Doormat
Content from this article is from the new book Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus). For more articles included in the book go to Love Like Jesus Book. Love Like Jesus is due to be published in February of 2020.
A Dormitory Door Mat
There are these two roommates Walter and Craig who live on the fifth floor of the Barnhart dormitory at the University of Oregon. Craig is on the football team. He’s pretty sure he’s one of the best athletes on campus. He’s really into his sport and his friends, like a lot of guys are during their college years. Two of his favorite hangouts are the weight room and wherever the current party happens to be. He’s a Grand Theft Auto and Madden NFL kind of guy.
But his roommate Walter is different. He’s kind of bookish, if you know what I mean. He’s a good student. He belongs to the college writing club. He’s watched all the Lord of the Rings movies multiple times—on Blue Ray. He’s an English major but he’s taking a physics class, just for fun. He’s more of a Minecraft kind of a guy.
Well one day Craig has a chance to move into an apartment off campus. The day the apartment comes open is the day before a home game, and he wants to move in right away so he can have a victory party after the game. He already invited a bunch of his friends. Getting people to come to his party was no problem. But getting people to help him move wasn’t working out. Not a single friend was available. So, even though he very much preferred not to, he asked Walter.
“Hey, I need you to help me move my stuff over to the apartment.”
“I’d like to but I can’t,” Walter said. “I have a midterm and a group project presentation tomorrow.” He also said yes to a request to give a presentation at his writer’s club right after the midterm. And his parents were arriving for a visit after writer’s club. But Walter was too embarrassed to disclose that to Craig.
“I don’t really see a problem,” Craig said. “I only need you for like, one hour.”
Walter didn’t respond but Craig could see the reluctance on his face.
“Come on Walter, don’t be selfish.”
For some reason every time Walter experienced a pang of guilt he thought of the dentist’s needle injecting lidocaine into his gums. Except instead of his gums, he imagined the needle penetrating his heart. And instead of pain followed by numbness, there was just pain. Craig had a knack for triggering that response in Walter. So did his dad. So did his mother. So did a lot of people.
And there was that word: selfish. A Christian can’t be selfish, can he? Read More
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Extreme Forgiveness
Tunnel 13
A thirty-something friend of mine, Harold Cunningham, recently asked me about a problem he had. He shared this in confidence but after he told me what he did, I found it to be so radical, I asked his permission to write about it. Read More
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Posted on April 26, 2014 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Christian, forgive, Forgiveness, mercy, teaching on forgiveness
Love Like Jesus–Don’t Give ‘Til It Hurts (and what that has to do with your inner circle)
Inner Circle
Loving and Giving Until It Hurts
Carol is a single mother with a heart as big as the moon. She loves strays of all kinds: stray dogs, stray cats, stray iguanas (today she informed me there’s a local herpetological society that will contribute toward your care of a stray iguana). She also loves stray people. But early in life she thought she could help a stray person who was struggling. She was sure that with enough love she could bring out the good person she knew lived inside him. She loved him, and loved, him, and loved him. But no matter how much love she gave, she couldn’t compete with his addiction. He spent his money (and hers) on his habit. He neglected her. He neglected his job. He neglected his kids. Finally he left. Not to be deterred, she found another stray. Surely with enough love she would turn this person around. But the pattern repeated until he finally left too. Now and again she would surround herself with several stray people at a time, each one was in a dark place, and that too sent her life into a destructive spin.
So she asked me today, How does this work? We’re supposed to love people like Jesus loved people, but how do we do that without our good efforts deteriorating into something self destructive? Read More
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Posted on April 12, 2014 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
addiction, celebrate recovery, codependency, codependent, give till it hurts, Love like Jesus, love till it hurts
Go Measure the Heavens
Bow Shock Around LL Orionis (spans trillions of kilometers) – Hubble Telescope Image
[You might also like Why is Christianity So Restrictive]
References:
C.H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons on Jesus and the Holy Spirit, 2006, Hendrickson Publishers, p. 399
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Posted on April 10, 2014 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
Christian, Go measure the heavens, God loves you, how do I know God loves me, Jesus, love, Spurgeon
Love Like Jesus and the Resurrected Christian–How a Man Came Down From Mount St. Helens, “Died,” and “Rose Again”
A Man Came Down From Mount St. Helens and was “Resurrected”
It was March of 1980. Mount St. Helens was showing signs of an imminent eruption. Bryan Flora, a firefighter in Medford, Oregon was curious about the volcanic activity. His jeep wasn’t running at the time so he borrowed his father’s car and drove to the volcano in Washington. For months before the big eruption there were earthquakes and steam venting from the North face of the mountain. USGS scientists felt it was too dangerous for the general public and convinced the local authorities to close the area. So when Bryan arrived, a Skamania county sheriff was there to greet him. He was denied entry into the park. But Bryan knew the country. And the perimeter is so large it was impossible for law enforcement to cover it all. It wasn’t long before Bryan found a way in. He parked and hiked to the timberline where he spent the night. During his time on the mountain he could feel the earthquakes and hear the mountain making popping noises. But he managed to survive.
