Why Be Pushy?

As a child, I was not a fan of green veggies.  To be honest, I'm still not a fan of most of them, but I have made some progress.  I remember my Mom doing her best to force me to eat my broccoli with little success.  She would make me sit at the table with no dessert until I ate my broccoli.  And wait I did.  I once sat at that table from lunch until supper because I disliked broccoli that much.  Oh, Mom tried to make it more appealing by smothering it with cheese sauce, chopping it up very fine and sneaking it into a chicken pot pie.  I was just adamant about not eating broccoli!  My bride will tell you that I STILL don't like it and won't eat it.

Where am I going with this?  Well, it may be a bit of a stretch, but if you will allow me some license, you will see.  Believe it or not, there are people who want to hear the Gospel message about as much as I wanted to consume broccoli.  And there are also people who are so determined to get nonbelievers to believe that they will go about presenting the Gospel pretty much the same way my Mom tried to get me to eat broccoli.  This conflict gives believers a bad reputation, "Don't shove your religion down my throat!" "If I wanted to hear your judgmentalisms I'd join your church!" and other such expressions are what we hear.

Remember what Jesus said in the "Great Commission"?  Did Jesus say for us to force the message on others?  Did Jesus say to tell people "You're going to HELL unless you believe"?  No!  What Jesus said was "Go into all the World and make disciples!"  We are to share the message!  THAT is our responsibility!  Not force it on others....not judging others.....not condemning others. 

So how do we do that?  Simple: Let every person you meet be a NEW person in your mind.  You see, Jesus built relationships and in those relationships He shared the message of truth.  He didn't force it on anyone!  He shared through relationships  Also: We have got to resist the urge to "hammer it home."  When we are tempted to become aggressive with the message of salvation...the message is no longer the "Good News" rather it become the "Aggressive Argument."  Remember, what Paul said in Romans 14:4 - They are God’s servants, not yours. They are responsible to Him, not to you. Our job is not to try to BE God!  Our job is to present the information through building relationships!

One final point: In building relationships, we are to BE the example of Christ we want others to see. 

"Remember The Days In The Old Schoolyard"

Therefore let us pursue the things which produce peace and the things that build up one another. 

Romans 14:19

 

I like music.  When I was much younger, one of the songs that caught my attention was called "Remember The Days In The Old Schoolyard" by Cat Stevens.  It talked about children at play in the schoolyard and how that memory made him miss those carefree days.

 

To be honest, I remember getting to play at recess in grade school.  We would play kickball, tag, basketball and we had so much fun.  We didn't argue (much) we simply wanted to enjoy the time and have fun.  Where have those days gone?  When have we become so self seeking that we have lost the ability to build each other up?

 

Take this one thought with you today: We are here together.  Let's be together.  Let's work toward building each other up and appreciating each other.  Everyone has something positive to offer, encourage that.  THANK YOU for sharing yourself!

Rescued....Are You Grateful?

The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Psalm 34:19 

 

The photo is of our dog Woody Bear who was a rescue.  He's had a difficult life and was not sure if he could trust us for a while.  But slowly, little by little, he is understanding that he is loved.  In fact, when I have my morning coffee, I sit on the couch and rub his tummy and remind him that he is loved (hence the expression on his face).

 

Now if we shift gears for a moment, how many will volunteer that they have been through some rough times in their life?  I will.  I still struggle with some of them. And even though there are few people who have any idea what it's like in my head and heart, I know they struggle too.  You see, God created us to be social.  In fact, if you remember in Paul's Letter to the Church in Galatia, he reminds us to "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."  

 

Why do I bring that up?  Because even thought we face many troubles, God has a way of bringing people into our lives that can help us through our struggles.  God has a plan for each of us and sometimes that plan involves being the one reaching out to help and sometimes that plan involves being the one reaching out for help.  

 

We are in this together, whether we like it or not, so let's help each other and ask God to open our hearts, souls, ears and eyes for opportunities to help rescue someone. And also ask God to open our hearts, souls, ears and eyes so that we are not afraid or embarrassed to ask for help.  God comes to the rescue every single time, sometimes we merely have to be aware that help comes in God's way, which is probably not the way we expected.

 

Ponder that. 

What Do You Mean "Share"?

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 

If you think you are too important to help someone, 

you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

~Galatians 6:2-3

 

We don't like to share much, do we?  Oh we'll talk a good game, but when it comes down to actually putting our words into action, we don't like to share.  Think about it, we might share out of our abundance (I have a pantry full of food so I'll share a few cans of vegetables no one in the house will eat), but what about the times when we don't seem to have anything to share?

 

Think about this too, when things are going smoothly we don't mind sharing our time with people we care about.  But when something tragic happens, are we still willing to share our time?  Or do we follow the rule of the uncomfortable and disappear until things return to smooth sailing so we can tell others we were praying for them?

 

Here's a couple of things to know about burdens: 

     

     1.  We don't want others to think we are "weak" so we don't ask for help.  We would rather be crushed and our lives damaged or destroyed because we are too proud to ask for help.

 

     2.  We seem to misunderstand the word "Share."  Sharing a burden does not mean I get to dump my burden on you so I won't have to deal with it anymore.  Sharing means we carry the burden TOGETHER!

 

Remember, not a single one of us is so important that burdens fear to find us.  Not a single one of us is so important that we are above needing help or needing to give help.  We MUST face facts, if any one of us was truly THAT important...they would be the only person on earth.

  

Not sure how to help?  Put yourself in their place, if you were the one carrying a burden how would YOU want to be helped?  Maybe you could be helped by someone checking on you.  Maybe you could be helped by someone helping you with some menial chores.  Perhaps you could be helped by someone taking you for coffee.  Or perhaps by someone who would sit with you while you grieve.  It's not rocket science, it's just a bit uncomfortable.

 

We are all part of each other!  God did that on purpose, so we could help each other.  

 

There's an old adage that says: "A shared burden is half as heavy. A shared joy is twice as bright."  Jesus said "Fear Not For I Am With You ALWAYS" and that includes when we help someone carry their burden.