Honoring God

“And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.”

(Genesis 18:1-5 ESV)

 

I find the above passage quite intriguing. It fascinates me because, as the Lord appears to him, Abraham offers to wash his feet, shade in which to sit, and bread to eat. He does so that the Lord might be refreshed before he moved on.

 

On the surface, this seems insignificant. We look at it as a mere example of hospitality, which is certainly commendable. But this is God we’re talking about.

 

Did he really need his feet to be washed? Did he really need shade in which to sit? Did he really need bread to eat? And did he really need to be refreshed?

 

As we think about this, the obvious answer is “no.” The Lord didn’t need anything from Abraham. Everything, after all, belongs to him. Everything that Abraham offered had been given to him by God. And if he truly needed anything, the Lord was perfectly capable of providing it for himself.

 

Not to mention that God is all-powerful. There is nothing that he cannot do. And this negates any need on his part.

 

Yet, as we read on in this passage, we find that the Lord graciously receives Abraham’s service. He graciously receives these acts of hospitality. He receives the calf that Abraham had prepared and set before him and the two angels who were with him, along with curds and milk.

 

The question I ask myself, as I read this passage, is this: Why did Abraham offer this service to the Lord? Why did he offer to God his hospitality? Did he truly believe that the Lord needed that which he brought?

 

In all reality, as the Lord stood before him, Abraham understood that he needed none of these things. He understood that there’s nothing he had to offer that the Lord needed. He was, rather, honoring him in the only way that he could. He took from the resources God had entrusted to him, and served him as he was able.

 

The same, you see, is true of us. The Lord does not need anything that we bring to him. He doesn’t need anything that we offer him. He doesn’t need our offerings that we drop into the plate each week. He doesn’t need our worship or our prayers. Nor does he need our acts of service.

 

Without any of these things, God lacks nothing. With these acts of honor and service, he gains nothing. And with or without any of these things, God is still God.

 

All that we offer is his to begin with. It’s something that he has entrusted to us. And if he truly needed anything, he could provide it for himself.

 

This is true even of the ministry in which we engage. Does the Lord need my preaching and teaching? Absolutely not. There are many others who do a far better job of it than I. Not to mention that the Lord needs none of us.

 

It’s quite humbling to realize this reality. But how true it is. All that we have finds its origin in him. We offer to him only that which is already his. And, as we offer it back to him, we do not satisfy a need that he possesses.

 

We simply honor him in the only way that we can. We give to him only what we have to give. God, however, graciously receives the honor we offer him. He graciously receives the gifts that we bring. And he graciously receives our acts of service.

 

We do not deserve to have our gifts received by him. We do not deserve to have our acts of service received by him. Yet he does so. And he does so out of his gracious love and mercy.

 

 

Loving Our Neighbor (Leggings & Lust)

 

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

(Galatians 5:13-14 ESV)

 

As believers, we take comfort in the great freedom we have in Christ. We take comfort in the fact that we can do nothing to earn or to become deserving of God’s blessings. And we take comfort in the fact that forgiveness and salvation have been provided to us as a free gift.

 

Yet, even though this is true, we still tend to get caught up by law. In our effort to live for the Lord, we tend to make value judgments. We make such judgments based on our own experience. And we, then, hold others to these standards.

 

One place we see this, and one place where it is argued extensively, is when it comes to the way in which we dress. If you, for example, attend a youth retreat or conference, girls are often told that they can wear only a one-piece swimsuit. Bikinis, in other words, are not allowed.

 

This rule is put in place because of a simple reality. Although it’s true of men in general, it’s especially true that teenage boys tend to struggle with lust. This, of course, is sinful. And being in the presence of girls, who are almost naked, does nothing to help in this regard.

 

This argument surrounds not only bikinis, but also leggings or yoga pants, because of their form-fitting nature. And many Christian women are quick to say that they should not be punished because of a problem possessed by men. They should have the freedom to wear whatever they please, and whatever they find comfortable. Men, they tell us, should deal with their own issue and not place the burden of it upon women.

 

Both sides of this debate have valid points to consider, and either can be taken to an extreme. Both sides of this debate also share something else in common: They focus their attention only on the other side of the issue.  They look only at what others can do for them, rather than what they can do for others.

 

It’s true that men are responsible for their own temptation and sin. The burden of controlling these desires cannot be rightfully thrust upon women. Men cannot and should not constrain women based upon their own sinful desires. They should not dictate to women what they should and shouldn’t wear. They must recognize their sin, confess it to the Lord, beseech his forgiveness, and seek his strength that they might live in a way that is pleasing to God.

 

Women, however, should consider the needs of those who surround them. They should not be concerned only, or even primarily, with their own desires or comfort.  In all things, they should seek to serve their neighbor. And this includes the clothing they choose to wear.

 

In saying this, I don’t intend to lay down any rules or guidelines for you. We must recognize that much of this is cultural. Here in the United States, it isn’t considered revealing or immoral for women to wear shorts. In India, however, for a woman’s ankles to be visible is considered quite risqué. Shorts are not acceptable even for men. And other standards, other definitions of modesty, apply in other parts of the world. It’s hard, then, for us to set a guideline that applies across the board in the church.

 

When I’ve traveled to India, where it is very hot, I haven’t worn shorts even though it would’ve been much more comfortable to do so. I concerned myself not with my comfort, but with the sensitivities of others. Here in America, however, I feel free to do so.

 

What it comes down to is this: Although we certainly do have freedom, we are not to use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. We are not to use our freedom as an excuse for sin. We are, rather, to use our freedom to serve one another.

 

Paul brings it back to the one standard that applies in every situation. He reminds us that the whole law is fulfilled in one word. And that word, to which he’s referring, is that we should love our neighbor as ourself.

 

Our focus as we make decisions, then, is not ourselves. Our focus is not our own desires. Our neighbor is to be our focus. And we’re to consider his needs ahead of our own.