However the next day Read More
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Posted on January 4, 2014 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
abide in Christ, Imitating God in Christ, Jason B. Hood, Jesus resurrection, Jesus vine, John 15, Mt St Helens, resurrected Christian, resurrected Savior
What God Wants
Jesus’ Last Moments
Jesus hung there on the cross between the two criminals. The sign Pilot ordered, hung over Jesus’ head, it said, This is the King of the Jews. The bible says the Jewish rulers were “sneering” at him. “He saved others,” they said. “Let him save himself if he’s God’s Messiah.”
One of the criminals who hung there with him also sneered. He said, “You’re supposed to be the Messiah? Save yourself and save us too.”
Darkness came across the land.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Then Jesus called out loudly, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
And then he died.
(Luke 23)
How God Said It
In the story of Jesus’ death we see him mocked and sneered at while he hung there to die. Before that we feel his pain as we see him falsely accused, and whipped, and crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross. We see it, we feel it, we experience it. That’s the way the bible is written. Have you ever noticed that? Have you ever noticed all the sensory experiential language in the bible?
And there’s also all the talk about Jesus our bridegroom, and how we’re his bride.
And those are just a few examples. So why does the bible push all this sensory and experiential language on us? What is God saying to us?
What God Wants
What is he saying to us? What does God want? Here’s what He’s saying to us: Read More
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Posted on December 7, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
Christian, Christian living, Psalm 63, Surrender Yourself to God, What does God want?, what does Jesus want
Love Like Jesus–Love the Unlovable
(One of our most popular posts–from the archives)
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:16-17
How Jesus Loved People
Jesus loved people by spending time with them, in spite of their sinful lifestyle.
How to Love Like Jesus
There’s a blog I follow called Not Ashamed Of The Gospel. Not long ago, they posted a three part series about a ministry which reaches out to sex industry employees. I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t many comments offered on the last post in the series, An Insider’s Look — “Awkward!” I think for most people, that post was just too hot to handle.
Finally, one person posted and as best as I could tell he used scripture to infer this post about the sex industry ministry was an example of ungodly men perverting the grace of God.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to comment.
Read More
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Posted on November 30, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
Christian, Christian living, how Jesus loved people, legalism, Love like Jesus, Mark 2
A Time to Die
It’s Time to Die
The last post was about how important it is not to die indiscriminately. In other words the last post was for people who can’t say no, as you might gather from the title: How Not to Become a Christian Doormat.
This post is probably more important and for a greater number because this post is for all of us who don’t want to die. And at some point everyone of us will have to. I’m not talking about the physical death of our bodies necessarily, but rather the time when the Holy Spirit will tell you, “Yes, it’s time. It’s your time to die now. It’s your time to submit to My will and not your own.”
You and I and every single one of us will encounter God in that way. Every single one of us will be called upon by God to die, and frequently.
Frequently because we’re commanded to love, and love so often demands that we die to our own will. And there are all kinds of ways to do that, there are all kinds of ways to die. You might be called to die by allowing that guy at work to take the choice assignment, or by agreeing to your wife buying a new pair of shoes, or even by simply turning off the TV and engaging with the kids.
Or, it could be something much harder.
A Tale of Two Fathers Read More
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Posted on November 23, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Christian, deny yourself, die to self, die to self Christian, Jesus, Love like Jesus, take up your cross
How Not to Become a Christian Doormat–How to know when to die (From the new book Love Like Jesus: Chapter 28)
Doormat
Content from this article is from the new book Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus). For more articles included in the book go to Love Like Jesus Book. Love Like Jesus is due to be published in February of 2020.
A Dormitory Door Mat
There are these two roommates Walter and Craig who live on the fifth floor of the Barnhart dormitory at the University of Oregon. Craig is on the football team. He’s pretty sure he’s one of the best athletes on campus. He’s really into his sport and his friends, like a lot of guys are during their college years. Two of his favorite hangouts are the weight room and wherever the current party happens to be. He’s a Grand Theft Auto and Madden NFL kind of guy.
But his roommate Walter is different. He’s kind of bookish, if you know what I mean. He’s a good student. He belongs to the college writing club. He’s watched all the Lord of the Rings movies multiple times—on Blue Ray. He’s an English major but he’s taking a physics class, just for fun. He’s more of a Minecraft kind of a guy.
Well one day Craig has a chance to move into an apartment off campus. The day the apartment comes open is the day before a home game, and he wants to move in right away so he can have a victory party after the game. He already invited a bunch of his friends. Getting people to come to his party was no problem. But getting people to help him move wasn’t working out. Not a single friend was available. So, even though he very much preferred not to, he asked Walter.
