The Hammer

Here is a poem that I wrote a couple years back, about our Lord's unfathomable mercy.

The Hammer

As You cry out to me now
I take the hammer in my hand
As You plead for my love
I hold the nail and strike again

Lord, take this hammer from my hand
And remove these stains from my soul
With the wounds that I've created
Take Your blood and make me whole

For so many broken people
You wore a crown of thorns
With blood dripping from your brow
You bowed Your head and it was done

Yet I raise my arm up high
To strike another blow
Lord, I cannot save myself
Please let your grace and mercy flow

- Matt Alan Semanek

Tolerance < Love

The Bible says that they will know we are Christians by our love. So how well are we doing at revealing our identity to those around us? Sadly, when I look around I see a lot of "Christians" who seem to be characterized more by hate than love. We seem to have forgotten the great old saying "love the sinner and hate the sin". Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not advocating tolerance, besides, tolerance isn't love. Tolerance usually means forgetting about the sin, not hating it. I'm talking about truly loving people where they are, developing relationships, and sharing with them along the way what you believe. Why are you sharing what you believe? Because you genuinely care for them. For many years, evangelism meant going from door to door talking to people about what you believe. There may still be a place for that but for the most part those days are over. Most people today are looking for something more. Something deeper. Something real. They don't want answers from a book (just yet), they want a connection. They want evidence that can only be found in interaction, in seeing the true love of Christ being lived out through those who call themselves the body. As Christians we have bought in too much to the age of reason and we run too quickly to books like The Case for Faith when defending our faith, when the best defense we have is our own lives. So, back to loving the sinner. When we express hate for homosexuals, prostitutes, members of different religions, etc., we are not being Christians. When we are tolerant towards homosexuality, prostitution, different religious beliefs, etc., we are not being Christians. When we are showing the love of Christ through relationships with homosexuals, prostitutes, members of different religions, etc., while hating the things that we believe are keeping them from the life God promised them, that is being a Christian. They will know we are Christians by our love, and so will we.

Drink MYTHology

I have heard many different views on what people think the scriptures say about drinking alcohol. To be honest, some have been down right ridiculous. So let's examine what the scriptures do say, without bringing a lot of baggage to the table and pulling out of them what we want them to say. The first point that we must address is whether or not the wine mentioned in the Bible contained alcohol like our wine does today or whether it was just grape juice. Many people will argue that the wine mentioned in the Bible was closer to today's grape juice, and even though it may not have been as potent as our wine today, it is ridiculous to compare it to grape juice. When was the last time you heard a mother tell her child who is drinking a glass of grape juice to be careful not to get drunk. Well that's essentially what the author of 1 Corinthians says to a group of people who have gathered together to take the Lord's Supper where wine was being served. In fact, the author actually mentions that some of them had become drunk. How much grape juice were these people drinking! Seriously, the virgin-wine concept just does not stand up against scripture. So, that issue being laid aside, what does scripture say about consuming wine. Well, first and foremost, Jesus drank wine, not grape juice, wine. The same stuff that these people in 1 Corinthians were drinking. So to say that drinking wine is a sin is completely ridiculous unless you’re willing to accept that Jesus was a sinner. Timothy was encouraged to drink wine. The author of Ecclesiastes says "drink your wine with a merry heart". And scripture NEVER, not once, forbids the consumption of alcohol. However, we cannot end the discussion there. Although drinking wine is never forbidden, it does come with a disclaimer. Drinking too much wine, becoming drunk, is frowned upon by God. The introduction of automobiles into our culture has placed an extra emphasis on God's disclaimer. When we drink we must drink in moderation. There are many things in life that when done in moderation are good but when allowed to get out of control can be very bad. Medicine for instance. There are plenty of medicines out there, that when taken in moderation, are good for you and may even keep you alive. However, those same medicines, if taken inappropriately, could kill you. I'm not saying that you have to drink alcoholic beverages. Just that we need to stop pretending that the Bible says something that it so clearly never says.

The Other Side of Niagara

In the book of Mark there is a story about a man who goes to Jesus for help and he says to Jesus, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Now this phrase always seemed a bit odd to me and I can still remember sitting in Bible class trying to figure out exactly what it means. Well, I recently heard a story that helped explain it a little better (forgive me if you've heard it before and I completely mess it up).

There was once a very strong and talented man. And this man had a rope tied from one end of the Niagara to the other. A large crowd gathered and he said to the crowd "do you believe that I can walk across this rope?" They knew that this man was a very talented man so they shouted "yes, we believe!" So the man did it. Then the man took a wheelbarrow, and he said to the crowd "do you believe that I can push this wheelbarrow across this rope?" Again the crowd cried out "yes, we believe!" So the man did it. Then the man took several bags of concrete and placed them in the wheelbarrow and he asked the crowd, "do you believe that I can push this wheelbarrow full of concrete across this rope?" And again the crowd cried out, "yes, we believe!" So again, the man did it. Then the man looked at the crowd and asked "do you believe that I can push this wheelbarrow across this rope with one of you in it?" And one last time the crowd cried out "yes, we believe!" Then the man asked, "who will volunteer?" And slowly the crowd began to disappear until there was no one left.

