by Marquis Murray | Jun 5, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
This past weekend we had the privilege of hearing from Todd Lester. Todd works for Be In Christ Canada, the fellowship of churches we are grateful to belong too.
Todd used his time with us to teach through the three values Be In Christ Canada has chosen to reflect and live out: BELOVED, BELONG, BECOME. These values are very much connected to our own values at The Village: DISCOVERY, STORY, COMMUNITY. Can you make the connection?
Below are scriptures Todd used to walk through these values. Take some time to read them, pray through them, and see how God challenges you through them.
SOMETHING TO BUILD YOUR LIFE ON…
Matthew 7:24
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds
a house on solid rock.
I AM BELOVED BY GOD
Ephesians 1:4-5
Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us … and it gave Him
great pleasure.
1 John 3:1
See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us his children, and that is
what we are!
The early church theologian, Augustine, wrote: “God loves each one of us as if
there was only one of us to love.”
I BELONG TO GOD’S FAMILY
Romans 12:5
So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to
each other.
Hebrews 10:25
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage
one another…
In community you are…SAFER…STRONGER…SMARTER
1 Peter 4:9
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
I AM BECOMING LIKE JESUS
Ephesians 5:2
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were
confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
– – – – – – – – –
small(er) group questions:
How are these values connected to the gospel, the good news of Jesus?
God loved and chose us before he knew us (Ephesians 1). How does that make you feel?
What do you make of the Augustine quote?
Which scripture speaks to you most about community and belonging? Why?
One of our favourite words at The Village is becoming – what do you think it takes for us to be challenged and grow, while at the same time being patient when we’ve yet to arrive at the place we want to be?
Which one of the values do you resonate with more? BELOVED? BELONG? BECOME? Why?
by Marquis Murray | May 23, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
Cooking segments on day time TV are always interesting…I love how they have 5 min to make something, and it turns out amazing.
What I find intriguing, from someone who doesn’t cook all that well, especially one who doesn’t bake, is how it all comes together.
The hardest part, in my opinion, is starting. You have to imagine something good coming out of your raw ingredients. You have to have a vision that drives you to mix and stir and bake and cool…and then…EAT.
We are, knowingly or not, stirring up something.
- our life is a result of what we started stirring up a few years before
- our actions are a result of what has been stirring in our heart
- our relationships are as strong as the ingredients we’ve put into them and the discipline to do the hard work.
- nothing tastes good without any planning, working, stirring, and mixing at the onset.
How is this analogy part of our current conversation?
Well, as we come to the end of our journey in Proverbs 6, we are given the last and final thing God hates, or at least, the writers interpretation of what God hates. It has to do with stirring, mixing, and creating.
I mentioned last week that I tinkered with a FaceBook survey or pole. As promised, I will share some of the best responses. Here are the top things people hate…
- Bad Coffee & Bad Beer
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Marble Cheese
- The political party they didn’t vote for
- Dust bunnies
- Boston Bruins
- When someone presses an elevator button that’s already been pressed
- How much time do you have?
- Facebook questions/surveys?
- Doing the same thing over & over and expecting different results
- Lies & vaccines (needles)
- Mental illness & it’s impact
- Seeing people suffer
- Fear
- Lies & Arrogant people
- Mistreatment & Rigid Thinking
- Entitlement
- Hate (a few people said they hate hate…I agree with them)
Where have we been so far? What have we talked about? What is God ‘not fond of’?
- prideful eyes
- envious of what others have
- lying tongue
- hands, feet, HEART
This all comes from Proverbs 6. The writer of the proverbs does his best to interpret and answer this question, ‘what does God hate?’.
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
This final line seems to both add another layer to the conversation, while also summing things up quite nicely.
3 parts two this line that are essential…PERSON / STIRS UP CONFLICT / COMMUNITY
a PRESON who…
The underlying intention in this text was leading us to this all along.
What kind of PERSON do you want to be?
What makes up WHO you are?
This proverb reminds us that our hands, our feet, our eyes, our tongue, and of course our heart, reflects the PERSON we are.
Will we be defined by the words this proverb uses to describe those parts of the body…or…will we, with intention and purpose, be the person Jesus is calling us to be.
- Humility instead of Pride
- Truth instead of Lies
- Good instead of Evil
- Life giving instead of Life threatening
We get to choose the kind of person we are. We get to invite God to help us become who he calls us to be. That’s both a gift and a choice.
STIRS UP CONFLICT…
Like we said at the top, we or others are always stirring up something. Nothing that happens, just happens. We or someone else was part of it. Things come about because of what was being stirred before hand.
This puts value on every part of everything we do.
I love the metaphor or analogy…to stir up or sow:
- are we intentional about what we are creating with the decisions we’re making?
- are we thoughtful of what will come from our ideas and more importantly, our actions?
- are we planting peace, hope, love, grace, forgiveness…today…so it grows into something impactful…tomorrow?
This proverb of course warns us of what not to stir up: CONFLICT. DISCORD.
We know what conflict is, but I love the word DISCORD (ESV). Something intriguing about that word.
Discord in Hebrew means, division, strife, contention, quarrel, and of course, conflict.
When I think about this word I can’t help but think about music and chords and separating the word like this – DIS / CHORD
- something that break ups the harmony
- a note that doesn’t belong in the chord or the scale
- a musical element that causes unnecessary tension
God hates it when what was supposed to be harmonious is now in dis-cord, or is now in conflict, is now divided.
Proverbs speaks to this issue a lot…
10:12 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
15:18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.
13:10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
22:10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
28:25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.
29:22 An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
Of course, the NT addresses this as well:
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
1 Tim 6:4 They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction…
What contributes to or feeds conflict/strife (according to Proverbs)
- A hot temper
- gossip
- greed
- anger
- quarrels
- pride
- talking too much / saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or the right thing at the wrong time
- Mocking/Judging
What sucks the air out of conflict or strife (according to Proverbs)
- A peace maker
- patience
- A grateful or content heart
- A calm demeanour
- humility
- listening
- If and when you talk, think about it, pray about it, count your words
COMMUNITY…
The last word in this proverb is community.
What saddens God’s heart most? A break up in community.
All the things that are listed in Proverbs 6 are of course things that lead to broken relationships, broken families, broken marriages, broken neighbourhoods, broken work places and offices, even brokenness in faith communities and churches.
TAKE HOME :
We have a choice…to be the kind of person who stirs up good, who builds up others, who makes those around us better.
How do we do that? By hating what God hates and loving what God loves.
Say no to pride and yes to humility
Say no to lies and yes to the truth
Say no to evil and yes to good
Say no to tearing people down and yes to building people up
Say no to unnecessary conflict and yes to healthy community
These are the ways of Jesus. We can’t get away from that. Jesus lived his life in this way for us to follow his example.
The final question in this series is this: What are you stirring up? What ingredients are you adding to the mix when if comes to forming your character, your heart, your mind, your life? What kind of person are you becoming, and do your actions reflect who you want to become?
This is a question we should always be asking ourselves so we keep in step with the person God is calling us to be in Jesus.
– – – – – – – – –
small(er) group questions:
What are your impressions of this final theme in this series? How does that final line in our Proverb text resonate with you?
Did you see how the writer led us to this very place where we can analyze what kind of person we are? How do you feel about the sequence he used? Eyes, Tongue, Heart, Hands, Feet, Person? How does this challenge you?
Conflict isn’t always negative and is sometimes necessary. If so, what do you think the writer means by causing conflict, strife or discord? (Feel free to use the other proverbs quoted above)
How valuable is community to you? How about a sense of family? Do you see God’s heart for this here? Is your heart aligned with God’s in regards to community and healthy relationships?
What are you stirring up? Does this metaphor speak to you and more importantly, challenge you? Is fo, how?
How difficult or important is it to choose humility over pride, truth over lies, evil over good, life giving activity over life sucking activity, and community over division?
by Marquis Murray | May 15, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
If we’re honest, our response to the question, what do I absolutely hate, is led by our emotional state; it shifts with moods or circumstances.
- Bullying (if our kids have been bullied)
- Cold Weather (in a long winter)
- HEAT (when it’s gone on too long)
- Your lawnmower or computer or car if it breaks down at the worst possible moment
We’ve been asking this question about God…
- tough…tricky…
- I would never ask how others would respond to this question, with fear I’d get some ridiculous answers.
Honestly, if anything, what does God hate?
This question comes from Proverbs 6. The writer of the proverbs does his best to interpret and answer this question.
Here’s what we read:
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
So far we’ve talked about…
- prideful eyes
- envious of what others have
- lying tongue
Up to now we’ve dealt with a line at a time, today we will group three of them together.
