James 3

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Selfishness vs Selflessness

May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 krisshetter

I recently heard a riff off of Martin Luther’s theology of baptism: “I was drowned in the water of baptism but that sucker can float.” Picture your selfish flesh coming up like a zombie out of the water each morning. The battle of being fully sinful and fully cleansed commences. A battle that will not be won until the day Jesus returns and raises us from the dead. Sounds a bit disheartening doesn’t it?

Each day we face the prospect of allowing the world to take control of our thoughts and actions. Our desire to be vengeful, a worry-wort, greedy, immoral, and selfish sits at the end of the bed beckoning us like a zombie siren song.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

When I was a child, our cartoons frequently portrayed this great battle. The everyday man, when faced with even everyday choices found a little devil and little angel sitting upon his shoulder. So often the devil would seemingly win. Why? Because he brings the shiny things. The opportunities for immediate gratification, fame and glory. What the cartoons also portrayed is the angel’s way always wins in the end. The gratification of self always led to some sort of personal destruction.

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. James 3:16

The problem with the cartoons was it showed “obeying” the angel as less fun and satisfying. Isn’t that what so many of us really think when we talk about obeying God? Removing the fun out of life. Becoming monk-like in our ways. James describes disorder, lack of peace, lack of love. Those don’t actually sound like fun while the opposite does. So I harken back to the previous post’s question, “Who do you love and admire?”

When we honestly answer that question we can then get to the root of our desires. As a professing Christian our desire for “the good life” should come from a desire to selflessly love and worship God, not ourselves.

How great is your (God) goodness that you would choose us, and predestinate us to be conformed into the image of your Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren, and we the happy brethren who should be transformed into his likeness!
Charles Spurgeon

We are God’s chosen. He brings you out of the water cleansed every morning, ready to put on your full armor of God (Eph 6). Ready to please and love God, not the water zombie at the foot of the bed. We stay close to Him by soaking ourselves in His Word. Watering our roots deeply so our branches grow strong. We talk to Him throughout the day in prayer so the Holy Spirit can guide us in our fruit production. We thank Him at every possible turn so our good fruit can bless others.

We humans know, it’s implanted in our hearts and souls, that our selfish ways are destructive. But the pull is so great. It can only be counteracted by turning our face toward our Creator. Relying on Him as the broken, sinful people we know we are. To become selfless we need to be less of ourselves and instead more as people yearning to grab ahold of God’s saving mercy and grace pulling us up from the waters into His arms.

Coming up: The result of goodness

Joy In Our Obedience

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 krisshetter

I told a friend recently that maybe I should apologize to the world for the COVID pandemic. You see I had for years been praying to God for patience and joy to be cornerstones of my life. I thought if I just tried really hard at not doing certain behaviors I would succeed at this task. While I had found some success in listening to God and obeying when He asked me to take certain actions, I bucked and kicked at fully surrendering myself to Him. And then the pandemic came upon us.

As most of us experienced, our lives were thrown into chaos. Some people almost completely shut down. Loved ones lost not only their jobs and communion with family and friends, but their very lives themselves. We were placed in a state of intense fear and uncertainty. Where I live the government restrictions became egregious, almost to the state of Marshall Law. People were afraid to leave their homes. In some areas you could be fined over $1,000 just for sitting in your parked car on the street next to the beach. In another, the city “outlawed” people from driving up to senior care facilities and waving at them from their windows. Despair, anger, fear, was thick in the air whenever you made the allowed trip to the grocery store. And boy was I angry.

I became angry with the media for putting out confusing messages. At government officials who chastised us for wearing masks then not wearing masks. At neighbors who jumped to the other side of the street as though we each were walking around with deadly leprosy. I despaired over my church closing indefinitely and not seeming to care of the state of their members. I wanted to rage on social media, to my friends and my husband. Discord, not joy, was my refuge. While each day I spent hours doing my various Bible studies no less! I told my Bible study ladies, “I’m a great Christian when I’m at my house, until I walk out the front door.”

Then one day my husband, the chief operations person for a group of Alzheimer’s care facilities, came home looking completely undone. The exhaustion on his face confirmed his first words to me, “That’s it. I can’t do this anymore.” The long days and nights keeping his residents and staff safe while managing the ever-changing governmental rules had taken its toll. I realized he needed joy not discord from me. He didn’t need to hear me complaining at dinner about the latest news announcement. He didn’t need to feel my anger over something that happened at the grocery store. No, he needed me to be a mirror of the Holy Spirit.

“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”   James 3:5-6

So, my true journey of seeking joy began thanks to the pandemic. It was a test for many of us Christians. I knew my past failures meant a new approach was needed. One that was Holy Spirit directed. We can no better wish for, pressure ourselves, think into action, joy than a tree can try really hard to make cherries. But what does a cherry tree do in order to create that beautiful fruit? It allows its very essence, it’s holy purpose to do its work inside the roots, trunk, branches, leaves and blossoms. Effortlessly in full submission to its Creator.

“A Christian new birth brings a change made in the views of his mind and relish of the heart so that the regenerate person seeks his interest and happiness in God.”
Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections

You see, when we seek real change from the ugliness this world grows in us it means we seek to become who God intended us to be. People close to Him, loving Him and being immensely loved by Him. It’s no wonder “love” is listed first as a fruit of the Spirit. Without it, the rest would be impossible. In researching Christian joy, I discovered these three characteristics of a joy-filled life in full bloom.

