How Ignorant Can You Be?

The panelist on the news program made no effort to conceal her disgust with those on the ‘other side.’ Her professed aim was dialogue. Her demeanor spoke more than her words and plainly said, “I think you are ignorant, unworthy of my time.” Her intellect and accomplishments blinded her to any other perspective other than her own. Recently I read about a professor who is black and an evangelical Christian. George Yancey said that he has experienced active discrimination because of his race but that it is nothing compared to the prejudice he deals with in academia where it is widely assumed that no one could be an intellectual and a serious Christian at the same time. He finds it nearly impossible to bridge the chasm that pride, presuppositions, and stereotypes create. (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/a-confession-of-liberal-intolerance.html)

The conceit of 'knowing it all' is not just the curse of the rich, or the famous, or the Right, or the Left, or the Christian, or of the atheist! 

A man just assumes a woman could never understand his world. 
A woman decides, in advance, he would not want to understand hers.
A black American insists that a white one ‘doesn’t get it,’ and the white American simply decides it’s easier not to have the conversation.
Republicans and Democrats talk past each other, hearing the words but missing the meaning, both convinced they are the better patriots. 
Young and old people do it. 
Parent, do you listen to your child or are you so full of 'adult' that you do not really pay attention?

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2, NIV) Those few words are packed with meaning for us who are secure in the love of Christ Jesus.  We freely acknowledge that we do not know it all, we are able to listen with a tenderness that allows them to speak.  We are marked by patience that lets them find their words and thoughts and, even when they are simply wrong, we are willing to hold on, steadying the dialogue with careful reason as we search for clarity. Among Bible’s collection of wisdom, we find these gems:  "Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." (Proverbs 16:19-21, NLT)  

I am not suggesting that all ideas are of equal merit. There are a lot of foolish people spouting nonsense in our world. (I think that 24/7 cable news channels exist for them.) Our response cannot be to shout louder, to demean people with attacks. In the Spirit of Christ, let us pray for humility, for the ability to listen, to really talk with others – even those who far from our perspective. There is much to learn when we let the Light in us shine in every situation.

Here is a word from the Word.  Lord, speak to us.  "About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:1-4, NLT)

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Spirit of God, descend upon my heart,

Wean it from earth, thro' all its pulses move.

Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,

And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,

No sudden rending of the veil of clay;

No angel visitant, no opening skies,

But take the dimness of my soul away.

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King,

All Thine own, soul, heart, and strength, and mind?

I see Thy cross, there teach my heart to cling.

O let me seek Thee and O let me find.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh.

Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,

To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,

One holy passion filling all my frame,

The baptism of the heav'n descended Dove,

My heart an altar and Thy love the flame!

Frederick Cook Atkinson | George Croly

© Words: Public Domain

Set your anchor

Are you a steady person, faithful to God and others through the up’s and down’s of life? Many of us are convinced that being ‘happy’ is so important that we will discard promises, quit a job, leave a marriage, and even abandon our pursuit of God in our quest for fulfillment and not experience the slightest awareness of guilt or remorse.  Feelings reign in some like a king! Emotions do enrich us. God made us capable of knowing joy, sorrow, love, hate, peace, and fear. We need not adopt a stoic detachment to live whole lives. But, beware - emotions as changeable as the weather.

Is your relationship with God primarily based on emotions? 
Have you set an expectation that loving God means always feeling ‘in love’ with Him?

Our soul surges with devotion and faith today, but then the next day we wonder if our prayers are making it past the ceiling. We may awaken to the dawn with a joyful songs of assurance in the morning only to find ourselves feeling adrift and lost as evening sets in. Such swings of emotion do not indicate that we are broken or that our faith is flawed! It reveals that we are ‘human.’  

That is why the Scripture teaches us about perseverance! "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 10:35-11:1, NIV)  Where you read ‘persevere’ in that passage, the Greek (the New Testament’s original language) word is ‘hupomone,’ which literally means ‘to stand under.’  It describes a steadfast commitment, the choice to be loyal, to hold onto purpose.

Our Christianity needs to be anchored in God, not in ourselves! We trust in His unwavering promises, in His immutable (unchangeable) character, in His perfect salvation. The Word tells us that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17, NIV)  God never blows hot and cold like we do. He is not the God who says “yes,” when He means “no.”   

After a time of intense difficulties in which he despaired of life itself, Paul wrote about the strength of the Lord that sustained him, that will keep us as well. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:20-22, NIV)

Set your anchor on the Rock, Christ Jesus. Do not deny your emotions, but do control them. Here is practical counsel for us, that will keep us steady, on course, and effective in the service of the Lord.  "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace." (Hebrews 13:7-9, NIV)

___

Father, do a work in my heart and mind

that will help me to enjoy the richness of my emotions

but that keeps me from being a slave to my feelings.

May the promises of Your Word and the

guiding Presence of the Spirit keep me

on true course for my eternal home.

Teach me to build strong, lasting ties

to those who have a mature, consistent faith

so that their example and leadership will be

a valued resource for this life.

Jesus, may I grow daily in Your grace. Amen

What’s that smell?

The human sense of smell (Olfaction) is probably the most under-rated of our senses. Humans can differentiate between millions of odors. Did you know you can smell emotion? Things like fear and disgust produce sweat that betrays the emotion even if the person tries to conceal it. Our emotional response to others is sometimes an unconscious reaction to the way they smell, and I just don’t that sweet perfume or wretched body odor, either! We enjoy a great meal as much through the sense of smell as we do our taste buds! Women usually have a better sense of smell than men, but every wife knows that, right? By the way, your dog’s sense of smell is about 44 times better than yours.

The Bible says that God, “through us, spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV)  Our lives should awaken an awareness of Christ Jesus today as we bear the distinctive mark of His love and goodness. Those who live and work around us will develop an imprint similar to one that a beautiful woman who is wearing just the right perfume creates as she walks through a room. Ask any man if he’s ever noticed a fragrance before a face?

Regardless of how much deodorant we put on, each of us has a unique odor that comes from our body chemistry. Our smell can be masked, improved by good hygiene (please!), changed by disease or illness, but we just have our own unique olfactory stamp.  Jesus creates a unique fragrance in us, too; one that cannot just be sprayed on in the morning! The sweetness of His Presence develops in us and becomes a part of who we are, making an unforgettable impression on others when we spend time alongside of them.  Some, the Scripture says, will detect Jesus in us and react to Him as one would to a beautiful fragrance. Others will recoil from His Presence in us like humans do to the stench of a decaying corpse.

The question is – is the smell of Jesus’ life on you, in you?  

Do you want to spread the aroma of Christ in your world?

Come to Jesus and let Him wash you clean.
Paul talks of the stink of sin that we once carried, but then tells us that "you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV)  Are you ‘clean’ through Christ?

Ask the Spirit to fill you with new life, a transformation that is inside out! 
Let love replace hate, joy replace sorrow, peace replace anxiety.  Remember, living in the Spirit is an ongoing experience, not a once and done thing. We are being “transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)

This new week pray to carry the beautiful fragrance of Christ with you. Pray for His Presence to be remarkably part of you. And, make a Kingdom difference for the glory of your Savior!

____________

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His wonderful passion and purity.

Savior divine, all my nature refine,

‘Till Your beauty is seen in me.

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