James 1:14-15 says:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Here it lays out a pattern, or process, of being tempted. It all starts with being drawn away of our own lust. That is, letting a single(or a number of) desire have priority where you will "follow" after it.
Once you are in that position, of letting your desire lead you, you will become enticed. That desire will become more tantalizing, more desirable.
And then when that desire is conceived in us it brings forth sin, and sin brings forth death.
To break that last part up a bit: When we are let our desires lead us to the point where we are enticed to act upon it("conception"), it will bring forth sin. That is, the "embryo" of said conception is sin. That sin is then in our "womb" and grows. Then the fateful day comes of birth. When that "embryonic" sin finally develops enough to be "birthed," death will be a consequence.
So, Letting our desires drive us will produce a chance of enticement. When enticement occurs, conception happens. Conception produces the sin, and when the sin is finished(developed) it produces death.
To prevent the conception of sin in our lives we must not let our desires lead our lives around with reins. We must not focus on our desires and long after them, crave them.
There is only one way to satisfy our desires(healthy, righteous desires) and that is through God's word. When we decide to not control our desires with what God's word says, then we will be led to enticement by them--led to death by them.
-Kevin Barrick
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Library
I hope you don't mind the brief interruption of the usual "lecture" (lack of better words). This time I'd like to write more of a narrative story.
---
The darkness swallowed her. She leaned against one of the many bookcases in the room. She shivered slightly, bothered by the darkness.
The sun had long since been replaced by the moon, but as the evening pressed on darkened clouds blotted out the celestial light. It truly was dark, but that was not the darkness that bothered her. In fact, she would rather spend a thousand years in that darkness than the darkness she felt encroaching on her heart.
With a shaking hand, she rubbed the match against its box and began lighting candles around the room. She had removed all the light fixtures in this room, she knew if anyone stumbled upon it with enough light to read from the books on the shelves the consequences would be...bad.
The darkness in her heart drove her to this room. For months she had nearly forgotten this room even existed...until today. Those few months of ignorance to the room leading up to this day were months filled with ecstasy. God had come alive to her. His love, his power, his kindness.
She had started to read His word everyday, started to pray, started to love. Her focus was so much on God, her memory of this room dissolved.
Until today.
It was strange. She had reached for her Bible, like she usually did before supper. But suddenly a wave of memories crashed on top of her. She dropped the Bible that she was bringing to herself. It fell awkwardly, pages bent underneath.
She looked around the library. The same thoughts that penetrated her mind earlier that day came back, hammering into her mind.
“Look at all these books! They are filled cover to cover with what you did!” The darkness prompted her thinking. Her eyes scanned the entire room. Every wall was covered from floor to ceiling with bookcases, and books filled each shelf—some even had to be placed on top of the other books just to fit in the shelves.
“You're fooling yourself if you think God loves you. Can you not understand what you've done? You think someone—even God—would love you with all this in mind? You think he cared about you when you decided to give your life over to him months ago? He was detested.”
She walked to a bookshelf and stared at the binders of each book. Etched on them were years, days, people's names—all reminding her of what she did. “You're hypocrisy. You think you can be a good Christian with everything you've done? I wonder what would happen if someone read that book...”
Her eyes were locked on one book. She could have sworn she buried that book in the the corner of the room in a locked box. How did this get up there? She thought to herself, her mind reeling with every word she knew was written in it.
“You remember, do you? Yes...what if someone found out about all those things?” The darkness tightened around her heart even more. “You can't possibly be a Christian because, look. There are so many books of all the things you did. God couldn't possibly love you. You're too...evil.”
She choked back tears for a brief moment before they flowed steadily down her cheeks. “God doesn't love me.” She said out loud.
She reached for the book and pulled it off the shelf. She held it in her hand for a moment before launching it against the bookshelf across the room. It broke the shelf, causing the load to collapse to the floor. Instead of being buried under the books, the book she had thrown managed to land a few inches away from the others.
A wind rushed into the room, ruffling the pages of all the books on the floor, and snuffing out the candles, save one. The near-darkness took hold of her. She now was immersed in it—her heart and around her. She fell to her knees, clutching her head in her hands, sobbing.
She opened her eyes and crawled over to the book she had thrown. The single remaining lit candle rested on the ground next to it. She picked it up and opened it up by the flame. She furrowed her eyebrows and lifted the candle closer to the book.
