Sometimes I Just Need to Shut Up - Psalm 73

If there is one lesson that God has continually been trying (emphasis on TRYING) to teach me, it's that sometimes I just need to shut up. The truth (or my version of the truth, if I'm honest), doesn't always need to be said, and even when it does it's not necessarily my responsibility to be the messenger. And when I do feel compelled to speak, there is a HUGE difference between "speaking the truth in love", and loving to speak the truth. However, even more importantly, sometimes I just need to keep silent. Especially if my words are an emotional reaction to something that pushed a button. I came across this great blog by Mike Leake today and was reminded once again that I can often serve God best by keeping my mouth shut.

In Psalm 73, Asaph is about to burst. 

He’s overwhelmed with confusion, anger and bitterness. Some of it is directed at people—but more than anything else, it is directed at the Lord. 

I’m glad he didn’t have a Facebook account. If he did, he might have put up some vague status that let out a little bit of that anger. Or he might have just let it all rip behind the safety of his computer.

Or maybe he wouldn’t have … 

“If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed the generation of your children.” 

That is Asaph’s way of saying, “I told myself to shut up. I didn’t express my feelings. Because my battle with bitterness and doubt would have caused harm to the faith of others. I love your kids, so I shut my mouth.” 

Have you ever considered that your little Facebook rants might be harming the faith of others? 

Is it possible that they see all the bitterness seeping through your post and wonder how in the world this matches all those “likes” on those Jesus photos?

Or forget Facebook for a moment. Giving full vent and expression to your bitterness harms the faith of others no matter the context. 

(Read the rest of his blog here) 

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." James 1:19-20

A very wise man once told me,"The truth is not always the word of the Lord, but the word of the Lord is always the truth." Translation: Just because it is truth does not mean that it is what God wants expressed at this moment, but what God wants to say in this moment is always truth. The next time you are tempted to react to something emotionally and "speak the truth", stop and ask the Lord, "Is this what You want said by someone who is Your ambassador? Is this Your word for this moment, and for these people?" I think we would all be blessed if we did, and I'm pretty certain that everyone else would be too.

So You Wanna Start a Riot?

In an election year as polarizing as this one was, starting a riot is not a difficult thing to do. Throw in last summer's Chick-Fil-A day followed by Louie Giglio bowing out of the inauguration and it becomes clear that a culture war is not something looming on the horizon, it is in our midst. 

This battle of values is something that many Christians are eager to sign up for. Recently, while surfing hundreds of channels and finding nothing to watch, I landed on the show of a well known TV preacher. I tuned in just as he was reaching the crescendo of his message, "We are soldiers in the army of the Lord! And we are fighting a culture war for the soul of a nation!" As he wiped the sweat from his brow, the congregation responded with resounding cheers and amens. Hands were raised in support throughout the room. I was perplexed. I could not argue with his first point, although childhood memories of singing, "Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war..." still creep me out a little. However, the second half of his mission statement put me on edge. Are we really called by God to engage in a culture war? Is the mission of the church to fight for the soul of a nation? Could I please have some New Testament scriptures to support this? 

Ironically, a decade ago I would have joined in the cheers and high-fived the tv screen. I was an American and a Christian, therefore it was my God given duty to defend her honor and help get this country back on track. However, around the turn of the millennium, a conversation with a good Christian brother would leave me troubled and questioning my deeply held convictions. In short, he was a pacifist while I was a member of the NRA. He was from the northeast, I was from Texas. At first I thought it was just a geographical issue. However, what I really couldn't shake, what annoyed me the most, was that his convictions, though vastly different than mine, were based on scripture, not just culture, patriotism and "good ol' common sense". He also pointed out how these ideas could be seen exemplified by the early church. When he asked me for scripture to support my beliefs, I had none. Literally, nothing. After my initial defensive reaction (surmising that he was just another unpatriotic commie-pinko-liberal who had infiltrated the church), I began to realize that much of my world view had been shaped through the environment I grew up in: the Bible-belt south. Although he didn't completely convert me to pacifism, this conversation was the catalyst to a journey of seeking out what the Bible teaches about how a Christ follower relates to the world around them. I realized that I could no longer blindly embrace the views of my community, my parents, a political party, or even a church. I must seek to know God's truth myself and continually ask, "what does Jesus say about my mission on earth?", and "how do I see that lived out by His early followers?" While many of my perspectives were changed greatly through all of this, it only took one unexpected conflict to instantly reveal the "work in progress" my heart still is....Read the complete article here: