Does It Matter to Me?

Train a child in the way he should go …

Proverbs 22:6

“Look, Gretchen, if you want to fight with the school board over this smut, book-in-the-library issue, that’s your business. But don’t involve me because it’s not my fight!” Luther said heatedly. “I don’t happen to agree with your perspective about our freedoms being taking away!” he said emphatically.

Gretchen was astonished. “How can you say that with a clear conscience? By not taking a stand against the removal of God from every part of our society or when they try to pass off smut for legitimate reading material, you passively take their side!” she fired at him.

“I have taught my children the difference between creationism and evolution, I’ll have you know!” he fired back. “And they know about those books too. I’ve forbidden them to read them!” He argued. “If more people took care of these things at home, it wouldn’t matter what these liberal-minded lobbyists did. And we wouldn’t be having this battle!” he finished, face flushed in irritation.

“Your children may know the difference,” she interjected. “But what about your grandchildren? What makes you think your kids won’t read those books anyway? Or don’t you care?” Gretchen couldn’t believe how anyone could explain away his responsibility to take a stand against the advancement of evil.

†

Silence among the Christian community has been the greatest proponent to the propagation of evolution and removal of our entire belief system from not only our public schools, but society as a whole. There are very few times we have the option on whether to engage the enemy or not.

The it’s-not-my-fight mentality, where we neither have the time nor wish to be connected to anything that might make us look like a zealot, is too prevalent in the body of Christ today. We say ridiculous things like, “I don’t want to make anybody angry; I just want to be Jesus to them.”

Be assured: Jesus would not tolerate what we allow because of our fear of man! And to that we must ask ourselves: does it matter to me?

Prayer

“Lord, give me the sense and courage to take a stand and be willing to defend our freedom of religion. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Saving for a Future

But he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Proverbs 13:11

Patty and Glenna were twins. But that’s where any similarities ended. Patty was a vigilant, careful saver.

Glenna had never learned the fine art of financial prudence.

Patty had gotten her driver’s license and was checking out cars on the Internet, looking for a good deal.

Glenna never seemed to be able to pass up the latest fashion trend, DVD, or techno gadget.

While Patty saved enough money to make a sizable down payment on a dependable vehicle, Glenna gave no thought to the future. Her peers teased her that she would need to marry into money if she expected to continue her gotta-have-it lifestyle.

Patty put aside what she received for birthdays and Christmas, as well as wages earned working evenings for a local department store.

Glenna, on the other hand, was spontaneous and rarely thought past her next impulse purchase. Every time Apple came out with a new phone or iPod, Glenna just had to have it. Consequently, when she needed a loan, she had no credit established and was denied without a cosigner. Patty was also wise enough to tell Glenna no when she asked if she would cosign.

†

Squandering money can be as harmful as worshiping it.

Setting and working toward financial goals builds discipline and allows us to defer our need-it-now mentality.

Financial discipline can be difficult for many people; some because they don’t believe it’s possible to save money on a limited income; others because they cannot quell their desire to possess everything they see.

Many impulsive people can’t view saving as a long-term prospect and have a hard time putting “A lot of little investments makes a lot of money” in perspective.

Yet for those who have practiced this principal, they have found it works very well.

Saving is a learned behavior. Preparing for the future requires restraint. By setting goals and working toward them, we find it’s not as hard as we thought, and it works. Saving a little at a time for the future will pay huge dividends.

Prayer

“Lord, help me reign in my desire to spend when it’s not necessary. Teach me to save a little at a time and watch it grow. Amen.”

Stuck in Saturday

I tell you the truth … you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

John 16:20

Penny lay awake, the heartache tonight not much less than a year ago. She hadn’t slept much since Richard had died.

Married only six months, Richard had died when his car skidded on a patch of ice. The vehicle had gone over the guardrail above a deep gorge, rolling several times before coming to rest at the bottom. It had been several hours before he was found, and it had taken several more to remove him from the wreckage; he’d lived for two days before succumbing to his injuries.

Penny was numb, yet her brain never shut down. She rarely went a full ten minutes without it all playing back in her mind: the scene at the trauma center, the two days in ICU, the funeral, and the emptiness. It seemed her life was stuck on replay.