HANDS / FEET / HEART
HANDS…
This part of the proverb, as important as it is, should simply be a given. (Ex 20:13)
Hands that shed innocent blood? Who wouldn’t or shouldn’t hate that.
Yet, in our world, on a daily basis, people die, innocently, foolishly, senselessly.
Ignorant wars? Acts of violence? Those who don’t have a choice? DIE.
Toronto is not immune to these acts, as we saw just a few weeks ago.
Murder. Senseless death. Comes from those who…
1) don’t see the image of God in others, and 2) have an undervalued view of their neighbour.
Of course murder is more than what we think it is. We kill people’s dreams, people’s aspirations, people’s hopes, all the time, and think it’s ok.
Jesus addresses this in Matthew 5 (20-22).
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ (which means I hate you or a form of contempt) is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Jesus is obviously expanding the meaning of murder and more importantly the limits of the ten commandments. It’s not just your hands that commit the evil, it’s your thoughts, your words, your intentions.
Extreme Case: Don’t Kill
Subtle Understanding: Don’t tear people down, don’t wish people dead or treat them like they’re not image bearers of God.
I recently heard these words from a podcast that ring true here: Be careful how we use the words ‘crushing it’ and ‘killing it’. When we’re crushing it, is someone else getting crushed? When we’re killing it, is someone else being disposed of?
FEET…
Feet that rush to evil…
I love this metaphor. Rushing. Hurrying. Doing something dumb, and doing it quickly.
Think about all the things we rush to…work, home, our phones, a store before closing, …
Are most of the things we rush towards worth it? I bug my kids to hurry up all the time…family gatherings mainly…and we’re still the first ones there…we’re reconsidering our plans for the next event 🙂
If you rush to do anything, the proverb is saying, rush to do good. Rush to love, to help, to build up, to encourage, etc.
Such a vivid metaphor: rushing to evil. God hates it when we choose to move in the wrong direction. WHY? It hurts us. And it can most definitely hurt others in the process.
You’ve heard this before: I do what I do and it doesn’t affect anyone, so why do you care? Untrue. If we rush to evil, we will most likely drag others along with us.
Our feet dictate where we go…so count your steps, discern your direction.
Psalm 37 talks about this much…with words like, firm steps…ordered steps…walk in in God’s ways…
How futile…to rush somewhere…you have no business being.
HEART…
A heart that devises wicked schemes…
We know that the word heart is not our physical heart. Heart in scripture generally means our will, our mind, our insides…the control centre of our lives.
Proverbs challenges us to really take inventory of our heart. More importantly, we’re challenged to not even let anything in that can send us in the wrong way.
I’ve been teaching my son how to drive recently. Let me tell you, the steering wheel, when moves one way or the other, with too much force, really gets the car going in a way that is, let’s say, unsafe 🙂
So just like a steering wheel in a car, your heart directs your life.
That’s why another proverb tells us to guard our heart. To protect it. To ensure it’s healthy and good and humble.
Jesus says in Matthew 15…
18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
– – – – –
It’s very interesting that the phrase about heart is at the centre. In ancient writing, and in poetry, position and location is very important. This phrase is the 4th of 7 lines. 3+1+3.
They are trying tell us something. If our heart is in the right place, so will the other parts of our body.
If our heart is healthy, it will reflect every part of our life.
Think about it this way. If your heart is right, your hands and your feet will follow suit.
HEART is who I am
FEET is where I go
HANDS are what I do
They work together, but it starts in your heart.
TAKE HOME:
Today is Mother’s Day. It reminds us how important it is for us to plant good seed in the hearts of those we care for.
The most important thing we can do is teach our kids or teach those we are privileged to influence, to take care of their heart, to guard their heart, to nurture their heart with God’s words, God’s ways, Jesus’ values.
Moms & Dads & Leaders, we are planters. What we plant, will grow. So the challenge is to plant well.
God loves your heart so much he wants you to devise plans that are good.
God loves your feet so much he wants you to move in the right direction.
God loves your hands so much, he wants you to use them to build up and encourage.
God just hates it when we waste good hearts, feet and hands, on dumb things. To be honest, so do we.
– – – – – – – – –
small(er) group discussion:
What are some initial thoughts or questions that come out of this week’s topic?
Which aspect (Heart / Hand / Feet) resonates with you most?
How do you interpret the Proverb’s words on murder? Could this be a non-issue if we saw every person as an image bearer of God or if we loved our neighbour as our self?
