Do Your Part

Posted on August 20, 2019 by admin

When I think of interacting with difficult people, my first instinct is to avoid them. Sometimes, when I feel especially unable to respond well, I actively shut them out even if we’re in the same room. While this may be necessary from time to time (it’s sometimes better to say nothing than to say something hurtful), it’s not a healthy long-term approach. So, what is?

“Do your part to live at peace with everyone, as much as it is possible.” (Romans 12:18)

Between the lines of this verse is the idea that I can only do my part and that living in peace with others is not fully up to me. The next natural question for me, then, is… What exactly is my part?

The four verses just before Romans 12:18 provide some answers.

Bless others even if they’re difficult. (v. 14)
Share with others in good and bad times. (v. 15)
Don’t let pride get in the way. (v. 16)
Always do what is right. (v. 17)

The three verses after Romans 12:18 give even more direction.

Let God right any wrongs. (v. 19)
Meet others needs, even the needs of difficult people. (v. 20)
Doing good is a weapon. (v. 21)

God’s word is clear about how we should treat those who are difficult to treat well. These instructions help me want to please God with the way I treat difficult people.

After all, I cannot control others. My job is to do “my part.” I’ve made the decision once again to not let others decide what that part is but to instead let it be defined by God.

Setting the Example

Posted on August 13, 2019 by admin

Examples other people set these days discourage me. In all transparency, the example I set myself often discourages me too. Standards of character and quality seem so low sometimes, and so many people, myself included, seem to often settle for so much less than their best.

Just when I wonder if any solid examples exist, I recall the many people in the Bible who encourage me. In Philippians 2, for instance, Paul both tells us how to live and gives us examples of others to follow.

Timothy – Genuine friendship
Epaphroditus – Faithfulness and courage
Christ – Unity & humility

Paul’s letter encourages me to not only follow the examples set by Timothy, Epaphroditus, and especially Christ, but to also:

Be humble.
Be interested in others.
Stop complaining about others.
Have the attitude of Christ.
Hold tightly to God’s word.
Purpose to be a Godly example.

The Bible is filled with examples of those we can follow as we pursue holiness. Only one, Christ, gives a perfect example, but many others provide examples worthy of following.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

Remember! Don’t forget!

Posted on August 6, 2019 by admin

A “to do” list. Phone alerts. Emails when a bill is due. Push notifications.

We need constant reminders, don’t we? I know I do. Otherwise, I forget all too easily.

Unfortunately, forgetting is a more pervasive problem for me than just with my everyday tasks. It happens with bigger things too. I forget the good that has happened in my life. I need reminders.

It’s why I journal. It’s why I keep lots of family photographs displayed. It’s why I wear this bracelet.

This need for reminders is why God had His people in the Old Testament create memorials, usually with stones.

“Then Joshua called the twelve men he had chosen, and he told them, “Go into the Jordan ahead of the Covenant Box of the Lord your God. Each one of you take a stone on your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel. These stones will remind the people of what the Lord has done. In the future, when your children ask what these stones mean to you, you will tell them that the water of the Jordan stopped flowing when the Lord’s Covenant Box crossed the river. These stones will always remind the people of Israel of what happened here.” (Joshua 4:4-7)

This human tendency to forget is also why so many writers and prophets in the Old Testament repeated “remember” and “do not forget” so much. It’s why God’s people needed – it’s why we need – to be reminded over and over again of who God is, what he’s done, and what he promises to do.

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Don’t berate yourself for forgetting so easily. I have to remind myself of this often too. Instead, accept that forgetting easily is a reality of human life, then circumvent it as much as you can with memorials. Purposefully find ways to focus on God, not your feelings or the drama of the day. Simply remember His mercy and grace and make a habit of looking for them and for expecting them to happen again and again.

Vast & Unfailing

Posted on July 30, 2019 by admin

Vast

What first comes to mind when you think of the word vast? My first thoughts are of the ocean, the sky, and space.

Vast (adj.) = of very great area or extent; of very great size or proportions; huge; enormous; very great in number, quantity, amount, degree, intensity, etc.

When something is vast, it’s immeasurable; it can’t be contained.

“Your unfailing love is vast.” (Psalm 36:5)

While the ocean, the sky and space are vast beyond my comprehension, it’s truly mind-blowing to realize that God’s love is even more vast.

Unfailing

Then there’s the word before love: unfailing. Not only is His love vast, it never fails either.

Though the meaning of word unfailing seems obvious, I looked it up anyway and found more to it than I expected.

Unfailing (adj.) = not failing; not giving way; not falling short of expectation; completely dependable; inexhaustible; endless.

When I think of all the things in life that are failing, which is pretty much everything at some point, realizing that God isn’t is truly awe-inspiring. He never falls short of our expectations. In fact, he usually exceeds them.

Another way to say something is unfailing is to say that it never changes. While the ocean, the sky and space are certainly vast, they aren’t unfailing. They do change. In fact, I cannot think of anything that is unfailing and vast. Only God’s love.

