We’re giving it all away, away (till it hurts)

The Widow’s Offering

Mark 12:41-44

 ⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

 ⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Simply from a layman’s (me) perspective, through this passage, God is telling us to give everything we have to God.

Not a %, not a fixed amount, but give until it hurts.

See Verse 44. People giving out of their wealth meant that they HAD money to give, and most likely, since the pattern of the human heart doesn’t change through time, they gave but left enough to comfortably live on. To still have that blanket of security in their money, to have control over their lives.

Did you ever wonder what ever happened to that poor widow after she offered “all she had to live on?” Maybe she suffered. Maybe God provided. But regardless, God used her for His Kingdom and is still using her today. And undoubtedly, she is receiving her reward in heaven.

Let’s skip back a few chapters when Jesus encounters the rich young dude.

Mark 10:17-30

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

   ¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

 ²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

 ²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 ²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 ²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

 ²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

 ²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

 ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

 ²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

   ²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.”

It’s still so difficult to give all our hearts and lives to God today as it was back then (money, relationships, family, comfort, ambition, success, idols, etc.). But it’s exactly what God commands us to do.

This has been on my heart lately because as I’m entering the medical profession, I need to make hard decisions that will directly impact my salary and my lifestyle. This involves hundreds of thousands of dollars. But after recently seeing Kyeon and thinking about p min and the jeeps, God is really convicting me to give everything, to stop living for my selfish motives, to lay it all out on the table, and to live in view of eternity.

I love this song because I think it captures the essence of this principle. May these lyrics not simply be shouts of emotional highs, but may they be declarations of concrete offerings to God.

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Even when it’s difficult or seemingly impossible).

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100811355933020&comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eHg8s8M4no

Top Ten Reasons I Am Still Single

I found this unpublished post from May 13, 2009. Kinda funny.

10) My attire consists of three hoodies, some white tee’s, sweatpants, and basketball shorts. Always.

9) I have a unisex name. Confuses some.

8 ) I study diseases all day. Not the best conversation topic.

7) I am at CFC.

6) I spend the majority of my life in a cubicle at Grainger. Hot girls are not found near cubicles at Grainger.

5) My clothes are all fitted. They weren’t meant to be fitted.

4) E-harmony costs $19.99 per month. Way over my budget.

3) “What is that beam of light blinding me!? Oh. It’s the sun.” Yea. Exactly.

2) Jesus???…

1) Eh, whatever, I choose to be single. You can only be single once. Holler!

The Cure for the Quarter-Life Crisis

[Sorry but this post is not going to be well-developed...don't got time for eloquent posts, and thank you hoj, for being my one reader, HAHAHA]

I haven’t been able to sleep well lately, so I’ve spent a lot of time lying in bed, just thinking about stuff, analyzing my heart, analyzing life…

These past 6 weeks or so I’ve been studying 12+ hrs a day for my board exam, and through this crazy process, I’ve probably gone through every emotion and thought possible.

I’ve had REGRETS about not studying as hard as I could have during my first 2 years, not studying for my exam earlier, and even questioning the wisdom of me serving sg through med school…

I’ve had moments of DESPAIR when I just wanted to stop studying and take my exam and get a whatever score…

I’ve had spurts of AMBITION where I was studying so I could become the most successful doctor and enter the most competitive residency possible…

I’ve had moments of LONELINESS when I just wanted friends, company, and a gf…

I’ve had moments of PERFECTIONISM when I didn’t care about people, but just wanted to be a machine…

I’ve had feelings of BITTERNESS towards my parents, family, friends, and cfc…

And through all this, I’ve definitely questioned the purpose of life, what I’m doing, why I’m doing, and how it’s all supposed to play out.

It’s almost facetious (SAT word, holler!)  how my life paths changed these past 3 years.

From doctor–>to wanting to get an MBA and start hospitals–>to pastor–>to church planter–>to doctor/pastor–>to psychiatrist–>to eye surgeon–>to dermatologist (and that’s where I’m at now)–>?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This all brings me back to a conversation I had with P Min in March. He told me that I have to really repent deeply, and that I’ve only been repenting in a shallow way.

I didn’t understand what he meant, and I didn’t understand HOW to repent deeply, so I prayed and asked God to show me how to repent deeply.

And He is.

You see, the reason I wanted to become a doctor in the first place was to please my parents/get rich and live comfortably…the reason I wanted to become a…

Pastor–>Self-glorification.

Church planter–>Pride (I felt like I could do a better job than everybody else)

Psychiatrist–>Easiest residency

Eye surgeon–>Easy residency/being able to serve people

Dermatologist–>$$/lifestyle.

