how easily I forget

How easily I forget who is in my corner. Who I am walking down a dark alley with. The One who's got my back.

"I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mortal men,
the sons of men, who are but grass,

that you forget the LORD your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?

The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.

For I am the LORD your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—
the LORD Almighty is his name.

I have put my words in your mouth
and covered you with the shadow of my hand—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,
and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.' "

-Isaiah 51:12-16 NIV

the Pope gets it

'In a world marked by religious indifference and even by a growing aversion toward the Christian faith, a new, intense activity of evangelization is necessary," the pope said.

A new, intense activity of evangelization is necessary.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_christian_unity

karma

I'll go ahead and state that I'm not a big fan of karma.

Yet, it is a very prevalent part of our nation and people's outlook around the world. There are even quite a few Christians who believe in karma principles. Since so many people adhere to karma like philosophies, we need to understand if we believe it or not, for it motivates a great number of people's actions in life.

It's important to examine karma because I think it does have half-truths rooted in the truth of the Bible, but it's very dangerous because it abuses or uses the truth of God to propel a false philosophy.

In considering if it is true or not, what does the Bible have to say, either directly or indirectly about the topic. Is karma a principle close to the heart of God?

Karma is basically the belief that your good or bad deeds will come around back to you in the future via good fortune or bad misfortune.

1. karma equates to self-salvation
Belief in karma predicates the thought that a person can alter his or her actions to be good enough to find salvation or comfort in life. "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

I think this is an arrogant and ignorant view of the human heart. I think most people, secular or Christian, can identify with Paul in Romans 7 when he talks about struggling with sin. He wants to do what is good -- all of us do most of the time -- yet there is something, some junk that prevents us from living that out.

2. karma has no need of Christ - grace is gone
Related to #1, belief in karma calls for throwing Christ out of the picture. For CHRISTians who believe in karma, this is a clear contradiction of beliefs -- it's sort of one or the other. Believing in karma reduces Christ from Great Savior to enlightened teacher at best, some guy in history at worst. "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace that you have been saved." Ephesians 2:5

Believing in karma means grace is gone.

3. With no first love, how does karma work?
Throwing out Jesus by believing in karma throws out that God has incredible love, unfathomable love, for His created order. The understanding of God's love is just that, unexplainable. Through the ages, the best we can come up with is labeling our understanding of God's great love as "grace," and it's true, we're not even close to getting how much He loves us.

By not understanding God's great love for us, we attempt to be like Jesus and love others, and then it is when that we get acts of service in line with His Kingdom. We only breathe each breath, wake up each day, eat each meal by the grace of God and His love and mercy for us.

"We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

So without having a first, greater act of love from God, then how would karma proponents know how to do acts of "love"..."good deeds"? Do karma proponents believe in evolved moral standards? There seems to be a contradiction here.

When we get back around to it, I find it hard to believe that in the karma philosophy, there is something genuine that is the fuel, the underlying impetus, to motivate the good deeds. Here in lies a half-truth. Karma masks itself as being a genuine good act in the service of others, but based on the wrong motives.

Karma is meant to further the self. Jesus wanted us to further His kingdom, serve others, at the expense of self. Give our lives self-LESS-ly for the love of Christ and His people.

In that vein, karma can't exist.

Jesus = freedom

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Paul was absolutely correct. In Christ, we find utmost freedom.

If you don't believe me, or doubt that yourself even a little bit, I'd offer this. Reading through Mark 5, Jesus heals a demon-possessed man. When Jesus exorcises these demons, they ask Him:

The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned (Mark 5:12-13)

Now you might say, well, that's not freedom, the evil spirits had to ask permission. Well, that view, no disrespect, is horribly arrogant. I think checking with Jesus for any request or decision is generally a good idea, since He created everything.

Really, think about it. Demons, yes demons asked Jesus to do something, they requested specifically to go into the pigs, and He gives them the freedom to do so.

So if Jesus gives great sovereignty of choice, does that mean He is not sovereign?

Not in the least, I don't think. In fact, I think it enhances His greatness. He doesn't have to be some autocratic, domineering totalitarian over what He created because He knows that love really doesn't exist in that way. He's obviously mature enough to know that the ones He created will rebel against Him and do stupid things.

Does Jesus get mad and quickly snap His created back in line?

No, just the opposite. He loves even more and offers even more grace. It's really quite counter-intuitive for what we're familiar with here on earth.

In a world that is deprived of all sorts of freedoms for all sorts of people and nations, Jesus offers real freedom from sin and the ways of the world.

Jesus means freedom.

God's will

I was thinking, "God's will" in the context of the Christian church today is somewhat a twisted term. It's probably common to hear, "I wonder what God's will for my life is?" "Is God's will this or that, should I move to this or that place?"

When we say those phrases the way we intend them, and I have said them a great many times, we are acting incredibly self-centered, becoming the center of the universe.

I mean, really, God's will is God's will, the things He desires and the things that His heart cries for result in actions and decisions that course through our space time history.

Our will, when we decide to do this or that, move to there or here, those decisions are OUR WILL.

I was just feeling convicted that I was being quite self-centered when thinking about God's will for MY life. When I do that, I tend to start with me, think about my desires, whether they are wants or needs, and somehow pray about that, think about it, and then end up projecting that whatever it is is somehow God's will.

God's will is God's will. My will is my will.

When my will corresponds to God's will, which I will say, God's will is the unchanging, perfect, without compromise, absolutely pure will, when my will even minimally aligns with the Great Creator's will, then I'm on to something.