Project 366- February 26, 2008

I have been thinking on a "Christian-ese" phrase someone used recently in our conversation. I've heard it quite often even used it myself I'm sure, but in this instance it really made me think. I've been mulling over it a few days now. The phrase would go something like this, "Well, if that is where your convictions are..." or "That is how YOU feel convicted..."

I'm afraid for Christianity in America. We've warped so much to make our faith into our own, like trying to put God in a box. We've made it all about me, my experience, my interpretation, me, my, I, etc... We've bought into relativism and tolerance, no stepping on toes. I hate seeing it seep so easily into my own life, my own mindset.

Well as I looked to the Scripture to figure out if our making conviction something that is so unique to each person is as Biblical as we make it out to be. What I found makes me more fearful for the way we have warped or changed the meaning of words or the ideas behind them. Maybe I'm off base, but this is how it seems to me. Conviction in my Bible dictionary is defined as feelings of guilt. And sin in the same dictionary is defined as to violate one's conscience or God's law. I'm afraid too often we define sin as the things that cause us that feeling of guilt rather than looking to see if the violate God's law.

It really scares me as I talk to people and seeing what they put on their blogs, facebook, etc... at the things of our culture that we allow to infiltrate our hearts, our hearts which are to fully belong to Christ. The shows offered on TV and the movies are so often FULL of sin. Now if they were portraying sin as sin it would be one thing, but they are portraying it as something we should all be involved in, something that is just accepted as naturally okay to do. I can't keep silent about how wrong this looks as a believer.

When we watch shows in succession, we get involved, we are following the lives of the people in the shows and we have become like friends. We have been let into their world, although a false world, we have been let in nonetheless. That is often a world of adultery, dishonesty, and so much more.

I guess I just want to encourage my fellow believers to be sincere. "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."--Romans 12:9

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."--Romans 12:2a As Romans 12:2 says...be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Keep your mind from focusing on sin as an accepted lifestyle.

"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."--Proverbs 4:14-15 (definition of wicked: morally corrupt) Pretty much we are to turn and walk, maybe even RUN the other way from wickedness...not sit and watch it carelessly.

"To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."--Proverbs 9:13

Friends I love you and I pray for you. Let us urge one another on in the faith.

Alissa