Listen to these words from the Old Testament of the Bible…
“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside. The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”
"Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
“if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.”
As I mentioned earlier…these are verses found in the Bible and I think we can all agree that they speak the truth about the depth of God’s love for us, his children. These words could certainly be used to offer encouragement and hope to a friend going through a difficult time. However, the people who spoke these words did not speak them in love or with the intention of lifting up a hurting friend. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar said these words to their friend Job, their intention was to convince Job that it was the sin and error in his life that caused God to punish him.
Remember, Job had just lost his home, his children, his wealth and his health. Instead of empathy, these three friends only offered judgment and condemnation. God was not pleased with their advice to Job. In fact, He said to Eliphaz, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”
I believe the lesson here is that there is a big difference between speaking the truth and speaking the truth in love. It can be tempting when someone comes to us with a problem to point out what got them there in the first place, but when is that helpful?
Will you join me in praying that God will lead us to people who are filled with wisdom and love. And, that we will remember to carefully search our own hearts before we offer advice to others.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Plank in My Eye
One of the stumbling blocks I really struggle with overcoming is my tendency to judge others. This became painfully apparent during a conversation with a close friend a few days ago. He told me that he felt very distant from God, like God had forgotten all about him. I should have been listening to my friend and offering empathy. Instead, I was too busy picking apart his faith in my mind. I wondered silently how often this person read the Bible and prayed and what he was doing to actively serve the Lord. All on my own, I had come to the conclusion that this person was obviously not serious about his faith, or he wouldn’t be having this problem.
Thank GOD I didn’t open my mouth. Because, in the midst of my self-righteous line of thinking, I was gently reminded of the times I had felt the same kind of distance from God that my friend had been experiencing. I also was reminded that I don’t spend nearly enough time in the word and in prayer, so I had no business judging someone else’s spiritual life. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit put me right back in my place before I said anything that would have hurt my friend. He was already feeling bad about his relationship with Jesus. He needed consolation, not condemnation.
There are many verses in the Bible that warn us about the dangers of judging others. Probably the most well known come from Matthew 7:1-5, where Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
So, If you are like me and struggle with judgmentalism, let’s pray that God will remind us of the planks in our eyes and that the sins we focus on correcting will be our own.
Thank GOD I didn’t open my mouth. Because, in the midst of my self-righteous line of thinking, I was gently reminded of the times I had felt the same kind of distance from God that my friend had been experiencing. I also was reminded that I don’t spend nearly enough time in the word and in prayer, so I had no business judging someone else’s spiritual life. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit put me right back in my place before I said anything that would have hurt my friend. He was already feeling bad about his relationship with Jesus. He needed consolation, not condemnation.
There are many verses in the Bible that warn us about the dangers of judging others. Probably the most well known come from Matthew 7:1-5, where Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
So, If you are like me and struggle with judgmentalism, let’s pray that God will remind us of the planks in our eyes and that the sins we focus on correcting will be our own.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Firm Foundation
I had the unique experience of witnessing the demolition of a home being re-built for the show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I’ve been a big fan of this show since its first season, so being on the set and watching the behind-the-scenes action was so much fun. The demolition phase was very cool. It’s amazing how quickly something that must have taken months to build can be smashed onto oblivion! This step is essential, because without a solid foundation, all of the work the builders are preparing to do to construct this home would be at risk of ruin.
The same thing goes for us when we become Christians. There is a process of ripping away the old attitudes, thoughts and behaviors and allowing the Holy Spirit to create us anew. We also need a new foundation to build our new lives upon, or these new walls could come tumbling down. That foundation is Jesus.
Listen to the way Jesus is described in 1 Peter 2: 4-6, “ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
The Bible advises us that Jesus is to be the cornerstone for our lives. In the construction of a masonry foundation, a cornerstone is laid first and the rest of the bricks or stones are set in line with this first stone. If the cornerstone is set incorrectly, the lines and angles of the entire foundation of the building will be off. Likewise, when we allow Jesus to be the cornerstone of our lives, we can be sure that we’re on a straight path with a firm foundation.
The same thing goes for us when we become Christians. There is a process of ripping away the old attitudes, thoughts and behaviors and allowing the Holy Spirit to create us anew. We also need a new foundation to build our new lives upon, or these new walls could come tumbling down. That foundation is Jesus.
Listen to the way Jesus is described in 1 Peter 2: 4-6, “ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
The Bible advises us that Jesus is to be the cornerstone for our lives. In the construction of a masonry foundation, a cornerstone is laid first and the rest of the bricks or stones are set in line with this first stone. If the cornerstone is set incorrectly, the lines and angles of the entire foundation of the building will be off. Likewise, when we allow Jesus to be the cornerstone of our lives, we can be sure that we’re on a straight path with a firm foundation.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Time Management the iPod Way
Last weekend I spent some time adding new music to my mp3 player. My player is pretty small, it’s a 2 gig, which means it will hold about 500 songs. I know that, that sounds like a lot of music, but I have discovered that it doesn’t take long to fill up. So, when I saw yesterday that I was nearing capacity I knew it was time to make some tough choices…time to delete some files.