And then, how do you see Jesus taking it a step further and re-interpreting one of the ten commandments? (Matt 5) (Not just physical, but intentions, words, thoughts, etc.)
What do you make of the metaphor of Feet rushing to evil? Is rushing ever good? Is hurry in itself evil? And what would you rather be in a hurry to do?
Heart. The most important one of all. Why does it seem we always come back here; to the heart of the matter, if you will?
Two verses to think about: Proverbs 4:23 & Matthew 15 (Jesus’ words on heart & life). Discuss.
What is our role in planting good seed in people’s hearts; as parents, leaders, managers, friends, neighbours, influencers?
by Jonathan Manafo | May 9, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
When was the first time you lied? Do you remember? I remember the first time I wanted to lie…when I was 4 I accidentally stole some chocolate bars from the grocery store (an old school Dominion store at Yorkdale Mall)…at 4 years old…already a criminal. My brother and sister and I had to decide if we would tell my mom. The taste of Coffee Crisp and Aero were too great to handle. We ate them. And we lied. Or at least we didn’t let my mom in on our (my) criminal activity.
The temptation to lie is with us from birth, that is why we continue to work towards being people of truth.
In 2016, the compilers of the Oxford Dictionary declared “Post-Truth” the word of the year. Interesting isn’t it?
Two other buzzwords have risen to the top of the pile these past few years as well: “Fake News” & “Alternative Facts”. (I’m not going to comment on why)
In addition to Oxford Dictionary, it’s interesting that in 2017 a group called American Dialect Society declared “fake news” the word of the year in the US.
The origin of Fake News? A journalist found a small cluster of news websites all registered in the same town in Macedonia called Veles. They found 140 of these sites…all run by students who were making lots of money off them…all spreading news that was…FAKE.
Funny thing, they asked the Pope what he thinks about the origin of Fake News, and he said its origin is in the Garden of Eden…a snake fooling early humanity to believe something that was false. Classic (and great) answer.
I found out that Durham College (local school) teaches a class called the real truth about fake news.
What does this tell you about culture?
What does this tell you about our vulnerability?
What does it tell you about our discernment?
We have little regard for the truth. Why? Because sometimes the truth doesn’t get you ahead, but lying does.
Here’s the interesting thing about lying:
– Some people’s problem is they lie to others.
– More people’s problem is they lie to themselves.
OK. So why are we talking about lying?
We’re in the second week of a series in Proverbs 6. Looking at what, if anything, God hates.
The writer of Proverbs, in his wisdom and understanding writes these shorts lines about what God hates…or at least what he interprets God to hate…(6:16-19)
- Prideful Eyes
- Lying Tongue
- Hands that shed innocent blood
- A heart that devises wicked schemes
- Feet that rush to evil
- A false witness who pours out lies
- A person who stirs up conflict
If there’s a reason for God to hate anything, it’s because it doesn’t only hurt him, it hurts us.
You’ll notice that the writer uses parts of the body to make his point. Like tools or instruments, they can be used for good or bad.
Two out of these Seven lines in Proverbs 6 refer to lying. Think about it, two of the seven things God hates are in reference to dishonesty and false stories. By the way, false story is just another way to say…you got it, fake news.
LYING TONGUE. TWO WORDS.
Lying
Why do people lie?
- It doesn’t matter to them (lack of conviction)
- Lying = Control
- The truth may disappoint
- It’s just a snowball from another lie
- It’s not a lie to them
- They want it to be true (convince themselves)
Psalm 120:2 says “Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.”
We know from the context of this psalm that this is in reference to others, but if we’re honest, we can attribute these words personally as well. God needs to save me from lying and deceit, from fooling myself to think that I’m ok when I’m really not, or that I’m falling apart, when I’m really not.
Proverbs 12:22 reads, “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”
We can list the multiple reasons why people lie, but here’s one really good reason not to…God hates lying.
Tongue
We can’t lie without words.
We can’t speak words without our tongue.
The tongue, as I’m sure we will all agree, is the hardest thing in our body to control.
We’ve learned this from experience. Who’s ever said something they regret? (all hands raised)
We also learn this from the book James. Listen to what he says about our tongue…
For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.
Wow. James. Why so negative? Because it’s true. This is the power of your tongue…and in turn the power of your words.
