Cussing Christians?

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When I attended a Christian college, I spent much of my time
in competitive public speaking. I made sure that everything I said in
competition represented me and my speech team well. I wouldn’t have dreamed of
cursing when the judges were watching me. But once the competition was over, look
out! A friend recently sent me a link to a video of a well-known broadcaster
cursing like crazy. I wasn’t so much horrified by his behavior as I was
thankful that no one has video of me behaving just as badly!

No one ever told me that my cursing was unbecoming of a
Christian. They didn’t really have to. The more time I spent with people who
sought to honor Christ, the less foul language I heard. The less foul language
I heard, the less I used.

With the recent popularity of Internet acronyms, I have
noticed that people feel more comfortable cursing in code—even Christians. Is
there anything wrong with swearing? Or swearing via acronyms? If you don’t hold
to the teachings of Christianity or another faith that frowns upon swearing,
maybe not. Although anyone who curses in the wrong context risks appearing
crude or uneducated, my post today is addressed solely to those who want to
lead godly lives.

You may already have an opinion on swearing. You may think
nothing of it. You may think it’s funny. You may think it’s offensive. But
whatever you or I think about it does not matter if we are Christians. What matters
is what God has to say about it.

One of the Ten Commandments addresses a common form of
swearing:

Exodus 20:7   "You shall not misuse the name of
the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his
name.

God’s name was held in such reverence by the Israelites that
they did not speak it and still today observant Jews will not write it in its
entirety. Yet many Christians abuse the Lord’s name in obvious ways by
essentially asking God to damn something or using the name of Jesus Christ as a
curse. The more subtle and common misuse of God’s name is by casually emitting “oh
my” followed by God’s name. If we are really not calling out to God, are we
misusing His name? Does the use of an acronym get us out of our violation of
the commandment?

I remember my mother telling me that her mother didn’t use
expressions like omigosh or gee because these were just variations on the same
theme. I have a habit of using these expressions and though I’d like to argue
that they’re not the same thing at all, I think I’d lose that debate. I’m going
to add cleaning up my language to my list of goals for the year.

What about other forms of swearing?

James 3:9-11 says:

 ⁹With the tongue we praise
our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's
likeness. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth come praise and
cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ¹¹Can both
fresh water and salt^[a] water flow from the same spring?

If you have any question about the appropriateness of a
particular phrase or expression you are fond of, ask yourself if you were in
the presence of the Lord whether you would use it. If not, be reminded that we
are always in the presence of the Lord. 
Just as I considered my language as I represented my speech team, so we
ought to consider all of our communications as representing our Savior.

Taming the tongue (and our fingers at the keyboard) is a
challenge, isn’t it? It would be easy to get discouraged if not for another
truth from God’s Word:

Romans 8:34-35:

³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who
died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is
also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword?

Jesus did not come to condemn us. Rather, he defends us even
as we continue to fail. What’s more is that our cursing cannot separate us from
God or His salvation. Watching our language isn’t about law; it’s about love. I
love God so much that I do not want to dishonor Him.

As your sister in Christ, I ask that you would
consider joining me this year in seeking a G-rating on our communications. G
being for godly of course. 🙂

Your Own This Holiday

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Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are nearly upon us and I am remembering what a difficult time the holidays can be. As much press as the turkey, the gifts, and the alcohol get on these special days, I think most of us would be content with one thing–a loving family. It doesn't seem like much to ask, does it? Yet so many of us face separation from those we love at the holidays by death, divorce, or distance. Even more of us know that while we will be with our family members this year, we will endure the pain of disassociation. In other words, our presence at the family gathering won't be celebrated by some of our family members. 

There are so many ways people can choose not to celebrate us this year–by drinking too much, smiling too little, criticizing, leaving early, not contributing, not talking, or just not showing up. As much as some of us try to place the blame for this rejection squarely with the one behaving badly, it's all too easy for us to wonder, 'What's wrong with me?'

I read John 1:11 recently and was struck by the realization that Jesus knows the pain of not being celebrated by His family: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Many times I have heard the cries of the broken heart begin with "my own." How could my own husband, my own mother, my own father, my own brother, my own in-laws treat me this way? And family members are hard to exchange, aren't they? Once we've been rejected once, we may find little hope for a loving family celebration in the future.

But there is hope for our holidays this year. We can find hope in knowing that Jesus is acquainted with our sorrow. He knows how it feels to be rejected, not only as a human being on earth, but as God Himself. As a culture, we continue to reject Him by trying to remove Him and His name from our holiday celebrations, yet He does not reject us.  Because God knows our pain from personal experience, He can comfort us like so many others cannot.

Comfort is good, but sometimes the only thing that will satisfy our aching heart is to be with a loving family. No matter who or where you are and no matter who you're related to, I have good news. This year, you can spend the holidays with those who cherish you. You have a Father and a Brother who long to spend time with you. Will you come away from the busyness of the season to visit with your heavenly Father and Christ, your brother? I hope you will. If you do, rather than lament how your earthly family hasn't received you, you will be ready to celebrate the richness of what your own God has given you. After all, that's what holy days are all about.

Keep on Shining

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This morning began another dreary, cold weather day. Despite
the long period of similar weather, my spirits have been sunny. This morning,
though, I began to feel discouraged. It wasn’t the weather that threatened to
spoil my day, but a darkness inside of me. Doubts and fear crept into my mind
like thick clouds. I sat on my love seat, where I usually go to meet with God,
and asked Him for encouragement. I opened my favorite devotional that has
become daily medicine for what ails me, Streams in the Desert. After completing
today’s reading on treating doubt and discouragement as the enemy—something to
be avoided as much as sin itself—I found my spirits soaring. I was praising God
for giving me just what I needed to take on the day with the right attitude. At
that moment, the thick dark clouds behind me parted and I was enveloped in the
bright warmth of the sun shining through my window. I was astonished as I
realized that the light had come right as I was giving thanks and it only
illuminated the place where I was sitting.

