Do I insist on doing it MY WAY?
I have a tendency to use that line from the song sung by Frank Sinatra (with a slight personal modification) which now says "I'll do it my way". In the Lord's prayer we say "Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". It's a choice we have to make to submit our wills to him.
What word comes easiest to a child. NO! It pains me, if I see children rebelling against their parents. I see this in supermarkets, in car parks, everywhere.
We teach (sometimes force) our children to try to be the best, to beat the other children at all costs, to be top of the class. Get what you want, make yourself heard.
We even have people pay good money to have someone tell us to 'visualise yourself being successful', and unfortunately I see this type of mentality and teaching creeping into many churches. Especially the television evangelists. Now, I do admit there are some God anointed pastors preaching the word on television channels. People like Pastor Charles Stanley from Intouch Ministries comes to mind, but there are too many 'show business pastors', lovers of self image and not lovers of souls.
The 'name it and claim it' pastors, the type of pastors who say "Sow 1 dollar to get 100 dollars back" type pastors. Pastors who fleece the sheep rather than care for and shepherd their sheep. (I feel my blood start to boil ,and as I have high blood pressure it is not a good to have 'boiling blood', so I will stop there). Do they not realise that they will be judged more sternly for their sins?
God's will is not being fully done on this earth as YET. But a day is coming when it will all be put right. Until that day, may we follow the example of our Lord, when he daily submitted himself to the will of the Father. He said he did nothing on his own initiative, but only that which he saw the father doing, and heard the father saying (John 5:19,20,30). "Not my will but thy will be done" was the Lord's prayer. May it become ours.
Finally .......... a thought for to-day
When you grasp, you lose; when you give to God, you gain.
Showing posts with label Self. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Self. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Part 6 Self-Sufficiency
Do I feel that I don't need to know God, to know God's love?
The majority of the world has this attitude to God. Humanists in the UK pay for adverts to be put on busses with a slogan that says "There's probably no God! Now stop worrying and enjoy your life".
Notice what the humanists are implying? All your worries are down to this superstitious belief in a God that probably does not exist they say, enjoyment comes in ignoring God. Have you come across masses of people worrying about the existence of God? Are our churches full of people looking for God?
A more sinister aspect of this type of propaganda is that by implication those who believe in and serve this living God are part and parcel of the problem, it is us who are keeping back the full 'freedom' that allows individuals to 'enjoy' life.
But back to my question, what do I think of me being self-sufficient? If I were to ask that question as my 'old man' just living to satisfy my flesh then my answer would be Yes I am self sufficient. But the God shaped vacuum in each of us can only be filled by God. Any time I have looked to achievements or possessions to fulfil me I find the 'buzz' the 'satisfaction' is very short lived.
But my inner being, my soul and my spirit can only be touched by the Lord. My sense of belonging, my reason for existence is found in the Lord and fully realised when I put on the 'new man'.
Lord may I learn to rely on you more and more so that my life can be fully lived based on your sufficiency.
Finally ......... a thought for to-day
To master temptation, let Christ master you.
The majority of the world has this attitude to God. Humanists in the UK pay for adverts to be put on busses with a slogan that says "There's probably no God! Now stop worrying and enjoy your life".
Notice what the humanists are implying? All your worries are down to this superstitious belief in a God that probably does not exist they say, enjoyment comes in ignoring God. Have you come across masses of people worrying about the existence of God? Are our churches full of people looking for God?
A more sinister aspect of this type of propaganda is that by implication those who believe in and serve this living God are part and parcel of the problem, it is us who are keeping back the full 'freedom' that allows individuals to 'enjoy' life.
But back to my question, what do I think of me being self-sufficient? If I were to ask that question as my 'old man' just living to satisfy my flesh then my answer would be Yes I am self sufficient. But the God shaped vacuum in each of us can only be filled by God. Any time I have looked to achievements or possessions to fulfil me I find the 'buzz' the 'satisfaction' is very short lived.
But my inner being, my soul and my spirit can only be touched by the Lord. My sense of belonging, my reason for existence is found in the Lord and fully realised when I put on the 'new man'.
