There are many opinions being expressed today. All you have to do is watch a news channel such as CNN or Fox News to hear people giving their opinions.
Well, there are also opinions about us out there. Some are our opinions of ourselves, and some are opinions that others have of us. One of the keys of life is to decide whose opinion are we going to listen to about ourselves. Sometimes we can be too critical or too lenient in our opinion of ourselves. The same can be true of others opinions about us. So where do we go to get the correct opinion? I have found the Bible to be the truth of life.
We all need to learn to see ourselves from God's point of view. People will always have opinions. That is just how we are. But A. R. Bernard says that the most important thing for us in the context of opinions, is God's opinion of us.
God's love for us is more than we can imagine. In fact, it is too big to comprehend. We do know however that He loves us so much that He was willing to die for us. We also know that when we accept Jesus into our hearts, that He comes and lives inside of us. We also know that He loves us so much that He offers us eternal life with Him.
Even in our challenging times, even though it can be hard to see, God is working in our lives.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 KJV
God also sees the potential that is inside of us. He sees what we can become because He is the One who created us. Since He sees our potential He never gives up on us. Even when others or maybe even we ourselves have given up on us, He hasn't.
There is a time in the Bible when the nation of Israel, God's chosen people had disobeyed Him and were suffering the consequences of their sin when God spoke these words to them," I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." (Jeremiah 31:3)
I am pretty sure at that time that Israel was probably thinking that God did not love them. That He had a bad opinion of them. In fact, isn't that how we feel at times when we have blown it with God? We think that He has probably stopped loving us, or has given up on us. But He hadn't stopped loving them, nor has He stopped loving us in those times. Yes, Israel had to live with the consequences of their actions, just as we do. But God had not stopped loving them.
That story from the Bible is an example of why it is so important to read our Bibles. If we don't read the Bible, all we will receive is the world's point of view about us. Nearly everything that is going on around us is telling us that we don't measure up, that were not good enough or that we can't be happy without a certain product. This is why we need to continue to read the Bible and get God's opinion of us.
Now, since God has loved us with an everlasting love, what will we do in response to that love? Will we ignore it or embrace it? The decision, is ours and ours alone to make.
When we embrace God's love, we are forever changed. We begin to feel differently about others and ourselves. When we embrace His love we begin to sense His love for us. Then, when those difficult times come we can hopefully remember to think of God's opinion of us and not others or even our own negative opinions of ourselves.
Troy
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The True and False Beliefs of "Evil Ways" by Santana
You've got to change you evil ways...
baby
Before I stop lovin you.
You've got to change...
baby
And every word that I say is true.
You got me runnin
And hidin
All over town
You've got me sneakin
And a peepin
And runnin around
This can't go on
Lord knows you got to change
I was driving in the car one day and I heard those lyrics as I was thumbing through different radio stations. Those lyrics are from a song called "Evil Ways" made popular by the band Santana. The basic premise of this song is as follows....relationship, someone in the relationship is not treating the other person right. If the person doing the wrong doing does not change, the other person is going to stop loving them.
I like to try to figure out what the songwriters are saying. What is their view on different topics. What I found interesting about this song is how there are some biblical views in the song. I am also pretty sure the songwriter was not thinking of those views when he wrote the song.
1. There is right and wrong.
The songwriter speaks of "evil ways". So the songwriter believes that there are good and evil ways. What I find interesting about right and wrong or good and bad actions, is that most of the time we know when we are doing wrong or bad actions but we don't always like to admit it.Another thing is, we may not always agree on what is good or bad, but we do know when we have been treated wrongly. Isn't it funny, that those who believe that God shouldn't be a God of judgment want some type of judgment done against the person who has wronged them or someone they are close to.
We also know when someone has been good to us. We may not see it all the time but we do know when someone has been good to us, or to someone else.
The Bible speaks of there being good and evil, and all of our actions being judged:
For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden, whether it is
good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:14(NASB)
2. The person in the song wants the person to change their actions, and believes they can change.
When we change from bad actions to good actions this is called repentance. The only way we are able to repent of our actions is through the power of God. How many of us have known that we need to stop an action in our life but have not been able to. Many times the reason for that is because we are using our own strength to try and quit instead of relying on God's strength to help us.
Repentance is not just feeling bad for our actions, but it is changing our actions. Many times our actions can bring sorrow upon us, as we regret what we have done, but it doesn't lead to change. God desires to bring us to that point where we go further than just feeling bad, but come to that point where we begin to change.
