I am going to try something new starting on Fridays. As many of you know, I share a lot of links on my blog. And, because of the way the blog hosting service works, I can figure out pretty easily which links you find the most interesting (and consequently, which ones you find the least interesting). So, each Friday I will select one link that is really popular, or I’ll select one that maybe didn’t get too many hits, and write a couple paragraphs about it. Here goes with the first ever Friday link highlight!
This week’s highlight is about how to avoid extreme beliefs within the Christian faith.
Let’s think about this in a few ways:
1. How do we receive criticism? If we are people pleasers, we will change everything we do just because someone suggests we shouldn’t. The Bible passages on freedom and caution just don’t mean this. We need to be able to be firm in our decisions and lovingly explain to someone who might be offended by what we’re doing.
2. How well do we know the whole word of God? When we read verses that challenge us, do we know of other parts of the Bible that say similar things or even offer some balance? Over-focusing on one verse or passage without weighing it in light of the entire Bible can lead to dangerous things.
3. How much do we judge what someone is doing trying to reach others for Christ? We should NEVER adapt harmful behaviors, but to become like some people, for crying out loud, we have to go where they are! Jesus was unafraid to hang out with the most broken of society. We should never fear judgment in doing the same thing, as long as we don’t adapt sinful customs or behaviors in order to do it.
Hope this has been a challenging set of thoughts. Enjoy your Friday everyone!