Blessings that are waiting

Psalm 86:5 (NKJV)

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

It is comforting to know the goodness of God’s nature. For God is long suffering and is ready to forgive those who seek redemption. God is also abundant in His mercy to those who call upon Him.

Steve DeNeff and David Drury write in Soul Shift by Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011, p. 55:  One time, my dad wanted to congratulate me on something I had accomplished in the sixth grade. He took me to K-Mart and made a wide sweeping gesture with his hand toward the whole store from the entrance. He said, "To congratulate you, I'll buy you anything in this whole store tonight." My eyes widened as I thought of the possibilities.

At the time, I didn't have a full grasp on how money worked or how much money Dad had. So I sort of limited things in my mind. I didn't even look at the huge stereo systems, expensive bikes, or anything that cost more than one hundred dollars. Instead, I chose a cassette tape case that was less than fifty dollars. I was content with just that case. It was more than I could afford myself, for sure, so I chose that one. It was nice. Only many years later did I find out from Dad that he had one thousand dollars cash in his pocket that night. What's more, he brought his checkbook just in case that wasn't enough. In my selection, I limited his blessing in my life.

Imagine how much God has in his pocket for you. You don't ask God for all the spiritual power you could because you forget that you are his child. Like me and my earthly father, you don't realize all he could do for you, in you, and through you.

Patient and gentle

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Christ was often presenting a message of love among the people. Here the apostle follows up with that message saying we should remain humble before others; we must present ourselves in a gentle manner; we must be patient and we should do all of this with the love of others in mind.

My mother, brother, and I lived with my mother’s parents growing up. My mother was a single mom trying to support two boys and the only way for her to make it was to share expenses with my grandparents.

The house might have been a little tight. It was a 1958 house, ranch style, with 2 bedrooms. We had 3 adults and two young boys living in this house built for a small family. Yet it never seemed to faze either of my grandparents.

My grandfather in particular was a very gentle and patient man. I can remember a day where my brother put on a pot of oil on the stove because he wanted to cook some French fries. It’s the way you did it back then, because there were not any French frying machines. To make the story short we left the house to pick up some fried chicken from Maryland’s Fried Chicken without my younger brother telling me about the oil on the stove. We returned with the chicken just as my grandfather was arriving home from work. Walking in together we noticed smoke and the reflections of a fire coming from the kitchen.

This is where I really saw my grandfather’s patience at work. He slowly removed the burning pot, took it outdoors and extinguished the flame. Then he quietly went and retrieved his ladder, a bucket and sponge. He filled the bucket with warm soapy water and started to wipe down the smoke blackened walls and cabinets of the kitchen.

My grandfather never fussed at my brother, but instead said it was an accident. He stayed calm the entire time just wiping down the walls to remove the soot. And he did it all with a gentle attitude.

This is how we are supposed to live among each other.  Instead of reacting with anger, we should react with understanding. Instead of making a bigger matter of it, we clean up the mess. And most of all show the grace and mercy of love, as my grandfather did, by telling us it was all ok and things would be fine.

Christians - Putting others first

Mark 9:25 (NIV)

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Before making this statement Jesus The Bible tells us this in the preceding verses, “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”  But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.” Jesus knew their thoughts and explained that those who want to be first in the lives of others must become last to themselves. Mother Teresa is one such modern day servant who served many, often putting her own needs last. I remembered her and so too many others will remember her for her servant’s heart.

Awlwyn Balnave, of Calgary, Canada tells a personal story. A few years ago, an old acquaintance of mine served as a police officer in a northern native settlement in Canada. One day a rabid wolf wandered into the aboriginal settlement. My friend eventually shot it, but not before it attacked a young man and his grandmother in their home, making kindling out of a chair the young man used to protect himself from his attacker.

There were about 150 sled dogs in the village—more than a match for one sick wolf—yet the intruder was left alone to do her work. Why? My friend explained that in order to prevent the dogs from fighting and wounding each other, they had each been tied to wooden stakes spaced far enough apart to prevent them from reaching any neighboring animal. Because of this, the wolf walked freely among the dogs, killing some and badly wounding others. In isolation they were no match for their foe, and they suffered terribly for it.

