Archive for April, 2014

Ridiculing for my own pleasure

Friday, April 25th, 2014

I like to think that I’m funny. And I really like it when my wife laughs at my jokes. Tonight a couple of my comments at home took a sarcastic, mocking turn for the worse. Although it was in private, and I’m confident no one else will ever hear the words I spoke, I’m still convicted that it was sinful for two reasons. First, because what I say comes from the overflow of my heart. Thus I must be holding evil in my heart at some level to ridicule the person as I did. Also because this person is a child of God. If I overheard someone making fun of one of my children, I would definitely be upset. How angry God must be at me for making fun of His child!

Heavenly Father, please forgive me. I am wicked and deceitful. Please forgive me for saying ridiculing things towards one of your children tonight. Please enable me by the power of Your Spirit to overcome the temptation to speak evil. Please clean me from the inside out. In Jesus name, amen.

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Talking about my kids

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

It’s fun to get together with other parents that have small children and talk about your kids. There’s so many adorable things to share and listen to. But I’ve fallen into a trap. More than once, I’ve gone too far and have been too loose with my tongue. Tonight I was joking, but made a reference about the lack of intelligence of one of my children. This was in front of other parents, my kids, and their kids. First of all, it was not honoring or respectful. I’ve dedicated my child to the Lord so in my mind He is the Lord’s child as well. This is a huge sin to make fun of a child of the King. Secondarily, I don’t know how much he could understand at one year old, but if I let this carry on, one day he will understand. As the proverb says, death and life are in the power of the tongue… (18:21). I want to impart life via my words to my children not death.

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for dishonoring your child and your gift. Please place a deep conviction on my heart of my sin and remind me to guard my tongue when speaking about others. In Jesus holy name, amen.

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Gluttony

Monday, April 21st, 2014

Whenever I’m home and not busy (like today), I suffer from terrible want. My taste buds and stomach rule my thoughts. My urge is to drive to Braums right now and buy a chocolate malt. Is that a sin? No, not in itself, but in the overwhelming desire that rules my thoughts and actions. I scour through all the pantry just to see what chocolate I can find to stuff in my mouth. This appetite reveals something about my heart. I’m not satisfied or content, and I’m always looking to feed my fleshly desires. My heart’s strong desire should be for my loving, living Lord.

Will I go get chocolate ice cream? I don’t know, maybe. But I definitely won’t be going anywhere until I struggle through this with God and get my heart in the right place.

Holy Spirit, please fill and consume me. Change the desires of my heart from earthly temporary pleasures to the eternal lasting pleasure to be found in You. Please forgive me for dishonoring you by settling for lesser pleasures. In Jesus name, amen.

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Impatience and a lack of love

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

My children drove me crazy this morning. For the last hour we were together, I was harsh and short with them. I repeatedly raised my voice at little provocation.

Galatians 5:22 reminds me, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

I had none of that this morning. Why? I’ve learned a lot about myself recently through the book “Strength Finders” by Tom Rath. By taking the online test associated with the book, I learned that Positivity is my greatest strength. I love that; thank you Jesus! I enjoy using my positivity to uplift and encourage. I enjoy using it to infuse situations with energy and excitement. But like every strength, it has a down-side. There is the sinful distortion of every strength into an associated weakness. What do I believe my sinful bent is?

Rath says this to people with the Positivity strength, “Avoid negative people. They will bring you down.” And here is what he suggest for those that work or live with positive people, “Cynics quickly sap this person’s energy. Don’t expect him to enjoy cheering up negative people. He will do better when asked to energize basically positive people who are simply in need of a spark.”

Rath hit the nail on the head. I had never thought about it much, but I always hated being around whiny people. Complaining is my pet peeve. I show little (if any) sympathy for people that throw pity parties.

Why did my children annoy me so much this morning? Well, they woke up extra early and were very whiny (as 1 and 3 year olds often are). It took very little before my self-preserving sin started jumping all over them. Instead of choosing to call upon the Lord for strength, I took aim to shoot down all the negativity around me. I showed no regard for my children’s best interest, but only in preserving my joy and peace.

Heavenly Father, have mercy on me. Thank you for your good gifts that I do not deserve. Please forgive me for lashing out at others. Help me die to myself and love others as you have modeled for me. Fill me with your Spirit and restore to me the joy of my salvation. In Jesus name, amen.

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No love for the lost, or cowardice?

Friday, April 18th, 2014

My conscience has been plagued the last few days by a lunch encounter I had with a stranger this week. To make a long story short, he jumped into conversation with me and my co-workers with some IT questions. The first of my sins was to be put off that he interrupted my rather fun lunch with some technical questions which I didn’t want to answer. The sin of selfishness wanted what was easy and fun for me rather than to submit myself as a servant to this stranger (parable of the Good Samaritan?). Also to laugh at his ignorance (if only in my mind) because he asked a seemingly silly question furthered my sin. Pride reared its ugly head, and I internally classified (judged?) the individual. After I played my best avoidance card and allowed one of my co-workers to answer his question, we had a reprieve from conversation. I was fairly certain this was a non-believer, and I felt moved (convicted?) to extend the conversation by inviting him to church. I opened my wallet to look for an invite card (always an easy way out), but when I didn’t find one, I settled. I made an effort to call out to the young man as he was leaving, but he didn’t hear me and I let it be. I even had another chance again as we were leaving the restaurant and saw him in the parking lot, but again I chickened out.

In short order, I had committed the sins of selfishness, pride, and rejected the Spirit’s prompting. The fruit of the Spirit were not on display in me because I know that love would have reacted exactly opposite to how I did in every way.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me. If not for your grace, I would be outside of your family. I repent of these sins, and I ask with faith that you would overcome them in my life by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

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