Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
I've always loved the idea of going against the grain, not following the crowd, doing my own thing, especially in regards to my faith. I remember in High School getting in public debates about God and the Bible during class discussion times, and I loved being the lone ranger in defending the faith, and rallying others to join me because of my words. I loved it.
There's a component of "going against the grain" in the Christian faith, right? We think differently, talk differently, act differently than the world. We're at church on Sundays, not the lake. We watch our mouths, we avoid drunkenness, we teach our kids godly values, we read our Bibles. We're different, and I like that. It's counter-cultural, and that hits me just right.
But honestly, there's some counter-cultural aspects of the faith that seem impossible. One of them, the one that seems like a flat-out death wish in today's culture, is this verse in Romans 12: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
"Come on, God. That will get us eaten alive today. You simply can't survive this dog-eat-dog world if you live like that."
It's true, right? Won't a politician just get demolished if they don't take a scorched-earth approach to their campaign and incumbency? Won't a business-person get put out on the street if they don't cut corners, and leave a wake of destroyed relationships behind them, all to get ahead? Won't the bully just keep coming if you don't kinda-sorta turn into a bully yourself?
Even still, here's God, beckoning us to a different way. I don't know if there's anything more counter-cultural in the world today than responding to evil with good. And because it's so counter-cultural, it can be one of the hardest things to do.
It takes a step of faith, doesn't it? Because everything in you probably wants to overcome evil with evil and fight darkness with more darkness. That's what the world tells you to do: fight dirty. That's why it takes faith to go against what your flesh and culture are telling you to do and instead trust in God and respond to darkness with his light. Make no mistake:
- You fight darkness with light.
- You fight hatred with love.
- You fight unkindness with kindness.
- You don't let evil overcome you. You overcome evil with good.
That's tough to do. Is it easy? No. Is it unusual? Yes. Is it a choice? Absolutely. It's your choice to be better than the bully. Choosing light over darkness means walking the way of Jesus. And Jesus wouldn't just walk away from a fight and forget. He would lay down his life if that's what He needed to do to show how much He loves someone--and that's exactly what He did.
Pray with me: "Help me, Lord, to be like Your Son. Make me a man who responds like You to the evil around me. Help me to fight darkness with light!"
Amen?
I've always loved the idea of going against the grain, not following the crowd, doing my own thing, especially in regards to my faith. I remember in High School getting in public debates about God and the Bible during class discussion times, and I loved being the lone ranger in defending the faith, and rallying others to join me because of my words. I loved it.
There's a component of "going against the grain" in the Christian faith, right? We think differently, talk differently, act differently than the world. We're at church on Sundays, not the lake. We watch our mouths, we avoid drunkenness, we teach our kids godly values, we read our Bibles. We're different, and I like that. It's counter-cultural, and that hits me just right.
But honestly, there's some counter-cultural aspects of the faith that seem impossible. One of them, the one that seems like a flat-out death wish in today's culture, is this verse in Romans 12: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
"Come on, God. That will get us eaten alive today. You simply can't survive this dog-eat-dog world if you live like that."
It's true, right? Won't a politician just get demolished if they don't take a scorched-earth approach to their campaign and incumbency? Won't a business-person get put out on the street if they don't cut corners, and leave a wake of destroyed relationships behind them, all to get ahead? Won't the bully just keep coming if you don't kinda-sorta turn into a bully yourself?
Even still, here's God, beckoning us to a different way. I don't know if there's anything more counter-cultural in the world today than responding to evil with good. And because it's so counter-cultural, it can be one of the hardest things to do.
It takes a step of faith, doesn't it? Because everything in you probably wants to overcome evil with evil and fight darkness with more darkness. That's what the world tells you to do: fight dirty. That's why it takes faith to go against what your flesh and culture are telling you to do and instead trust in God and respond to darkness with his light. Make no mistake:
- You fight darkness with light.
- You fight hatred with love.
- You fight unkindness with kindness.
- You don't let evil overcome you. You overcome evil with good.
That's tough to do. Is it easy? No. Is it unusual? Yes. Is it a choice? Absolutely. It's your choice to be better than the bully. Choosing light over darkness means walking the way of Jesus. And Jesus wouldn't just walk away from a fight and forget. He would lay down his life if that's what He needed to do to show how much He loves someone--and that's exactly what He did.
Pray with me: "Help me, Lord, to be like Your Son. Make me a man who responds like You to the evil around me. Help me to fight darkness with light!"
Amen?
_______________________________________________
Every week at Meadows:
- Mondays at 10 AM: Prayer Meeting
- Wednesdays at 7 PM: Youth Group AND Adult Bible Study (no kids church)
- Mondays at 10 AM: Prayer Meeting
- Wednesdays at 7 PM: Youth Group AND Adult Bible Study (no kids church)
_______________________________________________
Calling Men of all ages: the first Men's Breakfast of the year is on the calendar: Saturday, March 13 at 9 AM.
While we usually hold a potluck-style meal, this time we'll pre-order a safely-bagged breakfast beforehand, and enjoy it all -- and coffee! -- out in our courtyard. Then, Pastor Ron will lead a brief word and worship in the Meadows sanctuary.
In order to help us prepare, please let us know you're coming by registering HERE. You'll get an email soon after with more details on what's to come and what to expect.
While we usually hold a potluck-style meal, this time we'll pre-order a safely-bagged breakfast beforehand, and enjoy it all -- and coffee! -- out in our courtyard. Then, Pastor Ron will lead a brief word and worship in the Meadows sanctuary.
In order to help us prepare, please let us know you're coming by registering HERE. You'll get an email soon after with more details on what's to come and what to expect.
_______________________________________________
This Sunday we'll continue the series Q & A: Questions Jesus Asked.
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount. It was a counter-cultural, revolutionary teaching that had never been heard of before, and we're still citing and digesting it today.
In a portion of that sermon (chapter 6), He dives deep into a problem that we all suffer from: worrying about how our lives will shake out. We all do that, right? How can we not? There are important things in our worlds that could go wrong, might get ugly, can go south fast. We all have them, so how are we supposed to stop?
Jesus masterfully walks us through it. And He does so in such a kind --and direct -- way. He is love and truth in action, after all.
Join us this Sunday for Part 4 - Why do you worry?
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount. It was a counter-cultural, revolutionary teaching that had never been heard of before, and we're still citing and digesting it today.
In a portion of that sermon (chapter 6), He dives deep into a problem that we all suffer from: worrying about how our lives will shake out. We all do that, right? How can we not? There are important things in our worlds that could go wrong, might get ugly, can go south fast. We all have them, so how are we supposed to stop?
Jesus masterfully walks us through it. And He does so in such a kind --and direct -- way. He is love and truth in action, after all.
Join us this Sunday for Part 4 - Why do you worry?
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
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