No Shirt, No Shoes, Know Jesus

Fashionista Part I

My daughter is a bathroom singer.  Whether she is on the toilet or in the shower, she is singing her lungs out.  And she's real creative, too!  These aren't songs she has heard on the radio or television.  No, she's making up her own tunes while rocking out in the most acoustical room in the house.  The other day, my wife heard her singing in the shower and stopped to check out some new lyrics.  The song went like this:

"I'm naked and I'm dancing! I'm naked and I'm dancing!

Do the heiny dance in your birthday suit, do the heiny dance in your birthday suit!"

I'm still trying to recover from that one.  Sooooooo funny!  And so innocent.  She's at that age where being naked isn't connected with shame, where shaking her butt is nothing other than funny.  I love that she's still at that stage because I know, soon enough, life is going to rob her of that innocence...just like it robbed all of us.

That's a key theme of humanity: innocence transformed to shame.  It started a long time ago, when our most famous ancestors made a really bad choice.  Genesis, chapter two makes it a point to tell us that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden.  Seems like a weird detail to include.  Maybe it's an attempt to make the Bible a bit more exciting, spice things up with some nudity.  Or maybe it's a bit more important than that.  The next chapter sheds some more light on things.  Check out this passage...

 

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Gensis 3:6-7

It's interesting to note that a direct result of rebellion to God was lost innocence.  Their first response to disobedience was shame.  So they whipped up some impromptu clothes, stitching together some leaves to cover their nakedness.  And we have been doing the same thing since.

Now, before you think this blog is turning into a defense of nudists, I want everyone to know that I advocate the wearing of the clothes.  I don't even want to see my own self naked. (it would horrify you into a coma!)  No, I like clothes.  The greatest thing that happened this year is that the fat store started selling nerd gear.  Gotta love comic t-shirts!  And truth to be told, I don't think fashion was Adam and Eve's problem.  No, they were trying to cover up what they felt in their hearts by changing what the outside looked like.  That seems like a common response.  People often try to project an external persona that they find much more acceptable than what is really inside their hearts.  This is never more true than when we are around God.  We try to put on our good deeds and self righteousness like they were the latest styles from Paris, thinking it will fool God into thinking we are so much like Him.  The reality is, He sees to our hearts and is not fooled by our coverings.  No matter what we try to drape over ourselves to cover our shame, He is not deceived, and in the end, we are simply overdressed.

That's a dilemma.  If God is not fooled, than our shame is known and that thought is almost unbearable.  It can make you long for those days of childhood innocence.  How to we deal with this?  What can we use to cover our shame and make being around God bearable?  I would suggest that there are some really great clothes we can get ahold of.  I'll tell you all about it...next time!

Being Judgmental Part III

At what point did we as a society lose the right to identify behavior as wrong?  I believe it is the result of the pendulum of our social conscience reacting to the hate and prejudice prevalent in our culture for years, and in response, swinging far too far in the opposite direction.  Now, to disapprove of another's actions is to disapprove of them. We have embraced the concept of doing no harm but have laid aside the shrewdness needed to deal with the actions of a fallen world.  And it is destroying us.

I will always advocate the idea that we are unqualified to judge one another.  The attempts of some, especially in the church, to do just that has produced a generation hostile to the good news of Jesus.  The association with church and personal judgment is one that we will be working for years to dismiss.  Jesus specifically cites in John 3:17 that He did not come to bring judgment, but rescue.  Yet at the same time, He never struggled with identifying wrong behavior and calling for people to change.  Repent is a word that only holds negative connotations now, but the call to turn away from destructive actions and refuse to re-engage in them in the future, is both necessary and good. 

As followers of Jesus, we must be shrewd enough to correctly judge what is wrong and courageous enough to say it.  But how can we do that when we are so poorly suited for judgment?  By recognizing that our standard for judging behavior is flawed and using another's.  Good thing God gave us His, eh?  The Scripture allows us to accurately define what is good and what is not.  It allows us to consider and, with wisdom, recognize when we are in rebellion to God's design for us.  In short, it is the perfect judge.  We simple are processing the information.

Being Judgmental Part II

When it comes to judging another individual, i think it is important to remember from the start that we are uniquely unqualified for it.  Our integrity is compromised from the beginning because we cannot help but judge with an agenda, looking for the increase of personal value through the devaluing of another's.  Like a juror who benefits from the conviction of the accused, we don't belong in a position where we pass sentence.  As a matter of fact, Jesus gives a stunning warning against assuming this role, one we would be wise to heed.  Consider this verse...