What a picture of the need for every Christian to belong to a body of believers. Alone and isolated, Christians present themselves as much easier prey for the schemes of the Enemy of our souls.

Precious in His sight

John 4:24 (NKJV)

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The duty of one who loves The Lord is to worship him in spiritual and truthful way. The should follow the essence of God and treat others as God would treat them.

Chuck Broughton, writes in "Reflecting God's Nature," in the Discipleship Journal (Jan/Feb 2003), on pp. 35-36: I was riding the crowded subway in New York City. Every 10 to 15 seconds or so, someone behind me shouted unintelligible words. The first time, I ignored them. After several outbursts, however, I turned around to see that they were coming from a disheveled man behind me.

Sitting fairly close to him was a woman reading a newspaper. As I watched, he reached out, touched her knee, and quickly brought his hand back. Not getting any response, he did it again a few seconds later. It seemed like a game a small child might play; each time, his face showed that he was pretending not to have touched her. No one said anything, but those sitting near him exchanged nervous glances and began to inch away.

I was caught off guard by what happened next. The woman put down her paper and looked at the man. I expected her to rebuke him. Instead, she politely engaged the man in conversation. "Do you know where your stop is?"

He nodded that he did.

"Do you need any help getting to where you need to go?"

He shook his head no.

I don't know what motivated this woman to treat a stranger on the subway with such kindness. But the way she asked these questions showed that she was genuinely concerned for his welfare. She chose to respond to him as a real person with real needs, not just as an annoyance on her commute.

The incident reminded me of how the Apostle Paul saw people: "We regard no one from a worldly point of view" (2 Cor. 5:16). Many people on that subway car including me had looked at the man from a human point of view. In contrast, the woman who spoke to him reflected the perspective Paul described. She addressed him as a person who had inherent worth.

How are you addressing those around you? Are you seeing them as God sees them, precious in His sight?

Warnings

Proverbs 27:12 (NIV)

12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Where there is temptation it is easy to be thrust into the middle of sinful and dangerous situations. With the sinful actions come consequences that must be dealt with. The prudent man however sees the problems which are to come and avoids the temptation. He forecasts the dangers and hides himself appropriately.

There are obvious warning signs, such as DANGER – High Voltage. We know that is something we should not touch and if we do there could be grave consequences.

I can never forget there were kids playing hiding seek at a local mall where my grandmother worked. Outside one of the entrance doors were large transformers that were marked, DANGER – High Voltage. Unfortunately the doors to the transformers were not locked and one of the young teens playing hide and go seek missed the warning and climbed inside the transformer. He was electrocuted almost instantly.

In high school a friend of mine went to the lake with a group from the high school track team. There were warning signs up about deep water and to take precautions if you could not swim. Unfortunately my friend did not know how to swim and ventured out to the rocky dam. He fell from the rocky dam into the lake. Others saw him, but by the time they realized he was in trouble it was too late - he drown.

The Bible gives us many dangers to watch out for. The Bible also gives us examples of people who ignored the warnings and suffered the consequences. Sadly there are still those of us who do not heed those warning signs and we find ourselves suffering the consequences of sin.

Father I pray for those reading that you would always provide an obvious warning to the temptations we face. I ask that you teach us from you word what to avoid so that we may not sin against you. Father I ask that you protect us as you have done for so many others of the past. Keep us safe in this world and keep us from the sin that wants control of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Stay vigilant in your desire to help others

Galatians 6:1 (NIV)

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

The apostle reminds us that as Christians we are brothers and sisters; for we have been adopted into the family of God through Christ. As a family we are to help others in the family. When trapped by a sin we are to gently help remove the sin from their lives. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to help; for if we get to close to the sin we may also be tempted to partake of the sin.

In a Los Angeles Times article – The roots of temptation, published October 20, 2003, written by Benedict Carey conveys the following: A simple plea for reassurance -- You'd tell me, wouldn't you? -- is about all the discussion many couples can manage on the topic of marital infidelity. It's rarely a genuine request: Everyone knows it could happen, but very few of us would really want to know that it did. The topic of infidelity is off limits for most couples.

That's one reason social scientists have left the study of hidden love largely to novelists and poets. "Although we can describe sexual desire, we don't know how to measure it scientifically," said Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine and co-editor of the Handbook of Clinical Sexuality, a guide to help doctors address sexual concerns.

