Just One More Chance.....PLEASE?

All who have been united with Christ in baptism 

have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 

~Galatians 3:27

 

Have you ever messed up so badly that your prayer wasn't "Help!" rather is was more "Please God tell me You didn't see that"?  

  

When I first became a Christian, I admit that I wasn't very clear on the concepts of Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness.  I spend (wasted) so much time trying not to mess up and worrying about whether I had messed up and not realized it.  And, of course, the enemy loves to play games with people like me, "Are you SURE you didn't think something bad just now?  Try NOT to think about how angry that person makes you!"  I would even go so far as to write down the things I knew I had done wrong so I could ask God to specifically forgive me for them.  And guess what?  When I had a "not too bad" day, I was cocky and proud of myself!  When my day was "a horrible very bad no good" day, I was crushed.  So I spent the first years as a believer on this rollercoaster and ended up feeling pretty worthless.

 

Finally, I saw a quote from Martin Luther, "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly!"  Was he giving me permission to do whatever I wanted and to sin freely without regret?  Absolutely not!  It's the last part that caught my attention, "But believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly."  You see, Martin Luther got it!  He understood the truth that we are going to mess up (Thank you Adam and Eve), but because of the sacrifice of Christ we are given second chances!

 

Then someone showed me Romans 7:15 where the Apostle Paul openly states, "For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate."  The Apostle Paul messed up!  That brought a huge sense of relief to me.  

 

Then I was reminded of the people that God had given second chances:

     *  Samson was a proud womanizer, God gave him a second chance to fulfill God's plan for him. 

     *  Sarah LAUGHED OUT LOUD when she heard God's messengers telling Abraham that she would bear a son at 99 years old, yet God gave her a second chance to fulfill God's plan for her.

     *  Peter denied Jesus THREE TIMES (and with profanity), yet God gave him a second chance to fulfill God's plan for him.

     *  Saul (who became Paul) tried to destroy Christianity, yet God gave him a second chance to fulfill God's plan for him.

 

You see, God is the God of second chances, and because, as believers, we have put on Christ like a new garment, God sees Christ when He looks at us.  There's no better feeling than knowing that God has forgiven me in spite of me.  And that God has given me second chance(s) to fulfill His plan for me.

What's Got You All Bugged Today?

So don’t worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will bring its own worries. 

Today’s trouble is enough for today. 

~Matthew 6:34

 

If you read the news, watch the news, or in some other form take in the news, you hear a lot about how the world seems to be falling apart.  The events of late tell of a society where rules have become suggestions.  More and more laws are being called for on one side, without realizing that these laws are going to be difficult to enforce.  On the other side, we have groups calling for laws to be done away with because they infringe on "personal freedoms."  If you take all this at face value, you will find yourself upset and worried about the future.

 

We are a worrying bunch of people, aren't we?  We are worried and upset about things that we cannot control.  We are worried and upset about things that may or may not happen at some undetermined point in the vague distant future.  We worry about everything and it is not good for us!!!

 

I've explained this before and I am going to explain it again, mainly because I need the reminder and you have to come along with me.

 

As a general rule of thumb, God created each of us with two eyes which are placed in the FRONT of our face.  We can see what is happening in front of us as we are going (but that is no guarantee that we will be any less clumsy).  Now God could have put our eyes in the BACK of our heads.  While that might seem silly and stupid, how many people waste time focusing on the past?  Hmmm....not so stupid now, huh?  

 

As a general rule of thumb, God gave us one nose, also in the front.  Now....how many breaths can you take at one time?  ONE!  Why? Because God has created life so that it only comes at us one breath at a time!

 

A perfect rule of thumb is found in the Serenity Prayer: "Lord help me to accept those things I cannot change; the courage to change those things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference."

 

Jesus told us not to worry!  Several times in Scripture we are told not to worry.  Focus on God, do what is right, and don't worry!   

Humble? Me? That Doesn't Sound Very Fun!

 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
~Philippians 2:3-5 

"BE LOUD, BE PROUD, AND BE LOUD SOME MORE!"  We have this idea blasted at us constantly.  We hear things like "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" which tells us that if we are annoying enough for the "right" reasons we get what we want.  I have heard children work this on their parents with the barrage of: "Mom.......Mom.......Mom........Mom........Mom.......Mom.......MOM......MOM.......Mom........MOM" and on and on until Mom has had enough and snaps back with "WHAT?"  

