Monday, December 9, 2013

Hijacking Your Train of Thought

…take every thought captive to obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

Whenever I catch myself letting my thoughts travel without a conductor, I enjoy halting my train of thought and following the tracks back to the original station. It’s amazing to see the random station stops and where the root of our thoughts can lead.

However, we shouldn’t track down our train of thought only when we enjoy it. When our thought-trains steam with anger, roaring down the rails, we need to follow the tracks and find where this train came from.

I heard a lady describing this on the radio recently. She described when her family was late for church and her husband was driving under the speed limit. When they were late! She began cultivating infuriated thoughts toward her husband. But she stopped herself and asked why she was irritated.
Because he’s driving under the limit.
Why does that bother you?
Because we’re going to be late.
Why is that so bad?
Because I want to be on time.
Why?
So we can look professional and punctual to all the other church families.
Ohhh, so you just want to look good; this is a pride issue. And that’s why you’re cross.
She found the root problem and told herself, We’re going to be late, and that’s how it is, and that’s okay. Her feelings of anger dissolved; her runaway train of thought was back in control.

This time of year, taking control of runaway trains is especially relevant. When someone exclaims, “Only sixteen more days until Christmas!” our first response is, “Agh! Don’t say that!” It’s a seriously stressful season.
Why?
Because I need to find all the perfect presents for my family and friends and decorate my house to look like a Hallmark card and I haven’t baked cookies yet!
Why is all this such a big deal?
Because I need to do this to make Christmas all that it needs to be for my family.
So Christmas is focused on family now, and on not letting people down? Is that what Christmas needs to be?
Our intentions of desiring a giving spirit and wanting to make people happy may set in motion a deadly engine of anxiety and disappointment. We must hijack these perilous thought-trains, tracing back what’s really at the core.

And once we find the root issue, we have to redirect our thoughts on a godly track. Derailing the old self and fueling the new. Letting go of anxieties and trusting His perfect sovereignty. Taking all thoughts captive to obey Christ.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”


~Klipsie

Monday, November 25, 2013

Jesus is My Boyfriend.


Yeah. No.

The "Jesus is my boyfriend" mentality is springing up all over the place in 'Christian' pop culture. Teens are facebooking on their 'relationship' with Jesus. Not as a spiritual, Savior of my Soul and Lord of my life kind of relationship, but as a gushing of emotion over quite honestly inconsequential nothings.

As soon as we get over the initial weirdness of the idea that people are 'dating' a guy who ascended into heaven almost two thousand years ago, and the fact that thousands of teens all claim to be dating the same guy, we can get to the theological issues at heart.

The proliferation of songs like Hold Me, for instance, demonstrate this mentality. While it could be argued the song has a deeper meaning than what is immediately apparent, the fact that it sounds like a song Rascal Flatts would record is a problem. When I turn to a radio station claiming to be presenting music glorifying to Christ, I don't want to hear something that, with the changing of two or three words, could be applied to a romantic relationship. It's shallow.

This goes beyond the explicit Jesus is my boyfriend idea, but on a much more common level, devaluing our relationship with Jesus as something less than what He actually is.

Jesus is Lord. I've been reading a book by John MacArthur called The Gospel according to Jesus. In it, he makes the point that the way we interpret Lord is not sufficient, as the literal translation of 'servant' in much of the New Testament is actually 'slave.' We are to be completely "sold out" to Christ. In every sense of the phrase. He has bought us with His blood, we are his servants. By elevating ourselves to "significant other" status, we lose a very important facet of salvation.

Jesus is our savior. Jesus laid down his life in one of the most terrible ways possible. We cheapen the value of such a sacrifice by elevating ourselves. If we are on such a level we can call Jesus "buddy," Then we are his equals. We wouldn't need a savior, and He most definitely would not be our Lord.

Regardless how you couch it, the "Jesus is my BF" mentality can take many forms. Even the way in which we pray can reflect an offhanded and irreverence for the saving and purchasing work He did on the cross.

Leaping Lizard

Monday, November 18, 2013

The Four Gospels Breakdown

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved…
1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Note: As I was researching, I found I really couldn’t say most of this better than how gotquestions.org put it. Please be aware most of the gospel contrasting is directly copied from gotquestions.org and is not my own work.

