Knee-Jerk Responses or Just Being A Jerk?

Better to be patient than a warrior,
    and better to have self-control than to capture a city.

Proverbs 16:32 

Have you ever noticed that when something happens knee-jerk responses are the first things we hear about?  Let's say, some pizza restaurant owner decides that his employees deserve to have a day off and chooses that day to be Thursday.  Within hours, there are reports and speculations as to why the owner chose Thursday.  Then come those I Love Thursday people who demand a boycott of the restaurant because they "have a right" to eat pizza at this restaurant (which they now despise) on Thursday. Then there's a call to boycott pizza! And on and on and on.....the knee-jerk responses get weirder and weirder!

Have we lost our senses?  Have we lost the ability to actually think rather than overreact?  Okay, granted if you kick me in the shin, I'm liable to say some quite unclergy things and probably kick you back.  But we, as a group, seem to want to take things to the extreme!

When does it stop?  What would have happened if, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, God decided not only would Adam and Eve would be destroyed, but He destroyed the Garden, then the world, then the Universe?  Overreaction perhaps?

Patience is, like all virtues, learned (and not very easily, I might add).  If we took the time to think about how our actions impact, not just us, but everyone else, we would be a lot calmer.

I looked back at the Mother Emmanuel shooting and saw how the congregation members, family members, faith community members, and city members all came together in peace.  Were they hurting?  ABSOLUTELY!  But they did not encourage riots, they did not call for retaliation, they did not trash and burn Charleston.  They came together to comfort one another!  THAT takes calm.  THAT takes patience.  THAT takes love!

Take time to think! Thank about how many times Scripture states, "Peace be with you"

I Can Do It MYSELF!

When pride comes, then comes shame;
    but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2

I must confess, I am astounded by the number of people I get to talk with who listen intently (or pretend to), agree with the wisdom I impart (or they just smile and nod), and then tell me "Thanks, but I'm good. I've got this. I don't need any help."  Sooooooo......we've just wasted all this time discussing an issue you've already decided help was not needed?

 

We're a stubborn and proud bunch, aren't we? Ask my bride if you don't believe it.  There are people who go through life as if the streetcar they are riding in has triangular wheels (and a moment for that image to set in).  They bump along wondering why life is so unfair and why others seem to have it all, and when help is offered, their stubborn pride kicks in and they claim they need no help.

 

But consider this, and this point has been raised before, if we were able to handle everything ourselves....why are there so many of us?  You see, if we could handle everything ourselves, no one else would be needed, thus, we would be alone (and be okay with that).  But the TRUTH is, we need each other!  We can't and (here's the kicker) don't have to face life's battles alone!

 

Ever notice that when we get all prideful and "don't need anyone's help" that suddenly we are put in a situation that we cannot handle alone?  Hmmm.....coincidence?  One of the things I have learned from my 53+ years of doing life wrong is that I have 53+ years of learning to share. 

 

 I know I cannot do everything by myself (as much as I would like to think I could).

I know that I need help (and you may stop laughing any time now, if you please).

I know I can be stubborn and prideful (and my bride just snorted trying to stifle a laugh).

I know that I'm not the only one.....

 

God tends to humble the proud and the stubborn.  But God is merciful in that He allows us to learn from each other.  

Life Falling Apart?

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
    you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude

I lay down and slept,
    yet I woke up in safety,
    for the Lord was watching over me.

Psalm 3:3-5 

Have you ever felt like your life imploded and you are dropping bits and pieces of yourself as you walk through your day?  Have you ever thought "No one can help me"?  Have you ever been envious, perhaps even jealous, of those who seem to have everything float into their laps on gossamer wings? (Yeah, I want to punch them too).

Where can we find help?  Where can we find that boost to help us make it through life regardless of our circumstances?  Where can we find a sense of calm and comfort?

Look at today's passage!  When we put our complete trust in God, amazing things happen if we pay attention.  When we focus on Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, a new life will emerge that we thought to be impossible. 

