When my pride won't call it quits

I've quoted 2 Chronicles 16:9 before in this blog. Time to emphasize the "support" part. It's slowly dawning on me that God is not looking for people to work for Him so much as He is looking for people who will let Him work for them. Feeling the rebuke of Psalm 106:13 maybe? The gospel is not a help-wanted ad, instead commanding us to give up and hang out our own help-wanted signs.

Prayer! Prayer is the antidote for the disease of self-confidence, which opposes God getting the glory. He gets glory by working for those who wait for Him. He will not surrender the glory of being the Giver.

Christian hedonism sounds like unsound doctrine

Love - the labor of Christian hedonism

Q: @ 1 Corinthians 13:5 - Does love seek its own?

A: The pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed. (1 Corinthians 13:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:20, Jeremiah 9:24)

Q: Is sacrificing the same thing as love?

A: No. (Hebrews 12:2, 2 Corinthians 9:7)

Q: How are love and grace connected?

A: Love is a work of divine grace. It is fueled by grace. It is hungry for grace to flow through me to others. (2 Corinthians 8:1)

Q: How are love and joy connected?

A: Love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others. (2 Corinthians 8:3-4)

Q: Is it important to make others happy?

A: Love is finding your joy in the joy of another. (2 Corinthians 2:2)

Q: Is there a place for sadness in loving?

A: Love weeps. Love results in dissatisfied contentment out of a constant hunger for more of God's grace. (2 Corinthians 2:4)

Biblical justice, a servant's takeaway

Felt pretty wrecked again after service. Utter rebuke-anation!!

As P. Dwight noted, people oftentimes overlook Joseph's reaction to God's plan in bringing about Jesus through Mary's virgin birth. I had no idea that when Joseph "considered" whether to drop the marriage, the word connotes "angrily deliberated" (Matthew 1:19-20). And given the Law of Moses, he had good reason to be angry. But we see that he submits without a word (Matthew 1:24).

In the end, Joseph commits social suicide by marrying a supposed-adulterer and saving her from certain death-by-stoning. Omgosh another protoevangelical of Jesus ftw7H1212cr42Y! Two traits of Joseph that stand out? Justice ("being a just man") and grace ("unwilling to put her to shame"). For the sinner, mercy trumps justice.

Obviously, one point of the message was to emulate Joseph, and essentially emulate Jesus, but I love how our messages always emphasize the "how." How can one be compassionate and also inveigh a "delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8)?"

**WORSHIP CHRIST**

Look at Him, eat of Him, drink His living water, be crucified with Him. A feast of worship is rare in a land where there is a famine of the Word of God, as John Piper would put it (Amos 8:11-12). What was most important was P. Dwight drawing a clear distinction between having Him abide in you and having doctrine abide in you. Point for point, I was being undone. My sense of justice was retributive. It demanded equal application of the consequences.

No, says the Bible! Once P. Dwight started admonishing Reformed Presbyterian circles for misinterpreting justice, I started laughing out loud at the ridiculous relevancy of it all. How many times I have let knowledge, though correct and righteous, get in the way of showing compassion and empathy. I'd much rather smear people than to show the grace I quickly sing when my transgressions are many.

Jesus, thank you for taking away my shame - joyfully (Hebrews 12:2) - rather than rubbing it in my face. Isaiah 42:3 indicates your saving power that goes beyond clearing my record but completely adopting me into you. It's your tremendous power to execute justice by executing yourself that allows me to depend on you constantly.

OK, these statements betray real emotions. You're my all, You're the best, You're my joy, my righteousness, and I love You, Lord.

Discernment: wisdom or pride tank?

So. The more theology I read, the more I realize that some things Christians teach one another just aren't right. And more often than not, I have a knee-jerk reaction.

Does this look like the picture of unification in Christ's body?

A couple of lessons I've learned:

• If you are not spiritually accountable to the person (they're in another church, small group), it may not be your place to correct them. How should you show you actually care about the person and not yourself? Crucify yourself and ask the person's spiritual authority to step in.
  
  For the person above, the mediator between us is an encouraging friend, Alicia.
  
• Be vulnerable. Acknowledge your faults and show you must rely on Jesus to believe what you believe.
  
• Say your piece, give it to God, then move on. Give the rest of the time solely to listening and loving. God changes hearts, not you.
  
• Knowing Jesus will return and bring all believers to live forever with Him, there's sometimes little reason to admonish friends on the little details (1 John 3:2). It's a whole 'nother story with preachers (2 Peter 2:1-2).

Help me in learning to pray for others first, that they may love Jesus and meditate on the Law just as He did. Flee from false doctrine, but better take some friends with you along the way! :)