Thankful

My heart is aching today for those who reject Jesus because of the Church. About six years ago while vacationing in Orlando we visited a church called Faith World. What a ride! The pastoral parking spaces all had Jaguars and Cadillacs parked in them. The foyer had a HUGE oil painting of whom I presumed to be the Pastor and his wife…I presumed right. In fact you could buy a poster of the painting in the Church's bookstore. The service was a big show and people were encouraged to stand up and proclaim “I’m a tither” each time they passed the plate. They did this THREE times. I kept thinking, why in the world would these people give three times when it is so obvious that the money they are giving is not appropriated with integrity...call it the appearance of evil by those “leading” the church. The saddest part of the service is that the message was actually decent as I recall...I mean I remember thinking, "Gee, he sounds like he knows what he is talking about." But His actions and noise around him nullified the words he spoke and screamed hypocrisy. We couldn't get our of there fast enough.

I was rereading this tonight and saw something I missed the first time...how many times have I nullified God's Word in my life by actions contrary to words that screamed hypocrisy. Today at Church we were in Matthew Chapter 8 but my eyes fell back to Chapter 7: 1-5 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." I'm pulling the plank out as I write.

I am thankful to God that He led me out of a church that was quickly becoming watered down to be more relative to the emerging generation. Through that process, the Truth of God's Word was no longer central to the service and the church began losing its salt. I’m thankful to God that He brought me to a church that goes through His Word Book by Book, Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse for full understanding of His Word. I am thankful that the Pastor of our church does not tell people what they want to hear to keep them coming back and giving money. Nor does he talk about money every Sunday. Nor does he intimidate the membership into believing what he teaches. He always presents God’s Word as truth and a choice to hear it and do it.

The choice is always there to judge the Bible or allow it to judge me. The choice is always there to look God in the face and disagree with Him because I think He is wrong. And if I can do that, then my heart is not right and why would I worship Him. Every time I hear a hard word of scripture I cringe and then pray “Lord, this is hard. I do not like it. Show me this truth in its fullness. Change my heart and make it more like Yours.” And then I walk away from it. By the next time I hear it, I have seen it played out just as He said and that He has honored my prayer and changed my heart once again. I guess that’s what taking up my cross and sacrificing my self looks like. When I love His hard words more than my selfish flesh with its sin ridden opinions, it is a sweet aroma to the Lord and it transforms my soul.

Lord Jesus, may these words of praise to you be a sweet smell to you. May they bring you glory and honor and Praise. I love You!

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2