Penny cried out to God for answers, answers that probably wouldn’t relieve the ache or make this any easier.

Family and friends felt she was stuck in her grief. They continued to minister to her in love, praying that her outlook would brighten, bringing this profound grief to an end.

†

Anyone who has lost a loved one or a friend knows the depth of Penny’s heartache. Their absence creates a hole in us that refuses to be refilled; we’ve lost someone so precious that to think otherwise would feel like betrayal.

Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, did what He could to reassure His disciples of His resurrection. But on Good Friday nothing could take away the sting, the shock, or the pain in their chests. And all day Saturday they tried unsuccessfully to console themselves.

Then came Sunday!

The truth is if we live long enough, we will experience Penny’s pain. If we love deeply, we will grieve the same way. But someday our grief will turn to joy. It’s Jesus’ resurrection that keeps us from getting stuck in Saturday.

Death came on Friday, resurrection on Sunday, but there was a very long day in between. It’s okay to grieve. But do it with hope.

Prayer

“Give us strength to walk on in the pain, Lord. Thank You that, because of Jesus, this pain will turn to joy. Amen.”

 In My Time

Look up at the heavens and count the stars … so shall your offspring be.

Genesis 15:5

In the midst of doubt, Shane still knew God was there. But that didn’t bring much comfort right now. Having stepped out in faith, Shane was still awaiting the manifestation of God’s promise. “Answer this call and I will sustain you. Trust Me.”

Shane had answered the call. Yet it was going on seven months and there was no evidence of God’s provision. His financial situation was getting desperate. Bills were overdue; he was stressed out; his faith was being tested. “I can’t do this much longer, Lord!” he shouted.

Shane didn’t doubt God’s leading. Yet for him to be struggling like this didn’t make sense. It felt as if he were missing something God was trying to tell him.

“I don’t believe this is what You promised, Lord. If I’m missing something, please show me what it is.” He was completely perplexed. “I refuse to give up!” he shouted. “But I need some direction here, Lord.” Shane listened into the silence that followed. No answer came.

Deciding to wait no matter how long it took God to show up, he wearily said, “You know, Lord, I get a sense of what Abraham and Sarah must have felt like when they doubted Your promise.”

†

Seven months is a bit short of Abraham’s twenty-year wait; but doubt is doubt, and many of us have walked in faith with doubt as a close companion. God understands and continues to guide us, like Abraham, to a place of complete dependence on Him.

Abraham failed this test of faith by having Hagar bear Ishmael. Yet God, in His infinite mercy, kept His promise, and Sarah bore Isaac.

And so it is with us: we fail and God remains faithful.

God is looking for a heart of obedience, completely turned to Him, a heart that will wait for His perfect timing, serving as though they had already received the promise.

As we draw closer to God, we realize that great faith comes by overcoming great doubt. God says, “I have given you My promise; will you wait for it in My time?”

Prayer

“Strengthen my resolve to trust You, Lord. Guide me into an unshakable faith. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Point of Impact

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.

Philippians 3:15

Mark Pendleton was forty-something, slightly built, and showing signs of balding. Yet there was a quiet confidence about him that caused people to take a second look.

Proceeding with his demonstration, Mark shared that as a young man he’d gotten into trouble. Then a friend had introduced him to Jesus, and he began learning about God’s plan for his life.

Through the martial arts, God taught Mark where to direct his attention in matters of importance and how to harness the strength necessary to demolish any obstacles the enemy placed in his way.

“In order to break these blocks,” Mark explained, “I must first establish the correct point of impact, then visualize my punch reaching that point. To be successful, I must focus on the bottom of the stack. I visualize the completed punch having reached a point at which the blocks will have broken.”

The crowd watched as Mark began his mental focus routine. Standing two feet behind the blocks, Mark slowly rotated his fist, driving his arm and shoulders in a downward, slow motion punch to the bottom of the stack. When he was finished with his preparation, Mark stepped up to the blocks, and with a loud “hiya,” he executed one more punch, completely shattering all six blocks!

†

As we mature, we set out to make our mark on society. Many of us succeed, obtaining goal after goal, never looking back.

