Get A Grip

And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise."

Things seemed to be going well as I sat behind the wheel of our little (and almost antique) tractor as I mowed some of the tall grass in a pasture close to our house. All of the sudden, as I maneuvered between a couple of small trees, the tractor took a tremendous jolt and slammed to a halt. I had crossed over a small gully hidden by the tall grass and brush. Now, as I tried to go forward or backward, the wheels just spun. The rear wheels of the tractor were suspended over the gully and, no matter how much power I gave them, they could not get traction. We had to use a “come-along” to drag the tractor far enough to get traction.

As I read the above verse where Jesus clearly explained that he would be killed and rise again, I thought of the problem of traction. The disciples refused to accept Jesus’ words and when the event came, they were paralyzed with despair, fear and disbelief. Even though they had spent three years with Jesus, their refusal to hear and believe Jesus’ warning about His death and resurrection caused them to “lose traction”. Even the testimony of trusted friends was not enough to ignite hope. Jesus had to personally appear to them to pull them out of the ditch of fear and depression.

The strength and depth of our belief is revealed when a crisis comes. Jesus has given us knowledge of Him, information about the future and promises that we can choose to grip in such times. Does our faith have traction when a temptation or a storm hits or do we turn again to our own resources, worldly wisdom or dark despair? When death shows its pale face do we remember Jesus’ promise, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” When men or even friends threaten us because we won’t give in to temptation, do we remember Jesus’ words, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

The more Truth we know and genuinely believe, the greater our grip on actual reality. If our faith is anchored in the character of Jesus and His Words, then, in a crisis, we will not be paralyzed by fear, anger or despair. Instead, we will have traction that will allow us to encourage others, to be a light in the darkness and to manifest the love of Christ. But, even if we lose our grip on reality as described by Jesus, He will not abandon us. He will rescue us from our paralysis and darkness. Let’s soak in God’s Word because it is a window through which we can see and get a grip on Reality.

Project: (Let's do SOMETHING different)
- Take time today, tomorrow and everyday to read God's Word
- Choose a truth that you want to grip firmly and memorize it.
- Meditate on that truth until it becomes part of you and how you think.
- Repeat

Waist-deep in Alligators

"If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

Can you imagine a family operating as a democracy with children having an equal vote with the parents? We know that such a situation would often lead to disaster. But, most children eventually become parents and must lead a family. Our goal as parents is to help our children accept Jesus as Lord, find wisdom, grow in knowledge and manifest genuine love.

Most of our teaching as parents will come from our example in how we relate to God, our wives, our children and to our neighbors. Are we under Jesus’ authority? Do we search for wisdom from God? Does my life have the light of God’s love shining out into the world? Recently, I was struck by the many flaws in my character, life and example. The realization of my self-centeredness and hardheartedness caused me to cry and sob.

It’s very possible to win the war of words while walking in the path of self-centeredness. In other words, we can generally justify our choices and actions to others but especially to our selves. A family can develop tremendous pressures and our response, as parents or spouse, to those pressures is critical. My response has not always been the best. Too often, I’ve failed to grasp the opportunity to be a servant to those in need.

If we are not consistently looking into the mirror of God’s Word and seeing our real character, needs and challenges, then we will naturally tend to walk in self deception. If you are choosing your leaders, choose carefully. If those who are our leaders are neglecting God’s Word or are failing to be changed by the Holy Spirit, then they will lead us into a swamp and we will end up waist-deep in alligators.

Project:
Let’s pray daily for our leaders or parents.
Let’s pray that God would reveal the needs of those under our authority or influence.
Let’s ask God to empower and guide us in how to help meet the needs.

--

Provoking People

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Hebrews 10:24

One of my high school classes had a teacher who could not control her class. They learned how to drive her to extreme measures. The noise from that class distracted the neighboring classes. I was in a neighboring class and, in addition to the noise; even an occasional eraser would come flying in the window from next door. The goal of the troublemakers was to drive the teacher to such desperation that she would climb up on her desk and repeatedly blow a whistle. Every few days we would know that they had succeeded when we would begin to hear that angry whistle.

It is extremely easy for us to provoke another person. In fact, from early childhood most of us have studied other people and how to punch their “buttons”. Many marriage relationships revolve around how to trigger one another’s core fears so that we can control or change our spouse.

