Stuff

A few thoughts that have been rolling around my head.

Contentment vs. Complacency.

It's not what you are doing, but what you are not doing.

That's about it. Keeping these things in mind in the months to come may aid in some upcoming decisions.

One Thousand

Today marks the one-thousandth day since the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a budget that defined the spending boundaries for our nation. The Republican-controlled House has passed a budget, which was ridiculed by Senate Democrats that did not propose any alternative.

This is outright irresponsible. Stockholders of any publicly-traded company would be infuriated if their company would not define a budget, show spending plans, how those plans would impact them financially, etc. Stockholders of said company would promptly sell all shares in the company and abandon any interest in it; they would have zero confidence in the leaders of that company to meet any performance goals, and without a budget, why should they? A budget provides accountability; without a budget there is no accountability for leadership to be held to.

During this 1,000 days the debt ceiling has been raised multiple times (to over $15 trillion currently), so it's obvious that we are hemorrhaging money through excessive spending. We have some of the highest taxes in the world, so more taxes is not the answer. We need a budget to enforce financial accountability. Nobody can afford to spend with no limits, which is exactly what we're doing. We need to vote out EVERYBODY in the Senate and replace them with representatives that will be accountable to a budget and to those that put them in place. There has to be an end to this foolishness.

"Obama Prays for Solution to Debt Crisis."

First, read this: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/07/21/obama-prays-for-solution-to-debt-crisis

I really appreciate the fact that Obama is praying for a solution to the debt problem, I truly do. I hope that his motives are pure in seeking a solution that doesn't cut aid that our government gives to those who need it most. However, we also have to be good stewards of what God has blessed us with, as we are commanded multiple times throughout scripture, being wise with national finances, instead of becoming "slaves" to those we borrow from (Prov. 22:7). In light of the multiple stories of our welfare system being abused and defrauded by thousands daily, it's really hard for me to connect our welfare system to wise financial management.

I believe the best approach to this problem is to go ahead and make the cuts. Place a call on churches nationwide to reach out to their communities to do what God has already called them to do. Churches need to dump the building programs, extraneous projects and expenditures, and, well...be the church (Matthew 25:35-40):

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

James 1:27:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

John 13

Interesting stuff in this chapter.

John 13:3 & 4
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

The use of the word "so" here is very interesting. "So" is a word that indicates a logical conclusion to a circumstance. For example, "I was hungry, so I ate." "I wanted a good job, so I went to college." "I needed to lose weight, so I started dieting." The circumstance presented in these verses and the conclusion doesn't make sense to me. Jesus has all power, came from God and is returning to God, and is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3), so he washed His disciples' feet. I'll have to let this marinate in my head a while.

John 13:25 - 29
Leaning back against Jesus, [John] asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.

This is the "last supper." Jesus has announced one of His disciples will betray him. John, leaning on Jesus, asks Him, "who is it?" It doesn't say it in the scripture, but it seems to me that Jesus whispered his reply to John; nobody else could hear Him. "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." If all of the disciples had heard this, there would not have been any question of what Judas was leaving to do. Instead they assumed he was going to buy more food for the meal, or give to someone in need. So why did Jesus tell John and none of the other disciples?

John 11

A couple of things stand out to me here.

John 11:32 - 36
Jesus knows our hurt. The weeping of Mary and the friends and family gathered so moved Jesus that He was overcome with emotion as well. It was evident to people that He loved Lazarus and his family. Even though He has the power to fix all things and make them better, He still understands where we are now.

John 11:4, 15, 40
Jesus is very adamant about giving glory to God. Even though it would cause great hardship and pain for the people involved, He ensured that His actions pointed to God and displayed His power.

John 11:21, 32, 39
God has a plan. Although it might not fit our expectations or our own timeline, He is orchestrating everything to reflect His glory. It's our job to participate with Him in His plan and ensure He is glorified through us.

John 9

Just read John 9 this morning. It's a great story illustrating how God follows through on His promises and His plans. It reminds me of Phillipians 1:6, which states that God is going to complete the good work He began in you.

In summary, a man was born blind. The disciples ask Jesus who screwed up and sinned to cause him to be blind. Jesus tells them nobody sinned, that He was born blind so that God's power and glory could be revealed in him. Jesus heals the man by putting mud in his eyes and asking him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man does so, and can see for the first time.

This occurred on a Sabbath, so the religious leaders wanted to know who healed the man; whoever healed him clearly worked on the Sabbath and should be punished. They questioned the man repeatedly about who healed him, even asking his parents if he really was blind. Ultimately, the man started preaching TO the religious leaders, even before he fully understands who Jesus is. This excites me because this man, who was a nobody, a blind beggar, a member of society that nobody really wanted to deal with, stood before the leaders and proclaimed Jesus to them. From zero to hero, in a sense.

The religious leaders kick him out, Jesus finds the man and tells the man who He is, and the man worships Jesus.

This whole story began with Jesus telling His disciples that the man was blind so that He could be glorified. Look what happened. Jesus began a good work in this man when he was born blind, and was indeed faithful to complete that good work. It's pretty awesome.

The other thing I noted was the man's parents' reaction to the religuous leaders. Verse 22 says "His parents...were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue."

This still happens today. If someone decides they are going to follow the call of God on their life rather than please the religious establishment (pleasing people), that person sometimes faces severe ostracism from those in the establishment. It has happened to myself and my whole family at various times. Sometimes we have to be bold to follow Christ, even within the church. We have to put His word and His calling on our life first, before anything else. In that way He will complete that good work within you.

Loving others

Loving others is hard. There are so many different people that can get on your last nerve and push you over the edge, but this isn't what God has called us to. God has called us to patience, to understanding, to love. I try my best to avoid disparaging others, but it still happens, especially when I'm driving. For example, if someone pulls out in front of me and cuts me off, my first instinctive reaction is to mutter something about how dumb they are, etc. This is the incorrect way to handle it. Man was created in God's image. You were created in God's image. I was created in God's image. The guy that pulled out in front of me on the road was created in God's image. God loves all; He offers forgiveness and redemption to all. If I am a follower if Christ, I will understand this love and forgiveness that God offers to everyone, and try to align my life, thoughts, and actions along with what God intends. That means I don't call the bad driver stupid. I recognize that person is someone that is loved by God, and for me to disparage Him is to be in direct contradiction with God's love for that person. Matthew 18:23 - 35 clearly illustrates this. Who are we to condemn others, hold grudges against others, think bad of others when we have already been forgiven of what we have done against God?

I don't always abide by this. I'm still learning, still disciplining myself. But I truly believe that we are in the wrong when we say bad things about another person who is created in God's image.