For many years, most of what scientists knew about infidelity came from marital therapists' interviews with clients or from psychologists who asked men and women to answer questions about hypothetical affairs. In the last few years, however, researchers have finally begun to conduct larger, more rigorous surveys, asking about real experiences. The evidence has contributed to an emerging body of thinking about who cheats, when and why.

Contrary to one commonly held view, many people who report being in happy marriages commit adultery. Their yearning for variety warps their judgment, even when they fully appreciate the risks of infidelity. For when an affair is revealed, clinicians report, the impact on the marriage is usually catastrophic.

"Those who assume that only bad people in bad marriages cheat can blind themselves to their own risk," said Beth Allen, a researcher at the University of Denver who, with colleagues David Atkins, of the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, and the late Shirley Glass, a Baltimore family psychologist, recently completed an extensive review of infidelity research. "They're unprepared for the risky times in their own lives, the dangerous situations when, if they aren't careful, they'll suddenly be very tempted," Allen said. ["The Roots of Temptation," L.A. Times (10-20-2003)]

1 Peter 5:8 reminds us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” One moment you may think you are living a happy marriage, ready to give advice and the next moment find yourself trapped by sin. Stay vigilant that you may not be trapped by another’s sin.

Wisdom - Ask and it will be given

James 1:5 (NKJV)

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Here is an encouraging word for every discouraged person. When we are lacking in understanding we can humble ourselves and ask anything of God without fear. It’s God’s promise to us.

In his spiritual memoir A Stranger in the House of God, author and Moody Bible Institute professor John Koessler tells the story of his younger brother George. Since childhood, George's life consisted of heartache after heartache: because of a collapsed lung shortly after birth, he struggled with a learning disability that made him the butt of far too many jokes—even from his own family; his first wife cheated on him after being married for less than a year; he was permanently laid off from the only job he knew how to do well at the time. As the pain snowballed, George hit rock bottom. Because he hadn't kept in touch with George, Koessler was unaware of what was going on in his brother's life. A literal wake-up call concerning George's condition came late one night. Koessler writes:

I awoke from a sound sleep with a sense of dread, compelled to pray for my brother. In particular, I felt impressed to ask God to spare his life. The longer I prayed, the more anxious I became, sensing George was in some kind of grave danger…

A week later I got a phone call from my father. My brother's roommate contacted him saying George had tried to commit suicide. Despondent over his life, he slit his wrists with a kitchen knife. "He really meant business," my father said. "If his roommate had come fifteen minutes later, it would have been too late"…

My brother's roommate discovered him about the same time I was asking God to spare George's life.

With the encouragement of family and friends, George partnered with God to put his life back together. He learned how to cope with his learning disability and overcame his depression with the help of medicine. He worked difficult, trying hours as an emergency medical technician in order to earn a college degree—which he earned with honors. All the while, he was taking the all-important steps toward a life of faith. After meeting his second wife, Jan, at a church function, George committed his life to Christ.

George's transformation stirred in him a deep desire to serve others spiritually. This man, weighed down for so long by such profound pain, would eventually become the chaplain for the Detroit Fire Department. Koessler closes the chapter concerning his brother with these words about George:

He doesn't regret the difficulties he has faced. He doesn't see them as unfortunate twists of fate or himself as a victim of circumstance. He sees them as tools wielded by the gracious hand of God. "Without them," he says, "I wouldn't be the person I am today."

George doesn't consider any of his accomplishments remarkable. "I'm just a survivor," he says. "I'm no hero." Perhaps not to others. Certainly not to himself. But he is to me. [John Koessler, A Stranger in the House of God (Zondervan, 2007), pp.188-189]

Clement - seeker of answers

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Here Jesus encourages us to pray by saying “Ask and it will be given to you.” He goes further in saying we must seek out the answers we need and we must be willing to open our hearts to those answers so that we may understand them. For Christ knocks at the door of our heart wanting to join us in fellowship, but if we do not know Christ then we lack the wisdom to let Him in.

In Philippians 4:3 The Bible speaks of a person named Clement who was a Christian follower, who worked with others in sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ. His parents were pagan, but he ended up being converted to Christianity. Clement wrote letters that share his thoughts and feelings towards Christ. Some of the words in his letters are even quotes from the other apostles. Clement sought out the truth about various religions and found what he was looking for.

