Exhortations appeal to Emotions to Encourage us

I've been realizing a lot lately (through personal experience rather than book larnin') how profoundly my theology can affect even the "mundane" aspects of my faith.

Now despite the fact that it seems contradictory, I have come to this personal, empirical realization at one of my recurring moments of faltering faith. I am willing to argue from within the confines of a possible schema, but don't feel fully comfortable arguing as if it were a faith inspired fact. I felt this sidebar was necessary in case any of my sentence constructions seem a bit...uh...wonky.

In any case, I think it is really easy to slip into a human centered view of theology instead of a God or Christo-centric view of theology. (The irony of my writing a blog, which will in some ways draw attention to myself, on this subject is not lost on me.) The accusation that we are worshipping self more than God sounds like damnable idolatry, which no God-fearing Christian would dare attempt. But that self-centeredness is an insidious little bugger. It crops up when we think we are doing the good things God intends us to do.

I've been reading Oswald Chambers's My Utmost for His Highest and the entry for October 26th taken from John 20: 21 really struck me. "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." The context of this verse is the resurrected Christ appearing to his disciples, and Chambers takes this opportunity to discuss what it means to be a missionary. Even more so, he discusses what is our motivation to be missionaries.

Generally when we hear calls to be missionaries, we hear it pitched in terms of the lost who need to be saved. Exhortations appeal to our emotions to encourage us to go. We see the need of the people above all else. What Chambers focuses on, however, is God's command rather than the external need.

That sort of focus reorients me. Yes, I care about people because God does, but do I set them up above him? What I mean to say is, If God chooses to take a particular action and I am not happy about the outcome to a person or persons, have I then put people before God? It's a tricky balance.

Further, why should we need additional justification other than the fact that God commands it? By emphasizing the needs of the people, do we elevate them over God? Or is this some badly developed argument based on arbitrary semantics? And does it make it easier to focus on the the steps that God has issued like a military CO, rather than to think about "collateral damage?

Of Stewardship and Begging

Awhile ago, I was talking to a woman at work about a sermon series her pastor was doing about stewardship. In the midst of railing against "tree-hugging liberals" in certain *ahem* circles, man's dominion over the earth is stressed, but the responsibility to be a good steward is left by the wayside.

Of course this is not only applicable to things of an environmental nature (do not pardon the pun). There are many things with which God blesses us and of which we ought to make good use. The parable of the talents comes to mind, and of course there are some interpretations where the English pun comes in handy (Matthew 25:14-28). The servants who invested the funds of the master were rewarded, while the servant who hid his talent was not.

Do we use the money over which we are given stewardship appropriately or do we waste it? In like manner, do we use the skills we have been given to further God's kingdom or do we use them to our benefit or let them atrophy? I dare say there are many things God has given me and let me do with them what I think I please. I am certain that I do not use all my abilities to the best of my ability, and yet he still gave them to me. I imagine that he is not always happy with what I do with them, but he has not taken them away.

Next comes the twist. How many times have we, that is to say I, seen someone begging for money on the side of the road and been hesitant to give him or her cash because of what it might be used for? What if they use it for beer? What if they use it for drugs? This could go on and on to the extremes of "what if they use it for junk food. That is certainly not the best use of my money."

Granted, God is God, and omniscience is an applicable trait to reference now. He knows what we will do with what we are given before he gives it to us. And maybe we should not always give money to anyone who asks for it. Maybe we should help in other ways.

But what I am convicted about is my inclination to judge someone over their use of my resources when I should probably be judged over my use of God's resources.