. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FORTHRIGHT sends new treasures from God's spiritual storeroom. BZeal publishes it by email and online. Each issue contains original content. http://forthright.cjb.net Subs: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE FINAL PHASE: Warm Fuzzies by Randal Matheny I like warm fuzzies just as much as the next person. The editor for my weekly values column* just wrote and complimented my on my latest essay. Nothing makes a writer feel better. This world would be so much better if we freely gave warm fuzzies. Lose the fear of swelling egos and praise the good every time it appears! Berating and criticizing never helped anyone. Proverbs never tires of reminding us that "the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping (19:13 NASB). Nagging, whining, and arguing just don't get it. The Bible praises praise of others. Yes, it is indeed good that "a man will be praised according to his insight" (12:9). And the husband of the excellent wife praises her, "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all" (31:28-29). Shouldn't we concentrate on those things "worthy of praise," seen not only in our Lord, but in our fellow man (Phil. 4:8)? Absolutely! Paul the apostle was worried that the Corinthians did not commend him. He had to brag on himself! (2 Cor. 12:11). His concern was not for himself, however, but that the Corinthians would be able to recognize and lift up the true gift of God evident in his servants. Paul wanted to compliment the Corinthians, and did so on many things. "Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2). At every turn, he sought the good in his fellow Christians to praise and encourage its further development. At the same time, there were no warm fuzzies at the expense of truth nor in place of needed reprimand. "But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse" (1 Cor. 11:17). Paul corrected, cajoled, and reproved when the need arose. But he never ceased to express confidence in the ability of the disciples to rise to the occasion and live according to the gospel. With plenty of warm fuzzies, you are ready to reprove. And, as mean-spirited as it may sound to modern ears, the kind correction really gets us further along the path to righteousness than then empty compliments and flattery so typical of worldly folk. Proverbs, again, comes to the fore. "Reprove a wise man, and he will love you" (9:8b). "But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge" (19:25b). "He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue" (28:23). Admonition is very necessary part of the process of spiritual growth. But one few are willing to do in the right spirit and manner. No wonder, then, so many go limping through their spiritual lives. Why don't you join the warm fuzzies in one hand with the holy admonitions and corrections in the other to work God's growth in his people? If you don't, who will? __________ Randal's weekly values column can be read at <http://morrock.com/affirm.htm>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIVING FOR MY MASTER Freedom from Idolatry by Barry Newton, San Jose, California http://www.sjchurchofchrist.org In America it seems to be rare to think of conversion as someone being liberated from idolatry. Nevertheless, every time someone's allegiance is turned from serving the worthless promises which they believe the created order might offer in order to call Jesus "Lord" and to live in obedience to God, a person has been freed from idolatry. Whether it be serving Baals or the greed of a secular person, idolatry arises out of trying to manipulate our world in order to take care of ourselves. To try to sustain our own life and to carve out a niche for our self by serving something other than God is vanity and a striving to catch the wind. The reality of death pronounces all such activity under the sun as ultimately being meaningless. Part of the good news of Jesus is that he can free us from such an empty way of life. When Jesus taught that a person could not become his disciple unless he followed the way of the cross (Luke 14:27) and gave up everything that belonged to him (Luke 14:33), Jesus described discipleship as being free from the impulse of idolatry. To live as a disciple of Jesus requires a death to self and a giving up on the promises of this world. As a result, just like Jesus who did not love his own life so much as to shrink from death, but who sought to do the Father's will, so also the disciple's decisions, values, and behavior are driven by a love for God and a desire to obey His will. John 12:25-26; Revelation 12:11; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 John 2:15-17 Jesus can free us from idolatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOD WITH US: What's Your Measure of Perfection? by Randal Matheny "[H]owever, let us keep living by that same standard [of perfection] to which we have attained" (Phil. 3:16, NASB) If you wait to be perfect before acting, you will never begin. Fatima wanted to fix her life before becoming a Christian. She didn't understand that she needed to obey the truth she already knew, receive God's forgiveness, and permit Christ's power to correct what was lacking. Others want to know more before speaking of Christ. They fear not being able to respond to questions, thereby causing unbelief in those interested. They forget they were not sent to have all the answers, but to proclaim salvation in Jesus. Advance, therefore, from the level of maturity to which Christ has already carried you. __________ Translated from the Portuguese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IN A WORD "Fight prime time ... read a book." --Alternatives for Simple Living "Television is an invention whereby you can be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your house." --David Frost "When you say that you agree to a thing in principle, you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out." --Otto von Bismarck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE If you want to to SUBSCRIBE to this email version of FORTHRIGHT, you have two options: (1) Online: http://www.topica.com/subscribe/forthright (2) By email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] This e-zine is sent only to current subscribers. If you want to UNSUBSCRIBE, click and send: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REPRODUCTIONS You may forward a copy of this email to friends and colleagues who have an interest in the things of God. This issue can also be found online at http://forthright.cjb.net To comment on this e-zine, or to ask for permission to reprint any of the content, please reply to this email or write to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FORTHRIGHT Magazine, No. 10, 4 Mar. 2000 http://forthright.cjb.net Randal Matheny, editor Copyright © 2000 by Randal Matheny. All rights reserved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Check out "Affirmatives," Matheny's upbeat, constructive essays for The Morrock News Service (http://morrock.com/affirm.htm). _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15