Why four gospels? Each gospel was written for a specific audience, each emphasizing different aspects of Christ’s life. Why not just one big gospel? Early law stated the necessity of more than one witness to verify a testimony, and all four accounts match up.

“Well, they don’t match up exactly,” you might say (I thought the same thing). Tell me, if all four gospels written by four different people matched up word for word, would you find that more credible?

Which gospel is best? Yes. They all have distinct purposes and styles, and all are inspired by the Holy Spirit. For your reading and studying pleasure, I have a small comparison and contrast of each gospel with its respective author, audience, and characteristics.

Matthew
Audience: Matthew was writing to a Hebrew audience.
Objective: One of his purposes was to show from Jesus' genealogy and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that He was the long-expected Messiah, and thus should be believed in. Matthew's emphasis is that Jesus is the promised King, the “Son of David.” The phrase “This was to fulfill the prophesy…” appears repeatedly in Matthew.
Characteristic: Matthew was a tax collector, number-oriented, and often records the number of people at events.

Mark
Audience: Mark wrote for a Gentile audience.
Objective: His Gentile focus is brought out by his not including things important to Jewish readers (genealogies, Christ's controversies with Jewish leaders, frequent Old Testament references). Mark emphasizes Christ as the suffering Servant, the One who came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many.
Additional note: This is a faster-paced, action-packed gospel, highlighting Christ’s miracles and works here on earth.

Luke
Audience: Because Luke specifically wrote for the benefit of Theophilus, a Gentile, his gospel was composed with a Gentile audience in mind.
Objective: His intent is to show that a Christian's faith is based upon historically reliable and verifiable events. Luke often refers to Christ as the “Son of Man,” emphasizing His humanity. Characteristic: He was a detail-oriented doctor and diligent historian and shares many details that are not found in the other gospel accounts. 
Additional notes: Luke also wrote Acts.

John
Audience: Mixed
Objective: John emphasizes the deity of Christ, as is seen in his use of such phrases as “the Word was God,” “the Savior of the World,” “Son of God” (used repeatedly) and several “I Am” statements by Jesus. John also emphasizes the fact of Jesus' humanity, desiring to show the error of a religious sect of his day who did not believe Christ’s humanity. John 20: 30-31 reveals his overall purpose: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Additional note: John writes in a differently layout than the first three “Synoptic Gospels.”

Although all four gospels differ from each other in style and audience, each accurately accounts Christ’s life for us to appreciate who He is and what He has done for us so that we may have life through faith in Him.

Klipsie

Sources:
Gotquestions.org
Journal33.org

Monday, November 11, 2013

How TeenPact Changed My Life



Ever since I was little, I have been terrified of public speaking.  No matter how hard my mom tried to get me involved in public speaking contests to help me get over my fear, it never quite worked.  One year, however, we heard about a weeklong hands-on government class called TeenPact designed to talk about many things including leadership, current events, government, and public speaking.  In the five years following, TeenPact has taught me that my fear of public speaking limits my potential, and has helped me towards overcoming that fear.

The first time I heard about TeenPact, I could not see past the fact that I would have to stand up in front of everyone and read a mock bill that I had written to see what other benefits the class offered. Somehow I avoided the weeklong class, but I couldn’t get out of the public speaking class TeenPact offered at the end of the week.  My sister had attended the class and loved it, but my reaction was quite the opposite.  Over lunch, while everyone else was writing their speeches, I became so nervous that I burst into tears and refused to participate—I convinced myself that I would embarrass myself and the world would end.

The next year, no matter how much I protested, I was forced to go—the phrase “dragged kicking and screaming” doesn’t come anywhere close to describing my reaction.  The thought of reading my bill in front of everyone still terrified me, but as I was waiting for my turn, one of the staffers took the time to reassure me that standing up in front everyone still scared them.  With that knowledge, I was able to go onto the stage, knees shaking, voice trembling, to read the first few paragraphs and later call my mom to say that I was enjoying it after all. After that, I let myself take everything in and began realizing that I was only holding myself back by allowing the fear of public speaking to control me.  Once I realized that I was the only thing holding myself back, TeenPact started not only teaching me leadership, government, and public speaking, but also the self-confidence I needed to help me get over my fear.

