"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."
Thoughts for Today
One key to controlling our temper is to have realistic expectations of others. No one is ever wrong or right all the time. It is wrong to expect others to always be happy and helpful. None of us are "up" all the time. We all have times that we are sick, stressed or just plain tired. And, right or wrong, these things do affect our moods.
We need to remember that other people are affected by these same things. They may have reasons for their seemingly rude behavior and are not just being selfish or thoughtless. We need to avoid getting offended every time people don't respond or act the way we think they should. They might just be having a bad day.
We also need to remember that everyone and everything do not exist for our convenience or purpose. We will control anger better if we do not say things like "I can't stand this …" or "They better never …" These statements lock us into emotionalizing rather than thinking.
Consider this…
Learn to align yourself with reality. Don't let everything bother you to the point that you always "lose it" over other people's failures. Show them the same kind of understanding you would like to have on your challenging days.
Prayer
Lord, help me not to expect others to be perfect or to always do things my way. Make me willing to overlook offenses, to see people's hearts and be sensitive to their needs. In Jesus' name …
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wisdom of Psalm
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Bruce lay in the mud waiting for an enemy to pass by and put him out of his misery, or an ally who would give him aid. The jungle sounds pounded in his ears, and the glare of the sun blinded him. Evening fell, turned to night, and all Bruce could do was wait. With the morning light, Bruce squinted to see if he could make out any landmarks to give him an idea of where he was. As he scanned the horizon, his heart leapt with joy. A familiar flag waved gently in the breeze as a battalion approached. The waiting was almost over, and the fear was gone.
We wait in this life, not sure of what is coming next. The options don't look promising, but we can rejoice in the fact that our Lord is coming to set all things right. His banner is ever out before Him, and as we look unto the hills of the new age to come, we cannot help but notice that God is there waiting for us. Where does our help come from? It comes from the Lord God, who created, who sustains, and who will redeem.
Prayer:
Lord, make all things new. Usher in a new age; an age of love and caring, an age of compassion and equality. Thank You for granting me Your strength. Amen.
Bruce lay in the mud waiting for an enemy to pass by and put him out of his misery, or an ally who would give him aid. The jungle sounds pounded in his ears, and the glare of the sun blinded him. Evening fell, turned to night, and all Bruce could do was wait. With the morning light, Bruce squinted to see if he could make out any landmarks to give him an idea of where he was. As he scanned the horizon, his heart leapt with joy. A familiar flag waved gently in the breeze as a battalion approached. The waiting was almost over, and the fear was gone.
We wait in this life, not sure of what is coming next. The options don't look promising, but we can rejoice in the fact that our Lord is coming to set all things right. His banner is ever out before Him, and as we look unto the hills of the new age to come, we cannot help but notice that God is there waiting for us. Where does our help come from? It comes from the Lord God, who created, who sustains, and who will redeem.
Prayer:
Lord, make all things new. Usher in a new age; an age of love and caring, an age of compassion and equality. Thank You for granting me Your strength. Amen.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Sin of worry
Sin of Worry
"Fret not" (Ps. 37:1).
This to me is a Divine command; the same as "Thou shalt not steal." Now let us get to the definition of fretting. One good definition is, "Made rough on the surface." "Rubbed, or worn away"; and a peevish, irrational, fault-finding person not only wears himself out, but is very wearing to others. To fret is to be in a state of vexation, and in this Psalm we are not only told not to fret because of evildoers, but to fret not "in anywise." It is injurious, and God does not want us to hurt ourselves.
A physician will tell you that a fit of anger is more injurious to the system than a fever, and a fretful disposition is not conducive to a healthy body; and you know rules are apt to work both ways, and the next step down from fretting is crossness, and that amounts to anger. Let us settle this matter, and be obedient to the command, "Fret not."--Margaret Bottome
OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD
Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
"I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so?"
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
"Fret not" (Ps. 37:1).
This to me is a Divine command; the same as "Thou shalt not steal." Now let us get to the definition of fretting. One good definition is, "Made rough on the surface." "Rubbed, or worn away"; and a peevish, irrational, fault-finding person not only wears himself out, but is very wearing to others. To fret is to be in a state of vexation, and in this Psalm we are not only told not to fret because of evildoers, but to fret not "in anywise." It is injurious, and God does not want us to hurt ourselves.
