Choose to Not Only See the Good
Tis that time of year. Time for resolutions. Time to seek peace. Time to see the good in every situation.
I disagree.
When we choose only to see the good, we choose to live in complacency. We choose to never change or see change in the world around us. We choose, as John's prophecy in Revelation 3:14-22 states, to be lukewarm.
Today for our housechurch, we discussed being a new creation in Christ. Among other Passages, we discussed II Corinthians 5:11-6:13. It stood out to me that Paul, after writing about being a new creation, describes being beaten, imprisoned, falsely accused, and having nothing. He does not ignore these negatives. He does not pretend they do not exist. He does not justify them. He does, however, explain that even though he has been beaten, he has not been killed. Even though he is sorrowful, he is rejoicing. Even though he is dying, he is yet living. He is challenging the evil that has occurred with the blessings God gives amidst these evils.
He is not complacent. He is not saying the evils are okay, just see the good in all situations. He is a new creation. A new creation is not seeing the good in all situations. It is a conscious choice to right the wrongs, to call the wrongs out for what they are and challenge those wrongs with God's rights.
Revelation 3:14-22 records Christ's words to the lukewarm church in Laodicea. In short, Jesus tells this church that because they have not been hot or cold, he is ready to vomit them out of his mouth. They need to make a choice and take a stand.
Laodicea was a powerful, wealthy, self-sufficient country. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?). However, the very thing that sustained their life - water - had to be shipped in to them. Though they were surrounded by brisk, cold water and soothing hot springs, their own water was full of lime and calcification. It was undrinkable. By the time the water was shipped into Laodicea, it was lukewarm but drinkable.
This is the perfect illustration. It is perfect because, ironically, what Laodicea considered drinkable, Jesus considered vomit-worthy. Laodicea had become complacent in its role in Christ's new creation. They settled. They took no stand. They were neither hot nor cold. They were simply lukewarm.
Choosing to just see the good, the positive, in everything is lukewarm. It is complacent. It is worthy of being spewed out of the mouth of Christ. I believe the cult of positive thinking has had a tremendous effect on today's Christian society - an effect that has left it lukewarm.
I disagree.
When we choose only to see the good, we choose to live in complacency. We choose to never change or see change in the world around us. We choose, as John's prophecy in Revelation 3:14-22 states, to be lukewarm.
Today for our housechurch, we discussed being a new creation in Christ. Among other Passages, we discussed II Corinthians 5:11-6:13. It stood out to me that Paul, after writing about being a new creation, describes being beaten, imprisoned, falsely accused, and having nothing. He does not ignore these negatives. He does not pretend they do not exist. He does not justify them. He does, however, explain that even though he has been beaten, he has not been killed. Even though he is sorrowful, he is rejoicing. Even though he is dying, he is yet living. He is challenging the evil that has occurred with the blessings God gives amidst these evils.
He is not complacent. He is not saying the evils are okay, just see the good in all situations. He is a new creation. A new creation is not seeing the good in all situations. It is a conscious choice to right the wrongs, to call the wrongs out for what they are and challenge those wrongs with God's rights.
Revelation 3:14-22 records Christ's words to the lukewarm church in Laodicea. In short, Jesus tells this church that because they have not been hot or cold, he is ready to vomit them out of his mouth. They need to make a choice and take a stand.
Laodicea was a powerful, wealthy, self-sufficient country. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?). However, the very thing that sustained their life - water - had to be shipped in to them. Though they were surrounded by brisk, cold water and soothing hot springs, their own water was full of lime and calcification. It was undrinkable. By the time the water was shipped into Laodicea, it was lukewarm but drinkable.
This is the perfect illustration. It is perfect because, ironically, what Laodicea considered drinkable, Jesus considered vomit-worthy. Laodicea had become complacent in its role in Christ's new creation. They settled. They took no stand. They were neither hot nor cold. They were simply lukewarm.
Choosing to just see the good, the positive, in everything is lukewarm. It is complacent. It is worthy of being spewed out of the mouth of Christ. I believe the cult of positive thinking has had a tremendous effect on today's Christian society - an effect that has left it lukewarm.
Comments
Post a Comment