USING SARCASM

FROM THE PET PEEVE DEPARTMENT

[Disclaimer_____My pet peeves are usually something I've found in my own life and had to try and correct and I tend to be too hard on others about those very things. Much as a dry alcoholic is usually far too strong in their condemnation of anyone drinking. This pet peeve is no exception.]

Sometimes people think of sarcasm as humor. But I think it is more often, as I read recently, "a way for people to express hurt feelings, to criticize others, or to disapprove of someone's action or words without actually coming out and saying what they really mean."

It was pointed out that television sitcoms are sometimes loaded with remarks dripping with sarcasm and, because so many laugh at them, they're mistaken for humor.  Don’t be fooled, they aren't. What sarcasm really winds up being is more a tool for embarrassing and wounding others. It's the chosen tool of "word bullies,"and young people in our society are growing up believing it to be socially acceptable.

If sarcasm doesn't immediately hurt someone else, it certainly runs the risk of being misunderstood since there is usually a "hidden message" being communicated. But I think when we resort to sarcasm to get a point across in a disguised manner, we're really showing a lack of courage to say what is really meant. 

I anticipate someone saying that an occasional sarcastic remark is harmless. Maybe so! But don't ever forget that true character is revealed by our words as well as our actions and both are judged every day. The collective result of that judgement is our reputation.

While I recognize that reputation and character are really two different things and that character is much more important as evidenced by the fact that a reputation that is gained without character is hypocrisy,  while a reputation that grows out of a good character is simply recognizing reality. try convincing some one else of your character when you're reputation is settled in their mind because of the sarcasm they've heard from your lips.

 I urge us all to consider today whether the use of sarcasm is worth risking wounding, or worse, alienating another person in the interest of getting a laugh.

Paul B.

BRENNAN MANNING HAS GONE HOME

Someone said this, and I SO agree..."Every addict I’ve ever known__every person who has crashed and burned and, as a result, come to terms with their own powerlessness__has taught me something about God’s grace that I would’ve never known otherwise."

Brennan Manning is a case-in-point. His alcohol addiction was a life-long struggle. But his understanding of grace came in the midst of that struggle. He authored books like "The Ragamuffin Gospel" and many others that presented the grace of God in ways that are astounding.

He has gone home and into the presence of the One whose grace astounds us all. He was 78 years young.

Here's one article of his that says it all.

"Our culture has made the word grace impossible to understand. We resonate with slogans such as:

“There’s no free lunch.”

“You get what you deserve.”

“You want love? Earn it.”

“You want mercy? Show that you deserve it.

“Do unto others before they do unto you.”

“By all means, give others what they deserve but not one penny more.”

A friend told me she overheard a pastor say to a child, “God loves good little boys.” As I listen to sermons with their pointed emphasis on personal effort–no pain, no gain–I get the impression that a do-it-yourself spirituality is the American fashion.

Though the Scriptures insist on God’s initiative in the work of salvation–that by grace we are saved, that the Tremendous Lover has taken to the chase–our spirituality often starts with self, not God…We sweat through various spiritual exercises as if they were designed to produce a Christian Charles Atlas.

Though lip service is paid to the gospel of grace, many Christians live as if only personal discipline and self-denial will mold the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing. In this curious process God is a benign old spectator in the bleachers who cheers when I show up for morning quiet time. Our eyes are not on God. At heart we are practicing Pelagians. We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps–indeed, we can do it ourselves.

Sooner or later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our security is shattered and our bootstraps are cut. Once the fervor has passed, weakness and infidelity appear. We discover our inability to add even a single inch to our spiritual stature. Life takes on a joyless, empty quality.

We begin to resemble the leading character in Eugene O’Neill’s play The Great God Brown: “Why am I afraid to dance, I who love music and rhythm and grace and song and laughter? Why am I afraid to live, I who love life and the beauty of flesh and the living colors of the earth and sky and sea? Why am I afraid to love, I who love love?”

Something is radically wrong.

Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat out denial of the gospel of grace."

Brennan Manning


I could not agree more and "thank you" Brother Manning


Paul B.