Lord may I learn to rely on you more and more so that my life can be fully lived based on your sufficiency.
Finally ......... a thought for to-day
To master temptation, let Christ master you.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Part 5 Self - Righteousness
The most difficult part of this 'self' examination is now before me.
The problem with being self-righteous is that it is very difficult to see it in yourself, or at least I do. We have a tendency to judge ourselves by the standards of others around us.
Usually we are 'calibrated', to what we believe to be an acceptable moral standard, through our family upbringing. We have the influence of societies standards, usually taught in a school and / or work environment, developed as we interact with others from outside our families.
I have a personal belief, that more and more in what passes for acceptable moral standards, comes from the 'eye' that sits in the corner of most living rooms. Yes! the television that beams the daily 'soaps', the daily doses of so called reality television , all pumping out 'dross' that is called entertainment. The subtle message is repeated over and over again, always the same, over and over.
"This is the age of enlightenment, everyone has the right to do what they want to do. There is no absolute right or wrong!".
For a Christian (especially in the UK) to say that they believe that many of the topics being promoted in these programmes are a sin in the sight of God, leads to these Christians being labelled as 'Narrow Minded' and 'Bigoted'. There is no room for the concept that God's standards are not the standards of the world.
So what is my difficulty with self-righteousness? It comes down to 'judgement' not in terms of decision making but judgement of myself against others. I find it very easy to judge others, in an interview situation, I have found myself making a judgement on a prospective candidate, just as they entered the room, before they had a chance to speak a word.
But what about some introspection, some detailed self examination? Well! that is a different matter.
As I said in a previous post a few days ago. "I like me". So I do find it difficult to be critical of my actions, and even my motives for taking those actions. Many times I have found myself in the role of a Pharisee saying "I thank you Lord that I am not like those other people". Remember the line from the song "Oh! Lord it's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way"should be playing in the background when those thoughts come to mind. (However: The next line in the same song I can easily reject as not being attributable to myself).
Ever find it difficult to think of a 'small size','medium size', 'big size' sin to confess to the Lord? We rank everything. It is as if we have an internal scale of justice that we use to measure our actions and other's actions against.
Other people's actions / motives on one side, and our actions / motives on the other side of the scale. My scales are not evenly balanced, I am very lenient when I judge my actions / motives, and I can usually come up with a justification or some mitigating circumstance that attempts to cover my tracks.
But I am reminded that the Eyes of the Lord can see through my deception.
It is only when I judge myself against God's perfect standards that I can see the gap in real performance. When I fall short of his perfect standard, I sin.
Isaiah 64:6 'But we are like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness's are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away'.
God's appearance is so intense that it is like an all consuming fire that burns everything in it's path. No man can see God and live in his fallen state. If we are so impure how can we be saved? Only by God's mercy. He forgives us based upon the work of our Lord and his death upon the cross.
1Peter 2:24 'Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes we are healed'.
Lord help me live not in my own righteousness but remember that it was you who bore my sins and iniquities so that I might live. A sinner saved by grace.
Finally .......... a thought for to-day
Calvary's cross is the ONLY bridge to eternal life
The problem with being self-righteous is that it is very difficult to see it in yourself, or at least I do. We have a tendency to judge ourselves by the standards of others around us.
Usually we are 'calibrated', to what we believe to be an acceptable moral standard, through our family upbringing. We have the influence of societies standards, usually taught in a school and / or work environment, developed as we interact with others from outside our families.
I have a personal belief, that more and more in what passes for acceptable moral standards, comes from the 'eye' that sits in the corner of most living rooms. Yes! the television that beams the daily 'soaps', the daily doses of so called reality television , all pumping out 'dross' that is called entertainment. The subtle message is repeated over and over again, always the same, over and over.
"This is the age of enlightenment, everyone has the right to do what they want to do. There is no absolute right or wrong!".
For a Christian (especially in the UK) to say that they believe that many of the topics being promoted in these programmes are a sin in the sight of God, leads to these Christians being labelled as 'Narrow Minded' and 'Bigoted'. There is no room for the concept that God's standards are not the standards of the world.
