character

character

How Valuable Are Your Values?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

values_1After reading the conversation Jesus had with His disciples in Matthew 16, a question popped into my head:  “How valuable are my values?”

Jesus said, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me.  Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will find them.  What good will it do for people to win the whole world and lose their lives? Or what will a person give in exchange for life?  The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done (Matthew 16:24-27).”

The verses above allow a person to draw several conclusions:

  • Jesus has a greater concern for the size and character of my heart than He does for the square footage and décor of my house.
  • Jesus wants me to focus more on the compassion I display and less on my social status.
  • Jesus isn’t worried about the promotions I’ve received, but He does want me to be pro-motion in the help I give.
  • Jesus will not judge me based on the way I’ve protected my rights but on the way I helped those who have been wronged.

To make a difference in the day and hour in which you live, you need to be different in the way you craft each second of your life.   You need to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  By losing your life in Him and for Him, you discover the purpose He has for you; and, your values become valuable.

Be Still and Bear Fruit

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

prayerYesterday I walked by a table and, I heard part of a conversation in which one person said:  “It’s a mute point.”

Mute means silent, and I have often made a point of being silent, and I have even pointed silently. I cannot, however remain mute about a key point of that conversation.

Mute and moot cannot be used interchangeably—they are not synonyms.  Moot is used to refer to some item or point of discussion that is debatable, but of no practical value.

While moot points are often hypothetical in nature, making a point to be mute can have real value.  In Psalm 46:10, there is a clear command to be mute:  “Be still and know that I am God.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed the importance of this principle in a letter to some friends:  “Daily, quiet reflection on the Word of God as it applies to me becomes for me a point of crystallization for everything that gives interior and exterior order to my life.”

The words of Bonhoeffer serve as a commentary on God’s instructions to Joshua:  “This set of instructions is not to cease being a part of your conversations. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to carry out everything that’s written in it, for then you’ll prosper and succeed (Joshua 1:8.”

Mother Teresa suggested that silence is an essential of practical Christianity:  “The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace. “

I encourage you to take time out of your schedule for a mute point, so you can “be still” and bear fruit . . .

Slipper Slides and Training Wheels

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Kutter No Training Wheels 19 (Altered, Crop)Some of my early childhood memories made their home in my mind while I lived on Residence Street.  It was a small house across the street from Jefferson Elementary School.

I remember my kindergarten class that had a large slipper slide inside the classroom and the day an interesting visitor walked into class.  It was Peaches, my Boston Terrier who had come looking for me.

Even when I was in kindergarten, I would think of a hundred different places I would rather be than in class.  One day I poured my milk in my lap, just so I could walk home (across the street) and get a change of clothes.

I guess my favorite memory was Dad teaching me to ride my bike. He would run along behind me and hold on to the back of the bike as I pedaled.  I would take a quick peak to see if Dad was still behind me—it was always comforting to see him and know he was there.

We can know the same thing about our Heavenly Father.  He’s promised to never leave us, and we can also know:

  • God stands guard over us: “God can guard you so that you don’t fall and so that you can be full of joy as you stand in his glorious presence without fault (Jude 24).”
  • God’s strength is available to us: “The Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).”
  • God encourages us: “God our Father loved us and by his kindness gave us everlasting encouragement and good hope. Together with our Lord Jesus Christ, may he encourage and strengthen you to do and say everything that is good (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).”
  • God has an inheritance for us: “We have been born into a new life which has an inheritance that can’t be destroyed or corrupted and can’t fade away. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you, since you are guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time (I Peter 1:4-5).”

Dad had a great smile, and I only need to close my eyes to see it again and to hear his clear voice shout words of encouragement:  “You can do it son—keep pedaling!”

You can do it too.  You may need a little help, but the God who is your guard; your source of strength; and, your source of encouragement is ready to give you a little push as you pedal your way through life.

Is There a Little Bit of Moses in You?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

dogeatAfter hearing a robust young man give a lame excuse for being lazy, I was reminded of a couple of quotes:

  • H.V. Adolt said: We are all manufacturers. Making good, making trouble, or making excuses. 
  • Ben Franklin said: He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

How often do you act like Moses and try to shirk your responsibilities by giving God an excuse?  Never tell God that:

  • Something is impossible because “all things are possible with Him (Luke 18:27).
  • A job is too hard because you “can do all things through Christ” who has promised to strengthen you (Phil. 4:13).
  • You can’t make sense of things because God is committed to “direct your steps” and lead you through the maze of life  (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Whenever you find yourself struggling with the uncertainties of life, remember that God has not given you a spirit of fear.  “You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit (2 Timothy 1:7 ~Voice).”

The list in the verse about can be divided into two categories:

  1. What God did not give you: “a cowardly spirit.”
  2. What God did give you: “a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.”

Which one of the two categories defines the life you are living and the excuses you are making?

Discreetly Discrete

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

character_stonesSometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with strange or random thoughts on my mind.  When this happened recently, I was thinking of two statements that Jesus made:

  • The first is an admonition to be discreet: Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
  • The second is a command to be discrete: Be in the world, but not of the world.

As I thought about these two statements, the words discreet and discrete came to my mind.  Even though these words are homophones, they are not synonyms.  Discreet implies wisdom in your behavior or speech.  Discrete means: distinct or separate.

What section of the Bible outlines a discreetly discrete Christian life?  I think it’s the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:

  • Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
  • Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
  • Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
  • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
  • Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
  • Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
  • Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
  • Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

What change can you make to help you become a discreetly discrete person?

The Spice of Life

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

charleston_hot_peppers_white_background2This is the time of year that fresh produce is being grown in the gardens around town.  When the tomatoes ripen and the squash and zucchini are harvested, new recipes are tried as backyard chefs’ fire up their grills. The key ingredient to the success of these culinary endeavors is that special spice you add to the entrée as it simmers on the grill.

