Please Don't Say That!

As a Pastor, there are a lot of things that people do that bother me. Many people have no regard for sin. They live their lives believing that God doesn't care what they do. Other folks believe that it is their personal responsibility to critically evaluate everything you do. Some people will overlook things that go on in the lives of their friends and family, while they criticize others doing the same thing. However, when it comes to the things that people say; there are four statements that frustrate me more than all others. I desire to share these four statements with you in this blog.

First: "I feel". Now folks, I do not want to state that feelings are not important. God gave us feelings, and we should recognize this. However, we are way more concerned about feelings than God is. I have watched as people justify their sins because it feels right. Of course it feels right, your base nature is one of sin. I have heard people say, "Doesn't God want me to be happy?" The truth is that God wants you to be obedient. Happiness is not all that important. I have heard people say, "I just don't feel the way I used to". Really, I don't feel the way I did yesterday. Simply put, the Bible does not say, "I feel whom I believed." The Bible says, "I know whom I have believed." Your feelings are overrated. Spend your time focusing on what you know, even if you don't feel like it.

Second: "Who am I to judge." This statement is a mis-qoute of the Lord Jesus. I wish people understood what the Bible means by judging. "Who am I to Judge". I would never consider abortion, "But who am I to judge." I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, "But who am I to judge." Of course, you shouldn't have sex outside of marriage, "But who am I to judge." Folks, the Bible is the judge. We are the messengers. If the Bible says it is wrong, then it is OK for you to agree with the Bible. We need to stop justifying the Bible because we are afraid it might hurt someone's feelings. You already know what I think about feelings.

Third: "Listen to the words". This statement is normally said by a soloist before the song starts. I understand the intent of the statement. The soloist wants to take the spotlight off of them and onto the words in the song. This truly is a noble thing to do. I believe that the church soloist must always walk a line between performance and worship. This is why I don't applaud at music during a worship service. Nevertheless, "listen to the words" is annoying. I must ask the question, "What else am I going to listen to?" The truth is that I am going to listen to the song. My hope is the song will help me worship God. I hope the lyrics in the song are Biblically sound. I hope the melody is beautiful. I will listen to the music with the hope it doesn't over power the lyrics. Of course, I am going to "listen to the words." What else would I do.

Finally: "Do you know what I think?" First, if I did, you wouldn't have to tell me. Your statement would be, "You already know what I think, but I am going to say it anyways." Second, this statement for me is most annoying when introduced into a Biblical or theological conversation. What we think is not all that important. What the Bible says is very important. I have always appreciated the way Billy Graham answers difficult moral questions. If Larry King asks him a moral question, Dr. Graham always starts out by saying, "The Bible says, this or that." By doing this, if you don't like what comes out of Dr. Graham's mouth, then your beef is with the Bible. Dr. Graham was just quoting what the Bible says. It is much more important to know what the Bible says than to know what someone else thinks.

I am sure that this list isn't exhaustive. I bet tomorrow someone will say something that makes me shake my head. This is just life. By the way, doesn't the phrase "That's life" get under your skin.