Tailor Made

Don’t you see, you planned to be rid of me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people.

Genesis 50:20 

Look at the life of Joseph, beloved son of Jacob:  

     *  His brothers didn't like him, so they threw him in a pit, then sold him into slavery, then they LIED to their own father about what happened.

     *  The person who bought him as a slave in Egypt happened to be a very powerful person.  Joseph went about his duties in such a way that God raised his reputation in the household and Joseph was put in charge of the household.  But his owner's wife didn't like the way Joseph didn't do what she wanted, when she wanted, so she LIED to everyone, especially her husband, and Joseph was thrown out of the house and into jail.

     *  While Joseph was in jail, he was a model prisoner, the head jailer put him in charge of the entire operation and gave him free reign.  Joseph even explained to other inmates about their dreams.  The other inmates, who worked for the king, told Joseph that they would get him released when they talked with the king.  And they forgot about him.

     * When the Pharaoh had a dream he didn't understand, suddenly Joseph was remembered by the former inmate and Pharaoh sent for him.  When Joseph explained the Pharaoh's dream, he was put in charge of the entire land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

     * Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to get food and had to face Joseph, who they had gotten rid of years earlier.  Eventually, Joseph told his brothers who he was and they were afraid and ashamed because of the way they had treated Joseph.

Pause here for a moment:  You may not like the way things are going in your life.  You may not think it's fair.  People may have treated you in ways you thought were unfair, unpleasant, and outright cruel.  They may have, as Joseph's brothers, tried to get rid of you.  Because of all this, you may feel depressed, useless, worthless...BUT remember, that God's plans for you have been tailor made JUST FOR YOU!  I guarantee you that Joseph didn't like all that happened to him, but wherever he found himself, he remembered that he worked for God!  

And God's plans for Joseph proved it!  Take your discouragement, your anger, your frustration, your hurt to God and LEAVE IT WITH HIM!  You will be amazed how God's plans for you turn out for your good and His glory!

   

Not Guilty? Honestly?

Yes, what joy for those
    whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

Psalm 32:2 

 

You've heard the oath witnesses take when they are called to the stand in court. "I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God."  Yesterday, we talked about our accuser who loves to accuse us before God.  And guess what another one his lies would be?  Telling us that we can HIDE our sin from God and not have to declare it.  You see, God's grace is available for us, but we have to be completely honest with Him!  Anything less is a lie!

 

Let me share something with you, there are times when my sins are so bad that I am embarrassed to admit to God, who already knows the truth, that I committed those sins.  However, God's love for me is such that He reminds me that "the TRUTH shall set you free" and there is NOTHING I can ever do that will change how much He loves me.  And, when I finally admit it, God's love fills me to overflowing and the stress of trying to hide it is washed away by the Blood of Christ.

 

We have a choice: Listen to the lie, or rely on the TRUTH!

May We Be Honest?

But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.

Zechariah 8:16 

 

Have you ever had a horrible day and someone asks you how you are doing?  What answer did you give?  I'll wager the answer was "I'm good" or some derivation of that.  You see, we are willing to lie because we don't want anyone to know that we are struggling.  We want to have the appearance of being impervious.  

 

Let me plant a thought: How can anyone help you if you don't tell them what's going on?  When you go to the Doctor, do you tell the doctor "I'm okay" or do you tell the doctor what's going on so the doctor can help you?  Then why do we hide from those we know and trust?

  

If someone tells me that they trust me and then lie to me by telling me "I'm fine" when I KNOW differently (by the way they are acting) then you have just offended me.  Now, I will forgive you for offending me, but I will also remind you that I KNOW you are not "fine."

 

"Tell the TRUTH TO EACH OTHER" It doesn't get much clearer than that!  We are friends for a reason: so lift each other up, pray with and for each other, rely on each other, encourage each other, sharpen each other!

"You're Right, But I'm Not Listening"

Listen to advice and accept correction,
    and in the end you will be wise.

Proverbs 19:20

Have you ever had someone tell you that you're counsel was correct and then kept to their "comfort zone" because actually implementing the counsel would create a conflict?  Or you try to help someone stop being a doormat, yet they choose to remain a doormat?

 

Why is that?  Why do we seem to insist that wisdom is irrelevant?  Why to we lie and say "I agree" knowing that everything will remain the same?  Why do we claim to respect wisdom yet refuse to heed it?

 

Because we are a stubborn bunch.  Because we don't like conflict.  Because it's easier to live miserably and just roll on being used than it is to change for the better.

 

Here's an analogy that was used on me: 

 "If you break your leg, you have a choice to make: go to the doctor and have it set or ignore it and hope it will heal on its own.  If you choose to ignore it, you could get gangrene which you will have to either go to the hospital or die.  If you choose to let the doctor set your leg, it's going to hurt, but it will heal properly.  You will have to endure some discomfort for a bit, but eventually you will be able to walk, run, dance and enjoy life.  It's YOUR choice!"

 

I've used this analogy several times when counseling others.  Some have listened and made some tough decisions.  Some have decided to hear but not listen, and are still miserable.

 

Remember when Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler what he must do to receive eternal life?  Jesus told him to make some tough decisions and changes, but the man refused and walked away miserable.

 

Consider today if there are some tough decisions that need to be made and are you willing to make them.  

How Many Lives?

Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. 

You will reap exactly what you plant. 

