Category Archives: Religion

Help for the Weak, Part 2: Why Give Up Your Freedoms

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On Friday I had a good time of fellowship with one of my good friends. We walked and talked and ate and talked, but nothing trivial was on our minds, though we laughed at the little things, like hurting legs and sweating like pigs in the 90 degree weather. We talked about her recent graduation from seminary, other ministry pursuits, our families, our concerns, our strengths, and our weaknesses. Then she asked me this: “Has anyone ever asked you about your love for jazz and have you had to explain it to them?” No one had and I never had to explain this freedom in Christ that I have. I told her this. She said, “I was just wondering if someone younger in the faith had asked you about it.”

“Personally, I don’t see how jazz could be a stumbling block for younger Christians. There are no words, sensual lyrics or other bad language,” I said. “But, there could be sensual notes, I guess. And the music could take someone back to a sinful time in their lives,” I added.

“Anything could cause someone to stumble,” she said. And I shook my head and nodded as she recounted her faith experience in a church that called any activity not labeled Christian as sin: going to the movies, listening to music and dancing topping the list. Her husband had to cease some activities on her sin list so she wouldn’t begin to question his walk with Christ and compare his walk with hers–his sinful and hers sanctified, and maybe even questioning if he were capable of leading her.

Through a number of experiences, including study of the Word, deep introspection and examining the lives of those strong in the faith, she has begun to walk in her freedom in Christ, publicly displayed at her 40th birthday celebration where a major portion centered on dancing (albeit to Christian music). She had begun to see that her denomination had put a burden on her that God Himself does not require. As she matured in her faith she was able to see that her attempt at pleasing God was structured by man and never intended by God. God had to reveal this to her, and my friend’s story is one we should well remember as we embrace biblical strength.

Remember, biblical strength is putting others’ needs above our own, not for some self-seeking martyrdom but for the glory of God’s Kingdom. So in the context of Romans 14 and 15, from which our text came in Part 1, we should refrain from dancing, drinking wine or listening to jazz if this will negatively affect a believer’s faith. Our voluntarily laying down our freedoms until others can grow in theirs is necessary for two main reasons: 1) so we don’t cause our weaker sisters to stumble and 2) it’s God’s job, not ours, to usher the weak in faith into maturity.

Through observation and listening, we will be able to tell which of our liberties could cause another believer to be drawn into sin. For instance, I know someone who had an issue with lust and seeing half nude images or reading a racy scene in a novel will cause her to have lustful thoughts that she will consider acting upon. I would never suggest us going to a movie or for her to read a book that might have sexual imagery, no matter how discreet or brief. We might think that all Christians should just walk in their freedoms in Christ so we might choose to encourage them to go see that movie or read that novel. When we do this, we are likely creating the stage for their downfall and trying to usher them prematurely into maturity. This is us walking in our human strength and trying to force others to ascend to where we are spiritually. We may have an understanding of our freedoms in Christ–a big part of spiritual maturity, but trying to force others to get there before time shows that we are trying to do God’s work and is a sign that we still have some growing to do.

Romans 14:4-10 challenges believers not to judge one another’s choices in honoring God because we all belong to God and He is the one who will judge us. Verse 4 gets to the crux of the matter: “Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.” God has the spiritually mature and immature in His hands and is well able, without our help, to get us to mature and please Him. As my husband, Pastor Flynn Smith, who directs our church’s Christian education department and years ago that took a group of us through a yearlong study in Romans, said: “The totality of the Christian existence is summed up in the fact that we belong to God and exist for His purposes.” We, therefore, must embrace biblical strength because that is what God has called us to. Doing so won’t cause our weaker sisters to fall into sin and will give God room to minister in their lives. God ministered to my friend and we have to trust that God will fulfill His word for others, too.

What freedoms have you had to give up so you wouldn’t cause another believer to stumble? What struggles have you had in conceding your liberties?

My One Thousand Gifts List

#651-660
Walking the Dequindre Cut with Joshua
Being available to care for a friend’s child
Flynn cooking dinner without me asking, just because he wanted to bless the family
Getting to the Prayer Walk on time
Seeing thousands of Christians gathered to pray to God for revival of the Detroit region
The wonderful praise and worship and the atmosphere of worship
God showing me four major distractions to revival: food, fellowship, fun and fame
A restful afternoon of a movie and sleep
Polishing my nails
Watching “Bride Wars”

Whitney but no Jesus

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We gathered around TVs, eyes glued there, thumbs on tablets and cells, watching and tweeting our way through. We couldn’t believe what our eyes did see: Whitney Houston was gone. We knew it to be true, though. The casket was there. The choir was there and so were “more stars than the Grammys,” said the pastor of Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church. This was Houston’s hometown church, the place where mother Cissy wanted to celebrate Houston’s life now in her death, a place familiar to Whitney, a comfortable place, fitting to send her to her ultimate home.

We gathered around TVs, tweeting the incredible, sounding off the unusual, after voice after voice talked about the Lord. Some actually said His name, Jesus, and we couldn’t believe that He was sent forth. Across the airwaves, throughout the nations folks heard about His goodness; they heard about His grace. I imagine they were hungry, on the edge of their seats wanting to know how to get this Jesus: Do I read the Bible? Do I go to church? Do I just say I love Him? Their eyes were glued, probably they knew that someone would tell them how to get them Jesus and be with Him even in death. But this they do not know, at least not from the Houston screen, the worldwide platform where the famous and familiar didn’t have to pay to say what I expected them to say: Jesus Christ, who is God, who Whitney claimed to be her God, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, but rose again after three days, defeating death and the grave. If those who say they sin and believe they need a perfect savior to help them sin less call on Jesus, that perfect Savior, to take away their sins, because they believe in their hearts that Jesus made that sacrifice, that He paid the price for their redemption, then they too will defeat death. They will have the power to live for Jesus in life and be with Him in heaven after death.

