The Cursing Christian?

Have any of you ever seen an episode of the television show Dog the Bounty Hunter? The lead character is a flamboyant bounty hunter who seems to make (or did the few times I saw it) a point of showing/claiming that he's a faithful Christian. I don't think he his, for many reasons, but one seems obvious: he curses quite often.

In my younger days, I used to curse quite a bit, and seldom thought much about it. As I've tried to be a faithful Christian these past few years I've worked to do that less and less and now rarely do (and try never to). I have known many people who don't think it is a big deal. Many of them don't think there is anything contradictory about cursing at will and being a Christian.

What does the Bible say?

• Hosea 4:2 - there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
  
• Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
  
• Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
  
• Matthew 12:35-37 - The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
  
• Matthew 15:11 - it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
  
• Colossians 3:8 - But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
  
• Titus 2:7-8 - Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
  
• 1 Peter 3:10 - Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
  
• James 3:9-12 - With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
  

How exactly would we reconcile cursing and being a faithful Christian? Unless you believe that the Bible doesn't apply to you, or think that only part of it does, or something equally irrational, I don't see how you can.

And one last thing: I think there is a big difference between rebellion (I'm cursing and I'm not going to stop) and weakness (I'm trying to stop, but slipped up today and then repented and am trying to not do it again). This article is about the former, not the latter.

$20

I heard a great sermon recently about prayer. In it the speaker (Norm Webb, Jr.) made a point that I thought was worth repeating:

I see you one day and tell you that I'm a little short of cash and ask you to loan me $20. Then I avoid you for months and when I do finally see you I give you a hard luck story and ask you for $20 more. You are more hesitant but you give it to me. Same thing - I avoid you for as long as I can and then when we do meet, the first thing I do is ask you for more money. You might exclaim "Hey, is that all you want from me? Don't you care about our relationship at all?"

Ask yourself whether you are doing that with God and your prayer.

My apologies to Norm if I didn't get that exactly right. But hopefully you get the point.

Attitude, Part 2

I listened to a sermon a while back that just annoyed me no end.

I was sitting there, thinking that surely there was something more important to be talking about, silently disagreeing with the whole thing. Well, maybe not disagreeing as much as just not liking it.

I don't want to have that attitude, so I've thought a lot about why I had such a reaction. Was it not following the Scripture? No, I think it was Biblically sound. Did it not apply to me? No, it did. Was it something that I was doing, and was unhappy that someone would have the audacity to preach was wrong? Not really, upon reflection I think I do fairly well on this subject.

So why the negative reaction? Maybe it was my pride telling me that I'm too good to need to hear a message like this. Maybe it was Satan whispering in my ear that I don't need to worry about the little things - just "love God and my neighbor" and the details of daily life don't matter. Maybe it was me comparing myself to this or that person and thinking about just how much better I'm doing in this or that area.

A friend recently said that we've got to get over the attitude that when we find our behavior in conflict with the Bible, it is an indication that we found something wrong in the Bible, not that we've found something wrong in us.

And let's define "wrong" here. By that he meant "incorrect, or in need of work".

What is the point of the word of God? Isn't it intended to show the faithful how to be more like God? And aren't people who are interested in being more like God likely to see those places where God seems to want some trivial behavior, or whatever, as being red flags for our attitudes? Maybe those are just pointing out places where we need special effort to bring our attitudes and behavior into conformance with His view of things.

I learned a lot from my (mostly internal) experience with this sermon. I've got to get more on board with the choice of whether I want to follow God, or my own feelings (when they conflict - I think the ultimate goal is to change myself to the point that there is no conflict). And perhaps more to the point here, to be welcoming, not resentful, of any Biblically sound instruction.

Attitude, Part 1

This is how Dictionary.com defines attitude:

Attitude: "manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind"

Take a second to consider yours. Not at this particular moment, but overall, day to day (the problem with "right now" is that it will usually be too heavily influenced by how you feel).

If you think you have a pretty good/positive attitude, try this: imagine your 8 year old spilling his drink on the living room carpet, or being late to work when someone bumps you from behind at a stop sign, or dropping a spoonful of spaghetti on your dress at lunch, or any number of irritating things that can happen to us daily.

