Do Not Assume Relationships

Assumptions are terribly dangerous things.  They are easy categories that we apply to people for fear of investing time to love; they are the very shields we erect to convene others just beyond our borders so that we might not have to learn about a person.  Rather, assumptions give us just enough information as to criticize, demean, and keep at arms length.

While I am primarily speaking of assumptions in regards to people–assuming something about another person–assumptions can be dangerous in nearly any setting.  I am in no little predicament to assume sure footing whilst my toes are planting in the route of an oncoming landslide.  There is no safety in assuming the gun is not loaded when I hold it in my hand.

Yet we do make assumptions.  We make assumptions about one another, about race and creed, background and politic, wisdom and foolishness.  And to make these overarching assumptions about another person is merely a defense mechanism used to cope with the reality of our own innate apathy towards another individual.  The point here is not the veracity of the assumption but, rather, that the assumption is necessary at all.  This I could call the assumption of indifference, wherein the assumption serves to overcome the lack in relationship by placing an overarching category over an individual, i.e. he's lazy, stupid, rude, et al.

But there is another assumption that is far-more dangerous: the assumption of relationship.  In the former assumption, distance is presumed between individuals and the assumption serves to qualify and define that distance.  In this assumption, the assumption of relationship, the true assumption is that the individuals are not distant but are, in fact, close.  This assumption, though subtle, is present when one person claims a near relationship with another that is unwarranted and unfounded.  In the real world, this looks like  coworker who shares all-too private things assuming to already possess the relationship needed for that degree of sharing.

The reason that the assumption of relationship is so devastating is that, eventually, the reality of the relationship will be brought to light and the assuming party will be found wanting and humiliated.  This is so easily to see in teenage boys who, after assuming a relationship with a teenage girl, are confronted with the reality that the girl has no feelings for the boy akin to the kind of relationship assumed by the boy.  The net effect for the exposed assumer is devastation, want, and humiliation.

Without much consideration we could see the harm of assuming relationships.  But how many of us do this very thing when it comes to salvation?  How many of us assume to possess a relationship with the Lord Almighty where one does not exist?

It is with this on our minds that Paul's exhortation to the Philippians seems most appropriate.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12-13)

Proverbs 29:25–Safety Is Trusting In The Lord

Proverbs 29:25–"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."

This verse presents a juxtaposition, an unequal equation of sorts.  On one side we have safety, stability, and security–to be found only through trusting in the Lord.  On the other side there is fear, the fear of man.  To be sure, there is no choosing in this equation: only a fool would choose to fear men rather than trusting in the Lord.  But the reality is that so many of us, without any actual consideration, quickly desert trusting in the Lord because we fear men.  This is an example of fearing that which can be seen for lack of trust in Him who is unseen.  Ultimately, though, this is no tradeoff at all.

The only secure and safe position is trusting wholeheartedly in the Lord. (Period)

Luke 19:10–God Came To Seek And Save The Lost

Luke 19:10–"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."

God's heart is for salvation.  He has a heart to seek the lost but, even more so, to save the lost.  God did this through His Son, Jesus, who died as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of mankind.  All of this is to say that God saves sinners.  This is the core of the Gospel, the very core of God's heart.  The Gospel is, after all, Good News.  Let us always remember this.

Hebrews 7:25–He is Able to Save Those Who Draw Near to Him

Hebrews 7:25–"Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

In truth, more than anything, the reason we draw near to God is because, ultimately, we trust that He has the power to accomplish that which He promises to do.  This verse speaks to this effect, inciting within us a confidence to know that God does precisely what He has claimed.  But even more so, we can draw near to Him with assurance through faith.

In the end, this verse warrants a simple assertion:

Amen!  Praise be to God!

What's The Most Important Thing?

Life and all the various components that comprise it come to us in uncatalogued.  As we experience life and learn about the variety of distinctions unique to to everything, we naturally begin the process of ordering our lives, evaluating everything that we come into contact with and categorizing everything into a sort of value-based mental hierarchy of tastes, likes, dislikes, desires, passions, dreams, morals, ethics, et al.

There becomes, as it were, a prioritization within each one of us.  We have these lists, for lack of a better word, in which our entire lives, our very existence, is placed into our perspective orders.  To be sure, these lists are almost-surely informal and un-written, but they exist none the less.

The question I pose is this:

What's at the top of your life list?  What is the most important thing?

Quite plainly, nothing compares to the surpassing greatness of knowing God through Jesus Christ. Nothing.

John 11:25-26–Do We Believe This?

John 11:25-26–"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'"

This provocative statement by Jesus concludes with a simple, direct question: do you believe this?

It goes without saying that the heart of this passage is Jesus' assertion that He is the resurrection and the life.  And there's no doubt that the the idea of receiving this life through belief is of vital importance for the believer.  However, the real thrust of this statement, the true challenge comes to us like this:

Do you believe?

Rom. 1:20–Enjoying the Sunny Day isn't Enough, Why?

Romans 1:20–"For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse."

Winter in Minnesota this year has been a long, cold pall.  Its persistence has chilled my attitude as it has chilled my bones.  But 'praise be to God' for the sun is shining again!

To feel the welcomed warmth of a sunshiny day has brought a portion of this verse's point to the forefront of life.  But to acknowledge the Creator when we are confronted by the majesty of His creation is only a beginning step in the equation.  And it is the next step, our response, that matters.

It is not enough to enjoy the beauty of God's creation, for in doing merely this we are never actually enjoying as it was intended by He who created it.  In order to get to this point we need to glorify God, to praise Him for His marvelous works.  This is what we, as Christians, strive to do–take the next step from creation to Creator.  In truth, it is for lack of this step that all are held accountable and there is no excuse.

On this wonderfully gorgeous day, then, let us do the only appropriate thing: praise God and enjoy His creation.