Year: 2015

There is a major difference between Christianity and secular thought:

In the economy of God’s creation, there was intended an egalitarianism among human beings; that is, each person was equal in essence and dignity. On the other hand, there was to be an elitism in ideas, meaning that not all ideas are equal — some ideas are clearly superior to others.
–Ravi Zacharias

But secular thought takes a different stance, where:
People have been rendered elite, and ideas are egalitarian, [meaning] we exalt some individuals or races while rejecting others and at the same time foolishly argue that all ideas are equal.
–Ravi Zacharias

This means that 2+2 will never equal 5. It will always equal 4.

Just because I don’t like the answer, doesn’t mean I can change it. This is one of the simplest examples of the elitism of ideas. Some ideas and answers are clearly superior to others. But in the area of ethics and morality, our society has said that 2+2 does equal 5… or 12… or even 1 billion. Whatever you want it to equal. You can have your answer and I can have my answer and what is right for you doesn’t have to be what is right for me. We have rid ourselves of a moral standard, which has spiraled us into a terrible place as a society.

Jesus adamantly stated that He was the Christ – God Himself who came to earth in human flesh to bring people back to Himself through an act of sacrificial love. This statement is either true or it is false. It cannot be both. It cannot be true for me and false for you. It is either true for everyone (like 2+2=4) or it is false for everyone (2+2=5).

I hope that you will come to believe that all men are created equal and that all men have the same dignity, value, and worth because of God’s creating each one in His image and because Jesus died on the cross for every one of us since we were all under the same condemnation for our sinful selves. He loves us the same. We are equal in essence and dignity.

And I hope that you will come to believe that not all ideas are created equal, and that you will seriously investigate the life and message of Jesus Christ. In doing so, you will find the most glorious Truth – Jesus himself – The One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Don’t buy into the lie that all ideas are equal.
Clearly they are not.

Today’s quote deals with us considering others as more important than yourself. So let me simply share one Bible passage, and then the quote from Matt Chandler. I won’t need to make any additional comments, as the quote provides its own application through the six excellent questions at the end:

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Our understanding of God’s love for us… enables us to love others in spite of themselves. Affection for the Lord leads to affection for others, resulting in outdoing one another in honor. It makes us ask ourselves questions like:
• How can I be concerned about you and your needs?
• Why shouldn’t I take the farthest parking spot?
• How about if I take the seat that’s blocked by a pole?
• What if I lose so you can win?
• How can I disadvantage myself for your advantage?
• What would it mean to consider you more significant than me?
–Matt Chandler

(Scripture quote is from the NASB)

The church is under a twofold commission: God has sent his people into the world to proclaim salvation and to serve the needy. But he has also called his own from the world to worship and learn of him. Mission without worship can produce empty service, just as worship without mission can lead to careless religion.
–Bruce Shelley

May God help us to engage in worship that leads to mission that leads to worship.

Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks…. The longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.
–Thomas à Kempis

This is a principle we all have experienced before – that when we continue to contemplate the thing that is tempting us, it is more likely for us to lose the battle and step into sin. Flirting with temptation is dangerous. The flirt often ends up with us in an improper embrace. That is why God tells us to flee from temptation and to “resist the devil.” The very first moment temptation shows up, we need to get out of there. “Run, Forest, Run.”

So, when the enemy comes knocking at the door with some appealing temptation, instead of arguing with him (or with yourself) about it, shut him out and never let him in the door with his arguments. He is much better at sales than the best door-to-door vacuum cleaner or encyclopedia salesman ever was. When we start giving arguments as to why we can keep flirting with the temptation instead of slamming the door and high-tailing it to some other place (whether that be physical, mental, or both), we find our resistance gets weaker and weaker while our urge to give in to the temptation gets stronger and stronger.

Today, make a choice before your particular temptation ever shows up at your door, that when it arrives, you will slam the door and flee from temptation. Make a determined choice that your days of flirting with temptation are over starting this very moment.

We need Christians in all sorts of vocations, because we are in a spiritual battle every day and…

The “war” is being fought along the line between sin and righteousness in every family.
It is being fought along the line between truth and falsehood in every school…
between justice and injustice in every legislature…
between integrity and corruption in every office…
between love and hate in every ethnic group…
between pride and humility in every sport…
between the beautiful and the ugly in every art…
between right doctrine and wrong doctrine in every church…
between sloth and diligence between coffee breaks.

It is not a waste to fight the battle for truth and faith and love on any of these fronts.
The war is not primarily spatial or physical — though its successes and failures have physical effects. Therefore, the secular vocations of Christians are a war zone. There are spiritual adversaries to be defeated (that is, evil spirits and sins, not people); and there is beautiful moral high ground to be gained for the glory of God.

You don’t waste your life by where you work, but how and why.
–John Piper

I hope as you head to work today (and throughout this entire week) that you will keep your eyes open for the great opportunities God is giving you to impact people for His kingdom in your workplace. Don’t waste the opportunities He places in your path!