True Friend or Sneaky Enemy?

An open rebuke
    is better than hidden love!

Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Proverbs 27:5-6 

 Do you have friends that you trust without question?  True friends are those who will be truthful with you whether you like it or not.  They have earned your trust and respect, so they have also earned the right to speak the truth to you without fear.

I have a friend who is in no way afraid to tell me when I have said or done something wrong, and I can do return the favor.  If I go to my friend complaining about some situation, I will usually hear something along the lines of "stop being a jackass" or "how DARE they".  True friends aren't afraid to tell the truth.

Now....I am HIGHLY suspicious of those who are tell me just what I want to hear all the time (most of the time I figure they are trying to sell me something or trying to get money out of me).  I would rather you tell me the truth than tell me sweet lies!

 

Living A Life Of Illusion

Pride goes before destruction,
    and haughtiness before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 

 

I like music.  Well.....let me change that to "I like MOST music" because there are some genre's and artists and songs that really just make my eardrums just want to explode.  But I digress.  One of the songs I rather enjoy is by Joe Walsh and is called, "Life of Illusion" (YouTube it and give it a listen).

 

The reason I bring this up is because many of us seem to be living a life of illusion, and we have done it so long that we actually believe it to be true.  Then when our illusion begins to crumble, we are left devastated and wondering why.  And the simple answer is, we were living a life of illusion.  We fool ourselves!  

 

Look at the photo.  It would appear that this vehicle is about to take a ramp to a lower section below the street.  However, this is 3D chalk art.  It is not real.  The car will simply drive over the drawing and keep going on its way.  Yet some drivers were truly stunned and believed that they were going to be descending the ramp to another place.

 

We do the same thing!  Until reality is staring us eyeball-to-eyeball and the bubble we chose to live in bursts.  I have seen the toughest of the tough weeps such bitter tears because they responded to a scene where a child was involved who was near the same age as one of their children or grandchildren.  I have seen the high and mighty reveal the cracks in their facade when they are caught in an unguarded moment.  And I have seen the face in the mirror reveal failure after failure especially when I refused to admit I had failed.

 

It's time for us to begin, right here and right now!  Let us stop Living The Life Of Illusion and be honest and real.  Our time on this Earth is limited, so why waste it trying to be something we are not? 

Faithful or Faithless?

Whoever can be trusted with a little can also be trusted with a lot, 

and whoever is dishonest with a little is dishonest with a lot. 

Luke 16:10 

 

Ever told someone you'd do something and then you decided later that you didn't want to do it, so you didn't.  Instead, you made an excuse.  Would you call that being "faithful"?  Yes, I'm trampling my own toes too.

 

I have yet to find anywhere in Scripture where we are told we are going to want or enjoy everything we agree to do.  However, I have found where we are instructed to take our vows, promises, commitments seriously and always be quick to fulfill them.  

 

Think about this, are you going to count on someone who constantly gives their word yet gives excuses when it's time to fulfill their promise?  How far are you willing to trust that person?  Now, do you have a friend you can trust implicitly? Why is that? Could it be they are faithful?

 

When we are faithful, we do what we agreed to do, whether we like it or not.  Here's the point God emphasized with me, it's not so much the deed but our faithfulness to do the deed that makes us truly faithful.

Get Your Simple On!

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

~Matthew 5:33-37

 

 I like things that are simple.  That's not to say that I like things that don't challenge me to think, but I do like simple things.  

I was called to be a witness in court not too long ago, and I was instructed that I must take an oath given to me by the Judge.  "Do you promise to tell the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God."  After my part was over, I started thinking about what Jesus said.  Jesus, in case you haven't figured it out yet, was all about SIMPLE!

In fact, He specifically tells us that we should keep our answers simple: "Just say a simple 'Yes, I will' or 'No, I won't' because anything more than that is of the devil.  Imagine how different our own little part of the world would be different if we kept things just that simple!  

 

"Honey, did you eat the last doughnut?"  

"Yes"

"Are you supposed to have doughnuts?"

"No"

"So you're going to exercise a little extra today to work off that doughnut?"

"Ummmm......no."

Simple!  Confucius has been credited with saying, "Life is simple...it is WE who complicate it."  I do believe there's quite a lot of truth in that!

BE The Real Deal!

Meanwhile, God did amazing miracles through Paul. ¹² People would take a handkerchief or article of clothing that had touched Paul’s skin and bring it to their sick friends or relatives, and the patients would be cured of their diseases or released from the evil spirits that oppressed them. Some itinerant Jewish exorcists noticed Paul’s success in this regard, so they tried to use the name of Jesus, the King, in an exorcism they were performing.

