Sometimes I pray like Raphael. I come to God with one hand raised to praise him and the other hand tightly clutched on whatever idol of choice I happen to be worshipping at the time. "God, glorify yourself through me but don't touch my money or my house or my job or my kids or my health; everything else is yours, God." Maybe we aren't bold enough to pray that prayer but we get angry when one of those things doesn't turn out like we planned. Sometimes I treat God more like a waiter than the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.
Psalm 27
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
God help me to come to you with open hands.
14 comments:
this really hits home...
Amen, Grant! Is not this the prayer we all need to pray, but is it not the scariest prayer of all, expecially for me when it comes to my children and asking God to do whatever it takes to bring them back to Him!
Thanks for a good reminder today.
Okee Dokee.
Sometimes it's hard or interesting to learn that when we do ask God for things, He answers with yes, no, or wait awhile.
Okee dokee is not exactly what I said when I read the Pleasant Valley bulletin that announced our war on Muslims.
I thought Chuck's article was accurate and I agree with what he said. Here is a portion of the article so that others might be able to have a quasi-refernce point.
"On almost every page, the Koran instructs Muslims to despise non-believers. On almost every page, it prepares the ground for religious conflict. Even a cursory reading of these passages reveals a link between Muslim faith and Muslim violence.
In fairness, Christianity has had numerous episodes of violence and brutality in its past. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the Peasants’ War, and the troubles in Northern Ireland are but a few examples. But here is an important difference: when Christians behave in this unseemly way, they are doing so in opposition to the teachings of Jesus. When Muslims behave this way, they are being faithful to the teachings of Muhammed.
There is a very real possibility that Islamic fundamentalists will one day succeed in smuggling a nuclear weapon into an American port and kill millions of people. Sadly, the predilection for violence is deeply ingrained in the history of this religion. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:16). A religion that specializes in martyrdom and jihad will only continue to produce poisonous fruit."
Which portion of the bulletin article do you take issue with?
Alan, I agree that the Muslims serve a god that we do not know and that their religion sometimes causes them to do and feel things that we believe are very, very wrong and are the opposite of what Jesus wants.
However, it is a display of a lack of love and Christlike sprit that bothers me most about the article. Can you picture Jesus displaying this kind of behavior? No. He opened his arms to welcome those who did not know him. He wept for the world. He had compassion to the point of dying for the world. Think about when he used his harsh words—they were for the religious people of Jehovah, the ones who felt exclusive. He condemned the actions and hearts of the “in-group,” the ones who felt they had “all truth” and that other people were unworthy of even their kindness. Didn’t Jesus speak out strongly against the religious leaders who tried to get others to think like they did: to be people with judgmental and unkind hearts who are right in their own eyes, people who saw the world and even other Jews as not measuring up if they didn’t do what they said? So, Alan, I think anytime someone tries to tell me that we should hate a group of people or arm ourselves against a group of people rather than weeping for them and trying to welcome them and show them Jesus, it makes me resist. And we both know that this very thing has happened over and over in the name of Christ and in the name of standing up for the “truth” rather than standing with the True One.
You seem to be a tender and good person from what I read in you blog, so Alan, I am praying that you will take the time to honestly think about the possibility that “our” religion (yours and mine) can sometimes cause us to do and feel things that are very, very wrong and are the opposite of what Jesus wants. That mindset makes us not like Jesus but more like the Pharisees and like the stereotypical Muslim that was portrayed in the article. I believe you want to follow the way of Jesus and you and I both know that way is not easy and calls for loving self-sacrifice, not self-congratulations that we are not like other people.
It might be helpful to re-read the beginning of the article since it declares that we are at war with Muslims and that is not just Harris's belief but the author of the bulletin apparently agrees.
Here's the opening lines of the PV Heartlight article:
Sam Harris has a vendetta against religion. His recent best-selling book The End of Faith, is subtitled, “Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason.” The connection is impossible to miss: religion is the enemy of reason and knowledge, and is responsible for much of the evil in the world.
It is unfortunate that Harris stereotypes all people of faith as irrational and incendiary. But there is much truth in his criticism of Islam: We are at war with Islam.
Totally right on! I do that so often, & I feel so stupid when I catch myself.
I appreciate your comments and I agree with some of the things you said. But, I don't think that is what Chuck was saying. The article is in response to something that Sam Harris wrote in his latest book. Harris, in a cynical and pessimistic voice, unfairly lumps Christianity in with Islam by saying that religion in general is to blame for evil. The article response actually defends Christianity. He points out certain events in our history as abberations from the teachings of Jesus while similar historical events in the Muslim faith fall directly in line the the teachings of "the prophet". This is an interesting distinction between the two faiths and simply pointing it out is not displaying a lack of love and Christlike spirit. Of all the characterizations that can reasonably be made of Chuck, hate-mongering is most certainly not among the list; anyone with even occasional dealings with him can tell you that he's not that kind of man. He's a good man and he continues to teach and lead people into relationship with Christ. Nowhere in the article does he condemn any Muslim or advocate a hate for any group of people. He does, however, take a stand and defend the faith we profess. I applaud the article.
Alan, you are very young and I hope you will keep thinking and searching for God’s heart. It sounds like your defense of an article became a defense of a person. Words are powerful but I may be wrong about the article. Only you know if it brought you closer to the heart of Jesus and his mission, filling you with more love and grace or if it made you feel more inclined to fear and distrust a group of people.
vic,
"Snakes! Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
Doesn't sound like Jesus under normal circumstances, does it?
But the circumstances change when He addresses people who subvert and directly contradict what God has said and attribute it to Him. That is what the Koran does.
Fortunately, not all Muslims read it that way - but you have to understand that it was written by someone who returned with an army to his hometown in Mecca (which had booted him out years before) and told the city, "Convert or die."
And it's not Christianity that has declared war on Islam, but factions of Islam that have declared war on anyone they deem infidels.
I'm not a warmongerer any more than Chuck is, or Alan is. However, it doesn't help anyone to pretend that a war doesn't exist when it has clearly been declared - 1,300 years ago.
Thanks for the history reminder, Keith. As I said, those who follow the Koran often feel and do things in the opposite way of what Jesus wants. We are all in agreement there, I believe. It's what we as brothers in Christ do and how we respond to this that is of concern to me. And I do remmeber Jesus' words to the Pharisees and others who were teachers of the law--yet when he looked at the people after he said those things he said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
Please remember that I am not questioning your heart or Alan's heart if it was moved to love more fully after reading the article.
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