Yesterday I was discussing new-years-resolutions with a co-worker. He asked me what mine was. I told him that I didn’t make new-years-resolution because I never kept them and they weren’t meaningful to me.

However, as I was showering this morning (the place where most meaningful though comes from) I thought of a resolution that might actually be meaningful and I would challenge you to take it on as well. It is certainly not a new concept and I don’t take credit for it, but here it is:

Be one man (or one woman, as the case may be).

That is my resolution. But what does it mean?

Think about it. How many faces do you wear? Do you act differently at work, school, church, around your parents, in-laws, spouse, or children? Is it more acceptable to you in some circles to be crude and profane while in other circles you would never dream of exhibiting such behavior?

Who am I? Who are you? Is it the face we show each other or do we just see each other’s masks?

My resolution is to wear the mask with the highest standard. Right now, for better or worse, that means always acting like my son is in the room with me. I try to set a good example for him, so if I am always “setting an example” for my son, then I should always, in theory, be on my best behavior.

Admittedly, this is not a perfect formula… I sometimes lose my cool with my son and set a terrible example. But at least it’s a goal.

What do you think?

Question posted on Yahoo! Answers: If you are a conservative christian, what is the best way to share your faith in a few quick sentences? Imagine you just have just met someone and you have half a minute to as Paul says “give a reason for the hope that is in you.” What do you say?

Question posted on Yahoo! Answers: Have you decided to not talk to a newcomer in the church because of his or her physical appearance? If so how did you feel? If not have you noticed anyone doing that?

Question posted on Yahoo! Answers: Im a christian but i think im not one anymore after what i did……. help!? well i was born and raised christian my whole life. i go to church every now and then. go to a catholic school and believe in him and pray when i feel i need his help. but i have been doing magic spells for maybe the past 3-4 months. using wicca spells and other types. i believe that the stuff im doing is real and i just need to improve my skills. i believe there are spirits that help with them and i really enjoy doing magick and i do it every now and then. i know christians dont do this but i am. am i still a christian? i dont want to change religions but i think that what im doing might change it… help!

My answer:

Dear Bright and Blonde,

I am answering this question as a Christian brother. I admire you for posting this question and I hope to encourage you to make a decision. The first thing that I need to say is that it is not okay to be a Christian and to do witchcraft.

Galatians 5:20 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” One of the works of flesh listed here is “sorcery” which can also be translated “witchcraft”.

Joshua 24:14-15 says, “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

You cannot serve the Lord and witchcraft at the same time. They are opposing forces. I urge you to abandon the practice of witchcraft. You are right, the stuff you are doing is indeed real, but you are on the wrong side. If you continue to practice witchcraft, you will be judged by God Almighty.

I say all of this out of love for you. If you are a Christian, they you are my sister in Christ and I want you to be fully aware of the two paths before you. I urge you to choose God. Please contact me or another Christian that you can trust if you need help.

I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a business person, I am interested in the differences between the Christian marketplace and God’s gift economy. My twitter page is  http://twitter.com/money_ministry

To me, the matter is quite serious. God’s gift economy is extremely expensive to God, but it is to be delivered to the recipient for free, no price. In the business world we have easy examples: the florist industry, the greeting card industry, can be expensive but the recipient is not asked to pay a price. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation gifts, 100% the recipient is not asked to pay any price.

The very last instruction in the Bible is God’s invitation to come “without having to pay a price.” (Rev 22:17) That instruction is followed by a strong warning to those who add or subtract. When Christian leaders charge a price for the delivery of any ministry, they are adding the price of money onto the gift of God. That concerns me.

Everything that we have through our Lord Jesus Christ is a gift and is to be shared, delivered as a free gift. Charging a price makes it no longer a gift.

I am open to feedback, comments.

I don’t need to follow all of those rules. I can do whatever I want. I’m under grace not the law! Quit being so legalistic. After all, Jesus rejected the law. Right?

Gal 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Now, I know that not many Christians would go this far, but how many people are thinking like this? I know there was a time that I would have thought something close to this. How many people are continuing to sin because they have the idea that we are “free from the law”? The idea of not being under law is appealing to people. They can pursue their goals and secure their own pleasure all while feeling justified because they are justified by faith and not by works of the law. I think that this thinking is a problem and a problem that is very fixable. Did Paul and Jesus reject all forms of law? Were they ever suggesting that we should stop following moral law?