Imagine this: There are seven of them, all sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva, gathered around a demonized man in a house.

One of the Jewish Exorcists: I command you to depart, by the Jesus proclaimed by Paul!

Evil Spirit: Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?

 Then the man leaps up, attacks them all, rips off their clothing, and beats them so badly that they run out of the house stark naked and covered in bruises.

~Acts 19:11-16

When I was growing older (but not up), this was one of my favorite stories because the arrogant fakes got their backsides handed to them in a big way.  Never have been a fan of fake.  Know any fake people?  The ones who are nice to the "right" people because it suits their needs and then they turn right around and stab the same people in the back.  Maybe you've been the stabber (I have) and perhaps you've been the stabbee (I have).  

  

I get to see it quite often.  People who speak fluent profanity until they see me standing there and then it's "Sorry Padre" and the mask goes in place hiding the genuine person for the extent of my stay. 

Look at today's Scripture.  We see the Seven sons of a Jewish priest trying to fake their way to success by claiming to be itinerant exorcists.  They saw that the Apostle Paul had been quite successful in fighting evil so they figured if they say the "right words" the evil will flee from them too.  Let me tell you something about the "right words"...they are HOGWASH!!!  God does not look at our outward appearance and certainly doesn't give too much credence to the "right words" we say in prayer.  God looks at the intentions of our heart!

What happened to the Sons of Sceva when they used the "right words" for the wrong reasons?  They got their butts handed to them in a HUGE way!

Be GENUINE!  Be Sincere!  Be Real!  Fake is not a good look for anyone! 

Want An Easy Life?

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. 

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. 

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

~John 16:33 

"Why is life so hard?  Why can't it be simple?"  I have heard this, and said this, many times.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything in life was easy?  And I remember something my parents taught me from an early age, if it's easy it's not appreciated.  I was taught that if I wanted an allowance every week, then I had chores to do.  If I didn't do my chores, and do them well, then I would not receive the allowance.

Keeping that in mind, consider this: Jesus stated "Here on earth you WILL HAVE trials and sorrows."  There's no question about that! We are going to have struggles.  But these struggles are not meant to destroy us, but to strengthen us!  Now, there ARE people who seem to believe that they shouldn't have to do anything because they expect others to give them everything.  This is not life!  This is being a slave to convenience!

When you have a rough spot on a piece of wood, what do you do?  You use sandpaper (which is a rough surface) to smooth out the rough spot.  The friction and the scraping of one rough surface against another produces a smooth surface.  Hmmmm....."Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" - Proverbs 27:17

Life is rough?  Good! Because if it were easy we would have no adventure.  If it were easy we wouldn't learn anything.  If it were easy, it wouldn't be a life, it would be merely an "existence."   If it were easy, we wouldn't need to turn to God.

Come To The Dark Side

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

~ 1 Peter 4:12-13

 

I remember seeing a documentary on salmon when I was in grade school (and we had a substitute teacher with no lesson plan).  The thing that struck me about salmon is that when it is time to spawn, they head upstream against the current, fighting to overcome the waterfalls, the bears, the fishermen, and all sorts of challenges just so they can spawn. This made me wonder, would it not have been much simpler to just find some shallow pool along the way to spawn?

 

I asked my Grampa, who was an avid fisherman, why the salmon endured all that just to spawn.  Honestly, I was expecting some of his sage wisdom like "because they are stupid" or "Bears and fishermen have to eat."  Instead, his answer made me thing even more because he said, "They do it to teach us."  I didn't understand that answer no matter how much I pondered it.  It wasn't until I was in college that the simplicity of his wisdom hit me like a speed train.  During chapel one Tuesday, the speaker said "Let's face facts, if sin wasn't easy and fun our enemy would be out of a job.  If you aren't bumping into the enemy, you are walking with the enemy."

 

This made everything pretty clear for me.  I shouldn't be surprised when I am tempted to do wrong because the temptation comes in the fact that doing wrong is easy, popular, and fun.  Doing what is right is often difficult because you are going against the popular opinion, and because it is unpopular doing what is right is not fun.  BUT doing the right thing in spite of popular opinion and personal discomfort is what God has called us to do.  God calls us to be different than the world.  God calls us to be weird like that.  

 

So......HI, My name is Paul and I rather like being weird.  Don't always get it right, but I do try and do try to learn. How about you? 

We Are Peace!

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. 

Be the best at showing honor to each other. Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! 

Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.  

Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying.  

Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. 
Don’t think that you’re so smart. 
 Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.

If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people.
~Romans 12:9-18

Today, I ask only that you carefully and prayerfully read this passage, then reflect on it from THIS perspective: PEACE...IT BEGINS WITH ME!