After my preaching lab, my sister randomly found me on Facebook chat this afternoon. She remarked about her professor being very picky and we talked briefly about how school is going for both of us. During the conversation, she told me about a person she had trouble dealing with. I'm won't go into detail, but her solution was to ignore the person.
This made me think of the many ways I often deal with fractured relationships. The people you don't particularly enjoy being around, the types that make you angry because of bad memories, and those strangers you see on the streets that you feel would be a waste-of-your-time talking with. Yes, I struggle with these thoughts constantly. Even today, I saw a man in the middle of the street asking for donations, while driving my roommate to the airport. Even if I was Bill Gates, I think I would have driven past this person ignoring even his existence.
Why do I ignore people? Why is it so tempting to NOT pay attention to other's needs and wants? Why is it that I believe the lie that ignoring is not a sin? Oftentimes, Christians live with a list of DO NOTs in their life. Do not commit adultery...check. Do not murder...check. Do not watch the latest Harry Potter movie...check. When it comes to relationships, we are thinking, as long as I don't kill the guy or do anything too severe, I'm living a godly life. That's why its easy to ignore people. We justify to ourselves, “Hey, I didn't do anything mean. I was neutral.”
But God continually calls us to strive for perfection, not neutrality. He wants us to replace the anger and give us love. He wants to replace our sinfulness with divine attributes through the Holy Spirit. In Philippians 2:3-4 it says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Paul states it so succinctly that the reason we look only to our own interests is because we are selfish and pride lurks in our life. I ignore people's interests because I am focused on my own interests. This is essentially the opposite of love. Whether it is the people you love like your family and/or friends, or the ones you don't particularly like hanging out with, the temptation to ignore presents itself daily.
Jesus distinguishes the faithful and wicked servants based on this characteristic. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus separates the sheep and the goats. One comment that I think sums up the characteristic of the goats succinctly is found in verse 43, “I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” Therefore, Jesus commands the goats to depart into the eternal fire. This should give us cause to ponder over just how deadly ignoring others can be. God commands us to love one another, just as He loved us. And God did NOT show his love through the act of ignoring, but through the act of looking after our deepest needs.
Soli Deo Gloria
PAP
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Introduction
Howdy.
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm a 23 year old graduate student in the north suburbs of Chicago studying to go into full-time ministry. I am Korean-American (whatever that means) and I love both rap and classical music. I know its an odd combination, but almost all baroque music can take a hip hop beat if you really think about it...
Anyways, the reason I decided to blog on the Internet is because I'm so popular and everybody wants to know what I'm doing. (In reality my mom will probably be the only person following this... hehe) But I just wanted to have a place where I could post my thoughts on life and how God has been constantly working in it. I want to have another avenue to praise and thank God for all that he has done. It will definitely help me realize how present God is even when times seem bleak.
So... I've recently started reading Philippians over and over again. This is one of the Prison Epistles, which means Paul wrote this while he was in prison, probably awaiting his execution. The torment, anger, and bitterness that Paul might have felt initially is absent from this letter. Rather than seeing the situation surrounding himself and complaining/grumbling, he starts out thanking God with joy and praising him for the advance of the Gospel (1:12). It is amazing that Paul can have such perspective in this sort of situation. I reflect back on my life and realize how small my faith is when so-called "bad" things happen. Anger, complaining, and grumbling (2:14) all characterize a typical response. What is it that gives Paul this peace, joy, and thankfulness? What is the secret to being joyful in every season of our life?
The answer stares at my face as I look at the pages of Philippians. Christ is the key. Like many Sunday school questions, this answer is obvious yet a mystery when it comes to practical implementation. I think Paul gives out very applicable steps on being a thankful person.
1) The first step I see is how Paul has shifted his mind to a eternal perspective that puts the day of Jesus Christ or the Second Coming at the center of his life (1:6; 10). "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ" (v 9-10).
How often do I think about this glorious day? Honestly, very few times in my day will I stop and think of life in regards to this day. At the beginning of chapter 4, verses 8-9, Paul commands and exhorts us to think about things that are pure, lovely, honorable, and worthy of praise. There has to be a connection between the day of Christ and thinking about such things that produced the peace of God in Paul (4:9).
2) The second step that I see Paul takes in order to have the peace of God is measuring his happiness according to whether or not he is growing in his relationship with Jesus Christ (3:8). "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (v 7-8). I think this is the hardest thing to do. How can Paul really see his suffering in prison and the many other hardships in a joyful way? Well, it is because he sees such instances and situations as another opportunity to gain Christ, to get know the Savior of the universe. Which begs the question, how valuable must Christ be in order for all things to be loss in comparison? Infinitely valuable and worthy.
It is my goal for the next day or so to dwell on these truths. Please join me in praying that God creates in his people an eternal perspective that expectantly hopes for the day of Christ and a mindset of measuring joy in terms of knowing and growing in their love for Christ Jesus.
Deo Gratias
PAP
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm a 23 year old graduate student in the north suburbs of Chicago studying to go into full-time ministry. I am Korean-American (whatever that means) and I love both rap and classical music. I know its an odd combination, but almost all baroque music can take a hip hop beat if you really think about it...
Anyways, the reason I decided to blog on the Internet is because I'm so popular and everybody wants to know what I'm doing. (In reality my mom will probably be the only person following this... hehe) But I just wanted to have a place where I could post my thoughts on life and how God has been constantly working in it. I want to have another avenue to praise and thank God for all that he has done. It will definitely help me realize how present God is even when times seem bleak.
So... I've recently started reading Philippians over and over again. This is one of the Prison Epistles, which means Paul wrote this while he was in prison, probably awaiting his execution. The torment, anger, and bitterness that Paul might have felt initially is absent from this letter. Rather than seeing the situation surrounding himself and complaining/grumbling, he starts out thanking God with joy and praising him for the advance of the Gospel (1:12). It is amazing that Paul can have such perspective in this sort of situation. I reflect back on my life and realize how small my faith is when so-called "bad" things happen. Anger, complaining, and grumbling (2:14) all characterize a typical response. What is it that gives Paul this peace, joy, and thankfulness? What is the secret to being joyful in every season of our life?
The answer stares at my face as I look at the pages of Philippians. Christ is the key. Like many Sunday school questions, this answer is obvious yet a mystery when it comes to practical implementation. I think Paul gives out very applicable steps on being a thankful person.
1) The first step I see is how Paul has shifted his mind to a eternal perspective that puts the day of Jesus Christ or the Second Coming at the center of his life (1:6; 10). "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ" (v 9-10).
How often do I think about this glorious day? Honestly, very few times in my day will I stop and think of life in regards to this day. At the beginning of chapter 4, verses 8-9, Paul commands and exhorts us to think about things that are pure, lovely, honorable, and worthy of praise. There has to be a connection between the day of Christ and thinking about such things that produced the peace of God in Paul (4:9).
2) The second step that I see Paul takes in order to have the peace of God is measuring his happiness according to whether or not he is growing in his relationship with Jesus Christ (3:8). "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (v 7-8). I think this is the hardest thing to do. How can Paul really see his suffering in prison and the many other hardships in a joyful way? Well, it is because he sees such instances and situations as another opportunity to gain Christ, to get know the Savior of the universe. Which begs the question, how valuable must Christ be in order for all things to be loss in comparison? Infinitely valuable and worthy.
It is my goal for the next day or so to dwell on these truths. Please join me in praying that God creates in his people an eternal perspective that expectantly hopes for the day of Christ and a mindset of measuring joy in terms of knowing and growing in their love for Christ Jesus.
Deo Gratias
PAP
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