Do ____(what?)____ unto others...

Ah, yes. One of the more commonly known verses in the New Testament:

Matthew 7.12: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

I came across this in my Bible reading the other day. At first, I was just going to somewhat gloss over it: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know this verse. How many times have I quoted it to the elementary students at my school this year?" But then I read the next two verses and stopped...

Matthew 7.13-14: Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

What is it that Christ was trying to say here? Just that we need to be nice to others if we expect them to be nice to us - a kind of utopian motivation for good behavior? As I began to think about it, I realized that perhaps we're taking verse 12 out of context... Is Matthew 7 just a series of independent thoughts? Or are they all related? The more I think about it (note: I haven't studied this out in any commentaries yet...), the more I'm becoming convinced that all of Matthew 7 is referring to a call for salvation. It starts with some verses on judging other's shortcomings (sins?), moves into four verses about God's great kindness to those who ask for it (perhaps the gifts of mercy, faith, and salvation?), the Golden Rule, two more verses with very plain teaching about the ways to destruction and to life, a discussion on judging trees by their fruits, and then three verses about those that thought they had the fruit but really didn't and are now headed for eternal destruction.

So what is the Golden Rule doing in the middle of a chapter on salvation? Is chapter 7 just a bunch of random lessons? I really think that answer is a "no." Then what is it that Christ is asking us to do here? Perhaps we need to think on a higher plane... could it be that he is asking us to tell others of His call to salvation, just as we would want others to tell us of His call? This may well be the essence of what He was trying to convey here. Tell others, because you would want them to tell you if the situation were reversed! What a powerful thought, not to mention just one more reason to go and tell the world of His open call. This is reason to go out into the harvest fields and witness, even if you were a seven-point Calvinist who believed that God has already saved those who will be saved... because even those who will be saved would want to know sooner rather than later about their salvation! Wouldn't you?!

So, go... and witness unto the others as you would want them to do for you!

Update to the Exciting News

Well, I think it's time for a brief update to the Exciting News post from 2 weeks ago, and I'm very happy to say that things are going well. At the moment Kim and I have agreed to classify ourselves as being "more than just friends, but not [yet] dating"... acknowledging that there is something there between us but at the same time recognizing that we're still in the process of just getting to know each other better. It's been really neat to learn how the Lord has been working in both of our lives over the last month or two, not only to bring us to the point where we are today but also in other spiritual matters. I'm excited about what the Lord has done, and I look forward to whatever He chooses to do in the future...

Finally, as I said in my previous post: to God alone be any and all glory.

I am a statistic...

I am a statistic... Isn't that just the best feeling in the world?! I know that most of my readers either blog and have probably already taken the survey or you don't blog and therefore don't need to take the survey, but I thought the slogan was catchy so that's why I posted it. :)

BTW... you can see random results from the survey here: http://blogsurvey.media.mit.edu/results

Simple but Profound...

Just a simple but profound truth for today:

God is good - all the time...
And all the time - God is good.

Don't we serve a great God?

Exciting news...

Well, I feel that by writing this on a blog where everyone can see it, I'm making a big jump. So far, I've only mentioned this to my parents, my sister, and one of my closest friends... now I'm about to write it out for the world to see. It's also unique in that I haven't been in a situation like this for many years... in fact, something like this hasn't happened to me since high school (partly by choice, partly because of God's will). It's also unique in that this is a very personal post, unlike the others here which have been biographical or spiritual in nature. Well, not that this one isn't biographical or spiritual, but the focus is much more personal than my previous posts have been.

Anyways, the news is this... there's a certain young female who's been my friend for several months. In fact, we've been friends since we both moved here last August. Over the course of the last year, we've gradually moved from being acquaintances (September) to being friends (October) to being good friends (March) to, well, something more than just friends (July 3). I'm not exactly sure what that "something more" is, but we'll find out soon enough. To set the stage a little more, I probably should mention that on June 9 (the next-to-last day of school), I had a little talk with her about our friendship since we had been in several awkward moments just before that and since we had never clarified that we were "just friends" or anything. Well, we walked away from that conversation pretty much on the same page that we walked into that conversation on - we both came and left as "friends." I sort of just put the whole thing in the back of my mind and was just going to let it go for the time being. I mean, look at what was coming in the future: the school year was about to be over (she's a teacher like I am) and we wouldn't be hanging around during lunch time or after school... while we were both working here at summer camp our hours were completely different (6 AM - 12 PM and 12 PM - 6 PM)... we had been living in the same apartment building (church-owned) but she was moving out soon to another apartment in the area... she was going on a 2-week vacation in the summer... and next year was promising to be a very busy year for both of us (e.g., no time for a social life) not to mention the fact that we would be working in completely different buildings in the school (unlike this year). So I was just going to not worry about it anymore. Case closed, and her going on vacation last week and this week would be a good time to start making that break. Or so I thought...

