Blog Archives

"Boasting the Most"

1/28/2020

"But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil. James 4;16"

  LISTEN TO: Curtis Mayfield:
"People Get Ready"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOXmaSCt4ZE

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "

As part of our 2020 resolution to become more Christ-like, we continue our walk through Paul's inspired passage on love. Paul breaks down for us what Love does, just as Jesus models for us in his actions and teachings how love acts and reacts in the world. Today we meditate on the the bad habit of boasting and how it gets in the way of love. The following chuckle highlights the problem of boasting.

Amir: You Americans are always boasting how Paul Bunyan was the greatest lumberjack ever, but we Moroccans know that Ibrim Hassan was the world's greatest lumberjack.
Fred: I never heard of Ibrim Hassan. Who was he?
Amir: He was the famous lumberjack of the Sahara Forest.
Fred: Umm, don't you mean the Sahara Desert?
Amir: Oh, sure, NOW it's a desert!

The root word for“brag” in Greek is very picturesque and is closest to our English word,“wind-bag.” When you and I brag, we are demonstrating our insecurity and spiritual immaturity. Even if what we are bragging about something that is true, we fail to see how it may hurt or discourage someone else.  Love is not big-headed but big-hearted. Love focuses on how the other
feels, not on our own feeling. This means the more loving we become, the less boasting we need to do. The greater our spiritual gifts, the less prone we should be to brag. After all, the gifts you have been graciously given are from God. If we are to brag, we are to brag about the Lord -- and how God is working in our life."Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 2 Cor10:17

Now all of us should be gracious and share in the good fortune of others. We should be able to share wonderful accomplishments without evoking envy in others. However it is the style of bragging that has emerged these days that is a concern. There is an article about seeking a truce in the bragging wars that abound in New York City. (My child scored 12 goals in one game!!! My daughter learned to read at 6 months!! My son got into Brown, Harvard and Yale, and is having
a hard time choosing! I so tired, we just got back from Palm Beach and we have to go to Aspen for spring break!). So in boasting  we draw attention to  ourselves, without giving any thought to the circumstances of others. We do not boast to build up the Body, but to increase our prestige.   There is a growing etiquette about bragging, because of its potential to alienate
and cause problems in community.

As we turn to prayer, and learn from Jesus, who was "humble of heart," we learn to share our joys in ways that are sensitive to others, and we hear the joys and accomplishment of others with thanksgiving, not with resentment.This way, we build up the body of Jesus in the world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/fashion/time-for-a-truce-in-the-bragging-wars.html?pagewanted=all

PRAY: "O God, help us to share my joys in a gracious manner, that gives glory to you and is sensitive to others. Help me to be gracious to the joys that others share."

0 Comments

January 21st, 2020

1/21/2020

0 Comments

"for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5

LISTEN: Mandisa, "Overcomer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htIA7IE5dXI

One of the top Christian movies of 2019 is "Overcomer."about a beloved basketball coach and history teacher at a Christian high school in small-town America. Life’s idyllic until his self-image crumbles after the local plant closes, forcing thousands of blue-collar workers to move elsewhere with their families. Lacking players, John is reassigned to coach the cross-country team, composed of one athlete with asthma: orphaned African American teen Hannah Scott (newcomer Aryn Wright-Thompson).

We love overcomer stories. People who make it rags to riches. A person with a handicap succeeding at an athletic event. Someone struck ill but who makes a comeback. An addict or alcoholic who with the grace of God becomes clean and sober. The person that doesn't give up despite the odds. The person who has faith in themselves, in another person, in a special project. The one who won't take no for an answer. The individual who loses and keeps off the weight.

These stories inspire us. Just as inspiring are the other victories we achieve that may not sound as spectacular to some. How about overcoming stinginess? Overcoming gossip? Overcoming envy, jealousy, resentments? Overcoming impatience or a bad temper? These traits sit in the shadows of our heart. They are resistant. If we think sticking to a diet is hard, try sticking to a diet of generosity -- where we give more from our pockets, compliment others more regularly, and pitch in with a good attitude when we are asked -- or do so automatically when we see the need?