But look at what today's verses are telling us.  Did you see it?  Here it is in a nutshell: "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!"   I can hear the shocked intake of breath you just had.  I had the same reaction when this became very clear to me.  Believe it or not, my presence on this earth is NOT about me!  It's about helping others.  Granted, some don't want to be helped so they can get their own life moving, some want to be "helped" by someone else providing for them, and that is just plain wrong!

We are here to look out for each other.  Imagine if we actually followed the example of Christ and put others first!  That means you are more important to me that I am to me.  Likewise, I am more important to you than you are important to you.  We'd have a LOT fewer disagreements and a lot more understanding of each other.

Thomas of Assisi is credited with saying, "PREACH the Gospel!  And it you must...use words."  Meaning we are to live in such a way that the Gospel is so apparent in how we deal with others that no one needs to wonder if we are followers of Christ.  Jesus was humble enough to do the one task at the Last Supper that not one of His Disciples would do.  Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed every one of their nasty feet.

Are we too proud?  Believe it or not, there are those who are VERY proud to be "humble."  The picture of some of our politicians seeking public acclaim by washing the feet of someone.  This is contrived and is false humility!  The truly humble need not draw attention to themselves or their humble actions.  Their actions should speak for them.   

A Time To WHAT?

A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.

~Ecclesiastes 3:4 

 

I must confess that I am what the some might call "rhythmically challenged" when it comes to dancing.  'Dominicam saltationibus sicut marinis' would be a more appropriate description (use Google Translate if you wish).  But when I was younger and even into my current dust encrusted age, there is one group dance that I cannot seem to resist.  I openly admit to watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the midnight movies throughout most of High School, College, and whenever it comes on television.  Doing the Time Warp was not only fun, but you cannot help but laugh seeing others doing it with you.

 

The writer of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, reminds us that everything has a time and a season.  Meaning nothing is permanent!  There is a time to cry, but there will come a time to laugh!  There is a time to grieve, but there is also a time to dance!  Our lives are in a constant state of movement and change.  Just because we decide we've had enough and park our rump in the chair in the corner to pout about life not being fair, does not mean time stops!  Life continues with or without us!

 

I have had people tell me that Jesus was always serious because Scripture never says Jesus was happy and never tells us that He laughed.  Scripture tells us that He wept and got angry, therefore Jesus was ALWAYS serious!  And the people telling me this looked as though they had never smiled or even considered smiling.  They made me wonder how their dating life went if they were so serious all the time. Sorry, that's just how my mind tends to wander.

 

I am very suspicious of people who are serious ALL the time.  I am even more suspicious of those who talk about gloom and doom constantly. Why would God permit Solomon to tell us that there IS a time to laugh and a time to dance if that were not true?  This might offend some, but Jesus went to parties!  His first miracle was at a wedding celebration! 

 

Remember, right now might be a time for you to cry and grieve, but there WILL come a time for you to laugh and dance (however badly you want to dance).   

Don't Worry, I'm Here!

That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

~John 6:16-21 

 

Way back when I was about 16 years old, my Dad asked me to help him take down a tree in our back yard.  I admit I wasn't too thrilled about it because I felt I had better things to do, but off we went to take down this tree.  Dad laid out the game plan: Since he had already removed the limbs, he would climb the tree, tie a rope around the top, then cut a wedge out so the tree would fall.  MY job was to take the other end of the rope, go to the far side of the yard (away from the house), and keep the rope taut.  When Dad cut the wedge, I was to pull the rope so the tree would fall in the middle of the yard and not on the house.

 

Like most plans, it seemed pretty straight forward on paper and in theory.  However......

All went according to plan.  I kept the rope taught, and when Dad cut the wedge out of the tree, I pulled for all I was worth.  (Side note here:  When I was 16, I was not the robust model of masculinity you see today.  I weighed around 90 lbs. and was probably the smallest person in my high school class.)  

