Day 63: The Thunderous Voices of Criticism.
Read: Luke 9:51 - 55
I love football whether it is professional or college. I watch it
whenever I can. I will watch it on television and will end up irritating
the wife to no end when she hears me switching between channels to
check the scores of other games. For about eleven years I even got the
chance to watch a live game as a season ticket holder. Going to football
game is different than watching the game on TV. When you go to a game,
you’re going because you like one of the teams. You are there to root
for the players and encourage them on to victory. You’re there to
experience their struggles and also rejoice in their success. Let me tell you the excited voices of over 70,000 noisy people can raise allot of thunder.
When you pay for your ticket, you go up into the bleachers, and if you
are smart you don’t go and sit in the wrong section - you sit with your
team’s fans. Each team has its own group of fans. Sometimes someone will
show up wearing the wrong team shirt in your section and the fun begins
when they try to out shout you cheering for their team. It's really all
in the name of fun, until the opposing team seems to start dominating
the field of play and your team can't seem to get its winning act
together.
Everybody has someone there to shout out words of
encouragement and support for everybody... everybody, that is, except
one group of annoying people .... Referee's
Nobody ever says to
them: "Great call, ref!" Nobody ever approaches them after the game for
their autograph. Nobody ever takes them aside and invites them out for a
few cokes after game. And even if the refs do an even handed job and
call the game the way we would have, the best we do is tolerate them and
I guess they find a way to tolerate us fans too. One night, the
refs weren’t calling them the way I saw them. The crowd was critical (me
included) and you could hear things like this: What, are you blind? How
could you miss that holding penalty? Hey, ref - who paid you to throw
this game? You got relatives in low places playing or coaching for that
other team?
It's the tremendous build up of energy of the fans
working themselves up into a wild frenzy supporting their team, urging
them on to victory. James and John used that excuse. When messengers
were sent ahead of Jesus into Samaritan villages they weren't received
very well and James and John they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to
command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ Jesus quickly rebuked
them. James and John went completely out of character. Talk of love and healing went out
the window replaced by vengeful spirits ready to inflict their brand of
criticism. I do suspect, there will always be the thunderous sound of
James and John in each of us.
Let Us Pray: Merciful Father,
mine is voice of thunder, mine becomes the voice of severe criticism
toward others, especially when I do not get my own way. I do not know
how to react to it nor how to curb it. Reveal to me and Help me to know
what to do, and to carry it out without fear or hesitation. Let me fear
nothing except to be faithless to You while avoiding becoming critical,
defensive, or retaliatory. Grant that I may have the strength to
keep my poise because it is founded on You. If I deserve the criticism,
let me realize it so that I may change my ways. If I do not deserve it,
let me be gracious in offering forgiveness, in imitation of your Son, my
Savior Jesus Christ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwAfhy4qzbA&feature=related
Break every chain - Jesus Culture.mpg
www.youtube.com
Break every chain, Jesus Culture, Tammy Maxon, Tammy G. Designs, www.tammymaxon.com
Read: Luke 9:51 - 55
I love football whether it is professional or college. I watch it whenever I can. I will watch it on television and will end up irritating the wife to no end when she hears me switching between channels to check the scores of other games. For about eleven years I even got the chance to watch a live game as a season ticket holder. Going to football game is different than watching the game on TV. When you go to a game, you’re going because you like one of the teams. You are there to root for the players and encourage them on to victory. You’re there to experience their struggles and also rejoice in their success. Let me tell you the excited voices of over 70,000 noisy people can raise allot of thunder.
When you pay for your ticket, you go up into the bleachers, and if you are smart you don’t go and sit in the wrong section - you sit with your team’s fans. Each team has its own group of fans. Sometimes someone will show up wearing the wrong team shirt in your section and the fun begins when they try to out shout you cheering for their team. It's really all in the name of fun, until the opposing team seems to start dominating the field of play and your team can't seem to get its winning act together.
Everybody has someone there to shout out words of encouragement and support for everybody... everybody, that is, except one group of annoying people .... Referee's
Nobody ever says to them: "Great call, ref!" Nobody ever approaches them after the game for their autograph. Nobody ever takes them aside and invites them out for a few cokes after game. And even if the refs do an even handed job and call the game the way we would have, the best we do is tolerate them and I guess they find a way to tolerate us fans too. One night, the refs weren’t calling them the way I saw them. The crowd was critical (me included) and you could hear things like this: What, are you blind? How could you miss that holding penalty? Hey, ref - who paid you to throw this game? You got relatives in low places playing or coaching for that other team?
It's the tremendous build up of energy of the fans working themselves up into a wild frenzy supporting their team, urging them on to victory. James and John used that excuse. When messengers were sent ahead of Jesus into Samaritan villages they weren't received very well and James and John they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ Jesus quickly rebuked them. James and John went completely out of character. Talk of love and healing went out
the window replaced by vengeful spirits ready to inflict their brand of criticism. I do suspect, there will always be the thunderous sound of James and John in each of us.
Let Us Pray: Merciful Father, mine is voice of thunder, mine becomes the voice of severe criticism toward others, especially when I do not get my own way. I do not know how to react to it nor how to curb it. Reveal to me and Help me to know what to do, and to carry it out without fear or hesitation. Let me fear nothing except to be faithless to You while avoiding becoming critical, defensive, or retaliatory. Grant that I may have the strength to keep my poise because it is founded on You. If I deserve the criticism, let me realize it so that I may change my ways. If I do not deserve it, let me be gracious in offering forgiveness, in imitation of your Son, my Savior Jesus Christ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwAfhy4qzbA&feature=related
Break every chain - Jesus Culture.mpg
www.youtube.com
Break every chain, Jesus Culture, Tammy Maxon, Tammy G. Designs, www.tammymaxon.com
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