A physician will tell you that a fit of anger is more injurious to the system than a fever, and a fretful disposition is not conducive to a healthy body; and you know rules are apt to work both ways, and the next step down from fretting is crossness, and that amounts to anger. Let us settle this matter, and be obedient to the command, "Fret not."--Margaret Bottome
OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD
Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
"I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so?"
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
GOOD AND BAD ADVICE
Read Job 3:1--26
Every person reading this chapter has been the recipient of bad advice. You listened as someone gave it to you. You followed the counsel you received and then suffered the consequences. We have all benefited from someone's good advice too. We were unsure and confused, so we reached out to somebody we trusted. We received good counsel, followed the advice, and enjoyed the benefits.
Take for example Proverbs 12:15: "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel." You and I have experienced those very words. We have been foolish, thinking we were right, and along came a parent or teacher, perhaps a friend who talked some sense into our heads, thankfully. As a result we benefited from wise counsel.
"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man" (Proverbs 27:19). I'm sure you have known such occasions. You've had something deep in the well of your heart you've not been able to pull up. Along comes someone who loves you and has the ability to drop a bucket in that deep well of yours, pull it out, then splash the contents around for both of you to see it clearly.
I need to add that wise counsel is not always easy to hear. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6). The Hebrew uses an interesting verb stem here. It's known as the "causative stem," which allows us to render the statement: "Trustworthy are the bruises caused by the wounding of one who loves you." The bruise that comes after the verbal blow of one who loves you is a trustworthy bruise. In genuine love, your friend confronts you with the truth---you're alone, in private, and you hear the hard thing that needs to be confronted. That bruise stays with you, and you're a better person for it. Such bruising is much more helpful and reliable than a phony embrace, the "kiss" of a flatterer whom Solomon calls our "enemy." Good counsel is a good thing, even if it hurts to hear it, whether you are the receiver or the giver of that counsel.
Every person reading this chapter has been the recipient of bad advice. You listened as someone gave it to you. You followed the counsel you received and then suffered the consequences. We have all benefited from someone's good advice too. We were unsure and confused, so we reached out to somebody we trusted. We received good counsel, followed the advice, and enjoyed the benefits.
Take for example Proverbs 12:15: "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel." You and I have experienced those very words. We have been foolish, thinking we were right, and along came a parent or teacher, perhaps a friend who talked some sense into our heads, thankfully. As a result we benefited from wise counsel.
"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man" (Proverbs 27:19). I'm sure you have known such occasions. You've had something deep in the well of your heart you've not been able to pull up. Along comes someone who loves you and has the ability to drop a bucket in that deep well of yours, pull it out, then splash the contents around for both of you to see it clearly.
I need to add that wise counsel is not always easy to hear. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:6). The Hebrew uses an interesting verb stem here. It's known as the "causative stem," which allows us to render the statement: "Trustworthy are the bruises caused by the wounding of one who loves you." The bruise that comes after the verbal blow of one who loves you is a trustworthy bruise. In genuine love, your friend confronts you with the truth---you're alone, in private, and you hear the hard thing that needs to be confronted. That bruise stays with you, and you're a better person for it. Such bruising is much more helpful and reliable than a phony embrace, the "kiss" of a flatterer whom Solomon calls our "enemy." Good counsel is a good thing, even if it hurts to hear it, whether you are the receiver or the giver of that counsel.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Senior Living
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. --Hebrews 13:8
When American author Lloyd C. Douglas was a university student, he lived in a boarding house. Downstairs on the first floor was a retired music teacher who lived in a small apartment.
Every morning, Douglas claimed they went through the same ritual. He would come down the steps, open the old man’s door, and ask, “Well, what’s the news?”
The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his wheelchair, and say, “That’s Middle C! It was Middle C yesterday; it will be Middle C tomorrow; it will be Middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat, the piano across the hall is out of tune, but my friend, that is Middle C!”
The old man had discovered one thing in his life upon which he could always depend?Middle C. For Christians, the one constant and absolute in this life, of which there is no shadow of changing, is Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that “because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. … We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:17, 19). God sent His Son to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life with Him. He made a promise, and He kept it.
Because of this, we can rest assured that God will never change. He is ever-present when trouble comes barreling in. He is all-powerful to do exactly as He has promised. And He is all-knowing, and we should never worry because He is in control. He is the same “yesterday and today and forever.”
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for being the constant reality in your life.
