Mathew 25-34
Luke 13-34
Psalm 37 (attn: vs 4)
God has been blessing me rapid-fire in the financial realm recently. Even when things were tight, I never doubted that my family and I would be taken care of. Uncertain financial futures don't phase me. I'm taking measures to keep stability, but I know my measures don't mean anything, so when things don't work out, no worries. :)
He's blessed me richly, and now, through an amazing chain of situations leading back 3 years, I've been able to pass the blessing on to a few other folks.
Booyah!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Evaluation of Dogma
Given my recent findings regarding tithing I felt the need to go back and find out what other dogmatic practices needed evaluation. I still have more items to look into (the sabbath, loans...) but first, I wanted to take a quick look at the basic "the old testament doesn't count... Jesus superseded the law" argument.
Findings: DEBUNKED
No ifs-ands-or-buts about it, Jesus plainly states that he didn't come to supersede (abolish) the law. As a matter of fact, you may be quite refreshed by a quick romp through Deuteronomy...
Here's my important reading list on this topic (click expand all on the list so you can see what I highlighted): http://www.diigo.com/list/ultimadj/christians_and_law
Findings: DEBUNKED
No ifs-ands-or-buts about it, Jesus plainly states that he didn't come to supersede (abolish) the law. As a matter of fact, you may be quite refreshed by a quick romp through Deuteronomy...
Here's my important reading list on this topic (click expand all on the list so you can see what I highlighted): http://www.diigo.com/list/ultimadj/christians_and_law
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tithes and Offerings - Why "Tithe" is Irrelevant...
Here's my diigo list on Tithing: http://www.diigo.com/list/ultimadj/tithing
Here's the summary of what I understand from the references and commentary by Ronald Huereca.
Basically, 10% is way less than the Jews were commanded to give. The word 'tithe' simply means tenth and it's used in 4 different giving laws. These laws were for people back when not everyone had access to the holy spirit so they needed direct and authoritative guidance. Now, we can give as much or as little as we want... simply follow the spirit and start blessing people!!!
The point is to help people that need it and cheerfully bless those around us, which is significantly easier to do when no one is compelling you to do so. The cheerful part is often neglected, yet plays a significant role in giving... like Jesus said to the pharisees, you give the money, but you completely ignore everything else. How you use your money is a good indicator of where your heart lies, but it's not the only indicator. If giving that $2,000 to a family in a bind is like pulling teeth... then it's nice that you gave, but it's certainly not out of the goodness of your heart and the motivations in your heart is what matters in the end.
So what now? Re-evaluate your tithe. Give as much or little as you feel led, but don't let an opportunity to give pass by without listening and following. If your heart isn't there yet, get into the habit of giving and it's likely that your heart will catch up. :)
Here's the summary of what I understand from the references and commentary by Ronald Huereca.
Basically, 10% is way less than the Jews were commanded to give. The word 'tithe' simply means tenth and it's used in 4 different giving laws. These laws were for people back when not everyone had access to the holy spirit so they needed direct and authoritative guidance. Now, we can give as much or as little as we want... simply follow the spirit and start blessing people!!!
The point is to help people that need it and cheerfully bless those around us, which is significantly easier to do when no one is compelling you to do so. The cheerful part is often neglected, yet plays a significant role in giving... like Jesus said to the pharisees, you give the money, but you completely ignore everything else. How you use your money is a good indicator of where your heart lies, but it's not the only indicator. If giving that $2,000 to a family in a bind is like pulling teeth... then it's nice that you gave, but it's certainly not out of the goodness of your heart and the motivations in your heart is what matters in the end.
So what now? Re-evaluate your tithe. Give as much or little as you feel led, but don't let an opportunity to give pass by without listening and following. If your heart isn't there yet, get into the habit of giving and it's likely that your heart will catch up. :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Grafting, Fabric and the End of the World
Context: Leviticus 19:19, Deuteronomy 22:9-11
So, cross-breeding is bad and mixing wool with linen is also bad. Given the wisdom we've seen with the other tidbits in the OT (how to deal with mold, viral transmission, ...) , why do we blatantly ignore this one? How many people even know about this? What is the reason behind these commands?
Is there some context I'm missing (as in the case of "everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial"...), or are our hybrid grapes, apples, mules, dogs a result of direct disobedience that is building up to some catastrophic end?
So, cross-breeding is bad and mixing wool with linen is also bad. Given the wisdom we've seen with the other tidbits in the OT (how to deal with mold, viral transmission, ...) , why do we blatantly ignore this one? How many people even know about this? What is the reason behind these commands?
