The Battle of Conformity

One of the greatest battles of our time is taking place because men seek conformity.  In the past, men like Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao were oppressive outwardly, lording it over their subjects to bring conformity.  Though tyrants like them still exist, there is a spiritual tyrant that is much more subtle.  Setting up images of perfected leaders, satan accuses all who are not just like them.  In exalting men to men, he opens the door to intimidate all who are not like the leaders.

We are influenced through books and speakers, music and magazines.  When the ways of successful men and women are taught as being God’s ways, the Accuser tears down our own personal following of God so that we will want to be like the successful people.  If we are in ministry and having trouble starting, he will tell us that there is something wrong with us.  If our relationships have troubles he will tell us that the problems are originating from some hidden sin we have inside.  So close are the lies satan tells us, that we cannot gain the perspective we need to crawl out from under his oppression. 

Paul wrote;

“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Cor 10:12)

Neither measuring ourselves nor trying to be like others will lead to wisdom.  In fact, those who believe that they have value before God as individuals will develop insight into their nature as God nurtures and raises them as sons and daughters.  Those who hold to the vision wrought by what God has personally spoken to them daily will be molded into His image, and not the image of successful leaders.

When men fail to support and encourage each other, those who are not in the image of the leader will be left out of the fellowship.  This lack of acceptance leaves the believer to wonder what he or she did wrong, and much introspection about their nature.  And this begins the onslaught from the Accuser of the Brethren.  Often the “outsider” is labeled as being rebellious and those who remain in the image of the leader pat each other on the back for being in unity.  But the Holy Spirit does not need conformity to bring unity.  He, the Holy Spirit, seeks individuals who want to be built into a spiritual house through love and obedience.

If there is any question as to satan’s tactics of division in overcoming God’s people, we should look at the book of Revelation.  Each of the seven letter to the churches encourages individuals to overcome, and gives individual rewards.  In some churches, there are divisions between those who are doing good and those who are doing evil.  There is no chastisement about them not all doing the same thing, conforming to each other.  There is no blame for those who hold out for purity of faith against those who compromise and soil their garments.  In each church to which Jesus speaks the message is for individual overcoming so that the church as a whole will stand victorious.

Each man and woman must stand for their faith, being true to what the Lord has personally spoken to their hearts.  This will bring a great oppression from satan, but it should not bring oppression from men.  We need the gifts and nurture to grow up into the unity of the faith, and those gifts, and that unity can come from each other.  But let us put comparisons aside lest we cause ourselves and others to lose the good fight of faith . . . that fight that is brought on by the Accuser of the Brethren.  Amen.

Romans 12: Knowing God's will

This Bible chapter begins with advice on how to know God’s will for our lives.  For those of us who wonder how God will use us, this is the place that tells us many of the factors that go into our calling.

In order to know God’s will, we must first lay down our own lives, including our own will.  Then we will have a life of service to our brethren, a life of loving them.  Twice in this chapter we are warned not to be high-minded, or proud. (vs 3 & 16).  If our estimation of ourselves is overinflated, we will miss how God wants us to live out our calling.  And if our estimation of others is low, we will not want to serve them.

Many of us have desires of what we wish God would do with us.  Those desires become inflated when we think of how the Lord might serve us by our calling.  Rather, the Lord puts us in places to serve others with our gifts.  Our calling requires faithful use of our gifts for the benefit of others, but not for the furthering of ourselves.  To accomplish faithful service towards our brethren, our own love must be genuine.

Our calling will not give us a trouble-free walk with the Lord. To think that we are above persecution and evil is to be proud-minded.  Rather, God wants us to associate with people who misunderstand us, and to try to bring harmony.  We should care about the unhappy as much as we do about those who are enjoying their lives.

God has designed His will for our lives to include our love for other people, for that is the way Jesus' life was.  Jesus’ calling was not lived out in a vacuum, for He became acquainted with the griefs and sorrows of all men. (Is 53:3-4).  When we lay our lives down for others, they may not seem grateful nor appreciative. Their growth may seem forever stunted.  But let us leave our personal frustrations behind us, knowing that God’s will for our lives is perfected in genuine love for our brethren.  Though our humility may come to us as humiliation, it is in laying down our own will for God’s calling that we will truly know His good and perfect will for our lives. Amen.

Love is Gift

Love seems like such a perfect gift that we often feel that our version of love is tainted.  Jesus sacrificed His life out of love for us so that we could be saved.  It was God’s sacrifice to give His only begotten Son, Jesus, for us.  The Love of the Father and Son is so holy that we can often think, due to our failures, that our love is not a gift at all.

But our love for each other is a gift.  Though we might fail at love from time to time, or often, love is still a gift worth giving. 

God knows we are imperfect beings.  He has invested the Spirit of Jesus into us so that we might taste of the Perfect that lives inside our clay vessels (2 Cor 4:7).  Today the Lord told me that we are appointed to sing about our love when we are joined with Him in eternity.  If we look at our failures here on earth we might be tempted to quit loving.  But from God’s perspective, this is a dress rehearsal for a beautiful song we will sing one day.  You may sing to your child, your spouse, your friend.  It may be a relative in the flesh, or brethren in the faith.  But on that Day you will have a beautiful song to sing to them.  Our love will inspire songs for some who would not be with us for eternity, except we had loved them on earth.

Let us not give up loving.  If there be pain or sacrifice, then we know that we are called to walk in the Savior’s footsteps, and our gift of love will endure for eternity.  Amen.