When American author Lloyd C. Douglas was a university student, he lived in a boarding house. Downstairs on the first floor was a retired music teacher who lived in a small apartment.
Every morning, Douglas claimed they went through the same ritual. He would come down the steps, open the old man’s door, and ask, “Well, what’s the news?”
The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his wheelchair, and say, “That’s Middle C! It was Middle C yesterday; it will be Middle C tomorrow; it will be Middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat, the piano across the hall is out of tune, but my friend, that is Middle C!”
The old man had discovered one thing in his life upon which he could always depend?Middle C. For Christians, the one constant and absolute in this life, of which there is no shadow of changing, is Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that “because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. … We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:17, 19). God sent His Son to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life with Him. He made a promise, and He kept it.
Because of this, we can rest assured that God will never change. He is ever-present when trouble comes barreling in. He is all-powerful to do exactly as He has promised. And He is all-knowing, and we should never worry because He is in control. He is the same “yesterday and today and forever.”
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for being the constant reality in your life.
Monday, October 6, 2008
How do I know I'm saved?
Love Worth Finding
I want to help turn you from a doubting Christian to a shouting Christian! From a hope-so salvation, to a know-so salvation! And you can do that by taking a simple test I have devised from 1 John in God’s Word. First, let me say that if you have doubts, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not saved. Doubt is to your spirit, what pain is to your body. Second, when God made you, He breathed life into you and you became a living soul. You could no more cease to exist than God Himself could cease to exist. Your soul will go on endlessly and timelessly...either in heaven or hell.
The Lordship Test. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Here’s a riddle I want to solve for you. On the one hand the Bible says that we know that we’re saved because we keep His commandments (See 1 John 2:3). On the other hand, the Bible teaches us that it is possible to sin (See 1 John 1:8-9). The key word is “keep”. It is the same word used years ago by sailors who navigated by the stars at night. A sailor’s goal was to keep the stars. As a child of God, His commandments are the stars by which you navigate your life. Is keeping His commandments the burning desire of your heart? It is if you’ve met the Christ of Calvary.
The Fellowship Test. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? The Bible challenges us on several occasions that this is the way we will know we are in Christ (1 John 3:14, 4:20, 5:1). When you get saved, you receive the divine nature of God and the nature of God is love (1 John 4:7). You’re not saved because you love the brethren, you love the brethren because you’re saved. Love is the nature of the Christian because love is the nature of God. If we love the Lord Jesus, it follows as night follows day that we are going to love what Jesus loves.
The Relationship Test. The question is not, “Did you believe in Jesus Christ?” The question is, rather, “Are you believing Jesus right now?” If you can’t remember when you were saved, that’s okay. 1 John 5:11-12 says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Can you say that at this very moment, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus right now?
You may not be able to say that if you died tonight, you would go to heaven. I want to help you do what I did as a teenage boy many years ago. I turned to the Lord when I was faced with uncertainty. I said, “God, I don’t know whether I am lost and the Holy Spirit has me under conviction, or whether I am saved and the devil is trying to make me doubt it. But one thing I know, I want to get it certain right now. You said that if I would believe you, then You would save me. With all my heart, as much in me is, once and for all, now and forever, I trust You to save me.”
I want to help turn you from a doubting Christian to a shouting Christian! From a hope-so salvation, to a know-so salvation! And you can do that by taking a simple test I have devised from 1 John in God’s Word. First, let me say that if you have doubts, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not saved. Doubt is to your spirit, what pain is to your body. Second, when God made you, He breathed life into you and you became a living soul. You could no more cease to exist than God Himself could cease to exist. Your soul will go on endlessly and timelessly...either in heaven or hell.
The Lordship Test. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Here’s a riddle I want to solve for you. On the one hand the Bible says that we know that we’re saved because we keep His commandments (See 1 John 2:3). On the other hand, the Bible teaches us that it is possible to sin (See 1 John 1:8-9). The key word is “keep”. It is the same word used years ago by sailors who navigated by the stars at night. A sailor’s goal was to keep the stars. As a child of God, His commandments are the stars by which you navigate your life. Is keeping His commandments the burning desire of your heart? It is if you’ve met the Christ of Calvary.
The Fellowship Test. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? The Bible challenges us on several occasions that this is the way we will know we are in Christ (1 John 3:14, 4:20, 5:1). When you get saved, you receive the divine nature of God and the nature of God is love (1 John 4:7). You’re not saved because you love the brethren, you love the brethren because you’re saved. Love is the nature of the Christian because love is the nature of God. If we love the Lord Jesus, it follows as night follows day that we are going to love what Jesus loves.