I have found that each song falls into one of three categories…The first category is songs that I know are keepers…these are my favorites, the ones that always put a smile on my face. The second category is comprised of songs I have no problems deleting, these are the ones that, for whatever reason, I’ve lost interest in. The third category (most of the songs fall into this one) are the songs in between…these are the ones that I like a lot, but not so much that their space in my player is eternally secure.
As I was organizing my tunes…I realized that if I applied the same system to managing my time, my life would probably be a lot more balanced. Think about it…like my mp3 player’s memory, our time is limited. We each get 24 hours a day, that’s it. And, like the thousands and thousands of really good songs that I could choose to add to my playlist, there are countless events, commitments and other worthwhile things vying for our time.
The bible encourages us to plan our time wisely…listen to this verse from Ephesians, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” We cannot do it all, my friend, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made so that we can at least get to the important things. Is your day filled to capacity…and then some? Start by making a list of everything that occupies your time. Then decide which things are so important they hold a permanent position on your calendar, which things are working in your life for the time being, but could be cut if needed. Finally, decide which things add nothing but dead weight to your day. Those are the things that are ready to be deleted from your life.
I have found that each song falls into one of three categories…The first category is songs that I know are keepers…these are my favorites, the ones that always put a smile on my face. The second category is comprised of songs I have no problems deleting, these are the ones that, for whatever reason, I’ve lost interest in. The third category (most of the songs fall into this one) are the songs in between…these are the ones that I like a lot, but not so much that their space in my player is eternally secure.
As I was organizing my tunes…I realized that if I applied the same system to managing my time, my life would probably be a lot more balanced. Think about it…like my mp3 player’s memory, our time is limited. We each get 24 hours a day, that’s it. And, like the thousands and thousands of really good songs that I could choose to add to my playlist, there are countless events, commitments and other worthwhile things vying for our time.
The bible encourages us to plan our time wisely…listen to this verse from Ephesians, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” We cannot do it all, my friend, and sometimes tough decisions have to be made so that we can at least get to the important things. Is your day filled to capacity…and then some? Start by making a list of everything that occupies your time. Then decide which things are so important they hold a permanent position on your calendar, which things are working in your life for the time being, but could be cut if needed. Finally, decide which things add nothing but dead weight to your day. Those are the things that are ready to be deleted from your life.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
This Magic Moment
Our kids got new bikes for Easter this year and we spent much of Easter Weekend teaching them how to ride.
Our son Andrew had a really hard time learning. After the first day of trying to master it with no success, he had given up. That evening, with bitterness in his voice, he said, “you know how, in the movies, when a kid learns to ride his bike, there’s that Magic Moment where the Dad is running beside the bike, holding it steady and then, all of a sudden, the Dad lets go and the kid keeps peddling off into the sunset. We’ll I didn’t have that Magic Moment…I want my Magic Moment!”
Have you ever listened to other’s testimonies about how they came to know Christ and felt like you missed out on your Magic Moment? I’m talking about the kind of person who was living the worst kind of life imaginable until he had this Huge, Life Changing Encounter with Jesus that instantly turned his life around, never returning to his old, sinful ways.
These kinds of transformation are amazing, and Praise God for them. But, if you didn’t have that kind of drastic experience, you may question why your salvation story is less than spectacular. When others had an experience that left them immediately able to turn away from past vices completely: smoking, drinking, sex, drugs…why do you still trip up sometimes? And, what about the very emotional experience that others have? Why don’t your eyes fill with tears when you talk about the day you accepted Jesus? What if you can’t even remember the day clearly, you just know that when you were a kid you asked Jesus into your heart and you’ve been serving him ever since.
Here’s the deal…God knows us each personally well enough to know exactly what it takes to get inside our hearts. And, he approaches each of us differently. Some people are like the Apostle Paul…they need a drastic, physical, supernatural event to open their eyes to Jesus. But, many experience a more subtle, more gradual awakening to the Holy Spirit. When you think about your testimony, don’t worry that you’ve missed out on your “Magic Moment”. Because, In the end, it doesn’t matter how you found Christ…it only matters that you found him.
By the way, the next day Andrew gathered up all the determination left in his scraped up body, he and his dad gave it a try, and he finally got the hang of it.
Our son Andrew had a really hard time learning. After the first day of trying to master it with no success, he had given up. That evening, with bitterness in his voice, he said, “you know how, in the movies, when a kid learns to ride his bike, there’s that Magic Moment where the Dad is running beside the bike, holding it steady and then, all of a sudden, the Dad lets go and the kid keeps peddling off into the sunset. We’ll I didn’t have that Magic Moment…I want my Magic Moment!”
Have you ever listened to other’s testimonies about how they came to know Christ and felt like you missed out on your Magic Moment? I’m talking about the kind of person who was living the worst kind of life imaginable until he had this Huge, Life Changing Encounter with Jesus that instantly turned his life around, never returning to his old, sinful ways.