My life seems to have crumbled many times, and that reminds me where I need to seek comfort and where I need to put my focus (and my focus should NOT be on me).  Then slowly, day by day, things began to change, beginning with my outlook and attitude.  I am not so stupid as to tell you that your life will suddenly become everything YOU hoped and dreamed, but I will tell you that "He who began a good work in you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day Jesus Christ returns" (Philippians 1:6).

My Point: God has a plan for each one of us and NOTHING can stop Him from completing that plan for you. 

What's Wrong With Me?

I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. And if I do not want to do the hated things I do, that means I agree that the law is good. But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them. Yes, I know that nothing good lives in me—I mean nothing good lives in the part of me that is earthly and sinful. I want to do the things that are good, but I do not do them. I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the bad things I do not want to do. So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them. It is sin living in me that does those things.

Romans 7:15-20

When I was younger, it seemed as though I was in trouble a LOT!  And by a LOT, I mean every day, many times a day.  It's not that I tried to mess up.....okay, not all the time.  But it seemed like I would find myself in trouble for something I did or something I said more times than not.  And I just could not understand it.  I wanted to do good things and make my parents, teachers, people in general, proud of me or, at least, happy I was around, but that just didn't seem to every work out.

I would sit in church and Sunday School and hear the stories of that make the Disciples sound like they were angelic.  I heard the stories of how the Apostle Paul was the epitome of perfection.  The more I heard these stories and the more I looked at my own life, the more depressed and frustrated I became.  I would get so angry with myself that I would wonder "why bother? I'm NEVER going to get this right. I'm never going to be 'good enough' just like I had been told so many times before."  

And it wasn't until after college that I actually looked deeper into this passage.  Up until that point, I had read the Scriptures like I read the ingredients on a cereal box (in my mind it sounded like Charlie Brown's Teacher "Blah, blah, blah" in my head).  Imagine my response when I realized that this venerated Apostle, who had been shown to me as if he were perfection incarnate, comes right out and says, "Why do I keep doing the bad things I don't want to do?"  BAM!!!  The golden veneer shattered and the truth was released!  Paul was just a human being like me.  Paul had the same issues that I did.  Paul made mistakes, was argumentative (he and Barnabas argued so violently that they went their separate ways), so why had I wasted ALL this time beating myself up?

Because I had not learned that my human nature did not change when I accepted Christ.  My human nature didn't change when I was baptized.  My DESIRE changed because I wanted to do right, but my human nature did not change because my soul is still trapped in this human body.

This is why Jesus gave His took my place on the cross.  This is why His blood paid the price for my sin.  So I can learn to stop beating myself up with my past and my seeming talent to screw life up!  

Presently Past or Past The Past?

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

 What is the purpose of the past?  The past is the time from whence we survived until the present.  Can we vacation there? We might try, but with little to no success.  Can we live there?  Believe it or not, there are lots of people who try to live in the past.  You will hear them tell tales of their past accomplishments over and over.  They will point to particular memorabilia which represent only moments in time.  

Then there are those who beat themselves with the past.  Some will lose themselves in their pasts.  Some will be so focused on their past that they cannot seem to move forward with any joy at all.  It's as if they have become extra in the "Walking Dead" just wandering through the present as if lost in a fog.

Look at today's verses.  The word Paul uses for "Forgetting" quite literally means "no longer caring for, neglecting, refusing to focus on."  What a precious gift God has given us of being able to ONLY live in the present!  It is very easy to focus on where we have BEEN (good or bad) because those moments have helped shape us, but we cannot focus our lives there.

Paul is not telling us to wipe the past from our minds as if it never existed.  He is telling us to focus on the present and press on toward the future having LEARNED FROM the past.  Let's face it, there are some parts of our past that we cannot forget and any attempt to remove them from our memory will only make then stand out even more.  We must learn to accept our past (which can not be changed) and live in the present in order to change our future.

Clinging to the past is like standing waist deep in wet concrete. People try to help you move  forward and climb out of the concrete because, if you don't, you will be stuck. Nothing bogs down present performance like carrying the loads of the past.  When we realize that we are not prisoners of our past!  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, "When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!"

Let "Glory Days" be fond memories and a pretty awesome Bruce Springsteen song, but not your prison! 

  

Let Our Father Be Our Father

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.