The word Paul uses in Galatians for “law” is the Greek word “nomoV”. This is also the word used for “law” all throughout the New Testament. I must clarify here that I am not one to seek out mystical surprise definitions of Greek words to produce a fluffy and witty sermon. There are, however, occasions in translation where English equivalents fail to communicate clearly. I think that this may be one. We don’t need to replace the word “law” in our Bibles with another word, we just need to look at the verses using it with new glasses.

It seems to me that the when the writers of the New Testament talk about the law they are not talking about the laws we are accustomed to today. They are not talking about moral law (the internal, right and wrong kind of law). They are talking about the Law the way their Jewish audiences would have understood it. That is the Torah. The Pentateuch. The Law of Moses. Mark, who wrote his Gospel to Gentiles, never even used the word “law” (nomoV) because the word was a Greek equivalent to a Jewish idea and was not relevant to Gentiles. “Law” equals “Torah” all throughout the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles.

Mat 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Torah.” The Torah is NEVER referred to negatively in the Bible. It was beautiful and from God. God liked the Torah. He gave it to the people “for their good.” Grace is better, but law is not bad.

The Torah had three parts: Ceremonial law, Civil law, and Moral law. The Ceremonial law is found from Exodus 25 to the end of Leviticus. It included the sacrificial system, the tabernacle system, and the cleanness (physically) system. The Civil law is found in Deuteronomy 6 through 26. It included such things as consequences for stealing and murder, political and criminal laws, property rights and distribution of land. The Moral law is recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 in the form of the Ten Commandments. These laws are special. They are founded in the Character of God and in reality. They are the basic right and wrong understanding that everyone has. They are the eternal law of God. These three parts of the Torah make up one Torah, but are they all of the same importance?

Leviticus 14 commands that a person tithe a yield of their seed year by year. 1500 years later Jesus spoke about this to a group of Pharisees. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” – Matthew 23:23. I ask again, are all the parts of the Torah of the same importance? Jesus seemed to suggest otherwise. He declared the moral law as the part of the law that they should have focused on.

And it is this set of laws that the Christian in my first paragraph is wanting to be out from under. Yet it is the one set of laws that no one can ever declare they are not subject to.

Romans 1:20-32 talks about moral law. It appears to be talking about people as a whole and says that people are without excuse. People know right from wrong. And “law” (nomoV) is not written once in this passage. Moral law has been established since creation and is not exclusive to the Torah. Without the Torah people still know right from wrong. Without the Torah people are still held accountable to moral law.

So what can I say to the guy who says, “don’t hold me to your moral standards. I’m under grace not the law”? In a humble, loving and peace-seeking way I can tell him that he is right. He is no longer required to fulfill the Torah’s civil and ceremonial laws. He is now under grace through faith in Jesus and now must only obey the moral law. He must simply love God and his neighbor as himself.

While listening to my iPod this morning, Offering by Third Day came on. The message of the song broke my heart and reminded me that I am not my own.

The first words of the song are “Magnificent. Holy. Father.”

I am ordinary. He is not only inordinary and noteworthy, He’s magnificent. He is grandiose. He is unfathomable.

Apart from Him I am unrighteouss, unholy and destitute, but He is devastatingly holy. 

The song goes on to say, “Who am I that You should suffer?”

Indeed, I have no signifigance or merit except that He chose to love me. What is in me that deserves to have a God that would die to cover my filth?

“The only thing that I can give You is the life You gave to me.”

In the end, what do we really have to offer God? What do we own and have title to that is not already His? Our existence is a gift from Him, so the only think we can really give Him is our lives. How we live our lives is either an act of worship or an act of rebellion. There is no middle ground. There is no gray area. God’s standards are the highest. You are either bringing honor to your Father, or you are dishonoring Him.

I recently read an old Jewish saying pertaining to the third commandment: “When God gave the third commandment, the whole world trembled.” The reasoning behind this saying pertains to the wording in Exodus 20:7 “for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” This leads the Jews to believe that this commandment is the unpardonable sin.

So what exactly does it mean?

