Sobering Thoughts
I had a hard time sleeping last night, thinking about the things that sin does in us. It is a sobering thought and while I think I understand that we who believe, and are adopted as children of God, stand holy and blameless in His sight, I am still very much aware of the power of sin in us. In me.
Paul was too. He talked about sin and the war that raged in us, the corruption and deception that we allow ourselves to be in on account of sin and the things we like about sin. When I reflect on how sin has the potential to destroy, and kill and rip asunder, and for these reasons we are admonished to flee from it, and yet see people choose to become entrenched it, I feel sad and I wonder "why?". What entraps them to choose a life in sin when they know better? It seems the thing that entraps them is their inability to surrender themselves as living sacrifices, and instead, demand to continue living for themselves, despite the fact that Jesus Christ purchased them with His own poured out blood and life. Or, put simply, their self centered, self interested, selfishness.
James 3:13 - 16 and James 4: 1 - 3 puts it like this:
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. Its the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom - it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the other's throat. Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy it's results ONLY if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour.
Where do you think all the appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think to ask God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. (The Message)
This passage makes it quite clear - I fight because I am selfish, wanting only what I want. Egoism at it's finest.
God calls us to walk uprightly and with humility, in other words, do what is right in His eyes and be humble. Humility includes putting other's interests in front of our own. Humility means respecting and valuing someone else. Humility means that we humble ourselves, give up our demands for justice as we see it, and "Don't hit back. Discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging", says God. "I'll take care of it". Our scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good". (Romans 12: 18 - 21, The Message)
This kind of humility - this kind of love - is pretty radical and goes against everything in us, certainly everything the world and our friends tell us to do. The world and our flesh says "get even", but God says "humble yourself before Me and I will lift you up". Trust His justice, trust His promises.
When I want my way, I want my way and fight for my way because of something "deep inside" myself. Other translations say this is because of the "evil desires within my heart". Paul Tripp and Ken Sande in their respective books "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" (P&R Publishing, 2002) and "The Peacemaker" (Baker Books, 2004), both describe the progression of an idol in our hearts. I see, I want, I desire, I demand. The demand morphs into sin, as I demand my own way at the expense of all others. I am now worshipping at an idol. My demand transcends my obedience to God and His law of love. My demand can become so overpowering that I could "kill to get it". I believe in this passage Paul is referencing Jesus words, "You're familiar with the command to the ancients, "Do not murder", I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder". (Matt 5: 21, The Message). Paul later expands on this in 1 John 2:11 when he says that if anyone hates his brother or sister, he has murder in his heart. Again, pretty radical stuff. In light of the way we justify the anger and hatred we feel towards other, this goes against the grain of all that we feel, believe and act upon.
The selfish demands I have contain within them the potential to cause me to "risk violence to get your hands on it". I believe that there is violence in our actions as well as violence in our words, and this passage say we are capable of going to both when we don't get our way. We shout, scream, name call, threaten, gossip, back bite, malign, cajole, manipulate, lie, push, shove, put down, denegrate, stonewall, snear, and roll our eyes in derision - or we give a cold shoulder, ignore, dismiss, retreat into silence, and pout. I can think of dozens of other behaviors too - like simply go do, go get, go be, and the concerns or feelings of the other be damned.
Here is what I find sobering about all this. Paul writes in 1 John that if we hate eachother, we cannot possibly love God. If we say we do love God, we are lying. And even in this passage (James 4) he writes in verses 4: 4, "you're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "He's a fiercely jealous lover". And what He gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble".
I remember what life was like when I was willful and proud; what my marriage was like; what the relationship with my kids was like. It was the most difficult thing I ever did, to give up my demands and trust God to teach me His way of humility. I remember thinking that I would be taken advantage of and hurt beyond belief but quite the opposite happened. He gave me grace, and that grace enabled me to love the enemies that I had created in my own home with my own demandedness, and now those enemies love me back.
Very radical, but the alternative was to become an enemy of God. Sobering thought isn't it?
Paul was too. He talked about sin and the war that raged in us, the corruption and deception that we allow ourselves to be in on account of sin and the things we like about sin. When I reflect on how sin has the potential to destroy, and kill and rip asunder, and for these reasons we are admonished to flee from it, and yet see people choose to become entrenched it, I feel sad and I wonder "why?". What entraps them to choose a life in sin when they know better? It seems the thing that entraps them is their inability to surrender themselves as living sacrifices, and instead, demand to continue living for themselves, despite the fact that Jesus Christ purchased them with His own poured out blood and life. Or, put simply, their self centered, self interested, selfishness.
James 3:13 - 16 and James 4: 1 - 3 puts it like this:
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. Its the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom - it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the other's throat. Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy it's results ONLY if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honour.
Where do you think all the appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think to ask God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. (The Message)
This passage makes it quite clear - I fight because I am selfish, wanting only what I want. Egoism at it's finest.
God calls us to walk uprightly and with humility, in other words, do what is right in His eyes and be humble. Humility includes putting other's interests in front of our own. Humility means respecting and valuing someone else. Humility means that we humble ourselves, give up our demands for justice as we see it, and "Don't hit back. Discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging", says God. "I'll take care of it". Our scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good". (Romans 12: 18 - 21, The Message)
This kind of humility - this kind of love - is pretty radical and goes against everything in us, certainly everything the world and our friends tell us to do. The world and our flesh says "get even", but God says "humble yourself before Me and I will lift you up". Trust His justice, trust His promises.
When I want my way, I want my way and fight for my way because of something "deep inside" myself. Other translations say this is because of the "evil desires within my heart". Paul Tripp and Ken Sande in their respective books "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" (P&R Publishing, 2002) and "The Peacemaker" (Baker Books, 2004), both describe the progression of an idol in our hearts. I see, I want, I desire, I demand. The demand morphs into sin, as I demand my own way at the expense of all others. I am now worshipping at an idol. My demand transcends my obedience to God and His law of love. My demand can become so overpowering that I could "kill to get it". I believe in this passage Paul is referencing Jesus words, "You're familiar with the command to the ancients, "Do not murder", I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder". (Matt 5: 21, The Message). Paul later expands on this in 1 John 2:11 when he says that if anyone hates his brother or sister, he has murder in his heart. Again, pretty radical stuff. In light of the way we justify the anger and hatred we feel towards other, this goes against the grain of all that we feel, believe and act upon.
The selfish demands I have contain within them the potential to cause me to "risk violence to get your hands on it". I believe that there is violence in our actions as well as violence in our words, and this passage say we are capable of going to both when we don't get our way. We shout, scream, name call, threaten, gossip, back bite, malign, cajole, manipulate, lie, push, shove, put down, denegrate, stonewall, snear, and roll our eyes in derision - or we give a cold shoulder, ignore, dismiss, retreat into silence, and pout. I can think of dozens of other behaviors too - like simply go do, go get, go be, and the concerns or feelings of the other be damned.
Here is what I find sobering about all this. Paul writes in 1 John that if we hate eachother, we cannot possibly love God. If we say we do love God, we are lying. And even in this passage (James 4) he writes in verses 4: 4, "you're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "He's a fiercely jealous lover". And what He gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble".
I remember what life was like when I was willful and proud; what my marriage was like; what the relationship with my kids was like. It was the most difficult thing I ever did, to give up my demands and trust God to teach me His way of humility. I remember thinking that I would be taken advantage of and hurt beyond belief but quite the opposite happened. He gave me grace, and that grace enabled me to love the enemies that I had created in my own home with my own demandedness, and now those enemies love me back.
Very radical, but the alternative was to become an enemy of God. Sobering thought isn't it?
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