God's plan for us may be a season of illness or hardship, it grows us. It also shows us what's really inside of us. If we lose faith or become angry, then we need some more work on accepting God's will for us.
If we continue in faith that God knows what He is doing and remain calm through our pain, then it is evidence that our trust in Him is growing.
Some people have to trust Christ for strength through their entire lives because they have life long illnesses that will never be healed. These people often have far more faith than those who have not had to endure hardship.
All hardship is about training in righteousness and for God's purposes for those who belong to Him. Do you accept His will, praise Him for the opportunity to grow?
What do you do with the "boot camp" God has placed you in, is evidence of our inner heart.
What do you do when confronted by others about our sin, this is also evidence of our inner heart. Do you rage in anger at the exposure of sin, or do you become ashamed and wish to be cleansed?
Romans 5:1-5 "5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Pettiness Destroys Relationships
So many people pick on others about silly things as though they are in the Bible but in fact are merely human tradition.
Have you ever had someone say to you, "we don't wear jewelry here." OR, "Women should not speak up on matters of the Bible."
These are nothing more than human wisdom not based in the Word of God, mostly contrived from one or two sentences snatched from context to justify controlling others with their own idea of holiness.
There could be a long list of things that are considered rule of the church, but are not found in the Bible.
When someone says "we are not to look like Jezabel", to intimidate people into guilt for not complying with certain rules about clothing, make up or hair style, we are encountering "legalism."
It is not legalism to obey Christ, it is however, legalism to adhere to man made rules based on scanty Scripture that was contorted to appear to be the basis.
Let's take this phrase and analyze it a little; "we are not to look like Jezabel." We have no description of Jezabel's hair, make up or clothing in the pages of Scripture. To use her appearance as a bench mark as a standard to avoid, cannot be justified since we have no clear description of it.
When God warns us about the woman of Jezabel or the spirit of Jezabel, He is warning us about the evil that was within her, the satanic manifestation that motivated her. She may have dressed in vile ways because she was evil, but the focus was not her clothing, it was her heart.
We must seek God to be modest, His word is clear about that, but there is a variety of ways to be modest, each one must seek Christ on their own to determine for themselves. If we are seeking Christ we will be very uncomfortable with certain types of clothing, it will embarrass us, causing us to change our clothing, we will know what is modest and what is not, not because of another man's rules but because the Holy Spirit guided our choices.
Let's not make up rules that do not exist in God's Word to please man, but rather seek the Holy Spirit for our guidance, thereby enjoying the freedom of personality and creativity with in the parameters of holiness.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
"9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness."
I do not believe this 1 Timothy 2 passage is speaking against all braiding, but rather against all extravagant hair styles that distract and are worldly. A woman who wears a braid because of her long hair is not violating this scripture.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
A woman who is obeying Christ will dress modestly, the Holy Spirit will make her uncomfortable with something that is too revealing or something that dishonors her husband and Christ.
We can preach modesty but we cannot demand particular uniforms, in cult like manners, to control people into their own ideas.
A woman who is showing too much should be approached and challenged on the basis of her distraction, and requested to cover up more. This should not be done in a haughty and arrogant manner so as to demean, but in gentleness of spirit, to help her. After all, new believers don't always know exactly what is right, they learn over time as the Holy Spirit grows them.
Every person is at a different level of spiritual maturity, we must be kind and gentle with everyone.
Arrogance and superiority destroys relationships. The purpose of instruction is to guide, not to beat up, beat down and demean those who don't do everything we think they should.
When we love, we instruct to help!
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ.…"
Have you ever had someone say to you, "we don't wear jewelry here." OR, "Women should not speak up on matters of the Bible."
These are nothing more than human wisdom not based in the Word of God, mostly contrived from one or two sentences snatched from context to justify controlling others with their own idea of holiness.
There could be a long list of things that are considered rule of the church, but are not found in the Bible.
When someone says "we are not to look like Jezabel", to intimidate people into guilt for not complying with certain rules about clothing, make up or hair style, we are encountering "legalism."
It is not legalism to obey Christ, it is however, legalism to adhere to man made rules based on scanty Scripture that was contorted to appear to be the basis.
Let's take this phrase and analyze it a little; "we are not to look like Jezabel." We have no description of Jezabel's hair, make up or clothing in the pages of Scripture. To use her appearance as a bench mark as a standard to avoid, cannot be justified since we have no clear description of it.
When God warns us about the woman of Jezabel or the spirit of Jezabel, He is warning us about the evil that was within her, the satanic manifestation that motivated her. She may have dressed in vile ways because she was evil, but the focus was not her clothing, it was her heart.
We must seek God to be modest, His word is clear about that, but there is a variety of ways to be modest, each one must seek Christ on their own to determine for themselves. If we are seeking Christ we will be very uncomfortable with certain types of clothing, it will embarrass us, causing us to change our clothing, we will know what is modest and what is not, not because of another man's rules but because the Holy Spirit guided our choices.
Let's not make up rules that do not exist in God's Word to please man, but rather seek the Holy Spirit for our guidance, thereby enjoying the freedom of personality and creativity with in the parameters of holiness.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
"9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness."
I do not believe this 1 Timothy 2 passage is speaking against all braiding, but rather against all extravagant hair styles that distract and are worldly. A woman who wears a braid because of her long hair is not violating this scripture.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
A woman who is obeying Christ will dress modestly, the Holy Spirit will make her uncomfortable with something that is too revealing or something that dishonors her husband and Christ.
We can preach modesty but we cannot demand particular uniforms, in cult like manners, to control people into their own ideas.
A woman who is showing too much should be approached and challenged on the basis of her distraction, and requested to cover up more. This should not be done in a haughty and arrogant manner so as to demean, but in gentleness of spirit, to help her. After all, new believers don't always know exactly what is right, they learn over time as the Holy Spirit grows them.
Every person is at a different level of spiritual maturity, we must be kind and gentle with everyone.
Arrogance and superiority destroys relationships. The purpose of instruction is to guide, not to beat up, beat down and demean those who don't do everything we think they should.
When we love, we instruct to help!
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ.…"
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