Is there some context I'm missing (as in the case of "everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial"...), or are our hybrid grapes, apples, mules, dogs a result of direct disobedience that is building up to some catastrophic end?
Monday, October 22, 2007
Judges 6-8 - The Right Man for the Job
What was the draw to setting up gods?
Summary:
Israelites turn to baal
Midian wipes Israel out
Gideon is called by God
Gideon gets the job done (eliminating the threat)
He dies, Israel goes back to baals...
I like the way that God tends to pick people based on their incompetencies. It's quite a testament to his power when things pull through given that the person chosen was inadequate by typical standards. 300 men against 120,000+... you've got to appreciate those odds.
Is there something different going on when Satan tempted Jesus than when Gideon tested the Spirit of the Lord? I know that the intent was different, but I think it lends to a case that the phrase "do not tempt the Lord your God" is a perversion of "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (Luke 4:12). I get the impression that the scripture means something more along the lines of "don't push the grey line" as in Deut 6:16.
Thoughts?
Summary:
Israelites turn to baal
Midian wipes Israel out
Gideon is called by God
Gideon gets the job done (eliminating the threat)
He dies, Israel goes back to baals...
I like the way that God tends to pick people based on their incompetencies. It's quite a testament to his power when things pull through given that the person chosen was inadequate by typical standards. 300 men against 120,000+... you've got to appreciate those odds.
Is there something different going on when Satan tempted Jesus than when Gideon tested the Spirit of the Lord? I know that the intent was different, but I think it lends to a case that the phrase "do not tempt the Lord your God" is a perversion of "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (Luke 4:12). I get the impression that the scripture means something more along the lines of "don't push the grey line" as in Deut 6:16.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
1 Cor 9:25-27: Discipline
Discipline seems like a foreign topic. Moving from dance to technology was like changing worlds. In dance, you have to take care of your body, and devote a majority of your time to improving yourself, constantly keeping movement in the back of your mind, correcting your posture, working out muscle kinks before they can become an issue, changing positions before that slight discomfort becomes a stretched ligament or tense muscle...
People think I'm naturally gifted in movement, sports and computer science. All of the freedom and agility I now enjoy are a result of years of intense training. I'm still constantly trying new things and doing things that are just a little beyond my reach or patience to improve.
Paul speaks to two steps in these verses. Train to win. Apply your skills to win. I like the bit about it not being aimless. It seems that a well defined goal and a fair amount of discipline are essential to being effective. Perhaps that ever-delayed daily devotional or often shunned ministry opportunity are things that require a examples of a lack of discipline.
Thoughts?
People think I'm naturally gifted in movement, sports and computer science. All of the freedom and agility I now enjoy are a result of years of intense training. I'm still constantly trying new things and doing things that are just a little beyond my reach or patience to improve.
Paul speaks to two steps in these verses. Train to win. Apply your skills to win. I like the bit about it not being aimless. It seems that a well defined goal and a fair amount of discipline are essential to being effective. Perhaps that ever-delayed daily devotional or often shunned ministry opportunity are things that require a examples of a lack of discipline.
Thoughts?
1 Cor 9:7-14 - Get Some
vs 9, Don't keep the workhorse from enjoying the hope and results of its labor as it works.
For me, this touches on one of the issues I've had as an artist in the church. When I danced for various studios, I expected compensation for my efforts. When I danced, sang, played the drums and so on for the church, I always had issues with accepting compliments/gratification. For some reason, I had it in my head that it was wrong to accept gifts or payment for the services I provided. Even outside the church, I had a really difficult time accepting cash from someone I helped out with computer issues. This passage sort of sets my mind at ease because it sounds like he's saying not only is it acceptable to accept gratuities, those who devote the energy they would have otherwise spent in search of funds for food have the right to such payments. Granted, it's a right he wouldn't demand, nor would I, but it means that I don't have to feel bad about gifts.
Thoughts?
For me, this touches on one of the issues I've had as an artist in the church. When I danced for various studios, I expected compensation for my efforts. When I danced, sang, played the drums and so on for the church, I always had issues with accepting compliments/gratification. For some reason, I had it in my head that it was wrong to accept gifts or payment for the services I provided. Even outside the church, I had a really difficult time accepting cash from someone I helped out with computer issues. This passage sort of sets my mind at ease because it sounds like he's saying not only is it acceptable to accept gratuities, those who devote the energy they would have otherwise spent in search of funds for food have the right to such payments. Granted, it's a right he wouldn't demand, nor would I, but it means that I don't have to feel bad about gifts.
Thoughts?
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