Combatting Evil Thoughts - Lent
with Bonhoeffer Day 34– Purity 1006
Purity 1006 04/01/2023 Purity 1006 Podcast
Purity 1006 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a pair of monarch butterflies in
midflight over a field of knee high greenery comes to us from yours truly as I once
again have looked back into my phone’s photo archive to set more “photo captives”
free. This scene was captured back on August 9th of 2020 from a
spontaneous hike down a previously unknown “public fishing foot path” near the
Brookwood Secure Center for Youth in Claverack NY. So while I was “walking free” but cautiously
over an unknown path capturing photos of butterflies nearby there was a prison
housing juvenile delinquents who were dealing with the consequences of wrong
actions.
Well, It’s Saturday and I hope that considering that
contrast of freedom and imprisonment doesn’t bring you too far down and that
you deeply appreciate the freedom you do enjoy, no matter where you are or what
your situation is, and that if you are suffering the consequences of your own,
or someone else’s wrong actions, that you seek to “be set free” by turning from
the past to follow the Lord into the freedom and abundant life that He has waiting
for you.
That summer of 2020, I was still working two jobs
and 6 days a week as a consequence of my divorce, so I was very intentional about
enjoying what freedom I did have and remember now that this spontaneous hike
was actually born as a consequence of the State Park at Lake Taghkanic being closed that day because of Covid-19 concerns, thus blocking my goal of having some
summer fun by going swimming. But on the
way back t home, I decided I would “do something” with my one day off that week
and decided to go and see where this unknown fishing path would take me. I
actually took that hike in hopes in finding a stream in which I could take a
dip but the only water I found was a creek that was rocky and shallow and
surrounded by clouds of unwelcoming mosquitos! But even though my hope of a
private swim session at a secluded spot turned out to be a pipe dream, I remember
that I was still please with the hike all the same because I had answered my
soul’s call to “DO SOMETHING” and had bravely stepped out of my comfort zone by
taking a road that was less travelled.
Sometimes its not about the destination as much as it is about enjoying
the journey and accepting whatever you find waiting for you when you step out
in faith.
So I hope that all who read or hear this message appreciate
the freedom you have and I encourage you to
“DO SOMETHING” to enjoy it this weekend.
Me? I have plans to go with my wife to Mass MoCa (The Massachusetts
Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams, There is rain in the forecast today
in our neck of the woods but we are being intentional to “DO Something” regardless
of that consequence and will spend part of our day enjoying works of art and
one another’s company.
But before that let’s continue to step out in faith
together with our current series, the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
as we step into the unknown country of Day 34 of this devotional and the 34th
day of Lent.
As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this
journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God
in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this
journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons
change, the Lord will use it to change us too.
You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by
going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) .
Day 34
Bonhoeffer writes:
“Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we
absolutely refuse to allow them to be verbalized.
It is certain that the spirit of self-justification can
only be overcome by the spirit of grace; and it is just as certain that the
individual judgmental thought can be limited and suppressed by never allowing
it to be spoken except as a confession of sin….
Thus it must be a decisive rule of all Christian community
life that each individual is prohibited from talking about another Christian in
secret.
It is clear and will be shown in what follows that this
prohibition does not include the word of admonition that is spoken personally
to one another.
However, talking about others in secret is not allowed
even under the pretense of help and goodwill.
For it is precisely in this guise that the spirit of
hatred between believers always creeps in, seeking to cause trouble.”
Biblical Wisdom
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is
useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to
those who hear. Ephesians 4:29
Questions to Ponder
- Talking with people about
someone else you are having trouble with when they are not there is called
“triangulation.” In what ways does triangulation harm a community of
faith?
M.T. Clark: Triangulation? Wow, you learn something new every
day. It’s good to know there is a technical term for talking about someone “behind
their back”: Triangulation! Anyway it is not difficult to think of ways that
this behavior can cause harm to the community of faith. This behavior sows
discord as the person being talked about is unable to share their perspective
on the matters at hand and the “complainer” is undoubtedly making a case for
sympathy while they are talking about the other party. The listener here is
also being put in the tough situation as they now have to decide whether to believe
what is said and whether or not they report it to the third party or someone
else. Rather than following the
protocols laid down in scripture that are intended to resolve difficulties
among the brethren ( in Matt 5:23-25 & 18:15-17) this behavior causes division and stress. Gossip
is a sin and thus triangulation causes the strangulation of the unity of the
bond of peace that we are to have in the community of faith. Seek to bring the
parties together to resolve issues, keep each other accountable and to maintain
the unity of the body of Christ.
- How can a community of faith
enforce the rule “that each individual is prohibited from talking about
another Christian in secret”?