“Hey, I need you to help me move my stuff over to the apartment.”
“I’d like to but I can’t,” Walter said. “I have a midterm and a group project presentation tomorrow.” He also said yes to a request to give a presentation at his writer’s club right after the midterm. And his parents were arriving for a visit after writer’s club. But Walter was too embarrassed to disclose that to Craig.
“I don’t really see a problem,” Craig said. “I only need you for like, one hour.”
Walter didn’t respond but Craig could see the reluctance on his face.
“Come on Walter, don’t be selfish.”
For some reason every time Walter experienced a pang of guilt he thought of the dentist’s needle injecting lidocaine into his gums. Except instead of his gums, he imagined the needle penetrating his heart. And instead of pain followed by numbness, there was just pain. Craig had a knack for triggering that response in Walter. So did his dad. So did his mother. So did a lot of people.
And there was that word: selfish. A Christian can’t be selfish, can he? Read More
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16 Comments
Posted on November 16, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage, Suffering
assertive Christian, assertiveness, bully, bullying, die to self, doormat Christian, Holy Spirit, How not to be a doormat, how to receive the Holy Spirit, pushover Christian
Love Like Jesus–Jesus and Competition
Competition
Baseball Player Lines
The World Series is happening right now and it reminds me of a story I once heard from a Fire Chief named Dennis Compton. Like me, Dennis is a Cubs fan. (Please pray for us, and for the Cubbies as well.) And one year he was excited and filled with hope, because the Cubs had this hot new player named Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro had just finished a close second to Tony Gwynn in the National League batting champion race, and it looked like his potential was off the chart. So what do the Cubs do? They trade him to the Texas Rangers. Well Compton was so upset about it, he telephoned the Cubs’ sports psychologist, who happened to be a friend of his, and invited him to lunch so he could find out just what in the world the Cubs’ management was thinking.
This sports psychologist had an interesting way of explaining the situation. He drew these lines on a piece of paper. Then he explained Read More
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Posted on October 26, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Christian living, Christianity, Dennis Compton, gentle, Humility, Jesus, Jesus and competition, Love like Jesus, Rafael Palmeiro
An Open Letter to Christian Type A Men
It’s better to do less and reflect the nature of Christ, than it is to accomplish more in an un-Christlike manner.
I know what you’re thinking: “What about the fruit? Isn’t it important to bear fruit? The bible says to bear fruit!”
True, the bible does say to bear fruit. But Read More
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Posted on October 23, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Christian time management, fruit of the Spirit, living water, love, Love like Jesus, time management
Jeffrey Wright Loves Like Jesus
This guy is a great example of someone who loves like Jesus! You’ll want to watch until the video covers how he loves his own son–he sets an especially amazing example there.
Wright’s Law, Jeffrey Wright loves like Jesus
Jeffrey Wright is one of the craziest teachers I have ever heard of. His antics in his high school physics class include lighting his hand on fire (on purpose), sending students on a homemade hovercraft ride (without steering), and blowing up a pumpkin (in the classroom). As one student said, “He is exploding with fun!” His students are never bored, even those who normally fall asleep in the rest of their classes. He also has a heart to help kids from disadvantaged backgrounds: Students who cover their bruises with make up because they’re taking beatings at home from their dad. Students who are pregnant. Students without a mom or dad in the home. He’s amazing. As one person put it, “Mr. Wright has the keys to the city!”
Jeffrey Wright loves his students. But he loves his son Adam even more. When Adam Read More
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Posted on October 19, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Christian living, Christianity, Jeffrey Wright, Jeffrey Wright teacher, Love like Jesus, Wright's Law, Wright's law Jeffrey Wright loves like Jesus
Jesus and Naps
Jesus napped. (Luke 8:22-23) Seems kind of weird to think about that, doesn’t it?
And he not only napped, but he also walked regularly, exercised if you will. And he not only napped and walked, but he didn’t eat fast food or processed food either. (Okay, so there wasn’t any fast food or processed food when he was walking the planet, but still, it’s true.) The point is, when Jesus was in human form like you and me, he took care of his human body.
I see so many today taking care of their bodies but in a way that becomes consuming and obsessive. The focus of their life is their diet, or their sleep rhythms, or their exercise program. And that’s not the way Jesus did it. The point of taking care of our bodies isn’t to become obsessed with diet, or sleep cycles, or exercise. The point of taking care of our bodies is to do it, so we can do more for God’s kingdom.
So yes, take care of your body. Rest, eat right, exercise. But do it as an investment of your talents. Then take the return on that investment and use it to bear fruit for your Father in heaven. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Jesus did.
You can too.
[You might also like Love Like Jesus–Diet, Exercise, and Rest. Really?]
[Image via buhny – Creative Commons]
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Posted on October 16, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
Jesus diet, Jesus exercise, Jesus nap, Jesus rest
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