In 1 Clement (c. 96). "Worship in the Early Church," Christian History, Issue 37,Clement writes this prayer:  We ask you, Master, be our helper and defender. Rescue those of our number in distress; raise up the fallen; assist the needy; heal the sick; turn back those of your people who stray; feed the hungry; release our captives; revive the weak; encourage those who lose heart. Let all the nations realize that you are the only God, that Jesus Christ is your Child, and that we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.

Let us all learn to pray for those in need and continue to ask until we know God’s response. For if we do not ask or do not seek then we will not find the answers we are in search of.

Works of the flesh

Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The apostle hear speaks of the works of the flesh that should be despised and put to rest as opposed to the fruits of the spirit which should be cherished and allowed to grow to full maturity.

The Jewish Virtual Library lists the following as the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 as spoken to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai.

1) I am the Lord thy god, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

2) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

5) Honor thy father and thy mother.

6) Thou shalt not murder.

7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8) Thou shalt not steal.

9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10) Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

These laws are the basis for which the Apostle Paul speaks out against the works of the flesh. These people were to understand they had one God and only one God. No other God was to represent them; therefore they should not participate in practices of idolatry or sorcery for those are of other gods. They were to live in a holy manner honoring their father’s and mother’s by not acting lewd or in drunken manners. They were to live in peace among each other, putting aside jealousies, covetous, dissensions, and outbursts of wrath, envy and murder. For these were the laws God put before man that people should know right from wrong. If judged by the law, there was no place for those who had a habitual practice of striking out against God’s commandments and kingdom.

In Galatians 5:13-14, the apostle has previously said of living in faith in Christ, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If what you are doing in life does show love towards those who are your neighbor then perhaps instead of living in the freedom of Christ you are being help by your own fleshly desires.

The truth shall make you free

John 8:31-32 (NKJV)

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Matthew Henry says that to those whom Christ makes free are free indeed. The Jews boasted of a false liberty for to remain free they must always ensure they were living life according to God’s law. However, those who abide with Christ and have been made free from Christ are truly free. Although the premise of the laws remains, restoration and forgiveness is always readily available from Christ, who died to set us free.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet and dramatist once wrote – “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

Freedom comes at a high price. The freedom to live independent in the United States of America came after a long fought battle with the British. Americans wanted true independence from those oppressed their freedom to live as they desired. They wanted freedom of religion; they wanted to live without undue and harsh taxes imposed on them.  Most of all they wanted to be heard for Parliament was elected by people living in England, and the colonists felt that lawmakers living in England could not understand the colonists' needs. The colonists felt that since they did not take part in voting for members of Parliament in England they were not represented in Parliament. So Parliament did not have the right to take their money by imposing taxes. "No taxation without representation" became the American rallying cry.

If we think hard about it we do live in a country that has more freedoms that many countries in the world, but we are still not free. We must abide by the laws that set forth or suffer the consequences of jail. We still pay taxes. We have representation from those who live near us, but they do not always represent the will of the people.

In Christ we are truly set free. Christ put away the chains of the Mosaic Law. No longer did breaking a law require immediate penance, it only required asking Christ for forgiveness. No longer there was a need for a priest to enter the temple of God to make sacrifices for man. For before Christ the only way to cover sin was for a priest who had purified himself through rituals to enter the temple, make sacrifices to God and offer prayers of forgiveness for the people. For with Christ all sin had been forgiven; past, present and future. Christ gave us true hope to be free from sin. For our belief in Christ and knowing the truth about Christ sets us free from sin. When we cry out to Christ for mercy and grace He is right there listening to us. He is not off in some far off land where we cannot be heard. Instead Christ hears us and makes intercession for us, speaking to the Father on our behalf. Nothing is harshly imposed on us. Instead we are free. We can sin, but we grow to learn sin is our prison that holds us captive and with Christ sin had been overcome. We can live free because Christ showed us we can live free and have a wonderful life without sin hindering our lives.

Love those around you

1 John 4:20-21 (NKJV)

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[a] he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

The premise of these verses is that someone who loves God would also love his brethren who are also of Christ. For The Lord gave us a command to love God and to also love one another. Therefore if a man claims not to love his brother in Christ who is close and near to him, how can it be that he loves God whom he has not seen or touched?

