Christian Apgar

One of the many sections of scripture that frighten me is when Paul states that we who teach will be judged more strictly. In another verse that closely relates, Matthew says that the way in which we judge others will be taken in consideration when we ourselves our judged. There seems to be a flexible grading scale by which we will be judged. But, it is not entirely objective. There are some basics that will be expected of everyone. To my surprise, it is mirrored in the APGAR test for newborns. I feel that this test is a good starting point for self evaluation for a Christian.

ACTIVITY
Are you stagnant or are you actively striving to bend and change as you are molded into Christ? Do you act out your faith or are you content with talking the talk?

PULSE
Is your heart strong? Do you hurt with those who hurt, rejoice with those who rejoice and have compassion on all? Do you love God and love your neighbor with a fierce persistence?

GRIMACE (REFLEX RESPONSE)
Do you hate sin? Are you fed up with Satan's lies? Are your reflexes developed to where you shun evil as quickly as your hand would jerk away from a hot stove?

APPEARANCE
When people look at you, would they say you're the spitting image of your dad?

RESPIRATION
Are your lungs filled with the breath of the Spirit. Are you alive with the Pneuma (wind, Spirit, breath) of God? Are you led by the Spirit, are you empowered by the Spirit, are you counseled by the Spirit?

In each of these categories, grade yourselves from 0-2. The following is the exact wording from babycenter.com. I don't feel the need to make a commentary in order for you to see the significance of what is said about the scoring.

If your baby scores between 7 and 10, it usually means he's in good shape and doesn't need more than routine post-delivery care. (Don't be disappointed if your baby doesn't score a perfect 10, though. It's unusual for a baby's hands and feet to have good color one minute or so after arrival.) If your baby scores between 4 and 6, he may need some help breathing. This could mean something as simple as suctioning his nostrils or massaging him, or it could mean giving him oxygen. If your baby scores 3 or less, he may need immediate lifesaving measures, such as resuscitation. Keep in mind, though, that a low score at one minute doesn't mean that your baby won't eventually be just fine.

Here's To The Underdog

It struck me as I was continuing my study in Genesis how God continually works through younger brothers. Adam's first son- bad; his second-good but killed off too early; third son-ancestor of Noah and through him everyone else. Then we have the family of promise. Abraham's oldest, Ishmael was sent out as a 'wild donkey of a man', while his next child was the blessed one. Then Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. And even though Esau was born first, in the four thousand years that have followed, Jacob is listed first because he is the blessed one. Then Jacob marries 2 sisters, the younger is the favorite. He has 12 boys with four women and his favorites are the last two. Joseph has two sons and the younger, Ephraim, is blessed ahead of is older brother Manasseh. Even though there have been countless changes in the millennia that have followed, I am certainly glad that this divine priority hasn't changed:)

Sour Grapes

"I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me and the cost is more than I can bear."


As I read this morning in Genesis I found it frightening the way sins are transferred from father to son. I'm not speaking of original sin, but rather of the tendency of children to repeat the mistakes made by their parents. Example, Isaac using daddy's lie "she is my sister" when referring to their wives. Later, Joseph's brothers deceive Jacob into believing his son was dead by slaughtering a goat. When their dad, Jacob was younger, he deceived his father into blessing him by slaughtering a goat. Four generations of lies and deception with very strong ties between Abraham's and Isaac's sin, and Jacob and his sons' sin. This is a scary thought to me as I expect the birth of my first son any day now. Will he be doomed to repeat his idiot of a father's failures? Will he succeed where I have failed only to fail in some 'new' way that I am not prepared for? In Exodus 20 God promises punishment for the children of the disobedient, and love to the children of the obedient. And while Jeremiah and Ezekiel both state that the one who sins is the one who will die, I have to believe that parts of Exodus 20 still hold true. My son will sin in terrible ways, probably in very similar ways that I have sinned, yet because of God's faithfulness, I know that God will love my son and see him through to the end. So even though I have eaten sour grapes, my son's teeth do not have to be 'set on edge'. Praise God who shows love to a thousand generations of those who seek Him!

Resolution

In order to remain focused on the purpose of this blog (to aid in my devotion/ reflection and to stretch and grow in my thinking and my love) I have decided to be more intentional in my approach. One of my resolutions is to break down the separation between what I write and what I do. SO...I resolve to post a blog ONLY after doing three other things: praying, reading God's word, and reading recent posts by other Christians. This way, I will never come to a discussion unprepared. It is a technique utilized by many of my professors; make all students read ALL of the material for the section, test us over that material, and then we could all enter into valuable discussion because we all have something to offer.

In addition, I will not post a blog if I have not put my faith into action by going out of my way to serve someone in the last 7 days. I know it is a pathetic thing to go an entire week without serving, but that's where I am and so that is where I must start...this is my ground zero. Hopefully I will one day be able to up the ante to not posting unless I have served someone in the last 24 hours. Till then, be praying that I will keep these commitments. I trust that God will grow me in countless ways during which I hope he will open my eyes to a whole new realm of potential growth.
Also, hold me accountable. If I haven't posted anything in a while, you can be sure that my relationship with God is not where it should be. Call me on it!

A New Approach (For Me At Least)

Last week I gave a devotional on being "slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry". It was then that I realized that I was quite the opposite. I wanted to sound wise to others, and I wanted others to sound foolish. All the while, the depth of my bible study was hardly ankle deep, and my prayer life was pathetic; barely remembering to pray for my own family on a regular basis. This stems from a foolish pride that I am commiting to destroy in my life. I realize that I have been camped out at an oasis in the desert; not the desert that Miller envisions (a place where you are doing all that you should do, and walking with God in close communion), but more like the "arid places" where the demons are sent when they are cast out. I also realize that my oasis was only a mirage, or a Matrix, if you will, to hold my mind captive and blind me to the spiritual warfare all around me. I am done trying to sound wise (not because I am humble, but because I am truly an idiot). From here on out I will be using this blog as a tool for my personal devotion. I will be striving to learn and change, so what I need the most right now is constructive criticism, and tough questions to spur me on. I will be doing a lot more reading than I will be writing, and when I do write, it might seem elementary or foolish and rightfully so, but hopefully with the help of other Christians who are further along in their walk with God, I can grow to know Christ more fully, and learn to imitate Him in every aspect of my life.