13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Because Jesus lives in our hearts, we can go forth with the knowledge that He is with us and that He has brought His hope into our lives. He desires to express His nature through us and to show the world that there is a hope in Him. In our approach to other people, we are called to demonstrate that He is good; not that we are good in ourselves, but His presence in us can cause us to live a life that is compassionate toward others. We can be resolute in the content of our speech while making sure that we are radiating hope.
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We have been called by God to radiate His nature, to be people of conviction who act in compassion. 1st Peter 2 reminds us:
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Daniel Murphy plays second base for the New York Mets. His comments following the visit to the team by Major League Baseball's Ambassador for Inclusion have attracted some attention, but can be instructive for a civil society. The Daily Signal has a report.
You see, this "Inclusion" Ambassador is a former major league player who is gay - his name is Billy Bean. He is not to be confused by the ultra-successful general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who also happens to be named Billy Beane, but with an "e" on the end. After his visit to the Mets' clubhouse, the NJ.com website published an interview with Daniel Murphy. Here are some of his comments:
Well, I think this is a great template for responding to people with whom we disagree. Murphy first of all was willing to go public with statements consistent with his faith. He was not intimidated into silence, but he spoke boldly, with conviction, but also with a sense of compassion.
Murphy dissected the difference between loving a person, no matter his or her behavior, and taking a Biblical stand on sinful behavior. And, he went a step further - he shared his own struggle with sin in his life.
Now, Daniel Murphy has a choice - the reports are that the Mets have silenced him on faith matters. That ESPN story quotes Bean as saying, "I'm not here to change anybody or tell them that they're wrong. This is our country. We're allowed to be who and what we want." Really? So, why is there a report now that Daniel Murphy can't share about his faith, which is a privilege that other players in the league have traditionally enjoyed? Just Google Daniel Murphy and you will see a host of stories on his personal faith - is all that now disallowed by the team? Perhaps it is an errant report, or perhaps it is just an indication of the climate in which we live, but it's important that we are firm in our convictions and devoted to living our lives in the way that would exalt Christ.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Daniel Murphy plays second base for the New York Mets. His comments following the visit to the team by Major League Baseball's Ambassador for Inclusion have attracted some attention, but can be instructive for a civil society. The Daily Signal has a report.
You see, this "Inclusion" Ambassador is a former major league player who is gay - his name is Billy Bean. He is not to be confused by the ultra-successful general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who also happens to be named Billy Beane, but with an "e" on the end. After his visit to the Mets' clubhouse, the NJ.com website published an interview with Daniel Murphy. Here are some of his comments:
He is quoted as saying that he is “is ready for a gay teammate, “ and the reports stated, “Murphy, a devout Christian, said he would embrace Bean despite a divergence in their beliefs.”
Murphy said about Bean, "I disagree with his lifestyle,” adding, “I do disagree with the fact that Billy is a homosexual. That doesn’t mean I can’t still invest in him and get to know him.”Murphy went on to say:
Maybe, as a Christian, that we haven’t been as articulate enough in describing what our actual stance is on homosexuality … We love the people. We disagree [with] the lifestyle. That’s the way I would describe it for me. It’s the same way that there are aspects of my life that I’m trying to surrender to Christ in my own life.What was Bean's reaction? Well, it may surprise you, because its not your basis agenda-driven vitriol that we sometimes see from certain officials. The Daily Signal reported that Bean himself wrote in an MLB.com column he “appreciate[d] that Daniel spoke his truth.” Bean continued:
I respect him, and I want everyone to know that he was respectful of me. We have baseball in common, and for now, that might be the only thing. But it’s a start. … Inclusion means everyone, plain and simple. Daniel is part of that group.As the writer of the Daily Signal piece, Katrina Trinko, points out:
What we’re seeing here is a dialogue: Bean and Murphy are both being honest about their views. They’re also both clearly trying to be considerate and respectful of the other’s views.
That’s what our society needs.
Americans are divided on a host of controversial issues—from abortion to wars to vaccines to, yes, same-sex marriage. The way to work together and live in harmony isn’t to pretend we all agree. It isn’t to silence those who have controversial positions.So, I guess that we can expect further dialogue on this matter, right? Well, not if the Mets have their way. They apparently want Murphy to stick to baseball and refrain from sharing his faith. As Trinko writes:
On Wednesday, an ESPN story headlined “Murphy now to talk baseball only” appeared. The story’s first line was “New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy will no longer address his religious beliefs and will stick to baseball, a team spokesman said Wednesday.”She asks, "Where’s the tolerance?" adding, "After all, he didn’t make his comments out of the blue. Bean’s visit was publicized. Murphy wasn’t just randomly talking, but was reacting to a specific event."
Well, I think this is a great template for responding to people with whom we disagree. Murphy first of all was willing to go public with statements consistent with his faith. He was not intimidated into silence, but he spoke boldly, with conviction, but also with a sense of compassion.
Murphy dissected the difference between loving a person, no matter his or her behavior, and taking a Biblical stand on sinful behavior. And, he went a step further - he shared his own struggle with sin in his life.
Now, Daniel Murphy has a choice - the reports are that the Mets have silenced him on faith matters. That ESPN story quotes Bean as saying, "I'm not here to change anybody or tell them that they're wrong. This is our country. We're allowed to be who and what we want." Really? So, why is there a report now that Daniel Murphy can't share about his faith, which is a privilege that other players in the league have traditionally enjoyed? Just Google Daniel Murphy and you will see a host of stories on his personal faith - is all that now disallowed by the team? Perhaps it is an errant report, or perhaps it is just an indication of the climate in which we live, but it's important that we are firm in our convictions and devoted to living our lives in the way that would exalt Christ.
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