Two years later, I found myself willingly standing on that stage to argue in favor of my mock bill and answer questions about it--essentially an impromptu speech.  The next year, I did the same thing, but in addition to that, I begged to be allowed to stay for the public speaking class after the main class was over--the same one that had brought me to tears five years earlier.  Now that I was taking these steps towards overcoming my fear, I decided to take it a step further and help others do the same.  After the extreme reaction I had after my first encounter with TeenPact, if someone were to have told me that a few years later, I would be applying to staff that very same class, I would have laughed in their face.  And yet, that’s exactly what I did.   

In a span of five years, TeenPact transformed a thirteen-year-old who was scared senseless at the thought of having to give a short speech into a seventeen-year-old who was biting at the bit to become more involved in public speaking opportunities.  Not to say that public speaking no longer scares me, and not to say that it is my favorite past time, but I no longer burst into tears at the thought of giving a speech.  I simply remember what my first TeenPact staffer told me and remember that it’s okay to still be scared, as long as I don’t let it control me.

~Comma Queen

To find out more about TeenPact, you can visit their website: www.teenpact.org


Please note: TeenPact does not condemn or condone this article.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Sheep Among Wolves

"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Matthew 10:16

     I have always been intrigued by this verse. Partly because of the way it contrasts with much of the rest of scripture (John 10 for instance). Party because of the imagery used, partly because of the greater context of the passage. This verse, along with the rest of Matthew 10, is a precursor to the Great Commission, and understanding it is definitely a major part of understanding how Christians are to share our faith.

    The contrast presented here is interesting, to say the least. When we look at the rest of the passage we see that as Christ sends out His disciples to the Israelites in order to proclaim the gospel, which is not an uncommon thing for Christ to command. The language here, however, is very different from other 'commission' passages and creates some apparently antithetical ideas. Looking at verse one, we see that the disciples were given "authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." But compare that with verse 16 above. Sheep are powerless creatures, but Christ clearly gives the disciples some very powerful gifts. Another point is that the Israelites are not simply called Israelites, but rather "The Lost Sheep of Israel (v. 6)." 
Now I'm confused, the disciples are being sent out as sheep among wolves that are actually lost sheep?
Kind of. See, not all the Israelites are lost sheep. There are wolves preying among the sheep of Israel, the Pharisees. The disciples are being sent to lead the lost sheep away from the Pharisaical wolves, and to The Good Shepherd.

     The imagery used here is also very powerful. Sheep and wolves, snakes and doves. Sheep are helpless creatures, depending wholly on their shepherd for protection. When Christ gives the disciples power, and reassures them in verses 26 through 31, He is demonstrating that He will protect His sheep from the wolves, even if He isn't present. What are the wolves? Wolves are smart, dangerous hunters, capable of hunting individually and as a pack. Christ is warning us that our opponents are not clueless animals lashing out at anything they can reach, but calculating and dangerous. We need to be on our guard and to be as "shrewd as snakes."
Why do we need to be as innocent as doves though? Because in order to effectively share the good news, we need to be living out the lifestyle of one who has given over everything to Christ.

     As sheep, we are under the protection of our Shepherd. But, we are sent out into the world to confront evil and share the good news. Which is much easier said than done. Good thing our Shepherd is stronger than the wolves.

Leaping Lizard

Friday, October 25, 2013

New and Improved Article!

When I first joined Thought Box, I wrote an article on why Jesus used parables, followed by a parable of my own. Well, thanks to a recent sermon on the same, my article has had a major makeover. I learned a ton from the sermon, and I wish to pass on this enlightening knowledge.

If you already read the old version, you can now read the improved and more in-depth article!
If you haven't read my article, why on earth not? =) Check it out!

Parables—Earthly Stories with a Heavenly Meaning

~Klipsie

Update:
The link has now been added, so you can click to go straight to the previous article.

Monday, October 14, 2013

The Word of God Is...

“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.  It penetrates even to dividing soul, spirit, joints, and marrow.  It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  --Hebrews 4:12

            Whenever I see or hear this verse, I get the urge to start singing.  See, I memorized this verse at Church Camp one year by making up a song for it, so it’s now forever ingrained in my memory.  But even though I’d memorized it, I never took much time to really think about it until my pastor gave a sermon on the verse.  By now, I’m sure you all know where that statement leads…  It’s time for “Look Into the Nitty-Gritty of a Bible Verse With the Comma Queen!”

