Speaking for God

So, I’ve spent a lot of time on Facebook lately. Pray for me! Seriously, doesn’t seem like a good habit, in many ways. But I have noticed a few things that I wanted to comment on, and, again, Facebook doesn’t seem like a safe place to do it.

Let me start off with a scary statement that came to my attention in a new way some months ago, and it is this:

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.

Jeremiah 23:30

The way this came up was in the context of sharing in our church, which was and is meant to be done in the sense of “prophecy” (noun) or “prophesying” (verb), meaning speaking things that God has already spoken to our own hearts and sharing with others for their edification, etc. (see a fuller discussion in 1 Corinthians 14 if you’re interested). And when this verse from Jeremiah came up it was noticed that sometimes (oftentimes?) we can hear really good teaching or preaching or “prophecy” which stirs our minds, excites our imaginations and captivates us, so that we want to share that nugget with others. BUT it can be that we have never really HEARD what God was speaking to our own hearts. And so even when sharing this great truth, God can be against us because we have essentially just stolen the words from whoever we heard it from, in that we did not let that word do its work WITHIN OURSELVES first before we share it.

And I KNOW I’ve been guilty of this. On many occasions.

Ouch!

I’ve been thinking about this in the sense of Matthew 7:1 (“Judge not lest you be judged.”) lately. I think, if I understand God’s heart in this, He wants us to weigh our words and hearts and motives before we speak, before we even think, in every situation, “Am I judging / about to judge?” this person, or this situation? And if so, am I completely blameless with respect to it or them? And even if that is true, is this going to help the person / situation by me saying it now? But, sadly, mostly I hear this verse quoted essentially as a defense against being criticized or corrected by someone (and usually when the person who says it is quite clearly guilty as charged). So, the word that Jesus spoke that is meant to promote peace and sincere love and understanding becomes a weapon to divide, to put down, to ward off the life-giving rebuke we so desperately need.

So … I’ve been conscious in all these posts of trying to (at least) THINK before publishing, “Is this really what I’ve experienced / heard from God about / know for certain / is being applied to my life already?” And seriously, I’ve had lots of ideas about stuff to write about, but checked myself, because … well … it wasn’t REAL in my life yet; wasn’t a part of me, but just good ideas and exalted thoughts. So, feel free to weigh in if I have failed (well, it’s probably hard for anyone reading this to see my life that closely, but still ….)

The further thought about this relates to Facebook that I mentioned to begin with (and probably other social media, too, for that matter). “Christian” memes. Quotes from the Bible against pretty pictures. Pithy sayings against flashy colored backgrounds. You’ve seen them. Maybe you have posted some (or many?). But, are we stealing these words? Have we happened on words that tickled our brains or even stirred our emotions but didn’t (yet) hit the mark of our deepest hearts (that place where it says the Word of God divides like a sharp two-edged sword)? And so we’re just stealing them because we haven’t paid the price to really HEAR them first.

John the Baptist asked the people (including the religious leaders) that were coming to him:

O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Luke 3:7b (KJV)

And, seriously, I believe God spoke that to my heart some years ago, and really caused me to think. Am I truly warned of God to flee the wrath to come (because of my sin)? Or am I coming because of custom, peer pressure, habit, desire for self-improvement or whatever other motive I might have? Am I really convicted that I am a sinner, and doomed to eternal destruction because of my own sins and therefore really NEED a Savior? Or is it somewhat less than that?

Because, and here’s the other reason, I believe, that God is angry with the so-called prophets in Jeremiah’s time: if we aren’t convinced of our own need for a Savior, then how can we really, truly, encourage/convince/exhort others to seek salvation either? We are found to be false witnesses, speaking of things that we haven’t really witnessed in our own lives. And all our efforts will only result in more people like ourselves, hypocritically espousing “truths” that we haven’t appropriated, bashing others with words we haven’t taken to heart, and disheartening those who have paid the price by our shallowness. Speaking to myself first of all (I hope, I pray)…

I also think that’s one reason I started this blog (as opposed to just posting on Facebook, for instance): as a reaction to these pithy quotes, these catchy sayings, and (what seem to me to be) shallow thinking and understanding. I don’t want to be guilty of that. I don’t think anyone is helped by that. I don’t think God is happy with it. It is all too easy to see a quote, to read a line, to have a thought, and immediately share it. And I see people sharing stuff 20 or 30 times a day! Seriously? You had time to digest each of those things? I want to share deep things, and hard things, and very personal things, sometimes things that take days to ponder and rewrite and reread and polish. Things that take more that 140 characters or 1″ of screen space to say.

So then there’s that personal aspect. By that I mean, it’s easy (again) to share something someone else has said, even to quote great truths from great teachers and preachers. Select, Copy, Paste, Share. Done. And I have been edified (some) by some of these things. But, part of (most of?) what Jesus meant by our being “witnesses” (I believe) is that we are involved; we have seen; we have thought about, pondered, been challenged and changed by what we saw, by what occurred. But if I read / hear / share something and all there is is the quote, the words of others, where’s the personal part? Where’s the “and this is how it affected me” part? Where’s the help I might need in applying it to my own (21st century) life because I see how you applied it? Where’s the faith you could share that maybe it could happen for me because it happened for you? Bottom line: are we sharing a frozen dinner that we warmed up in the microwave but had no actual part in preparing? Or are we / am I serving a meal made from scratch, made with love, coming from experience, tasted and stirred and prepared through my own life? And which is more satisfying?

I want this blog to be the latter; and I want my life to be that, most of all. Taking things I have seen and heard, and running them thoroughly through my life, preparing a meal that can really satisfy.

How am I doing?

Thanks for listening and praying!