older brothers' see others enjoying the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, they feel threatened. They take it personally and will attack freedom at every opportunity. They will blow up if you insinuate they do not have the Spirit and will think you are judging them and condemning them even though you aren't. They intellectualize their positions and argue incessantly about moot points, proving that the way they see the world is correct (and, consequently, that others are incorrect). They are rarely genuinely happy.
'Older Brothers,' as a whole, can not be appeased. Look at their lives. They usually are in conflict with others (family, business associates and church folks) or have beaten everyone down so much no one will cross them. Cynical people find it hard to submit to leadership. They will argue openly with "nice leadership" and will covertly subvert strong leadership with gossip, whining, and complaining to anyone who will listen. Cynics usually clump together, like the last Cheerios in a bowl and carry out vigilante raids under the cover of darkness to create rifts.
No wonder the Prodigal dad liked the Prodigal Son better and embraced him when he came back home. I imagine he was sick of the bitter older son's whining and griping. At least the Prodigal son had the humility to come back and say he messed up. The older brother was "right" (for all that got him) but was incapable of celebrating because of his cynicism.
I will admit, I am a Prodigal. I enjoy sitting in the celebration under the favor of my Father and I am too busy enjoying the Father's love to notice who is and is not celebrating with me. At least I know the grace of God because I need it often. At least I am familiar with the Father's love and can bask in its warmth. 'Older brothers' can't say that.
Praise God for the Prodigals. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. The poor in spirit are the only ones who recognize the value of unmerited favor.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Older Brother
Near the end of the story of the Prodigal son, the older brother wouldn't join in the celebration of his younger brother's return. He doesn't party because he is angry, mad because the celebration is not for him. Mad because the younger brother came back and the father doted on him, restored his role as son (without the inheritance), and loved the younger, foolish son.
Even more interestingly, the older brother pulls out the guilt card. "Didn't I stay here and work my butt off? Didn't I do everything you wanted of me? I didn't waste your money! I didn't go off and screw around. I did over and above your wishes...and you never threw me a party...not even a special meal or a 'Isn't my son a good son' party. NOOOOO! I don't even get a happy meal. But here, this wasteful brat comes back, after making the farm nearly go bust when you paid him all that cash, and for three years I have had to go without because of him. And what thanks do I get...Nothing!"
The older brother worked for the father's approval and didn't feel he got it...or enough of it. When we try to work for the Father's approval, we don't get it because the nature of grace means we can't earn it. Approval is the basis of a 'works-based' philosophy. I earn it and IT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ME EQUIVALENT TO HOW HARD I WORK!!! These people are always hard, harsh and bitter because they are bound to the letter of the law. Do they get approval....not so much because their motives stink....they are self-centered and arrogant. Prideful, they have to get what they think they deserve...they have rights by golly. It stinks to be them because there is no grace for them because they cannot receive it...they think they have to earn it.
The younger son was accepted by the father, even though he didn't deserve it and didn't expect it. All he wanted was a warm meal and a place to sleep. No favor. And he got so much more!!! Humbly, he walks up a veeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy long road (don't you know don't know that was hard for him, rehearsing a very humiliating narrative in his head). He smelled like pig manure (don't you know that made him popular in the Jewish community) and had nothing..nothing! Grace is the only thing he had coming to him. No pride. No blaming. He messed up, there was no denying that. And with that, mercy was poured out, grace was multiplied. He got what the older son couldn't earn...his father's acceptance. Acceptance can only be given, not earned. Acceptance is there to be humbly received by the lesser with greater one giving it...anything less is empty.
And that is what the older son felt. Nothing was good enough. In his pride, he thought he could control how the father felt, but couldn't. Actually working for other's approval is a thinly disguised ploy to find significance and purpose for ourselves through the cudos of others. The older brother thought he could earn what could only be given...love, acceptance, favor. So he ended up with nothing.
Who is the older brother in our time? I believe it can be we who try to earn grace, those of us who think we can be theologically correcter (sp) than everyone else and if we can, then by golly, God will see how hard we....worked....then.....he will...hmmmmm. But whose approval are we going after... Our Father has already said we can't earn it on our own. We may want to think it is by our effort, that we can work as hard as we can and 'God will do the rest.' I have some disappointing news for you....that's not how God works. God is waiting at the top of the hill, waiting for a manure covered loser to humbly walk up the road....
Even more interestingly, the older brother pulls out the guilt card. "Didn't I stay here and work my butt off? Didn't I do everything you wanted of me? I didn't waste your money! I didn't go off and screw around. I did over and above your wishes...and you never threw me a party...not even a special meal or a 'Isn't my son a good son' party. NOOOOO! I don't even get a happy meal. But here, this wasteful brat comes back, after making the farm nearly go bust when you paid him all that cash, and for three years I have had to go without because of him. And what thanks do I get...Nothing!"
The older brother worked for the father's approval and didn't feel he got it...or enough of it. When we try to work for the Father's approval, we don't get it because the nature of grace means we can't earn it. Approval is the basis of a 'works-based' philosophy. I earn it and IT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ME EQUIVALENT TO HOW HARD I WORK!!! These people are always hard, harsh and bitter because they are bound to the letter of the law. Do they get approval....not so much because their motives stink....they are self-centered and arrogant. Prideful, they have to get what they think they deserve...they have rights by golly. It stinks to be them because there is no grace for them because they cannot receive it...they think they have to earn it.
The younger son was accepted by the father, even though he didn't deserve it and didn't expect it. All he wanted was a warm meal and a place to sleep. No favor. And he got so much more!!! Humbly, he walks up a veeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy long road (don't you know don't know that was hard for him, rehearsing a very humiliating narrative in his head). He smelled like pig manure (don't you know that made him popular in the Jewish community) and had nothing..nothing! Grace is the only thing he had coming to him. No pride. No blaming. He messed up, there was no denying that. And with that, mercy was poured out, grace was multiplied. He got what the older son couldn't earn...his father's acceptance. Acceptance can only be given, not earned. Acceptance is there to be humbly received by the lesser with greater one giving it...anything less is empty.
And that is what the older son felt. Nothing was good enough. In his pride, he thought he could control how the father felt, but couldn't. Actually working for other's approval is a thinly disguised ploy to find significance and purpose for ourselves through the cudos of others. The older brother thought he could earn what could only be given...love, acceptance, favor. So he ended up with nothing.
Who is the older brother in our time? I believe it can be we who try to earn grace, those of us who think we can be theologically correcter (sp) than everyone else and if we can, then by golly, God will see how hard we....worked....then.....he will...hmmmmm. But whose approval are we going after... Our Father has already said we can't earn it on our own. We may want to think it is by our effort, that we can work as hard as we can and 'God will do the rest.' I have some disappointing news for you....that's not how God works. God is waiting at the top of the hill, waiting for a manure covered loser to humbly walk up the road....
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