Category: Verse & Quote of the day

Quote of the day

“We’ve found different ways of expressing it, and recognized the power of the media to manipulate such signs. Maybe we just have to sort of draw our fish in the sand. It’s there for people who are interested. It shouldn’t be there for people who aren’t.” — Bono on faith, quoted in “U2 at the End of the World”

what’s your credibility rating?

This morning at the What-A-Study, Brian asked, “what’s your credibility rating?”

When you think about credibility, what comes to mind? What causes a person to gain credibility, or lose credibility? When you think about Scripture you can probably name a number of folks who had some great credibility, and those who didn’t. You can probably think of folks in your own life who have great credibility with you – and those who don’t. Where would you rank on a scale of 1-10?

Brian pointed out that even the Apostle Paul had to raise his credibility rating. If you think about it, he was coming in as an outsider. He was someone totally opposed to Christianity and now he shows up wanting to work hand in hand with the disciples. Maybe we should check his letter of recommendation a little closer.

Here’s what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (from the Message):

1-2 So, friends, it’s obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn’t slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God’s Message to you, defiant of the opposition.

3-5 God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.

6-8 Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.

9-12 You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God’s Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren’t freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life. (1 thes 2:1-9)

A few things to consider as we think about our own credibility:

  • Paul served sacrificially (vs 1-2) he didn’t show up and suddenly hope doing one or two good things would make him credible. it took time and sacrifice.
  • Paul constantly checked his motives (vs 3-5) – Paul continually checked his motives with God to ensure he was working and sacrificing for the right reasons. He didn’t work to please man – but God.
  • Paul was willing to do right even without credit (v 6) – that can be a hard one. it’s easy to hope that others will see our good deeds and tell everyone about it – but can we still do good without credit. will you still wash the dishes or fold the laundry for your wife even if she doesn’t recognize it for weeks on end?
  • Paul was selfless, grace-driven and caring for others (vs 7-8) – Something that stands out in that passage, “We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts.” As Christians our goal is to share the Gospel. But Paul says that despite that calling he wasn’t content just converting people. He shared his heart. Reminds me of Bullhorn Man. Are we simply so enthralled in converting people that we don’t recognize the hurting that’s around us? Are we so concerned about sharing the Gospel that we forget to live it? Sure I can go to Austin Street and share the Gospel, but I don’t have any credibility with those folks until I recognize they don’t have a bed to sleep in or a coat to keep them warm. They may ultimately need the Gospel, but we must also be aware of their physical and emotional conditions as well.
  • Paul was consistent in his hard work (v9) – he labored and labored and labored, not losing sight of his goal.

So what about you? How is your credibility with your wife, husband, children, friends, boss and the stranger on the street? How would you rate? How would you rate me?

Verse(s) for the day

1 And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God! I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.

2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it. – Phil 3:1-11

This passage always stands out to me. It’s one that really helped me put things in focus when I was 18 and made me realize the things of this world that I was striving for – didn’t really matter.
Even today, as I read it for the umpteenth time the words rang just as true as they always have.
It is definitely a Monday morning. I woke up earlier than normal, sometime before 5 a.m. because I apparently rolled on my back and started snoring. Laurie did exactly what I’ve been telling her to do – wake me up if I’m keeping her awake. But I was frustrated at myself because I simply don’t know how or why I tend to roll onto my back when I sleep. After that trying to go back to sleep was useless. I finally got up, made some coffee, ate some breakfast and went to let Presley out.

And despite the warning stuck to our back door – “Turn the alarm off” – I didn’t. So the alarm went off as soon as I opened the door.

I finished getting ready and sat down to check my e-mail. Laurie headed off for work and I waited my time to leave. At 6:45 I started the “process” of getting Presley back into her crate. She was perched on her favorite chair with a warm blanket and wanted no part in moving. I got her to her crate and noticed she was avoiding one side of it. Upon further examination I discovered she had an accident during the night and of course wanted to avoid laying in it. Apparently the pot roast left overs I gave her yesterday didn’t sit well with her and she couldn’t wait till morning.

So despite the time on the clock, I had to clean up the mess. She obviously knew she had an accident but unfortunately that doesn’t mean she’s going to help clean up. ;-). I finally got things cleaned as best as I could in a brief time, threw her blanket in the wash and put her back in her crate – smelling like an accident myself.

I headed out the front door at 7 a.m. only to realize my windows were frosted over again. Arrgh! I grabbed a glass of luke-warm water to clean them off, which did a great job getting rid of the frost, but apparently wasn’t warm enough to keep the water from re-freezing before I could get the truck warmed up – so I was back to scraping the ice off by hand.

I finally made it to the bus stop around 7:20 – just in time to catch the bus to work.

As I read the above passage, with the smell still in my nose of Presley’s accident it was an screaming example of how Paul felt about the things not of Christ – “dog dung.” I prayed and pray that I will feel the same way. The same sickening smell I’m smelling today should be the same smell we experience when we stray from Christ and His call on our life.

How do your sins/distractions from Christ smell?