“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12
When people start talking about our words, we usually hear nice arguments for why we shouldn’t use certain words or ‘take the Lord’s name in vain.’ Now, it is absolutely true that, as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain (using His name to express surprise or disgust) or use coarse language. Paul says it like this in Ephesians 5:4: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” However, I think it goes way deeper than avoiding the use of words that our society has deemed inappropriate.
0 Comments
I posted a quote a few weeks ago from the nineteenth-century revivalist Charles Finney. He stated, “Unless I had the spirit of prayer, I could do nothing.” I liked the quote when I first heard it, having read extensively about Finney’s life and understanding how much prayer had played a role in his ministry. But as I posted the meme, I thought, “What is a spirit of prayer?”
Being an internet-savvy Gen Z girl, I Googled “what is a spirit of prayer?” and watched the results load. As I slowly scrolled through them, I was surprised and slightly disappointed that none of them seemed to answer my question. Writers had waxed eloquent on what spirit we should be praying in (there’s apparently a book about that), how to enrich our prayer lives, and what it means to ‘pray in the Spirit.’ All very good things to write about and very helpful – just not what I was looking for. Christians today spend far too much time tearing each other down and finding fault with one another. As I spend time researching for various writing applications, I am constantly running across cruel comments from people who call themselves Christians, usually directed at other followers of Christ.
Now, I don’t agree with every pastor or leader out there. But that doesn’t mean that I go around tearing them down because I disagree with them. Or, worse, spreading gossip and slander about them. Or, at worst, even propagating lies about them. There’s very popular theology today that says that you will never know pain or hardship if God is pleased with you. You will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Some even take it so far as to say that if you want something, you just say it, and like a genie, God will just drop it in your lap.
If you’ve walked the Christian walk for very long, you probably already know that it’s a great idea, but it doesn’t play out very well. I suspect that it’s part of the reason people leave the Christian faith – they think that they’re somehow entitled to a perfect life. They’re taught to just pray and God will just drop whatever they want on them, no strings attached. Some preachers even teach that the fact that you’re not getting what you want means you’re living in sin. I remember when this bombshell revelation hit me. I had always known that I desired to be known – I wanted to be noticed. Let’s face it: I’m on the younger end of a large family, so it is easier for me to accidentally be overlooked or unnoticed. I would try to combat this, and it usually manifested itself in me always trying to grab attention as a child. My siblings, bless them, would get so tired of me showing off that they would then ignore me, making me start being even more obnoxious. Let’s just say it was a vicious cycle.
|
Sarah GraceHi! I'm Sarah Grace, and I'm so glad you stopped by the Wings of Heaven blog! You can find short posts for easy reading or longer, more in-depth musings! I hope you're blessed! Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|