It is helpful to remember that the apostle Paul and the gospel writer John often use the word "world" in a specific sense: those forces which are hostile, rebellious, opposed to God's will. Through faith in Jesus, we receive the grace to address the internal and external powers that would destroy the vision and the abundance of life God imparts to each of us. So an overcomer/victor is not just some one who gets the gold medal or is a success story that makes it to the news. Each one of us is called to be an overcomer -- of whatever challenge we face that keeps us from loving fully, as Jesus would have us.

What do you have to overcome? Seriously? A bad temper? An ungenerous spirit? Being judgmental or critical of others? Do you ignore the plight of those in need? Do you fight with others? These are the habits of the "world" Paul warns us about. Paul tells us in Romans:

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

So let our minds be renewed and reshaped by the mind of Christ, which is the mind of sacrificial love and compassion; selflessness, reconciliation and forgiveness; mercy and justice.

The mind of Christ is our goal. What do we have to overcome to achieve it?

Let us be overcomers!

0 Comments

Practicing Patience

1/16/2020

0 Comments

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9"

LISTEN TO: Plumb, "How Many Times "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaeaayqrzS4

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "

Howcan we become more loving, Christ followers in 2020? Patience tops the list. Love is patient. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). It blooms when we cultivate it with care. We have ample opportunity to practice patience because we do not live in patient times. Cars weave in and out of traffic with impunity. We repeatedly press an elevator button, thinking it will come quicker. We have frozen meals, and 1 in 4 Americans eat fast foods at least once a day. We expect our orders or purchases to be processed quickly, children to learn that piano piece more rapidly. Chop, Chop!

Life, however, doesn't rush in the fast lane. One of my favorite Seminary professors, Dr. Kosuke Koyama, wrote a book called the "Three Mile an Hour God." Dr. Koyama noted, "People no longer see one another with faces, but as numbers and replaceable units in productive processes and systems. ...Our God is a three-mile-an-hour God." That is the speed at which humans walk. That is the speed at which Jesus wended his way through Galilee -- touching the ill, chatting with widows, pausing in marketplaces to observe children at play, plucking grain in the fields on a sabbath day." Only with patience can we reclaim the pace in which we have the ability to discern the face of God in each other.

So to be patient is to attune ourselves with the true pace of life. Some parts are faster, others are slower. We need patience with both. The root meaning of patience in Hebrew is to be slow to anger. One word in Greek tells us to "bear with adversity." So patience forgoes our own "timing," so we can relate and care for others calmly and with dignity. We do not judge or force growth. We endure the discomfort of trying circumstances without complaint, blaming or annoyance. We learn to let go of unrealistic expectations. We put others first. We put ourselves in another's shoes. Over time patience will begin a more natural reaction in face of adversity, delay, set-backs and misunderstandings

Here are some steps to learn patience:

1: Practice Wait: “count to 10 before you respond” is a tried and true way to practice patience. While you count, breathe in deeply. Pray for help. Let God take charge.

2: Take a longer view: If you’re reacting because someone upset you (e.g.: a friend who hurt your feelings, a stranger who was rude, etc.) or then give a little prayer of thanks that it wasn't worse, say a blessing for your friend (who probably needs it). If you are tempted to break a resolution, pause a minute and visualize your bigger goal— becoming a more spiritual person. Remember: "this too shall pass."

3. Give yourself a break: If you act on an impulse before thinking about it, acknowledge that you did it, then forgive yourself and get back on track. If you find yourself acting impatiently a lot, pray and ask God to show you what's going on in your life and heart. Too many demands? Too many buried hurts and fears? Be merciful with yourself, you are human. Remember God is patient and loving, and forgiving, and is a light to our path. As this becomes a reality in our life, we are called to treat others in the same way.

4: Celebrate: Remember to celebrate your accomplishments; when you withheld the cross word, when you took the extra time to help a co-worker, or took time out of your day to aid a stranger. Frequent small celebrations are a way to reward yourself for patience, and to increase your motivation to be even more patient.

PRAY: "Lord, teach us patience, so we may grow in your school of love!"

0 Comments

"Boasting the Most"

January 21st, 2020

Practicing Patience

Author

Archives

Categories