How do you respond when something like that happens? If you are like me, you get annoyed. And you may yell at the driver, or get upset with your 8-year old, or stomp around in a mad-at-self display.

So how do you fix this? What I do is say "that's what I did this time". And just think about that. And then, maybe because you think about that, next time you can catch yourself and in each case be a bit less so. This will work, though it may take a while. If you are impatient, just think where you'll be in "a while" if you don't start trying to fix it now.

One last thing: how often do you take offense at what people say to or about you? It's the same process. And really this is just trying to be less concerned about ourselves. If we try thinking less of ourselves (or rather, thinking of ourselves less) we'll take less offense at what people say. And I believe take another step on the path toward God.

The Point of Truth

I think we all come to a point of truth in our lives. That is when we decide whether we really want to know what God expects of us. And whether we are going to follow him or not.

I can understand an honest atheist. If you've examined the evidence and conclude that religion is all a bunch of made up nonsense, that's fine. I think you are wrong but I respect your decision. If you don't believe in hell, then you certainly shouldn't worry about it.

It is the lukewarm "Christian" I can't understand. The person who believes the Bible is true, but don't follow it (and seems to seldom even read it). Who seems to agree that there is indeed a God in heaven, and perhaps a devil in hell, but are content to occasionally go to church but not look too deeply into what all this means. Who pray when they need help, but go about their business the rest of the time.

I mean, either this stuff is true or it isn't. Being half way true really doesn't make a lot of sense. If it isn't true, then don't worry. But if you think it is true, then shouldn't you take it seriously?

How does one break out of this state of being? Honestly I'm not sure. I spent most of my life as a resident of that state, and only in the past few years struggled out of it. Why did I decide that what I was doing wasn't enough? That I was mouthing the words but not living the life? I just don't know. I can't remember turning right instead of left. I can't remember explicitly choosing God over Satan. I can't remember what made me sit up and realize that I wasn't really a Christian (though I was pretending to be one), and much more importantly, start taking action to change that.

While I can't remember exactly when I changed my path, I can think of two things that influenced me.

The first is my reading of the Bible. C.S. Lewis said that the Bible is an education in itself, and I believe that's true. Read it often (and sincerely) enough, and it will change you. It is hard to explain how (here's one attempt), but I very much believe it has worked for me.

The second is that for years I've prayed for God to show me his will. To help me see what I should do and to have the courage to do it. I think he answered it by guiding me - by helping me turn right instead of left, but helping me see more clearly what is right and what is wrong. By giving me the desire and ability to start toward Him.

That seems pretty simple doesn't it? Read the Bible and pray for help. Over and over.

If you feel lost, that something is missing, that you aren't on the right path, just do those two things (and if you aren't sure how to get started with either of them, email me - I'd be thrilled to do what I can to help you - and you might be surprised to find out just how many people will line up to do the same). Be patient and do this for as long as it takes - days, months, years. Keep doing it and wherever you are, whatever kind of person you may be, God will answer you. He may do it in his own time, but he'll definitely do it. He's promised that, and he doesn't break his promises.

Part 3: It is Still Not About You

You know how someone can casually mention something and it just sticks with you? Well Gary Copeland once shared this wisdom with me: we don't just go to church for ourselves: we also go to provide support and fellowship for our brethren. His point was what if he just didn't go tonight and someone there really needed him?

The more I think about that, the more it gets to me.

I may not agree with much of Rick Warren's theology, but in A Purpose Driven Life he really nailed it when he said "It's not about you."

That's such a critical part of being a Christian - loving others - thinking about others - wanting to help them - as opposed to being only concerned about ourselves. And I think as we work to "become" more like Christ (instead of just checking off the rules), we find ourselves naturally being that way.

Part 2: Must You Go to Church on Wednesday Night?

More on not trying to do, but to become. [Note: your church may not have a Wednesday night service - that's OK because that's not really my point.]

I have a preacher friend who says he's often been challenged to "show me where the Bible says I'll go to Hell if I don't go to church on Wednesday night!"

I love his answer: "I think it would be easier to show you how you'll go to Hell if you don't want to go to church on Wednesday night."