The Relationship Test. The question is not, “Did you believe in Jesus Christ?” The question is, rather, “Are you believing Jesus right now?” If you can’t remember when you were saved, that’s okay. 1 John 5:11-12 says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Can you say that at this very moment, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus right now?
You may not be able to say that if you died tonight, you would go to heaven. I want to help you do what I did as a teenage boy many years ago. I turned to the Lord when I was faced with uncertainty. I said, “God, I don’t know whether I am lost and the Holy Spirit has me under conviction, or whether I am saved and the devil is trying to make me doubt it. But one thing I know, I want to get it certain right now. You said that if I would believe you, then You would save me. With all my heart, as much in me is, once and for all, now and forever, I trust You to save me.”
Sunday, October 5, 2008
WORDS OF COMFORT
Read Job 3:1--26
In the early l960s when a Christian suffered from a depression that resulted in Job's kind of thinking and candid admission, you never said so publicly. You wallowed your sorrow. The first book I read on this subject, covering emotional turmoil and mental illness among Christians, was considered heresy by most of my evangelical friends.
The pervasive opinion then was simple: Christians didn't have breakdowns. Furthermore, you certainly didn't say "depressed!" You know what term was used to describe those who struggled with deep depression in the early and mid-sixties? "Nervous." "He's got a nervous problem." Or simply, "She's nervous." And if you ever, God help you, had to be hospitalized due to your "nervous" disorder, there just wasn't a Christian word for it. I repeat, you didn't tell a soul. Shame upon shame that you didn't trust the Lord through your struggle and find Him faithful to help you "get over" your depression.
I remember being told by a seminary prof, who talked to us about assisting families with funerals, that if you did funerals for those who had committed suicide and the deceased was a Christian, we were never to mention that fact. Frankly, it didn't sound right then, and it doesn't sound right today. Shame-based counsel never sounds right because it isn't right! And I didn't know enough to know that Job 3 was in the book back then. Had I known, I would have said, "Hey, what about Job?"
I want to write to you who are reading these lines who may be in the pit, struggling to find your way back. It's possible that things have gotten so dark that you need a competent Christian psychologist (or psychiatrist) to help you find your way. The most intelligent thing you can do is locate one and go. In fact, go as long as you need to go. Make sure that the counselor really does know the Lord Jesus and is truly competent, able to provide the direction you need so you can work your way through your maze of misery. And, I would add, "God bless you for every hour you spend finding your way out of the hole that you have been in. There is hope. Our faithful God will see you through."
In the early l960s when a Christian suffered from a depression that resulted in Job's kind of thinking and candid admission, you never said so publicly. You wallowed your sorrow. The first book I read on this subject, covering emotional turmoil and mental illness among Christians, was considered heresy by most of my evangelical friends.
The pervasive opinion then was simple: Christians didn't have breakdowns. Furthermore, you certainly didn't say "depressed!" You know what term was used to describe those who struggled with deep depression in the early and mid-sixties? "Nervous." "He's got a nervous problem." Or simply, "She's nervous." And if you ever, God help you, had to be hospitalized due to your "nervous" disorder, there just wasn't a Christian word for it. I repeat, you didn't tell a soul. Shame upon shame that you didn't trust the Lord through your struggle and find Him faithful to help you "get over" your depression.
I remember being told by a seminary prof, who talked to us about assisting families with funerals, that if you did funerals for those who had committed suicide and the deceased was a Christian, we were never to mention that fact. Frankly, it didn't sound right then, and it doesn't sound right today. Shame-based counsel never sounds right because it isn't right! And I didn't know enough to know that Job 3 was in the book back then. Had I known, I would have said, "Hey, what about Job?"
I want to write to you who are reading these lines who may be in the pit, struggling to find your way back. It's possible that things have gotten so dark that you need a competent Christian psychologist (or psychiatrist) to help you find your way. The most intelligent thing you can do is locate one and go. In fact, go as long as you need to go. Make sure that the counselor really does know the Lord Jesus and is truly competent, able to provide the direction you need so you can work your way through your maze of misery. And, I would add, "God bless you for every hour you spend finding your way out of the hole that you have been in. There is hope. Our faithful God will see you through."
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