This commandment has been interpreted in a number of ways. One interpretation I have heard is that this commandment is limited to the use of the name of God in a frivolous manner. Another interpretation is that the name of God should not be used in magical or occult practices. A third interpretation is that this commandment prohibited one from breaking any contract that was sworn in the name of God. Thus, if someone promises by the name of God to do something and then fails to do it, that would qualify as having taken the name of the God in vain. A final interpretation is that it prohibits swearing all together.

Instead I would like to offer a more detailed explanation for the third commandment, one that requires us to have a brief understanding of the ancient Hebrew culture.

Most Hebrew names carried a recognizable meaning that was evident to all. A child’s name could be a reflection of a parent’s faith (e.g.  John “God is gracious”; Samuel, “God has heard”; Gabriel “devoted to God”), or the prevailing character of the child (Jacob, “heel-grabber”). A person’s name became synonymous with his or her reputation, which would resonate with the mere pronouncement of it. It was an extreme privilege when the LORD was gracious enough to provide Israel with His name. Knowing God’s name gave the Israelites personal access to God. Consider the things that have been done in the name of the Lord:

A mere shepherd boy battled with God’s might and power and was victorious over a  giant soldier (1 Sam 17:45).

A priest who invoked the Lord’s name in prayer brought life and vitality to an individual (Num 6:27).

In a time of cataclysmic judgment, anyone who called upon the name of the Lord would be delivered and find salvation (Joel 2:32).

Taking refuge in the Lord’s name provided a shelter so impenetrable that one would sing with shouts of joy (Ps 5:11).

Fearing the name after lapsing into idolatry could bring a restoration of spirit so complete it would be as if one had found a fountain of youth (Mal 4:2).

Worshiping at the place where God had placed his name would be to experience an intimate meeting with God, and with it blessing and life (Exod 20:24).

Possessing the name of the Lord was important to the Israelites. However, if possession of the name was a supreme privilege for Israel, it was also fraught with danger for God.  All kinds of atrocities have been committed in the “name of God” including the Inquisitions, crusades, the holocaust, child molestations, serial murders etc… These incidents have unfortunately affected a multitude of people both physically and spiritually.

How is this applicable to us?

This commandment requires us to become aware of the connection (or the lack thereof) between our spoken words and our innermost thoughts, between our public face and our private truth. We cannot hide our motives from God.  Yet people attempt to do this in a number of ways: a wordy prayer done for the approval of others, a superficial act of charity done for show, an attempt to impress others with a public display of words or emotions self- designed to show how God-like they are etc… Some people simply don’t care about God, and have no problem using His name to curse or swear. Others might use God’s name to dress up in formality an oath or promise they may have no intention of keeping.

Since we have become Christians, we are new creations. We have taken off our old selves and become part of God’s family. We bear His name, and as such we shape His reputation. We help the world interpret the name of the Lord. In its most basic form the third commandment looks at those of us who attach ourselves with the name of the Lord and asks what our motives are, who/what we are living for, and who/ what is at the center of our worship.

The curse brought death. The curse brought about an end to permanence. Now, things fade, things deteriorate, things die. Chaos comes out of order. Our lives are cursed. Our daily lives are cursed. Nothing lasts, everything is fleeting.

Before I was truly saved, I was crushed under the weight of the temporary nature of life. Things did not last. Enjoyment did not last. Happiness did not last. I saw little point in doing anything because everything would fade away. I enjoyed going to amusement parks and the beach, yet I hated going at the same time. I knew the fun would fade shortly, being only a brief moment of happiness. Then the drudgery would continue. I wanted my happiness to last, but it simply wouldn’t. It was like breath on a cold day. It can be seen but for a moment, then it vanishes never to return again. My life was breath-like.

The popularized statement of the Teacher (Qoheleth) in Ecclesiastes 1:2 says “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” But what does this mean? Sure, vanity in this sense means futile, but what is the Teacher really saying. Why is everything futile?

The Hebrew word rendered by many English translations as vanity is hebel. The meaning of this word is breath-like. It doesn’t simply mean futile, it means futile due to its lack of permanence. Life is hebel says the Teacher. In fact, the hebel is the same word as Abel’s name. Abel’s life was the personification of hebel! He did what was right and what did he get? He was killed by his unrighteous brother who got to live on. His life was not lasting, it lacked permanence. Abel was the first victim of the curse of the fall. His life was hebel, breath-like.

