Proud Versus Broken People

My pastor posted an article recently containing Nancy Leigh DeMoss's chart on characteristics of proud and broken people. Here it is for your self-examination. It convicts me every time I read it.

Proud, Unbroken People	Broken People
1. Focus on the failure of others	1. Are overwhelmed with their own spiritual need (Matthew 5:3, 7:3-5, Luke 18:9-14)
2. Are self righteous; have a critical, fault finding spirit; look at own life/faults with a telescope but others with a microscope	2. Are compassionate; have a forgiving spirit; look for the best in others (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:12)
3. Look down, in a condescending spirit, at others	3. Esteem all others as better than self (Phil. 2:3, Rom. 12:10)
4. Are independent; have desires for everyone else to meet own personal needs	4. Are dependent on God and His grace; recognize others’ needs and seek to meet them (2 Cor. 3:4-6, Phil. 2:4)
5. Always manipulating circumstances to maintain control; must have everyone do it their way	5. Surrenders control by giving freedom for others to do or see things differently (Rom. 12:1-2)
6. Have to prove they are always right	6. Are willing to yield to the possibility that they could be wrong, and thus, yield the need to always prove they are right(Rom. 15:2)
7. Claiming personal rights	7. Yielding personal rights (Eph. 5:21)
8. Display a demanding spirit	8. Have a giving spirit (Rom. 12:13)
9. Self-protective of time, rights, reputation	9. Are self-denying (Luke 9:23)
10. Desire to be served	10. Are motivated to serve others (Matt. 20:26-28, Phil. 2:20-21)
11. Desire to be a success	11. Desire to be faithful to make others a success (John 3:30)
12. Desire for self-advancement	12 Desire to promote others (John 3:3).
13. Are driven to be recognized and appreciated	Have a sense of unworthiness; are thrilled to be used at all; eager for others to get credit, honors and awards (I Tim. 1:12-16)
14. Cringe when others in the same field are praised, wishing it was them	14. Rejoice when others are lifted up (Rom. 12:15)
15. Think ‘the ministry is privileged to have me!’	15. Think ‘I don’t deserve to serve in this ministry (2 Cor. 4:7)
16. Think of what they can do for God	16. Know they can offer nothing to God, and seek for God to work through them in His power (Phil. 3:8-9, Titus 3:5)
17. Feel confident in how much they know	17. Are humbled by how much they have not learned and wish to learn (Phil. 3:12, Prov. 1:7)
18. Are self conscious	18. Have little concern with how others view them (Gal. 1:10)
19. Keep people at arm’s length	19. Risk getting close to others; are willing to take those risks for the sake of love for others (2 Cor. 6:11-12)
20. Are quick to blame others	20. Accept personal responsibility; can see and acknowledge personal failure (Matthew 7)
21. Are concerned with being ‘respectable’	21. Are concerned with being real (2 Cor. 4:3-5).
22. Are concerned about what others think	22. Know all that matters is God and what He knows (I Cor. 4:3-5)
23. Work hard to maintain image and protect reputation	23. Die to own reputation (Phil. 3:7, Rom. 14:7)
24. Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others	24. Are willing to be transparent with others (2 Cor. 1:12)
25. Want to be sure no one finds aout about their sin	Are willing to acknowledge and confess one’s sin; brokenness is the ultimate sign of personal success (Ps. 51:17)
26. Have a hard time saying, ‘I was wrong. Will you forgive me’	Are quick to admit fault and seek forgiveness (I John 1:9, James 5:1)
27. Deal in generalities when confession sin	27. Deal in specifics (Ps. 51:17)
28. Are concerned about the consequences of their sin	28. Are grived over the root of their sin (Ps. 51:5)
29. Wait for other party to come and ask forgiveness in a conflict	29. Take the initiative to be reconciled; gets there first (Matthew 5:23-24)
30. Compare themselves with others and feel deserving of honor	30. Compare themselves with God and feel desparate for mercy (Luke 18:9-14)
31. Are blind to their true heart condition	31. Walk in the light of true knowledge concerning their own hearts (I John 1:6-7).
32. Do not display any spirit of repentance, because they don’t need it	32. Continually display a spirit of repentance, sensing their need for fresh encounters with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5;18), Gal 5:16)
33. Spent time reading these words and wondering if (_____) was reading it.	33. Thanked the Lord for using words on the internet to bring brokenness to their lives.

A Cultural Cult

Recently, a co-worker, who is a Methodist, asked me, "What's the biggest cult in the South?" I quipped, "Southern Baptists!" "Close! It's cultural Christianity," he responded.

If you don't live in the South, you may not understand what he meant by cultural Christianity. These are the people who have "I love Jesus" on their Facebook accounts but are the first people we hide from our newsfeeds because of all the f-bombs they drop in status updates or half-naked pics they post. These people use the sinner's prayer, baptism, and church membership as fire insurance. These people are our neighbors, co-workers, close friends, and family members.