In contrast, many of us fall short of the success we envisioned, hopelessly lost in failure. For the vast majority of us, it’s because our goals were not set correctly, and our point of impact was unclear. In order to successfully reach our intended goal, we must determine the correct point of impact.

Paul told the Philippians to forget their past failures and press on. We too must forget the past and set new goals.

Wisdom suggests we set attainable goals in order to not become discouraged. Then we must visualize completion of the goal. Most importantly, we must rely on God’s strength and instruction when determining the point of impact.

Prayer

“Lord, guide me along life’s path and help me look for the right point of impact within my realm of influence. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Don’t Gloat

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice.

Proverbs 24:17

“What did I tell you about taking pleasure in other people’s misfortune?” Steve posed the question to his daughter, Karla. “Phil works hard providing for his family. And now that he’s lost his job, they’ll have a rough go of it.”

“I don’t care how rough they have it!” Karla said vehemently. “He’s a jerk, Daddy. I can’t believe you’re taking his side after what he did to Sheila,” she spat.

“Listen, Karla, I don’t approve of your attitude or how he treated Sheila when he broke up with her. She’s my little girl just like you, and it hurt when that happened. But that was fifteen years ago. You need to forgive him and let God work it out,” he advised. “It’s just as wrong for you to gloat over him losing his job as it was for him to cheat on Sheila. It bothers me to see you taking pleasure in his family’s suffering.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. But he’s still a jerk!” was all she would say.

“You know, Karla, sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking. I’m your father, not your judge. But you profess to have a heart of forgiveness, yet when someone you dislike encounters problems, you find it amusing. That’s not how God wants us to respond. And remember, what goes around comes around.”

“I’ll take my chances,” she said and left the room.

†

It’s tempting and natural to take pleasure in the misfortune of our enemy. It’s also wrong. We are to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. A true test of forgiveness is not in forgiving someone with whom we have a good relationship, but rather, when it is someone we dislike.

It’s easy to find satisfaction when someone we dislike has fallen on hard times. That’s why God instructs us not to gloat when it happens. He asks us to have a spirit of forgiveness and leave retribution, if any is required, to Him.

Prayer

“Help me forgive my enemies, Lord. Teach me to put the past behind me and look to bring healing to their lives instead of rejoicing in their pain. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Take Time to Laugh

A time to laugh …

Ecclesiastes 3:4

Lindsay walked through the front door and did a double take. Jack never leaves the house looking like this, she thought; there were dirty dishes on the kitchen counter, the stove, and in the sink. Two comforters lay haphazardly on the living room carpet, and dirty clothes littered the laundry room floor. She’d only been gone for one day! This was completely uncharacteristic of Jack. He’s got some explaining to do, she thought.

Setting aside her briefcase and hanging her coat on the wall peg, she set out to find her husband.

As she headed down the hall toward the toy room, she caught muffled laughter. Curious, she silently made her way to the room and stood outside the closed door, listening. Beth! She smiled as she recognized her youngest daughter’s squeal.

“Stop, Daddy! Quit tickling me!” Then Jenny’s laugh joined the mix, followed by Jack’s gruff voice. “The tickling continues until you both surrender!”

“We surrender! We surrender!” they said in unison.

As Lindsay listened, her heart began to melt. It thawed completely when Jenny said, “Thanks for playing with us today, Daddy! This has been the bestest day ever!” “Yeah, Daddy, the bestest!” Beth agreed.

All the irritation vanished in light of the truth: some things are more important than a spotless home.

†

There truly is a time for every season and activity. Housework is important; but so is laughter! Our children are only young once, and many opportunities to teach them the importance of spending time doing the right thing at the right time vanish with their youth.

When teachable moments present themselves, we must seize the opportunity to teach and instruct and not allow the moment to slip away because we were too busy being busy.

Being too rigid will find us standing on the wrong side of many issues. Not only will it bring dissention among the ranks, but our children and their children will ultimately pay the price. Lighten up and laugh a little. The work will still be there when the laughter fades.

Prayer

“Lord, keep me from being too busy when it’s time to laugh. Reset the attitude of my heart so I will recognize what time it is. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”