I Deserve Better - How Not True That Is

Aren’t you tired of how people treat you? Bad service at restaurants, smart comments from clerks where we do business, and generally speaking a lack of respect is now common in the world we live and do business in. Our family, our friends, and even the people at our church treat us poorly. We deserve better. We are worthy of respect and should be treated better. Who wouldn’t agree with that?

 I suggest if you call yourself a Christian that maybe you don’t deserve better. I suggest that if you were reading your Bible instead of listening to some Oprah-like TV show and seeking Biblical counsel instead of that Freudian psycho-babble the world’s therapists put out you would find that when you became a Christian you sold yourself into a bond-servant relationship in which you gave up those rights.

Start with Philippians 2:1-11

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Count others as more significant than yourselves? Wow! There’s a novel approach to how to be treated. In others words stop thinking about how important you and your rights are and just treat them better than you were treated.

Jesus let the world kill Him. But first He walked the earth for 33 years and did nothing but love and heal people. Oh, sure, He got on the Pharisees. But really He never did anything to them other than try and get them to see their own hypocrisy.

What you and I really deserve is to perish in eternal damnation and to burn in the Lake of Fire. You won’t hear that preached much anymore, but that’s the Biblical truth. The good news of the Gospel is that you and I are sinners and deserve that fate but Jesus Christ came down on earth of His own accord and took upon Himself the weight of our sin. He suffered terribly at the hands of His own people. They beat Him, they spit on Him, they mocked Him, and then they killed Him slowly on a cross. But even worse for Jesus was that He had to pay the price of our sin which is separation from God the Father, something which Jesus had never known through all of eternity. And you’re upset because your steak is a little too well done? You’re upset because you waited ten minutes to get waited on? You don’t like the way that bank teller spoke to you?

I get it guys; I am tired of bad service and mean people. We all lose our tempers at times, we’re only human. But we have got to get something right if we want to keep claiming our faith to a world that looks at us on FaceBook and sees our vitriol spewed out at everyone from the bank teller to our own spouses. We are called to be light to the world for Jesus Christ.

Jesus was clear in Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

It’s ok to moan and to groan. It’s ok to complain. But maybe we Christians need to be careful what we say on FaceBook and how we speak to the unsaved out in the world. If we need to let go of our frustrations we need to do so behind the scenes. Have a Christian partner who you can share your anger and your irritations with. Share with each other. Ephesians 5:19-20 instructs us how to respond. It says we should “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It’s hard I know. I struggle with the mess this world has become. But through the power of God’s Holy Spirit we can be light. I leave you with this scripture. It is a good place to start a new life of becoming like Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God Bless You.

The Power of the Gospel

I said good-bye to an old family friend today. He was my dad’s best friend and through my early teen years and throughout much of my life he was also my friend as well as a mentor. But those early days as an impressionable young man neither he nor my dad were Christian men. Most of my memories and stories of our chats would have been inappropriate for the setting of his funeral and inconsistent with my own faith now. Many years ago I turned to Christ and put my faith in Him. Though I am certainly no great man of the faith, it is my desire to one day be like Christ. So as I was about to pull into the lot of the funeral home I felt those pangs of guilt as I wondered where my friend’s soul was this very moment.

 Though I don’t do a very good job of sharing the Gospel there have been times when I was faithful. Several years back I felt called by God to write letters to my close family and friends who had not given their life to Jesus and in the letter I clearly spelled out the Gospel. I included a simple but also clear Bible Tract to insure they all had an opportunity to hear the truth. I remember sending one to my now dead friend. There was never much said between us about my letter and the few times I saw him after that he seemed thankful I had cared enough to send it but really expressed no interest in further dialogue. So the years passed and I stopped visiting him. This past December his wife called and said he wanted to see me and to reminisce about my dad. I went to see him. I did not say much about my faith other than to mention my involvement in the church. He didn’t ask; I didn’t say more.

 So I felt terrible as I entered the funeral Home. I wished I had been more persistent.  I wish I had spoken more to him about Jesus. But as the morning unfolded I found out his son was a retired Baptist minister. His wife told my wife that they prayed together every night. When his son preached the service he said his daddy had prepared this service a year in advance. My friend picked the hymns. He told his son the preacher what scriptures to read. He picked his favorite ones.

