What's That You Say?

I recently taught a lesson in my middle school class at church about complaining and murmuring, most were unfamiliar with the latter. They may not have known the word but they sure knew how to do it!

Murmuring or complaining is one of those sins that is overlooked.  Sometimes we get so focused on the “big sins” such as murder and adultery that we overlook this sin — but the Lord doesn’t give this sin a free pass — quite the opposite.  It’s a killer!  This sin unleashed a plague that killed thousands of Israelites! [Numbers 16]

In this passage, we read how the Israelites, who were desperately thirsty, looked only at the fact that the water they had come to was bitter and undrinkable. How quickly they forgot their God had led them out of Egypt with signs and wonders. They had just witnessed His dividing of the Red Sea and destruction of those who had enslaved them. And yet, they returned to looking only with their natural eyes at the problem in front of them, completely forgetting the miracle working power of their God! And so they murmured against Moses. But honestly, weren’t they really murmuring against God? Once again, Moses interceded for them, revealing the faithfulness of His God to answer every impossible dilemma and provide for every need. He set the example: they simply needed to go the Lord!

So often, like the Israelites, we focus on our desperate situation with our physical eyes, rather than eyes of faith, and fall into the trap of complaining. And if you’re like me, once I start, it can be really hard to stop. Until the Lord stops me with a small question: ‘Aren’t you really complaining against me?’  I have to remember I actually hinder the Lord’s answers to my problems by unbelief…murmuring!

Let’s not allow this sin to gain a foothold — because it can easily become a stronghold! The same wonder working God that led the children of Israel out of Egypt is still at work today — but are we hindering Him? If we are grumbling and complaining, the answer is, “YES!” And in so doing, until we stop, we are missing out on His answers and blessings which are waiting in the wings to meet our faith in Him!

Religion vs. Spirituality Continued

The most common misconception about religion is that Christianity is just another religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Sadly, many who claim to be adherents of Christianity do practice Christianity as if it were a religion.

To many, Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules and rituals that a person has to observe in order to go to heaven after death. That is not true Christianity. True Christianity is not a religion; rather, it is having a right relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior-Messiah, by grace through faith.

Yes, Christianity does have “rituals” to observe (baptism and communion). Yes, Christianity does have “rules” to follow (do not murder, love one another, etc.). However, these rituals and rules are not the essence of Christianity. The rituals and rules of Christianity are the result of salvation. When we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, we are baptized as a proclamation of that faith. We observe communion in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. We follow a list of do’s and don’ts out of love for God and gratitude for what He has done.

The most common misconception about spirituality is that there are many forms of spirituality, and all are equally valid. Meditating in unusual physical positions, communing with nature, seeking conversation with the spirit world, etc., may seem to be “spiritual,” but they are in fact false spirituality.

True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. True spirituality is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a person’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit (John 4:24) and having our character conformed to His image (Romans 12:1-2).

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both religion and spirituality. Jesus is the One to whom we are accountable and to whom true religion points. Jesus is the One to whom we need to connect and the One to whom true spirituality points.

Be careful when you hear people saying things about being more spiritual than religious. What are they really saying? Find out what they think that means. As I said yesterday, word usage and understanding can be a slippery slope. Your definition and understanding of the words 'spiritual or religious' may be completely different than theirs.

'Spiritual' people may say they believe in God but is their God the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph? Do they believe God is the Father of Jesus, a part of the Holy Trinity? You may run across someone whose god is the 'energy' of mother earth. I'm not making fun, that's a belief of someone I actually know.

You've heard me say many times that it is not enough to read (or hear) something and be able to take it as gospel. It is critical that we understand the meaning and context in which it was written and/or said by the author and intended for the reader. 

Ordering a biscuit in my town will get you a circular flaky pastry suitable for butter and jelly or gravy. Ordering a biscuit in England will get you a cookie. Same word, different meaning. This illustrates my point perfectly. Both words are in English but is the person doing the ordering from the U.S. or England? Context and understanding of the other person's thinking makes a difference. My cousin married a woman from England. I was visiting their home many years ago and she offered me a biscuit. It was late afternoon and I thought it was an odd time for a biscuit but I didn't want to be rude, so I said I'd take one. She brought out a plate of cookies. I learned a valuable lesson in communication that day.

Communication is a wonderful thing, it is an exchange of ideas and philosophies. Assumption of intent can be dangerous, destructive and deceiving. Talk, share ideas, get to know others beliefs. Just because they may different than your own does not mean you shouldn't interact with them. Who knows, maybe that's God opening doors of opportunity for future witnessing about your faith.