These kinds of transformation are amazing, and Praise God for them. But, if you didn’t have that kind of drastic experience, you may question why your salvation story is less than spectacular. When others had an experience that left them immediately able to turn away from past vices completely: smoking, drinking, sex, drugs…why do you still trip up sometimes? And, what about the very emotional experience that others have? Why don’t your eyes fill with tears when you talk about the day you accepted Jesus? What if you can’t even remember the day clearly, you just know that when you were a kid you asked Jesus into your heart and you’ve been serving him ever since.
Here’s the deal…God knows us each personally well enough to know exactly what it takes to get inside our hearts. And, he approaches each of us differently. Some people are like the Apostle Paul…they need a drastic, physical, supernatural event to open their eyes to Jesus. But, many experience a more subtle, more gradual awakening to the Holy Spirit. When you think about your testimony, don’t worry that you’ve missed out on your “Magic Moment”. Because, In the end, it doesn’t matter how you found Christ…it only matters that you found him.
By the way, the next day Andrew gathered up all the determination left in his scraped up body, he and his dad gave it a try, and he finally got the hang of it.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Let's Not Kick 'em While They're Down
So, how’s this for a bad day? A 62 year old man from Boise, Idaho was recently hit by a truck while crossing the street. Fortunately, Ebrahim Balah only suffered minor injuries from the accident and was treated and released from the hospital the same day. Boise police say he was hit by the passenger truck because he was trying to cross a busy one-way street in an area designated as a non crossing area. Which is why they felt it necessary to give him a ticket for jaywalking.
Now, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that getting hit by a truck may have been consequence enough to keep Ebrahim on crosswalks from that point forward. Did he really ALSO need to be slapped with a ticket?
I know as a parent that sometimes the best consequences for my kids are the ones that come naturally as a result of their actions. For example, I can remind my kids 12 times in one morning to remember to wear their coat to school. I can punish them by taking away privileges when they forget anyway. But, standing outside at the bus stop on a cold morning, or freezing on the playground that afternoon is probably all the punishment they need to remember their coat next time.
Most of us have to learn things the hard way, don’t we? And when we’ve messed up and are feeling bad enough already, why does it seem there are so many people who feel it is their duty to rub salt in the wounds of the consequences we created? And, why am I so tempted to finger point and say “told-you-so” to others when they mess up?
Listen to this verse:
1 John 4:20 – Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
The way we treat others is a reflection of the depth of our relationship with Jesus. We need to remember that God has given us infinite amounts of Grace and we need to mirror that grace in the way that we deal with others.
Now, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that getting hit by a truck may have been consequence enough to keep Ebrahim on crosswalks from that point forward. Did he really ALSO need to be slapped with a ticket?
I know as a parent that sometimes the best consequences for my kids are the ones that come naturally as a result of their actions. For example, I can remind my kids 12 times in one morning to remember to wear their coat to school. I can punish them by taking away privileges when they forget anyway. But, standing outside at the bus stop on a cold morning, or freezing on the playground that afternoon is probably all the punishment they need to remember their coat next time.
Most of us have to learn things the hard way, don’t we? And when we’ve messed up and are feeling bad enough already, why does it seem there are so many people who feel it is their duty to rub salt in the wounds of the consequences we created? And, why am I so tempted to finger point and say “told-you-so” to others when they mess up?
Listen to this verse:
1 John 4:20 – Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
The way we treat others is a reflection of the depth of our relationship with Jesus. We need to remember that God has given us infinite amounts of Grace and we need to mirror that grace in the way that we deal with others.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
10%
I’m a big-time bargain hunter. One of my favorite places to get a good deal is at a clearance sale. The words “75% off the already reduced price” get my shopping spree juices flowing. But, it’s got to be a good deal to catch my attention. I wouldn’t even look twice at a sign marked 10% off. That’s nothing! However, if you turn the tables, 10% feels like an awful lot when it’s coming out of my wallet. Do you know where I’m going with this?
God’s children are commanded to give 10% of our income back05is an ancient one. In the Old Testament we are told, “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow which comes out of the field each year.” (Deut 14:22) The word tithe literally means tenth.
Why does the same God who owns everything want my money? I’m a firm believer that it’s got little to do with money and lots to do with faith. When we tithe or give sacrificially, especially when money is tight, we are in essence saying, “God, I trust you with everything. I know that you will provide for me.”
God can be trusted! In fact, tithing is the only subject in the Bible that God invites us to test him on. God declares in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
So, this Sunday, when the collection plate is passed to you at church, I encourage you to take God up on His invitation to test Him with your tithe. Give God the opportunity to prove to you his faithfulness!
God’s children are commanded to give 10% of our income back05is an ancient one. In the Old Testament we are told, “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow which comes out of the field each year.” (Deut 14:22) The word tithe literally means tenth.
Why does the same God who owns everything want my money? I’m a firm believer that it’s got little to do with money and lots to do with faith. When we tithe or give sacrificially, especially when money is tight, we are in essence saying, “God, I trust you with everything. I know that you will provide for me.”
God can be trusted! In fact, tithing is the only subject in the Bible that God invites us to test him on. God declares in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
So, this Sunday, when the collection plate is passed to you at church, I encourage you to take God up on His invitation to test Him with your tithe. Give God the opportunity to prove to you his faithfulness!
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