– – – – –
The writer of Proverbs says that God hates a lying tongue…Here’s what God loves instead: Truth
Proverbs 23:23 says…
Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. (NLT)
Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money. (MSG)
Jack Nicolson screamed (in A Few Good Men), “You can’t handle the truth”, But the writer of proverbs says, not only can we handle it, we have to do everything we can to get it.
If you’re going to consume anything, invest in anything, trade the farm for anything, let it be truth.
I love that Jesus says that he is the truth, that we worship in spirit and truth, that we can live by truth, that if we know the truth, that truth will set us free.
In the New Testament, Truth = Gospel/Good News. CS Lewis, when he came to faith, said that he believed the myth (story) of the Gospel to be true. He said that of all the myths he came across (he loved mythology), that the gospel was the only true one that resonated deep within his heart.
Who cares what the word of the year was in 2016 & 2017. Don’t let others put words in our mouth. If Post-Truth, or Fake News, or Alternative Facts get all the headlines, so be it. Let your word of this year and every year be TRUTH.
TAKE HOME :
Last week we said that the book of proverbs (ch. 6) is meant to help us in our relationships, our community, our work, our everyday life. Why does God hate lying? Because it ruins relationships, families, careers, marriages, friendships, neighbourhoods. God loves the truth because the truth builds up all those things that lying ruins.
So, what do you wanna be known for…by the people who know you best?
- Truth
- Honesty
- Authenticity
- Sincerity
- One who speaks truth, and does so in love
– – – – – – – –
small(er) group discussion:
Does our society have a problem with untruth? Where is the glaring evidence? Where is it more subtle?
Do you remember when you first lied? How about when you last lied? (kidding) Why are we tempted to lie?
What are the consequences of lying? What parts of our lives are affected most?
What about the tongue? We can’t lie without using words. How do you feel about what James says about the power of the tongue? The power of words?
End with reading and discussing Proverbs 23:23.
Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. (NLT)
Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money.
by Jonathan Manafo | May 1, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
I held an informal survey on FaceBook this week. This is what I posted…
“If I should love what God loves…should I also hate what God hates? And if that’s the case…what does God hate? Hmmmmmmm?
While we’re on the subject, anything you hate…I mean, you absolutely hate? It can be light hearted or a more serious response.”
Here’s what came back
- Cats, Snakes, Onions, Liver, the 401,
- Sin & Potholes (a Montreal friend)
- Pickles and Ignorance
- Thanos (a fan of the Avengers)
- Not using the brain he (assuming they meant God) gave you to make wise decisions!
Anyone else wanna take a crack at it? What do you hate? How would you finish this line “I hate __________”?
I could’ve easily interchanged the word hate for dislike, but that wouldn’t get the same emotional response.
To quote the articulate queen of (not sure what style she’s landed on lately), Taylor Swift,
Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate
But I’m just gonna shake shake shake shake shake
Shake it off
She has a good point to make. If people are sending hate your way, in the form of bullying or abuse, shake it off.
Now, as casual as we use this word, there are some serious things associated with it in a real sense.
HATE is real
HATE in and for people is wrong (but if you dig deeper, you’ll learn about why they feel this way)
We’d all agree that we want less HATE in the world and not more.
So how can it be that we stumble on a text in scripture that says God hates anything?
One thing we don’t associate God with is Hate. Why? Because he is LOVE. The Bible says he is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and more importantly, Jesus shows us that God is LOVE.
But what, if anything, can God possibly HATE?
Enter into the conversation, Proverbs 6.
Proverbs is considered a book of wisdom. Some see it as a collection of really wise sayings. It was a book that Israel used for practical & godly advice. If Psalms is a book for worship and prayer, Proverbs is a book of wisdom and sage advice. If Proverbs had a search engine to it, we can imagine people looking up words, the way like we do on google. Lying? Work? How do I deal with my grumpy neighbour.
This chapter (6) in Proverbs deals with a few things:
- Adultery & faithfulness
- laziness
- Envy
- Ants & hard work (fav text)
- Lending money
Some serious and yet practical things right? That in essence is Proverbs, real talk on real life issues.
Then we get to verse 16…
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
That’s quite the list. Why such strong language? Because the writer of Proverbs wants to warn against painful consequences of both active & passive sin. The problem with these anti-virtues is that they’re disastrous to self and to others.
One important thing to see from these verses, is that there is a part of the body associated with each act? Eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet. And it ends with ‘person’. It’s like the writer is trying to tell is, ‘Don’t let your body engage in this behaviour, otherwise you won’t be too pleased with the person you’ve become.’
