Psalm 133:2 - Behold how good and how pleasant it it for brethren to dwell together in unity.
A few days ago I heard a song that captured my attention. I downloaded it on my phone and have not been able to stop listening to it. The song is called "City on a Hill" by Casting Crowns. The song tells of a city on hill that once was a light to all around. But something happened: As human nature would have it the inhabitants of the city began to quarrel. The poets accused the dancers of being shallow and the soldiers said the poets were weak. The old wouldn't listen to the young, etc. Before long all of the city's inhabitants ran away.
What captured me most about the song is that it is not particularly religious. It does not identify a church or a secular organization. Why? Because the problem is universal. We all have to contend with our own pride in bowing our wills to another. For most of us it goes against our nature to admit that someone else's idea might be a better one.
I know that we hear a lot about universalism these days. I am the first one to take a stand and say that there are some things I will not compromise on. But the majority or our problems don't come from having to compromise with people from without. We usally have the hardest time within our own circles. That means that the biggest contentions are usually with the ones we love the most such as our family or fellow church members. It may even be those we work around everyday.
You see, just like in the song, it is easy to forget the "why" of what we do. If we are not careful the smallest things become the biggest dividing points. I have seen dear friends become enemies over what color the walls should be painted. I think this is the real message of unity. If it is worth taking a stand over, then by all means be adamant. But if we take a second look, I think we'll find that most of the things we divide over weren't really as big as we thought they were.
Whether it be at church, on my job, or at home, I am important. But I am no more important than the other members. We all have a role to play. If it comes down to it, I'd rather see ugly paint on the walls than close the doors. So I leave you with a question: Is our mission important enough to us to keep going, whatever the cost? If not, maybe we need a fresh look at what we are doing with our lives.
Thoughtfully Yours,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
3/28/13
3/21/13
Sarah on the Rooftop
I would like to share a story about a little girl named Sarah. When I lived in Honduras, Sarah and her family lived in the apartment just above me at the mission headquarters. Sarah was three years old and quite active, even for that age. She was a lot of fun and we bonded easily.
The apartment upstairs had a small rooftop patio and a glass enclosed sunroom which was used as the living room. This room had large windows with shutters that could be opened to let in the breeze. They were opened most days because air conditioning is a rarity in this part of the world. The only thing separating the open windows from a rooftop three stories above the street were metal burglar bars. The bars were just wide enough for a child of Sarah's age to slip through and be free on the rooftop.
And that is exactly what she did ......
One afternoon Sarah's mother steeped out of the room for just a few moments, leaving Sarah playing alone. When she returned to the room, Sarah was playing on the rooftop oblivious to any danger. She was having a grand time and naturally ignored her mother's attempts to get her back to the window. Her mother sent Sarah's brother running down below to get his father. He, being a skinny fellow, was able to squeeze between the bottom of the bars and the window opening and get Sarah off of the roof. After this episode the windows were kept closed unless the adults were sitting in the living room.
How often have we, like Sarah, ignored the warnings of God's word and found ourselves in dangerous situations. To Sarah the rooftop was a grand open space on which to run and play, but her mother could see the dangers. Sarah just wasn't mature enough yet to understand this. In a way, this is what the incarnation of Christ was all about.
With freedom in mind, Adam and Eve ignored God's warnings and plunged the whole human race into sin. They saw only the open rooftop without the bars of God's commandments to keep them from their play. Yet once the deed was done, they quickly realized the fallicy of their thought process. For the bars that had seemed to confine them had also protected them from a lifetime of heartache and misery that would culminate in eternal damnation for the soul. But God, like Sarah's father, enrobed himself in flesh as Jesus Christ and came out onto the rooftop of this world to rescue us from our sin.
The next time we are tempted to do something that we know goes against God's word we might want to ask ourselves: Will this leave me out on a rooftop with no protection? If so, it just isn't worth it.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
The apartment upstairs had a small rooftop patio and a glass enclosed sunroom which was used as the living room. This room had large windows with shutters that could be opened to let in the breeze. They were opened most days because air conditioning is a rarity in this part of the world. The only thing separating the open windows from a rooftop three stories above the street were metal burglar bars. The bars were just wide enough for a child of Sarah's age to slip through and be free on the rooftop.
And that is exactly what she did ......
One afternoon Sarah's mother steeped out of the room for just a few moments, leaving Sarah playing alone. When she returned to the room, Sarah was playing on the rooftop oblivious to any danger. She was having a grand time and naturally ignored her mother's attempts to get her back to the window. Her mother sent Sarah's brother running down below to get his father. He, being a skinny fellow, was able to squeeze between the bottom of the bars and the window opening and get Sarah off of the roof. After this episode the windows were kept closed unless the adults were sitting in the living room.
