Religion

Your Piece of the World

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03world-puzzleWhether you live in the USA, England, Europe, Africa, or Asia, there is one thing you hold in common.  You and the rest of humanity want peace in your piece of the world–certainly, this is the case in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio this morning.

I know I’ve grown weary of all the protests, murders, shootings, and rapes that I see on the screen of my TV.  The headlines of the newspaper are depressing with stories of theft, scandals, and abused children.

Here is what I am going to do in my piece of the world today. Instead of being, “overcome by evil, I’m going to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).”  I am going to try my best to, “pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another (Romans 14:19).”  J.B. Philipps translated this same verse in these words:  “Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.”

Will you join me and make this your goal for today:

  • I will pursue and concentrate on bringing peace to my piece of the world.
  • When confronted with the off-key and unkind remarks of others, I will try to bring harmony to the situation.
  • I will do my best to be a positive presence in the life of those I encounter.

So what in the world are you going to do today?  I encourage you to bring peace to your piece of the world.

Building Character

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“Because I gave him my word” was the answer to the question I had just asked.  The question was, “How does he know you will pay him?” It was an interesting conversation, and one that I’ve remembered for almost 50 years.

Even though the word “reputation”was not used, it was the subject of the discussion.  Pop finished the conversation with this statement:  “A man is only as good as his word.”

I posted a comment about reputation to my Facebook page yesterday:  People wouldn’t have to spend so many minutes protecting their reputation, if they would pause for 60 seconds to guard their character.

You can read the character-focused Scripture I’ve provided below in less than 60 seconds:

  • Proverbs 22:1:  “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”
  • Ecclesiastes 7:1:  “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.”
  • Hebrews 11:1-2:  “Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old.”

It was Helen Keller who said:  “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

The quote above reminds me of Romans 5:1-5:

Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.  Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance, character, and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Do you see the cause and effect links in the verses above?  “Suffering produces endurance,  and endurance, character, and character, hope.”  

 

 


Character_Building (1)I’m not sure that Paul would agree with Calvin’s dad, but you may have the opportunity to build some character with snow in the forecast for this weekend.

An Instrument of God

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images (5)When I read John 9 this morning, seven words popped into my mind:  “The absence of Jesus demands my presence.”

When faced with the dilemma of a blind man, Jesus said:  “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5).”  Because He is no longer in the world, I am responsible to proclaim the principles of light in a world of darkness.

God has equipped you and me for this ministry.  Peter said:  “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter 2:9 ~Amplified Bible).”

This theme was developed in the life of Noah who Peter referred to as a “preacher of righteousness.”  The world had witnessed wickedness, but God called Noah out of that darkness and into his marvelous light.  Noah was chosen to speak of the excellent qualities of God that were revealed in a single word picture—the rainbow.

In the language of the night and day or light and darkness, The Message emphasizes ythe ministry of those God has chosen:   “You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”

Last week I spoke to a friend that I had not seen in several months.  I said:  “Good to see you.”  He replied:  “Good to hear you.”   He has lost what most of us take for granted—the ability to see.  His blindness gives him the unique perspective to contrast the experiential difference between light and darkness.

In a spiritual sense, the believer also has a unique perspective.  He has been “chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (GWT Version).”

It is difficult to explain the wonderful sweetness of honey to someone who has only tasted the sourness of a lemon. Because you have lived in a sour world and tasted the sweetness of God’s Spirit, you are God’s instrument and you have been chosen to reveal the “night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”

Thoughtless Thinking and Random Reasoning

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Cloud computing conceptSome people find solitude in silence, and they give deep reflection to their thoughts.  There are others who negotiate life at a harried and hurried pace that allows no time for deep thought.

Have you ever stopped to think about how you think?  Please understand the question:  I asked “how” you think—not “what” you think.

When you start to think about your thinking, you can begin to reframe and reorder your life in a more positive context.  There are several places in the Psalms that indicate the writers were more than thoughtless thinkers:

  • Psalm 77:6: I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.
  • Psalm 119:15: I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.
  • Psalm 119:27-29: I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things, I consider to be right; I hate every false way. Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.

When you read these verses, did you notice the due diligence that was exercised?  You can see it in words like:

  • Meditate
  • Diligent search
  • Contemplate
  • Consider

Solomon encouraged people to weigh the wisdom of words, before believing them: The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps (Proverbs 14:15.)”

Before you leave on a trip, you probably spend some time mapping your route.  How much thought do you give to your spiritual destination?  Do take just some random route or do you know where you are going?

Are you living your life in the blink of a second, or are you taking time to think and reckon?

Good Deeds in a World of Evil

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While standing in a line waiting to place an order, I overheard a couple of men talking about the word “good.”  One of them said:  “If you shot a person at a distance of 100 yards, you might be a good shot, but would you be a good person?”

Although I did not wait to hear the reply to the question, it did remind me of Proverbs 3:27:  “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

Matthew Henry offered this comment on doing good:  “Wherever the Providence of God casts us, we should desire and endeavor to be useful; and, when we cannot do the good we would, we must be ready to do the good we can.”

The Bible is full of statements that associate “good” deeds with the Christian life:

  • Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
  • Galatians 6:9-10: So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

When Paul wrote to the Christians living in Rome, he encouraged them to do the good they could, and he provided them a list (12:9-21):

  • Be sincere in your love.
  • Detest evil and cling to what is good.
  • Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.
  • Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
  • Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
  • Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble.
  • Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Paul summarized and ended his list with these words:  “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”

Think about the way you live your life:  Is it defined by evil or good?   Do you impede with your greed and mislead or is your life characterized by good deeds?

