Moments ago a phone call with a long-time friend ended. It was unintentional; her phone died. Ah memories. We often talked until one of our phones died. Usually it was mine, but this time I had four battery bars. I was prepared. We haven't talked in months.
It has been a painful few months, and the conversation we had this morning made me think of what it means to be reconciled.
Reconciliation is not an action. It is an ongoing process, at least as far as I see it. Even when it comes to grace, although we are immediately accepted into the family of Christ, we must continue to pursue a deeper relationship with Him. It is not reconciliation, it is not sanctification if we just say, "Woohoo! Great! I'm a child of the King. Alright, God, catch you later!"
If that is our grace, we have missed the point entirely. Yes, we are saved by grace and it does not require works. We don't have to earn our salvation, but we should remember that, like reconciliation, the act of salvation is a process. It is a continuing, ongoing process that does not end when we come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
My friend, for instance, is still my friend. Could we be closer? yes. We are working on that. But it does not change the fact that she is still my friend now. In a year I pray we are closer friends, but I just can't ignore her and expect that to happen.
On the flipside, we can't expect to be best friends again when we wake up tomorrow. Likewise, in the Christian life, you cannot expect to be Joe SuperChristian when you get up tomorrow morning. It is a process, and that is important. Not only can we not give up on that process; we can't rush it either.
Do not expect to wake up tomorrow morning and be one with the will of the God. Sanctification is a process. It is a journey. God promises to meet us on that journey. To take it with us. To continue the work He has started in us. That is a promise He gives us. Take note, it is His work to continue, but it is our responsibility to be open to its continuance.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Did you see the Tim Tebow Ad?
I have to say, I missed it, but I just googled it (coincidentally, it is not on YouTube). I honestly wonder if everyone from NOW is collectively chewing on their feet. They raised all of this fuss and stink and ruckus about this ad destroying a woman's choice... blah blah blah.
Have you seen it? It never once talked about abortion or choice or anything like that. They spazzed and, frankly, look like a bunch of idiots because of... fear.
If any other football player had decided to run an ad, it would have been fine. But face it, Tim is a Christian, and the world knows that, and they are, frankly, scared of it. His light is shining and it is shining bright. People are afraid of his Christianity.
What a testimony to the rest of us. I remember hearing a quote once:
That's the kind of life Tim lives, at least in the public eye. He is not afraid to stand up for his faith and his morals. He asks for a Superbowl ad and the entire United States freaks out.
This woman was interviewed on a news show, she said she had never seen the script for the ad, she had no clue what was in the ad but she knew they shouldn't run it. If it had been a beer commercial she wouldn't have cared. But they knew it wouldn't be. Nevermind the fact that shutting off a commercial because the message is feared to be Christian is in stark violation of Constitutional rights. This isn't America or anything, we citizens don't have something called free speech. Yet she says it was a scam commercial by Focus on the Family (because no one would dare call Tim Tebow a scam, so, by all means, attack a corporation).
The hindsight brought to mind another Biblical point. Many times in Proverbs, we are basically instructed to hear a matter through before inserting our opinion and to not meddle. All of these people who freaked out, God used them to draw more attention to what would have been a very neutral ad. They made the controversy and they made it a Huge! deal, and God is going to get the Glory. How cool is that!
On one of the sites though, there was a poll that asked, "Do you think they should have run this ad or do you think that the Superbowl isn't the place for this kind of content?" Here's my thought: first off, we have free speech, and if someone is willing to foot the million dollar tab to secure a Superbowl slot, then let their ad run. Secondly, I would rather see a neutral, friendly, even funny commercial before the raunchy, sex drugs and rock and roll that was everywhere.
Thank goodness Ice Age was playing on another channel. It is the constant flipping back and forth that made us miss the Tebow commercial in the first place. But honestly, there was not one commercial that I can recall that didn't have suggestive nature, partial nudity, chauvinism (that one made me mad-- the women's groups should have gone after that one), alcohol or all of the above. It was disgusting. But Praise the Lord for one light. One commercial that was different than all the rest, and coincidentally, the one that will be remembered the most.
Funny how that works.
Have you seen it? It never once talked about abortion or choice or anything like that. They spazzed and, frankly, look like a bunch of idiots because of... fear.
If any other football player had decided to run an ad, it would have been fine. But face it, Tim is a Christian, and the world knows that, and they are, frankly, scared of it. His light is shining and it is shining bright. People are afraid of his Christianity.
What a testimony to the rest of us. I remember hearing a quote once:
"You need to live the kind of life that every morning Satan says, 'Rats! She's awake.'"
That's the kind of life Tim lives, at least in the public eye. He is not afraid to stand up for his faith and his morals. He asks for a Superbowl ad and the entire United States freaks out.
This woman was interviewed on a news show, she said she had never seen the script for the ad, she had no clue what was in the ad but she knew they shouldn't run it. If it had been a beer commercial she wouldn't have cared. But they knew it wouldn't be. Nevermind the fact that shutting off a commercial because the message is feared to be Christian is in stark violation of Constitutional rights. This isn't America or anything, we citizens don't have something called free speech. Yet she says it was a scam commercial by Focus on the Family (because no one would dare call Tim Tebow a scam, so, by all means, attack a corporation).
The hindsight brought to mind another Biblical point. Many times in Proverbs, we are basically instructed to hear a matter through before inserting our opinion and to not meddle. All of these people who freaked out, God used them to draw more attention to what would have been a very neutral ad. They made the controversy and they made it a Huge! deal, and God is going to get the Glory. How cool is that!
On one of the sites though, there was a poll that asked, "Do you think they should have run this ad or do you think that the Superbowl isn't the place for this kind of content?" Here's my thought: first off, we have free speech, and if someone is willing to foot the million dollar tab to secure a Superbowl slot, then let their ad run. Secondly, I would rather see a neutral, friendly, even funny commercial before the raunchy, sex drugs and rock and roll that was everywhere.
Thank goodness Ice Age was playing on another channel. It is the constant flipping back and forth that made us miss the Tebow commercial in the first place. But honestly, there was not one commercial that I can recall that didn't have suggestive nature, partial nudity, chauvinism (that one made me mad-- the women's groups should have gone after that one), alcohol or all of the above. It was disgusting. But Praise the Lord for one light. One commercial that was different than all the rest, and coincidentally, the one that will be remembered the most.
Funny how that works.
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