What Is Spilling Out?

 I recently had a conversation with a pastor in Grand Rapids who told me about an illustration one of his elders used in a sermon, and like any good illustration, it has stuck with me.  This elder stood before the congregation with a cup in his hand and asked, "If this cup gets bumped, what comes out of it?"  Certainly, some were over thinking the question and trying to come up with some clever answer to what they may  have taken as a trick question, but the answer was simple... whatever was in it.  Of course the answer was so obvious, but then the elder asked the congregation, "When you get bumped, what comes out of you?"  I was struck by the simplicity of the illustration and the powerful truth it was illustrating.  When we get bumped, what comes out is whatever is in us.  It is manageable to keep hidden what is inside you when things are going ok and you don't get bumped too badly.  However, when you are "bumped" what  is on the inside spills out.  

Let's be honest, we all have been bumped, if not tackled by a three-headed monster over the past year.  The first head to reveal itself was politics.  The disrespectful political rhetoric and game playing amped up people all over the United States.  The second head was the platforms for this rhetoric to make its way to the masses.  Yes I am talking about the media and social media.  Media bias has become so blatantly clear.  Each political party has their media outlet of choice.  It seems difficult to find a source for news that isn't affected by their bias.  And social media is just a mess.  The ugliness and unhealthy conversations have sent people through the roof.  The third head is Covid.  There is so much division created by the conversations around this nasty virus.  Arguments about masks, shutdowns, visiting family around the holidays, and vaccines riddled every corner of our nation.  This three headed monster is alive and well in our lives, and it is "bumping" all of us everyday.  So the question is, what is spilling out of you?  Jesus spoke of this principle when addressing the evil intensions of the Pharisees.

34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
-Matthew 12:34-35

This is a reminder to us to pay attention to our soul.  If what spills out is rage, self-righteousness, slander, name-calling, disrespect,  hate, unkindness, violence, or an argumentative spirit, then I can say with confidence, these did not come from God.  They are not the fruit of His work in you.  

Therefore, humble yourself and let God accomplish His works in you.  Yield to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit as He uses the Word to transform our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.  Not only should Christ be the center of our thoughts, but He ought to center our thoughts as well.  We are getting bumped big time, so my prayer is that what spills out of me and what spills out of you is something that reflects the work of God in our life.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Navigating a Culture of "Pride" as a Christian

 June has been known as Pride Month ever since President Bill Clinton announced it back in 1999, and it has gained more and more steam since, particularly in the last 5 years.  It has made its way into small towns, into schools, and into the faith community as well.  In many ways it has become the loudest voice of the culture we live in, especially in the month of June.  It is a topic all over social media, the film industry, and media itself.  The agenda to normalize issues such as homosexuality and gender identity is pervasive.  You can hardly watch a series on main stream television, much less cable tv, without being confronted with these issues.  Some of the most prominent influences and influencers are now targeting children as their primary audience.  All of this has quickly shaped our culture, and anyone who thinks that the bombardment of these influences do not really have an effect on people, I would challenge them to learn about marketing.  The developments in the past 10 yea
Read more

Humanism in Christian Clothing

 I find myself more and more baffled by some of the things that I see posted on social media and how it seems to connect with so many.  I saw a post that quoted a pastor that said, "When your spirituality denies someone's humanity, it isn't spirituality, it's hatred wrapped up in religiosity."  The post attributes this to Mark Sandlin.  I don't know this pastor, if he really said it, or what the context was surrounding the quote.  However, it would seem reasonable to assume that the individual posting the quote was implying that if your spirituality leads you to conclude that homosexuality, transgenderism, or any other LGTBQ+ issue is sin, and you don't think it is the public schools job to normalize this, then you are denying someone's humanity, thus your spirituality is really not spirituality... it is hatred wrapped in religiosity.  This is a really odd statement for several reasons. 1.  What makes something spiritual?  Who defines what this is?  Is
Read more

Why Israel Still Matters in God's Plan

When someone professes faith in Christ and becomes a Christian, they enter in what the Scriptures calls the New Covenant.  This New Covenant is considered a greater covenant than the Old Covenant or Mosaic Covenant.  The Jewish people related to God through the Old Covenant for thousands of years.  Ultimately, this covenant pointed out one very important truth about life... Mankind naturally turns away from the living God and proves incapable of keeping the righteous demands of a Holy God.  As Biblical history unfolds, we find that Israel quickly abandon God and worshiped the gods of the surrounding nations.  They would have momentary bright spots, but even in those bright spots, the rebellious heart of man was on full display (King David anyone?).  The Law itself pointed out man's inability to keep the law and draws people to see that they need God's mercy.  Summary - Mankind needs a Savior because he sure can't save himself.   This is where Jesus comes in as a mediator of
Read more