If love is the soul of Christian existence, it must be at the heart of every other Christian virtue. Thus, for example, justice without love is legalism; faith without love is ideology; hope without love is self-centeredness; forgiveness without love is self-abasement; fortitude without love is recklessness; generosity without love is extravagance; care without love is mere duty; fidelity without love is servitude. Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by love. [Richard P. McBrien in Catholicism. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 1.]

Some words given to us on love from The Bible are:  I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love--I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love--I gain nothing!" 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness." (Colossians 3:14.) "The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart" (1 Timothy 1:5.) "Above all things, have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8.) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34, 35.) "Owe no man anything--but to love another: for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:9.)  "Walk is love, as Christ also has loved us." (Ephesians 5:2.) "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7, 8.)

The Bible tells us we are love like God and Christ who loves us. We are to put love into actions.

Let us remember what Christ said about the lack of love in our lives, "Then He will say to those on the left: Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not take care of Me." (Matthew 25:41-43.)

Mother Teresa once said, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

He who called you is holy

1 Peter 1:15-16 (NKJV)

15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

The grace of God in calling a sinner is a powerful engagement to holiness. It is a great favour to be called effectually by divine grace out of a state of sin and misery into the possession of all the blessings of the new covenant; and great favours are strong obligations; they enable as well as oblige to be holy. [Matthew Henry]

Craig C. had been an alcoholic for more than a dozen years. He'd lost everything he had, including his wife and son, due to his selfishness and addiction. Things began to change after he gave his life to Christ, but he still fell regularly into his old habits. It didn't help that he'd lost his well-paying job and was clerking at a local grocery store that was well stocked with all his favorite drinks. After a few years of going back and forth between Christ and the bottle, he finally cut the ties, and, out of obedience to Christ, quit his job.

With no income and hope only in Christ, he was in desperate condition. After an interview with a sheet metal company down the street from his new church, he cried out to God. "God, if you give me this job I will give you my first paycheck." Surprisingly, he got the job.

He clearly remembers the day when he got his first paycheck. Stacks of bills needed to be paid. Penniless but determined, he endorsed it over to the church and walked it to the church office without waiting for the Sunday offering. That was the moment, he says, that changed his life because now he understood what it meant to trust God.

As of today, Craig has been sober for 25 years, he's a manager at that sheet metal company, and he serves as an elder at his local church. [Bill White, pastor of outreach at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California]

In Psalm 99:9, the psalmist says, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem,    for the Lord our God is holy!”

Sometimes it takes a while for a Christian to grasp the meaning of being holy. On occasions it takes some a lifetime and for some there is an immediate noticeable transformation. Where ever we are in our Christian lives, let us remember to exalt The Lord our God for He is Holy! As we praise God for His holiness we become aware of the changes we may need in our lives.

Craig C. above realized what it meant to trust God for God is Holy and keeps His promises.  It was then he realized he needed to keep his own promises. It changed Craig C.’s life and realizing the holiness of God and Christ can change our lives too.

Where the heart is

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Worldly-mindedness is as common and as fatal a symptom of hypocrisy as any other, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a visible and passable profession of religion, than by this; and therefore Christ, having warned us against coveting the praise of men, proceeds next to warn us against coveting the wealth of the world; in this also we must take heed, lest we be as the hypocrites are, and do as they do: the fundamental error that they are guilty of is, that they choose the world for their reward; we must therefore take heed of hypocrisy and worldly-mindedness, in the choice we make of our treasure, our end, and our masters. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Integrity, whether at work or at home, is not the sort of thing you work on every now and then. You don't set aside one day a month to work on your integrity much like you might pay your bills. It's something we have to address almost 24/7 because of the insidious nature of dishonesty, which always presents us with small, seemingly insignificant openings. Few people actually decide to outright lie or cheat; rather, they find themselves taking shortcuts out of convenience. I read somewhere that according to a company that conducted 3.8 million background checks on people applying for jobs, more than half lied on their resumes. These aren't horrible people or chronic liars but ordinary citizens like you and me who think those little white lies are okay and will never be caught anyway. Unfortunately, even if they are never caught, they erode our standards and make it easier to make duplicity the norm.

