Only A Hammer?

 Today’s housing market is ridiculous. Imagine how great it would feel if you had the ability to own your dream house for free, designed by you down to the smallest detail and regardless of cost! All you have to do is build it yourself… but the only tool you are allowed to use is a hammer. Could you do it? 


When we frame the situation in physical terms, it’s easy for us to see the difficulty of creating something beautiful only by beating it. You can’t build a house with only a hammer! Why then, do many believe that a spiritual house can be erected by the same forceful ‘Bible thumping’? 


There is a reason why God repeatedly uses the analogy of the Potter and the clay (i.e. Jer. 18, Rom. 9). God does not force us into who He would have us to be, neither should we seek to force others into submission to God. Rather, as God seeks soft hearts to gently mold, we ought to do the same. 


There is no cookie cutter approach to addressing sin in others, but we are instructed in what our disposition should be. “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:2). “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that lies within you, with meekness and fear” (I Pet. 3:15). 


When Jesus sent His disciples on the limited commission, He instructed them to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” in their ministry, even in the face of persecution (Mt. 10:16). We ought to follow the same directive.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Consuming Fire

  Editor's Note: This article was written by my dear friend and brother, Patrick. I have known him for just over a year now, and yet he has played a profound role in my life and on my thinking. His connection of the passages in Leviticus 10 and Hebrews 12 teach us of the importance of a recognition of God's position in relation to the humble offering of the fruit of our lips. I hope that the thoughts present in this article impact your heart in the way you approach worship as they did me. "Our God is great, and greatly to be praised!" A Consuming Fire         The record of Nadab and Abihu is one that is well known. In Leviticus 10 the sons of Aaron are said to have offered “strange” (KJV) or “profane” (NKJV) fire to God, the consequence for this being that they were consumed with fire by the Lord. This event is often used by the Church to teach against the use of mechanical instruments while we sing, and for good reason. The use of instruments is not...
Read more

Funnel Cake Christians

  Modern Christianity is full of what I like to call ‘funnel cake religion’. It looks good and tastes great at first… but eat too much and you get sick! ‘Funnel Cake Christianity’ sure tastes sweet for a while, but when the rubber hits the road it can’t help anyone in any real way. The congregant encounters sin-induced difficulty, and because this perversion of Christianity is nothing but sweet, it is powerless to address the sins that are the source of the problem.  The gospel may be offensive to some, but this is not a bad thing! In fact, the gospel necessitates that each of us be offended! When Peter preached the first sermon in Acts 2, it was not sunshine and rainbows that pricked peoples’ hearts. Rather, it was the assertion that they were responsible for the death of God’s Son! This is a key part of the gospel that each Christian must come to terms with… and it should offend our conscience!  Paul wrote that it is good to feel a godly sorrow regarding past sins if th...
Read more

Careful Consideration

  We live in a fast-paced world where many “big decisions” are made in haste. We run where we should walk.  “Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15). To walk circumspectly means to walk diligently, exactly and carefully- to watch where we step. This involves careful consideration and taking time to consider what our next step should be. We are to walk as wise and not as fools. “Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (17).  In order to maintain a healthy relationship with God and walk in wisdom, we must walk according to His will as revealed to us in Scripture (II Jn 9).  Nehemiah provides a wonderful example of taking deliberate time in his decision making and his consulting of the Lord. When Nehemiah learned of the state of the walls of Jerusalem he spent many days in mourning, fasting and prayer (1:4). When King Artaxerxes questioned Nehemiah regarding this sad countenance, Nehemiah sent up a prayer mid-conversation (2:4) b...
Read more