appearance and the heart

Wouldn't it be nice if our good appearances would always match our true selves, who we really are. I can do the right things and look alright on the outside, and yet know in my heart that I'm not alright.

Among the most haunting words in the Bible for me refers to a certain king of Judah who did what was right, but not with his whole heart. It more than makes me wonder whether such a life is right or acceptable at all in God's eyes.

This is when we can look to God for the goal of having our actions and motives or heart be coming together so that we're not "double-minded" or double-souled, but true people of God, in whom there is nothing false, or no guile. Our true self will come out in our actions and lives sooner or later, or will be revealed in God's light.

Let's keep doing what's right, even if your heart is not entirely there. But let's confess and pray that God will change our hearts so that we do God's will with our whole heart, more and more.

It goes without saying that I'd like to hear from anyone who has something to share on this, and that's true on any post of course, whether I mention it or not.

godly thinking

Have you ever noticed how muddled our thinking can be when reading Scripture or a good book on Scripture and Christian theology? Of course we now "see through a glass darkly" and "know in part" (1 Corinthians 13). But I'm thinking here of our trying to understand God's revelation to us by sheer intellect. We can begin to understand only through "the mind of Christ." We're told in Scripture that we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2). I take this "we" in context to mean believers individually as well as all of us together.

Gordon Fee in his commentary on 1 Corinthians says "the mind of Christ" "probably means the thoughts of Christ as they are revealed by the Spirit." (p 119). Sheer intellect, no matter how high is not going to get the things of God expressed in the word of God. It takes "the mind of Christ" given to us, and it's a mind set on obeying God's will. If we're holding on to sin, and not confessing and seeking to forsake sin in our heart and actions, then we're not really going to understand as we really need to understand the word of God. Of course God in his grace at times will make exceptions to get through to us or others. But this is true as a rule, I believe.

We need godly thinking, no less. And such is found in Christ, as we endeavor seriously to live in Christ, walking in obedience to God in all things in our lives, even in this present existence and world. This starts right where we're at. And there are no exceptions in our lives. I believe that even as we stumble along in trying to live consistently in this way, God will encourage us and help us along.

And we do this with interdependence on other believers as well as full dependence on God. I'd rather hear the counsel of a "simple" believer, than the lecture of a most intelligent person not walking in fellowship with God. Let's not forget that we need each other. This is not an individual endeavor, but a community endeavor, in unity with each other in God through Christ and by the Spirit. The Spirit will confirm whether or not our thinking is godly not just to ourselves, but to other believers who have the same Spirit.

What might you like to add here?

what god is it?

When we use the word "god", a good question I think we should ask is "what god is it?" I hope this is not harsh; it is meant only to make us think. I read or hear the words "god" in connection with all kinds of earthly things as seeking or attributing God's blessing to it, but I wonder just how God sees it.

Gods are everywhere, and our view of God might just be more like a god than like the one true god. When we think God's blessing is on whatever we choose to do, we might be headed towards a different god than the one in Scripture to whom we're to pray:

your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

I am fearful of losing sight of the Fear of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The same god, I believe who is the triune God of scripture: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A god who in no way we can figure out or trace his paths or understand.

Let us beware of bringing the name of God so freely as one who approves and blesses our will, our plans, our agendas. This includes the use of the name of God both on an individual as well as national scale. On an international scale this would be getting closer to what God is all about as we see from scripture, God's kingdom ruling over all. But even that use of the word "god" is subject to idolatry as we make God in our own fallen image, rather than in Jesus being lifted more and more into the true image of God.

So let's be careful about how we use God's name and with what we associate his name with. Let's be more sensitive and humble about this, asking God that we would know God for who God really is. That we would avoid making God into something God is not. And that our lives would be in line with God's will, not that God would be in line with us.

I know this is a heavy subject for a Saturday and a weekend. But what thoughts might you want to add here?

gossip

What is gossip? Some Christians think it's okay to talk about others if what is being said is "true". But does this practice meet the standard of the "Jesus Creed" of loving God with are all and loving our neighbor as ourselves? We know better.

I'm amazed at how the flaws and foibles of people are consistently pointed out by Christians who themselves have flaws and foibles. And don't we all?

It's said that in a business context or workplace there is a time to talk about the weaknesses or downside of others. I suppose that's true, though I grudgingly give it that much.

When someone is not doing well in something why can't we as a friend take them aside and first listen to them, while sharing with them our concern? Why do we have to bat it around with others?

The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs). Let's be careful what we say, and what we hear. Let's not countenance any form of gossip. We'd better look at ourselves in the mirror first and pick on ourselves before we say a disparaging word about another.

Any thoughts here? Where might I be off, a little (or more)?

hypocrisy

Being disingenuous carries with it the idea of one acting and speaking as if they are sincere about something when it is obvious, or at least God knows that they have other motives in play. For example we may think we are doing God a service with reference to something we are doing, but may very well deceive ourselves because we really have a strong self-interest at stake. This is plain hypocrisy and we've probably all fallen prey to it from time to time.

It is good to not pretend we're something more than we're not. We have no end for our potential and capacity for self-deception. If anyone thinks this is not the case than perhaps we haven't honestly examined ourselves in the light of God's will revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. It is best to be modest about what we're all about, than to deceive ourselves as well as others into thinking that we're something that we're not.

Does this mean that we just accept impure motives, or even false motives for speaking and acting? No, of course not. But we do need to realize that we're people in Christ who are in development and hopefully growing towards Christ-likeness, but who still do sin. This endeavor towards Christ-likeness must be individually driven, but it also must exist in the context of community- accepting interdependence in that, and with dependence on God. This will involve ongoing repentance as well as the desire to grow and change, getting rid of that which is indeed disingenous and hypocritical.

What might you add here that could help us in this?