Many years ago, we somehow got into a contest in our family devotions. Some of the children persisted in keeping their eyes closed while we read and talked about Scripture and how to apply it in our lives. This constantly triggered one of my core fears of being invalidated. In contrast, some of our children who have become adults have encouraged their younger siblings by becoming examples of alertness and participation.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a responsibility to fellow believers to be leaders in good works, worship and in seeking God. This Scripture calls us to study and meditate on how to stir up love and good works in others. One way is to propose and carry out projects that help others, involve others and inspire others. If we are parents, it is vital to consider whether our example is provoking our children to love and good works. Let’s ask God to help us become provoking people.

Project:
Let's consider, plan and carry out a project to help with the needs resulting from Hurricane Katrina.

Wine -- Drinking and Thinking

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18)

We were guests of an unbelieving stranger in a strange culture. As was his custom, he offered us a little wine before we shared in a meal at his home. Should we accept or reject this sign of hospitality?

Some controversy has recently been raised among friends about whether the Bible teaches that a little wine (alcoholic) is okay for a Christian. This is a topic that has been a subject of debate among Christians for a long time. There are many people on both sides of the issue. This can even be seen in what is served during Communion by various congregations. Some churches serve alcoholic wine and others serve grape juice. Since there are strong forces on both sides of the issue it means that there is evidence to support both sides of the issue. So, we should not judge a congregation or a person based on their belief about wine. What is more important than what goes in the mouth is what comes out of the heart. What spirit is being manifest?

There are many books available on this subject. One that I recommend can be seen at http://www2.andrews.edu/~samuele/books/wine_in_the_bible/1.html.

Personally, I believe that Jesus did not make alcoholic wine at the wedding. As the above book points out, our definition of the words translated "wine" may be different than 2000 years ago. And, our preconceptions about technology can cause us to arrive at false conclusions. In my opinion, it is definitely best to avoid alcoholic drinks. But, what we drink is less important than what we think. What we think is greatly affected by who we associate with and what we hear and see. What goes in our eyes and ears often has a much greater affect on our life than what goes in our mouth and eventually determines what we put in our mouth. As first priority, let's first consider what we should change in our brain intake.

If one of us drinks alcohol, it might be good to ask, "Why?" When this stranger offered me a drink of wine, I accepted because I felt a rejection would raise a wall to our communication about God's love. This bit of wine was my first alcoholic drink in years and probably my last. My reason was to communicate God's love. Even though what we drink and eat is vitally important to our health, it is even more important to make it our first priority to grow in love by seeking to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. What we think is much more critical than what we drink.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Really Matters

The following survey results highlight the great value in the idea of having seminars that help Christians understand and practically apply Biblical principles to their finances, marriages, education, relationships and businesses. This goal (Biblically based lives and decisions) is a major component of discipleship and shepherding.


-- From AgapePress News --

Despite the fact that most Americans consider themselves to be Christian, very few adults base their moral decisions on the Bible -- and surprisingly few believe that absolute moral truth exists. That's according to the latest survey conducted by The Barna Group. So if people do not base their moral decisions on the Bible, what is the foundation upon which they decide? According to Barna, they use the specific principles or standards they believe in (54 percent), what feels "right or comfortable" (24 percent), whatever makes the most people happy or causes the least conflict (9 percent), or whatever produces the most positive outcomes for themselves (7 percent). And when it comes to absolute moral truth, it is almost a dead heat -- 35 percent contend moral truth is absolute; 32 percent say it is determined by the situation; and 33 percent say they are unsure if moral truth is absolute or relative. Researcher George Barna sees these findings as an indication that Christian leaders need to stay focused on the things that matter, and not on things such as church attendance, funds raised, and facility size -- parameters that are typically used to measure church success. Says Barna: "As long as we measure success on the basis of popularity and efficiency, we will continue to see a nation filled with people who can recite Bible stories, but fail to live according to Bible principles." [Jody Brown]

Letter to Senate Majority Leader Frist

There is a way that seems right to a man,

I sent the following letter to Mr. Frist the Senate Majority Leader. But, I suggest that we especially pray for him through the end of August. Let's pray that God will cause Dr. Frist to become aware of circumstances or information that will help him see this issue from God's perspective. Perhaps the worse thing that could happen would be for the use of stem cells from unborn children to be successful in discovering many ways to heal diseases. Where would the resulting huge demand for such cells come from? Can we imagine God providing more dead children for the healing and comfort of those already living?

but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)


Dear Mr. Frist,

By endorsing the expansion of fetal/embryonic stem cell research you are endorsing the involuntary death of some for the benefit of others. Even if the research finds success in treating disease with these stem cells, the end result will be the desire for more and more embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell research shows more actual results and avoids the ethical compromises that you are perhaps unintentionally endorsing. May God give you His perspective.

