July 20th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

It’s just a “little” sin, right? Actually, perhaps it’s a virtue since everyone else does it… and after all, we’re just “being real.” We justify and explain it away and sometimes adopt it as part of our persona.

Complaining.

As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, this “small” sin was serious and contagious with dire consequences.

In Numbers 11:1-3, we find the people complaining; in response, God consumes the outskirts of the camp with fire. Apparently, they didn’t learn their lesson.

Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; “but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” …Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. (11:4-6, 10)

First, the outskirts of the camp. Now we find everyone at the door of his tent complaining in a tone that sounds an awful lot like a temper tantrum. Sadly, the contagion continued to spread.

So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? “Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? “Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. “If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!” (11:11-15)

Not exactly Moses’ shining moment of faithfulness. Unfortunately, we find in Numbers 12:1-2 that the sad story still does not end with Moses:

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.

(I would think those last five words should make us tremble just a bit about what we say.)

The outskirts of the camp. Everyone at the entrance of every tent. Moses. The leadership. And now… the entire nation.

In Numbers 13-14, the entire nation refuses to enter the land and claim what God has promised was theirs, balking at reports of giants and fortified cities, refusing to believe that the God who subdued Egypt and parted the Red Sea and guided them through the wilderness could lead them safely through what lay ahead. Their lack of faith resulted in 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, waiting for that entire generation to die out.

Where did it start? What attitude was it that was so contagious through the entire nation and ultimately cost them their lives?

A complaining spirit.

Sometimes I hear people talking about major sin that they found themselves in, and often the phrase, “I don’t know how this happened” ends up in the story. Suddenly, you’re in this giant pit of sin and you have no idea how you got there! Guess what: I can almost guarantee you it wasn’t a one time thing. As one of my college professors said, your soul is not sold in one giant auction – it is bartered away in thousands of tiny trades.

We often dismiss complaining as a “less serious” sin, or perhaps not a sin at all. Everybody complains – we spread our complaints across our facebook walls and blog posts and phone calls and conversations in the church hallway. Complaints about the weather, about your headache, about your husband/ wife, about your pastor, about your kids, about your car, blah, blah, blah.

But, here is the sticking point: if I truly believe that my God is sovereign, if I truly believe that absolutely nothing is out of His control… my complaints about the big AND small issues of life are tiny symptoms of a deadly cancer: lack of submission to the sovereign will of my Creator, Savior, and Lord. “God, I know that you order all things, but I think you’re doing a lousy job with the weather/ my health/ my family/ my finances/ etc.”

It starts small. It starts at the outskirts… but a complaining spirit is contagious and will ultimately destroy all those it touches. As I begin to adopt complaining as a pattern of life, I am living in constant rebellion to my God, whether it seems that bad or not. I am daily trading my soul, the cancer is spreading, and I am setting myself up for blatant sin and disobedience.

Have you submitted to God, this day, in every aspect of your life? Are you believing Him, obeying Him, submitting to Him… or are you rebelling in your heart and leading those around you to do the same?

If you’re new here… we’re continuing our One Summer, One Story series – a fast-paced overview of the “big story” of the Bible! Missed anything? Find all the past posts here.

July 9th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

Today I’m sharing an email exchange I had earlier this week with a reader. Knowing that this is probably a question that more of you may have, I asked for her permission to share our conversation {although I kept out her name and some personal details for her privacy}. Have a question you’d like me to answer? Feel free to email me – and perhaps “from the mailbag” will become a regular occurrence! :)

Hello Kristi:

Thank you so much for this blog. I find it really helpful and very encouraging…
I have newly been saved. This path is very new for me, in the past 1  1/2years.  It started by listening to a Christen radio station, and found HIM. In my childhood I was raised in a VERY casual Roman Catholic household. Which is what we raise our kids in. As a new mom and catholic, I need some advice. I do not know what to do next. I am saved and now what do I do. Go to church and now what?  Can you give me some guidance…
Thank you and God bless
C

Hi, C!

What a blessing to read your story of God’s work in your life – He is so faithful to pursue us!

Once we have trusted in Christ Jesus we have been “justified” – made righteous in God’s sight. We don’t obey Him in order to earn His favor or pay for our salvation – only the blood of Jesus can do that, and the debt has been paid on the cross. But throughout our lives God will sanctify us – His will for us is that we would grow in Him (Colossians 2:6-7), to continue on a lifelong process of spiritual growth and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ in how we think and live (Romans 8:29) – that we would know His Word and obey Him out of love for Him (John 14:21).

Which brings me to your question – what to do next? The simple answer: get to know Him through His Word, and obey what it says! Everything we “do” is really with that goal in mind- to get to know God, learn His Word, obey Him.