What do Christians need to do about this cult? We need to love the lost people who have fallen prey to our religious culture in the Bible Belt (whatever that is!). We do not need to treat them in a condescending manner, which only makes the problem worse by sending these people far away from church yet still "believing" in Jesus. We need to help them see a true relationship with Jesus is more than feeling guilty, praying a prayer, getting dunked or sprinkled with H20, and halfway attending the local church. A true relationship with Jesus is just that--a relationship. Any relationship has it ups and downs, but one with Jesus is constant, meaningful, and life-altering.

This might not be just a Southern thang (one could argue that even Benjamin Franklin was a cultural Christian), but living my whole life here makes me partial to our issues. An article on David Platt's views about about the dangers of cultural Christianity can be found here. Peruse it at your leisure, and become aware of the cult that's living in your very own church, your very own family, and maybe your very own heart.

This & That

Two good reads are this and that.

The former reminds us to read, not just read, the Bible and why it's important to be familiar with His word. It's not focused on having to read the Bible simply to follow a rule or because a "good" Christian reads his Bible.

The latter reminds us that all of our families are messed up because they are made of sinful people. It traces the dysfunctional families in the Bible starting with Adam and Eve's. It's very encouraging and gives us the admonition to love our family members as Jesus does and be grateful for his mercy in our family members' lives as well as our own.

The Prayers of a Child

There are many prayers my children pray that bless my soul. Recently, my kids have been on a roll with some precious words. Here are ten prayers for you to enjoy!

My four year old daughter:
Thank you, God, for ABCDEFG and soup. (My favorite throwback: She said this when she was one.)
Please save my mommy and daddy.
Please forgive my brother for playing with toys while I'm trying to pray.
Lord, I hope you have a good day tomorrow.
Thank you for the kindness, goodness, and all that other stuff.

My two year old twin boys:
Thank you for my toys.
Thank you for all the food.
Thank you for Jesus.
Thank you for my ABCDE blanket.
Thank you for the car Mommy lets me sleep with.

Update: One of my boys had a cold and thanked God for giving him a cough. So cute!

At Least Say Thanks

Recently, I haven't blogged much. I am four days behind on my Bible reading. My final grading is piling up. The work I need to do to teach my summer online courses is not happening as quickly as it needs to happen. I'm sure if I think about it long enough I could beat myself up in many other ways, but this morning, I heard Chris Tomlin's Thank You God for Saving Me on the way to work. That beautiful song reminded me I already possess the most important thing. Then, I took time to thank Him. Won't you?

Teach & Train

I will open my mouth in a parable;

    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
    that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children
    but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and the wonders that he has done.

He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
    so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
    but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Psalm 78: 2-8 (ESV)

A Bible study leader said to me recently, "Everyone home schools. Some may choose to delegate things to others. If parents send their children to public or private school, then they are delegating their child's academics to other adults. Even still, it is primarily the parents' responsibility to teach and train their kids in all areas of life." All I could think was, "Amen!"

When did it become acceptable for parents to believe their job stops when their children start school? When did it become the norm for parents to let their kids do whatever they want because it is easier than correcting their behavior? And when did parents become so busy with worldly things that they forget the most important thing? I don't know exactly when it happened or if it's always been this way, but I find myself fighting these pagan philosophies on a daily basis in my own home. 

We, as parents, must be sober-minded and dedicated in our homes so that children will be trained and taught the One thing that matters more than all the other things consuming our time. As Psalm 78 reveals, we must not hide the good things of the Lord from our children; we must teach them about Him. In addition, we must train them. If we don't follow God's command to do so, then we must not be surprised when our children are ignorant of truth and suffer because of our laziness and disobedience.

I pray that my husband and I will continue to teach our children about God's amazing grace so that they will learn from our mistakes. I pray they will keep His commandments because of our willingness to teach them truth, hold them accountable to it, and show them grace and mercy as our Father does to us. 

This & That

Mother's Day isn't easy for all women. Please keep those women in mind after reading this. Also, please pray for those suffering from infertility or miscarriages on Mother's Day while you celebrate your mother or celebrate being a mother.

That blog post tells my own story, but it also reminds us what not to say to those hurting women during this difficult time. I dreaded Mother's Day when I was suffering.

A Critical Spirit

At church recently, I overheard the following: "The number one problem with the local church is a critical spirit." How true! How convicting!

Aren't we too critical of others all the time? Don't we constantly blame others for wrongs within the church rather than ourselves? Doesn't that turn non-Christians away from the church? Absolutely!

Have you heard or said any of the following?
"I don't think the preacher should preach that long."
"That music was terrible."
"Sunday School is boring."
"Why is he (or she) wearing that?"
"I wish we did _________ instead of __________."

The list goes on and on, but guess what? Nobody asked you! Nobody asked me either! And it's a good thing; isn't it?

I struggle with this at times. It's so easy for me to point a finger when something bothers me at church. God is working on me though. I cannot play the blame game anymore. If I don't like something, I must get a better attitude about it. Oftentimes, I've learned that praying about the things I don't like changes my heart and not the thing(s) I don't like. I've learned to repent of my "church is for my entertainment" mindset and remember the church is people--Christian people--not a building or programs or whatever I made church out to be in my flesh.