COUNTER-CULTURE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Spoke a little on our culture yesterday. 

I don’t think I can remember a time when folks were any more hateful and rude to one another than they are now.  Rarely do we see things in media where people are portrayed as caring for one another or loving one another.  Social media as I have said a time or two in this forum creates just enough separation that it leads to the dehumanization of our interactions and that is not a good thing.

Our culture now glorifies the cutting quip, glamorizes the snarky snippet, the tortuous tweet or the flaming FACEBOOK post.  It delights in the damaging, loves it when others fail and piles on the vitriol whenever possible.

It is a sad commentary on who we have become; mostly a mean-spirited lot to say the least.

That is why today I want to encourage those of us who follow CHRIST to be a little less like this culture that surrounds us; to “counter it” instead.

Romans 12:2

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.

GOD expects more of His followers.  He expects us to consider a different set of criteria before sounding off or piling on even when our tempers are flaring.

James 1:20

God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage.

Simply put and as stated clearly by Paul above, GOD wants us to be better than the culture around us.  He calls us to be counter to it.  He tells us to love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, live unselfishly rather than greedily.  In other words when the world goes left, we need to be looking to the right when the world wants to build on the bad, we had better be looking for the “good”.

Galatians 6:10

So seize any opportunity the Lord gives you to do good things and be a blessing to everyone…

Face it. It is awfully hard to be a blessing when we are bitter; difficult to love when we are loathing; tough to be gracious when we succumb to the grumbling.  Christians are called to a much different standard when it comes to our interactions and reactions.  We are to always be ready to respond the way that Jesus would respond; in love!

John 13:35

By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

So let’s avoid this bandwagon of put downs and peer-pounding.  Instead let’s demonstrate our kinder and gentler side as George H.W. Bush once said.

Proverbs 11:17

Kindness is its own reward, but cruelty is a self-inflicted wound.

 

Let’s counter this culture!

I love you all!

Have a blessed weekend friends…

Freedom Church

 

Pastor GDelaney