Reformed SHEology

We're all familiar with Revelation 3:15-16, in which God states "I wish you were either hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth!" And of course, we've all been force-fed the common interpretation of this passage: that God wants us to be "totally for Him," or "totally against Him." In fact, He'd rather us be "totally against Him" than lukewarm. There is just one problem with this idea: Which of us can claim we are "totally for God?"

The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one. (Psalm 14:2-3, 53:2-3)

I think we have our answer! None of us are "totally for God". In fact, the doctrine of depravity would support this idea one step further and illustrate that everyone of us is "totally against God." So what does God mean in Revelation 3:15-16 when He says He wishes that we were hot or cold? Simply put, He wants us to be intense! Intensity is the antidote for the lukewarm church. Consider this:

Laodicea was situated between two other important cities, Colossae and Hieropolis. Colossae, wedged into a narrow valley in the shadow of towering mountains, was watered by icy streams which tumbled down from the heights. Hieropolis, on the other hand, was famous for its hot mineral springs. These springs flowed out of the city and across a high plain until they cascaded down a cliff which faced Laodicea. By the time the water reached the valley floor, it was lukewarm, putrid, and nauseating. At Colossae, therefore, one could be refreshed with clear, cold, invigorating drinking water; at Hieropolis, one could be healed by bathing in its hot, mineral-laden pools. But at Laodicea, the waters were neither hot (for health) nor cold (for drinking). . . [Christ] is not saying that outright apostasy is preferable to mediocrity; rather, He is wishing that the Laodicean Christians would have an influence upon their society.(Source)

Cold is just as useful as heat. When you sprain your ankle, do you want a cold compress or a lukewarm compress? When you've been out in the sun on a hot day, would you prefer a lukewarm glass of lemonade to a cold one? Let's face it, sometimes hot just isn't appropriate. When my brother visits me in Florida, he usually asks me to turn up the air conditioning, not double his misery by turning on the heat!

We all seem to understand that being "on fire" for God means that we are to be passionate and intense in our love for Him. But being passionate and intense is not limited to being "on fire." Have you ever had someone slip an ice cube down your back when you least expected it? What was your reaction? Did you pause for a moment of reflection and say, "What was that? I thought I felt something. Hrm. Must have been my imagination." Of course not. You jumped from your seat as soon as you felt that ice sliding down your back, and chances are you screamed! That's because the feeling of having an ice cube slipped down your back is intense!

So what does this intensity look like? What does it mean to be "on ice" for God? I personally believe that being "hot" involves having a love for truth while being "cold" involves having a love for mercy. In other words, being "cold" for Christ means that we show abundant displays of kindness, compassion, and mercy toward others. As women, this should come easy to us. We are always dubbed "the emotional ones", so why not use that to show our love for the Lord? Here are some examples from Scripture:

"A gentle answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1). Don't fuel the flames of someone's hot temper. Put out those fires with a gentle word.

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country" (Proverbs 25:25). When your husband comes come from a long day on the spiritual battlefield, don't barrage him with problems, complaints, or a to-do list. Instead, give him a glass of cold water in the form of soothing words of comfort and praise.

"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding" (Proverbs 17:27). Don't be quick to argue. Hold your tongue and your composure until you have all the facts.

"For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink" (Matthew 25:35). Give to those in need. In doing so, you will quench someone's thirst for food, shelter, clothing, or even a friend.

"And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'" (Luke 16:24). Share your faith with people who are lost and hurting. Right now, there are people who are perishing, and those who have gone before them are wishing someone would go to their loved ones with the message of the gospel. Why not you?

God can use you if you are hot. God can use you if you are cold. But He can't use you if you are lukewarm. What are some ways you can be a "cold" Christian who is "on ice" for God?