So what is my difficulty with self-righteousness? It comes down to 'judgement' not in terms of decision making but judgement of myself against others. I find it very easy to judge others, in an interview situation, I have found myself making a judgement on a prospective candidate, just as they entered the room, before they had a chance to speak a word.
But what about some introspection, some detailed self examination? Well! that is a different matter.
As I said in a previous post a few days ago. "I like me". So I do find it difficult to be critical of my actions, and even my motives for taking those actions. Many times I have found myself in the role of a Pharisee saying "I thank you Lord that I am not like those other people". Remember the line from the song "Oh! Lord it's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way"should be playing in the background when those thoughts come to mind. (However: The next line in the same song I can easily reject as not being attributable to myself).
Ever find it difficult to think of a 'small size','medium size', 'big size' sin to confess to the Lord? We rank everything. It is as if we have an internal scale of justice that we use to measure our actions and other's actions against.
Other people's actions / motives on one side, and our actions / motives on the other side of the scale. My scales are not evenly balanced, I am very lenient when I judge my actions / motives, and I can usually come up with a justification or some mitigating circumstance that attempts to cover my tracks.
But I am reminded that the Eyes of the Lord can see through my deception.
It is only when I judge myself against God's perfect standards that I can see the gap in real performance. When I fall short of his perfect standard, I sin.
Isaiah 64:6 'But we are like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness's are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away'.
God's appearance is so intense that it is like an all consuming fire that burns everything in it's path. No man can see God and live in his fallen state. If we are so impure how can we be saved? Only by God's mercy. He forgives us based upon the work of our Lord and his death upon the cross.
1Peter 2:24 'Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes we are healed'.
Lord help me live not in my own righteousness but remember that it was you who bore my sins and iniquities so that I might live. A sinner saved by grace.
Finally .......... a thought for to-day
Calvary's cross is the ONLY bridge to eternal life
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Part 4 Self - Dependency
Lord do I have a tendency to do things alone without your help and guidance? I know the answer before asking the question.
Ever try to witness to someone without asking the Lord for help & guidance? Guilty.
Ever promise the Lord that you will do this and you won't do that and then reverse the order by not doing what you said you would do, and doing the things you said you would not do? Again Guilty.
Do you go ahead and try things that you know in your heart, in your very spirit the Lord is telling you, or has told you, not to do? Once more guilty.
I would love to say these types of self-dependencies have only been one-off occurrences in my life, but sad to say I am a very very slow learner and have repeated this pattern many times.
When I was growing up during my childhood, the biggest fear I had was not meeting what I believed to be my parents expectations. Expectations of academic success, expectations of attaining the same success as my brother, expectations of 'being a somebody'.
Looking back I am now convinced that these expectations were mostly in my own mind, but as a child when you know that you haven't the ability, either academically, or physically to attain certain objectives, and you so want to please your parents or loved ones, then to succeed you have to rely on your wits and become a master of illusion. The picture of a swan calmly moving on the surface of the water, while below the water the feet are frantically paddling away to keep afloat best illustrates the feelings I had at that time.
I became very dependent upon my own ability, I could not admit I needed help. I had to become self-dependent.
When the Lord saved me I knew that he wanted all of me. He wanted me to depend upon him for my life, for my future, for my very existence. I am still in this moulding process. I still have a tendency to hold onto the 'old man' and I still have a tendency to do things in my own strength but I am never failed by the Lord's love and forgiveness.
So it comes down to dying to self. (Everyday)
"Come unto me all you who are labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest". Matthew 11:28
Finally........... a thought for to-day
God gives strength in proportion to the strain
Ever try to witness to someone without asking the Lord for help & guidance? Guilty.
Ever promise the Lord that you will do this and you won't do that and then reverse the order by not doing what you said you would do, and doing the things you said you would not do? Again Guilty.
Do you go ahead and try things that you know in your heart, in your very spirit the Lord is telling you, or has told you, not to do? Once more guilty.