The reason WHY I want to do things, MY MOTIVES, are essentially for myself. They are all self-centered. I try to justify it by saying that God can use anything, which is true, but at the core, my motives are whack.

And I think this is the problem with people going through the quarter-life, mid-life, end-life, whatever-life crisis. It’s because we have self-centered motives. We’re living for ourselves and we’re blind to it.

And the solution is simple: self-centered motives–>Christ-centered motives.

And I’m beginning to understand what the Jeeps meant when she said that most people do not make Christ-centered decisions. It’s so difficult. Because, the path of Christ is usually the path of suffering, toil, and hardship. And living in a sinful, man-centered world compounded by American culture and the American “dream” only makes it that much more difficult.

But ALWAYS, the question I should be asking is: What does God want? Not, what do I want?

How can I get the most happiness in my life? –> How can I bring the most pleasure to God through my life?

Self-centered decisions –> Christ-centered decisions.

Self-centered plans –> Christ-exalting plans.

We must fix our eyes on Jesus Christ. The more we wander, the deeper our crisis will be.  We don’t deserve any of this anyway, always remember that.

You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Medicine vs Ministry? Lessons on Finding God’s Will in a World of Choices.

Like most people, my biggest 2 questions coming out of college were:

1)      God, what am I supposed to do with my life?

2)      God, who am I supposed to marry?

These are a few personal lessons I’ve learned these past 3 years trying to find the answers to these questions (mainly #1). Hopefully it will be helpful to somebody.

1) Just because we pray and fast, God doesn’t always answer.

I am one of those guys who puts a lot of weight on the ‘Seek and you will find’ passage. I remember in Africa, I had an opportunity to preach, and I was literally shouting this passage in people’s faces.

I want to share 2 quick stories:

1)      Last year for Spring break, me and a few friends decided to go to a fasting prayer mountain. Why, you ask? To experience revival and witness the glory of God…duh. Anyway, we fasted. We prayed. We sang songs. We cried out. We walked around in the forest. Kyeon got a giant tick in his back. In the end, no clear answer. But it was refreshing.

2)      Last summer, a certain elder suggested that I do a 3-day fast and God will surely show me the answer. So being the overachiever that I am, I made sure to do a 4-day fast (HA!) with the hopes of God supernaturally writing out my calling in the clouds. All I can remember was a miserable week and a ridiculously large pot of chicken porridge that I cooked up for myself.

When I met up with Dr. Steve, he shared that my perspective on prayer and God was skewed. My thinking was that just because I pray, God is OBLIGATED to answer me.

Dr. Steve used the example of the intertestamental period when God did not speak prophetically for 400 years. More than likely, there were a few righteous, God-seeking people during those hundreds of years seeking to hear from God? But God did not answer.

Look at the story of Job: (Job 40)

¹ The LORD said to Job: ² “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?  Let him who accuses God answer him!” ³ Then Job answered the LORD: ⁴ “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. ⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.”

God does what he wants. Period.

  God is not a genie, the Bible is not his lamp, and prayer is not rubbing it the right way. And as Dr. Michael Chupp (Tenwek)   reaffirmed, “We can’t fast an answer out of God.” Regretfully, that is how I treated God throughout this process

[Disclaimer: I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray and seek. I can wholeheartedly testify that God answers prayers. The lesson   is: as we pray, don’t treat God as a genie. Treat God as God. Remember the Luke 18:9 Bible study?]

2) Sometimes, God answers our prayers in unexpected ways.

As I was praying, I have to admit, a part of me really wanted to hear the voice of God or see a spectacular sign in the clouds. But as I’ve noticed many times, God used people to speak to me. 2 specific instances:

1)      I remember talking to the Jeeps after a Sunday service. And BEFORE I said anything, she told me, “Don’t quit. Finish what you started.” After my initial shock, I explained to her my deal and she just told me, “Why can’t you do both?” I hate that answer, but there is some truth to her statement.

2)      I remember in March at a Servant’s meeting, Pastor Min coming over and praying for me. This was really weird because he never prays for me. Like never. And he basically told me everything I needed to hear.

These are just 2 specific instances among many. My point is- God does answer our prayers, but sometimes it’s not in the ways we expect or want.

3) Don’t discount the supernatural.

Sometimes those crazy “coincidences” are really not coincidences. At the Passion 2010 conference, I felt like God spoke to me in 2 specific ways.

