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Question! Have you ever done something or gone somewhere, which and where at the end of, you go, ’mehn! This was pointless, a complete waste of my time’. I've been there! Being a person given to efficiency and results, I really hate it when I waste my time. I've spent hours going from YouTube video to YouTube video, clicking on link one, two and more links. :D
One day, I intentionally went on YouTube to find some information about Spiritual Disciplines, I stumbled on videos on the subject and of all that was mentioned, one spiritual discipline struck me; It’s called EXAMINE.
Examine, according to my understanding of the 4-minute talk by the speaker, involves one, at the end of the day, replaying his day in his mind and reflecting on the presence of God at different points of his day.
For me, it is to regularly (daily, hourly, weekly...whenever) STOP and POP, pop a question that questions my current situation and measures what I’m doing against a scale. For example, I’m in a relationship with someone. I ask, ‘Is this relationship draining me? or am I being refreshed by it? Is he/she adding to my life? Am I adding value to his/her life?’ The answers I give to these questions would help me evaluate if it’s a relationship I want to continue in or not.
Once in a church workers’ meeting, the speaker said, ‘The system we live in has been designed to make us fail. It’s up to us to refuse the system and become something for ourselves’. I totally believed and agreed with him. Practicing this discipline of stopping to pop a question would allow us direct our energy into stuff that yields profit and adds value momentarily and even in the long run.
In our walk with God and as workers in God’s vineyard, this practice is critical. Scripture says, ‘God is spirit. Whoever worships him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.’
Isaiah 29:13, ‘The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[a]” (NIV)
It simply means our heart and mouth/actions need to be in sync. Let your mouth and actions be according to what your heart feels. This would help us eliminate pointless acts of worship/service. It most definitely would be a sad thing to get to that point where our service is unacceptable to God. If it is unacceptable, it is a complete waste of time doing it. This is why it is always important to ask, ‘why am I here? why am I doing this?’ Is the focus me or God? It helps you re-align yourself accordingly, shifting the focus to God.
Also (and this would also lead me to the next issue I’d like to address), 1 Peter 3:15 says, ‘But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,’ (NIV)
Stopping to pop a question allows you have an answer. It gives you a certain kind of preparedness.
Let’s shift our attention to the first statement in 1 Peter 3:15, ‘but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord’.
What does reverence mean? According to a definition from dictionary.reference.com ‘a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.’
I wonder whether when we exclaim OMG (when we mean in our hearts ‘Oh My God’), Jesus!, Chineke meh!, Istenem!! or Mon dieu!, do we say these with a tinge of awe for the Most High God? I've been trying to understand for a long time why we say these.
Honestly, I flinch when people use the ‘F’-word, 'S'-word. I also flinch when the name of God is used as mere exclamation.
God, himself, says ‘Thou shalt not use my name in vain. He who does this would not go unpunished!’ Exodus 20:7.
I like to think that God, when it comes to sin, sees in black and white! There are no shades of white and tints of black. Whoever uses the name of the Lord in vain is just as guilty as a liar, cheat, adulterer and murderer! Sin is sin!
This habit/attitude has crept into the church. It is, indeed, a culture of the ungodly. We ought not do this as Christians. We pray in this name. Who knows? Our prayers may actually go unanswered, just because we don’t have reverence for the very name we pray in.
Finally, I think it is good enough reason that we don’t exclaim in the name of God because we want folks to see and know that we are Christ-like, but I also think it is even more important that we do this simply because God is God! He is the Almighty. He gives you breath and can take it at anytime. John the Baptist rightly said, ‘...I’m not worthy to remove [carry] his sandal...’! We all need to have this feeling of unworthiness, when we regard our relationship with God. He nailed our disease, sorrows and condemnation to the cross. He bore the bruises, strokes and sores. Please, he deserves more than we right now give to his name.
May God’s word reside in our heart. May we ponder upon it day and night. May the Holy Spirit, our helper, teach us all things and lead us into all truth. Amen.
P.S: This is actually a talk I had to give at workers’ meeting today (11th May, 2014). Someone raised a question, asking ‘What if my OMG actually means Oh My Goodness?’ My question back is: Why don’t we say it (or spell it) as it should be said: ‘O my goodness’ or ‘O my gosh!’ (What does ‘gosh’ even mean?)? What you don’t say (or do say, in fact) might cause another to sin!
Regarding causing another to sin, some people were of the opinion that it is the 2nd party’s fault, if he falls into sin for (or is not happy)reading OMG as ‘Oh My God’, instead of ‘O my gosh!’.
Romans 15:1-3 talks about pleasing others before one’s self.
Eph. 4:29 talks about unwholesome talk. We may also use the discipline of STOPPING to POP here. Is this exclamation necessary? Can I use another exclamation that would not stir any controversy? Why or Why not? Please answer sincerely.
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