Saturday, August 17, 2013

When God Talked Back


Reading the book, "When God Talks Back", by T.M. Luhrmann, I thought back to the first time that I "heard God's voice" and "recognized" it as a clear concise answer to a question.

I was a lonely child with few friends and lot's of trust issues. One day, when I was twelve years old, I looked around the school yard and wondered why I was so alone, and others always had companions around them. I felt that God must have wanted me to go through this loneliness for a reason. I wrote a little poem on my book cover to commemorate what I was feeling. It started like this:

I look my eyes up to the sky

and ask the Lord above so high

"Why me?"...

At this point I remember imagining myself in front of God, demanding an answer. I continued to write, without thinking,

Then came from the blue

"Because, my child, you are YOU."

When I finished writing I remember this instance of feeling puzzled. I had never written a poem before, and certainly have never thought of one so fast. Then, I read, again, what I had written:

I look my eyes up to the sky

and ask the Lord above so high

"Why me?" Then came from the blue

"Because, my child, you are YOU."

A sudden realization came to me that I had an answer to my question.

"Because I'm me?", I asked God, a little perplexed. "What do you mean by that?" But, I couldn't shake this feeling that it was God who put those words down.

Because I'm me.

I decided to put that answer away in the back of my mind and wait for God to explain Himself to me. Over the years, I believe He has.

I am me. I am the only me God made. I have talents and abilities that were given to me for a purpose; and, only I can fulfill that purpose for God. I may not know or understand the purpose for which God created me, but my goal should ever be to live my life to glorify God as if no one else can live my life -- because no one else can.

And finally, I wake up each morning now, and I thank God for creating me to be who I am. I look back on my life and I am thankful for all of the experiences I have had. I feel special, because those experiences, good and bad, were my own and no one else's.

God gave them to ME.

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Thursday, August 08, 2013

Hypocrite

I have noticed that when people use the term "hypocrite", it is usually because they do not fully understand it's meaning and wish to insult the person to whom they are referring. A hypocrite is someone who claims to be sinless while judging others for the same sins that they, themselves, are guilty of.

As a matter of practice, I personally have never claimed to be sinless; nor do I judge others. I do, however, state facts. I do not dare tell someone who is homosexual that they are going to hell. As a matter of fact, homosexuals are just as qualified to see the Kingdom of Heaven as I am, if they have accepted Christ into their life and are seeking to better themselves and lead others to Christ. However, I will tell them that practicing homosexuality is a sin. The Bible says it is a sin. That is not judging, that is stating a fact. I could tell a good, Bible going woman that homosexuality is a sin and it would not offend her. Then why is it that if I tell someone who is a homosexual that homosexuality is a sin they get offended? Truth is truth, whether you want to hear it or not.

On the same note, I am not judging the homosexual by saying that homosexuality is a sin. What he or she does with that information is entirely their business. I am to love the sinner and hate the sin.

When I refer to the Bible, I am pointing as much to myself as I am anyone else. I am constantly working to better myself. God may not expect me to be perfect or sinless (after all, we wouldn't NEED Jesus if that were the case), but He does expect me to strive to achieve perfection. So, when I quote the Bible, it is usually to remind myself that what I am saying is backed by Biblical principle.


Proverbs 11:9 says, "The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered." Therefore, someone who calls someone a hypocrite is, him or herself a hypocrite because he or she passes judgment on someone else.

The righteous are not people without sin. They are people who are doing their best to be without sin, yet being imperfect are humble enough to admit their own faults and attempt to right their evil ways. Their dependence is more fully on Christ's redeeming power and God's Grace because of their imperfection. Only one who is immature in their walk with God would dare try to pull a speck out of someone else's eye when they have a plank in their own. (Matthew 7:3)

One who is mature is willing to accept their limitations, and then glorify in God's infinite lack of them.

Conviction of Conscience

Have you ever been convicted? Have you ever had this "sudden realization" that you've been doing things all wrong, and the strong urge to stop what you are doing wrong to make things right?

If you have, then you have experienced "conviction". Conviction can happen at any time. The word "convicted" is related to the word "convict". To convict someone denotes an active participation in causing someone else to become convicted. On another note, a "convict" is someone who has been found guilty of a crime. Therefore, if you are "convicted", then you have been found guilty of some action you know is not right and deserves changing in your life.

The word "convicted", although used liberally in Christian circles, is only used one time in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It is at the part of the story about the prostitute who was caught in the act of sinning. When they brought her before Jesus in order to try to convict him of blasphemy, or false teaching, Jesus told them, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." One by one, from the eldest to the youngest, they walked away. In John 8:9 it says that they were "convicted by their own conscience, and walked away."

What is conscience, then, that it should convict anyone?

I have heard it argued that the conscience is the Holy Spirit convicting you; but, according to the Bible, you can have a good conscience or a bad conscience. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul seeks to use food that has been offered to idols as a example. As Christians, we know that idols are nothing; therefore, we have no problem eating food offered to them. However, those who were raised in idolatry revere idols as holy. If they see you eating food offered to idols they may be offended. Someone who is offended by you may not want to listen to you when you tell them about Jesus, or what is right or wrong. Paul calls their conscience "weak". Therefore, it is diplomatic form, to say the least, to learn their customs and seek not to offend them in order to keep their minds open to your teaching of the Gospel.

To Titus, (Titus 1:15), Paul writes, "To the pure all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure: but even their mind and conscience are defiled."

In Hebrews 9:14, Paul explains how a person with a defiled conscience gets a clean start to rebuild their conscience to God's glory: Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

When you accept Christ into your life your slate is wiped clean. All of your sins are forgiven. From that moment on, you do your best to keep your heart and mind pointed toward Christ, walking in his precepts and laws. From that day forward, your conscience will convict you when you turn down the wrong paths.

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