How often have we, like Sarah, ignored the warnings of God's word and found ourselves in dangerous situations. To Sarah the rooftop was a grand open space on which to run and play, but her mother could see the dangers. Sarah just wasn't mature enough yet to understand this. In a way, this is what the incarnation of Christ was all about.
With freedom in mind, Adam and Eve ignored God's warnings and plunged the whole human race into sin. They saw only the open rooftop without the bars of God's commandments to keep them from their play. Yet once the deed was done, they quickly realized the fallicy of their thought process. For the bars that had seemed to confine them had also protected them from a lifetime of heartache and misery that would culminate in eternal damnation for the soul. But God, like Sarah's father, enrobed himself in flesh as Jesus Christ and came out onto the rooftop of this world to rescue us from our sin.
The next time we are tempted to do something that we know goes against God's word we might want to ask ourselves: Will this leave me out on a rooftop with no protection? If so, it just isn't worth it.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
3/18/13
Teach your child to love!
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, EPH 6:4.
I have read the scripture above hundreds of times and heard a variety of explanations on it. The basic idea seems to be that fathers are not to make their children mad on purpose. My mom used to say that she wished it had said, "Big brothers, don't make your younger siblings mad on purpose." No doubt there is some truth in this explanation but I believe it has a deeper meaning. The key words here are "bring up" and "nurture".
This verse is centered on bringing up children. All of us know that at some point a parent is going to make a child mad. Children are inmature and many times will get mad if they don't have their own way. Realizing that we can't always have our own way is part of growing up. The older a child gets, the more he or she should understand this. Any good parent would rather make a three year old mad than let him have a butcher knife to cut the cake. He may be mad at the moment but he will soon forget it when he starts to eat the cake.
I believe the deeper meaning here is that parents should not pass on their anger to their children. It is so easy to harbor anger. it is then a given that the anger will be passed on. Anger is like a boiling kettle; The pressure has to come out somewhere. Unfortunately, many times the anger is misdirected at the people we love the most.
Are you hurt over a divorce? Please don't let your children hear you talk about their other parent. It will cause them to harbor anger at both parents down the road. Were you treated wrong by an older brother? Don't tell your son, "you remind me of my brother, Sam. Why can't you stay out of trouble?" Many times children grow up with negative feelings towards people they will never meet because of words spoken in a time of frustration.
Instead of passing on the anger, let's fill our children's minds with positive things. When conversations about the offending party come, try something like "I know that person has made some mistakes but let's pray for them." When temptation to share some bitter experience arises think about the influence it may have on your child. Will my child have to deal with the anger I am feeling later on. If so I will choose not to share.
The best gift we can give our children is to teach them about Jesus and his love for humanity. We can not teach them about love and fill their spirits with malice at the same time. God help us to pass on good memories instead of anger and resentment. Make the world a better place, teach your child to love!
I have read the scripture above hundreds of times and heard a variety of explanations on it. The basic idea seems to be that fathers are not to make their children mad on purpose. My mom used to say that she wished it had said, "Big brothers, don't make your younger siblings mad on purpose." No doubt there is some truth in this explanation but I believe it has a deeper meaning. The key words here are "bring up" and "nurture".
This verse is centered on bringing up children. All of us know that at some point a parent is going to make a child mad. Children are inmature and many times will get mad if they don't have their own way. Realizing that we can't always have our own way is part of growing up. The older a child gets, the more he or she should understand this. Any good parent would rather make a three year old mad than let him have a butcher knife to cut the cake. He may be mad at the moment but he will soon forget it when he starts to eat the cake.
I believe the deeper meaning here is that parents should not pass on their anger to their children. It is so easy to harbor anger. it is then a given that the anger will be passed on. Anger is like a boiling kettle; The pressure has to come out somewhere. Unfortunately, many times the anger is misdirected at the people we love the most.
Are you hurt over a divorce? Please don't let your children hear you talk about their other parent. It will cause them to harbor anger at both parents down the road. Were you treated wrong by an older brother? Don't tell your son, "you remind me of my brother, Sam. Why can't you stay out of trouble?" Many times children grow up with negative feelings towards people they will never meet because of words spoken in a time of frustration.
Instead of passing on the anger, let's fill our children's minds with positive things. When conversations about the offending party come, try something like "I know that person has made some mistakes but let's pray for them." When temptation to share some bitter experience arises think about the influence it may have on your child. Will my child have to deal with the anger I am feeling later on. If so I will choose not to share.
The best gift we can give our children is to teach them about Jesus and his love for humanity. We can not teach them about love and fill their spirits with malice at the same time. God help us to pass on good memories instead of anger and resentment. Make the world a better place, teach your child to love!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)