Tag: danger

The Most Dangerous Weapon in the World

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Highs and lows have filled my holiday season. I relaxed with my parents while we watched a blockbuster movie. Then I rushed to the toilet as my dinner found a new home. I played video games with my little brother on my laptop. Then I cursed that same machine for suddenly bricking out on me. Turbulence was my only constant during this past Thanksgiving holiday.

And the same is true for our nation. Within the space of one short week, we celebrated justice as three guilty men were condemned and decried injustice as one guilty man walked free. Or was it three innocent men who were condemned and one innocent man exonerated as many assert? Have I gone too far? Should I just stop talking politics and stick to the Bible?

Dangerous Speech

Speaking of the Bible, John the Baptist was murdered for denouncing injustice. He was incarcerated and eventually beheaded because he called out King Herod for marrying his brother’s former wife. I sat in church one Sunday and heard a message that heaped the blame onto John the Baptist for “veering out of his lane.” His calling was to be Jesus’ forerunner, to prepare the way for the Messiah. But once he’d finished his job, he ran out of topics to cover. So he started speaking on things he had no business talking about. And that was why he was killed (Mark 6:17-18). But since when did the living Word become divorced from the lives we live?

Dangerous Silence

Some say that the Bible is silent on many issues that stir the hearts of Americans today. And they argue, “Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” But that logic doesn’t hold water. Consider if a mother commands her son not to punch his brother. Then the child starts slapping his sister. When his mother sits in him timeout, does it really make sense for her son to argue, “But you never send anything about punching my sister?”

The same principle applies to the Bible. Some say that the Bible says nothing about abortion. Yet the Bible says, “‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image’” (Genesis 9:6). Just because this verse does not explicitly refer to “man” as “helpless baby” doesn’t mean that the Bible says nothing about abortion. Likewise, even though the Bible does not explicitly say “you shall not target other people on the basis of their class, gender, or ethnicity,” it does say, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself. For love does no wrong to one’s neighbor” (Romans 13:9-10).

Conclusion

When Christianity is constrained to Sunday services and church buildings, it becomes dangerously close to a prescription drug we take on a weekly basis. ” But it was crafted to be a “sword that pierces our very souls” (Hebrews 4:12). If we let the Bible dictate the way we view all aspects of our lives–from the way we treat our families, to the way we work our jobs, and even, dare I say, the way we view politics–then it becomes the most dangerous weapon in the world.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

(James 1:22)

Rest, Relationships, and the Altar of Busyness

By Ife J. Ibitayo

It’s downright amazing how much time Jesus spent hanging out with people. Many of Jesus’ best teachings took place on comfy dining couches with 1st century AD comfort food. He was a man on a mission, relentlessly marching toward the cross. Yet somehow, He found an abundance of time to sit down and chat with others along the way.

For the past couple months, I’ve also been seized by a mission. I’ve been plugging away at work each day and typing up a storm each night. I’ve been cramming ministry into the free spaces and filling up every last crevice with errands and unanswered emails. It would be an understatement to say that I’ve felt a little busy. But I’ve come to see unique dangers in my present situation.

Importance of Rest

The first danger of busyness is that it often comes at the expense of rest. As we go to bed later, wake up earlier, cut our lunch breaks shorter, and extend our workdays longer, we squeeze out the Sabbath rest God offers us.

I’d contend that the fourth commandment may very well be the most despised of them all. In university, we applaud the students who sustain themselves on a well-balanced diet of coffee and Adderall, cramming in hour after hour studying for their examinations. On the job, we reward our employees who forgo vacations, sick days, and holidays to finish one more task. This disease has even infected the church! We praise pastors who are perpetually stretched thin, caring beyond their capacity, serving beyond their ability.

But consider that God rested on the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2), even though He didn’t need it. Then He blessed the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3a). Then He declared it holy—set apart, special (Genesis 2:3b). And throughout the Old Testament, God continually rebuked His people specifically for not keeping the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:12-13, Nehemiah 13:15-18). Clearly rest is an extremely important concept to God, and people who are perpetually busy will struggle to find time to rest.

Importance of Relationships

Secondly, busy people will find it challenging to enter into deep relationship with others, especially God. Many people are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. The God man in the flesh had come over for dinner. But the sisters’ attitudes toward Him were polar opposites. The NIRV says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done” (Luke 10:39-40).

I really like this translation because it captures well the tension of Martha’s situation. There were many important things that “had to be done”: cooking, cleaning, serving. Often times when we read this passage, we can dismiss the meaningfulness of Martha’s tasks, but they were quite important. If no one cooked, no one ate. Imagine letting God go hungry! But there was “one thing” more important than serving God, and that was listening to Him (Luke 10:41-42).

 Take a look at Matthew 7:21-23, and you’ll see a similar story. There are many who will serve God mightily—prophesying in His name, casting out demons, healing diseases, and working miracles, but Jesus will turn them away at the gate to heaven. Why? Because they were too busy “serving” Him to get to know Him.

The Altar of Busyness

God created us to work. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And God didn’t just create us to work, He created us to work hard (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and to work excellently (Colossians 3:23). But we must not sacrifice rest or our relationships on the altar of busyness.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'”

(Matthew 11:28-30)