DOING THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT.

People seem hell-bent [literally] on trying religion as their hope. "Doing" the right religious things and doing them "right" is often the measurement of success in our culture of Christianity even when that kind of success is deadly to the soul of man.

 "Doing the right thing right" could even be defined as  keeping the ten commandments, having a quiet time, going to church, or doing what Jesus would do and it would still be deadly. It is the same sin committed by Adam when God told him to NOT eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he did anyway. 

Knowing what is "good" and what is "evil" and trying to do the "good" the right way is as bad as doing the "evil." It is that same independent spirit Adam had originally that is found at the heart of rules keeping and being religious, with the same results. Death!

What we discover is that even doing a "right" thing right and trying to please God, is the "wrong" thing because, as already stated, it evidences that we're caught up in that original independent spirit instead of walking in FAITH trusting that He's accomplished it ALL on our behalf and we must remember that.." Whatsoever is not of faith...is sin."

What God is after is relationship and it has nothing to do with following any rules. It is trusting Him explicitly, from start to finish, because it is a grace thing entirely with the very gift of His life as our own. We don't do "good things right to have a good life." He IS our life. 

It is a CHOICE between relationship OR rules/religion, because a real relationship can NEVER be defined or reduced to RULES KEEPING even if they're religious rules. That may be religion but it is not the relationship of grace. 

But when we choose to rest in who He is and what He is___on our behalf___which is what faith is___we may do right things well, [even wrong things on occasion as well] but the motive will not be to get Him pleased with us, but rather, celebrating who and what He Is to us by grace. That's a real relationship.

Paul B.

GOD'S BEAR-HUG

I absolutely LOVE that verse in Luke 15 where the prodigal son is seen making his way home from the sorry mess he'd made of things. These words describe it.. “And he arose [the prodigal son] and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Lk 15:20)

Notice the father! Can you imagine it? He bear-hugged him.The word "fell" is the Greek word ἐπέπεσεν which means "to embrace or to hug." It goes on to say the father "Kissed" him Now THAT'S what I would call a real bear hug.

Will it surprise you to know that's EXACTLY the same word used in Acts 10:44 where it says, "The Holy Spirit fell [there it is] on all those who heard the word." When His Word is heard in brokenness, remember Peter had just preached a whopper of a sermon and they were really broken up over their condition, there is a real bear hug from the Holy Spirit in the making. That's just what the prodigal got upon his return in brokenness.

[I'm discounting neither the anointing of the Spirit nor the baptism of the Spirit that places us into the Body of Christ when I say this.]

This seems to me to be part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He makes God's love real to us relationally and it seems to happen__ with some regularity__ when we've really messed up. I think that's extra special in that it characterizes the kind of love our Heavenly Father delights in bestowing on us as His kids. ESPECIALLY when we come clean about messing up. He doesn't love us MORE when we DON'T mess up and He doesn't love us LESS when we DON'T come clean about it. But I do think we are able to RECEIVE AND EXPERIENCE His love more when we learn our mess ups are a heavenly hug and a Kingly kiss "moment in the making." Maybe we haven't learned this because we've lost sight on His love being lavished on us ON THE BASIS OF THE CROSS instead of our success or achievements. We tend to think He keeps His distance when we've not done well. Not true!

You see, God's love is not cold and distant at all, especially when we foul things up, But it is a close and passionate experience when we don't think of His love in cold doctrinal terms. I believe we're to see the Father's agape love as an embracing and enfolding of us with a purposeful and passionate flinging of His arms around us, when we need it the most. The thing to remember is...This is not a momentary emotion with Him, but it is the constant expression of His divine nature and character through the Holy Spirit. HE IS LOVE. All this because the Cross HAS ENABLED HIM TO BE JUST in the doing of it. [Romans 3:26] That is INCREDIBLE.

So the next time things are rough or the bitter taste of defeat is in your mouth, just let God be who He really is to you. Let Him bear hug and kiss you as you readily admit exactly where you are  [It's called confession.] because He doesn't love you any less because of failure or love you any more because of faithfulness. He just loves you. That's who He is.

Paul B.