Pharisees

On the way to work this morning, I was passed by a policeman. I was driving down Hwy. 31. He was going at least 75 mph (speed limit is 65 mph), and I saw him change lanes twice without ever using a turn signal.
It made me think about the fact that this man's job is to uphold the law, and yet there he was, breaking the law, right in front of me.
It's a trivial example, of course, but it got me to thinking.
In the Bible, the Pharisees and Saducees were given the task of upholding the Law and teaching others to do so, and yet, often times they were the ones breaking the Law. Was this policeman a modern day Pharisee? But I didn't stop thinking there...
How many times have I, as a child of God and an Ambassador of Heaven, broken the Law while telling others the obey it? How often have I proven to be a hypocrite? Of course, as a child of grace, I'm no longer under the Law, but that doesn't mean that I should just live how I want. It means that I should desire to live in God's will...not because I'm scared of punishment, but because I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.
How about you? Have you ever found yourself in this situation?

Lord, forgive me for being a modern-day Pharisee. Help me to live under your grace and to give that same grace to others. Help me to love you the way that you desire for me to love you. Amen.

Yelling and Screaming

As I've mentioned before, I've been reading the Harry Potter books. Last week I finished book number 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is also the most recent movie. At the end of the book, however, there is something different than in the movie. Of course, I won't get into any specifics about the plot and outcome, in case some of you are planning on reading them, but I will say this: at the end of the book, Harry is in Dumbledore's office and is yelling and screaming at Dumbledore as loud and passionately as is humanly (or wizardly, I guess) possible. Harry starts throwing things in the office and turning tables over, but through this whole tantrum that Harry throws, Dumbledore just sits there at his desk, with his fingers placed together (as he often does, if you'll take the time to read the books and notice). Dumbledore allows Harry to yell and scream and pretty much freak out and get out all of his aggression, anger, confusion, etc.
I think that, in some way, God is like this with us. I think God would rather we came before him yelling and screaming at Him, upset at the way He's done things, because we don't and can't comprehend Him, and sometimes He just sits there and lets us vent. I'm not saying that God doesn't listen, nor does He fail to respond to us. All I'm saying in this blog is that I believe God would rather us come before Him in all of our anger and confusion rather than putting on pretenses that we are happy and completely pleased and content. God is not fooled when we put on masks, just as Dumbledore would not have been fooled if Harry had acted the way he "should" have in front of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Just a thought.

Flat Tires and the Comfort of God

So, yesterday morning, I got to Converse and got out of my car to find that I had a flat tire. It wasn't flat when I left home, and I didn't hear or feel anything on the drive to Spartanburg that would make me think I had a flat tire, but, BEHOLD, it was flat as could be.
Well, to make a long story short, we got the tire taken care of, and everything is fine (even though I didn't get my afternoon off to relax like I had planned).
As I was leaving Home Depot today after work, my friend Casey told me to go look at her right rear tire because it was flat. She just got her tires recently, and just got her car back a couple weeks ago from a body shop after a wreck she had. Anyway, I asked if she wanted me to change it, and she said no because her dad was heading down from Easley to take care of it. I said okay and started to leave. Well, as I got to my car, I thought to myself, "Michaelangelo (that's what I call myself), how can you let her dad drive down from Easley to take care of this when you're there and are perfectly capable of changing the tire." Again, to make a long story short, I got Casey's keys and changed the tire for her. It's no big deal; it's just a tire change. I didn't have anything spiritual in mind while doing the work, but I figured it made more sense that way.
So, fast forward 15 minutes to me leaving to head to Crossroads to doublecheck some things before Sunday morning: the Holy Spirit brings some Scripture to mind (funny how that happens when we don't expect it). 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." Now, I know that a flat tire isn't a massive affliction that burdens our hearts and minds, but it's a little thing that kind of irritates you simply because it doesn't fit into your schedule. But maybe, just maybe, God gave me a flat tire yesterday so that I would be not only willing to change someone else's today, but that I would be compelled to do it, since I know that it sucks to have a flat tire and have to change your schedule for it.
What's the point? you may be asking. The point is simply that sometimes God brings us through things, however large or small, that may be intentional on His part so that we, in turn, can be intentional in helping others. Ever thought of it that way? The next time something unexpected comes your way, even if it is something that is in your opinion bad, stop and pray about it and ask God how he wants to use this affliction for His glory through your life.