THOUGHT: Judgement & A Trip to Hell

Making choices? Making judgements? What to do?

Have you ever wanted to judge God? Do you not think that there are things that he could have or should have done differently? Honestly?

What about a small child who is abducted, abused and killed? Why allow that child to be born at all? Or why not use your God power and stop that injustice from happening?

Is God to blame?

If you can judge God, then what about the world? Imagine being asked to pick your five favourite people in the world. Ok? do it. Pick your five favourite people in the world. Got them?

Now then...choose two of them. Got two? Those two get to go to heaven, they get to live in God's new heavens and new earth, but only two?

Now choose three to spend eternity in hell.

What if they were your children?

Now understand, all you are being asked to do is something that you believe God does. He knows every person ever conceived, and He knows them so much deeper and clearer than you will ever know even your own children. He loves each one according to His knowledge of the being of that son or daughter. The feeling is that God will/should condemn most to an eternity of torment, away from His presence and apart from His love. Is that not true?

I've never thought of it like that. We just assume that somehow God could do that. Talking about hell is rarely ever a personal discussion. When I think about people going to hell I really only ever think about people that I don't really care about.

So which of your closest friends will be the ones you choose to go to hell? You must choose, you cannot simply avoid it. You must choose, who will it be? Which of your favourites will you send?

Would you ever think of trying to save one by offering yourself? That is what God did. He loves all of His children perfectly. There is no one that God wants to send to hell. There is no one that God does not love.

There are many that I have a hard time with. Holy Spirit continue to work in me. Continue to change my heart, please.

g-ram

ANNOUNCEMENT: Next Series

Outward living in an inward world. No formulas, no tracts just living what you have learned. Learn from those who have gone and risked. Where will you Outflow?

Feb 01: George Smith
Feb 08: Mike Linnen
Feb 15: Graham Clinton
Feb 22: Derek Burnett with super special surprise guests: Basha Raks (you are the only ones who know!)

Throughout the series extravaganza you will also be learning key techniques to avoid when sharing your faith. We will be following Micah and Michael as they seek to tell all about "The Good Word." You don't want to miss these guys!

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THOUGHT: Judgement 101 How to Judge Others

I don't like smelly people. Well at least I don't like their stinky smell. It makes me uncomfortable. There are many things that I don't like. Please don't make the mistake of doing those things in front of me...I might think, say or do something unkind.

Can you relate? Do you like to offer your wisdom and analysis to or about others? Do you like judging others?

What ability do you have for judging? Have you proven yourself very capable throughout your life so far? Have you judged the actions and even the motivations of others as if you somehow knew what those were in truth. Have you have judged the colour of skin and body language and body odor? Have you judged history and relationships? Perhaps you have even judged the value of a person's life by the quality of your concept of beauty. Maybe you are quite well-practiced in the activity.

Who doesn't jump to conclusions about others from the way they impact us.

Did the bells go off for you there? There it is again--our self-centered view of the world around us.

By what criteria do we base our judgements?

Nothing that seems to make much sense right now. I confess that when I made the judgements I felt quite justified.

Of course we do. Judging requires that we think ourselves superior over the one we judge.

I think most of my judgements have been superficial, based on appearance and actions, things easily interpreted by whatever state of mind or prejudice that supported the need to exalt myself, or to feel safe, or to belong.

I don't really want to live like that, do you? I want to live in freedom. Freedom from the bondage of judging others and thereby pursuing misery.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Matthew 7:1-3

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THOUGHT: Religion & Distance From God

How are we supposed to connect with God? Has anyone ever really done it properly? If it is olden does that make it golden? What if the person describing it is famous?

For too long, people have assumed that religion is how we connect with God, whereas relationship is how we connect with people. The original lesson of the Bible is that our connection with God should be a lot more like our relationships with other persons--intimate, unscripted, authentic.
Rituals and routines, institutions and organizations, may be used by people as meaningful expressions of genuine faith, but they are not confused with the substance of that faith. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly called Israel "back to the garden"--back to "walking with God" relationally, passionately, actively. God wasn't against symbolic gestures and rituals; he wanted these gestures to be infused with real meaning supported by lives of mercy, justice, passion, and love. God is like a lover who doesn't just want to receive flowers, but flowers that are accompanied by an attitude of true love and service.

Bruxy Cavey
"The End Of Religion"
pg. 196

It seems that God is real flexible about how we come to Him. He is not concerned if we follow a plan or a style that an institution has practised hundreds of years ago or if we make it up as we go along today. What He is concerned with is the depth at which we connect. Does it impact our living? No? then it doesn't matter how much you paid, what fancy garb you wore, or what ancient charm you have read. It doesn't matter if you had a guitar soloing, hand waving, clapping while kneeling and dancing experience if your regular living remains selfish. The gift that we offer up to God is only valuable if it comes from an honest heart that pleads with God "change the world...and start with me."

Religion, whether old, new or some dynamic blend of the centuries, is not the way to connect with God. The reality is less dramatic but for more inspiring. God wants to be called on to interact with us, to hangout with us, throughout the day. All day. Every day. By our choice. In our own words, or in someone else's words as long as they are an honest expression of that which we truly want to be.

Don't get good at religion and its intricacies, but get honest before God and ask the Holy Spirit to indwell you as you share yourself generously with those around you. Hopefully your church is a great place to do that.

g-ram

THOUGHT: A Conflict With Jesus?

So guess what? I have been reading something. Yep, it's true. You know what else? It made me think. Dangerous stuff.

We all know that Jesus did not have kind words for religious leaders of His day. Well, I guess that makes me think a little already because the key to that statement is "religious leaders" and not "of His day." I guess I am a religious leader of sorts. What would Jesus' words be to me about how I roll, religiously speaking?

Check out these two quotes:

"If we acknowledge that the Pharisees were the respectable, pious people of the time, then we have to admit that Jesus had little patience with respectable, pious people.

--William C. Placher

The Pharisees were good, faithful, religious people of their day. And it is good, faithful, religious people of every era who find themselves in conflict with Jesus.

--Beverly Roberts Gaventa

Where do you fit in? Reserved, comfortable, aware, able to quickly "evaluate"/judge others, knows a verse or two and how it applies to someone else's life, at least talks about doing RIGHT things but still has a lack of living RIGHT things from the heart through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I don't want to be a white-washed tomb, how 'bout you? (Matthew 23:27)

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THOUGHT: Submission So That I Can Follow

Just like love, submission is not something that you can do, especially not on your own. Apart from the life of Jesus inside of you, you can't submit to anyone in your life, including God.

So does that mean we should wait and before every decision check our bracelet and say...WWJD?

Jesus' life was never meant to be an example to copy. Being His follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus,' it means for your independence to be killed. Jesus came to give us life, real life, His life. The Holy Spirit will come and live His life inside of you, so that you can begin to see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and touch with His hands, and think like He does. Be He will never force that union on you. If you want to do your thing, have at it. Time is on His side.

Daily dying. Get rid of your independence. Get comfortable being dependent on the one who has your bet future in mind. To follow means you want to be lead, why not be led from the inside instead of from a distance. Depend on your leader and be a good follower.

g-ram

THOUGHT: Love & Submission

I love nature. I love walking in a forest. I love seeing the mountains. And don't even get me started me on water: rivers, streams, waterfalls, lakes the ocean ahhhhhhhh! it all blows me away. I love it. It makes me feel more alive, more human, more the way I am supposed to be.

And can you imagine what it would be like if the earth was not at war, striving so hard just to survive?

Our earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her. Some have attempted to help her but most have simply tried to use her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their immediate needs. And they give little thought for their own children who will inherit their lack of love. So they use her and abuse her with little consideration and then when she shudders or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fist at God.

This blue-green ball in black space, filled with beauty even now, battered and abused and lovely. This blue-green ball in black space belongs to Jesus and he loves it...deeply.

So then, why doesn't He just fix it?

Because He gave it to you.

Can't He take it back?

Of course. But then the story would end before it is consummated.

Have you noticed that even when you call Jesus, Lord and King, He has never really acted in that capacity over you? He has never taken control of your choices or forced you to do anything, even when what you were about to do was destructive or hurtful to yourself or others.

Sometimes I would have preferred that He did take control at times. It would have saved me and people I care about a lot of pain.

To force His will on us, is exactly what love does not do. Genuine relationships are marked by submission even when your choices are not helpful or healthy. That is the beauty in the relationship of the Trinity. All three members are indeed submitted to one another and have always been so and will always be. The Father is as much submitted to Jesus as Jesus is to the Father or to the Holy Spirit. Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect. In fact, the Trinity are submitted to us in the same way.

What? How can that be? Why would the Almighty God of the Universe want to be submitted to me?

Because the Trinity wants us to join into the circle of relationship. Jesus doesn't want slaves to His will. The Holy Spirit wants brothers and sisters who will share life together.

So that is how God wants us to love each other. That would be husbands to wives, parents to children...in any relationship. When Jesus IS your life, submission is the most natural expression of His character and nature, and it will be the most natural expression of your new nature within relationships.

--with respect and thanks to Wm. Paul Young & "The Shack"

So chew on that for awhile. How will that change your living? Are you going to grow more into a lifestyle or will you continue to choose a death-style?

g-ram