Matthew 18:6-9
The key words in this section are stumble, woe, hand, foot, eye, fire. Jesus uses repetition to help emphasize his point: "if your hand/foot/eye causes you to stumble, cut it off/gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled/maimed/with one eye than to be whole and be thrown into fire."
Jesus is continuing his thought from v. 5 where he says that whoever welcomes someone who has become like a little child, welcomes Jesus. Here, he gives the reverse: it would be better for someone to go and drown themselves than to cause someone to stumble. The disciples must have really liked these words. They must have received a lot of confidence from them. But then Jesus turns the question on them: you or a part of your body may be the source of the stumbling. I think that the disciples must have thought back to their argument about who was the greatest in the kingdom. I think Jesus is helping them to realize that by making that argument, not only are they not becoming like a little child, they are causing those who are becoming like little children to stumble by stirring up with in them pride, ambition, frustration and discord.
I find it interesting that Jesus tells his disciples to fight against causing stumbling (whether to themselves or to someone else) with the same intensity that he told his audience to fight against lust. So, the question for me is am I being a stepping stone, leading people to Jesus, or am I being a stumbling block? I can be a stumbling block by doing things that I know are wrong and leading others to do the same but I can also be a stumbling block by flaunting my liberty. When I do things that are not sinful but that cause others to stumble, I am guilty of the sin of pride and individualism. I am guilty of being a stumbling block. The truth is that, if I lived in isolation, I could do some of these things without any worry or guilty conscience but I do not live in isolation. I live in community. I am responsible for the well-being of my brothers and sisters; not just for my own personal well-being.
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Friday, July 25, 2008
is Paul bragging?
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
Paul continues his typical pattern of his letters - after the greeting he moves into why he is thankful for the people he is writing to. The key words are faith, love, growth and perseverance. Paul specifically commends the church in Thessalonica for their growing faith and their increasing love for one another. Paul boasts boasts about Thessalonica to the other churches because they are persevering in the middle of persecution.
This has always been a struggle for me because the Bible clearly speaks against pride and, in today's language anyway, whenever we talk about boasting or bragging it has to do with pride. How can Paul boast about this church without committing the sin of pride? Let's be honest, we hear this from parents (or at least we'd like to hear this from parents) when they are talking about their kids - "I am so proud of you!" There are times that I feel emotions about my students that I can only describe as pride. So, is pride always wrong? Is it ok to be proud of someone else?
I think Paul was able to boast about others because he recognized that while he worked hard and was faithful to God's call, ultimately he had very little to do with the growing faith and perseverance of the church. God was the one who made it grow. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3 - he planted the seed, Apollos watered it and God makes it grow. So when Paul boasts about a church, it is because he recognizes that it was God's work - he is actually bringing glory to God by pointing out the evidence of his work in that church - and because he is so excited that he was a part of God's work. The difference with me and most parents who talk about being proud of their kids is that they are saying that they are actually proud to be associated with their student and if they didn't perform in the way that they have, they wouldn't be as happy to be connected to them. When I brag about my youth group and my students in it, there is a significant part of me that takes credit for the work that God is doing - as if the students wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for me. I sometimes feel that same way when I hear parents talking about how great their kid is - as if it has nothing to do with anyone else except the parents.
I think I hide my arrogance and pride pretty well (in fact, I'm proud of how well I hide it - grin!) but I know my heart. I know how proud I am and how quick I am to take credit for God's work in people's lives. God, please humble me. Remind me that while I may plant or water, you are the one that brings growth. When I boast, may I boast like Paul - to point out what you are doing so that you will receive all the glory and with absolute awe and delight that you would somehow use me in your work!
Paul continues his typical pattern of his letters - after the greeting he moves into why he is thankful for the people he is writing to. The key words are faith, love, growth and perseverance. Paul specifically commends the church in Thessalonica for their growing faith and their increasing love for one another. Paul boasts boasts about Thessalonica to the other churches because they are persevering in the middle of persecution.
This has always been a struggle for me because the Bible clearly speaks against pride and, in today's language anyway, whenever we talk about boasting or bragging it has to do with pride. How can Paul boast about this church without committing the sin of pride? Let's be honest, we hear this from parents (or at least we'd like to hear this from parents) when they are talking about their kids - "I am so proud of you!" There are times that I feel emotions about my students that I can only describe as pride. So, is pride always wrong? Is it ok to be proud of someone else?