 In reality none of us can know who is Christ’s and who is not, for we cannot see inside of people’s hearts. But I walked away from that funeral with the full expectation I will walk the streets of Gold with my friend.

 You see the truth is I cannot save people. Only Jesus can.  Romans 1:16 says this, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. It is not our work to save people. Romans 10:14-15 asks us this question “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

I shared the Gospel just once with my friend. Probably his son told him many times. I bet my friend was proud of his son and whenever possible heard him preach. Somewhere down the path of my friend’s life he began to read the Bible. I have prayed for my friend to be saved. When I sent those letters out I prayed. I wonder how many prayers his son called out for his daddy’s salvation. Isaiah 55:11 says“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Our job is to be faithful whenever we are called by God. We fail often at that. But my friend’s salvation will not be determined by my faithfulness nor by His brother’s faithfulness, it will be determined by the power of God’s Word and the work of Christ on the cross.

So tonight be busy in prayer. Every day of your life be praying for every single name God puts on your heart. Do what God says but trust in His work not yours. Do not be ashamed of the Gospel for IT is the power of salvation.

God bless each who read these words. Test them against God’s Word. Hold on to what is right according to God.

If only We Would have Hurried

Hurry, hurry, hurry, the world says to us. We must fill our days with activity and we must make haste to make our money and accomplish our mission. My friends, the world has lied to us. Maybe all this stuff we do isn’t really that important. We need to slow down. Read this story carefully. There is great counsel in it.

If Only We Would Have Hurried
by Billy Rose

There once was a fellow who, with his dad, farmed a little piece of land. Several times a year they would load up the old ox-drawn cart with vegetables and go into the nearest city to sell their produce. Except for their name and patch of ground, father and son had little in common. The old man believed in taking it easy. The boy was usually in a hurry -- the go-getter type.

One morning, bright and early, they hitched up the ox to the loaded cart and started on the long journey. The son figured that if they walked faster, kept going all day and night, they'd make the market by early the next morning. So he kept prodding the ox with a stick, urging the beast to get a move on.

"Take it easy, son" said the old man. "You'll last longer."

"But if we get to the market ahead of the others, we'll have a better chance of getting good prices," argued the son.

No reply. Dad just pulled his hat down over his eyes and fell asleep on the seat. Itchy and irritated, the young man kept goading the ox to walk faster. His stubborn pace refused to change.

Four hours and four miles down the road, they came to a little house. The father woke up, smiled and said, "Here's your uncle's place. Let's stop in and say "hello."

"But we've lost an hour already," complained the hotshot.

"Then a few more minutes won't matter. My brother and I live so close, yet we see each other so seldom," the father answered slowly.

The boy fidgeted and fumed while the two old men laughed and talked away almost an hour. On the move again, the man took his turn leading the ox. As they approached a fork in the road, the father led the ox to the right.

"The left is the shorter way," said the son.

"I know it," replied the old man, "but this way is so much prettier."

"Have you no respect for time?: the young man asked impatiently.

"Oh, I respect it very much! That's why I like to look at beauty and enjoy each moment to the fullest."

The winding path led through graceful meadows, wildflowers and along a rippling stream - all of which the young man missed as he churned within, preoccupied and boiling with anxiety. He didn't even notice how lovely the sunset was that day.

Twilight found them in what looked like a huge, colorful garden. The old man breathed in the aroma, listened to the bubbling brook, and pulled the ox to a halt. "Let's sleep here," he sighed.

"This is the last trip I'm taking with you," snapped his son. "You're more interested in watching sunsets and smelling flowers then in making money!"

"Why, that's the nicest thing you've said in a long time," smiled the dad. A couple of minutes later he was snoring - as his boy glared back at the stars. The night dragged slowly, the son was restless.

Before sunrise the young man hurriedly shook the father awake. They hitched up and went on. About a mile down the road they happened upon another farmer - a total stranger - trying to pull his cart out of a ditch.