 

Now, when I pulled the rope, the tree started leaning my direction and I thought this was going to be a pretty easy project.  Just as I finished that thought, a gust of wind blew the tree the opposite direction. As I felt myself begin to be dragged across the yard I, wisely or so I thought, decided to let go of the rope.  When I did, the rope wrapped around my arm and when the top of the tree fell into the neighbor's yard, I shot across the yard and into the tree hitting the trunk with a thunk our neighbor on the side I had been standing heard it inside her house.  And there I was, dangling about 15 feet off the ground by my rope entangled arm.

 

I knew this was not part of the plan because there was pain.  LOTS of pain!  There were rope burns, there were embedded splinters, there were lots of bruised places inside and outside.  This was NOT what the plan called for!  But then, I heard the most wonderful voice say, "Don't worry! I've got you!"  It was my Dad, who had come to get me down.

 

Think about the things that happen to you that you swear are NOT part of the plan.  If you are like most people (me included), your thoughts might go something like this: "IF God loves me, why do I have to hurt like this? IF God truly cares about me, why is my life so hard?  IF God truly wants what's best for me, why doesn't HE just give me what I need?"

 

If God did everything FOR us so that we didn't have to lift a finger, then would we really appreciate Him or would we become spoiled brats expecting more and more?  God NEVER promised an easy life, in fact Jesus told us that in this life we WILL have troubles and turmoil.  But He also promised to never leave us or reject us! 

 

Life IS hard, but God IS good!

Feel Like Giving Up?

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 

Ever feel like giving up?  I have, lots of times.  Some of those times I gave up and some I didn't.  I can tell you that the times I did give up are not good memories.

 

I have talked with people who are enduring horrific diseases like cancer and leukemia.  I have talked with people who have been injured severely enough that limbs had to be removed or they are no longer able to move without help.  But there is one aspect of each of these people that strikes me as encouraging...they refused to give up!

 

Our bodies WILL at some point start to slow down and might even deteriorate, but the unconquerable spirit that comes from realizing and understanding that as long as we have breath God has a mission for us.  Say what you will about wanting to quit trying, but here's a little tidbit, when God has a mission for you, He will stop at nothing to make sure you fulfill that mission.

 

We have a choice to make:

       1. We can focus on why it's impossible for us to accomplish.

       2. We can focus on God see Him accomplish the impossible through us.

Horrible Boss?

Don’t leave your job
    just because your boss is angry with you.
Remaining calm solves great problems.

Ecclesiastes 10:4 

 

Ever had a boss who made you absolutely miserable?  You know, that boss that during staff meetings you dream of their ultimate excruciatingly and very public demise, possibly involving boiling lava, pitchforks, and some ravenous carnivorous brain beetles ?  The one that makes you yell vile profanities in your mind and you are afraid that one day you will say them out loud.

 

I've had bosses like that before.  As a matter of fact, the absolute worst one was the senior pastor of a church where I once worked.  When he entered the building, you could sense a disturbance in the force.  The closer he got to the office area, the birds outside would flee.  This person was OCD about being OCD and not afraid to berate the staff for the slightest perceived error.  It was a situation where I dreaded going to work.  My sweet bride would remind me that I didn't have to agree with the pastor, just do my job to the best of my ability. The best day I had in that position was the day I left.

 

But as horrible as that person made the job, I learned some valuable lessons.  

•  Chances are the horrible boss is not going to change.  But I can change MY interactions with the horrible boss. 
• Realize that they are the way they are for a reason.  Perhaps God is reminding me that I need to make some changes.  Perhaps it is so I can learn patience under fire.  Perhaps it is so I can learn how not to act.  Perhaps, and this is the truly painful part, I really am in need of correction for my attitude, performance, timeliness, accuracy.
• If my boss is upset with me about my attitude, I need to look at the attitude I show toward others as well (who haven't said anything to me about it, but have become distant).  Everyone likes to believe they are in the right and anyone who disagrees is in the wrong (we are NOT perfect and shouldn't act as though we are).

Here are the words of wisdom shared with me by a very wise person: "Only person you can change is you! So make the changes you need to make and don't be stupid enough to think you have nothing that needs changing. You can't change anyone else, but you can change how YOU react to THEM! Don't be resentful.  Don't be angry. And for goodness sake, don't let your mouth run free!"

Have a horrible boss?  Think on this...you are someone else's boss, so take care.  Could be your spouse who adores you, could be your child who needs to learn to become self-sufficient, could be your pet.  You are the boss to someone else, so make sure you set the example!