Let’s focus on the first one today:
HAUGHTY EYES
Two words: Haughty & Eyes
Haughty
Most of the Bible translations stick with this word.
Haughty is the negative side to pride. When we associate pride and sin, haughty might best describe it.
(Dictionary definition) disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious:
Pride can be positive too of course: taking pride in your work, taking pride in your family, self-respect or self esteem.
But we all know the downside of Pride. That kind of pride It is associated with arrogance, selfishness, and thinking less of others.
It’s one thing to be proud of your work, doing a good job, coming through in the clutch for your team. It’s quite another thing to be walking around proud in the sense that you feel entitled or that you somehow think you’re better than others.
This is why you’ll see Pride in the list of 7 deadly sins: for some, pride is considered the seed or the root of sin.
One word for sin in the NT is Hubris. This word is connected to and mingled in with pride.
“Hubris is the pride which makes a person walk away from God, and the arrogant contempt which makes him or her trample on the hearts of his fellow human”
As far back as people of have been wrestling with the idea of sin, they’ve assessed that pride lies behind it.
Came across this tweet last week…
Why do most people think that they:
live in the best country, cheer for the best team, listen to the best music, vote for the best party, have the best taste, are the best gender, know what is true, and take a stand for what really matters most? Wait…maybe I’m not the best? (TIM DAY, Twitter)
This leads us to the other word in this phrase…
Eyes
When you connect to Pride to vision, you get Envy. When you see the world through arrogance and not humility, the result tends to be Jealousy and Envy.
“The problem with envy & covetous desires is that they are never satisfied; there is no brim of the cup, no lip to the bottle. Coveting does not know what it means to wait, it only lives in the present, short sighted & narrow in scope.”
For the extreme case of this, read the second half of Proverbs 6. The writer warns the reader not to covet your neighbours spouse. (serious) We can be envious of anything that’s not ours. We first discover this in Exodus 20. “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” Anything that someone else has is open in the game of envy and jealousy: car, home, job, bank account, position, etc.
The writer of proverbs is so adamant about this, he says that God hates it, along with pride.
WHY? Because it disrupts community. It breaks up relationships, it goes against all that God desires for humanity.
Pride & Envy, to say it lightly, God is not fond of these things.
– – – – –
Here’s what God loves instead; here’s what God would rather have us see the world through…
Humility & Contentment
May our eyes & hearts be humble
May our eyes & hearts be grateful
Romans 12:3 says, Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Humility is that virtue that thinks highly of others, not less of them.
Phil 4:11-13 says, I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Contentment is that virtue that knows what it means to be satisfied, to know when you have enough.
God loves humility & contentment. I need to love and possess those things too.
As I discover what God hates…it has to always lead me to what God loves.
I guess the question is this, what do you want to be known for? Pride & Envy or Humility and Gratefulness?
God hates brokenness more than we do. He hates things that drive a wrench in relationships and divides a sense community. If we’re honest, we hate those things too. The best way to combat that is to love things that build up, that encourage, that make our world better.
– – – – – – – –
small(er) group discussion:
Talk about the things you absolutely hate. First keep it fun and light, and then bring up some things that are more profound and serious.
How would you define the term, “God is Love”?
When the writer of Proverbs uses the words, “God hates”, does that feel right or does it bring on more questions?
What is it about pride and arrogance that God hates? Do you ever see this in you?
What is it about envy and coveting that God hates? Do you ever see these things in you?
What are some steps you can take to be on the side of humility & gratefulness?
End by reading Romans 12:3 & Philippians 4:11-13.
(Rom) Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
(Phil) I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
by Jonathan Manafo | Apr 11, 2018 | Sunday Conversations
What are you most afraid of?
Interesting question, wouldn’t you say? It’s one of those questions that gets you thinking? If you’re one who tends to dig deep inside your emotions, you may ask yourself this quite often. If not, then perhaps you don’t think of it or at least you don’t vocalize it too much.
We know about social phobias/fears
- Agoraphobia (open spaces)
- Acrophobia (fear of heights)
- Pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying)
- Claustrophobia (small spaces)
- Entomophobia (insects)
- Cynophobia (dogs)
- Astraphobia (storms)
- Trypanophobia (needles)
Think about the different things you were afraid of at different stages of your life: 5, 10, 15, 21, 27, 33, 39, 50, 61, etc. All different aren’t they? Some fears change with every passing year, other fears kind of stay with us for years.