"I do believe, help my unbelief." Help give me the courage to get into the wheelbarrow. It is easy to claim to believe in Jesus. It easy to rejoice at what He's done. It can even be easy to tell others about what He's done. But it's not always so easy to go up alongside Him, to put ourselves at risk, and to live the lives that He's called us to live. "I do believe, help my unbelief." But you know what the most beautiful part of getting in the wheelbarrow is? It only takes one to step up and to get in, and then others start to follow. Sure, you will always have those people who will laugh, make fun of you, and say that what you are doing is pointless. But what they don't get, is that life, true life, is on the other side of Niagara.

LOVE

I hope this doesn't sound too much like a bunch of random thoughts crammed together. This was just my attempt at forcing a chapter full of thoughts onto just a couple pages. So enjoy, and I hope you are blessed.

The more I come to understand marriage and being a parent the more I understand and appreciate God. Ideas like love, sacrifice, joy, suffering, and many more, become more real to me the closer I get to those I love. Yes, I mentioned suffering in there. The fact is, when we love someone we will inevitably suffer at times because of that love. Love is a risk, but when done right, it is well worth it. When you love feelings get hurt, painful experiences are shared, pains and aches are felt even when they're not your own, and the loss of someone's life burns that much deeper. We all know this but we chase after love anyway. Why? Because when you're loved hurt feelings are mended, there's a shoulder to cry on when you need it, the burden of your aches and pains don't have to be carried alone, when you lose someone close there is someone to hold and comfort you, and because there is no feeling in the world that compares to it. We were made to love. The problem we face today is that we have many false views of love. Love is considered giving your child whatever they want. Love is considered trying to be your child's best friend. Love is considered getting involved with someone sexually (outside of marriage). Love is considered to be something that is all about ME. When my "relationship" is focused around me and what I want then it just doesn't seem to work out right. So we need to rethink LOVE. What does it mean to love someone? How do we go about doing it? The answer is simple: SACRIFICE. To many people the word sacrifice sounds like a four letter word. That is until someone sacrifices something for them. See what I mean by our relationships are "focused around me". If we profit then sacrifice is good, if others are profitting at our expense then it's bad. I have found that the more I sacrifice in my relationship with my wife and with my daughter, the more I gain. I may not always FEEL like getting off the couch and playing with Miranda but when I do I never regret it. I may not always FEEL like going out of my way to do something nice for my wife but I'm always glad when I do. If you haven't seen the movie Fireproof it does an excellent job of portraying how much sacrifice can change your life for the better. Love and sacrifice. In all reality you can't do one without the other. For that very reason many marriages now end in divorce because most people get married these days thinking about what they're going to get out of it instead of what they're going to contribute to it. God has been trying to teach us this principle since the beginning but many of us have gotten to busy to listen. We are so busy trying to please ourselves that like C.S. Lewis once wrote "we are...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." We settle for so little when God has offered so much. Learn how to make sacrifices for the ones you love, to contribute instead of just seeing what's in it for you, and you will start to see that there is something far better planned for you than just playing with mud pies.

PROUD

A common phrase that most people have heard is that "pride comes before a fall". At the same time our culture seems to covet pride and hold it up as something to strive for. Why would we covet something that is going to throw us down? Why does our culture cling to pride as though it is a means to our salvation? I believe part of the answer can be found in our interpretation of the word salvation. When most Christians think of salvation their minds go directly to thoughts of Heaven and life after death. However, the Bible seems to paint it as something that begins before we die. When we begin to think of salvation as something that takes place here and now then the source of slavation changes as well. Let me explain what I mean. If salvation doesn't occur until after we die, then there are many aspects of our lives that we don't consider when we are thinking about our salvation. The source of our self-esteem for example, is sought in our accomplishments at work, in our athletic ability, in our abiblity to keep a clean house, in our possessions, and many other things that are directly correlated with things that WE have done with OUR talents. If salvation begins to take place when we welcome the Spirit of God into our lives then our self-esteem is sought in the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, in the price He paid, in God's love for us, in the amazing things that He is able to do through our otherwise incapable hands, and so on. When we recognize what our salvation truly is then we can rest in the fact that our self-worth doesn't come from all the many things we do but instead comes from God and what He's done for us. Pride comes before the fall because we are living in the dark. When the light of God is there to show us the way then we can make it home safely. Sure we may turn our heads and stumble from time to time but as long as we look back towards the light ahead we'll make it okay.

Points to ponder:
The point of pride is winning and the humble seek the truth. (Remember this in your marriage as well)
Lack of prayer reveals the presence of pride.

Philippians 2:3-5
"Don't let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. We will get nowhere if our motives spring from selfish ambition or from indifference to the plight of those around us. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors' interests first. In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus, your Liberating King. Live with His attitude in your hearts." (from The Voice New Testament)