Last Sunday afternoon (3:57 PM to be exact), I get a phone call from her. I saw her name on my caller ID, and I was like "oh, okay. that's cool..." We said hi, and then she asks a question that would inspire both fear and hope in every man: "Do you remember how we had that talk a little while ago?" Um, yeah... How could I forget? What is this - a call to say that you want to be "only friends" for a while more? I mean, that's basically the assumption that I've operated on for the last month. Anyway... "Do you still feel the same way?" Um, well... (I began tripping all over my words) Well, yeah, I kind of do, but so I would know exactly how to put it, I asked her why... "Well, I've been thinking about it, and maybe being away from it all on vacation helped me think it through better, but I wouldn't mind spending more time getting to know you." Wow! I was on the proverbial Cloud Nine almost instantly! :) I'm not sure that I can recall most of the rest of the conversation, but that one sentence was enough for me. I know I suggested waiting until she got back here before we got into any serious talks, but the rest of it is just a blur in my memory. I could say much more, but let me move on...

As I said, she's been on vacation this week, so we really haven't talked at all since that phone call on Sunday. We have emailed quite a bit though for us (1 or 2 per day) and even started to set up our first date for when she gets back. Except for that phone call, I'd be seriously wondering if this was all just a dream or a bad joke. I mean, seriously, when was the last time that I invited a girl somewhere (just the two of us) and that girl wanted it to be just the two of us too but wasn't sure that I meant it that way and asked me to clarify? This has to be just a dream... or is it? :)

Well, I'll find out soon enough. She flies in late Friday night, Lord willing. She's flying out from Pensecola, Florida, so she might get caught in some hurricane weather, but I'm hoping not. I can't wait to see her now... this week has been pretty awesome, but 5-6 days is a long time when you're eagerly waiting to see a girl who might just become your girlfriend once you sit down and have that first serious talk. (You know, I hope she doesn't mind my calling her that before we've actually talked about us being a couple, but I'm pretty certain she won't mind.) :) Still, the amazing thing to me is that she was actually thinking about it so much that she had to call me on Sunday instead of waiting until she gets back to talk to me! Okay, so maybe this isn't that much to some of you who are reading my blog, but that doesn't usually happen to me. As I said above, that hasn't happened to me since high school - partly because I chose it and partly because God designed it that way.

As I sit here and type all of this though, I know that all of this happiness I now feel may be only temporary. I'm very aware of the fact that God's will for us may be that we stay as friends. It may be for us to be "something more" but it doesn't have be that. I can't see into the future any more than she can (or you, for that matter). There are many things that we need to talk about now, things which as friends I might be willing to overlook or not take seriously but that as "more than friends" I do need to seriously consider. We need to talk about standards, about the Lord's leading for future ministry, about... you name it. For my fellow believers, please pray for us that we both seek God's will during this time. We've both been praying about it for the last month, and now I'm asking for you to join us in that prayer. It's not only a great privilege and opportunity that I have before me but a great responsibility as well, and I know that I can't possibly succeed without guidance from my omniscient God. He alone is deserving of any glory...

Oh, and in case you're wondering... her name is Kim. :)

What makes a great country?

This somewhat random thought came to me as I was sitting in church today:

We often speak of America as being the greatest country in the world, and there have been many reasons in the last 229 years for saying that. Perhaps the most common reason has been because of the variety and extent of the freedoms afforded to the citizens of this country. As a Christian, one of the freedoms I hold dearest is the freedom of religion... the freedom to believe what I want without fear of governmental persecution. At the surface level, we decry the persecution of the Ethiopian, Chinese, and Russian churches in the last 50 years, and it is indeed a terrible thing.

But back to my thought: what defines a great country? Is it the freedom to do, act, think, believe, and speak what we want? No. As a Christian, I am compelled to answer that a great country is one in which the Christians are most Christ-like, one in which a Christian's faith is real. It is a sad commentary on our "great" country that the "Christians" here give in to everything the world has to offer us. They are pseudo-Christians because their faith isn't real. They see Christianity as a hobby... a Sunday morning activity... a social club. A few see it as a crutch to get their ever-hectic lives. But all of these people miss the point, and most of them (dare I say it?) aren't really Christians. They name the name of Christ, but they lack the salvation and redeemed nature that Christ so freely offers to all. They are, for all practical purposes, pseudo-Christians.

So do we live in a great country? It depends. If your definition of greatness is merely a long list of freedoms, then yes, America is a great country and perhaps even the greatest country. But my definition of national greatness is different. Perhaps Communist Russia could be considered a great country because the Christians there were willing to die for their faith. How many house churches have been closed down and pastors imprisoned in Communist China? How many Christians in Ethiopia have been murdered because of their belief in Christ? Those 3 countries may have had few freedoms, but the Christians there knew what it was to be a Christian and to believe in Christ above all else. Those Christians can have the satisfaction of knowing that they didn't fall for just another religion... they died for the Gospel... they died as a testimony of the great redeeming power of Christ to save each individual from their sins if each one would only believe.

Greatness in a country can come from military might or from freedoms. But greatness in God's eyes comes from the commitment and dedication of His servants to His causes. May God have mercy on our country and allow us to be truly "great" once again...