Truth is Truth.
I had a friend ask me a question. I did not immediately know the answer, but suggested we ask my pastor. Her response was, "Right...but he's pretty conservative being Southern Baptist, right?"
At the time, I had no retort, no witty response or wise counsel. I nodded dumbly and changed the subject. And that was fairly cowardly of me.
Truth is truth, God is all truth, and I certainly don't consider God to be partisan to any sort of political charge. There is no "liberal" or "conservative" truth. We can't brand it, manipulate it, or assign it. Doing so keeps it from being what it is. And if it is no longer truth, then the argument becomes moot...that is to say...no longer fact.
I had a high school teacher tell me once that it was foolish to argue about facts. At the time, I didn't understand her advice. It didn't make sense that anyone would argue about something that was obviously true or false. But this is where Satan thrives. Suddenly, what is black and white he makes grey. And not just a few things.
You'll notice it with some people. They'll start off the strongest of Christians, maybe not so gifted in tact, but always passionate. Then, after awhile, they fall into a routine...don't read their Bible as often, go to church most of the time...maybe join a small group with an interesting topic. I'm guilty of this, I'm describing a lot of my past behavior. But, given enough time, they haven't been in a strong routine of accountability, study, or worship. And then a few concepts become grey. Lying...totally acceptable if it's for the "greater good." Lust...fine if it's just a thought. Marriage...not so sacred. Bible...less inspired than previously thought. Jesus...probably more human than God.
A few of you may be thinking, "Yeah...way to hop up on that soapbox." I'm not attempting to jump from one conclusion to another. You would genuinely be surprised as to how many times I have seen this pattern occur. It starts off with a tiny little thread. Then they pick and pick and pick...until their whole understanding of faith is unravelled.
Questioning is not wrong. Being lukewarm is scarier than being cold; at least when you're cold towards faith you know dang well where you stand. But when it comes to the point of not wanting to hear truth because you can no longer recognize it, even when its straight from the scripture you profess to believing...we have a problem.
Pray for my patience.
Where do you see God working?
In my heart, giving me courage to speak up where I see false teaching.
What do you hear God saying?
"Trust me. I will tell you. Listen and trust."
How do you see God working?
I feel like I'm being trained for a spiritual marathon. It's just one thing after another, lately. I love that my friends feel they can come to me, but...I'm not God.
I had a friend ask me a question. I did not immediately know the answer, but suggested we ask my pastor. Her response was, "Right...but he's pretty conservative being Southern Baptist, right?"
At the time, I had no retort, no witty response or wise counsel. I nodded dumbly and changed the subject. And that was fairly cowardly of me.
Truth is truth, God is all truth, and I certainly don't consider God to be partisan to any sort of political charge. There is no "liberal" or "conservative" truth. We can't brand it, manipulate it, or assign it. Doing so keeps it from being what it is. And if it is no longer truth, then the argument becomes moot...that is to say...no longer fact.
I had a high school teacher tell me once that it was foolish to argue about facts. At the time, I didn't understand her advice. It didn't make sense that anyone would argue about something that was obviously true or false. But this is where Satan thrives. Suddenly, what is black and white he makes grey. And not just a few things.
You'll notice it with some people. They'll start off the strongest of Christians, maybe not so gifted in tact, but always passionate. Then, after awhile, they fall into a routine...don't read their Bible as often, go to church most of the time...maybe join a small group with an interesting topic. I'm guilty of this, I'm describing a lot of my past behavior. But, given enough time, they haven't been in a strong routine of accountability, study, or worship. And then a few concepts become grey. Lying...totally acceptable if it's for the "greater good." Lust...fine if it's just a thought. Marriage...not so sacred. Bible...less inspired than previously thought. Jesus...probably more human than God.
A few of you may be thinking, "Yeah...way to hop up on that soapbox." I'm not attempting to jump from one conclusion to another. You would genuinely be surprised as to how many times I have seen this pattern occur. It starts off with a tiny little thread. Then they pick and pick and pick...until their whole understanding of faith is unravelled.
Questioning is not wrong. Being lukewarm is scarier than being cold; at least when you're cold towards faith you know dang well where you stand. But when it comes to the point of not wanting to hear truth because you can no longer recognize it, even when its straight from the scripture you profess to believing...we have a problem.
Pray for my patience.
Where do you see God working?
In my heart, giving me courage to speak up where I see false teaching.
What do you hear God saying?
"Trust me. I will tell you. Listen and trust."
How do you see God working?
I feel like I'm being trained for a spiritual marathon. It's just one thing after another, lately. I love that my friends feel they can come to me, but...I'm not God.
