Think on These Things
February 2000
This
world respects those who get their way regardless of how they do it.
Many of our highest officials and business leaders are master
manipulators. They use others, and
then throw them away. It is
unfortunate that this culture of manipulation infects so many, but not
surprising when it invades religion, even our Lord’s church.
The
manipulation of God (or the gods) is nothing new. The ancient pagans practiced a type of religion calculated to
bring to them the maximum physical returns on this earth.
The Greeks had gods for everything, even attempting to manipulate those
that they did not know (Acts 17:23). But
it is not just those who serve false gods that try to practice manipulation.
In the Old Testament there was a soothsayer named Balaam who God allowed
to have certain powers. He appeared
to be quite faithful, for when Balak, the king of Moab, offered him money to
curse the Israelites, his response was (Num 22:18): “Though Balak were to give
me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or
great, contrary to the command of the LORD my God.”
Does this sound familiar?
The
problem was, Balaam coveted the treasures offered to him. He thought he could “beat the system” by manipulating God
to serve his own personal desires. And,
while he never did curse the Israelites, he was willing to tell Balak how to
corrupt the Israelites by having them commit fornication with the women of Moab
(Rev. 2:14). He convinced himself
that he was doing God’s will while practicing the ways of the world.
Balaam died by the sword for his sin, and his sin is referenced often
throughout the bible (e.g., 2 Pet. 2:15, Jude. 1:11).
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The goal of this page is to promote morality and justice in our society (Prov. 14:23).
Modesty.
Our clothing can say much more about our attitude toward the Lord than
our words. In fact, when Christians
dress immodestly, their speaking out for the truth could cause more harm than
good. It is impossible to be a
“light to those in darkness” (Mt. 5:14) while stimulating evil thoughts in
others.
Many
women who are Christians do not understand the messages that they send when they
wear their skirts above the knee, or appear to be “poured into” their
clothing. If they did, surely they
would not appear in public this way. Jesus
said (Mat. 5:28) “...but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to
lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Women who wear clothes that are immodest share the
responsibility for producing lust in men, and they are equally as guilty of
adultery as the men that they affect.
A
few years ago we knew a young woman who was an excellent high school basketball
player. As a Christian, she made it
clear that she would play only if she could wear modest clothing. She was allowed to play wearing sports clothes that covered
her legs while still providing her the freedom to play. While some might have poked fun at her, the vast majority had
great respect for someone who was willing to take a stand for what is right.
She was a light to the world.
The
lasciviousness that once was confined to burlesque houses is now so common on TV
and in movies that it has dulled our sense of shame.
Even the most hardened of sinners recognizes the difference between the
dress of a godly woman and that which is calculated to entice.
There is no reason that those who call themselves Christians should not
be able to tell this as well. God
has given this responsibility to us, and we will not be held guiltless if we
fail to “come out from among them and be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17).
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Love
and manipulation are mutually exclusive and totally incompatible.
The one seeks the best interest of the one loved, the other is purely
selfish in intent. Look around and
you will see that most religion today is of the manipulation variety.
When we fail to yield ourselves totally to God (Rom. 12:1-2), and instead
seek to meet His (or worse, some church’s) minimal requirements, we are
practicing manipulation. We might
be able to beat the systems of men through such ploys, but “be not deceived,
God is not mocked” (Gal. 6:7).
To
see what some men (and women) reaped in regard to their sowing manipulation,
let’s consider two cases involving the earliest converts to Christ.
The first is in Acts 5, but the story can best be understood by going
back into Chapter 4. There we see a man who unselfishly sold a field and gave it
to the Lord. Ananias and Sapphira
sought to manipulate the Lord and His people to get the glory for such a deed,
but clearly they had no intent to serve. Their
lie was just a symptom of their motivation.
The displeasure of God at this attempt to “have their cake and eat it
too” was immediate: they were both struck dead.
A
second case involved a man named Simon, who had long sought the approval of men.
His story is in Acts 8:9f. The
bible clearly says that he believed and was baptized.
He was greatly impressed with the miracles that confirmed the new
teachings. However, when the apostles came down to Samaria to impart
miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit to them, Simon offered them money, saying,
“Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands
may receive the Holy Spirit.” He
was immediately rebuked by Peter, and fortunately, he repented of his sin.
Both
of these cases demonstrate how Christians can use their religion in a
self-serving way. The fact that
they were making sacrifices and that they were professing the “right” God
was not enough. God sees through
our attempts to be self-serving, even if we and our fellow Christians do not.
As we take up our crosses and follow Christ, let us lay aside the weight
of the sin of manipulation, and allow God to truly work in and through us.
All other religion is vain.
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“It does not matter how we
serve God.”
but
Paul stated (Rom. 1:22) ...
“Professing themselves to be
wise, they became fools ...”
He
went on to describe how the Gentiles first changed the worship, then the
characteristics, and finally the truth of God.
At each step God “gave them up” to deteriorate in their decadence, so
that they were finally totally devoid of any sense of morality whatsoever.
The
idea of the pagans was that there were many ways to get what you want from
“the force” (to use a current-day expression).
They recognized that there was a god of Israel, but also accepted the
gods of other nations, and believed that one god might be stronger than another.
So, when they went to a foreign land, they had no problems in yielding
themselves over to the god(s) who had jurisdiction in that area.
After all, what could it hurt?
Such
is the root of all superstitious and manipulative religious belief today.
The idea is: “We don’t really understand it, so why fight it?
Just go along with it.” Are
we any different today when we refuse to “test the spirits” (1 Jn. 4:1)?
Are we any different today when we “hold a form of godliness, but have
denied the power of it” (2 Tim. 3:5)? Are
we religious to manipulate God for what we can get out of it?
... or are we serving and obeying our Lord because we Love Him and trust
that His way is best for us?
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