If you are focused on "doing", you might just try to make yourself go. The problem with that is that anything that relies on constant willpower will eventually fail. What if instead you were focused on "becoming"...becoming the kind of person who loves God so much he never wants to miss a chance to worship and be in fellowship with other Christians. (I'm not talking about the occasional time where you just feel down or sick - I'm talking about your usual state of being.)

Which would you rather be: the person who sighs and drags himself out of his chair and forces himself to go church on Wednesday or the one to can't wait to get there?

Which do you think God would rather you be?

Part 1: Not Trying To Do, But Trying To Become

One of the many things I love about C.S. Lewis is that he often shows us a completely different way of looking at something. For example, I think it is common for people to see Christianity as "work": as something you have to do in order to get to heaven or to be in God's favor, or as a daily denial of things we'd really like but aren't allowed to do.

Lewis didn't see it that way, and I think we can learn from some of the things he says about this in Mere Christianity:

We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules: whereas He really wants people of a particular sort.
...

The point is not that God will refuse you admission to His eternal world if you have not got certain qualities of character: the point is that if people have not got at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, then no possible external conditions could make a "Heaven" for them - that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, unshakable kind of happiness God intends for us.
...

People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, "If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing." I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.
...

What we should have liked would be for God to count our good points and ignore our bad ones. Again, in a sense, you may say that no temptation is ever overcome until we stop trying to overcome it - throw up the sponge. But then you could not "stop trying" in the right way and for the right reason until you had tried your very hardest. And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not trying to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of heaven is already inside you. (emphasis mine - Keith)

The more I think about it, the more I believe that this is the true path for the Christian - not trying to do, but trying to become. Of course you become by doing, but doing isn't the goal.

Why Aren't All Atheists Hedonists?

Have you ever heard the term "moral atheist"? Someone who doesn't believe in God, but has a moral code that they follow. I mean a code that most of us would consider moral: nice, decent people who don't lie or cheat or steal.

I've often wondered about someone who appears to be a decent person, but doesn't believe God exists; to what do they ascribe their morality? What is the difference between the moral atheist who picks the code I mention above and one who is the opposite? If we aren't comparing the behavior of each to some higher standard, then how can we say one is right and one wrong?

If you google "moral atheist" you'll find all kinds of articles where people try to defend their non-Christian (positive) morality. They claim that it "is just the right thing to do" or that "it is built into people" or that "they are moral because having a moral society is ultimately good for them".

While I'd certainly rather share society with the moral atheist than the amoral (or immoral) one, their logic makes no sense to me. C.S. Lewis just shreds this kind of thinking in Mere Christianity, but if you don't have time to read that at the moment, consider this:

I once heard a someone joke that if he didn't believe in God, why not "head straight for Las Vegas and the hookers?" His point was that his sense of morality flows from God and that if that wasn't true, then pretty much anything goes, and what would be wrong with that or anything else? How would you condemn something (or anything) I've done without using God's words? Wouldn't anything I do be as valid as anything you do? How could you be right and me wrong...unless we've got some standard to which to compare our behavior?

I've heard Christian apologists argue that if our morality is relative, and one decided to murder a group of small children, how exactly would you condemn them for that? I think the honest relativist would agree that he couldn't.

As logical as that is, why don't we see more people agreeing with it? Because it just isn't right. Relativism outside of anarchy makes no sense to me - it just boils down to "my personal values are the right ones."

I don't think we can trust our personal values - the only ones that can be trusted are God's.

Do You Always Feel Close to God?

Think back to the time you felt closest to God. Maybe it was right after (or when) you were baptized, maybe during a gospel meeting or revival, or maybe just one day at home during prayer.

Do you feel that way every day? Of course not!

We all have our good and bad days. Sometimes we feel like we're on top of the world and other times like everything is going wrong. We feel close to God one day and far away from Him another.

When you feel far away from God, remember that it is you who has moved, not Him! My friend Mike Carstensen once put it so clearly: "No matter how far you walk away from God, just turn around and He's only one step away."

When I'm feeling apart from God - when I find it hard to pray or read the Bible or just be nice - I just keep trying. Maybe today I don't read as long, or pray as effectively, or treat people as well as I'd like. But I just do the best I can, and wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is almost always better.