Sincerely,
Gerald Boyd

Midnight

And the foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ (Matthew 25)

A few years ago, a couple of my sons challenged me to run a marathon that they were also running. The deal was that if I ran the marathon in a certain amount of time then they would try a much healthier diet for a few months. Since I wanted them to enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet, I decided to give it a try. But, soon I discovered that running distances over nine miles caused my knees to hurt too much. Yet, I knew I had to train if I was even going to finish the marathon. So, the training program was modified to run shorter distances of 3-9 miles every other day, but to also extensively cross-train with bicycling and rowing. The goal became one of being able to exercise vigorously for five hours.

We put fuel for physical endurance into our bodies by regular exercise and a healthy diet. In the same way, we build up endurance mentally and spiritually by what we put into our minds and by the good habits of learning and service that we build into our lives.

With five or six miles left to go in the race, strength was almost gone. Fruit and other food was offered and accepted. But, it was too late for me to find the needed strength and speed from food at that point.

Recently, I saw a statistic that said that less then ten percent of Americans read God’s Word daily. This statistic reveals why our culture has sunk to new lows in morality. It also shows why most Christians live lives that are almost indistinguishable from non-Christians. Psalms 1 makes a wonderful promise to the man who delights in and mediates on God’s Word day and night (at least daily). Like a tree that grows by a river, his leaf will not wither even in a great drought.

I had enough strength left to finish the marathon, but not enough to run fast enough to meet my goal time. But, I was grateful to just be able to trot across the finish line. In the same way, we face tremendous challenges in life before we get to the finish line. Some lose their way, faith or family. Yet, ninety percent of Christians are depriving themselves of vital nutrients from God’s Word. We desperately need Truth to fill our mind but the average adult spends 14 hours soaking in lies from the mass media. Jesus said to keep a good supply of oil. But, many of us only have enough for a life that has minimal challenges. The crisis will come. Will we have strength to keep running at midnight, when the darkness seems endless?

Project:
-- Let’s not depend on others for motivation, but let’s each determine, by God’s grace, to daily delight in His Word.
-- Let’s encourage those around us to do the same.

Wise Investing

“…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into his harvest” – Jesus

Why are there few laborers? Could it be because each of us is too distracted by mowing the pasture, building walls, making money and spending money? The rich young ruler was told that he should sell everything, give the money to the poor and follow Jesus. If he had, he might have been one of Jesus’ closest disciples. He might have had a life that counted for something. As it is, he only became the sad example of the power and fraud of worldly priorities.

The problem with our money and things is that they are “ours”. We talk about giving them to the Lord and being stewards. But, how do we feel when we suffer loss because of an “act of God”. Can we have Job’s attitude and sincerely say, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away”? Sadly, many of us (including me) have missed out on wonderful treasure because of wrong priorities in our view of “our” time and money and how we invest them.

What is the purpose of life? To get educated, get a good job, get married, have children, make lots of money, help your children learn to make lots of money, retire, and die? Many of us and many of our neighbors are caught in this cycle while making minimum investments of eternal value.

For example, many of us could afford to sponsor a fulltime missionary all by ourselves. A native missionary in Asia can be fully supported with a fraction of our income. Many of these missionaries are making hundreds of converts to Christ and starting dozens of churches while they personally live in poverty. They are piling up eternal riches with the tiny bit they have. In contrast, what are we doing with our piles of worldly riches? Maybe we should consider how to invest in their ministry. In addition, many of us could invest at least a little more of our time in ministry in our church and neighborhood. A little wise investing could yield a huge treasure in eternity.

Project:
Ask God for His priorities to become your priorities.