Proverbs 22:6

That great theologian, Jimmy Buffett, spoke of this in his song "Delaney Talks To Statues" where he describes how his daughter talks to statues in her own special way (as children are wont to do), how her childhood was spend enjoying life with her Father and how he would tuck her into bed and think she's growing up too fast.  We never truly believe that we have enough time to share everything with our children that we think they need to know.  

I'll admit that most of the wisdom I was told when I was growing up, I didn't really think was relevant at the time.  HOWEVER, I have since learned that most of it isn't just relevant, it is vital to existence.  Things like "don't jump off the roof, the umbrella is NOT a parachute"; "I don't care what your brother told you, frogs aren't supposed to fly."  

But some of the things are beginning to make sense:

     *  Take time to look around and enjoy God's beauty.

     *  Take time to laugh.

     *  Love others.

     *  Share your life with others.

     *  Talk with one another.

     *  Teach respect and courtesy by example.

And listen to this: Delaney

How Guilty ARE You?

But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

I remember watching a farmer try to teach his son how to plow the field properly.  The cow did exactly what it was supposed to do and pulled the plow.  The son, however, kept looking back at the furrows to see if they were straight and could not understand why they weren't.  The farmer told the boy to focus on a point straight ahead of him and guide the cow toward that point and the furrow would be straight.  The boy did fine for the next couple of furrows and then he began looking back again to see how they were going and got angry that the furrows were not straight.

 

Son: "That stupid cow can't plow a straight line for anything."

 

Farmer: "It ain't the cow's fault boy. You're the one who kept looking behind instead of ahead."

 

Son: "But that stupid cow kept messing up.  That cow knew how to walk a straight line and didn't. That cow should be shot!!!  That cow is SO Stupid!  How can that idiot beast do this to ME?  Now my friends will never thing I can be a farmer."

 

Farmer: "Son, when you're finished blaming, put on your big boy pants, and stop focusing behind.  FOCUS ON WHAT'S AHEAD!  The cow goes only where you LEAD her. So stop being a jackass or I'll let you try plowing with a jackass, ya'll have a lot in common."

 

This story makes quite a number of points, but the one I want to focus on is the GUILT FACTOR.  How many times do we look at someone's past, after they have admitted their mistakes and have taken steps to correct their mistakes, but we just keep hammering the guilt factor home like a blacksmith pounds iron on his anvil.

 

When you're feeling the need to drop the guilt hammer on someone for their past faults that they have admitted to and are working to restore themselves to you, do this:

 

          Go look in the mirror and remember: "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." Romans 3:23

 

So before you break out the Guilt Hammer again, ask yourself if you are perfect.  "I'm not perfect, but as least I didn't do what THEY did!"  True, but that still doesn't make you without sin, now does it?

 

Remember the story of the Adulterous Woman in John chapter 8?  The Self-Righteous folk demanded that this woman be found guilty and then beaten with rocks until she was dead.  Was she guilty?  Absolutely. She was caught "in the very act."  So what was Jesus' response to the Self-Righteous Folk?  "If you are incapable of sin, throw the first stone" (John 8:7).  

 

What was Jesus' to the woman guilty of adultery?  "I will not condemn you.  Go and THIS sin do never again!"

 

So my question to you holding the Guilt Hammer ready to rain down destruction....how guilty are YOU? 

 

 

Get Smart!

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

 

Some of you will remember the television "Get Smart."  I remember being glued to the television watching the antics of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.  One of the catchphrases I remember from that series was Maxwell Smart's cliche: "Missed it by THAT much."

 

I remember using that catchphrase every chance I could, especially when I particularly stunk at Little League Baseball (which was most of the time, with a few shining moments).  Yeah, I was kinda geeky like that.  

 

As I have gotten older, and grown up (depending on when you talk with my bride), I have learned a little something about people as a species.  No matter how hard we try; no matter how much effort we invest; no matter how well we plan; no matter how much we practice, we're always going to fall short at some point.  I can remember spending countless hours at batting practice and doing pretty well.  However, on game day, I stunk.  No matter how hard I tried, baseball just didn't seem to want me to play.