The Apostle Paul describes a situation like that to some people he wrote to who were involved in some actions that they should not have been:
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but sorrow of the world produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NASB)
3. God doesn't stop loving us.
In this song the person doing the wrong needs to change or else the other person is going to stop loving them. This is a natural human reaction, but I am so thankful that God's love isn't limited like us humans. God has always and always will love us. That doesn't mean that we are always in a right relationship with Him, but He doesn't stop loving us. The lie that many of us believe though, is that because we have done wrong, God has stopped loving us. When we have been disobedient to Him, we need to get back into a right relationship with Him by confessing, and asking His forgiveness, and hopefully turning away from the wrong action. Just as our human relationships can be strained when we treat the other person wrong, so it is in our relationship with God. The big difference though, is that sometimes in our human relationships the other person may stop loving us, but God doesn't. In fact, even when someone has to go to hell for eternity God hasn't stopped loving them, He has simply given them what they wanted, which was an eternity away from God. They have shown by constantly rejecting God in this life, that they wouldn't want to be with God for eternity.
For those of us who want to obey God, but struggle to do the right thing all the time, let us be encouraged that God has not stopped loving us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
So the next time "Evil Ways" comes on the radio or on your cd player, remember the truths that are mentioned in the song.
Troy
baby
Before I stop lovin you.
You've got to change...
baby
And every word that I say is true.
You got me runnin
And hidin
All over town
You've got me sneakin
And a peepin
And runnin around
This can't go on
Lord knows you got to change
I was driving in the car one day and I heard those lyrics as I was thumbing through different radio stations. Those lyrics are from a song called "Evil Ways" made popular by the band Santana. The basic premise of this song is as follows....relationship, someone in the relationship is not treating the other person right. If the person doing the wrong doing does not change, the other person is going to stop loving them.
I like to try to figure out what the songwriters are saying. What is their view on different topics. What I found interesting about this song is how there are some biblical views in the song. I am also pretty sure the songwriter was not thinking of those views when he wrote the song.
1. There is right and wrong.
The songwriter speaks of "evil ways". So the songwriter believes that there are good and evil ways. What I find interesting about right and wrong or good and bad actions, is that most of the time we know when we are doing wrong or bad actions but we don't always like to admit it.Another thing is, we may not always agree on what is good or bad, but we do know when we have been treated wrongly. Isn't it funny, that those who believe that God shouldn't be a God of judgment want some type of judgment done against the person who has wronged them or someone they are close to.
We also know when someone has been good to us. We may not see it all the time but we do know when someone has been good to us, or to someone else.
The Bible speaks of there being good and evil, and all of our actions being judged:
For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden, whether it is
good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:14(NASB)
2. The person in the song wants the person to change their actions, and believes they can change.
When we change from bad actions to good actions this is called repentance. The only way we are able to repent of our actions is through the power of God. How many of us have known that we need to stop an action in our life but have not been able to. Many times the reason for that is because we are using our own strength to try and quit instead of relying on God's strength to help us.
Repentance is not just feeling bad for our actions, but it is changing our actions. Many times our actions can bring sorrow upon us, as we regret what we have done, but it doesn't lead to change. God desires to bring us to that point where we go further than just feeling bad, but come to that point where we begin to change.
The Apostle Paul describes a situation like that to some people he wrote to who were involved in some actions that they should not have been:
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but sorrow of the world produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NASB)
3. God doesn't stop loving us.
In this song the person doing the wrong needs to change or else the other person is going to stop loving them. This is a natural human reaction, but I am so thankful that God's love isn't limited like us humans. God has always and always will love us. That doesn't mean that we are always in a right relationship with Him, but He doesn't stop loving us. The lie that many of us believe though, is that because we have done wrong, God has stopped loving us. When we have been disobedient to Him, we need to get back into a right relationship with Him by confessing, and asking His forgiveness, and hopefully turning away from the wrong action. Just as our human relationships can be strained when we treat the other person wrong, so it is in our relationship with God. The big difference though, is that sometimes in our human relationships the other person may stop loving us, but God doesn't. In fact, even when someone has to go to hell for eternity God hasn't stopped loving them, He has simply given them what they wanted, which was an eternity away from God. They have shown by constantly rejecting God in this life, that they wouldn't want to be with God for eternity.
For those of us who want to obey God, but struggle to do the right thing all the time, let us be encouraged that God has not stopped loving us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
So the next time "Evil Ways" comes on the radio or on your cd player, remember the truths that are mentioned in the song.
Troy
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