How do we go about it when we want to get someone else to understand our thoughts?

This seems a simple question, but it isn’t. Should we simply dump the information on the person? What if it conflicts with what they understand?

Let me switch the question around. How do you like someone to approach you when you truly believe something (something that you will perhaps later find out is not actually true)? Do you want the person to dump information on you? Probably not! We look for compassion, love, consideration and what we consider “fairness” as well as honesty in our chats with others. 

Then, there is the talking for the pleasure of being with, and exchanging ideas with others. This is a stimulating and fun experience. Or should be! Even here we often get confused or miss the point. Have you ever been told a joke that you really don’t get and everyone else does? It depends on the company as to how you feel doesn’t it. Do they mock you, or do they simply chuckle and explain it to you without making you feel inferior?

There is more to talking than words. We all know that! So why do we fail to use this fact when we try and communicate with others. Think of those that have most influenced your life in a positive way. At the time you heard them, did they appear totally sincere in the message they were giving? Probably they did!

We all know that sincerity and truth go a long way to getting through the armour we put around ourselves. In that letter to the Ephesians, Paul says; “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body.”

From a Christian viewpoint, the Christian alongside us is their neighbour, so this is the advice for everyone in the community of Christians. Paul doesn’t specifically address non-Christians, because he is also referring to a specific truth that they would not have. More about that later! To continue however, why does Paul even have to say we must “put off falsehood”? Surely it is enough to say we need to speak truthfully? Paul doesn’t think so! He wants us to communicate in a way in which we are not being counterfeit. We must not only speak truth, Paul wants us to understand that we have to make sure before we speak truth that we are being who we truly are, and that we are not assuming a facade for our audiences benefit.

So today I plan to be sure to be sincere, truthful and caring. What about you?

The Persians were running the world having conquered almost all nations. King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) their ruler got annoyed with his queen. So, he decided to replace her (They could do that in those days). He had a beauty pageant organized to get the best looking, most desirable and intelligent woman in the kingdom for himself. (That’s one of the perks of being King of the world). Out of them all(and he sampled them over months) he chose Esther because she was incredibly beautiful and intelligent. i.e. she must have been quite a woman!

Esther’s good looks, charm and intelligence then were used by God to save the whole Jewish race of the day when extremists that were racists tried to get them exterminated! She was respected in the top social circles of the day which was different for women of those days, and God blessed her as well as those around her in some rather extraordinary ways.

So, it appears that our God has no problem with beautiful, well dressed women!

So what is the Christian dress code? The bible gives indications but is not specific on clothing.  If we are in Africa, a well dressed African Christian woman could have naked upper body in some regions, and still be okay. In western society it’s not as well accepted, and so even in Africa our missionaries have imposed western values on many non-western cultures. (Probably to avoid developing lust themselves)  This does suggest there is a cultural component to dress rather than an absolute standard.  1 Samuel 16:7 says “But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

This says two key things. Firstly men tend to look at outward appearances, and secondly God really wants man to be judged by their heart (i.e. inward standards). That’s why another important guy Peter said of women “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” 1 Peter: (3:3-4).

Then since men tend to look at the outward, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”.  This makes most men adulterers at some point. (Let’s ask for forgiveness) and as men we have problems if women dress in such a way as to trigger lust. They sure don’t help us by doing it!

Your choice. . . .but let me suggest  we all need to be careful to dress well and not lustfully. . . for our future and the future of those around us! Let’s respect ourselves and others that much!

Christians are told by Paul not only to have the right attitude, but they must also “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.  I described this in a previous blog, where the person who becomes a Christian knows that the day before is somehow different from the day after.

This is described by Paul as “putting on a new self”. The person hasn’t changed, except that God is now given the ability to help and develop the person to their full potential.

This change is described as re-creation. The person has all the things that pull them down and caused them to do nasty things, removed from their life. This is a magical type event! I don’t really like that work “magical” as it brings up ideas of magicians and tricks. My experience of God is that he is not a magician and doesn’t do tricks. (Though he does do miracles. . .!) The word "magical" however describes an inability to explain how something occurs, the apparent impossibility of the event, and the happy surprise of the moment. God doesn’t have to resort to tricks. He supports all life and can change any of the events of life. He can change our lives in an instant! He is above nature and all powerful!