“Your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” (Psalm 108:4)

Understanding God Through His Creation

Posted on July 23, 2019 by admin

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Ephesians 2:10)

God expresses himself through his handiwork, his creation. That includes both what we see in nature and ourselves as well. More personally, it means that everything you do and who you are potentially shows God’s handiwork and expresses what He is like to others.

“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

How does this change your view of yourself? Of what you do with your time?

Long-Term Prayer Request

Posted on July 16, 2019 by admin

My youngest son, Richard, (pictured on the left below) left for Navy boot camp today. He’ll be there for 8 weeks before going to training (military police) in San Antonio, TX. Please pray that he excels in both boot camp and MP training. Also, please pray that he finds the support and encouragement of Godly men in the military.

Also, the young man, Logan, on the right in the photo, leaves for Marine boot camp in August. Please keep him in your prayers as well. Thank you!

Cogito Ergo Sum

Posted on July 9, 2019 by admin

“I think, therefore I am.” – René Descartes

Because I think, I exist. That’s the sentiment behind this saying. Unfortunately, thinking no longer has value for many people.

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room.” – Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and Catholic theologian

Researchers tested Pascal’s thinking by giving individuals a choice between 15 minutes alone with only their thoughts or giving themselves an electric shock.

67% of men and 25% of women chose the electric shock (Sciencemag.org)

What would you choose? Do you struggle being alone with your thoughts?

“Thinking is the hardest work anyone can do, which is probably why we have so few thinkers.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist

Pascal (1623-1662) and Ford (1863-1947) spoke these words in cultures very different from today’s culture. Yet, as research shows, thinking seems to still be a struggle for many.

Our culture seems to be filled with people who don’t want to think much and who seem happy having their thoughts decided for them, usually via electronic channels. People are also very conditioned to being distracted, and this pushes their thinking in often multidirectional ways.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7

What does it mean, then, if someone doesn’t think for himself or can’t even be alone with his thoughts? What does that make him become? If someone would rather receive an electric shock than be alone with his own thoughts for just 15 minutes, what type of person is he becoming?

Food for thought.

My New 4th of July Perspective

Posted on July 2, 2019 by admin

Fireworks. Cookouts. Parades. Sarah’s birthday.

Without effort, these used to be my first thoughts when thinking about the 4^th of July.

With purposeful thinking…

Independence Day 1776. The Declaration of Independence. Freedom.

Now, as my youngest son prepares to go into the Navy in just 2 weeks, my perspective is different.

Sacrifice. Freedom isn’t free.

I always knew these truths, but they have become more real to me. Amazing how your perspective can change with the transitions of life’s seasons.

Refocus

Posted on June 25, 2019 by admin

Disconnected?

Ever long to connect with God through his word but feel disconnected when you read the words on the page? I do.

Even after years of teaching Bible studies and doing daily devotions, I sometimes feel disconnected from God. Sometimes, my mind simply fails to connect with what the Spirit of God is trying to say to me through the words of Scripture.

Deferred Pain

When this happens, it’s usually an indication of something else going on in my life. Deferred pain, if you will.

That “something,” in my experience, is usually a combination of small somethings that added up slowly over time and created a big disconnect. So, my first step usually involves awareness of those smaller things and, essentially, addressing the sources causing this deferred pain.

Developing Awareness

That awareness comes though quietness and prayer. Through these practices, the Holy Spirit’s voice rises to the top of all the other voices vying for my attention.

He usually begins with reminders and directives:

Nothing is beyond the reach of my power.
Quit trying to force things to happen.
Wait for me to work.
Acknowledge me.
I will direct you.
Focus your thoughts.
Quit letting your fears direct your focus.

Slowly, through meditation on His Word and just existing in quietness, I am redirected to looking at Jesus instead of trying to find answers and solutions.

Focus determines reality. A truth that I need continually reminded of in my life.

Green & Growing or Ripe & Rotting

Posted on June 18, 2019 by admin

Never Done

Housework. Healthy living. Good relationships. Learning. Parenting. Ministry. Faith.

None of these are ever really completed. Any completion is really only a step toward what’s next. In fact, if we get to the point where we are finished, we begin to die in that area.

Never being done frustrates me sometimes. Knowing my feelings of satisfaction over completing something are only temporary sometimes discourages me. There’s always more to be done. Always more to know. Always a “next” to move on to.

With one exception.

Tetelestai

“It is finished!” (John 19:30)

Jesus’s last word’s on the cross.

Tetelestai = It is finished. Bring to a close, complete, fulfill. It’s an accounting term that means something is “paid in full.”

The debt of sin owed God was gone. All of the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled. Done. Complete. No more “next.”

Peace in Completion

Jesus’s finished work has tremendous implications for us.

We have a message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
Sin and Satan have no power. (Ephesians 6:16)
We can live as new creations in Christ. (Ephesians 2:1,5)

Instead of being frustrated by the constant “more” and “not done” of life, I can find peace in what Jesus completed. I can choose to focus on what’s done and let it motivate what’s “next.”