Is Your Glass Half Empty, Half Full, or Overflowing?

Seeing the glass as half empty or half full is a psychological dilemma people have poked and pondered for a very long time.  What does your view of the glass say about you?  Are you a half-full, or half-empty person?  Are you optimistic, or pessimistic?

We say those who view the glass as half full are generally optimistic, and others who view it half empty are pessimistic. What if either position is vain?

One solution to the dilemma might be to put it in a smaller glass that becomes full.  That would cause both to agree the glass is now full, but really just presents a new opportunity for envy knowing what they once had and has been taken away.  Maybe now both optimist and pessimist are saddened.

I suggest, however, either state of mind derived from a glass or its contents absent faith in the God who gives both drink and glass, is vanity.  Both have been deceived into thinking that their contentment should come from their glass or what is in it.

As the amount of liquid in their glass is the same, so can be the state of their eternal soul.  Optimist and pessimist will perish together, because they are equally lost and without true hope.  Both have found solace in vanity, and seek happiness in the drink that only their eyes perceive.  If both turn from their vain ways, however, and seek happiness in the One Who gives and takes away, both of their cups will overflow even if the cup that they see runs dry.
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Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Psalm 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Christian Heroism, and Superheroes

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." -1 Timothy 4:7-8

The mentioned Scripture and accompanying picture may already be exceedingly offensive to many, but please hang with me for a bit.

If most of our children's superhero's and general fascinations are with fictional characters made up for entertainment purposes only (or indeed our own fascinations), it isn't for lack of available faithful patriarchs in Scripture or elsewhere in human history. It really just depends on what we are choosing to guide and expose them to in what is heroic.  From David, to Jesus, and many all around and in between, I sometimes wonder why with so many real truly heroic examples, we find ourselves perpetuating the myths we do to our children.  I wonder, "What do I believe?"  Because truth be told, it really comes down to what we personally find to be heroic. So we know and believe, so we teach. That is key. Who are our personal heroes? That may be the hardest part to swallow in all of this. Why am I doing what I do, and what am I truly cherishing? It's a hard thing to address, and our pride will oppose the conviction often at every turn. It's possible that we find godly truths too boring and a creating or craving an available substitute is more appealing or convenient.

I get a little fun in fantasy has a place, perhaps. Make believe has a place, just maybe, when it has a point. It can be hard to determine I know, and to get lost in it all. I don't know that I have a hard fast rule, but only words and thoughts to take under advisement. Consider if our children (and yes, we ourselves) have been given over to godless myths. Is it the driving force in our celebrations and free time? Where there are godless myths, we would do well to avoid that altogether. I'm not saying all fantasy is a godless myth... but godless myths are godless myths. We would do well to consider what the myths are we are absorbing and giving to our children to be absorbed, and make adjustments accordingly. If we are offended by the thought of this, we should consider whether that is because our pursuits of things for entertainment purposes only has just gone on for too long, or if we really are walking soberly because of our actual love of the truth.

It would be very naive to think that entertainment driven heroes will not result in entertainment driven pursuits.  At the end of the day, our Maker knows, and He desires us to know that He has been exceedingly heroic above all we could ever ask, hope, or think.  Pursue Godly heroics, and not godless myths... whatever those may be.

"God is love"

We need to be careful when summarizing Scripture into our own pithy bits of truth.  We must remember that every Word has a proper context, and that often times even the entire verse isn't enough to provide that context.  When I really think about it, I'm sure I have been guilty of this countless times.

Most people know that the chapters and verses in the Bible are not considered inspired but were added later for ease of reference.  So, just because a verse is "a verse", even that doesn't mean that the verse is necessarily "complete".  But, how many times do I just drop a verse and call it "done"?

Okay, so before I go further I will say many times knowing our audience may determine the length of context we should provide.  For example, if I'm in a small group of people who I am pretty certain know the context and the importance of context, and after discussing a topic at length I drop, "God is love" into the conversation, perhaps there is a place for that.  However, I think we often do abuse, or, misuse God's Word to say what we want to say rather than what God's Word actually says.  And, I have been guilty of this I am certain.

So, consider, "God is love."  That is true, isn't it?  Of course it is.  It says it.  That phrase, though, is stated in 1 John 4:8 and is surrounded by a lot of other things.  The entire verse says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."  Even that, though, is really not enough to say what kind of love we are talking about.  Is it, just a feeling?  Is it, just whatever we want it to be?  Is God in every single feeling of love that exists, no matter the context in which it is expressed, felt, or said to exist?  I say it is love, therefore, God is love and must be therefore approved by God.  See, it says "God is love", right there. See that verse?  "GOD IS LOVE".  If you are against our LOVE then you are against GOD.  Check mate.

Oy vey.

To simply say, "God is love", while being very true, often makes a poor point on its own because our own inefficiencies to know God.  Without context, it makes no point at all except for maybe the point that we ourselves are trying to make for our own agenda.  What we should want to do is get to the point God is trying to make.

All that is to say, before we go saying things like, "God is love", make sure we know the context at the very least.  I'm just going to quote the entire chapter where that phrase is found, and perhaps even then it may not be enough for the full context.  If so, then see the rest of the Bible. Because God is love, but not all "love" is God.  God defines love, but He is not defined by what we often perceive as love.  In fact, the very chapter that says "God is love", also instructs us to, "not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."  With false prophets, comes false love.

"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” -1 Timothy 1:5

Know God, know love.  No God, No love. God is love, but we can love bad things, and our love may not be of God at all.

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1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.