Is there a favorite spice you use when you cook?  Spices influence and change the flavor of food.  If you were the spice of life, how would your influence be experienced?

  • Would it be felt as true compassion or random passion?
  • Would you be experienced as a warming fire or dangerous and easily provoked ire?
  • Would your presence be recognized as sweet encouragement or bitter discouragement?

The difference between a good meal and a bad meal can be the difference between the right spice and a bad substitute.  If the recipe calls for sugar, you can’t expect to get good results if you substitute cayenne pepper.

The same is true will a spiritual counterfeit and a genuine servant of God.   The influence of one is positive and the influence of the other is negative.

Jesus said that you should “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned (Matthew 7: The Message).”

As the spice of life, are you genuine or a counterfeit?

Batman is Alive and Well

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

batmanDaniel Kish may not be a muscle-ripped superhero, but as an echo-locator he has bat-like abilities.  Even though he has been blind since he was 13 months old, “Kish navigates crowded streets on his bike, camps out in the wilderness, swims, dances and does other activities many would think impossible for a blind person (Discover Magazine).’

As a human echo-locator, Kish navigates his way through the darkness by using “audio cues given off by reflective surfaces in the environment (Discover Magazine).”  This is much like the technique used by bats and dolphins.

Kish’s skill as an echo-locator is an ability we all have; however, we are so visually oriented, we are blind to its presence.  To help people develop their echolocation skills, Kish says he is on a quest to help people learn to see with their ears.

Is it possible that we are so distracted by what we see that it handicaps our hearing?  There are times that we need to turn a blind eye to the visually enticing and learn to echo-locate, so we can “hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Seeing what the world has to offer without hearing what God has to say can you get you into trouble.  Eve is a good example:  “When she saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate (Genesis 3:6).”

Learning how to echo-locate will help you fine tune your life, so you can hear the voice of God:  “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty (Psalm 29:3-4).”

Paying and Staying Fit

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Horizon_Fitness_T101-3_TreadmillAny town of any size in the USA has some type of a gym or health club for the benefit of its citizens.  Many Americans strive to develop or maintain a regimen that leads to and promotes good health.

According to information from Yahoo:

  • 58 million Americans have a gym membership, but 67% of them never use their memberships.
  • Health clubs have annual revenues of about $21.8 billion.
  • The average cost per person for a membership is $58.
  • 5% of gym-goers use a personal trainers at an average price per session of $65.
  • Americans spend around $30 billion a year on athletic apparel.

While we should try to stay reasonably fit, we should place at least equal or more emphasis on praying to stay fit.  How would your life be different if you started a match program?

  • For every minute you spend trying to stay physically fit, you will match it with a minute of spiritual exercise (praying, reading your Bible, or speaking to someone about Jesus).
  • For every penny you spend paying to stay physically fit, you will give an equal amount to the Lord.

When you consider eternity, which one is of the greater benefit to you?  Is it paying to stay fit or praying to stay fit?

A Heavy Mettle Discussion

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

867bfc01-5e47-4d5f-a8e9-9a3d2f48f421_zps40643497I heard the sad story of a man who died recently. He had crawled under a house to steal the copper wiring and was electrocuted.

This is sad for a couple of reasons:

  • Copper prices are at historic lows, and this man lost his precious life trying to take something so cheap.
  • His attempt to steal was evidence of a steel less and easily tempted character

This copper incident reminds me of the judgment discussion that Paul had with the Christians at Corinth:

“You are God’s building.  As a skilled and experienced builder, I used the gift that God gave me to lay the foundation for that building. However, someone else is building on it. Each person must be careful how he builds on it.  After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ.  People may build on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw.  The day will make what each one does clearly visible because fire will reveal it. That fire will determine what kind of work each person has done.  If what a person has built survives, he will receive a reward.  If his work is burned up, he will suffer the loss. However, he will be saved, though it will be like going through a fire.”               ~I Corinthians 3:9-15

In the verses above Paul offers a  Double M Lesson:

  • The first M is Metal or the gold and silver.
  • The second M is Meddle or the wood, hay, and straw.
  • Paul uses these objects to frame his argument in the context of a quality of life versus a quantity of life perspective.

The metal and meddle aspects of your life will be judged by fire which “will determine what kind of work each person has done.”  The difference between your metal and meddle may be your mettle or the manner in which you confront the challenges of life and faithfully persevere.

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy he engaged in a little heavy mettle discussion:  “When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.”  ~2 Timothy 2:3-5

I encourage you to do what Paul admonished Timothy to do in the verses above:  “Think it over.”

The Nasty Secret of Bloodshot Eyes

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

article-2358570-1A9F7641000005DC-522_634x378It’s enough to make you cry!   You know what I mean . . the stinging sensation when your eyes began to burn after jumping into a swimming pool. Up to this point, you may have attributed the red eyes and stinging to chlorine in the water. I hate to be the one who breaks the news to you, but chlorine isn’t the chemical culprit:  It’s urine.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that when pool goers go in the pool, the urine binds with the chlorine and produces chloramine.  Not only is chloramine an eye irritant, it is also a derivative of ammonia that can cause respiratory problems among some swimmers.

If you find the thought of little tykes tinkling in the pool a bit disgusting, think about your stream of sins from God’s perspective.  Jesus said, “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution (Mark 7:20-23 from The Message).”

Are the habits that define you ones of pollution or purity?  Are they mortifying to God or glorifying to Him?  I encourage you to live a life that glorifies God by clothing yourself “with a holy way of life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).”