~Photos of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, Harbin, China~

Faithful are the wounds of a friend Proverbs 27:6

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness 1 John 2:9

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:14,15

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20

Many of us have gone through the most painful situations where we have been wronged by fellow believers. What the other party did was unthinkable and unbecoming of a Christian. You feel hurt, wronged, angry (that they could do such a thing) and even sorry for yourself. You begin to ask yourself questions, questions you feel justified to ask, such as “why me?” You consider yourself to be a good friend and brother/sister to the body, so it can't be any fault of your own that this thing has happened. The fact it is not your fault may be completely true. So it's a good thing you have your inner circle of friends/family to support you at this time to share your feelings, right? WRONG!Light begins to shine within, just as the sun rises at dawn, the light gently creeps over the earth, and what you see horrifies you!

Ok, you're nursing raw wounds as you try to put things right. You want to glorify God. You feel you're doing all the right things when suddenly even your friends and loved ones seem to be against you. For completely different reasons they are not being themselves. They highlight things about you that are just not true. This may be in the form of an argument with one and reproof off another. Great! Just when I need them the most. You can feel yourself becoming more and more isolated from people in general as if you have no one left to turn to. Suddenly you feel a revived sense of longing to be with God in prayer. Time with Him is bliss until you see what God shows you in the most gentle and loving way in which only God can do.......light begins to shine within, just as the sun rises at dawn, the light gently creeps over the earth, and what you see horrifies you! “I'm telling my daddy of you!”

Suddenly, being in God's presence is not about seeking communion but forgiveness and repentance. You cannot believe how long you have been walking around completely unaware of the many sins hiding in the darkness of yourself. “Oh!” You cry, “I feel such a fool!” Those reproofs and painful words from the ones you dearly love begin to make sense. They were like signposts pointing the way to that which was true about yourself only pride would not acknowledge them. Instead the hard, unyielding self stood up for itself and like a child said, “I'm telling my daddy of you!” Only as you went to The Father you found yourself being lovingly and tenderly corrected. You see now that you are totally and utterly powerless to change yourself. You beg God to cleanse and change you.

After confession and repentance, making the point of now keeping daily accounts with God, the stiff-necked proud I know bows the head in humility and embraces loved ones with a grateful heart. You realise that they have done you the greatest favour a friend could ever do. To be known as we really are-that is true fellowship!

The importance of being transparent with others cannot be underestimated. C.H.Spurgeon in one of his sermons defines it as “The willingness to know and be known”. To have at least one friend we can trust to be honest in the must loving way with us and us with them, is infinitely priceless. To be known as we really are -that is the true fellowship!

Going back to the original offence where you felt innocent, you now see that you had been all this time justifying self. You were unaware of it but you became just like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. Ok, so you may have been wronged but when you cry out to all who are willing to listen the wronged been done to you and justifying yourself by admitting you seek reconciliation is nothing other than sin. You can be seeking reconciliation yet without acknowledging the massive beam of wood in your own eye. Suddenly, after seeing the huge beam in your eye that speck in your brother's eye doesn't seem as big as you thought it was! Now you can work on overcoming the sins in your own life as well as being reconciled with your brother. No longer will you feel the need to justify yourself. You will approach the whole matter no more proud and stiff-necked but with head bowed in humility. That way, even when the other person denies doing you any wrong you can still walk in forgiveness praying for and blessing them, hoping that in time the Holy Spirit will shine light in their hearts. Certainly God will be most glorified this way!

As a high school student you may have read Jonathan Swift's classic work of satire, A Modest Proposal, in which he suggested that the solution to ending poverty in Ireland was cannibalism. In his article, Swift proposes several benefits to society that would result if the poor would simply sell their children as meat to rich landowners. By placing children on the meat market, Ireland would combat social problems that contributed to poverty, such as overpopulation and unemployment. The sale of children would relieve the poor of the financial burden that comes with raising children while simultaneously providing them with a source of extra income. Naturally, the entire essay is intended to prove a point. Swift used the piece as a means of expressing his contempt for the British government which he deemed responsible for Ireland's predicament. The title itself is ironic in that his proposal is far from what one would call "modest." Yet, the entire essay reminds me of a similar but more recent scenario.

Since July of 2008, both local and national news stations alike have been closely following the case of Casey Anthony, the 22-year-old Orlando woman accused of killing her 2 year old daughter, Caylee. (For details on the case, including a timeline of events, click here.) Camera crews captured many of the locals who made it a regular practice to scream and yell accusations while standing at the edge of the Anthony property. The most frequent insult coming from the angry crowds was, "BABY KILLER!"