1)      I went to a seminar by John Piper intended for missionaries who were soon leaving for the field. The topic did not pertain to any of us at all, but me and Kyeon snuck in anyway. [I know. We’re rebels.] To my surprise, guess how Piper started his seminar? He talked about how he planned to go into medicine in college, and how God changed his career path…I’ll let Piper explain:

Excerpt from ‘Don’t Waste Your Life’

In the fall of 1966 God was closing in with an ever narrowing path for my life. When he made his next decisive move, Noël wondered where I had gone. The fall semester had started, and I did not show up in classes or in chapel. Finally she found me, flat on my back with mononucleosis in the health center, where I lay for three weeks. The life plan that I was so sure of four months earlier unraveled in my fevered hands.

In May I had felt a joyful confidence that my life would be most useful as a medical doctor. I loved biology; I loved the idea of healing people. I loved knowing, at last, what I was doing in college. So I quickly took general chemistry in summer school so I could catch up and take organic chemistry that fall. Now with mono, I had missed three weeks of organic chemistry. There was no catching up. But even more important, Harold John Ockenga, then pastor of Park Street Church in Boston, was preaching in chapel each morning during the spiritual emphasis week. I was listening on WETN, the college radio station. Never had I heard exposition of the Scriptures like this. Suddenly all the glorious objectivity of Reality centered for me on the Word of God. I lay there feeling as if I had awakened from a dream, and knew, now that I was awake, what I was to do.

Through this seminar, more than God telling me to do this or that, I felt like God was telling me to simply trust Him. He wanted John Piper to be a minister of the Word, and GOD MADE A WAY. God is sovereign. If He wants you to do this or that, trust me, He’ll make a way.

2)      Pastor Andy Stanley gave a sermon on the importance of character. At the time, I had applied for the MBA program, thinking that was the direction God was leading me. One line stuck out from that sermon. He was making a commentary on college cultural pressure with a line saying, “what are you going to major in, how many more hours, do you need a double major, DO YOU NEED AN MBA, do you need to go to graduate school, do you need to re-think classes…”

Check it out for yourself. (8:24) Great sermon btw.

http://vimeo.com/9286835

This may be weird, but I just KNEW in my heart that I wasn’t going to get in. And I knew God was telling me I didn’t need an MBA. It’s one of those inexplicable feelings. 3 months later, my rejection letter was in the mail. But I wasn’t surprised. My point is: sometimes, God relays messages in crazy ways. Not frequently, but it happens. [Disclaimer: always check stuff with the Bible]

4) Be careful not to make “Finding your calling/purpose” your idol

Dr. Steve brought up another insightful point—he asked if I was elevating the idea of “finding my calling/purpose” as an idol. In essence, I felt like my life was not complete/I could not move forward until I figured out my specific calling. And when I examined my heart, it was so true. I had put this idea of having a purpose for serving God as an idol over just living completely for God. Check your heart. Are you still completely satisfied with God without knowing a clear purpose in life?

5) Don’t discount your circumstances. Don’t discount the people around you.

Interestingly, some of the most influential people who shaped my spiritual life are not pastors, but are all working professionals.

My youth pastors were Pastor Bernie and Pastor Thomas, and oddly enough, as Pastor Bernie jokingly once said, “They were the best youth pastors in Chicagoland without a seminary degree.”

My parents, who love God and pray a lot more than me, have been faithfully working at a dry cleaners for the last 30+ years. It’s hard to argue with my mom when I vent about how I don’t enjoy med school when she talks about working at the cleaners for +70 hrs/week.

Maybe there was a reason that God placed these specific people in my life? I believe so. God uses the people in our lives to speak to us.

6) Passion should not be the primary factor of going into ministry

In terms of choosing between medicine and ministry, one tension I always had was that I was so passionate about studying the Word of God and doing “ministry” but I was not nearly as passionate about studying biology and diseases.

But as I talked to people and thought about it, this should always be the case! Our passion for God and His Word should always override anything and everything else we do in this world.

As Tim Lee aptly put, “Every Christian should have a desire to go to seminary.” Basically, he meant that as Christians we should all have a desire to learn more about God and the Bible.

Here’s an excerpt from an awesome Gchat conversation I had with Benny Kim on why I wanted to go to seminary:

Me: i really like studying the Bible and stuff, i get real into it

Benny: yea of course

ur supposed to

lol

Me: haha yea

Benny: it’s living and active

how can it not?

Nicely put Benny. It should be the norm getting excited about God’s Word for every Christian. Just because you’re passionate, doesn’t mean you’re called. Make sure there are other factors beyond passion for ministry driving you.

7) Absolutely DO NOT go into ministry for the wrong reasons

Matthew 23:1-7  ¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.  ⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

My first thoughts from this passage were, “Pshhh. Those foolish Pharisees and their phylacteries. Glad I’m not like them.”

But God repeatedly put this passage on my heart, so I figured He was trying to tell me something. And after awhile I realized, maybe my motives were not that dissimilar from the Pharisees’:

-Everything they do is done for people to see

-They love the place of honor, the most important seats in the synagogues (at church), to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, to be called ‘Rabbi’ (aka Pastor) by others

I had to ask myself—do I want to go into ministry for the GLORY. Say it with me now. Guh-Lor-Eee—that is, the little guy inside my heart that wants to be DA MAN, that wants to be God. Did I want to do ministry for Respect? Approval from people? Fame? Love? Being more desirable? Control? Power? Fulfilling self-centered standards?

I don’t know the reasons why exactly people end up going into full-time ministry and whether God calls them with a thundering voice & bright light from the heavens or whatnot, but make sure to check your heart.

-Are you willing to do ministry even if you fail miserably and you get absolutely no recognition or glory?

-Are you willing to do ministry even if you end up as a single pastor of a 10-person church in the middle of Montana for the rest of your life?

Some questions to ponder.

8) Character, character, character

This past winter retreat was a gentle reminder of God’s heart for me. I felt like He was saying to me: “Frankie, it doesn’t matter what you do, if you can’t freakin even obey my commands. Just obey, follow me, love me, and everything will turn out ok.”

As Pastor Yun pointed out in Ecclesiastes 12:13:

¹³ Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

And looking back—the Andy Stanley sermon on character was appropriately entitled: “It is Always a Mistake To Decide What You Do Before You Decide Who You Want To Be “

Watch it! http://vimeo.com/9286835

I think Pastor Min summed it up nicely for me when he told me:

“What’s most important is our hearts, our character. Everything else (our jobs, roles in life) are simply AVENUES of expressing Jesus in us.

But if the love of Jesus Christ is not overflowing out of us, and we have no character, then it doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor or a pastor because Jesus will not be seen through us.”

It shouldn’t matter whether you’re a pastor or not, but you should strive to have the characteristics of a pastor—compassionate, loving, etc BECAUSE we are ALL striving to have the characteristics of Jesus anyway.

9) Practically speaking, what to do, what to do? O.o

Just make a freaking choice. Whether it’s a career choice, or whether you end up marrying Mary Jane or Betty Jo, just pray, get counsel, pray some more, and make a wise Biblical decision. Then go with it.

Think about it. Back in the day, people didn’t even have choices. For example, if your father was a blacksmith, you were going to be a blacksmith. No qualms. No complaints. That’s it.

Does that mean God was LESS glorified because Billy Joe had no choice but to be a blacksmith? Of course not! I think about the greeters at Wal-mart. Is God LESS glorified in them because of their job? Of course not! Why? Because God cares more about character, our hearts (see above) than what we do.

To sum it up simply: God calls us to love God and love others. Is it easy? No way. There are definitely days where I feel so lonely, confused, depressed, overwhelmed, and I literally sit there crying playing some Christian folk tunes on my guitar and uploading them onto youtube. But I press on. Because of grace. Because of hope.

I want to conclude with 3 of my favorite verses.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This is in the context of Jesus telling us not to worry about our needs in life. Though it’s easy to think that Jesus is only referring to our basic needs such as food and clothing, He states in the first verse of the passage, “Do not worry about YOUR LIFE.” This principle of not worrying and seeking God first can be applied to every area of our lives, including our calling and choices. Don’t worry, but seek first.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Remember, God is the Creator of the universe. He is in control over space, time, and matter. If we really believe God is sovereign over every molecule in the universe including our lives, and if we really believe in His promises through His Word, what is there to fear? Seriously.

But it’s an issue of FAITH. Do we have enough FAITH to trust in this Almighty God?

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Never too old to follow

No matter how old we are, we all need somebody to follow.

There is an unhealthy misconception that as we grow older we are assumed to be wiser and more independent. We see this in various facets of our lives:

-In our jobs, our experience gives us knowledge, and this pattern continues to push us into higher and higher positions

-In our families, as we grow older, we leave the home, stop depending on our parents, and eventually are expected to start and lead our own families

-In our church, as we faithfully attend and learn more regularly, we take more and more responsibilities with less accountability

In our spiritual lives as Christians, it is vital to our growth and spiritual health to always have somebody we are following and pushing us. Christians are not meant to be INDEPENDENT. No matter how many responsibilities we have, no matter what “title” we are known for, no matter how many years of “experience” we have in our spiritual walks, it is imperative that we continue to follow people as they follow Jesus. As Paul writes to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (NIV 2011)

Me–>Another person–>Jesus Christ

Here’s a goose analogy:

We have this mentality that as we age and gain experience, we become the leader of the flying V. We start in the back, and as we serve and learn, we will end up being the point of the V. However, this is never true because Jesus Christ will always be the point and we will always be following.

A more healthy picture is this one:

We can always learn more, repent more, and grow more. May our own pride never fool us into thinking that we are ok on our own.

Who in your life are you following?

“God, please use me for Your Kingdom today. Amen” #1

Whenever I pray that to God, something crazy always happens.

Prayed that last night. And today I met with a sg leader who was having doubts about his/her salvation.

It’s just funny cuz I didn’t plan this (and am super busy with exams next week). But it kinda just happened.

Sorry. Boring post. For personal inventory purposes.

“…we all gotta have faith in someone…”

I’m back… 

to blogging. Sorry, but this is not a sports-related entry. I know. Probably not as thrilling or meaningful as when MJ s poke those words over 15 years ago. But I just w ant to declare that I am back to blogging and will try to keep up with meaningful posts.

“…we all gotta have faith in someone…”

…said the wife of a patient I was interviewing. I was finishing up taking my history of the patient (who had jaundice btw) and was reassuring both of them that the doctors knew what they were doing and that is what the wife replied to me.

And I agree. We all gotta have faith in someone or something.

So some of us put our faith in money.

Some of us put our faith in our looks.

Some of us put our faith in family.

Some of us put our faith in our possessions.

Some of us put our faith in academic and career success.

Some of us put our faith in relationships.

Some of us put our faith in religion.

Some of us put our faith in “having a good time.”

Most of us put our faith in ourselves and our own plans, strength, willpower, and abilities.

The lady was so close yet so far (just like limp bizkit-gotta have faith). Yes, we all gotta have faith in someone, but that faith is surely not in doctors.

At the end of the day, we all gotta have faith in Jesus Christ to save us from the sickness of the sin in our lives and in this world.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make Your paths straight.

Do you really believe it? We all gotta have faith…

Time to Grow Up

Here’s a personal post.

This is and has been one of the toughest semesters of my life. Why? God is definitely convicting me and taking away everything I value:

-Friends and other relationships

-Time

-Physical health

-Possessions

-Excellence in school…or anything really

-Security about my future

It’s been quite a lonely and disheartening semester, to say the least. But in the midst of all the chaos, I know my love for God is growing. And I know God is shaping me to become a man of God, dependent on Him alone. So yea, externally, my life is a mess, but internally, I’m at peace.

It’ s hard to become a man of God, for sure. But I’m thankful. God is good. He knows what He’s doing.

Fat Doctor

I vow never to become a fat doctor. Ever.

What the eff are you talking about?! I never swear!

The Compromise of Language (The original title, but I thought the one above sounds cooler)

Is it just me, or has anyone noticed how people throw around abbreviated swear words left and right these days?

Examples:

1) Efff

2) Freakin, friggin

3) WTF, What the freaks

4) LMAO (this one caught me by surprise when someone texted me and I had to look it up)

5) Freakin A

6) Son of a

7) Jeez

8 ) God dang it

9) What the heck

When people use these expressions, yea, they’re not technically using “swear” words, but the intention of the word/expression is the same.

So What’s Wrong With Swearing Anyway?

From http://www.cusscontrol.com/swearing.html

Swearing Imposes a Personal Penalty
It gives a bad impression
It makes you unpleasant to be with
It endangers your relationships
It’s a tool for whiners and complainers
It reduces respect people have for you
It shows you don’t have control
It’s a sign of a bad attitude
It discloses a lack of character
It’s immature
It reflects ignorance
It sets a bad example

Swearing is Bad for Society
It contributes to the decline of civility
It represents the dumbing down of America
It offends more people than you think
It makes others uncomfortable
It is disrespectful of others
It turns discussions into arguments
It can be a sign of hostility
It can lead to violence

Swearing corrupts the English language
It’s abrasive, lazy language
It doesn’t communicate clearly
It neglects more meaningful words
It lacks imagination
It has lost its effectiveness

Or has Arthur’s mom nicely puts it in the Arthur bleep episode, “I guess you can say they mean, ‘I want to hurt your feelings.’”

From a Christian perspective, three clear passages:

Exodus 20:7⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

Leviticus 24:10-16

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) ¹² They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the LORD said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. ¹⁵ Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) ¹² They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the LORD said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. ¹⁵ Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) ¹² They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the LORD said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. ¹⁵ Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

Colossians 3:7-8⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips

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When we use these expressions, are we glorifying God? Are we encouraging the people around us? Are we building up the church? No, we’re just complaining in a subtle way.

Let’s fight to show thankfulness even in the words we speak. Let’s not compromise. Ever.