I would love to say these types of self-dependencies have only been one-off occurrences in my life, but sad to say I am a very very slow learner and have repeated this pattern many times.
When I was growing up during my childhood, the biggest fear I had was not meeting what I believed to be my parents expectations. Expectations of academic success, expectations of attaining the same success as my brother, expectations of 'being a somebody'.
Looking back I am now convinced that these expectations were mostly in my own mind, but as a child when you know that you haven't the ability, either academically, or physically to attain certain objectives, and you so want to please your parents or loved ones, then to succeed you have to rely on your wits and become a master of illusion. The picture of a swan calmly moving on the surface of the water, while below the water the feet are frantically paddling away to keep afloat best illustrates the feelings I had at that time.
I became very dependent upon my own ability, I could not admit I needed help. I had to become self-dependent.
When the Lord saved me I knew that he wanted all of me. He wanted me to depend upon him for my life, for my future, for my very existence. I am still in this moulding process. I still have a tendency to hold onto the 'old man' and I still have a tendency to do things in my own strength but I am never failed by the Lord's love and forgiveness.
So it comes down to dying to self. (Everyday)
"Come unto me all you who are labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest". Matthew 11:28
Finally........... a thought for to-day
God gives strength in proportion to the strain
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Part 3 Self-Centredness
I love me! - who do you love? If our body (flesh) could speak I am sure it would say exactly that. We use the word centre to ‘position’ things in the English language. We hear things like ‘Centre of the universe’, central government, central command etc. Young and not so young people ‘in love’ will often be heard to say to their loved ones, “you are the centre of my world”.
A bit of trivia I learned recently is that the town in which I was born, Banbridge in Northern Ireland is ‘the most central position’ on earth that is the furthest distance from known earthquake fault lines. So if you hate earthquakes it is a wonderful place to live.
So being self-centred puts me at the epicentre of my existence. The goal is to please number one. ME.
I find it interesting to reflect on these different aspects of self. They have tendency to merge into one another. But I am finding that there are subtle differences that can be discovered.
I view self-centredness as a character trait that does just what it says it will do. The self-centred objective will be to get what you want no matter the possible detrimental effects to others. I would go as far as to say that true self-centredness means that you will do anything to get your 'own' way.
So am I the centre of my world, or is Jesus the centre of my world? Oh! how I would love to be able to say to is the Lord Jesus that is my focus, my centre, but I know that I would be lying if I said that. I still do many things to please me. Knowing that I could be using my time to things that I know would please the Lord, still does not necessarily mean that I will put the Lord first. Often these can and do take second place in my life.
I have to make a conscious choice each day to put off the old man. I have to make a choice to die to self.
Finally .......... a thought for to-day
The world crowns success; God crowns faithfulness.
A bit of trivia I learned recently is that the town in which I was born, Banbridge in Northern Ireland is ‘the most central position’ on earth that is the furthest distance from known earthquake fault lines. So if you hate earthquakes it is a wonderful place to live.
So being self-centred puts me at the epicentre of my existence. The goal is to please number one. ME.
I find it interesting to reflect on these different aspects of self. They have tendency to merge into one another. But I am finding that there are subtle differences that can be discovered.
I view self-centredness as a character trait that does just what it says it will do. The self-centred objective will be to get what you want no matter the possible detrimental effects to others. I would go as far as to say that true self-centredness means that you will do anything to get your 'own' way.
So am I the centre of my world, or is Jesus the centre of my world? Oh! how I would love to be able to say to is the Lord Jesus that is my focus, my centre, but I know that I would be lying if I said that. I still do many things to please me. Knowing that I could be using my time to things that I know would please the Lord, still does not necessarily mean that I will put the Lord first. Often these can and do take second place in my life.
I have to make a conscious choice each day to put off the old man. I have to make a choice to die to self.
Finally .......... a thought for to-day
The world crowns success; God crowns faithfulness.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Part 2 Self - Advancement
Following on from Yesterday's post, I am not sure that I am going to like this weeks review on SELF. I know what I said about myself 8 years ago and a cursory glance at what I wrote back then tells me that I have not moved on in many of the areas of my life.
