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From My Bookshelf
Tolerance. A word of many meanings. Co-authors Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler define it well in their book. They share that tolerance today has a very different meaning than in did years ago. They call today’s tolerance the “new tolerance,” which is also the title of their book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it interesting that this book was written over ten years ago, warning of how tolerance would destroy our society, and now we are experiencing much of what they predicted. Here are some of my favorite quotes found in the book:
“But Eve decided that wasn’t good enough for her. Enticed by the serpent, she determined that she wasn’t going to let God tell her what was good and what was bad; she would make that decision herself … As Christian apologist and author Ravi Zacharias points out, when she and her husband ‘questioned the reality of His voice and supplanted it with their own authority, they made themselves the measure of all things.’ They set themselves up in God’s place and took something that belonged only to God: the power to decide what is good and what is evil.”
“If there is no absolute moral standard, then one cannot say in a final sense that anything is right or wrong. By absolute we mean that which always applies [to all people], that which provides a final or ultimate standard. There must be an absolute if ther eare to be morals, and there must be an absolute if there are to be real values. If there is no absolute beyond man’s ideas, then there is no final appeal to judge between individuals and groups whose moral judgments conflict. We are merely left with conflicting opinions.” -Dr. Francis Shaeffer
Tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do.” Love responds, “I must do something harder; I will love you, even when your behavior offends me.
Tolerance says, “You must allow me to have my way.” Love responds, “I must do something harder; I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk.”
Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive; love takes risks. Tolerance is indifferent; love is active. Tolerance costs nothing; love costs everything. – Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler
More than a sleeve
I’m currently reading Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot (again!). I’ve read this book several times. I love how it is saturated in Scripture and provoking thoughts and has plenty of examples of how to live set apart for Christ.
Here is one nugget of wisdom she shares in her book:
My little niece Gallaudet Howard taught me something important when she was about three years old. Seeing that she was having difficulty with the sleeves, I asked her if I could help her put her dress on. “Oh, never mind,” she said. “Papa usually lets me struggle.” What kind of father is that? A wise one. Her father, my brother Tom, is also a very sensitive one, aware of the importance of struggle in the process of growth.
I found in my Greek New Testament that 1 Peter 5:10 could be translated, “After you have suffered for a while, he himself will mend that which was broken.” If all struggles and sufferings were eliminated, the spirit would no more reach maturity than would the child. The Heavenly Father wants to see us grow up.
That passage really made me think: Am I maturing through my struggles? Am I allowing God to work in me and mold me more into His image?
“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)