 

Then, as life continued, I tried so hard to follow the rules and get everything right so when it came time for my nightly prayers I could tell God, "Look!  I got everything right today! Aren't you proud of me?"  Yet, I just could not seem to get it right, always "Missed by this much", and it frustrated me to the point I quit trying for a while (and life did NOT get any better). 

 

One of my absolute favorite pastors made quite the astute observation when he revealed that Apostle who we venerated so highly, as if he could do no wrong, came right out and stated the obvious: "Everyone has messed up; we miss God's standard by this much every single day."  Well now, if Paul said it then it must be true! And if it is true, then what hope do I have of EVER warranting God's love?  

 

That was when the bombshell was dropped on my grey goop like a wrecking ball: "Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins" (verse 24).  Because of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross in my place, and because I embrace that with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, then God freed me from the penalty of my wrongdoing.

 

Let me be clear here, freed from the God's penalty of everlasting death, we will still have to deal with the consequences of our wrongs. If I clog my arteries because of my eating habits (which I have done for most of my life), then God will forgive me for doing that, but I still have to deal with the physical issues my choices have created.  BUT the fantastic news is, as a Believer, my body will fail but God never fails!  My spirit has been His child since before time, and will be His child long after time has stopped being recorded.  

Pity or Compassion?

Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

  Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Matthew 8:1-3

Did you realize that there's a difference between "Pity" and "Compassion"?  Sadly we have been lead to believe that they are one in the same, but that's just not true. They are vastly different as coffee is to sand.  

You see, pity can be done from a difference at our convenience and then can be forgotten.  Take, for example, all of the advertisements showing terrified animals with the voice-over sounding as if they are about to cry while telling you that all you have to do to save all the animals in the world is send them your "gift" of $19.00 each month (and they'll sent you a blanket or t-shirt or stuffed animal).  Pity gives you the option to send them the check and do nothing else or just do nothing else.

Pity gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you throw up a hashtag on Social Media and change your Avatar to the latest popular crisis, but what do you actually DO to help?

You see, COMPASSION drives us to action!  Let me say that again, COMPASSION DRIVES US TO ACTION!  If we see someone who is has suffered the loss of a loved one, and you have also experienced such a loss, compassion will drive you to seek to comfort that person.  If you see someone who is hungry, Compassion will drive you to help them get food because you understand what being hungry feels like.   Compassion is driven by empathy, because we have an understanding something of what the other person is feeling, experiencing, or thinking.

When the leper approached Jesus and asked for healing, Jesus understood what it felt like to be rejected and despised and the loneliness of facing every day knowing you were not welcome.  Jesus understood that, which generated His compassion, which drove Him to act!  Not only did Jesus agree to help with the leper's physical distress, Jesus dealt with the leper's emotional distress as well when He touched him.

Given the tragedies we have seen over the last year, do you feel pity or does compassion drive you into action of seeking to bring comfort?  

"But I don't know what to do."  Don't you?  Start with those who are closest to you and remind them that they matter to you simply because you understand what it feels like to feel helpless.  You'd be surprised how small acts of compassion can have a HUGE impact!

 

It's Time To Pray

I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him. Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. 

1 Timothy 2:1-2

I have followed some of the back and forth bashings of those seeking political office and their supporters, and I openly admit that I got caught up in the bashing too for which I ask forgiveness for my participation.  Today's verse stuck out for me because of the simple command Paul gives us: PRAY FOR EVERYONE! 

Consider this: we are never told to pray only for the people we like.  We are told to pray even for those who persecute us and treat us badly and even for those who hate us.  It's pretty easy to mouth a "Thank you God for this person I like and I ask your blessings on them."  

But what about the person we don't like?  "Father, this person and I cannot seem to get along yet You have caused our lives to come together for some reason I don't know yet.  Help us to open the door for true and honest conversation.  Help us to learn to tolerate each other and perhaps even like each other.  Reveal to BOTH of us why You brought us together."

Prayer is a truly simple, powerful and amazingly astounding force!  Through prayer, we can be humbled and taught to care for the people we once hated.  Through prayer our lives can change.  Through prayer we can find peace that our soul has sought for so long.  Through prayer WE can be changed!  And when we learn to pray for others, we will begin to find healing for the wounds we have kept open.  Prayer is a powerful force!