So, yes, go to church! Find a Bible-teaching church where you can form deep relationships with other believers in Jesus. In the context of a church family, you can be taught the Scriptures, worship God corporately with your church family, be discipled by another woman who can help you figure out what faith looks like in your daily life, and have encouragement and accountability as you seek to follow Jesus in all aspects of your life. Being in the church is more than attending on a Sunday morning – it means being part of the church family, serving, learning, growing, and having relationships where we can be asked hard questions and challenged to grow. We don’t go to church to earn God’s favor or because we are already “good people,” but to get to know God better, learn His Word, and learn to obey Him.

There are some “spiritual disciplines” that are essential in a Christian’s life. Just like the right soil conditions help my plants to grow and flourish, spiritual disciplines help to create an environment in our lives where we are available and receptive to getting to know God, learning His Word, seeking to obey Him. Having daily time of your own in God’s Word is essential. Hopefully this One Summer, One Story series will help you have a basic grasp on the larger “story” of what is happening in the Bible. If you’ve never read through the Bible yourself, you might want to find a reading plan to help navigate your way through the Scripture in a consistent manner. My friend Kathy Howard has some great free reading plans and other tools that may be valuable to you on her website. If you’re up for a challenge, Amy from Moms Toolbox leads online groups through the entire Bible in 90 Days – the next challenge is beginning next week!

As you are reading, it is important to take time to meditate on, or ponder deeply and reflect on, the truths that you find there. We don’t want to leave the words on the page and just fill our minds up with knowledge – because again, our goal is not just to do the “right thing” and read the Bible because it seems like something we should do – we want to get to know God, know His Word and allow it to change us from the inside out. So, when something stands out to you as you read, keep it in the forefront of your mind throughout your day and ponder what it means, what it is telling you about who God is, what it would mean to live your life in accordance with that portion of God’s Word. Many people find the SOAP method of daily study and reflection to be helpful – you can find out more about that here.

There are many more things I could add here, but I hope this gives you a good idea of where to get started on your journey of growth. One other thing I’d like to mention – since you said you were raised Catholic I’m sure you were baptized as an infant. Have you been baptized after you placed your faith in Jesus? Believer’s baptism is a public declaration of your new life in Him – I wrote more about what it means here.

I hope that helps you, C!

Because of Him,
Kristi

• For further reference: Scripture Dig series on salvation, the local church, prayer.
• Bible study resources: Kathy Howard’s God’s Truth Revealed, Michael Duncan’s Starting Out

May 27th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

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All this week we’ve been considering some questions to ponder before we post/ tweet/ update/ share/ publish -

• We asked ourselves WHO our words are about – who are we bringing glory to?
• We took an honest look at WHAT our words really are – we need to stop fooling ourselves, and see sin for what it really is.
• We paused to ask HOW we should say what we say, and thought about what it means to submit ourselves (and our personalities) to one another out of reverence for Christ in this fast-paced digital age.
• On Wednesday, Julie Sanders shared her favorite post from KristiStephens.com over at Scripture Dig. That post was all about something I call Emotional Modesty – having proper boundaries and appropriate degrees of intimacy with people in our lives, especially online. I would say that Emotional Modesty is considering WHERE we share our words.

Now today – WHY? Why are we driven to communicate? If we had a Biblical purpose statement for our words, a theology of speech… what would it be?

Our words matter. Words communicate something. To the Christian, communication is a high calling.

We serve a God who created Adam and Eve and didn’t just leave them to do their thing and be happy without Him – He walked with them in the garden and talked with them! (Genesis 3:8-10) Even when His creatures turned their backs on Him, He was constantly communicating – building relationships (Genesis 5:22, 6:9), creating covenants (Genesis 12:1-3), revealing Himself (Exodus 3:14), giving laws (Exodus 20), sending prophets (Isaiah 6:8), inspiring the written Scriptures (2 Peter 1:20-21). Eventually God the Son wrapped Himself in flesh and He Himself was called The Word (John 1:1)- the ultimate communication (Hebrews 1:1-3), for to know the Son was to know the Father (John 14:6-10).

We were made in the image of a God who communicates. And He has sent us to communicate. We were commissioned and sent with a message – a message not about us, our daily mundane activities, our likes and dislikes, what we had for lunch – we have been sent with a message about our great God who created us, loves us, offers to save us, invites us; a message about what is truth in a world full of lies, a message of hope in a world falling apart under sin and the curse and hurtling toward certain judgment (Matthew 28:18-20).

Our words matter.