I think Paul was able to boast about others because he recognized that while he worked hard and was faithful to God's call, ultimately he had very little to do with the growing faith and perseverance of the church. God was the one who made it grow. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3 - he planted the seed, Apollos watered it and God makes it grow. So when Paul boasts about a church, it is because he recognizes that it was God's work - he is actually bringing glory to God by pointing out the evidence of his work in that church - and because he is so excited that he was a part of God's work. The difference with me and most parents who talk about being proud of their kids is that they are saying that they are actually proud to be associated with their student and if they didn't perform in the way that they have, they wouldn't be as happy to be connected to them. When I brag about my youth group and my students in it, there is a significant part of me that takes credit for the work that God is doing - as if the students wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for me. I sometimes feel that same way when I hear parents talking about how great their kid is - as if it has nothing to do with anyone else except the parents.
I think I hide my arrogance and pride pretty well (in fact, I'm proud of how well I hide it - grin!) but I know my heart. I know how proud I am and how quick I am to take credit for God's work in people's lives. God, please humble me. Remind me that while I may plant or water, you are the one that brings growth. When I boast, may I boast like Paul - to point out what you are doing so that you will receive all the glory and with absolute awe and delight that you would somehow use me in your work!
Friday, June 15, 2007
God is blasphemed because of me?
Romans 2:17-24
I know I should be doing observe, interpret, apply but this passage hits me right in the gut! I think it should do the same for all Christians, especially those in North America. We have become arrogant in regard to our relationship to God and the revelation of himself that he has given to us just as the Jews that Paul was writing to had become arrogant. They relied on the fact that God had given them the law and saw themselves as superior because of that. We rely on the fact that we have a "proper" interpretation of Scripture and we have become arrogant - as if we somehow merited God's special attention. We are smug in our relationship with God and believe that we are the moral compass of the nation and the world but we are unwilling to listen to our own teaching and unwilling (and, quite frankly, unable) to live up to the standard that we impose on the rest of society. We stand up on our self-built pedestal and look down our long, pious noses and condemn people for the very acts we are committing (and congratulate and applaud ourselves for doing it).
We preach against stealing and yet we still steal - this one really hurts because I was the one that did the sermon on stealing a year or two ago and yet I still find myself stealing in creative ways. We condemn those who commit adultery and sit in front of our computers and unite our selves in mind and spirit with virtual, photo shopped, airbrushed images. We puff out our chests because we don't worship false gods and then prostrate ourselves before money, possessions and sports heroes. We brag about being Christians (literally "little Christs") and then act nothing like Christ.
Here is the damning indictment against us: "God's name is blasphemed among the people because of you." I am the reason that people don't trust God. I am the reason that people don't repent.
O God, I am so sorry for the way that I have treated your name and the way that I have represented you to the people. I am so sorry for the way that we, who take your name on ourselves, have dragged it through the mud and brought dishonour to you.
I know I should be doing observe, interpret, apply but this passage hits me right in the gut! I think it should do the same for all Christians, especially those in North America. We have become arrogant in regard to our relationship to God and the revelation of himself that he has given to us just as the Jews that Paul was writing to had become arrogant. They relied on the fact that God had given them the law and saw themselves as superior because of that. We rely on the fact that we have a "proper" interpretation of Scripture and we have become arrogant - as if we somehow merited God's special attention. We are smug in our relationship with God and believe that we are the moral compass of the nation and the world but we are unwilling to listen to our own teaching and unwilling (and, quite frankly, unable) to live up to the standard that we impose on the rest of society. We stand up on our self-built pedestal and look down our long, pious noses and condemn people for the very acts we are committing (and congratulate and applaud ourselves for doing it).
We preach against stealing and yet we still steal - this one really hurts because I was the one that did the sermon on stealing a year or two ago and yet I still find myself stealing in creative ways. We condemn those who commit adultery and sit in front of our computers and unite our selves in mind and spirit with virtual, photo shopped, airbrushed images. We puff out our chests because we don't worship false gods and then prostrate ourselves before money, possessions and sports heroes. We brag about being Christians (literally "little Christs") and then act nothing like Christ.
Here is the damning indictment against us: "God's name is blasphemed among the people because of you." I am the reason that people don't trust God. I am the reason that people don't repent.
O God, I am so sorry for the way that I have treated your name and the way that I have represented you to the people. I am so sorry for the way that we, who take your name on ourselves, have dragged it through the mud and brought dishonour to you.
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