|
| Matthew 17:7 - "Woe to the world for temptations to sin!..."
Most of us would say, "Amen!" to that. Darned world, and all its temptations to sin! Lousy stuff that makes me want it! Lousy girls that don't dress modestly! Lousy boys leading me on! There are plenty of things that we can easily pass off blame on for how they tempt us to sin. Billboards, TV, commercials, the internet, just plain looking around. Sometimes I think it would be easier to go through life blind for all the things you wouldn't be tempted by.
"...For it is necessary that temptations come,..."
So we have to endure temptation. Christ endured temptation in the desert, for some of the most basic desires, like food. Always remember though, that, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinithians 10:13 How did Christ endure temptation? He answered each with scripture. You can too - which means you need to be in the Word! If you aren't reading God's word, you have no scripture in your mind to fight temptation with. Notice it doesn't say he will provide A way of escape, or some ways of escape, but THE way of escape. Therefore there is only one escape from temptation, and that is through God. It also doesn't say, "...he will provide the way of escape, that the temptation will leave you alone." It says you will be able to endure it! We won't stop going through temptation as we live, but God provides the way so we can endure. Endurance produces hope, and hope does not disappoint. Hope in what? Christ, our eternal salvation! And He does not disappoint!
But what about the end of the verse?
"...but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!"
Woe to you, and woe to me, if you or I bring temptation to sin on another! Therefore, always live being careful not to do things that will cause another to sin, or even tempt another to sin. Remember what Jesus says just a verse earlier? "...but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (18:6) Yeah, if we cause a child who believes in Christ to sin, we'd be better off drowning to death in the deepest, darkest depths of the cold, desolate ocean than to face God. Suffice it to say the consequences would probably be similar for bringing temptation upon a brother or sister.
So before you speed because you're running late, before you put on that low cut shirt because it's hot out, before you buy that fancy car because it's within your means, remember that it could be a temptation for someone to sin...
...and before you defend your right to do anything (but all things are lawful for me!) consider, "Am I dying to myself? Am I taking up my cross? Does my right to do (fill in the blank) supercede protecting another from sinning? Did Christ defend His right as the Son of God to do what He wanted, or did He humble Himself? "Therefore let us not pass judgement on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." Check out Romans 14-15.
| | |
| Ecclesiastes 1:14, 17-18 - I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vapor (vanity) and a striving after wind (a feeding on wind)...And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I percieved that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
There is no point to striving after wind, you can never catch it, never hold onto it. Vapor is equally uncatchable, unholdable, there is no substance or form to either wind or vapor. Nothing concrete or lasting. Not even having wisdom gains anything lasting, it fades away like everything else. The more you know, the more you understand, the more you see in the world and comprehend of the inner workings of mankind, the more sorrowful you will become, because there is nothing there but death, decay, destruction, malice, disunity, malcontent, contentiousness, covetousness, sexual immorality, etc. I find that the more I know about what is going on in the world, the saddr I am, knowing the state of human hearts. So if everything is just chasing vapors, what does last? If it isn't even worth it to pursue wisdom and knowledge, what is worth my time? What is the point to friendships? Why spend my time helping others? Because there is one thing that DOES last.
"One life to live, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."
"Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - John 6:27
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:40
There is LIFE eternal in Christ Jesus, "Heaven will be inhabited by people who LOVE GOD!" (John Piper). This is the only thing which lasts. Not the car, not the house, not the clothes, not the movies, not the music, not the alcohol, not the popularity, not the momentary bliss of having someone recognize you or something you did as praiseworthy - "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." (Mark 10:18) - only God lasts forever, only He is eternal, and those who are His children.
So the point to my life? To live in such a way that others come to know Christ, so that they can have the one thing that lasts, the one thing that isn't vapor or a feeding on wind. This is where I should find my reasoning for all things - "Does it bring others to Christ? Does it bring God glory?" Without these two things, all is done in vanity, a chasing after the wind. Am I living that way? Am I instilling eternal wisdom in others? Am I showing others to knowledge of the Holy One?
Proverbs 30:2-4 - Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name?
Surely you know!
| | |
| I was thinking, "At what point did we as humans start thinking that it
was more worth our time to beat a level in a video game, an imaginary
thing that means nothing in the real world, than it is to pursue
knowledge of the Creator of the Universe?" I admit that I am chief
among they that waste their time completing imaginary tasks for hours
on end - but what am I thinking?! Then I thought, "I suppose that it
isn't really anything new, it's just something old put in new wrapping
paper. Humans have always been choosing to fill their time with things
that lack any true meaning or depth over things of God. Why?" This is
about as far as I have thought about it because I'm going to bed. Feel
free to comment.
Also, I visited UPS tonight and saw some of my old co-workers. It
was nice to chat with some for a few minutes, see who was still working
there, how their lives were going. I actually was tempted to
start working again, but had to remember that I didn't actually work
there, even though I flashed my old ID to get into the building.
| | |
| So I had to go move my car this evening, about 12:15, and the battery
was dead, the keys locked inside in the ON position. Dad and I
got it started, and then I let the battery charge up for like, 10
minutes. Upon going out and moving it, I saw an unmarked white
van drive up and park on the edge of our property across from our
neighbors, the Milichs. A man hopped out and limped across the
street to the mailbox, then back to the van, where he proceeded to go
to the back of the van and take a rather large something out. He
carried the something down to the side of the house by the garage door,
limped back to the van, and drove off.
I found it to be somewhat...questionable...that a man in an unmarked
white van (the shady kind that movies teach us never to trust) with a
limp dropped something questionable off at my neighbor's house at 12:30
AM. I considered calling the police, but thought that I should
take a look first before I did anything rash. I walked across the
street, down the driveway, and up to the something. I discovered
that the something was not a bomb as I had supposed, but a piece of
luggage from Newark Airport that belonged to Steve. Relieved, I
walked back across the street and decided I should write something
about my experience.
| | |
| Dear members of Viewpoint,
This is a reminder that this
Wednesday, April 18th, we are going to have an all-day fast to prepare
ourselves to come together that night at 7:30 to pray for all those in
the world that are trapped in the bondage of slavery/exploited labor.
If you've joined us for one or more of our Viewpoint nights to view
documentaries on this issue, you have learned that slavery exists right
now on our own soil and around the world in the form of forced
prostitution/pornography, domestic servitude, child soldiers,
agricultural labor and other forms of exploitation in which people have
no way out. In fact, there are more slaves in the world now than there
ever were in history.
Many of you have been asking, besides
giving our money to different organizations of people "on the front
lines", what CAN WE do? But maybe we haven't really stopped as a group
yet to ask, "why should we care about this so much?" and "where is our
motivation coming from"?
This Wednesday night before diving
into a discussion about how we might take action, we want to redirect
our focus to the ONE who most cares about setting the captives free.
Our theme for that day will come from passages Isaiah 58, 61 and James
1:27, asking what it means for us to truly fast. We want to pray
specifically for several things:
- to seek after God's heart in this
- to pray for all those throughout the world that are caught in situations of abuse and bondage
- to pray for how God might use and change us in fighting this issue
- to pray for a large event at Holy Grounds to raise awareness about human trafficking in June
- to pray that more people will come to Viewpoint
- to pray for vision in where we will go from here
If this is where your heart is, please join us on Wednesday at 7:30 and spread the word!
Bring your ideas, thoughts and questions and meditate on Isaiah 58 and
61 throughout the day. Fast however you are able (even if that means
just giving up certain things like caffeine or sugar that you might
crave.)
We hope to see you there!
In Him,
Janelle and the Viewpoint team | | |
|