Living in our digital world makes our words cheap and easy. It takes next to no effort to send out our words to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. Right now there are over 1800 people following me on twitter. What if I thought about that number as actual people? A huge auditorium filled with 1800 people – would I stand up, boldly approach the microphone, and announce that I’m having scrambled eggs for lunch?

God has given you a platform. He has given me a platform. Your “reach” might be bigger or smaller than mine, but our purpose should be one and the same if we know the Lord Jesus Christ. Am I using my words with purpose? Am I logging on each day not just seeking to make myself known, but to make Him known? Do I really believe deep down that God has purposed for me to be born in this time, in this place, be given an education, taught how to read, how to communicate my thoughts in the written word, and have access to thousands of people each and every day by pushing one button on my laptop… do I believe that all of this is so that I can tell the world about what happened on American Idol and what I’m making for lunch?

Now, I do want to say: we are not one dimensional people. My days are consumed with my husband and my children and homemaking and ministry. There is nothing wrong with talking about these things online. BUT – if we solemnly consider the eternal purpose for our lives, the fact that we are sent as ambassadors for a God who has communicated to us and sent us to communicate Him to our world… wouldn’t that change the majority of what we say?

WHO are you talking about today? WHAT are your words, if you really boil it down? HOW should you say it? WHERE should you share it? …and ultimately, WHY are you here and communicating, anyway?

Someday I will give an account. You will give an account. O Lord, may you find us faithful.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Matthew 12:36

May 25th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

All this week the Scripture Dig team is sharing their favorite posts from KristiStephens.com Today Julie is sharing one that is very close to my heart and a topic I refer to often – Guarding our Emotional Modesty online. It’s an important topic and goes along perfectly with what we’ve been discussing this week. Join us at Scripture Dig for a little extra encouragement in navigating social media!

I wonder how many times I’ve sent an email and wished I could take it back? Or posted a facebook update or responded to someone else’s comment and then went back to delete it? {am I the only one who loves that little “x”?} Or sent a tweet and then literally hit my knees, knowing that what I had said was wrong and there was just no taking it back?

Seriously. I’m not writing this series because I have it all figured out – we tend to write about what God has been tapping our hearts about, yes?

How much regret, how much pain, how much lasting damage would we avoid if we stopped one second to think: HOW? How should I say this? How might someone else read this? How might this come across to someone who is already broken and bleeding? HOW?

To be brutally honest, this question sometimes annoys me. In my sinful selfishness where the world revolves around me and my opinions, I want to respond to my own list of questions above with, “I’m just being myself. If they can’t give me some grace and the benefit of the doubt, then they’re in the wrong. Am I not allowed to have a sense of humor?”

Asking HOW requires that I think of someone other than myself. Asking HOW demands humility, recognizing that the world does not revolve around me and my opinions. Asking HOW means that just because I have an opinion, it should not necessarily be shared. Asking HOW means that I must consider that those on the other side of the screen may be fragile and broken – and while the truth is offensive, there is no excuse for ME being offensive in callousness and sin. Asking HOW means that I must think before I speak.

Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 29:20

My husband and I often laugh about the fact that those who know me primarily as a blogger, Bible teacher, or lay leader in our church frequently don’t realize the other facets of my personality. So, for those who don’t know the “other sides” of me – I tend to be sarcastic. I like ironic humor. I enjoy and appreciate quick and witty words. I love having a quick comeback. {And you probably already have picked up on the fact that I have some strong opinions, too!}

This is tricky… because not only can people who know me and interact with me in person be taken off guard by the other sides of my personality, it often doesn’t come across well at all online. While my husband and my best friends I have known for half my life would instantly know the intonation of my voice when I post that biting statement on facebook… the people who don’t know me well won’t understand at all.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21

You see, even if I intend no harm in my comment – submitting my will to others means that I MUST ask myself HOW – I must consider how {and even if!} I should say what I want to say. I must ponder how my words will come across to those on the other side of the computer.

Whether or not people fully know and appreciate ME is of no matter in comparison to whether people know Christ. No one is going to reach heaven and find themselves asking, “did I really know Kristi as well as I could have? Did I fully appreciate her witty humor?” If my words may be a stumbling block – I must lay them down.

Living humbly with one another in this digital world means that even now – perhaps especially now – we must submit ourselves (and our personalities) to one another out of reverence for Christ.

It’s a tough question, but one I think we all must ask. It’s a humbling question. How will HOW influence what words you post online today?

This post is a third in a series of questions to ask ourselves about the power of our words in social media. These posts are part of a larger series on Biblical principles for our speech through the month of May – you can find all of these “One Small Spark” posts indexed here.