In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean started a mail order business in Greenwood, Maine, by selling a hunting boot with a money-back guarantee. However, defects in the design led to 90 percent of them being returned. Making good on the guarantee could ruin his fledgling business, but Leon kept his word, corrected the design, and continued selling the boots. L.L. Bean is now one of the largest mail-order companies in the United States, in large part because it has continued the tradition of treating its customers with integrity. [Louis Upkins Jr., Treat Me Like a Customer (Zondervan, 2009)]

The Apostle Paul provides a good summation in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  Let your heart be with God in heaven that you may live according to His will.

Hate evil, love good

Amos 5:14-15 (NIV)

14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

This chapter of Amos is a calling to the people to prepare to meet God. They have lived under deplorable conditions and sin was the cause. Their joy would come from seeking God; for God was waiting for them. They were told to seek good while hating evil. They were to maintain justice in the light of injustice. Maybe then God would see their repentance and have mercy on them.

Lee Strobel, in his book The Case for Faith, quotes Peter John Kreeft saying:  On my door there's a cartoon of two turtles. One says, "Sometimes I'd like to ask why he (God) allows poverty, famine, and injustice when he could do something about it." The other turtle says, "I'm afraid God might ask me the same question."

We often want to point to God as the cause for allowing our problems, when actually we are the responsible ones. Imagine looking out of a restaurant while enjoying your meal and seeing a homeless man and thinking, “God why don’t you provide that man with food.” It might just be a little hypocritical of God when you could buy the man some food yourself.

Instead of blaming God for all the things that are wrong in this world we need to learn from Jesus who was an example of how we should live our lives tending to the needs of others. As you follow Jesus, also follow His actions. Hate the evil in this world and love to do what is good and just.

As children, be imitators of God

Ephesians 5:1 (NJKV)

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

The apostle calls us to be imitators of God. Children often imitate their parents, pick up their habits and even act as their parents do. As children adopted into God’s family we are called to do the same.

The following story appeared in a 2011 edition of the Indianapolis Star. The title read: "Small gesture on busy street alters view of police."

While walking back to the office after lunch, I noticed two burly Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers outside Circle Centre mall. Between them, sprawled on the hood of one of the patrol cars, his arms at his sides, was a shabbily dressed man in his late 50s. He was weak and shivering; next to him on the asphalt appeared to be his worldly possessions.

The older of the two officers was stooped over in front of the man. His partner stood watching intently. My initial take was that the older officer was frisking the man. Five steps closer, my cynicism turned to amazement. The officer wasn't patting the man down; he was bent over tying the man's boot laces because the [homeless man] was in such bad shape he couldn't do it himself. As the officer put one dirty boot on his own pant leg and then another, his young partner softly talked to the man, trying to determine what kind of help he needed.

At a time when a relative handful of cowboy cops often dominate the news and public opinion, officers of courage and character perform quiet, unnoticed acts of selflessness. [Ernie Reno, "Small gesture on busy street alters view of police,' Indianapolis Star (2-24-11)]

The Lord takes care of us in many ways that we do not understand or even see.  The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Enjoy the plans God has for you and enjoy being a part of His family by imitating Him.

God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

This is a reminder and promise that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God; for we are all called upon to glorify God in our actions. Ephesians 1:14 says, “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

Titus 2:11-14 in The Bible tells us, “11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”

As noted above we live in an evil world, a world that contains pain and sorrow. There are things happening around us each, such as death, pain, suffering, and hardships. I remember a movie where a man stands screaming after a tragic event, “Why God, why?”

It is at this these times that we must remember the evil world in which we live. Even when we live wisely and try to do what is right that does not mean we have immunity from the evil in this world. Because we love God and have given our lives to Him, God does watch over us, but there are times God allows us to encounter trials to test us, to strengthen us, and to use us for His Glory.

God can take things that were meant for evil and turn them to good. I have heard stories of someone committing a crime even though they knew The Lord. They weren't wise in their actions and maybe strayed off course, but while in jail they ministered to others. In some cases I have even heard where their testimony led another to know about Jesus Christ.