In that moment a light filled the room. She looked up to the light fixtures, but no light bulb was in them. She lowered her head and looked at the book. The candle light hadn't been skewing her vision, what she had seen was real.
Empty pages.
She knew every page had been covered with what she had done, but the pages she had turned to were empty. She turned the page and discovered it too was empty. She quickly thumbed through the book, each page empty, until she found words.
She flipped back to the page with words and found a single word written in red ink over the space of two pages: Forgiven.
She stood up and grabbed another book of the shelf and thumbed through it. Every page was blank except for two that had “Forgiven” written on it. She tore through the books, discovering every book was now empty except for the single word in each book: Forgiven.
She couldn't believe it. She walked backwards out the door and stumbled to the living room where her Bible was. She picked it up and looked at where it had fallen open. A strange glowing illuminated a single verse. “If ye confess your sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A wind blew through the living room as well and turned the pages of her Bible. Her eyes locked onto another verse: “We love Him, because he first LOVED us.”
The wind blew yet again. She watched as another verse was made apparent to her. “For the Father himself LOVETH you.”
(C) Kevin Barrick, 2011
(The concept of this entry was inspired by an Christian artist via a short film set to their music)
---
The darkness swallowed her. She leaned against one of the many bookcases in the room. She shivered slightly, bothered by the darkness.
The sun had long since been replaced by the moon, but as the evening pressed on darkened clouds blotted out the celestial light. It truly was dark, but that was not the darkness that bothered her. In fact, she would rather spend a thousand years in that darkness than the darkness she felt encroaching on her heart.
With a shaking hand, she rubbed the match against its box and began lighting candles around the room. She had removed all the light fixtures in this room, she knew if anyone stumbled upon it with enough light to read from the books on the shelves the consequences would be...bad.
The darkness in her heart drove her to this room. For months she had nearly forgotten this room even existed...until today. Those few months of ignorance to the room leading up to this day were months filled with ecstasy. God had come alive to her. His love, his power, his kindness.
She had started to read His word everyday, started to pray, started to love. Her focus was so much on God, her memory of this room dissolved.
Until today.
It was strange. She had reached for her Bible, like she usually did before supper. But suddenly a wave of memories crashed on top of her. She dropped the Bible that she was bringing to herself. It fell awkwardly, pages bent underneath.
She looked around the library. The same thoughts that penetrated her mind earlier that day came back, hammering into her mind.
“Look at all these books! They are filled cover to cover with what you did!” The darkness prompted her thinking. Her eyes scanned the entire room. Every wall was covered from floor to ceiling with bookcases, and books filled each shelf—some even had to be placed on top of the other books just to fit in the shelves.
“You're fooling yourself if you think God loves you. Can you not understand what you've done? You think someone—even God—would love you with all this in mind? You think he cared about you when you decided to give your life over to him months ago? He was detested.”
She walked to a bookshelf and stared at the binders of each book. Etched on them were years, days, people's names—all reminding her of what she did. “You're hypocrisy. You think you can be a good Christian with everything you've done? I wonder what would happen if someone read that book...”
Her eyes were locked on one book. She could have sworn she buried that book in the the corner of the room in a locked box. How did this get up there? She thought to herself, her mind reeling with every word she knew was written in it.
“You remember, do you? Yes...what if someone found out about all those things?” The darkness tightened around her heart even more. “You can't possibly be a Christian because, look. There are so many books of all the things you did. God couldn't possibly love you. You're too...evil.”
She choked back tears for a brief moment before they flowed steadily down her cheeks. “God doesn't love me.” She said out loud.
She reached for the book and pulled it off the shelf. She held it in her hand for a moment before launching it against the bookshelf across the room. It broke the shelf, causing the load to collapse to the floor. Instead of being buried under the books, the book she had thrown managed to land a few inches away from the others.
A wind rushed into the room, ruffling the pages of all the books on the floor, and snuffing out the candles, save one. The near-darkness took hold of her. She now was immersed in it—her heart and around her. She fell to her knees, clutching her head in her hands, sobbing.
She opened her eyes and crawled over to the book she had thrown. The single remaining lit candle rested on the ground next to it. She picked it up and opened it up by the flame. She furrowed her eyebrows and lifted the candle closer to the book.
