Tag Archives: submission

Is Christianity “All About Relationship?”

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)
How close do you suppose the Father and the Son are? How well do they know each other? That is how well Christ knows his sheep and how well he desires us to know him.  His chief end is indeed an intimate, close relationship with us. Trouble is, so often, professing Christians don’t know him well enough to understand what a good relationship between us and God looks like to him. We don’t read his word carefully to discover where his boundaries are and what his expectations for his relationship with us are. Instead of trusting the Good Shepherd and responding to his sacrificial, loving care with submission in return, we listen to wolves in sheep’s clothing who tell us whatever we want to hear is acceptable to God. We follow after them and stray from the Good Shepherd, who was perfectly obedient to his Father’s will.

But His sheep know his voice, we know his character. We read his word, we know what his values are and how he says he designed us, what he says  he made us to be. Many of us have had false shepherds, people in our lives who devour their flocks and warp our minds, some even use scripture.

The good shepherd keeps his own in his hands.He lays his life down for the sheep. He will protect us from predators in sheep’s clothing and from the unseen predators in the shadows and he will heal the sickness of the flesh known as sin. Let us trustingly submit to the Good Shepherd’s care today. If he places his little lambs into our care, let us imitate our Good Shepherd in relation to them.

Lord, grant all of us reading this ears to hear your voice, and discerning hearts that know you and what is of you and what is not of you. Heal our  hearts and minds and spirits of the ravages of sin and wolves who seek to steal your sheep and devour us. Reveal your truth to us and strengthen us to walk in the light. In Jesus’ name we pray, Lord, amen.

Posted in Abuse, Bible and Theology, God's Character, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

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Untwisting a Scripture Abusers Pervert

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8)

Peter just finished advising employees (or the ancient equivalents) on how to conduct themselves with their employers, and wives and husbands on how to conduct themselves in the marriage relationship, so it’s possible “all of you” here means “all of the persons in the previous specified roles.” In other words, if you’re equally yoked in business*and marriage with a believer, both parties are exhorted to be of one mind equally, to have sympathy and brotherly love for each other, to be tender-hearted towards each other, and to be humble of mind in how they view and treat each other.

This is not a picture of submission-dominance at all. This is a picture of different roles and different functions, but equal power and equal respect for one another, working together, lifting each other up mutually, not one person crushing the other under their feet. Any man who tells you to submit to him while he uses you to wipe his feet is being a hypocrite and in trouble with God. Peter warns husbands in particular in verse seven that husbands who don’t treat their wives with the respect due a co-heir in Christ will find their prayers are hindered. So we know how Christians in authority treat the people that they are called to serve (not to oppressively rule over!) is a really serious matter to God.

Unity of mind likewise is often misused by spiritual abusers, who like to claim it gives them the right to be the group mind and to threaten with hell anyone in their “care” who dares to think differently than the spiritual abuser on any topic under the sun. Instead, consider Peter also requires humility, compassion, love from the leader as well as the follower. True godly unity of mind must require open, mutually respectful discourse between all parties and humbly and prayerfully seeking the mind of Christ together.

*Peter doesn’t specify instructions specifically to employers, but he does instruct all believers to honor all people, love their fellow Christian, and to live as people who are free rather than as slaves. It apparently did not need spelled out further to him that Christian employers should respect their Christian employees as their brothers in Christ and their fellow servants of God. Instead he focuses on the employees of non-Christian, abusive employers, in a day when you were under contract to work for him until he sold your contract.  His advice to do good and endure suffering in oppressive circumstances does not give the spiritually abusive the right to mistreat their fellow believers and turn around and demand their fellow believers endure it without complaint.

Posted in Abuse, Bible and Theology, Legalism, Prayer and Devotions

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Love like Brothers, Compete like Godly ones

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10)

 

These instructions come to us in the midst of similar instructions. At first glance, we are tempted to think context offers us no additional insights. But let’s look again anyway at the immediate context:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Romans 12:9-11)

See it now? Again we have a careful balance between truth and love:  Being sincere, real, loathing evil/sin, doing good–but also loving one another as much as we love our natural siblings, but competitively seeking to one up each other only in terms of preferring each other before our selves, serving one another, and showing respect for one another (all being tied up in the concept of honor as I understand it.) We are not to be lazy in our pursuit of God, but fiery hot, even shining or glowing in our spirit as we serve the lord. (Thank you, m-w.com)

Again, as we noted in a similar passage from James, Paul treats the qualities we associate with those too heavy on truth as the book ends of love, wrapping love inside truth in a way that suggests these should all be inseparable qualities held together as a whole, not one side barking at the other. Truth isn’t true without love; and love isn’t loving without truth.

Lord, strengthen us, to be truthful in our expressions of love and loving in our handling of the truth. Grant us grace to love our spiritual family with the affection we have for our natural family. Check us in our spirits, and change our hearts, that we should strive and compete against each other only in how we lay our arms down and seek what is best for the other person, the rest of the family, first before ourselves. Deliver us from fear. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

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Mystery of Life, Mystery of Faith

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

This verse reminds us of the mystery–we don’t know how the spirit joins to the body, as we are knit together in the womb or otherwise, and we can’t always see God at work. We often don’t know what he is doing in our lives or others’ lives. But we can trust he does have a plan for us. The question is, are we submitted vessels? Are we driving and going our own way, or are we listening to the Spirit and following in Christ’s footsteps?  Are we letting God work in our lives today?