1. Submission: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

This submission is not slave to master as some non-Christians like to portray. No, it’s a loving mentor, teacher, parent who sincerely knows and wants the best for us. But unlike those relationships we never grow out of needing the Lord to guide us. He just guides us through more difficult and more beautiful experiences. His loving omniscience is where we must put our trust.

2. Seek to Glorify God’s Will: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

With each word we speak, each action we take, even every thought it should be with turning ourselves over to God in worship. When we wake in the morning, prayer sets us on the right path in seeking ways to glorify Him to our family, friends, co-workers and strangers. In other words, the old saying, “What would Jesus do?” should be on our minds in conversations with the Spirit throughout our day.

3. Seek God’s Glorious Beauty: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15.

Jonathan Edwards’ theological focus through the entirety of his life was God is the foundation of beauty. Nature doesn’t exist for itself but for the glorification of God. I took up a challenge to think on God every 30 minutes earlier this year. Whether in my car, cooking dinner, shopping, I stop for a minute, look around and thank God for the amazing creation around me. The beautiful sky or quenching rain. The child’s laughter nearby or even the opportunity to sit in traffic so I could listen to the rest of a podcast. He is all around us in full color and glory, especially during our trials. Praise Him!

Friend, our joy comes from the love God has shown us with the work His son has already done for us. It comes from the work the Holy Spirit is doing in us. The blossom? The fruit? That’s the work He is doing through us for all the world to see.

Bible, bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, christian men, christian podcast, Christian women, Faith, Jesus, Jesus Follower, podcast, Uncategorized

The Midol Woman

September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 krisshetter

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5

I love watching the British tv show Midsommer Murders. I’m a detective fan since my young girl days of hiding my Nancy Drew books inside my school desk and sneaking it out when the teacher wasn’t looking. I pay extra on my Amazon Prime account to get these shows. Recently however, they’ve added commercials – dropped in at odd places in the show. One such commercial keeps popping up, show after show, day after day. It’s for Midol, the pain reducer typically suggested to relieve cramping and pains due to menstruation.

The commercials themselves are a testament to where we are at in society. You see, each of the women are portrayed as victims. Not necessarily of having a period but of having to deal with the pain and therefore their related behavior. I call them the Midol Women. One actress states, “If I don’t stop apologizing for my period behavior (apparently she’s quite a bear during this time) then it’ll never stop for future generations.” Another states, “I’m not going to keep apologizing for being a ‘mad black woman’ just because I’m on my period.” Period.

The message conveyed is “whatever I’m feeling today the world had better watch out!” And, “don’t make me apologize for what I’m about to unleash!”

Isn’t that the loud and clear message we hear so much today? I’m not required to keep my mouth in check because (fill in the blank – my truth, my pain, my socioeconomic status, my race, my sexuality, my whatever) but YOU had better keep your mouth in check. It all creates a bit of a neck whiplash. And the result? Pain, hurt feelings, swelling pridefulness, torn relationships, violence and more.

James 3:10-11 says, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

When it’s a Christian acting in this way we get the giant stamp of “hypocrite” placed on, not only us as individuals, but the faith as a whole. It’d be better to live by the wisdom of the Proverbs.

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.  Proverbs 29:11

This concept has really hit home for me these past few months as I’ve battled constant pain in my ears and head. I want to lash out at my husband at the end of the day when he’s being, well, just a man. Normally I could laugh and tease him. But it takes all the strength and patience out of me each day to not give in to the pain. So when someone close to me does something annoying, my strength needs to come from somewhere else. Because my tank is empty.

I don’t want to ruin a beautiful weekend by constantly gripping about how I feel. I may always feel this way if my doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong. So I have to ask myself, do I want to be the Midol Woman and demand that everyone around me accept my emotional bombs? Or do I draw on the strength of God which the apostle Paul wrote when he spoke of his constant thorn in his side (2 Cor 12:7-10)?

Believe me, I want to be cured. And I don’t like that women must suffer during their periods. I hate that people, like my mother in law, have to deal with the effects of chemotherapy. Migraines, back pain, knee pain, the list goes on and on. When we lose sight of who we belong to and what is expected of us we fall prey to being the Midol Woman. We lose control of our tongue and its ability to “set great forests on fire by a small spark.” (James 3:5)

Dear Christian, we are held to a higher standard than the Midol Women of this world. And yes, it is okay to be weak and cry. It’s okay to lose our cool once in a while and have a bad day. But to say we shouldn’t apologize for lashing out in those weak times is of the flesh and we are called to be better. God expects us to be better, and most of all to be humble. The world says it’s ok to rant, rave, slam doors, curse others – as long as it doesn’t happen to you. God says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

It’s at our weakest times that our decision to be resolute in our faith is tested. Not on the good days, not on the days our pain is masked, not on the sun shining days. No, throughout the Bible we see we are almost sure to be tested on the bad days, the days we want to stay in bed, the days it takes a full tank and we are living on just a quarter. It’s those days that when people say to me, “God is just a crutch” that I say, “Great, give me two.”