postlaestadianrevival

I must confess that I carry in my heart a secret belief that I am somehow better than others.

I like to think that the way of doing things that I am used to are somehow superior to the way others do them.

I find, a decade out of the church, that I am just as ignorant and proud as those I look down upon for being ignorant and proud.

One concept I need to learn and assimilate is the concept of honoring others. We did not get much teaching on that in the old church. But we know that God created all people in His own image. though we are fallen and are a far cry from what He intended, we must honor all others simply because of who their Creator is.

Amen to that! I think that the teaching that "we are God's Chosen
People" gave us a feeling of superiority over the rest of the
Christian world, as well as the non-Christian world. To my dismay,
I have found that those same proud, ugly thoughts and ideas
still plague me, too.

I think the key to seeing others more as our Heavenly father sees us and to squelch the feelings of superiority is to understand more of who God Himself is. The names of God throughout Scripture reveal who he is. The study I did years ago is by Kay Arthur (again) called "Lord, I want to know you." I found that once I understood the character of God and how magnificent He is (and yet He stoops and lifts us up) then I can have compassion on His creation who are caught up in deception or any addiction or perversity we are subject to here because of our humanness. Hope that makes some sense. In any case I can say with relief and by God's grace that the feelings of superiority are gone. It also took awhile to see folks who did not have the garb of the OALC on and REALLY believe they love the Lord. God is faithful and true and will help you over this hurdle as well. God's Peace to each of you!

Many Christians from all sorts of groups seem to suffer from this. I feel I still have to deal with it, being in a family which believes pentecostals have the full gospel and everyone else just sort of has a partial gospel or is not saved. Of course I don't accept the pentecostal views anymore so it is difficult. Oh well, glad to know my faith is based on a "more sure word of testimony" which is "the word of God which liveth and abideth forever."

Heard a sermon on this today.

Remember the pharisee and the tax collector praying? The pharisee prayed to God saying he was glad he was not like the tax collector--and the tax collector just asked for mercy. I want to be like the tax collector, not like the pharisee.

I want to remember the great love God has shown for me is the love He has for all of mankind...when I believed that God's grace was limited to the OALC members I felt privileged to be among them. Understanding that God's family is quite a bit larger than that doesn't make me less significant, it makes me see that God is bigger than I had once thought.

Here's another thought:

The pietist teaching is that (in dress and home decor for example) plain is better, somehow more holy. If we look around us at God's created world we see beauty (not plainness) all around us. Incredible attention our Creator gave to the details of beauty from the tiniest snowflake to the tallest mountain peak.

Then there is the sinful thinking that we are somehow better because we are plain. Praise God for freedom from that thinking (pharasaical thinking really).

I pray each of you is having a blessed Lord's day.

Personally I prefer plainess over complexity for the sake of convenience and a less stressful lifestyle. So many people get caught up in decor and other things and miss out on what is most important. Some folks in churches get so concerned over the most elementary things: what color for banners or other decorations, holidays, pew covers, or the worship style, etc in the church..etc. And none of this is commanded or required of God for correctly worshipping him. A simple lifestyle seems to be on order when I read "Godliness with contentment is great gain," and "having food and raiment, let us be content." Am I more holy than the one caught up in needless worries? No. But I have a lot less to concern myself with and keeps the stress factor down and thus my quality of life is improved.

Because I bring beauty into my home I do not have needless worries. Appreciating beauty does not bring in needless worries into my life. I just enjoy beautiful things. Neither of the Scriptures you quoted is a directive from God to be plain. It isn't a question of whether we prefer plainness. It's a question of what is God's directive and following it.

Nothing against your preferences long gone so forgive me if that is how you took it. But it does grieve me when material things(whether decorations, how to observe holidays, the latest technology, fighting over a movie or TV program) become the cases for disputes among people(or judgment of me or others being "backward" for not having these), especially if it is not commanded of God for their lives. If you prefer decor, enjoy it. Personally, I prefer to be out in a forest enjoying that beauty instead of spending much time and money trying to decorate my house. I prefer to use my time talents and money for other endeavors, and maybe these endeavors to you would seem like needless worries I have..lol . I have a few decorations and my girlfriend enjoys such even more than I do. From where I've been and thus my view on life, folks just seem to get too caught up in that which really isn't necessary and then wonder why their lives are a wreck and then take their frustrations out on others. I don't care for that and really don't want to be like that, so if that means for me keeping things less complex than the average citizen, then that's the way it shall be for me. Nobody has had to force me into such a view. It is simply what I have learned by experience, by observation and how people have treated me(usually negatively), and is most compatable with my personality. If your view of the scriptures I quoted is different, that is fine, but they have helped me to distinguish between needs and wants and therefore reducing confusion in my life and helping me to see more clearly my goals...and a nice side benefit is a stable and growing bank account . Just my thoughts and what I have come to see on my life's journey. Maybe you are better at keeping more things under control than I am and in that case all the more power to you!

On this forum we are talking about a religion that is built around unbiblical principles. One of them is that 'plain' is somehow better/more holy. That is what I am speaking to, not my preferences. I am speaking to the error of thinking this way.

I can understand, considering from where you have come. For me, from where I have come, more is supposed to be better. I think going into extremes either way can be harmful. One side says you should not have this or that, while others say you need to get this, get up to date, etc. One side thinks you aren't holy because you have particular items they say you should not have, while the other side thinks you are backward or boring or whatever for not having the latest biggest or best things. Most of my family is very oriented to wealth and material things and I've seen it cause more destruction than good. It is very grievous to me, at times upsetting that they abuse each other over it. Of most importance is remembering who our Provider is. God is the one who blesses us. He even says "It is I that giveth thee power to get wealth." He blessed many people with great amounts of things. Nothing wrong with wealth, but if it controls us or guides us to control judge or abuse others, something is wrong and an adjustment needs to be made in one's life, particularly humbling oneself and giving glory to God for what they have. As the Lord says "Apart from me ye can do nothing."