The Directory Is A Prayer Guide (July 28, 2003)
Let me encourage you to use your church directory as a prayer guide. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started in praying for people about whose specific needs you may know little:
For children and young people: That they would honor and obey their parents. That they would learn to love and fear the Lord. That they would not succumb to bad influences from peers.
For husbands and fathers: That they would love their wives as Christ loved the church. That they would set good examples for their wives and children as the spiritual heads of their households. That they would remain faithful.
For the divorced and separated: That God would grant them strength and wisdom in managing a divided family, reconciliation where possible, comfort where needed, discernment in how best to proceed with their lives.
For singles: That their time and energy will be used for well for God's glory. That, if they want to marry, that God would provide them with good and godly spouses.
For wives and mothers: That they would honor their husbands and be a delight to them. That they would set good examples for their children and raise them with the right mixture of love and discipline.
For all: That they would not be led into temptation but be delivered from evil. That their lives would be a source of joy and blessing for those with whom they live and work. That they would remain faithful to the Lord. That their daily needs would be provided, and that they would give thanks to God always.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Sunday, July 6, 2003
Spiritual Blind Spots (July 6, 2003)
Some time ago I noticed that my car's rearview mirror creates a blind spot. Though the mirror helps me see out the back, it completely blocks out a car-sized space about 20 yards ahead and a little to the right. I've learned to be careful about making left turns from side streets, because a car could suddenly "materialize" from behind that blind spot and smash into me.
The pastor under whom I served my internship warned me about moral "blind spots" - vices people have but never see, vices that afflict people who are otherwise good, vices that wreak havoc like multi-car pileups. For example:
Carl is a faithful husband and provider, a disciplined man and highly regarded Sunday School teacher. But he lies constantly. The man has no integrity.
Ed, on the other hand, is a man of resolute integrity. His business associates and fellow church board members know he would never shade the truth. But he is addicted to pornography.
Robert, however, is both honest and sexually pure. But he smokes pot and has even gotten others to join him in abusing the drug.
Fred is not addicted to anything, nor is his integrity in dispute. He is a hard-working and faithful servant of the church. But he is racist - so much so that he stares down church visitors of other ethnicities in an effort to make them go away.
Finally there is Mark. Mark is free from all the vices that plague Carl, Ed, Robert and Fred. But he is the worst of the lot! Though able-bodied, he is so lazy he refuses to work to support his family. The Bible says of him, "He has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)
The sad truth is that we are a fallen people plagued with vices. We can see other people's sins well enough, and we are pretty good at condemning the sins that don’t tempt us. We even know the boost to self esteem we get when we hear of a Christian doing something bad, because we know that we ourselves would never think of doing anything so awful. And we're right, we probably wouldn’t - as long as we are only considering those sins over which we have control. Little do we know that lurking behind the mirror in which we see another's sin is a two-ton hurtling vehicle of vice that threatens to flatten us like a pancake.
Our moral blind spots are (by definition) hard to see, but a humble man can begin to make them visible by daring to think that he might just be a terrible sinner after all. If you want to be holy in all areas of your life, let me recommend a couple things. First, listen to rebuke. The criticisms you receive may be utterly unjust, but do not dismiss them out of hand. Secondly, ask God to reveal to you your secret sins. Pray as David did in Psalm 19:12, "Who can discern his errors? Cleanse me from hidden faults."
Make an effort to look up, down and around your moral blind spots. You probably have some. The good news is that God is merciful, and he is eager to expose and cleanse your hidden sins.
Some time ago I noticed that my car's rearview mirror creates a blind spot. Though the mirror helps me see out the back, it completely blocks out a car-sized space about 20 yards ahead and a little to the right. I've learned to be careful about making left turns from side streets, because a car could suddenly "materialize" from behind that blind spot and smash into me.
The pastor under whom I served my internship warned me about moral "blind spots" - vices people have but never see, vices that afflict people who are otherwise good, vices that wreak havoc like multi-car pileups. For example:
Carl is a faithful husband and provider, a disciplined man and highly regarded Sunday School teacher. But he lies constantly. The man has no integrity.
Ed, on the other hand, is a man of resolute integrity. His business associates and fellow church board members know he would never shade the truth. But he is addicted to pornography.
Robert, however, is both honest and sexually pure. But he smokes pot and has even gotten others to join him in abusing the drug.
Fred is not addicted to anything, nor is his integrity in dispute. He is a hard-working and faithful servant of the church. But he is racist - so much so that he stares down church visitors of other ethnicities in an effort to make them go away.
Finally there is Mark. Mark is free from all the vices that plague Carl, Ed, Robert and Fred. But he is the worst of the lot! Though able-bodied, he is so lazy he refuses to work to support his family. The Bible says of him, "He has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)
The sad truth is that we are a fallen people plagued with vices. We can see other people's sins well enough, and we are pretty good at condemning the sins that don’t tempt us. We even know the boost to self esteem we get when we hear of a Christian doing something bad, because we know that we ourselves would never think of doing anything so awful. And we're right, we probably wouldn’t - as long as we are only considering those sins over which we have control. Little do we know that lurking behind the mirror in which we see another's sin is a two-ton hurtling vehicle of vice that threatens to flatten us like a pancake.
Our moral blind spots are (by definition) hard to see, but a humble man can begin to make them visible by daring to think that he might just be a terrible sinner after all. If you want to be holy in all areas of your life, let me recommend a couple things. First, listen to rebuke. The criticisms you receive may be utterly unjust, but do not dismiss them out of hand. Secondly, ask God to reveal to you your secret sins. Pray as David did in Psalm 19:12, "Who can discern his errors? Cleanse me from hidden faults."
Make an effort to look up, down and around your moral blind spots. You probably have some. The good news is that God is merciful, and he is eager to expose and cleanse your hidden sins.
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