   “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged."  Matthew 7:1-2

Uh-oh.  Frankly, I find this passage horrifying.  Considering how harshly I have judged people at times in my life, I don't ever want that same standard applied to me.  I certainly don't want God to use it as He analyzes my life.  It would be crushing.  Just the other day, I commented that if I ever met a well-known televangelist in person, I would punch him in his face.  I don't want God punching me! (metaphorically or otherwise!)

So what can we conclude from this stern warning from Jesus?  It is never o.k. to pass judgment on the value of a person nor should we be looking to see punishment inflicted.  The reality is, no matter what the circumstance, in a very literal way, but by the grace of God, there go I.  So I am not capable of judgment.  That is an office that God reserves for Himself.

So how does this apply to the whole "shrewd as serpents, harmlesss as doves" question?  Well, I think it speaks directly to the harmless part of that equation.  The reality is, we harm the heart of anyone that we pass judgment on, including ourselves.  It leaves a lasting mark that not only hurts in the inflicting but can fester for a lifetime, often keeping those desperately in need of the grace of Jesus away from Him as they blame Him for the actions of His people.  (hence my reason for wanting the above mentioned punch.  Not justifying it.  just saying.)  So I hope Matty 7 throws a bit of the fear of God into us.  It should.

As to the shrew part...well...you'll have to wait till tomorrow.

Being Judgmental

One of the most critical things most people have to say about church is that it is too judgmental.  That, my friends, tends to be a valid point.  Depending on what church you are going to, your clothes, hair, make-up, or, gasp!. tattoo's may categorize you for spiritual shunning.  Shoot, even our book has a section called Judges.  We just can't get away from it. 

Our response to this tends to be interesting.  We either go bat poo crazy and embrace it, making sure that no ankle is uncovered and organizing make-up burning parties, or we abandon it all together and start livin' la vida churcha! (terrible attempt to be clever)  It seems to me both extremes do us a disservice.  SO how should we respond?  Should we do away with judging all together?  Or should we hold to our moral standards uncompromisingly, applying them to others as well?  Well, perhaps we can get some advice from, oh, I don't know, maybe...Jesus. 

The Lord seems to be giving some practical advice about this topic when He tells us in Matthew 10:16 to "be shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves". (NLT)  If I could paraphrase that in light of our subject, I would say that He is telling us to use impeccable discernment (a nicer word for judgment) and yet don't hurt anyone.  Well, how do you pull that off?!?  If someone judges me, I'm getting my big boy undies all twisted up!  I don't like it!  So I can't imagine doing this to someone else and not hurting them.  Seems like a fine line to walk.

And maybe that's the point.  Too many times we labor under the delusion that being a follower of Jesus is easy.  But the reality is, interacting with people in the manner that Jesus expects is difficult.  It takes practice and the help of the Holy Spirit to develop the kind of interactions where we can judge intention and behavior and yet not bring spiritual harm to those around us.  Shrewd and Harmless. 

So I would like to prayerfully consider this topic for a couple of days, to explore Godly discernment and how to apply it.  I think it would be beneficial to us and could change the culture of our community.  Ultimately, it could do us some good.  That's usually what happens when we follow Jesus' advice.

Talk Back Monday

Hi everybody! (If you read that in the voice of Dr. Nick, good for you)  Sorry for the lack of posts.  We have had a run of illness here in the house that has had everyone laid up for the last two weeks.  But we are all better now, so I back in a big way!  Today, I want to jump right into our question from yesterday's topic of the Holy Spirit.  It reads...

How is the Holy Spirit our advocate?  Isn't that what Jesus did?

This question stems from the verse in John 16:7 the reads in the New Living Translation like this:

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

The word advocate comes from the Greek word "Paraclete" which can be translated as advocate, comforter, encourager, or counselor.  That is a lot of possible meanings for one word and yet it is extremely applicable in the case as the Holy Spirit fulfills as those roles.  And while the role of advocate of salvation may rest upon Jesus, the Holy Spirit also makes intercession on our behalf with God the Father as seen in Romans 8:26:

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Stop for a minute and think about that.  When I don't understand which direction to move or what to ask God for, the Holy Spirit prays for me!  That is incredible!  With all the difficulties that I face in life and the questions that I have no answers for, it is good to know that God's Spirit is constantly at work for me.  I definitely need an advocate like that.  I'm glad He's got my back.