Before I start, I have to say that I like me. I am very content with who I am, and I have no wish to model myself on anyone else apart from the Lord.
Therein lies the first problem. I like this me. I like to please and pamper this body of mine, I like to exercise my mind with things that interest me. As for my soul & spirit, well in thoseaspects of my life I let the Lord take care of that. But I am very aware that if I have not handed over my complete 'being' to the Lord, then an inner conflict can and does take place.
So how does this affect self-advancement in my life? The first sin committed by Adam was a case of self-advancement. Believing that he would become like God Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequence for this sin required our Lord to redeem us back to God and the world and mankind has suffered ever since that day.
I believe that the desire for individuals to promote self, to be the head and not the tail. To lead and not to follow is in our fallen DNA.
As I approach retirement in a few years time I regret wasting so much energy on my quest for self advancement. The maneuvering, the worry, the fretting, is all vanity. Solomon is right life lived with that mindset is all vanity.
I wish that I had realised what I am about to say many years ago! An advantage to getting older is that you have a longer time to look back over, and in looking back, I can see that God has watched over me all my life, even before I became a Christian.
Through his grace I have prospered in all the jobs I have taken, and have been blessed in my marriage and in my family.
There is a saying that I use when talking about about experience which goes: 'Experience is something that tells you when you make the same mistake twice'.
But the truth about experience with the Lord is that learn that he can be relied upon to be with you, to guide you, to mature you in the things of God.
Humility, meekness and a servants heart, are not natural in the world. Most people would see those attributes as a weakness, I have never seen any business leader with those attributes, just the opposite.
Putting others first, walking that extra mile with those in need might be easy to do once in a while, but to do it continually in a life long service can only be realised through God's intervention in our lives.
Being God centred, moulded with God's DNA gives us his power that allows us to be humble, meek, and have a servants heart. In that condition we find true life.
Lord promote the advancement of your kingdom in my life and not my self-advancement.
Finally ........... a thought for to-day
To live for Christ, we must die to self.
Before I start, I have to say that I like me. I am very content with who I am, and I have no wish to model myself on anyone else apart from the Lord.
Therein lies the first problem. I like this me. I like to please and pamper this body of mine, I like to exercise my mind with things that interest me. As for my soul & spirit, well in thoseaspects of my life I let the Lord take care of that. But I am very aware that if I have not handed over my complete 'being' to the Lord, then an inner conflict can and does take place.
So how does this affect self-advancement in my life? The first sin committed by Adam was a case of self-advancement. Believing that he would become like God Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequence for this sin required our Lord to redeem us back to God and the world and mankind has suffered ever since that day.
I believe that the desire for individuals to promote self, to be the head and not the tail. To lead and not to follow is in our fallen DNA.
As I approach retirement in a few years time I regret wasting so much energy on my quest for self advancement. The maneuvering, the worry, the fretting, is all vanity. Solomon is right life lived with that mindset is all vanity.
I wish that I had realised what I am about to say many years ago! An advantage to getting older is that you have a longer time to look back over, and in looking back, I can see that God has watched over me all my life, even before I became a Christian.
Through his grace I have prospered in all the jobs I have taken, and have been blessed in my marriage and in my family.
There is a saying that I use when talking about about experience which goes: 'Experience is something that tells you when you make the same mistake twice'.
But the truth about experience with the Lord is that learn that he can be relied upon to be with you, to guide you, to mature you in the things of God.
Humility, meekness and a servants heart, are not natural in the world. Most people would see those attributes as a weakness, I have never seen any business leader with those attributes, just the opposite.
Putting others first, walking that extra mile with those in need might be easy to do once in a while, but to do it continually in a life long service can only be realised through God's intervention in our lives.
Being God centred, moulded with God's DNA gives us his power that allows us to be humble, meek, and have a servants heart. In that condition we find true life.
Lord promote the advancement of your kingdom in my life and not my self-advancement.