            Lets take it one piece at a time.  First is “For the Word of God is living and active…” If you look at that in the Greek, the word for “active” is “energae” from which we get the word “energy.”  So the Word of God isn’t just active, it also renews our energy.  Also, the word order is actually a little different in the original Greek than it is in our translations.  It would actually be “For living is the Word of God, and energizing.”  It’s not just “living and energizing,” but it is alive!, not just something passive. (Isaiah 55:11)

            The next phrase is “For the Word of God is…sharper than any two-edged sword.”  In my article on the Armor of God, I talked about a specific Roman sword called the “makaira” – a sharp, two-edged sword.  This was the absolute sharpest of weapons at that time, but this verse says that the Word of God is even sharper.

            “It penetrates even to dividing soul, spirit, joints, and marrow.”  This sentence is going on to describe just how sharp the Word of God is.  It cuts straight through our body and clear to the thoughts of our heart.  “It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Once there, it judges our thoughts and attitudes – none of us can judge each other or know what’s really going on, but God can.  My pastor compared the Word of God to a surgeon’s scalpel; it can be painful and cut us, but it ultimately brings about healing.

            If I were to go through and re-phrase our translation of this verse, it would look something like this:

“For living is the Word of God, and energizing.  Sharper even than the makaira, it cuts to the deepest parts of our being to bring us healing.”  --Hebrews 4:12 personalized


Comma Queen

Monday, September 23, 2013

The Real Issue at Heart


There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12

After a crazed man shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the issue of gun control shot through the minds of many. The Aurora shooting in Colorado still rings in our ears. And now the death of 12 citizens from a slaughter in the Washington DC Navy yard puts a bullet in our hearts.

I’m not writing a heated argument on why the government should or should not control our guns (although I might in a later musing). I am going to simply take this issue from a different angle. What better way to start than with a Bible verse: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Guns kill people to the same extent as pencils make mistakes and cars break the speed limit: the instrument does not play beautiful or ear-splitting music, but the player who performs determines the outcome based on instruction, practice, and a steady hand. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23).

The depravity of man is not a new thing. God flooded the world because “every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). We’re shocked at the baseness of the shooters, yet it is what we would do in our natural, sinful state without Christ. It’s the reason why we need a Savior.

The problem lies in mankind’s sinful hearts, not the means of destruction used by corrupt men. Take away our guns, give us more guns... that will never completely resolve the real issue. Only Christ can fix the true heart of the matter.

Instances like the shooting in DC should not merely cause us to consider gun control. As Christians, we should not hear these tragedies and ruminate on how dreadful a hole the world is sliding into, but how much the world needs Christ, how much we should share the good news, how much more we need to live like lights in the midst of this darkness.

“…children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” (Philippians 2:15-16, NIV).

~Klipsie

Also check out Haiku’s article “Why Bad Things Happen.”

All Scripture references are ESV unless otherwise indicated.

Monday, September 16, 2013

The Parable of the Loving Father


“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.”
–Luke 15:20b NIV

We all know the story of the “Prodigal Son” from Luke 15:11-32, don’t we?  This summer, however, I had the opportunity to hear the story told from another point of view – from the view of the prodigal son’s father.  In a time where there are countless “prodigal sons” and where the idea of a “father” is often viewed negatively due to the large number and the normality of dysfunctional families, most people tend to read this parable and relate to the prodigal son instead of looking deeper.  But what if the focus of the story wasn’t as much about the failure and redemption of the son, but of the great and unfathomable love of his father?

The story starts with the younger of two sons going to his father and asking for his inheritance.  Those of you who know much about inheritances and the like know that this kid was essentially saying, “Dad, I wish that you were dead or would at least act like it.  I don’t care about you in the slightest and I really don’t want to be here, so just give me my stuff.”  Even if his father was a jerk (if you’d never read this story before, you wouldn’t know anything about the character of his father at this point of the story), it’s pretty obvious that this young man was not being very respectful at all.  Anyway, the father, being the type of man that he is, gave both his sons their allotted inheritance and the oldest stayed with him while the youngest took everything he owned, went to a far away country, and pretty much partied all of his possessions away.  He learned the hard way that all too often, friends are only around for as long as you have something to offer them.  All his “friends” deserted him when he could no longer give them anything they wanted.  He had used up all his money and had nothing left to use to pay for things other than to hire himself out for work in the countryside where he ended up feeding pigs, wishing that he could eat even the slop they were given.  Not only did he not have enough to eat due to a famine, but his job of feeding pigs was just about the lowliest position that a Jew could take.

