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Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Tuesday, 15 June 2004

  • 06/15/04
    "Thoughts."
     
    I just had some small thoughts on the 2 Year Bible readings for June 13.
     
    Luke 5:30-32
    "Why do you [Jesus] eat and drink with such scum?"  Jesus answered them, 'Healthy people don't need a doctor -- sick people do.  I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough.'"
     
    Because I work in a hospital setting, I appreciated the medical metaphor.  It is interesting how this passage is worded though.  It reads, "Healthy people don't need a doctor" NOT "People who are not sick don't need a doctor."  There is a distinction between healthy and not sick.  There is a spectrum of wellness.  Sick is at one of the spectrum, not sick is in the middle, and healthy is at the other end of the spectrum.  An example would be a diabetic or anyone who has a chronic disease.  Their illness is being treated, so they are not sick.  But since they have a chronic illness they would not be considered healthy.  Another example would be an obese person.  At this point in time they might not be sick -- no cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or joint problems -- but they have a risk factor that leads to all three and are not healthy.
     
    Given that we are all technically sinners, what is Jesus trying to say?  On the surface I understand what He is trying to get at.  Jesus was eating with a tax collector, who many people despised.  I think it would be like Jesus eating with convicts, prostitutes, or wealthy business owners of today's age.  He is answering the question he was asked, by telling the people that he came to help those who are the worst offenders of sin.
     
    Romans tells us that the wage of all sin is death though.  All sin is despicable in God's eye -- major sins as well as minor sin.  I have not killed anyone, coerced a woman to have an abortion, or stolen from anyone -- no major sins -- yet I still I have done plenty of minor sins.  Did Jesus not come to save me?  Jesus is trying to make a point, but I do not get it.  Who is Jesus saying does not need Him?  By saying that "Healthy people don't need a doctor", He is hinting that there are "healthy" people amongst us.  Can a person be healthy, yet still a sinner?
     
    Am I bothering a great doctor by complaining about my minor cold when there is someone else in cardiac arrest?  Why did Jesus not instead say that He came to save the entire world?
     
    Proverbs 17:5
    "Those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished."
     
    An interesting passage, I think, that struck me.  In today's world we feed on other people's misfortune.  Ten years ago we sat glued to the television listening to the OJ trial.  Now we like to hear any new bits of news on what is happening to Enron executives, Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jackson.  On television there just used to be Entertainment Tonight.  These shows that spread gossip are proliferating.  Now there is Inside Edition, Extra, Celebrity Justice, etc.
     
    The key word in the passage is "rejoice."  Is curiosity rejoicing?  To feel a person who has stolen from their company or sexually abused another person is getting their "just desserts", is that rejoicing?  Or am I splitting rhetorical hairs here and missing the spirit of the passage?  Certainly rejoicing cannot mean simply throwing a party.  Do we not smile when we hear a "guilty" verdict to these celebrity trials?  Are we not celebrating in our hearts when we smile then?  Is this not rejoicing?
     
    I will end my reflections today on a happier note.  Their is something to rejoice about in the legal realm.  "One nation under God" in our pledge of allegiance has been upheld by the Supreme Court on a technicality.  The man who brought the case to trial does not have full custody of his daughter -- the one he is representing as being forced to say the pledge in class -- and the court said he does not have the legal right to bring it to trial.  So "under God" is safe for the time being.

Saturday, 05 June 2004

  • 06/05/04
    "Stand for what you believe."
     
    What struck me most about June fifth's Bible reading was the Gospel of Luke.  "John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for many other wrongs he had done" (Luke 3:19).  John the Baptizer stood for what he believed in.  From the way the Bible makes it seem, there were few who would openly criticize Herod.  The people were scared of the consequences -- imprisonment and even death.  How many times do we find ourselves in the situation to speak up, but do not because we are afraid of lesser consequences -- hurting another person's feelings or being labeled a "trouble maker."
     
    A situation that parallels this is President Bush and the War in Iraq.  There was a time after 911 that President Bush basically could do as he wanted under the banner of freedom.  Those who dissented were called un-patriotic and dragged through the political mud.  Shockingly, what bothers me most is not that these people who spoke up were unjustly punished.  Those who speak up generally know that there will be consequences for their actions, but they are more worried about principle and doing what they feel is right.  What bothers me are the response of the people around them.  The people around them just sit quietly watching, not wanting to be dragged into the controversy.
     
    I have friends who are "political."  They would probably say that those politicians who spoke up and found themselves in political turmoil as a result just did it wrong.  They would like to justify not speaking up.  That there is a time and a place to speak up.  Well, I tell you brothers and sisters that the time and opportunity to speak up is whenever there is a wrong that needs to be righted.  Speak up to your friend who goes to the bar ever weekend and gets hammered or any other friend who has a vice that leads them into sin.  Speak up to your school or work if you see policies that serve the wrong end.  Speak up to your politicians by getting involved in this year's Presidential election and voting.  More importantly, stand by those who are speaking up.  Rise up and add your voice to theirs -- turning a solitary cry for change into a chorus.
     