Spirituality vs. Religion

I had a phone message yesterday where the person calling wanted to know the difference between religion and spirituality. That’s a very popular question. After eight pages of links on Google I had still not found one entry that was written by any mainstream Christian faith organization. I knew what my opinion was on the subject but I was curious as to what the ‘churches’ had to say on the subject. Considering how popular this question is…a lot of people are asking and Churches are not the ones providing the answers. Does anyone besides me have a problem with that?

Before we explore the difference between religion and spirituality, we must first define the two terms.

Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshiped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.”

Spirituality can be defined as “the quality or fact of being spiritual, non-physical” or “predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.”

Religion revolves around a sense of community of believers following the same teachings and beliefs about their God or gods.

Spirituality in a personal journey where one endeavors to bring oneself to a higher state of enlightenment on a spiritual level.

For the sake of answering the question posed by my caller…if someone is saying they are spiritual but not religious, they are saying they do not go to church. People following a ‘religion’ can be spiritual but people claiming spiritual statuses only are not religious.

As a lover of words, let me say this can be a tricky slope of word usage. As a Christian, I am a spiritual person, we all are. God is spirit, we have the Holy Spirit in us…no way should we say we are not spiritual people.

It is those choosing not to follow any sort of established denomination or faith where man has created rituals which, in some cases, define that faith who say they are spiritual not religious.

Tomorrow we will look deeper into this.

Persevere in the Dry Times

1 Corinthians 1:9, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Remember the newness and excitement you felt when you first came to Christ and tasted closeness with Him? The things of the Spirit, which were once foreign, are now treasured and sought after. The spiritual mind maintains a conversation with God as we see with Enoch, "Enoch walked with God," Genesis 5:22. In Enoch, we see the spiritual mind interacting with God.

Once we have tasted the goodness of God, walked with Him, fellowshipped, and communed with Him, other things pale in significance. However, we have all known a time, a season, or a situation when we find communion with the Lord distant, and walking with Him is done with difficulty. It seems that in these difficult times, we must press on and look to the Lord to restore our dull hearts. There may be times when you feel isolated from God. Nothing is lonelier than knowing that sweet fellowship with Him and then spending time thinking you’re taking that long hike around the spiritual desert.  

I suspect that it is during these times that we must be most aware of temptation. We are never to let our guard down, but when we are in a weaker spiritual state, we must be ever more vigilant against temptation. One thing we can do, even when we are struggling, is seek out the fellowship of other believers. Fellowship refreshes the soul.

A good way to jump start our prayer lives is to take prayer walks. This gets us out of the house and away from the distractions that naturally come with being home. Reading the Bible is my go-to reading but in the heaviest of spiritual oppression, there have been times when I would read a while, then not have a clue what I just read.

I know from past experience that is the time I must get outside myself and problems and work for the Lord…somehow, some way, some activity (like the prayer walk) or doing for others in His name. We tell Him we give Him our life; that includes our hands, feet, time and energy. There is nothing like a little physical effort for others in His service to wipe away anything clouding our spiritual line of communication.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

A Peek at the Past

As a writer, I really enjoy words. I love it when I find a phrase that jumps off the page at me. I found one such phrase this morning in my reading. It was, ‘…his heart was simply encrusted with rebellion.’ If you don’t get a visual from that, read it again because it paints a vivid word picture.

I’ve mentioned before there is a small trickle of rebellion still lingering in me of which I am fully aware. It used to be a raging river. Without boring you with detail, I had a difficult road to traverse as a child growing into a teen while forced to live with abuse. I learned to stand-up for myself to maintain any emotional survival. Any opposition was declared rebellion. Sometimes it actually was. Suffice it to say, I did not (as the comment goes) ‘go along to get along’. I learned to take a stand; I became a ‘principle fighter’. Even then I knew the difference between standing up for what I believed in and rebellion for the sake of rebelling. I was proficient at both.

Maybe that’s why the phrase ‘…his heart was encrusted with rebellion’ resonated so soundly with me. Maybe its impact was in recognizing a reflection of my former self more than the turn of a poetic phrase. Who knows? God has tempered my attitudes, my mouth, my actions…every area of my life. For those of you that only know me from this time in my life and yet still consider me ‘taxing’ to deal with, you don’t even know the start of it. All I can say is that God has done a mighty work in me and I have faith that He will complete what He has started.

My rebellion these days is largely limited to going In the Out door at Wal-Mart. That may seem a silly thing to you but for me, it’s my way of standing up for myself and declaring the infamous, invisible THEY can’t tell me what to do. There it is - my trickle of rebellion.

I’m thankful I saw my page jumping, ‘…his heart was encrusted with rebellion’ line today. It reminded me from whence I came and how much God has done in my life. I am far down the road in my Christian walk from the hard-headed, independent thinking, soapbox cause-preaching rebel I once was but I am not anywhere near where I need to be. Thank You, God, for the reminder and for the peek at how far You have brought me.