            During all of this, chances are that his father heard stories from others (merchants, traders, people who had visited these distant lands and heard the stories through the grapevine) about his son.  When he found out about what all his son was doing, he could’ve forced him to come home.  Instead, he allowed him the dignity of choosing for himself when he would return, even after he had lost all other dignity.  He didn’t track his son down when he came to the end of himself and rub his situation in his face by saying, “Told you so!”  Knowing his son and what was best for him, he let him finish his rebellion.

            When the father saw his son finally coming home, he was filled with compassion for him – compassion, not pity.  Pity is a bit condescending, giving an attitude of, “I’m right, you’re wrong.  I’m big, you’re small.”  Compassion, on the other hand, is loving, showing genuine sympathy even relating to the pain or sorrow felt.  The difference is all in how the action is played out.  The father was loving in his sympathy, not condescending.  The very next thing he did was to run to meet his son, throw his arms around him, and kiss him.  Now, it may seem like a semi-normal greeting for that time, but in that community and in that situation, the things he did had a meaning.  For all of the things he’d done, the son could’ve been cast out of the community, and they would even have been within their rights to stone him.  The father, however, didn’t want that to happen to his son, so he raced to be the first to get to his son.  In his hurry, he was even willing to suffer public embarrassment and loss of dignity by lifting his robe to his knees so that he could get there faster.  When weighing his own dignity next to his sons, he chose to take the “walk of shame” in his son’s place.  When the father threw his arms around his son and kissed him, he was as much greeting his son as he was protecting him from the townspeople and claiming him as his son, despite the things he’d done.

            Now if you’ve read the story, you know that the son wasn’t intending to return to take his place again as this man’s son, but instead to become one of his servants.  He had finally recognized that the things he had done were wrong, and he came back with an attitude of humility and repentance.  But the father, without a doubt in his mind and without even letting his son finish the speech he’d prepared, sent his servants back to the house to get the best robe to put on him, a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet.  They were also supposed to kill the fattened calf for a party in honor of the son’s return home.  Oh, and he told them to do all of this, “Quickly!”  He wanted to publicly reclaim the son as his own before the townspeople could do anything to him.  Again, the things he sent for had meaning.  The robe symbolized reinstated sonship, the ring symbolized reinstated authority, the sandals distinguished him as a master and not a servant, and the fattened calf was saved for use at the best party.

            Does any of this sound familiar to you?  Jesus took the “walk of shame” in our place, sacrificing his dignity for our salvation (Isaiah 53:5).  God puts a robe of righteousness around us (Isaiah 61:10) and calls us his children (1 John 3:1).  The angels throw a party when even just one sinner repents and turns back to The Father (Luke 15:10).  Hmmm . . . so maybe this isn’t just a story about a prodigal son (us) who makes the journey home again, but about a loving father (God) who allows his rebellious son to make a mess of his life because he knows that in the end, his son will return to him all the better for it.

            But wait!  We’re forgetting one crucial character in this story – the older brother.  He was out in the field while his dad and younger brother had their joyful reunion, but when he found out about his brother’s return and the feast thrown in his honor, he wasn’t glad that he was back; instead he got quite angry.  Not the reaction you would think of for someone who thought his brother was dead and just found out he was alive.  He had been obedient and stayed with his father, doing everything he was asked, but he felt like he was never rewarded, and then his rebellious brother returns home and is thrown the ultimate party; how was that even fair?  I know I can relate to that feeling.  If you think about it, there are two types of prodigals: rebellious prodigals, and performance prodigals.  There wasn’t just one prodigal in the story; there were two.  But the father’s response is beautiful: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:32)  For those of us who relate more to the perfectionist prodigals, God reminds us that we share in His wealth and have already received everything.  For those of us who are the rebellious prodigals, or new Christians, how amazing is it to know that God says this over us!  “This child of mine was dead but is now alive, and they were lost but now they are found!”

Comma Queen

Sources:


The majority of this article is based off of notes I took at a lecture at TeenPact National Convention 2013 by Bob Chambers entitled “The Parable of the Loving Father.”