    Pilate was another person who sought to do what was right.  "But Pilate answered, 'You take him and crucify him.  As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him" (John 19:6).  I have always found Pilate to be an interesting character of the Bible.  He saw truth and recognized truth (to a point), yet he was a political man.  He tried to do what was right, trying to provide multiple avenues by which to avoid sentencing Jesus to the death penalty.  He flatly tells the crowd that Jesus is an innocent man.  That had to take some serious guts to tell an angry crowd something that they did not want to hear.  But Pilot buckles under the political burden when the crowd continually chants to "Crucify him!  Crucify him!"  What would you shout if asked the question, "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:22).  Will you  join in with what is popular and the crowd is yelling?  Will you passively be silent and allow Jesus to be handed over?  Because as Christians, every time we witness a wrong that should be righted we are asked that question.

Thursday, 03 June 2004

  • 06/03/04
    "Returns."
     
    I feel spiritually empty.  For the last three months I have dedicated my life to getting through the last semester of nursing school.  It required a lot of time and focus.  Nursing became all I did.  I remember telling one of my friends, "I feel as though I have sold my soul to the nursing program."  I know during those three months that God did not abandon me.  I would not have made it through the semester without his help.  He was right there next to my side the whole time.  Even when I did not have time for Him, He stuck right by me.  He is a good friend.  But it is the summer time now, a prime time to find spiritual renewal.
     
    The Bible reading for June 04 --
    Proverbs 16:20 says, "Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be happy."  So what are these instructions?  Some people call the Bible merely a history book.  But others call the Bible an instruction manual on how to live life.  Taking the latter opinion, the readings for today from the Gospel of Luke record the teachings of John the Baptizer.  John says, "Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God" (Luke 3:8).  Our lives are, therefore, to be an example.  God does not want us only giving lip service to Him.
     
    Back when John lived, there was no Bible.  We are fortunate to live at a time when the teachings of the Bible are so accessible.  But I think that some people can make the Bible the be all and the end all of their spiritual life.  If John was living today, I think that he would say READ the Bible but also LIVE the Bible.  Take those insights you gain from those Bible studies, those small pockets of Christian community, and bring it out to the masses.
     
    The crowd that listened to John had an interesting response.  They asked, "What should we do?" (Luke 3:10).  Would that not be the same question that you or I would have for John?  Make your teaching more concrete for me John.  How can I show that my life is turned toward God?  John gives a really simple, plain, and beautifully elegant answer.  He basically tells them each to be themselves.  He does not tell the tax collector to go change his life inside out.  He tells the tax collector to simply be honest.
     
    That has led me to reflect on my life.  Am I being honest with my life?  The truth at the moment is no.  God has given me time to use and I have squandered it.  Life at the moment for me is difficult.  There is a lot of change happening around me.  I have a big problem with my University, concerning graduation, that I am trying to resolve.  I am moving back into my parent's house.  My parent's are renovating the entire first floor.  The floor was literally torn out to the bottom floor boards.  And the most direct road leading to my house is closed for construction until late August.  With all this change, it takes a lot more time and energy to accomplish anything.  Instead of joyfully taking up my cross, I complain and procrastinate in protest for the situation I have found myself in.  By doing this my life is imploding in upon itself.  I am growing much more selfish.  I need to start doing what I am called to accomplish by the Lord.
     
    Be honest with yourself today.

Sunday, 07 December 2003

  • 12/07/03
    December 07.
     
    Jerusalem, the holy city, is described as "the city of violence and crime" (Zephaniah 3:1).  It seems the city has become very corrupt.  Even the prophets have been affected or infected.  It is interesting, though, "the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong" (Zephaniah 3:5).  In the past, the Lord was the first to leave a corrupt city (i.e. -- Sodom and Gomorrah).  He had left cities to their own vices and simply destroyed them.  But here He remains and even chooses that city in which to reside.  There is another significant difference.  There are actually a number of holy people left in the city.  There were people who chose to be oppressed and persecuted rather than abandon their God.  The Lord protects them -- "And I will deal severely with  all who have oppressed you" (Zephaniah 3:19).  This story should serve as inspiration for those who lead holy lives but may be considered counter-cultural by society.
     
    Our truth is not the same as God's TRUTH.  Truth can be defined on Earth as something that is agreed upon by a majority of people.  So man defines truth -- making right and wrong or morality subjective.  But TRUTH as defined by Heavenly standards is something that is inherently true.  When God defines truth, morality is objective.  Human nature has us seek justification.  As this passage illustrates, though, just because a lot of people justify an action or a way of life, this does not make it right.  And conversely, just because a lot of people refuse to justify an action or way of life, this does not make it wrong.  In fact, what the people considered right was actually wrong and what the people considered wrong was actually right.
     
    Father Mark told me that I should listen to my friends.  If a lot of my friends are telling me something then he argued that logically this increases the probability that I am missing something and should re-evaluate my stand.  But I do not believe that faith and the messages we receive by God are able to be dictated by public opinion polls.  Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi or Jesus had allowed what they believed to be swayed by the masses.  So what do I propose is a better measure of morality?  Prudence, one of the seven virtues.
     
    I found the passage from Revelations odd.  Eating a small scroll that first taste like honey then turns sour is an interesting metaphor.  It can be applied to so many things, but I do not understand its context here.  Anyone want to take a stab at it?
     
    And the Psalm just brought me peace.  I take heart in the promise of the Lord --
    "The Lord will work out his
    plans for my life --
    for your faithful love,
    O Lord, endures forever"
    (Psalm 138:8).

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ACTnGROW

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    • Name: Mark
    • Country: United States
    • State: Illinois
    • Birthday: 2/7/1979
    • Gender: Male
    • Member Since: 9/14/2003

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