We are often faced with death and pain in our lives, but even that can be used for good to glorify God. For we learn we can endure those trials leaning on God for strength. Then when the same issues are experienced by another we can step in and say, “I have been there and while it may be painful, things will be alright. Again we glorify God from our own painful experiences.

Isaiah 40:5 tells us, “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!” And while all we do is to give glory to The Lord, we too will share in the glory. For Colossians 3:4 tells us, “And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

Yes, we live in a troubling world, but God takes what was meant for evil and uses to His own God. While we may not immediately realize what God is doing in our lives, one day all of His glory will be revealed to us. Then we will finally see the reasons for the things that have happened through our lives.

Our lives are examples

Titus 2:11-13 (NLT)

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

The grace of God has provided salivation to all people through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus. You see one must first know and admit to being a sinner before they can accept the salvation from sin. It is that understanding that motivates one to live righteously, to live as an example and to live as Jesus would desire them to live.

According to Open Doors Ministry, Chinese government officials became so fed up with sky-high rates of crime, drug addiction, and sickness in the county of Lancan Lahu, Yunnan province, that in the mid 1990s they turned for help to the only model citizens in the area: the Christians.

"We had to admit that the Lahu people were a dead loss because of their addiction to opium," confessed an official who did not want to be named. "Their addiction made them weak and sick. Then they would go to one of their "priests," who required animal sacrifices of such extravagance that the people became poor. And because they were so poor, they stole from each other, and law and order deteriorated. It was a vicious cycle that no amount of government propaganda could break.

"We noticed, however, that in some villages in the county, the Lahu were prosperous and peace loving. There was no drug problem, or any stealing or social order problems. Households had a plentiful supply of pigs, oxen, and chickens. So we commissioned a survey to find out why these villages were different. To our astonishment and embarrassment, we discovered the key factor was that these villages had a majority of Christians."

Officials launched a daring experiment in 1998, the likes of which would have been unthinkable in China 10 years previous—they sponsored Christians to go into the troublesome villages and share their faith.

They started by picking out the worst village, which had 240 people, 107 of which were hopelessly addicted to opium. Christian Lahus were bussed into the village at government expense, and the villagers were herded together by the police and made to listen to the testimonies of the Christians.

A year later, there were 17 converts in the village, and they began to grow rich because they stopped spending money on drugs. Eight of the 17 converts even had enough to own sewing machines and start small businesses.

By early 2002, 83 of the villagers were Christians and the prosperity had spread. The government official said, "We are delighted with the results and have been extending the tactic to many other villages since then." [The Pastors Connection (Open Doors USA e-mail, August 2002); corroborated by Kelly Callaghan, prayer and courier coordinator, Open Doors USA; OpenDoors serves the persecuted church worldwide.]

Our lives are examples to others; live them well for the one who lived and died for us!

Grow wise in the New Year

Psalm 90:12 (NLT)

12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

This psalm was most likely penned by Moses. It was likely written upon Israel’s delivery out of Egypt. While written as a psalm, it was a prayer to the Almighty God. In this verse Moses prays that we realize how brief life is that we may use our lives wisely.

When Bill Clinton was appointed the Attorney General of Arkansas, he was just 30 years old. He was elected governor of Arkansas two years later, easily becoming the youngest person in the nation to hold that position. He was a youthful 44 when he was elected President of the United States, and still holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever to leave the office of President. In other words, the vast majority of Bill Clinton's life and accomplishments were characterized by youth.

But in August of 2006, while enduring a 60th birthday celebration, a melancholy Clinton reluctantly admitted that life had changed. No longer the youthful saxophonist wailing away on MTV, the white-haired former-President said: "For most of my working life, I was the youngest person doing what I was doing. Then one day I woke up, and I was the oldest person in every room. In just a few days, I will be 60 years old. I hate it, but it's true." [David Slagle, Atlanta, Georgia; source: "I'm 60 and I Hate It: Bill Clinton," Breitbart.com (8-15-06)]

Age sneaks up on us quickly. I remember when the year 2000 seemed so far away and now we are in 2014. Happy New Year to all and may God bless you through the year.

There is a sad truth in life; everyone is not given the same time to live. Some live to a comfortable old age, while there are those who pass away young.

“Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. What was once foolishness to us—a crucified God—must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.” ― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life