Apathy: lack of interest or concern; indifference.
How do I capture my frustrations on paper, with this preposterously simple language?
God has become the great American myth. Our American Freedoms are destroying Christianity. It isn’t hard or significant to claim you follow Christ. It hasn’t been for years. People that are willing to sit still and discuss God seriously are few and far between. Those that decide to stand against the flow of society and imitate Christ are seen as religious Zealots rather than heroes of faith.
I know how it goes. When you see man who is on fire for God and is sold out for him you think- ‘he should be a pastor’. WHY is a pastor considered any different than an average Christian? Aren’t we all commanded to follow Christ and to do so with an intensity that will keep the world from conforming us?
People have stopped even faking they love Christ. God is this Myth in the back of their mind. The Crutch they lean on when life is hard. When things are good- when he blesses them the most- is when they turn away and claim to not need him. If their salvation be Real, it’s small mediocre and honestly worthless. If your faith is not active and working through your life, what worth is it!? Not by works we are saved- Yes. However, if you are ignoring basic commands like ‘Go and further the kingdom’, or you don’t even strive to please God at all; How do you have faith in your salvation at all? Why do you think you are saved if no fruit is produced! Do you have no shame or Doubt!? Why Claim to belong to Christ at all and yet decidedly stand on the corner of Christianity and whore yourself out to Society!?
Ok. A little Harsh. Perhaps the apathetic are saved; however have lost sight of what Christ has done for them? Doesn’t everyone have evidence of what God has done to their lives? I’m not saying that God has the #1 place in my life like he should. Not by A long shot but Like I said in my last post, God has been reminding me a lot recently of his mercy. How far he has taken me, but also showing me how far I need to go.
It's really Ok if you don't pursue Christ, he Doesn't really care. <--sarcasm
This is a Summary of an exercise that was assigned for my Spiritual Formations class I'd Like to Share...
The Assignment is to draw on a graph your spiritual "lifeline". With 10 ups and downs logged. Why are these points significant to you? What made you think of them?
Take a few moments to really ponder the lowest point in your life.
Think now about where God has brought you to today.
1. Who are you Today?
2. What is your public image?
3. Who Are you REALLY when people aren't watching?
I don't know how you respond to looking back on your life, but I am brought to my knees by where God has brought me. I lay crippled with the thought of what he has done. Not that I'm amazing now, but I alone know how low and wallowing in my sin I was before he came a long. He alone has transformed my life. He Alone Could.
I no longer have to hide who I am. My Shame can be replaced with absolute gratefulness and love.
This is a long Post, but I hope its Worth Your time to read it.
: An “Unreasonable conceit of superiority” or an “Overweening opinion of one’s own qualities.”
-Oxford English Dictionary
“Shall I, Lord Jesus, dare speak to you, I who am but dust and ashes? Truly, if I think myself any better than ashes and dust, You stand against me, and my own sins also bear witness against me. That I cannot Deny. But if I despise myself and set myself at naught and think myself but ashes and dust, as I am, than your grace will be close to me and the light of true understanding will enter into my heart, so that all presumption and pride in me will be drowned in the valley of meekness, through perfect knowledge of my wretchedness.”
- Thomas á Kempis, From "Imitation of Christ"
I am reading Steering Through Chaos by Os Guinness for my Spiritual Formation’s class. It is very convicting. If the whole book is like the first chapter- I would Highly suggest finding a copy and reading it. The First chapter is on Pride. I have never really thought of pride as the root or mother of most other sins. Furthermore, I hadn’t realized how much of an issue it was in my own life.
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Here is a condensed version of my thoughts on the first chapter.
The World's View of Pride is Completely different than the bible's. This Worldly thinking has forced its way into the church, poisoning this already sick and dying institution. The World mixes and skews the lines between self-achievement, Self-Respect,and Pride. Think HAPPY thoughts about yourself!
The biblical view is different. Nebuchadnezzar was struck down in his pride- even though he may have earned his position. He Created a majestic Kingdom. Ruler of Mesopotamia. Standing on the Top of his palace Viewing the glory of what HE had created. As You'll remember, God struck him down to the level of a beast for a period of time for his blasphemous thinking. How dare we as Human Beings consider that we can possibly earn anything without God’s direct involvement!? God gave Nebuchadnezzar his title and position, and just as quickly God Took it away. God is Not one to be trifled with. How can we Dare to stand against God, claiming he is our savior and believe in our hearts that we become the people that we are on our own?
It is all too easy for me to notice that others are prideful; however it is ridiculously hard to know when oneself is being Prideful.According to C.S. Lewis, the easiest way to tell if you are prideful is to notice how much it bothers you when others are prideful or mistreat you. The very fact that you think you’re so important that others should treat you well shows you are prideful. Although that may seem extreme at first, Think about it. By thinking You are deserving of being elevated by other people is what? PRIDE!? I honestly didn't think myself a Prideful person until I read this chapter. Do you know how TICKED off I get when others are being prideful or mistreat me? Yea, you say thats normal... Huh. Sin is pretty Normal last time I checked. I Additionally realized Selfishness, lust, and anger are all caused by pride. They all come from A high view of oneself and a low one of others.
I would stretch the concept in the book and ad my own thought by stating that by being prideful we are ignoring Christ’s actions on the Cross. He humbled himself from being the creator of the universe to die and save us. By being prideful we show that we believe that our sacrifices and hardships are on the same level and scale as Christ’s sacrifice. Our slight “mistreatment” is usually an epic display of others disrespecting us. We aren’t being lifted on a pedestal by the rest of the Human Race; may it never be!
There was a small selection from the 15th century writer, Thomas á Kempis that was amazing. An excerpt from his writing was the quote at the beginning of this post. I believe it's view on Pride and humility is 100% correct. By knowing and living in the realization of our wretchedness perhaps we can lose our pride. We could acquire true understanding by opening ourselves up to God with what the world would consider extreme humility.
This Chapter was very good in helping me explore and realize my own Pride. Even though it may not seem like it to me all the time, I’ve realized that pride is the driving force to the majority of the sin in my life. If the rest of the chapters are this good, this Semester is going to be amazing.
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I'm going to post my thoughts on each Chapter As I get to them, so something like one chapter a Week.
