Tag: sacrifice

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No More Sacrifices

Aren’t you glad that as you head off to work this morning you are not having to think about what animal you will sacrifice to atone for your bad deeds and missteps of the week!

This is one of the many fantastic things that we Easter reminds us about; the Christ become THE sacrifice!

 But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.  Hebrews 9:26

Today as you head into work and get started on your week, remember the only thing you really need to worry about is doling out forgiveness in the same quantity it’s been giving to you!  Really that’s just about all you need to worry about.

That’s makes no sense.

And that is why I follow him!

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Are you a Slacktivist

Last night I was flipping though Flipboard on my phone and discovered this Forbes article predicting the person of the year for 2012.  The author suggested it will be the Slacktivist!

Even though the term has been around since the mid 90’s, I really don’t recall hearing it very much – or I really am out of touch with what is going on.  Anyway, for those of you in the same boat as me, a slacktivist is someone who does something in support of a cause that requires minimal personal effort.  For instance, give $5 dollars online, or post the topic to Facebook, but yet never take any other action.  As the article suggests, those people have been pretty powerful with messages such as SOPA, and even some of the Occupy stuff.

But, here is why I was so attuned to this.  This is how lots of us follow Christ.  We say yes, we post verses to Facebook, and we even give a few dollars – minimal personal effort.  Although, I like the concept ( a lot), I don’t think we are called to be that way when we follow the Way.

13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. Romans 6:13 New International Version (NIV)

and

27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27 New International Version (NIV)

 

God loved you so much that he gave his son. Do you think that slacktivism and following the Christ can go together?

 

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The Conquering Spirit

I will start by apologizing to all of my loyal readers out there for being late today.  Today was a recover day from my weekend trip, and as it were, I was not up and on the keyboard at the crack of dawn this morning.

This weekend while on the bus, I was reading the Steve Jobs biography – which is a fascinating read, by the way.  Anyway, Jobs, as you may know was into the whole Zen thing, and simplicity.  The book was comparing some of his ways to the German philosopher Nietzsche, who evidently wrote in his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra, “The spirit now wills his own will and he who had been lost to the world now conquers the world.”.  I don’t claim expertise in all of the ways to enlightenment, but I do see that those thoughts sound oddly familiar to this

 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Mark 8:34-37 New International Version (NIV)

and this

33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. Luke 17:33 New International Version (NIV)

Of course the big difference being the guiding force – your own spirit or the spirit of the creator of the world?  Today, give up yourself, let the Spirit guide you, and the teaching of sacrifice and love light your way.

 

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The Peculiar Paper Dispenser

Sometimes at the office after drinking my morning jug of the gentleman’s coffee, I have to head over to the “Men’s lounge” and refresh myself.   And since there are several hundred wash your hand signs in our facilities, I oblige them.   Anyway, many a day I stand their with wet hands in front of the automatic paper dispenser waving my hand.   I continue to wave my hand and watch as the little red dot flashes, but no paper rolls out- ever.   One day during this ritual a co worker was there with me.  I commented on how this particular machines was not working.  He responded “It always works for me” and he promptly walked up waved his hand and was given more paper then he needed to dry with.  It seemed like I was invisible to this machine.

Invisible.

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:19-21, New International Version)

This whole idea of becoming invisible, or maybe better put, the idea of dying to yourself and replacing your selfishness with the mind of Christ, is something that I have been struggling with and praying for for some time now.  For I know that that the days with I live for myself usually end up with things happening that are not so great, and the days when I hide myself and let Christ shine through are days of glory.

The dispenser still does not work for me, and I count that a blessing and a reminder.  A reminder of how I should be living my life.  A reminder that I should not be seen, but that the Christ should be seen in me.  When you wash your hands today and look in the mirror, ask yourself, “Who’s living in you?”