I’ll close with these words from Saint Basil:  “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”

Remarkable and Wonderful Craftmanship

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newborn-baby-on-hand_90311-1440x900With the popularity of TV programming that focuses on Crime Scene Investigation, people tend to think DNA is the best means of identifying a person.  Both fingerprint identification and DNA analysis have proved to be valuable tools for personal and criminal identification.

I’ve been told that fingerprint identification can be more accurate than DNA analysis.  This is true even with identical twins.  They may look exactly alike and have the same DNA structure, but they will always have different fingerprints.  Your fingerprints are unique because they are formed in the womb.  The random movements of a baby within the womb form the distinctly individual characteristics of each person’s fingerprints.

When you think of the uniqueness of your fingerprints, I hope it will remind you of the special relationship you have with God:  “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well (Psalm 139).”

Will You Rise Above?

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riseabove Some people allow their life to be defined by  failure.  Others learn valuable lessons from their  failures and even see them as a blessing from:    Chuck Colson is one of these people, and he  recognized the benefits of his burdens:

The real legacy of my life was my biggest failure.  Being sent to prison was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life!

Colson’s life was a living example of something that Billy Graham said: “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”  Colson had lived the mountaintop experience as Attorney General during the Nixon administration.  When the Watergate scandal forced the resignation of President Nixon, Colson was sent to prison for the role he played in that fiasco.

During the valley years of his incarceration, Colson became a Christian, and God eventually spoke to him about the many and varied needs of his fellow inmates.  Colson would later start Prison Fellowship as an outreach ministry inside prison walls throughout the country:  This is the fruit that started to grow during Colson’s valley years.

Society is often premature in its attempt to label a person a failure.  Let me give you a couple of examples:

  • Daniel Defoe wrote Robin Crusoe while he was in prison.
  • John Bunyan wrote the Christian classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress, while in the Bedford jail.
  • While he was confined in the castle of Wartburg, Martin Luther translated the Bible.

The hopes and dreams of each of these people were shattered; but, they refused to wallow in self-pity.  Seeing their faith, God turned their tragedy into triumph and their burdens into blessings.

History is full of examples of people who defied the odds and overcame their failure.  B.C. Forbes has said:

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed.  They finally won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.  disappointments acted as a challenge.  Don’t let difficulties discourage you.

Tragedies and trials are experienced by everyone at some time in their lives.  I want to make sure you understand that last sentence, so I’ll repeat three of the words:  “experienced by everyone.”    When you go through your time of personal sorrow, loss, or disappointment, remember that this is not an experience that is unique to you—it is universal in its scope.

As a Christian, Jesus has promised to walk with you through the hard times.  He said:  “Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, and my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

A Future and A Hope

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When you were a child you probably played the game of hide and seek.  As an adult, you may have tried to play some version of that game with God.

Seeking, is an important aspect of your relationship with God:

  • “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:7).”
  • “I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me (Proverbs 8:17).”

When you seek God, you will never be disappointed.  In fact, God has extended several invitations for you to join Him in your spiritual journey:

  • An invitation to rest: Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).”
  • An invitation to serve: “Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men (Mark 1:17).”
  • An invitation to come into His presence: “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).”

I can understand why a person would seek God, but I cannot fathom why anyone would want to hide from Him.  Jeremiah said we have a future and hope in Him: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).”

Urgent Email

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MailChimp is a company that is focused on email, and their website says:  “MailChimp helps you email the right people at the right time.”  In 2013 the company studied 24 billion successfully delivered emails, and they discovered the power inherent in one word.   When the word “urgent” was in the subject lines, the emails were much more likely to be opened.

Words like “urgent” will jolt most dolts out of their daydreaming existence and back to reality.  This type of charged language, unless overused, can effectively capture the attention of the intended audience.

To apprehend the attention of those who could only pretend righteousness, Jesus spoke a word of urgency:  “Repent or you will perish (Luke 13:3, 5).”

When you read the gospel of Mark, the first words of Jesus are an evangelistic call to repent:  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15).”

“Repentance comes from the Greek word “metanoia,” and it means a” change of mind.”  When a person repents, he turns from sin to God.  The story of the Prodigal Son is a good example of repentance:  When he came to himself, he said . . . “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”

“Praise” and “worship” are two of the feel-good-words associated with the church today.  These are important features of a person’s relationship with Christ, but they are meaningless unless you attend to the urgent need to repent of your sin.

People don’t mind focusing on the failures, faults and sins of people they know, but they start to back-peddle and say, “Don’t meddle” when it comes to their personal need to repent.

 

Run With A Purpose

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runningAs I was driving to the coffee shop this morning, I noticed several joggers out for their morning run.  As I waved them through the intersection ahead of me, I thought of several places where Paul speaks of running.

In Philippians 2:14-18, Paul said:

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.  Hold firmly to the message of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.  But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me. 

After I read the verses above, I was left with a few questions:

  • What am I running from?

I Timothy 6:10-11:  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But you, man of God, run from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

  • What is my goal in running?

I Corinthians 9: 24-25: Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.  Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.

  • Why am I running?

Hebrews 12:1:  Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.

The secret of life’s race is found in Isaiah 40:31:  Those who keep waiting for the Lord will renew their strength. Then they’ll soar on wings like eagles; they’ll run and not grow weary; they’ll walk and not grow tired (ISV).”