In that moment a light filled the room. She looked up to the light fixtures, but no light bulb was in them. She lowered her head and looked at the book. The candle light hadn't been skewing her vision, what she had seen was real.
Empty pages.
She knew every page had been covered with what she had done, but the pages she had turned to were empty. She turned the page and discovered it too was empty. She quickly thumbed through the book, each page empty, until she found words.
She flipped back to the page with words and found a single word written in red ink over the space of two pages: Forgiven.
She stood up and grabbed another book of the shelf and thumbed through it. Every page was blank except for two that had “Forgiven” written on it. She tore through the books, discovering every book was now empty except for the single word in each book: Forgiven.
She couldn't believe it. She walked backwards out the door and stumbled to the living room where her Bible was. She picked it up and looked at where it had fallen open. A strange glowing illuminated a single verse. “If ye confess your sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A wind blew through the living room as well and turned the pages of her Bible. Her eyes locked onto another verse: “We love Him, because he first LOVED us.”
The wind blew yet again. She watched as another verse was made apparent to her. “For the Father himself LOVETH you.”
(C) Kevin Barrick, 2011
(The concept of this entry was inspired by an Christian artist via a short film set to their music)
Monday, February 7, 2011
To Tie Everything Together
Recently I've written on focuses and growth and the like. It really stemmed from a personal "battle," if you will, that I have been struggling with. Both internally with myself, and externally with others to myself.
In a church program(and perhaps in life general), I think there are three focuses. Rewards(points for those in my youth group), growth, and doing our best(or simple obedience).
A point system is a motivation and/or a tool a "higher-up" or even yourself can use to get people to doing the right things(Devotions, bible memory, helping out missionaries, etc). Depending on the person, this type of motivation perhaps can be done away with, or is vital for the process of maturity. It, however, shouldn't be what you have your eyes fixed on the longer you use it.
Growth and doing our best are two things we are commanded to do in the Bible. In 2 Peter at least, we are commanded to grow in grace(2 Pet. 3:18). In Col. 3:23 and other places we are commanded to do our best, to be diligent with our duties, to do everything to the best of our abilities.
Therefore, one cannot place one above the other to the exclusion of the other. One cannot claim doing our best as our single most focus, while neglecting, or belittling the necessity and command of growth. Nor can one claim growth as a sole priority to the neglecting of doing our best.
Obedience is the process by which we grow, and growth is the reason for obedience.
One can "obey" and not grow, but one cannot grow and not obey.
By this we know we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. --For this is the love of God to keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.-- (1 John 5:2-3)
Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might(Deut 6:5 and several other passages referring to this love.)
However, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) We can say we love God all we want, but our love for him won't be more than mere speech until we begin to keep his commandments.
Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
My team division of my youth group had our own Sunday school lesson this past Sunday, and the title of the sermon was "Great Expectations." The main text was Micah 6:6-8
(Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, [and] bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn [for] my transgression, the fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? )
I'll share with you some of the main thoughts, and then I'll share with you the Bible study we did on certain phrases in verse 8.
"Is God satisfied when we simply fulfill our required duties?"
"Is God satisfied if we do more than our required duties?"
"Is God satisfied if I do what those around me are doing?"
These questions stem off of the first two verses. (The first to verse 6, the second to the first part of verse 7, and the third to the latter part of verse 7.)
Our team then split up into 3-4 person groups, studying different phrases. I didn't get as much information from the other two study groups, but I did get a overall thought for each.
"And what doth the Lord require of thee, but..."
[*]"...to do justly..."
We must do right before God.
[*] "...and to love mercy..."
We must be kind toward others.
[*] "...and to walk humbly with thy God."
We must *be* right with God.
My study group was the second one. "Ant to love mercy." I'll post some cross-reference passages for you to look up on your own. (Matt 5:7; Luke 6:36; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12; 1 pet 3:8; 1 John 3:16-18; Ez. 33:31)
We went into definitions of words and for "love" we concluded upon the given definitions that it was a love from an individual to another. (As opposed to individual to God, or God to individual). And the "mercy" was kindness.
So, we are to love each other with kindness. This was perfectly exemplified by Christ on the cross nearing the end of his immense suffering. Instead of bearing hatred or disgust at them for their actions, he had compassion on them. He pleaded with God to forgive them.
