Become a Better Christian in 1 Easy Step

Pick up your cup of coffee. That's it. It's that easy.

CBS News reports that holding a warm object (namely, a cup of coffee) makes you a happier, more generous, trusting, and favourable person. What do Christians like more than to have coffee, especially in church? And now science has finally seen the light -- having that cup of coffee (you don't even have to drink it!) makes you a better Christian!

Don't believe me? Read my entire post Warm Hands, Warm Heart on Nick the Geek's blog.

Love, As an Emotion

Love, as an emotion, is kind of a weird thing to think about.

Love is something that is deep and abiding, like a current in the ocean as opposed to a whitecap that forms when the wind blows and then disappears just as quickly. Love is the little “me” inside that is overflowing with enthusiastic excitement, and is dying just to be let out of his cage just so he can hold your hand and walk with you in the park. Love is the flesh of the wound that is inflicted when I hurt someone. Love feels grief, pain, and loneliness intensely; love softens the wounds of hatred, malice, and sharp remarks.

But love is not an emotion. All those emotions follow love like a bumper sticker, but love is not feeling. Love is a choice. Love is action. Love is deliberate; love is habitual. Love is so closely tied up with trust, honesty, and truth, that sometimes it seems hard to tell the one from the other. Love is boring at times, sometimes even drudgery, because love is working towards the greatest good, and that work is not always sunshine and roses. Love is bold and courageous, because I really have nothing to lose but myself, and love is not selfish.

"Seven Cardinal Responsibilities"

I was reading in Peter a while back and came across this section:


II Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith VIRTUE; and to virtue KNOWLEDGE;
1:6 And to knowledge TEMPERANCE; and to temperance PATIENCE; and to patience GODLINESS;
1:7 And to godliness BROTHERLY KINDNESS; and to brotherly kindness CHARITY.
1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Obviously, these are good things to have - and things that we, as Christians, are responsible for doing - sooo....my question is: What are these "seven cardinal responsibilities"?

I also understand that they are not necessarily in a chronological order (i.e. I don't have to have virtue before I can get knowledge, etc.)

I don't need dictionary definitions, I can get those in any good version of Webster's. What I want are definition of these in terms of how to DO them -- what is it about VIRTUE whereby I can say "yes, I have added virtue to my faith."? What is it about GODLINESS that is definitive whereby I can say "yes, I am without a doubt godly."? How does CHARITY work itself out in my life? Get the point? How do these work out in your life...DO they work out in your life? If so, why and how? If not, why not?

Just Do It for Me, Please?

Ever come to the point where you go to God and say, “God! I don’t know how I can possibly make this work! What now!? Help!”

I have. And most of the time, I envision God rolling up His sleeves in eagerness and saying “Whew! I thought you’d never ask. I’ve been dying for you to ask me to get in there and do something for you. Now stand back and watch this!”

But wait. Is that really how God reacts? I’m not sure that’s how He works with us all the time, or even most of the time.

I prayed that prayer just the other night, and was wanting and waiting for God to react the way I envisioned He would. But instead He rolled up His sleeves (with just the same eagerness in His eyes), leaned over and said “Andrew, take another look at what you’ve got to work with. Don’t just give up and expect me to take it all out of your hands; I’ve given you a mind, a life, a motivation to work out what I want you to – I put it in your hands because I want to see YOU succeed at it – and when you do, it will be worth rejoicing over. I’m right here with you. Keep working at it. Give it another try.”

And it made me feel like a little kid learning to ride a bicycle, wanting my training wheels back, not wanting my Father to let go, terrified that I might fall over if He does; but at the same time knowing that if I do, He’ll be there to help me up again, to bandage my scraped knee, and give me another push. Knowing that if I learn how to ride my bike all by myself, I could ride to the playground with Him, or even the store, and then when I get bigger, I could go to the store to pick up groceries for Him!

Cancel Christmas???

Cancel christmas? Such a horrible idea, isn't it? Or is it? Let me share something I observed a while back...

I was walking across the parking lot into Costco. Also walking toward the store were a mother and her son. The mother was telling the little boy what they were going to get and what they were not going to get; the little boy was whining about not getting something or other.

"Do you want me to cancel Christmas!?" the mother snapped.

"No"

"Then you better behave yourself."


So I ask you again, cancel Christmas? If christmas was truly the celebration of Jesus' birth, and as such was a holy day of worship toward God, then it could never under any circumstances be cancelled. But yet, the mother's threat still could be made...

Some Thoughts (Seasonal?)

Have you ever noticed...

They start playing christmas music the day after Thanksgiving?

That Thanksgiving gets comparatively short shrift, as a holiday?

That Thanksgiving isn't a huge, overcommercialized holiday?

• Is it because we don't give presents?
• Is it because we don't feel compelled to put up decorations like christmas?
• Is it because it's actually a Christian holiday, rather than only nominally so?

---------

Why is it christmas that everyone (practically speaking) loves dearly, regardless of what they think of Jesus?

Christmas junk has been in stores since August.

Something possesses non-christians to have a "christmas spirit;" and when I look around, it's not the Holy Spirit.

Why is it that christmas with all its appurtenances is pretty much exactly what I would expect a worldly holiday to be, other than the fact that Christians love it? This smacks of a horrible deception to me, and it's not the non-Christians who are deceived. They know that christmas is all about the presents and the tree and the food.

The Battle

The battle is not won in ornate palaces with stained glass windows. The battle is not won by those who sit and imagine what it will be like when they taste the sweet fruits of victory. The battle is not won by enthusiastic planners of great campaigns. The battle is not won even by the mighty warrior who is the hero of every little boy.

The battle is won by the housewife, the battle is won by the man who provides for his family, the battle is won by the youth in school. The battle is won by those who live day by day uprightly, productively, thoughtfully, persistently, and above all, charitably.

The battle isn't won on sunday mornings. It's won on monday morning, and tuesday mornings, and wednesday mornings, and thursday mornings, and friday mornings, and saturday mornings.

Shouldn't we come on sunday morning, not to get the victory, but to declare the victory that we have won all through the rest of the week?