Simple Prayer

“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Luke 8:48

When you think of prayer, does your mind immediately go to those blustery long dust-filled speeches?  Do you remember, with fear and trepidation, when "that person" was called upon to offer the Benediction and the grabbed the pack of the pew in front of them to launch into an hour long speech?  How about the prayers where "Father God" is every other phrase used?

 

Prayer is simple.  Prayer is a conversation with the One who knows you better than you could possibly know yourself. Peter, when he walked on the water at Jesus' invitation, and when Peter got distracted and started to sink, his prayer was very simple: "HELP!"  Sometimes prayers don't even have to be spoken out loud.  Remember the woman with the bleeding issue?  Her unvoiced prayer was "If only I can just touch the hem of his robe, I can be healed."  She worked her way to Jesus, and her prayer was answered.

 

Prayer isn't about how much we say.  Prayer isn't about having perfect grammar.  Prayer isn't about saying the right magical words so God will hear you.  Prayer is not for everyone else to hear.  If we aren't careful, prayer can make us feel smug because we believe everyone is impressed with our ability to articulate for hours on end (when actually they are just grateful that the prayer FINALLY ended).

 

Prayer is letting your heart speak!  It can be a quick as "HELP!" and it can be a simple as "fill me with Your peace."  Prayer is a conversation, so talk with your Father because He hears, not only our words, but the groanings of our spirit.

What Will Be Your Last Words?

"...Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age."

Matthew 28:20b 

 

There has been quite a lot of discussion, even volumes of books written, on the last words of Jesus.  Now, normally, the "last words" are the last thing that is said before we die.  But, consider that Jesus died.....then CAME BACK!  Therefore, I would like to look at this from a slightly different angle.

 

I have a confession to make: a while back, I got angry with my bride about something ultimately insignificant, and I stormed off to bed without a word.  And, as per God's usual practice, I was smacked wide awake at 3:17am the next morning with the burning question from God: "If I called you home right now, what would her last memory of you be?"

 

I've been poked between the eyes and head slapped by God before, and it was a humbling experience.  But this time it was different.  The more I thought about the question, the more my heart broke!  What last memory of me would I want my bride to have?

 

According to Matthew, the last thing Jesus told His Disciples was that He would be with then EVERY DAY until the end of the age.  That's quite a comforting thought to leave them with.

 

I have since been able to ask the same question of others: If the next breath was your last on this earth, what would be the memory your spouse would have of you?  Would it be someone so angry that they just cannot see past the rage?  Would it be someone who laughed and didn't take life seriously but took their relationships seriously?  Would it be someone who was so filled with compassion that they couldn't help but reach out to others?  Would it be that you were a complete idiot who just had to put everyone down?

 

What will be the last memory others have of you?

Put Your Mind To It!

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is worthy of respect, 

whatever is just, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 

Philippians 4:8

Ever been surprised (shocked, dismay, embarrassed) when your child suddenly blurts out something you didn't think they heard (or understood)?  

 

Ever wonder why we have such a hard time finding the truth within all the "half-truths" (if it's only half true, it's a complete lie)?  

 

What do we put into our minds?  What are our minds addicted to?  What kind of thoughts grab your mind and focus?

 

Our minds can only work with the information that it has been given.  If you want a mind that is sharp and discerning, fill your mind with things that will sharpen it.  If you want the "Animal House" mentality where nothing matters and it's always someone else's fault, fill your mind with garbage.

 

We are bombarded with all sorts of things that are aimed at attracting our attention and grabbing our minds (having that perfect body, having that sportscar, taking that dream vacation, having that perfect job) and it is OUR responsibility to filter through all that information.  The Apostle Paul gives us the filter settings, we only need to apply them stringently!

 

"But that takes SO MUCH work!"  Yeah, I say that too.  And I remembered (most of the time) that if sin wasn't fun and easy, we wouldn't bother with it.  Guarding the mind is tough!  Guarding our mind, is challenging!  But look at it this way, it's the ONLY mind you get. Renew your mind in Christ and focus on Him!  

 

Let's face it, we think about what interests us.  What interests you?