"Let's give him a hand," whispered the old man.

"And lose more time?" the boy exploded.

"Relax, son ... you might be in a ditch yourself. We need to help others in need - don't forget that." The boy looked away in anger.

It was almost eight o'clock that morning by the time the other cart was back on the road. Suddenly, a great flash split the sky. What sounded like thunder followed. Beyond the hills, the sky grew dark.

"Looks like big rain in the city," said the old man.

"If we had hurried, we'd be almost sold out by now," grumbled his son.

"Take it easy ... you'll last longer. And you'll enjoy life so much more," counseled the kind old gentlemen.

It was late in the afternoon by the time they got to the hill overlooking the city. They stopped and stared down at it for a long time. Neither of them said a word. Finally, the young man put his hand on his father's shoulder and said, "I see what you mean Dad."

They turned their cart around and began to roll slowly away from what had once been the city of Hiroshima.

Facing the Fire

I watched the video last week of the burning alive of the Jordanian Pilot by the Islamic radicals. With no disrespect meant for the dead man, I must confess I found myself watching it several times. I don’t really recommend most people watch it; it is a brutal and horrifying thing. That being said the video I saw was, I thought, a very well produced video. Were it filmed purely as fiction and derived out of Hollywood it would have been in some circles highly touted. While many people are not fans of violent movies, we must admit we Americans like our violence. In America alone the movie series titled Saw and its subsequent sequels have earned over 400 million dollars. Apparently a whole bunch of us entertain ourselves by watching sick and perverted movies, me included.

But watching this was different; it was real. It was a human being who was not only killed, but was put through in excruciating time of terror in the execution of his death sentence. I watched it several times because I wondered what that man was thinking. He looked to be in complete and utter fear. He looked to be praying as he waited for the fire to get to him. He appeared to suffer greatly for a good while until the flames finally brought him to his death. I have seen many terrible things in my life. This may have been the worst.

I am a thinker; I like to mull things over in my mind and explore the possibilities of what occurs in life. Some say I think too much. I don’t know; it’s just what I do. So I spent the evening thinking about what I saw.

The question that kept popping up in my mind is this; In light of the world today how would I react if I faced a death as this man did? As a Christian I like to believe I will die before renouncing my faith in Jesus. As a husband will I die for my wife? Will I die for my children and grandchildren? It is easy to say I would. But I bet that Jordanian Pilot had training for handling himself in a POW scenario. I was merely a Missouri Army National Guard MP and I once went through a POW training program. I was young and cocky. I was afraid of nothing. I don’t know the pilot in the video so I do not wish to discredit or dishonor him in any way but most likely he was like me. But all that changed as he stood in that cell watching fire head towards him. Suffering and death are not easy things to face. How would I respond?

Being a Christian is about having faith. If there is one thing that we must understand though it is that we cannot have faith in ourselves. The Bible is filled with great stories of faith; stories of men who God led through some horrible things. But the real message of those stories is the weakness of the “great” men of faith. As we read our Bibles we must read the entire story. Abraham failed God many times. Noah went from being the only man righteous enough to be saved from the flood to being drunk and naked. How about Moses? He never entered the Promised Land because he wanted to add to God’s way instead of just following orders. David? Look at the mess he made of things. How about Peter? “I will never deny you Jesus”, he said. Oops. In his humanity Jesus prayed in the garden for another way if possible. He was so stressed out by the knowledge of what was coming that He actually sweated blood. But then hear His prayer from Matthew 26:39 “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

None of us know what the next hour may bring. Most likely we will not face death by fire. But we must be prepared to trust God in whatever comes our way. But the Bible is in many a ways a paradox. To live, we must die. To be strong we must be weak. This runs contrary to our proud nature. So my heart goes out to that man who suffered such a horrible death in the cage burned alive. But his death was not in vain for in it I am reminded of another man who died a horrible death. Jesus suffered terribly. But in it came victory over death. We need not fear it. Instead let us boldly proclaim our faith. Then let us boldly die to our own way and let us be weak so that in Christ we can find the strength to face the day. May God richly bless all who hear and obey Him.