You know, friends, Pastor Benji offered some key insights during Sunday's sermon. One such moment was when he was discussing our propensity for hurting one another. There were some individuals who felt uncomfortable at his story about little boys who would catch birds alive and pull their feathers out, and the Lord gave Pastor Benji a wonderful comment to share: "That was birds... but some of you do that to people!"
Yes, we are that evil. We catch people alive and, metaphorically, pull their feathers out one by one. It's called slander. It's called gossip. It's called tearing down. And it hurts the heart of God, and it hurts the Body of Christ. It's inappropriate behavior for the man or woman who claims to be Christian.
Sheep, without the protection and care of the shepherd, are a hazard to one's spiritual health. As we learned on Sunday, the sheep outside of the fold is in danger, and is a danger. It can get hurt and it can hurt others.
When we submit to Christ, we are in effect saying, Lord, I can't handle this. Please take over. Please instruct and teach and lead me. It's the paradox of the one true God, the One in charge of the armies of heaven and in charge of all things, giving us a choice. God owns it all and yet He is not forcing you, He is allowing you to choose how you will live... how you will speak... how you will act.
Recently my husband and I participated in a performance of Handel's MESSIAH. At the dress rehearsal, while waiting for my husband to finish rehearsing with the soloists, I had the challenge of trying to study while in a room where two of the music committee members spent forty minutes (yes, 40) complaining about how incompetent the music director was: how there was not enough food for the repast following the concert; how the guest participants' biographies were not inserted in the program notes to their liking; how they didn't like the way the choir was arranged on the platform; how they didn't like the way the choir sounded; and the complaints went on. When they finally realized I was in the same room doing homework, they took their conversation into the hallway and continued to complain.
Interestingly, the same individuals presented the music director a huge bouquet of flowers at the close of the concert and waxed on and on about how wonderful everything was.
Catching a bird alive and pulling the feathers out. Or, as paralleled so eloquently in Proverbs 30:20, "Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says 'I have done no wickedness'".
Nice flowers.
No comments:
Post a Comment