His word of love then could have carried with it meaning by itself, but adding to it the actions of opening his heart and sacrificing himself brought about perfect love, agape love.
These are very scattered thoughts. But to summarize, our priority in life is to love and glorify God. (Deut 6:5; 1 Cor 10:31). And from that obedience comes into play(Growth, doing our best, etc). And to motivate obedience, a point system, or reward system, brings about motivation. However, as one matures the motivation matures and shifts as well. Our end motivation should be knowing that God will be pleased with us--satisfied with us.
Don't prioritize obeying God in one area to the exclusion of another. We are to obey God in everything He commands of us.
If anything in this or other similar matters are confusing to you(by my misrepresentation or otherwise) simply leave a comment and I will try to clarify.
-Kevin
In a church program(and perhaps in life general), I think there are three focuses. Rewards(points for those in my youth group), growth, and doing our best(or simple obedience).
A point system is a motivation and/or a tool a "higher-up" or even yourself can use to get people to doing the right things(Devotions, bible memory, helping out missionaries, etc). Depending on the person, this type of motivation perhaps can be done away with, or is vital for the process of maturity. It, however, shouldn't be what you have your eyes fixed on the longer you use it.
Growth and doing our best are two things we are commanded to do in the Bible. In 2 Peter at least, we are commanded to grow in grace(2 Pet. 3:18). In Col. 3:23 and other places we are commanded to do our best, to be diligent with our duties, to do everything to the best of our abilities.
Therefore, one cannot place one above the other to the exclusion of the other. One cannot claim doing our best as our single most focus, while neglecting, or belittling the necessity and command of growth. Nor can one claim growth as a sole priority to the neglecting of doing our best.
Obedience is the process by which we grow, and growth is the reason for obedience.
One can "obey" and not grow, but one cannot grow and not obey.
By this we know we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. --For this is the love of God to keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.-- (1 John 5:2-3)
Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might(Deut 6:5 and several other passages referring to this love.)
However, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) We can say we love God all we want, but our love for him won't be more than mere speech until we begin to keep his commandments.
Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)
My team division of my youth group had our own Sunday school lesson this past Sunday, and the title of the sermon was "Great Expectations." The main text was Micah 6:6-8
(Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, [and] bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn [for] my transgression, the fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? )
I'll share with you some of the main thoughts, and then I'll share with you the Bible study we did on certain phrases in verse 8.
"Is God satisfied when we simply fulfill our required duties?"
"Is God satisfied if we do more than our required duties?"
"Is God satisfied if I do what those around me are doing?"
These questions stem off of the first two verses. (The first to verse 6, the second to the first part of verse 7, and the third to the latter part of verse 7.)
Our team then split up into 3-4 person groups, studying different phrases. I didn't get as much information from the other two study groups, but I did get a overall thought for each.
"And what doth the Lord require of thee, but..."
[*]"...to do justly..."
We must do right before God.
[*] "...and to love mercy..."
We must be kind toward others.
[*] "...and to walk humbly with thy God."
We must *be* right with God.
My study group was the second one. "Ant to love mercy." I'll post some cross-reference passages for you to look up on your own. (Matt 5:7; Luke 6:36; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12; 1 pet 3:8; 1 John 3:16-18; Ez. 33:31)
We went into definitions of words and for "love" we concluded upon the given definitions that it was a love from an individual to another. (As opposed to individual to God, or God to individual). And the "mercy" was kindness.
So, we are to love each other with kindness. This was perfectly exemplified by Christ on the cross nearing the end of his immense suffering. Instead of bearing hatred or disgust at them for their actions, he had compassion on them. He pleaded with God to forgive them.
His word of love then could have carried with it meaning by itself, but adding to it the actions of opening his heart and sacrificing himself brought about perfect love, agape love.
These are very scattered thoughts. But to summarize, our priority in life is to love and glorify God. (Deut 6:5; 1 Cor 10:31). And from that obedience comes into play(Growth, doing our best, etc). And to motivate obedience, a point system, or reward system, brings about motivation. However, as one matures the motivation matures and shifts as well. Our end motivation should be knowing that God will be pleased with us--satisfied with us.
Don't prioritize obeying God in one area to the exclusion of another. We are to obey God in everything He commands of us.
If anything in this or other similar matters are confusing to you(by my misrepresentation or otherwise) simply leave a comment and I will try to clarify.
-Kevin
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