Finally ........... a thought for to-day
To live for Christ, we must die to self.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Part 1 Self
I have grown accustomed to finding out that what the world values, what the world respects, what the world hold up as exemplar is 180 degrees opposite from what God values, respects and would most likely say is an exemplar standard of life.
As I have gotten older I have gone through some decades when the world changed it's focus and direction.
In the 60's the goal was for individuals to 'Find themselves'. The world was taken over with 'free love'. In the 70's the goal was to 'Improve yourself' pamper your inner being, in the 80's the goal was 'Please yourself' get more things like bigger cars, bigger houses, the 90's up to the present day is all about 'Expressing ourselves' it is all about me.
Notice the common thread? Self. The Lord told us to die to self to find true life. The world says live for self, please self, magnify self. I am always struck when watching shows like 'American Idol' or the UK version of the same programme called 'Pop Idol' (Please Note: I do not have ownership of the TV remote control) how the young hopefuls and the not so young hopefuls crave 'fame and fortune' how their 'lives will be over of they do not succeed to become the next Pop Idol'. Nothing wrong in getting on in this world but if your motivation is just to please self, then it will cause problems in any relationship with God.
There is a God shaped vacuum in every individual that cannot be filled with material things, or wild living, it can only be filled with God.
About 8 years ago I was on business in Montreal in Canada and I heard Dr Charles Stanley give a sermon on the topic of SELF LIFE. He asked listeners to examine themselves against the certain criteria. I did this 'self' examination of myself back then, and over the next week or so I intend to do it again. Maybe it is something that we should all do for ourselves on a regular basis.
Here are the criteria:
Self-Advancement – am I always trying to get ahead and think only of what people think of my status and of me.
Self-centredness – am I the centre of my world or is Jesus the centre of my world.
Self-dependency – do I have a way of doing it alone with God’s help and guidance.
Self-righteousness – do I feel that I do not need God’s forgiveness.
Self-sufficiency – do I feel that I don’t need God and his love and guidance?
Self-will – Do I insist on doing it my way.
Just as a contrast in Galatians 5 verse 22 & 23 it says:
‘But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Finally .......... A though for today
The Bible is a mirror that lets us see ourselves as God sees us
As I have gotten older I have gone through some decades when the world changed it's focus and direction.
In the 60's the goal was for individuals to 'Find themselves'. The world was taken over with 'free love'. In the 70's the goal was to 'Improve yourself' pamper your inner being, in the 80's the goal was 'Please yourself' get more things like bigger cars, bigger houses, the 90's up to the present day is all about 'Expressing ourselves' it is all about me.
Notice the common thread? Self. The Lord told us to die to self to find true life. The world says live for self, please self, magnify self. I am always struck when watching shows like 'American Idol' or the UK version of the same programme called 'Pop Idol' (Please Note: I do not have ownership of the TV remote control) how the young hopefuls and the not so young hopefuls crave 'fame and fortune' how their 'lives will be over of they do not succeed to become the next Pop Idol'. Nothing wrong in getting on in this world but if your motivation is just to please self, then it will cause problems in any relationship with God.
There is a God shaped vacuum in every individual that cannot be filled with material things, or wild living, it can only be filled with God.
About 8 years ago I was on business in Montreal in Canada and I heard Dr Charles Stanley give a sermon on the topic of SELF LIFE. He asked listeners to examine themselves against the certain criteria. I did this 'self' examination of myself back then, and over the next week or so I intend to do it again. Maybe it is something that we should all do for ourselves on a regular basis.
Here are the criteria:
Self-Advancement – am I always trying to get ahead and think only of what people think of my status and of me.
Self-centredness – am I the centre of my world or is Jesus the centre of my world.
Self-dependency – do I have a way of doing it alone with God’s help and guidance.
Self-righteousness – do I feel that I do not need God’s forgiveness.
Self-sufficiency – do I feel that I don’t need God and his love and guidance?
Self-will – Do I insist on doing it my way.
Just as a contrast in Galatians 5 verse 22 & 23 it says:
‘But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Finally .......... A though for today
The Bible is a mirror that lets us see ourselves as God sees us
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