"If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." -- Jesus
--

Embracing Torment

So shall My heavenly Father also do to you… (Matt 18:35)

Recently, the owner of a small Air Conditioning company gave me an estimate on a small job we needed done. The estimate seemed reasonable and he promised to start the job in about 10 days. I was excited about finally getting the work done. But, that was a month ago and we have not a heard a word from him. I’ve tried to call him several times.

We’ve had good experiences with this fellow in the past and he doesn’t seem like the type to just stop talking if he changed his mind. So, intellectually, I tell myself that he must have had something unexpected happen to prevent him from doing the job or calling us. He may have been in an accident, gotten sick or had some other crisis. But, I also have feelings that I try to suppress. For instance, I tend to feel disappointed and a little frustrated. In spite of my intellectual reasons for the problem, I still have emotions that tend to cause me to feel a little resentment that he hasn’t called.

So, assuming he has worse character than I thought -- what should I do? Jesus makes the answer quite clear. If I don’t forgive those who wrong me then God still demands payment for the debt I owe Him. God wants to forgive our debts but He won’t if we will not accept His Spirit and grace to forgive those who have caused us pain or loss. If we won't forgive, Jesus promises us torment. Lord, give us grace to forgive! Let's accept grace rather than holding a grudge and embracing torment.

Project:
Who do you not want to think about?
What or Who causes you to feel frustrated or resentful?

Pray something like this:

Father in heaven, I forgive __his name_ for __the hurt__ and causing me to feel __your specific feelings__. Heal my heart – my thinking and my feelings – so I may love you with all my heart.

“And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.”

“So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Taxing Our Sons

“What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” (Matthew 17:25)

If one of our sons or daughters needs to use our house or land, any of us would let our children use it without paying a usage fee beyond the basic costs. So, we might expect them to put gas in the car, clean up beforehand, put up the decorations and clean up afterwards. But, we wouldn’t charge them rent like we would a stranger with whom we have little or no relationship. On the other side of the coin, our children cheerfully do many things for us which we could not afford otherwise.

Decades ago, many churches charged a pew tax to their members. This eliminated a great deal of financial uncertainty for the church leadership. In contrast, we now take a more scriptural approach of depending on God to provide through free-will offerings. If someone and especially a member comes with a special need for counsel, most churches will attempt help with that need in some way without charging for the service. The people involved are freely offering their time or are part of the paid church staff. We depend on God to provide for these resources through free-will offerings. But, when it comes to "things" our attitude is often a little different.

For instance, many times there is a fee to use the church building for certain special functions. This fee is somewhat understandable for strangers but how much of a fee should be charged to members? Even with strangers we should have a generous spirit. When we needed a place for a piano recital, various churches would allow us to use their facility and piano for prices ranging from free, to a small donation, to a fee of hundreds of dollars ("It's our policy. No exceptions.") Of course, we were strangers to these different churches. But, their attitude certainly communicated. The one we ended up using had a staff that communicated generosity and even gratefulness for us being there. Their attitude undoubtedly encourages cheerful donations.

Some churches take advantage of times of grief or celebration to build God's kingdom and some to help with the church budget. Some church fees for weddings are in the same ballpark as commercial facilities that are in the wedding business. Many churches seem to take the attitude of, "How much can we charge?" while others are asking, "How little can we charge?" What is the result? Members of churches will be more likely to use other facilities that offer more services, scenery or economy. In contrast, it seems like churches should have a policy that encourages involvement, cooperation and interaction of the Body in funerals and weddings. Low financial obstacles encourage growth of relationships, participation and body-life in these activities. There probably ought to be a charge to cover unusual costs. But, the question should be “How little can we charge?”

Several years ago, when our baby boy died and we needed a place in Dallas for a Memorial service, Larry James, the preacher at Richardson East Church of Christ let us their auditorium (fee-free) even though we were not members. The loving, generous attitude demonstrated by him and other of the church leaders was a significant factor in our family's perspective toward that church. A church that is actually a family should be doing similar things for one another wherever possible. Leadership attitudes of cheerful generosity, support and love encourage church members to cheerfully give free-offerings of their time, talents and lives. A church of cheerful givers will soon attract the attention of neighbors, co-workers and relatives. In contrast, pew taxes and building usage fees don't attract anybody. Are we taxing our sons?

Project:
Consider:
As sons of the King, are we cheerful givers to the family?
As church leaders, what message are we communicating by our policies?
Let's beg God for His perspective.