Being human is to fear what might happen in the future. Animals fear things in the moment, in the present, but they don’t think about the future and all the bad (or good) things that can happen.
I recently read that most people fears may fall in these categories: failure, abandonment/rejection, intimacy, success, being broke, not being good enough. Not being good enough is possibly the root of all the others: affects relationships, work, success, future plans.
Having fear is natural, letting it stop you from moving forward is a tragedy.
We might not think to associate fear with Easter and the resurrection. Easter is a party, a celebration, a climactic and life changing moment in history. Yet…some of the closest to Jesus experienced fear…and doubt on and beyond resurrection day.
Twice in Matthew 28 we read these words, “Don’t be afraid”. They were said by an angel and by Jesus to the women who first discovered that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb. Verses 5 & 10.
These women had the right and the reason to be afraid, yet both the angel and Jesus himself said these very powerful words, “Do not be afraid”.
How do we hear those words? Do we take them to heart? Believe them? Respond to them? Or do we stay afraid…do we remain in our fear?
In John 20, another resurrection story, we read some other words that are essentially saying the same thing.
“Peace be with you”
Not once, not twice, but three times.
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Doors are locked. Disciples are afraid. Fearful of getting arrested because of their connection to Jesus. Jesus gets through the locked doors. (a bit of a mystery) Knowing they’re scared he says “Peace be with you” and then shows them his hands and side. Why? Because they needed comforting and assurance. This fear was in connection to the validity of what just happened. Death / Resurrection.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Here Jesus wants to renew their hope and devotion. He wants to ensure they’re still engaged in the mission. Jesus knows more than anyone that unafraid people are influential people. That fear holds us back, but courage moves us forward.
It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, I’m back, I’m alive, we’re back in business”
The Holy Spirit is in this text. Jesus ‘breathes’ on them. It’s like he says, “I wanna replace your fear with something greater, my Spirit.”
Then we arrive to the last section… (Thomas wasn’t with the Disciples when Jesus showed up a week ago. We find him with them a week later)
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Here Jesus is combating Thomas’s doubt. Thomas, like most of us, needs some kind of hard evidence that things are actually better. He needs to know why he shouldn’t be afraid. Jesus offers his wounds. ‘Hey Thomas, take your finger, stick it here, it’s me, this happened, I’m alive to tell the story.’
What I love about these exchanges is that Jesus addresses fear in two ways, external & internal.
- in two of the conversations, Jesus shows his wounds as a way to help them with their fear.
- In the middle conversation, he insists they need something in them to help them with fear (HS).
God knows exactly what we need to helps us overcome our fear.
This seems to be God’s pattern…
Way back in Isaiah (43), while Israel is in exile, homeless, waiting, growing impatient. Fear is naturally welling up. We read these amazing words…
1-4 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze. (NIV)
1-4 But now, God’s Message,
the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Saviour. (MSG)
So many good things to consider here: let’s just narrow it down to this:
God reminds Israel who they were, who made them, who formed them and continues to form them.
He says to them and to us, ‘you don’t have to be afraid’. Why? Because you are Known, you are Named & you are Loved.
Fear plays out in so many areas of our life: our work, our relationships, our education, our work in the community. Don’t let it hinder you, acknowledge it’s there, but then hear Jesus’ words to us, PEACE, Don’t be afraid, Fear not.
TAKE HOME:
Through out the Easter season, I read a little book from Walter Bruggeman, and I came across these few words about fear that wrap this up really well.
The unafraid are open to the neighbour, while the frightened are defending themselves.
The unafraid are generous, while the frightened feel the need to keep, store, and accumulate to make themselves safe.
The unafraid are compassionate and merciful, the frightened don’t notice those in need.
The unafraid are committed to helping the marginalized, the frightened only see them as threats.
The unafraid pray in the morning, care throughout the day, are thankful in the evening. While the frightened are often restless and dissatisfied.
PRAY:
May we be unafraid people – Making a difference wherever we go. May we see obstacles as opportunities; barriers as bridges. May we see people, not as the opposition, but as your created ones.
Remind us so deeply today that we are known by you, redeemed by you, and loved by you. May the fear inside of us be replaced by your Spirit, the spirit we invite you to breath into us.
May we walk out today, knowing that your perfect love drives out fear – full of courage to live the full lives you are calling us to live.
Amen.