As I gazed toward that bright light, I noticed that except
for that one opening, the sky remained shrouded in darkness. After a few
minutes, the light was obscured by the cold, gray clouds once again. But the
light kept shining in me. I have been smiling all day. Though we are living in
dark times, the light of His hope still remains.

One of my favorite songs is Natalie Grant’s Keep on Shining.
The chorus is:

Keep on shining
Let Love light up the darkest sky
And you'll be flying
Rise above all the hardest times
So hold on (Hold On)
Be strong (Be Strong)
Come on (Come on, come on)
Keep on shining.

Keep on shining, girl. If it’s dark where you are, may 2
Corinthians 4:6 brighten your day:

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Are You an Organic Christian?

This summer I’ve spent a lot of time learning about
nutrition and health. In the process, God has taught me some parallels between
organic food and the Christian faith.

Not toxic. Truly organic produce has not been treated with
pesticides. Chemicals that increase crop yield can also increase allergic
responses, neurological symptoms, and cancer. Organic foods allow us to breathe
easier. Are you that kind of mother, sister, daughter, friend or neighbor? Or
do you give off fumes that give people fits? Negativity such as anger, gossip,
and criticism are toxic to people around us. Like pesticides, the consequences
of our sinfulness may not be readily apparent for years, but damage is being
done. Galations 5:15 says, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other,
watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Not modified. Organic produce is not genetically modified.
The protein makeup of corn, soy, and potatoes are typically changed to create
products that are more appealing or profitable. The problem is that these foods
may no longer be recognizable to our digestive tracts and will be ejected from
our bodies in an unpleasant way. Are you still recognizable as a Christian? Or
have you begun living in such a worldly way that no one would know? If we find
ourselves adapting to suit the tastes of unbelievers, we may lose the essence
of what makes us appealing to God. John 15:19 reads, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As
it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world…”

No preservatives. Organic food does not rely on additives to
keep it fresh for long periods. A longer shelf life is gained at the expense of
good nutrition. A sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals can only be gained
from fresh food. The increasing incidence of obesity belies the fact that adequate
nourishment is lacking. Without adequate nourishment, we become ill. Are you
salt, a natural preservative, to those who know you? Or are you more concerned
with maintaining your own shelf-life? Like salt, we can encourage those we know
to taste and see that the Lord is good. Or we can become dead in a faith devoid
of good works. Matthew 5:13 tells us, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt
loses its saltiness, how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer
good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

More valuable. If you know nothing else about organic food,
you know it’s more expensive. Refusal to use artificial methods of increasing
yields means a lower profit margin for organic farmers. Legal requirements are
more stringent and distribution channels are fewer. So we must pay more for
organic food. More and more people are willing to pay more because they value
their health. However, the expectations for that produce are higher, too. We
expect organic foods to be labeled honestly and to be produced with integrity.
Are you living in a way worthy of the Christian label? Or are you living more
like a cheap imitation? No matter how you answer the questions, there is cause
for rejoicing. God finds you so valuable that He was willing to pay the
ultimate price for you: His Son. 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us, “You were
bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Eating more organic foods may improve your physical health,
but to improve your spiritual health, try living as an organic Christian.   

Freedom Through Forgiveness

My husband and I were discussing Paul's mandate from 1 Timothy 2:1-4 that we pray for our nation's leaders first. In Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, Derek Prince writes, "Out of the whole human race, for whom are we to pray first? Is it for the missionary? The evangelist? The sick? No, and this is where the great majority of Christians are out of line with the revealed will of God. They do not put God's priority first…Have you realized that your primary responsibility in prayer is to pray for the government of your nation? My observation is that in multitudes of churches the people never think about that, even once a month. Yet Paul put it first."

As I sought to pray for our nation's leaders this morning, I had a new revelation. I have prayed for our leaders to have wisdom. I have prayed that our leaders would repent. I have even prayed that they would be blessed. But I have never prayed that they would be forgiven. It didn't take long to figure out what that was all about. I've wanted those who have misused their authority to get what is coming to them.

Sure, I have long understood that the only way I can be healthy and forgiven myself is to forgive others. I have not been harboring any grudges against Jimmy Carter, I can tell you! I don't even feel bitter toward more recent leaders I haven't agreed with. But I haven't done what Jesus did while in agony on the cross. I haven't asked my heavenly Father to forgive our nation's authorities.

This morning I did just that and it felt so good. In fact, I experienced such freedom in requesting forgiveness for our leaders that I started wondering if I needed to generalize. Sure enough, though I have believed I have forgiven so many people in my life of so many things, I secretly hold on to the idea that these evildoers will get what's coming to them in the end. That isn't true forgiveness, is it? I certainly don't want anyone hoping that I'll get what's coming to me!

If the thought of asking God to forgive our nation's leaders turns your stomach, read the account of King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. This is one of my favorite accounts of a stubborn, arrogant, even cruel man who was changed and forgiven by our awesome God. I have spoken to people who tell me it just doesn't seem fair that people like that can be forgiven and saved. I am so thankful our God doesn't deal fairly with me and deny me eternal life based on my every wrong, aren't you?

Derek Prince writes that in praying for our government, we are asking God for the freedom to live as His ambassadors in a fallen world. When we also pray for those who have wronged us, we are asking God for freedom from the emotional, physical, and spiritual pain we have suffered at the hands of others. I believe He will answer our prayers. 

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."  Colossians 3:13