But they didn’t say this. They said the familiar, the comfortable, the unpeculiar. They blended in, went for the shout, never clarifying the doubt that surely thousands had. What God is love? How can I prioritize God? This made me sad. This made me mad that the Savior I know (and off the Houston screen the one they say they know) couldn’t hear them say that Jesus is Lord and that He said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” But their denial reminded me of what I must do on my arrivals: Wherever I go, whomever I meet I must speak the name of Jesus whenever the opportunity comes. I am thankful for a heart check, seeing if my blood freely flows Jesus and not just human red. There is power in the name of Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him, we get nothing.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10:33).

Don’t be denied.

My One Thousand Gifts List
#451-460
Getting two complimentary CDs
Connecting with an old classmate
Intimate talk with a new friend
Watching a movie with Flynn
Getting ready for church and not being stressed without having help with the boys
Being able to hear the main parts of the sermon even with the noise of the cry room
Flynn having me pick up carryout so I wouldn’t have to cook dinner
The incredible sound of thunder and the beautiful brightness of lightening
Enjoying episode two of Wives and Daughters
A shower BEFORE the boys woke up

Reluctant to Come

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The clock rang and I barely heard it, calling me to get ready for the Early Risers, the 6:30 Sunday morning prayer service at church. I rolled over, tried to sleep another 40 minutes, but the call and commitment to go pulled harder than my comfortable bed. I debated, contemplated texting that I didn’t feel well enough to come, though I was expected there. I got up, even though prayer just didn’t seem that important. Through the mumbling of thanks in the shower, the slipping on of clothes, the wrapping in my bear coat, covering with my hat, gloves and boots, I bare the day, drive, get there and determine to stay in the moments.

The brothers greet me at the door, commenting on outer warmth, not knowing the cold that still chills my soul. I sit and quietly bow, pray forgiveness for wanting what could never soothe my soul like the soul-cleansing work of talking to Jesus. And we all know this, us gathered here to press into God’s presence, to seek His face to heal or give guidance to what we face. We know we must seek Jesus in the way we know how. So the brother with the jive, who jiggles, reaches, almost dives, gets all the way live for Jesus, is there. The wailer, who drowns, covers all our prayers, is there. The shouter, belly gutting hallelujahs enough for all of us, is there. The singer, melodiously speaking her thoughts to God, is there. The repeater, rhythmically rumbling the same phrases, is there. The pastor, homemaker, government worker, full-time encourager, the hugger and crier have come. We’ve all come, weathering our storms, holding on to cling to the One who wakes us and stays with us all day. For this bunch, I am thankful.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#411-420
Hosting unexpected guests
Forgetting that I was supposed to have “me time” away from the house today
Flynn grocery shopping and buying dinner so I didn’t have to cook
Getting to bed before 11 p.m.
The children going to sleep without a fight
Awaking with little anxiety about the long day
Recording six vlog takes before I had to go see about Justus
Not fretting when I couldn’t find my old computer CD files and remembering that they might be on my desktop (and they were)
Not fretting about the possibility of losing my work when the Internet was tripping
Seeing that my video upload was complete after the Internet was tripping

Special Obligation: Christ for Christmas

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Photo courtesy of www.visualphotos.com

I’ve only bought one Christmas gift and we don’t even have up a tree. Yep, it’s four days until Christmas and we only have stockings and lights on the mantle, occasional Christmas music wafting and much talk from my 9 year old about wanting a gaming system. Praise God that my husband did some shopping online and picked up a stocking stuffer, but I have done almost nothing. This is not the Christmas season I planned, though it looks closer to the one that I’ve wanted for years. I have wanted to do away with a tree, most of the fattening foods we eat, and gifts that I still can’t figure out what have to do with celebrating someone else’s birthday. I wanted to give up the feverish frenzy of planning, shopping, plotting and hiding, trying to perfect a day whose traditions I question greatly. I wanted to focus on Jesus, celebrating His life that came to earth as human to save all of our lives.

My first major step toward this was writing the blog series “The 39 Days of Christmas,” where for 39 days I examined one Old Testament book each day for Jesus’ presence. Revisiting the posts this year has kept me centered on the One who gives life to this season. Tending to my mom, who has been hospitalized five and a half weeks and has had at least three near-death experiences, has kept me centered on the giver of life this season. Knowing that it was humanly impossible for my best friend’s 91-year-old grandma and her elderly aunts to escape the fire that consumed their home but not them this morning keeps me focused on the giver of life this season. Knowing that I have met insanity, depression, weariness, and frustration this season, but they have not become my friends, helps me rejoice this season about Jesus! Jesus must be the main focus. If not we will succumb to the ones whose job is to kill our joy, frown our smile, drown our spirit and muffle our praise. But Jesus gives life, preserves life and balances life. He is life (John 14:6). So the Christian has the special obligation to have Jesus as the central focus at Christmas time. No other way will do.

What are some ways that you have focused on Jesus this Christmas? What do you need to change in order to make Jesus the focus of Christmas? Please, tell me what you think.