Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Isaiah GW 53:1-12
… He was despised and rejected by people. He was a man of sorrows, familiar
with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and
we didn't consider him to be worth anything. He certainly has taken upon
himself our suffering and carried our sorrows, but we thought that God had
wounded him, beat him, and punished him. He was wounded for our rebellious
acts. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace,
and we received healing from his wounds. …
1Thessalonians 5:14-24
We encourage you, brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are not living
right, cheer up those who are discouraged, help the weak, and be patient with
everyone. Make sure that no one ever pays back one wrong with another wrong.
Instead, always try to do what is good for each other and everyone else. Always
be joyful. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is
God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this. Don't put out the Spirit's fire.
Don't despise what God has revealed. Instead, test everything. Hold on to what
is good. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God who gives peace make
you holy in every way. May he keep your whole being-spirit, soul, and
body-blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. The one who calls you is
faithful, and he will do this.
“Anthropocentricism” sounds like a fatal disease, doesn’t it?
Everyone has it,
and without proper treatment it reaps havoc in spirit, soul, and body unto
sickening or even death. (1Cor.11:30)
Anthropocentricism is belief humans are nature’s most important entity
in the universe, the treating of humans as preeminent; including and never
apart from seeing life and all things in human terms, especially judging
everything according to human perceptions, values, and experiences. (Sadly, in
some Christian circles, this latter characteristic is common religious
practice.)
Anthropocentricism is the lordly mindset that others are to please,
serve, respect, and meet my needs, all this while I judge, criticize, impress,
and manipulate them.
Anthropocentricism seeks and works at domesticating God to a god of my
own making, seeing Him as being here for me, obedience to him (if at all) being
selective according to my pleasure.
Anthropocentricism can be easily recognized, but with the more
sophisticated personality it is not so obvious and can even be misconstrued and
lauded as leadership quality.
Since Eden’s calamity
everyone is afflicted with anthropocentricism, and without proper treatment it
reaps havoc in spirit, soul, and body, even unto to the death of one or all.
What might that
treatment be?
It is godly humility;
realized only through submission to Holy Spirit directed spirit of meekness,
other-mindedness, worshipping the Sovereign Alpha and Omega as Master of all.
(Ps.8:1-9; Jn.15:5; Rom.3:10; 12:1-3)
Let us heed
Paul’s exhortation: “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tendernesses and
mercies, then fulfill my joy, that you may be like-minded, having the same
love, being of one accord and of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
themselves. Do not let each man look upon his own things, but each man also on
the things of others. For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
(MKJV Phil.2:1-8)
Oh, and one more
thing . . . if you’re like me and have trouble remembering or pronouncing
anthropocentricism, just say “Pride”, it’s the same thing. EBB4
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