M.T. Clark: Well, in truth, it can’t. All it takes is one
Christian to complain and another to sit idly by listening for this behavior to
exist. However, we can try to establish
a culture of honest transparency and
accountability in the body of Christ. Those in leadership could put an emphasis
on the harmony of the congregation by establishing an environment where the
congregation is encouraged to be “peacemakers” and to continually seek to
resolve any issues that would cause division. The church could establish a pastoral
counseling ministry with the express purpose of resolving conflicts within the
congregation but in this day and age of consumer Christianity, many may choose
to take their business elsewhere if they feel the church is too concerned with “prying
in their business!” I marvel at the
idea of enacting the protocols of church discipline in this modern age because
I have seen people leave the church for far less and mourn the fact that even
the concept of the church doing what the Bible says in this regard is so foreign to me, and I believe the
majority of Christian churches today.
- Would this be a good rule to
generalize and apply to the workplace, school, families, among friends?
Why, or why not?
M.T. Clark: A good rule to apply would be to seek to bring parties
together when we are presented with someone complaining about someone else,
with the intention of bringing the parties together in peace. However, this
could result in no one brining their problems to you any more! And let’s face it, it could result in larger
problems of division as the third party could take offense over being talked
about or could be completely in the wrong and either refuse to admit it or
refuse to change or compromise and could even take delight in causing offense to
others. It’s a broken world and sometimes people come in secret to report what
has happened to them because are being abused and are afraid. So we really have to use wisdom here and
perhaps bring in others in positions of authority to offer counsel and help.
Psalm Fragment
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity…. Psalm 141:3-4
Journal Reflections
- Have you ever experienced
being triangulated, being talked about negatively when you were not there?
If so, write about the experience. How did it feel?
M.T. Clark: Undoubtedly, yes I have. However, because I was not there and can only
try to glean what must have been said because of the negative consequences I
faced in life, I to this day can not state that “anything was being said about
me” in some circumstances. Which is positively
maddening!
Personally, you know when relationships end that something must
have been said about you when you lose mutual friends and that the other part
of the triangle was believed or preferred over you.
Professionally, the results of changes in your location or
function at work leads you to believe that you very well may have been “triangulated”
against but even though the changes you have had to suffer seem highly personal,
sometimes we can never be sure if it was “just business” or highly personal
reasons why what happened to you happened. Logic tells us that someone had to “discuss”
the changes that affected you personally but often professional protocols leave
you powerless to know the truth of what actually happened to cause the
consequences you suffered or to come to a satisfactory resolution because confronting
others won’t change what has been decided.
So that’s all rather vague, I guess, but I don’t want to talk
about anyone behind their back! But I
would say either personally or professionally, when others “triangulate” you,
it feels terrible as your trust has been betrayed and you feel judged and
treated unfairly.
- Have you ever engaged in
triangulation? If so, write about the experience. How did it feel?
M.T. Clark: Of course, I wasn’t always a Christian and I am
still a work in progress. Yes, I have talked about other people who have
wronged me or upset me to others behind their backs. Relationships have been broken and out of my
hurt I would seek to vent to friends about what others have done to me. Recently,
I have talked to a brother in Christ about some mutual acquaintances that have treated
us badly in the past because of our faith. Is this gossip? Or is it honestly
confiding in one another about the abuse we suffered? I’m not sure but confessing about the abuse
was a relief. Unburdening what happens to us feels good. That’s why speaking in
secret can be such a problem for the faith community. Lord forgive us.
Prayer for Today
Spirit of love, may
the words I speak be the kind that build people up.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007
Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)
***As we are being
provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we
will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on
resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By
ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE VALUE OF THIS DOCTRINE continues
We shall now consider the Value of the doctrine in detail.
2.
It is the solid foundation of all true
religion
This naturally
follows from what we have said above under the first head. If the doctrine of
Divine sovereignty alone gives God His rightful place, then it is also true
that it alone can supply a firm base for practical religion to build upon.
There can be no progress in Divine things until there is the personal
recognition that God is Supreme, that He is to be feared and revered, and He is
to be owned and served as Lord. We
read the Scriptures in vain unless we come to them earnestly desiring a better
knowledge of God’s will for us: any other motive is selfish and utterly
inadequate and unworthy. Every prayer we send up to God is but carnal
presumption unless it be offered “according to His will”: anything short of this is to ask ‘amiss’ that we might
consume upon our own lusts the thing
requested.! Every service we engage in is but a “dead work” unless it be done
for the glory of God. Experimental religion consists mainly in the perception
and performance of the Divine will, performance both active and passive. We are
predestinated to be “conformed to the image of God’s Son” whose meat it ever
was to do the will of the One that sent Him, and the measure in which each
saint is becoming “conformed” practically, in his daily life, is largely
determined by his response to our Lord’s word “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart.”[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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“The
views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author,
M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of
the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that
may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views
or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of
God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 227.
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