The Oil Spill, James Cameron and Us

Posted by Conrad on 09.05.10 in Devotionals.

So director James Cameron (Titanic and Avatar (aka FernGully: The Last Rainforest)), was asked by the EPA to help with the underwater oil spill.

I don’t know why, I could think of plenty of other directors who would do a better job.

Cameron would do a totally overrated job and everyone would love it.

We should get Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon), and he would blow the crap out of it.  It would take an extra thirty minutes to do it, and we wouldn’t care about any of the people involved, but that oil spill wouldn’t stand a chance.

Or we could get George Lucas (Star Wars) to take care of it.  He’d be able to make three documentaries of what happened before the oil spill that are so poorly written that no one will even care about the oil spill ever again.

So James Cameron was turned down by BP (the company who’s well is leaking into the gulf), for his help.

It’s possible because he said stuff like, “those morons don’t know what they’re doing,” and “Because if you’re not monitoring it independently, you’re asking the perpetrator to give you the video of the crime scene.”

But do we do the same thing when trying to help our fellow Christians with overcoming their sin?

Sometimes we want them to stop their sin because it affects us personally.

If you’re a parent, this probably happens on an hourly basis.  If you’re married, half the issues you face is because your spouse is impatient with you about something dum like forgetting her birthday or some crap like that.

Their sin affects you.

You want them to stop their sin, so you won’t be so annoyed.

But where should we really start with trying to get someone to stop their sin?

We first need to show them that the reason why we are even saying anything is because we have their best interest in mind.

We have to show that we are only saying something out of love.

We hear a lot that “it’s not what you say, but how you say it.”  But it’s more like “it’s not what you say, but how you say it, and why you say it.”

If you aren’t showing love to the person you’re trying to help, then why are you saying anything to begin with?

We first have to have love for them, and show love to them.

Sometimes it means holding our tongue till after we calm down and waiting for a good time to say it.  Sometimes it means bringing up their sin in a way where they won’t get defensive.

But it all starts with loving them first.

And Mr. Cameron, Aliens is one of the greatest movies ever made.  And I have your best interest in mind when I say, T2 sucked, True Lies is barely watchable, Titanic had the Celine Dion song, and Avatar made my groan out loud.  I believe that you can turn back to the path of righteousness and go back to the Alien universe and save that franchise from the nonsense we’ve been seeing for over a decade now.

1CO 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Take Time To Pray: Ask God to help you to have a loving attitude to those who’s sin affects you so that you can minister effectively to them.

Today’s Fruit of the Spirit: Love.