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes says that all life is ruled by hebel. Nothing lasts, not even the righteous for they meet the same fate as the wicked in death. Life is not worth living under the curse of hebel. I understood this as well as the Teacher of Ecclesiastes did when I was in high school. I knew that nothing lasted. Robert Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay froze me with despair. I wanted something lasting, but knew of nothing that did. I desired to die. I knew my life would fade as all else does, I just hated waiting for it to do so. I’d rather it end than to live with the knowledge that it would not last and eventually end. Breath-like, everything is breath-like.

So why is Christianity a religion of joy? Why is it a religion of hope and peace? Why does not the entire church shriek under the growing weight of hebel? Surely the Christian is still subject to hebel. His garden fades, his pets die. He loses loved ones to time and disease. The Christian himself dies just as the pagan.

But to the Christian, hebel was nailed to the cross. Hebel itself is fading. Christ took upon himself our sin as well as our life under hebel. His life on earth was breath-like. But, He returned. He destroyed hebel and lives in permanence. So too will the Christian. Hebel is fading. Though this life may be subject to futility and suffer from transience. The age to come will no longer be subject to it. True, lasting joy and happiness will be as permanent as Christ, as will we.

I want to start this off two ways one stating I am not a writer so forgive the mistakes that you might read. Secondly, That my greatest lessons in life happend after I became a mother.

Yesterday I found myself cooking supper and an old hymn came to mind the words that stuck out the most where I need thee every hour. Now I have no idea about the lives of most of the people that post here except to say that you guys are very well educated in theology. I choose not to get caught up in that aspect of my faith with the Lord.

I have come to relize that a lot of people I talk to feel very similar to me in the aspect of actually having a daily walk with the lord. For me it’s finding time to stop and actually spend time with him like I would anyone else. It’s investing my time and energy into a relationship with a loving/just God. I personally feel like Martha but wanting to be Mary. In a hectic world it’s hard to stop and focus on anything for a length of time. I love the story of Martha and Mary. I would like to share my prespective of this story from a mom’s point of view. So read this as that way not as a way to argue the literal translation of the passage.

Luke 10:38-41

Now while they were on their way, it occured that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha recieved and welcomed him to her house. And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving and she came to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to you that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me! But the Lord replied to Martha by saying Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; there is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion that which is to her advantage, Which shall not be taken away from her. 

Ok now let me translate this from my prespective.

Jesus is going around doing his ministry and found himself in the town where Mary and Martha lived. He knew he would be welcomed with them. And he was but I’m looking at the verse thinking how Martha must have felt. She is probably wondering what to feed them, if the linen is clean, does she have clean enough house along with many many other things that would naturally come to someone’s head when a guest comes unexpectedly. Not only that but instead of helping her, her sister is just sitting there listening to Jesus talk. I’m sure she got really angry inside before going to the Lord. She was probably jealous and wondering why why is she just sitting there doing nothing. Doesn’t she see everything that needs to be done. Mary on the other hand is living like we should stoping to relize we are in the presence of God and soaking it up not worrying about the dishes or bills for a few minutes and Just basking in the presence of a Holy Father. The Jesus flat out tells Martha to stop trying to take that away from her sister. That worrying about all the little troubles doesn’t get us anywhere but living in his presence is better.

I am willing to bet that Martha like the rest of us forget that sitting in God’s presence isn’t a to do list more a stopping point in your hectic life and relizing just who you are spending time with. I wish I could say I was like Mary but, sadly I’m more like Martha. I long to have a Mary heart though.  One way I’ve come up with ways to do this lately is spending time with him in personal way and thinking of him as someone that needs my attention as I need his. Also I try to invite him in my daily activites. Taking the boys to doctor, preschool, park and other places. When the grocery store or driving and someone makes me mad I try to think of a song or scripture that will bring joy to me. I am far far from prefect with these things but to me that’s the best thing about a relationship YOU DON”T HAVE TO BE PREFECT.

So I encourage you today to stop and bask in the presence of your loving/ Just Lord and remember just who he is.