Sometimes, we want to know everything, understand everything. Sometimes we want God to explain himself to us what his plan is so we understand it and so it makes sense to us before we will follow it. Ecclesiastes reminds us it doesn’t work like that. We walk by faith, not by sight. We follow because we know our shepherd’s voice and trust him, not because we necessarily understand his leading and can see why it is rational to do this now. Regarding the Lord, of course. Who but God is worthy of such blind allegiance?

Lord, forgive our stubborn obstinateness. Give us tender hearts attuned to yours, strengthen us to hear your voice, increase our discipline to seek your will, increase our courage to crucify the flesh and follow your leading and guidance even when we don’t understand. More importantly, grant us discernment to know the difference between your spirit and your voice and deceptions of our own heart and the evil one. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Faith, Prayer and Devotions

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Pay Your Taxes–and Your Debts

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:6-7)

The first question we must ask is because of what? Starting at the top of the chapter, we learn:

  • Obey authorities because only god has authority and all true authority anyone on earth has comes from him. (Echoing back to Christ’s words to Pilate while on trial for his life.)
  • Resisting authentic authorities is resisting God
  • Rulers are to be servants of God who carry his sword of vengeance and use it to punish wrong doing, only approving of good conduct.
  • We must obey those appointed to bear God’s sword of justice both to avoid his wrath and for conscience’s sake.
  • We pay taxes so government can effectively serve God in their appointed task of executing justice in the land
  • Besides your taxes, also pay all debts, both literal financial debts and obligations of respect and honor.

Lord, may our governing authorities bow their knees to you, doing justice in the land, punishing evil as you define it  and approving only of what you approve. Convict our government, Lord, so that they would recognize as our founders did where their power comes from, for that is why you are our only king. I pray we would be accountable to our obligations also: paying our taxes, obeying the law, showing respect and honor to all, especially to all those serving their country. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Lord, amen.

 

Posted in Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

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Easter Basics: Facing the Cross of Christ.

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

In context, if I understand correctly, Peter tells us in verses 13-25:

  • Obey the local, state, and federal government, and the leadership of any other institution you may belong to, attend, work for, or serve under.
  • This is God’s will because it silences the historical objection to Christians’ assertion that Jesus is Lord. Based on the the Emperor of Rome’s assertion that he is Lord, non-Christians of the day felt to be a Christian was to be a treasonous lawbreaker. Obeying the secular law silences that argument and any similar modern criticisms. (Interestingly, the apostles  did defy any civil regulation deliberately designed to hinder their god-given call to spread of the gospel.)
  • Obey God as Lord also. We are free in Christ, but must not use our freedom from sin to sin.
  • Respect everyone, believer or not, and love all Christians.
  • Employees, respect and obey your employers even if your employers treat you unfairly.
  • Do this because you only spiritually benefit and please God if you are punished unfairly or otherwise suffer unjustly.
  • We are called to suffer for Christ because he suffered for us; i.e. being his disciple requires we take up the cross and follow him.
  • Seek to follow also his example of not sinning or deceiving others, not returning verbal abuse with verbal abuse or threatening others, but trusting God to judge justly.
  • It is possible for us to die to sin like this and become righteous because he bore our sins on the cross and suffered the penalty in his own body. By his wounds, we have been cured of our straying and have been returned to proper relationship with God, like sheep with our shepherd.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you for freeing us from the bondage of sin and death and the lies of the evil one. Strengthen us in our resolve not to sin against you, give us quiet, gentle spirits that respect all people and honor civil authorities, our employers, etc. even when the unbelievers are not treating us fairly in return.  Grant us also the strength and wisdom to resist the temptation to enable sinful, unjust behavior  in Christian leaders, but hold them to account for blaspheming you by their actions. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in abuse, Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

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Nail Pierced Hands, Wounded Side: This is Love.

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16)

What is love? John tells we learn what love is at the cross. Jesus and Paul both tell us that to love god and to love others fulfills all the laws and regulations handed down to us in the scriptures.  We love, John tells us elsewhere, because Christ first loved us. To love is to sacrifice and put others needs (not their wants) before our own. Scripture places the greatest burden here upon the leaders in our communities: fathers, husbands, pastors, employers, office holders on all levels. Those most likely to lord it over us and twist this scripture to demand others sacrifice themselves to meet their demands stand condemned before the cross, where the greatest of all became the servant of all and laid down his life.

We all stand equal before Christ, because all of us are equally compelled to lay down our lives and submit to one another in love. Let us emulate Christ, gentle readers, but also let us  also call those over us to account for their sin when they would wickedly crush under foot and devour the flock in the holy name of Christ, lest his name be blasphemed.

We thank you, Lord, for your salvation, and example, on the cross. We pray as leaders and as otherwise, we would emulate your example. Give us wisdom to choose, in every arena, leaders who love their people as you do. Grant us wisdom on when and how to lovingly hold to account leaders who blaspheme your name by actions that do not align with the law of love. Check us in our own spirits when we are not loving others as you first loved us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Posted in Abuse, Bible and Theology, God's love, Prayer and Devotions

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