Today #Trust30

Today...

Today’s prompt:
Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.

Here’s my sentence:
Today is filled with Wonder and possibilities!

So Long Self #Trust30

Well my reading has taken me in an interesting direction in the last few days. I just finished Ayn Rand’s classic Anthem and I am in the midst of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance. These books have drawn me into contemplating the self. It’s an interesting thing to debate. In Anthem, Rand begins with a world that is solely and completely collective, anything individual is seen as sin and evil. The main character tries to live within this context but something continually draws him toward his own individuality until eventually he breaks free. This is the best of self. We were created as individuals and following the crowd in this fallen world is rarely a good idea. God made us each unique and different and that is a wonderful thing.

Emerson also speaks on individuality and the hazards of following the crowd yet his writing seems almost hostile to faith at times, either that or he is speaking out about the foibles of organized religion, something with which I have also publicly wrestled. In fairness I have only gotten about a quarter of the way through Self-Reliance so far and so I press on. I go into this a bit conflicted as I am to a large degree a proponent of personal responsibility, yet as a believer in God I realize (or at least believe) self-reliance is a myth, we all rely on God.

I guess what it comes down to is this. We were each created as unique individuals and that is something awesome and never to be squelched, but we were also created for community. My strengths are your weaknesses, your strengths my weaknesses and together we achieve much more than we do alone. Self can be the most corrupting of all idols and the most deceptive since our every instinct is self-preservation, but self in itself is neither good nor evil. The best way to be yourself is with an eye toward others. When we focus on others we become better individuals.

To be your best self, don’t be selfish. So-long self.

Be the Body: Whatever Gifts

This is a painting I did in my church worship service this past Sunday. It’s pretty simple. I preached on Spiritual gifts as part of my Be the Body series. As you see it come together you’ll notice it’s a painting of Jesus with a gift in his hands. The question is, is he giving the gift or receiving the gift? The answer is both. Sorry to sound so noncommittal but basically what happens is God gives us the gifts and our purpose is to use them and give them back to Him by living out His purposes in the world.

Romans 12:1 and 2 says it this way:
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God has given us many gifts. He didn’t give them all to any of us because He wants us to pool our resources, live in community and be more together than we can be apart. He wants us to Be the Body of Christ. There is one gift He has given to each and every believer though. The gift of salvation through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. With Him comes another amazing gift, The Holy Spirit, who lives in us and among other things gives us all these wonderful Spiritual gifts. The gift of Jesus is a gift we could never repay. The best we can do is offer God our whole lives. That’s what it means to be a living sacrifice. When we take everything we have and we lay it all on the altar, that’s real spiritual worship and the act of offering ourselves to the Lord makes a change in us. We want His ways over the world’s ways and His plans over our own. Realizing the sacrifice Christ made for us will change the way we think and the more our way of thinking lines up with His the more we can discern His will.

God is good and He gives good gifts. What are you giving to him?

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
2 Samuel 5,6; Proverbs 3; Psalm 57
You can also download your own chart here.