I have been taking some downtime in August. Right now, I am actually on my first real vacation in a long time and spending it with the brethren at Polishing the Pulpit.
If you are here, look for me!
Blog
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Refreshing and Renewing
Polishing the Pulpit -
How NOT to Build a House
There are no shortcuts to laying a proper foundation Since I have moved to Texas, I have heard a lot of radio advertisements about fixing the foundations of houses. The ground here seems to have a tendency to settle over time, causing instability in many buildings
Also, I am amazed at how many houses are gone in Galveston because of hurricane Ike in September, 2008. Years later it is evident where houses used to be – the results of inadequate foundations.
It is very evident how important it is to follow design specifications when building houses in Texas!
In the same way our building foundations are tested by the elements, all of us will be tested by God in his time. Paul uses this metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 to help us make sure we are prepared for the judgment.
- There is only one sufficient foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11) – People tend to get away from focusing on Christ’s sacrifice and build up around programs and “good” things forgetting to point others to salvation.
- He leaves it to us to build up from there (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) – Everything we build will be tested. The good materials will stand. The poor materials will burn away.
- The Spirit will be grieved when our “temple” falls (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) – If we are the temple of God, then we need to take care of it like it is his temple.
There are plenty of opinions on the exact meaning of these verses, but one thing is very clear: Christ provides the only authorized specifications for our spiritual foundation. Anything else puts God’s temple at risk.
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The Value of Men’s Wisdom
The sum of human knowledge… If you wonder why the world has become more and more divided over the Bible and God’s existence, Paul explains it quite well:
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18
He also gives an example from Isaiah 29:14, where man’s “wisdom” has failed God’s test when the Jews faced the Assyrians. (1 Corinthians 1:19)
When we consider the wisdom of men, we can point to a number of examples that it fails in time:
- The pyramids of Giza are interesting, but a colossal waste
- Encyclopedias from the 1970’s are almost useless
- There has never been a permanent government
- Today’s advanced electronic device becomes tomorrow’s doorstop
And even though Newton’s theories were used to get to the moon, they have been discovered to have flaws.
God’s word has never failed. It has never been superseded. The more we dig into it, the more we see how solid the wisdom is.
It is full of advice that remains as sound today as it was when it was put on paper.
It is a plan for living well and stress free.
It is the story of our Creator and what he has in store for us.
If we give it its due, its rewards are without limit!
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Contentious Christians
Church divisions hurt the Lord’s church The thing that weakens the church the most is the people being people.
Paul’s opening comments in 1 Corinthians deal with members grouping up according to who baptized them. The person who immerses us into the water is probably the least important thing about this step toward salvation, but we see that they found a way to make it an issue. (1 Corinthians 1:10-13) Paul taught Christians to unify the church by focusing on the single source of faith. (Ephesians 4:1-7) We often forget to do that.
Paul also gave us a pretty good standard to follow to help us avoid similar situations.
He named names (1 Corinthians 1:11)
Paul told everyone where he heard about the divisions that were forming and showed us the key to avoiding rumors and gossip – Never say anything you wouldn’t want quoted. Paul goes on to deal with their specific problem, but we can use his pattern to solve our own issues.
The only way we will ever come together on divisive situations is to return to God’s word. More and more, we hear language such as “I think,” or “I believe,” or “In my opinion.” In the Dale Carnegie classes about conflict resolution, the participants are taught that these kinds of words never have a place in an argument. The class teaches the students to lead with factual sources.
This is doubly true when it comes to discussing God’s word.
There is only ONE Lord …
The only thing that matters is what HE said.
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The Ship’s Rudder
The tongue is as powerful as a ship’s rudder The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.A wise warning to someone who will listen
is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry. – Proverbs 25:11-12 NCVNothing can change a situation faster than words. Even the words I select in this post will determine your decision to finish reading it.
Like the Proverb writer, we love to be around those that always seem to know just the right words to say. Right or wrong, we choose our leaders, form opinions and make life altering decisions based on the words of others.
But we can be like that for them!
Not all of us need to be great orators, but training our tongue is a God given duty. It is how we are able to carry out the great commission. (Matthew 28:18-20) Look at what James said about the power of the tongue: James 3:2-10. When offering God to others, let’s make sure our words right ones spoken at the right time.
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Standards
A scale only compares against standard measurements The Lord hates dishonest scales, but he is pleased with honest weights – Proverbs 11:1 NCV
When one takes a measurement of something, she is only comparing the object against another. When we react to our environment, we mentally gauge everything we see, hear and do against some other standard in that exact same way.
Baseball sized hail is dangerous. A baseball sized scoop of ice cream is not quite enough.
When you find yourself justifying a decision you are about to make, do you measure it against the standards of men or of God?