What actually happens is that the part of us that is called our spirit, that’s the part that is the real “us”, is changed. Have you thought that most of what we are cannot be seen by anyone! Our conscience, intuition, emotions, will, and other aspects that make up the real us, are invisible to others! These are aspects that are dealt with in this change described by Paul. God comes into the convert’s spirit to link the person intimately to God at some specific point in time. Sometimes the person experiences something, sometimes they don’t. That’s because we are all different. Thankfully! A lot more happens as well, but that’s for a later discussion.

True winning is to live each moment of time filled with peace and satisfaction, knowing that in doing things we have a right relationship with God and those around us. Some of us are there already and others are starting to find out about this fulfilling life. Unfortunately others are going to exchange long term life satisfaction for short term sensual fix’s followed by pain.

Which are you?

One of my friends decided to connect up this blog at www.KenXBriggs.com to Facebook so that people who don’t understand how to use RSS feeds can still get my daily blogs. The technology is clever enough to figure out there is a new blog on this site and then transfer a note about it to Facebook where it becomes available.

That got me thinking. . .how about God’s Facebook. That book that the holy writings refer to as the “book of life”, i.e. Jesus says in Rev 3:5“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”

Now Facebook is not really a book, but we understand it’s like a book. God’s book of life is similar, I think. In God’s Facebook, every living person is automatically given an account and everything we do is tracked in it. As we live, every interaction and thought is typed out. Every action photographed. The difference is that nobody gets to see this book until we die, so many of us just ignore it’s existence. I don’t want to do that! I would really loose out if I did that. Those thoughts I have had that I don’t really want others to know are written there, what I have done behind closed doors and in the dark, and lots of other stuff I am not so proud about! Ok, I know there is also the good stuff, things I am proud of, but I’m not worried about others seeing that!

That knowledge of Good and Evil that we as the human race stole  at the beginning of time gets us into real trouble. Since God is totally honest and fair and we now know we do evil, he has to judge us for what we do and think. The outcome is described as being really very unpleasant and lasting forever. [Even washing dishes forever would be rather bad so anything worse than that would be horrendous, and we are told it’s far worse!]

So, to give us a huge break, God decided to get an “human” account so that he could have input into the human lifecycle. Jesus was born into mankind, and so God also had an ultimate Facebook account. His account didn’t get any evil comments or photo’s tracked in it because as God he knew how foul evil is and so he totally avoided it. He did however set up a special condition to help us all if we want to use it.

God set up that if we wanted to ask Jesus to accept us, he always would. (A bit like asking if he would be our friend). Then, because Jesus is God, (who made the ultimate Facebook ) and if we ask him, he promises to erase all the evil entries from the Facebook accounts of those who love him and make him their “friend”.

Now when we die and face God, and he opens up our account, and he can justly forgive us.

However, we have got to be in his list of friends to get the reward, or the stupid, ignorant and nasty things we have done are not forgiven. Unfortunately, if we don’t accept Jesus, we limit ourselves to having the evil stay in our account and so the only just punishment will be coming and it is just too unpleasant to mention.

I’m sure glad God chose to join us here on Earth as we live so that we could understand what he wants to do for us. I’ve asked for God’s help! What about you? How about asking Jesus for that help right now? His account is always ready to accept new friends (only he calls us his brothers and sisters).

Ok! So Jesus wants Christians to have his peace. A peace that's different from the peace that the rest of the world understands. This can lead to some problems for those of us that are not Christian. As non-christians we often label Christians as “different”, “think they’re holier than others”, “do gooders” and in other discriminatory ways. We can do this because it can be very frustrating for those of us we don’t have this peace! Particularly when we are dealing in difficult circumstances with someone who does! They seem to never get annoyed with what we do or say. This can get us angry!

So, often, we look for small mistakes they make them look less good, and then we try to throw these back in their faces. We easily judge these Christians as being judgemental and thinking the worse of us. But are they?

Could it be that our very own inferiority complex causes us to strike out at them in an attempt to protect our own ego? Let’s get it straight, what I am asking you now may be difficult to answer with honesty. I am asking us to be really honest with ourselves. No one else is listening! Do we pick on Christians because their behaviour highlights inadequacies in our own? Is this doing any good for anyone?

Perhaps we want to improve the world. To do that we should at least allow those who are responding in a way that defuses stress and strain to continue to do so. Do you respond positively to others and have peace and satisfaction in your daily activities of life, or not? Would it be good to have that? It's available to everyone and so those Christians aren't discriminating at all. No one is considered any better or worse than anyone else. The peace is available to us right now!