Watching the drama unfold night after night in front of the Anthony home was almost like watching a modern day witch hunt. It's not that I don't believe Casey is guilty. I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that she killed her little girl. But what struck me was the dedication by which some of these people came out to proclaim their anger with this woman. It just didn't make any sense to me. Why would people be so angry with Casey Anthony? All she did was kill a child!

For the past 35 years, women have been killing their children by the millions through legalized abortion. No one is standing across the street from their homes, yelling, "Baby Killer!" Truly, the only thing separating Casey Anthony from all these other women is the age of the child when it was murdered. Had Casey Anthony simply aborted little Caylee when she was still pregnant, none of this would be an issue.

It just seems unfair, that poor Casey Anthony is sitting in prison right now, singled out for exercising her right to choose. But because of the age of the child at the time of the abortion, her choice is viewed as a crime. Does not anyone see what a crime has been committed against Casey? Does not anyone realize that we are discriminating against this young woman, simply because she chose to abort her baby after it had been born?

In considering this terrible injustice to a woman who is merely trying to exercise her right to choose, I have been inspired by Jonathan Swift to offer yet Another Modest Proposal, that being, that we legalize the performance of abortions on dependent children up to 16 years. Think of all the social problems we could resolve if we continued to abort children well into the third trimester, and even well into the third grade!

As Swift suggested in 1729, the consumption of children would eliminate poverty, control overpopulation, and alleviate unemployment concerns. Today, the same results could be achieved through legalized abortion. Between 1973 and 2005, an estimated 45 million children were murdered by abortion. Had those children been allowed to live, they'd be between the ages of 3 and 36 this year. I for one am grateful that these children were exterminated when they were, in light of the international economic crisis we are now facing. The right to choose has eliminated several million competitors within the job market, which is beneficial to us at a time when unemployment is at its peak. In the state of Florida, where Caylee Anthony was exterminated, there is a growing shortage of public schoolteachers. The abortions that were performed within the last three years alone have undoubtedly alleviated the pressure to accommodate these children in already over-crowded classrooms. Surely, thousands of dollars in federal financial aid have been spared as well, as none of these children will be going to college.

If we legalize abortion up to 16 years, we will essentially be eliminating all those in our country who are basically free-loading off hard working, productive adults. Adults like Casey Anthony, who can barely get anything accomplished, let alone have a little fun once in a while, because they are burdened with a needy child. Welfare would be greatly reduced, as single mothers would not have to stretch their monthly funds to cover the cost of raising these children. Finally, by allowing a woman to abort a child up to 16 years, the state of Florida itself would be saving millions of dollars because it would no longer have to pay to keep Casey Anthony in jail, as killing a two-year-old would no longer be considered a crime. The "search for Caylee" that cost us thousands would likewise never have occurred, because Casey would have been free to kill her child openly. She would not have had to go through all the trouble to mask her actions and hide her decision as if it were something to be ashamed of.

I realize others have tried similar attempts at population control by eliminating "undesirables" in society, however these previous attempts were not well received. The genius of Adolf Hitler, for example, is still sadly misunderstood decades after his tragic death. However, as a woman who writes a women's blog, I'd like to humbly request that my readers seriously consider this modest proposal, as it promises to open countless doors of opportunities for women everywhere. In closing, I'd like to say one final thing, in case it was not painfully obvious:

THE PRECEDING WAS A SATIRE.

I admit I'm no Jonathan Swift. But I'm no Hitler, either! Therefore, I have an alternate plan, and that is this:

He who is without sin, cast the first stone. The reason we love to hate Casey Anthony is because we love to compare ourselves to her. She makes the rest of us look like perfect little angels. Yet who among us is innocent before God? Which of us can say we have never murdered someone in our hearts out of hatred? Which of us can say we've never committed an act of malice out of pure, unadulterated selfishness? Truly, all of us are depraved. Deep down, we are no different than Casey Anthony.