Got Fruit ?

I happened to wake this morning to the sounds and promises of the latest iron clad method to self improvement, you know… somewhere in that time slot where all of those wonderful infomercials air on television.  Usually what’s on is something to the effect of buying foreclosed real estate on the cheap,building a home business by selling someone else’s stuff, selling your own junk on Ebay, or entertaining family & friends with the latest do it all gadget.

What caught my attention as in "that’s odd, peculiar and a bit disturbing" this morning was this infomercial for "Harmonic Wealth".  The infomercial from a visual perspective was put together well, it had the polish of a professionally prepared business pitch (yeah, like I’ve seen a lot of those).  Plenty of smiling and vibrant looking folks (mid 30’s to late 40’s) throughout the 5 to 10 minutes I watched, all with positive "testimonies" about how James Arthur Ray and his "program" (?) had changed their lives.  First red flag.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we don’t always articulate well in words what we’re thinking, but….  it’s been my observation that when someone tosses out accolades to and or about another human, about how much they’ve "changed" (influenced) their life, thoughts of Waco or Jonesboro come to mind.

I was just about to flip the channel, since going back to sleep didn’t seem like an option,  when a brief sound bite from the DVD being promoted played.  Ray goes into his "three for three" approach: "Thoughts, feelings, actions - all have to be firing congruently. And, if they’re not…there is something off, something awry there."    What this statement leads up to eventually is that once theses three areas are mastered, one can get (manipulate) the "law of attraction", which then puts finances, relationships,mental,physical, & spiritual aspects in order.  From my short handed knowledge, and what I’ve picked up as being connected to the book titled "The Secret" via the Internet, this "law of attraction" is some cosmic law of the universe.  Ooops there went another red flag.

Anywho, back to these thoughts-feelings and actions that caught my attention.  This little section grabbed my attention, because they are concepts that the Christian deals with in their relationship with Christ, or rather the Holy Spirit deals with the Christian by convicting us when we’re not doing what Christ commands(see Romans 12:1-2).  Thoughts and actions are fairly straight forward.  Take for example what Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:

Matthew 22:37-40
37Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

James 1:22
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

1st Peter 1:13
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

As for "feelings", I’m reminded of this past Sunday’s service.  Service was a bit different this week, things we’re done in a different order as for opening songs of worship, the meet and greet time, communion and offering, etc.  There’s normally a routine followed, whereby the sermon follows the above mentioned portions of the service, this week however the sermon was spread throughout in smaller chunks if you will, with the Praise and Worship team leading in more song and praise after these "chunks" of the overall message (sermon) were presented.  Now the back story to this is that for several months there’s been some ruffled feathers over the music selection/style at church as well as who’s leading worship,how loud the music is or isn’t and probably half a dozen other petty things that folks get their holy panties in a bunch over; sometimes to the point of leaving the church.  The message for the day, and reason for the difference in service program as our pastor conveyed to the congregation is this:

"Worshipping God is never about how we feel.  God is supposed to be the object of the worship."

As I see it, "feeling" or "feelings" is another way of saying ATTITUDE, and ATTITUDE can be expressed in one of two ways, obedience to God (Holiness, see 2nd Corinthians 5:17) or disobedience (SIN).  The point to all of this I suppose is to bring to the attention of readers what appears to be just one more example of man-centered "religion".  Harmonic Wealth appears to be another New Age self-help and empowerment philosophy (see Ephesians 5:6-7) that ought to be avoided.

1st Peter 2:1-3
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Grace and peace be with you.

Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:37

There is a significant difference between judgment and discernment. God sees people’s hearts and knows their motives (Prov. 16:2). Only God can accurately judge those who deserve punishment. Ultimately, Christ will sit in judgment upon us all in the day of judgment (2 Cor. 5:10).

Our problem is that we like to sit in the judgment seat and pronounce condemnation upon those whom we think have sinned. Scripture commands us not to judge or condemn others, for we cannot be judgmental and redemptive at the same time. It is difficult to pray sincerely for someone while we are judging them. At times our judgmental attitude can seem to provide us an excuse not to become involved in God’s redemptive work in someone’s life. Scripture reminds us that God will treat us with the same grace or severity with which we treat others (Luke 6:38).