Galatians 5:7 

 

Wouldn't it be good if we were all like Pinocchio, so that every time we told a lie our noses would grow?  I'm willing to wager that the world would be a much quieter place because people would be afraid to talk. Yet we seem to enjoy telling each other what we think they want to hear so we can get what WE want out of them.  And, on the other side of that, there are those who will blindly believe everything they are told by some because they want to be "supportive" and "help them."  

 

There is a word for the ones who blindly believe....ENABLER!  We are willing to believe any melodramatic tale, any wild story, any improbable yarn because we want to be helpful and we don't want to be "Confrontational."  So, we listen.....we give in......and we lose a bit of ourselves every single time....then when our enabling is pointed out....WE become the liars (agreeing with the person who pointed out our enabling, telling them whatever we think they want to hear so we can go right back to being a doormat for the person we are enabling).  Grandparents do this with their grandchildren.  Parents do this with their children.  And on and on.  Because life is "mean" and we "don't want them to get hurt."  

 

So we enable.  We give.   Then we lie to others.  Every lie we tell damages the very relationship that could help us.  Yet we don't seem to want help.  We have gotten used to being used.  

 

Remember this: "NO ONE makes a fool of God!"  Did you get that?  NO ONE!  What a person plants is what they will reap.  If you plant lies, expect to be lied to.  In Galatians 6:5, the Apostle Paul is crystal clear:  "EACH OF YOU MUST CARRY HIS OWN LOAD!" 

 

Remember the story of the Prodigal Son?  The son had to face the reality of his own decisions and actions!  The father forgave him and welcomed him back AFTER he understood that his actions had consequences.  AND the father reminded the other son that the prodigal was no longer entitled to any inheritance because he had already squandered his share.

 

So think about this:  YOU have your OWN life to live.    If you have vowed before God to share that life with your spouse, NOTHING should get in the way and NO ONE should be put between you and your spouse!  When we enable, we destroy our own lives, the lives of the ones we are enabling, and any relationships we had hoped to encourage us.

 

In other words, "You can't through manure in the well and serve it up as pudding!"

Words Words Words....Time to GROW UP!

It’s just the same with our tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of great eloquence.  And do you know how many forest fires begin with a single ember from a small campfire? The tongue is a blazing fire seeking to ignite an entire world of vices. The tongue is unique among all parts of the body because it is capable of corrupting the whole body. If that were not enough, it ignites and consumes the course of creation with a fuel that originates in hell itself. James 3:5-6 

Ever had someone say something about you that really hurt?  When I was a child, I was almost always the smallest person in my class.  And, thus, almost always the target of the comments and insults children are prone so fire as a "joke."  I was told to just remember, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  

May I share a bitter truth?  That little quip I was told to remember was, and is, a LIE!  I would rather have been beaten senseless with sticks and stones than have to endure the bitter, sharp, cruel words.

Did you know that what we say can not only hurt someone's feelings, but can also damage or destroy their reputation, or worse, destroy the person's life?  Enter the internet's Social Media sites.  People take things posted on Social Media WAY too seriously.  I have to shake my head when I see some of the cruel and hurtful things posted.  I have to wonder why.  Why was it SO important to air your drama?  Was it to seek support from others who don't know (or care to know) ALL the facts?  Was it to try to get others to feel sorry for the poster (oh you poor thing)? 

My Gramma once told me, "If you wouldn't want it said about you then don't say it about anyone else."  Wise advice!  

We must be careful of what we say and to whom we say it.  Ecclesiastes 5:2 reminds us "Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.
Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.
God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better."

Speak less, speak truth, speak only in love! 

 

Protect Your Mind!

And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 

~Romans 16:17-18

Did you know that there are people who are divisive?  We see it every single day.  The divisive people are usually those who are too cowardly to step into the light of view and debate.  They choose to cast stones from the shadows without regard to who will be hurt by their words. Divisive people stir up trouble and seem to enjoy the chaos, again because they do so from the shadows.  

The Apostle Paul reminds us to be wary of those who seek to be divisive!  Yet over and over we see such people who will mindlessly follow simply because the rhetoric is the latest popular thing, or because they just want to be "part of change," or some other excuse that deflects the responsibility to THINK away from themselves.  Remember the excuse: "Well, every one else is doing it!"  Does that make it right. 

Jesus reminds us "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak" (Matthew 12:36). Therefore, we must be careful what we say and what we think.  Because for most of us, what's in our mind is going to come out of our mouth (and God WILL hold us accountable).

Solomon wrote in his Proverbs: "Guard your heart [and mind] above all else, for it determines the course of your life" (Proverbs 4:23).  So how do we put a guard on our hearts and minds?  How do we keep from becoming a casualty of the divisive person's bombs?  Allow me to give you some very practical counsel:

     *  If a statement is 99.99999% true and 0.00001% false, it is a LIE!  Don't let the lies into your mind!  If that means you have to stop reading their words or stop listening their words or even remove yourself from them, DO IT!  Better to walk away than become a casualty!

     *  Remember that YOU control what you let into your heart and mind! Be selective!  Be careful!

     *  People will say whatever they want about you for whatever reason they want and there's little you can do to stop them.  BUT....YOU control how you choose to react to them.

  

Perhaps the best counsel I have found comes from Paul's letter to the Philippian church (Chapter 4 Verse 8):

 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 ON THESE THINGS.

We are bombarded with lots of garbage every day, but WE get to decide what we let into our minds.  If it's not building you up and making you better, then it's not worth your time to think about!