God commands us not to judge others, but He does want us to be discerning. Jesus said we would know people’s spiritual condition by the fruit of their lives (Matt. 7:16). He said grapes are not produced by thorn bushes. If a person’s life produces thorns, we can assume that person is not a grapevine. Are we being judgmental? No, we are being discerning. Scripture commands us to avoid associating with scoffers or fools (Prov. 22:10; 17:12). Unless we are able to identify scoffers and fools, we cannot obey God’s command. That is not being judgmental, it is being discerning. As Christians, we have been instructed to observe the lives of others so that we can help them while avoiding any sinful influence.

You will be helpful to others only if you see them as God does. If you have been judgmental of others, ask forgiveness and pledge yourself to let God use you as His minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are forward.
Philippians 3:13

Society will tell you that the dominating influence in your life is your past. If you came from a difficult home life, that will determine the direction of your life. If your culture was treated unfairly, that will dictate the condition of your life today. If you were hurt or abused or if your youth was spent in rebellion, the remainder of your life will be spent struggling with your past. The world is preoccupied with the past because it faces an uncertain future.

Christians, on the other hand, live in freedom because Christ has overcome our past. The "Old things" have been done away with and "new things" have come (2 Cor. 5:17). God has totally forgiven the Christian’s sin that He chooses not to remember it (Isa. 43:25). Christians do not forget the past; but we are not controlled or motivated by it. The Christian looks to the future with hope.

The people of the world focus on what they are overcoming. Christians focus on what they are becoming. Christians know that the Holy Spirit is transforming them into the image of Christ. Christians know that ultimately they will stand before Christ to give an account of their actions and will spend an eternity in the presence of God. Christians know that eventually every injustice will be addressed and every hurt comforted. They know that Satan, and death itself, will finally be brought to an end. The Christian’s future is so full and rich and exciting that it supersedes whatever happened in the past.

If you are preoccupied with your past, ask God to open your eyes to the incredible future that awaits you and begin, like Paul, to press on to what is ahead.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Let no one despise your youth,but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12

Timothy was a sincere young man who earnestly desired to serve the Lord. Yet certain weaknesses in Timothy’s life hindered him from serving God confidently. Timothy was very young to be a religious leader, and apparently some doubted his abilities, and Timothy had a tender nature (1 Tim. 5:23). His was an inauspicious beginning for a young minister of the gospel in an age of persecution!

Paul urged Timothy not to allow his youthful insecurity to blunt his zeal and faithfulness in doing what God had told him. Rather than arguing with those who criticized Timothy, Paul urged him to live as an example of godliness. Paul advised Timothy to live a life that was so spotless in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity that his life could serve as a model for others in the church to follow. Timothy’s life was to be the evidence that God had called him. God looked beyond Timothy’s youth, timidity, and physical weakness and saw his sincere heart.

As you seek to follow God’s will, you may identify with Timothy. Perhaps some things about you seem to disqualify you from serving the Lord effectively. You may be sensitive because you are a new Christian or because you come from a sinful past. Perhaps you have little education or money or social status. You may have previously experienced failure in your service for God. Don’t allow this to intimidate you from following God’s will. Your area of weakness may be God’s means for demonstrating His strength (2 Cor. 12:9). Allow God to demonstrate His call upon you by transforming your life into a model of godliness.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath;for it is written,”Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19

One of the hardest areas in which to trust God is in the matter of justice. When we perceive an injustice, we want to see the guilty party punished. We want justice to prevail, especially if we are the victim. We become impatient is we are not avenged quickly. Yet God warns us that vengeance is not our prerogative. We are to desire justice, but we are not the seek vengeance (Micah 6:8). When someone offends us, our responsibility is to respond to the offense with forgiveness (Matthew 5:44). God takes the responsibility to see that justice is done. God loves people too much to allow sin to go unchecked.

Peter claimed that God is not slow about His promises to us, but He is patient and long-suffering before He brings about judgment (2 Peter 3:9). Yet ultimately God has prepared for absolute justice. There will be no sin committed that He will leave unpunished. Either the punishment will fall on His Son or it will be charged against the sinner, but everyone will ultimately give an account for everything they have done (2nd  Corinthians 5:10).

God is absolutely just, and only He can ensure that justice is fully carried out. If we are impatient and seek revenge, we presume that we are wiser than God, and we reveal a blatant lack of trust that God will do the right thing. Only by trusting God’s sovereign wisdom will we be free from our anger and preoccupation toward those who have committed evil. If we refuse to trust God’s justice, we become enslaved to bitterness and anger. We must guard our hearts and trust God to exercise His judgment against those who oppose Him.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day