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Devotional Thoughts
NO LONGER FRAGMENTED
One of the significant words in psychology is integration. It means something is put together in a coherent, unified pattern. It has the idea of harmonious, meaningful relations among the various parts. When these thoughts are applied to the human personality, it means that the individual behaves in a purposeful, altruistic manner and is free from the common symptoms of maladjustment. The awareness and the experience closely match one another, and the person is thought of as real and genuine. That is what God through His Son, Jesus Christ, offers to everyone.
It took me many years, but I found that the personal relationship with Jesus Christ has been the integrating force of my life. He has made significant changes in me, and today my awareness and experience more closely match one another.
It was not always so. As a young boy, I never went to Church or Sunday School. Sometimes when I was sent to Church, I started off in the right direction, but never got there. More often than not I would steal a quart of milk and a newspaper from some late sleeper’s porch, and go to a park nearby. Those things having to do with God were not really important or stressed in my early childhood. Therefore, I gave little or no thought to God, except to swear a great deal.
As I now recall those early years, the first 15 or so, they do not seem to have been very eventful. I cannot say they were especially happy years, but more on the order of dull and unmotivated. The atmosphere of my home was not stimulating or generally a lot of fun. My parents had no special goals, talents, or ambitions and I was not expected to do more than the ordinary either.
If God ever attempted to influence me in those early years, I was never aware of it. I am sure He must have made some overtures to me, but I had no grounds for understanding Him. Those first 15 years were, therefore, lonely years. There were no good friends I could count on, although there were a number of acquaintances in the community. Therefore, I spent much of the time alone.
In my 15th year, much to my surprise and delight, I was befriended by a group of young people who were involved in a nearby Methodist Church. They were clean-cut boys and girls and seemed to me to be genuine. They went to Church every Sunday and were active in many Church programs. They had a good youth choir, Sunday School class, Sunday evening discussion groups, parties and other social events. They had fun, cared for one another, and they loved God! It was all so new to me, but I liked those new experiences.
When I saw how those young people lived their lives, I began to think about my personal relationship to God for the first time. I began to read His Word. I had to read the Bible because those new friends gave me assignments to lead in the discussion groups. As I got more involved in the Church activities and read my Bible regularly, God started to reveal truth to me.
Much of this I did not understand, but I would ask questions, discuss, and read more. The young people and the leaders were very kind and most helpful.
One of the girls in the group, the prettiest one of all, was especially helpful to me. We started having dates, and eventually were married. It was a wonderful thing to have someone to love, and we have experienced so much together over the years.
I cannot state a specific time and place when I made a conscious decision to give my life to Jesus Christ. I only know that as I read His Word and thought about it, the fact became clear that I was separated from God. I realized I was not doing or being what He wanted or expected. Up to that point in life, I had lived without Him, and it became apparent that I had to change.
At the same time, I read Scriptures, which said I could not change myself. I was relieved to learn that Jesus Christ had paid the price for my sin by His death on the cross, that I had only to turn my life over to Him, and trust Him as my Lord and Savior. Since that time all of life has been different: new ideas, attitudes, experiences, motivations, and meanings.
I do not mean to imply that there have been no problems or struggles since I became a Christian. Far from it, but the problems and struggles have not been over-powering, for God is with me. He has a way of turning problems into challenges and causing us to see them as opportunities. Remember that big and important word - integration. For the one who trusts God through Jesus Christ, He becomes the integrating power and force in all of life. He makes everything new and different.
Now as I look back over all the years, I am keenly aware that I am never alone. Life is no longer fragmented and falling apart. God keeps helping me put the pieces back together so there is peace, happiness, and satisfaction.
WHAT A SUNSET
Late one summer day, around 1981 or 1982, I was driving along the highway from Phoenix to Yuma, Arizona. I was stationed at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Yuma and had been to Phoenix on business. This was a route I had driven many times before and it always seemed a dull and boring ride. The dust, extreme heat, and lack of variety on the desert landscape, the sameness - I had seen it all before.
However, I was making this trip late in the day, and driving toward the sunset. So, I watched the sunset. No, to be more accurate, I experienced the sunset! It was a thrilling sight too, for God put on a spectacular display of beauty that evening. Nearly two hours of spectacular beauty, in fact!
As the sun lowered toward the desert floor on the far horizon it took on the appearance of a gigantic red ball flung through the sky in slow motion. The sky grew darker by the moment, but then came the brilliant pink and raised glows as they reflected high up in the sky, filling the heavens with color. Wow! What a sight!
Traveling along I thought of the great host of people who never have the opportunity to see such a sunset. Natural or human obstructions keep their eyes from seeing. In addition, there are many people who are like the ones Jesus described as having good eyesight, yet unable to see. He said, “You have eyes - can’t you see?” (Mark 8:18 TEV)
The sense of perception is what Jesus was talking about. This refers to the way we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste. We all have our own personal way of perceiving the world around us. That is why those who study human behavior are interested in how things seem to us. Our behavior will be determined largely by the way in which we perceive the world.
No human being can live life to the full unless there is the discovery and use of the God-given capacity to sense and reflect beauty.
One characteristic of good mental health is the development of perception. It is also an indication of our spiritual growth and well being.
Thank You, Lord, for making us rich by giving those million dollar views. Help us to look outward and inward that we may perceive Your wonders. May we be more sensitive, more aware, more thankful, and more alive.
HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!
Almost every day the mail brings some kind of offer that sounds like a dream come true. Often it says, “Have I got a deal for you.” It may start by saying, “ Congratulations on winning a share of the First Round Cash Prize in our Sweepstakes.” Or it may ask the tantalizing question: “Why are we giving away diamond-inlaid wristwatches for only $3.00? It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
Frankly, I have read so many of these advertisements over the years that my usual response to the incredible offer is to dismiss it. Often the envelope is placed in the trash basket without being opened. At most I quickly look it over to discover the concealed disadvantage I am being offered.
Common sense and past experience has proven that millions of mailboxes are stuffed with the same wonderful letters of congratulation.
We all receive the same offer of a $3.00 wristwatch, diamond-inlaid, of course. A doubting or questioning attitude and state of mind slowly develops within us over the years. We have been subjected to so many tricks, untrue promotional offers, and downright deception that we have learned to examine and ask questions.
If something sounds too good to be true, we begin with the basic assumption that it probably is not true. In fact, past experience has led us to believe that this is the best starting point of consideration.
It is well for us to realize that we are likely to develop into a cynic or skeptic in our outlook on life. In addition, beware, this outlook may carry over into our faith as well.
Perhaps we should note that there is a great difference between a cynic and a skeptic. They are not synonymous. The cynic tends to think all people are motivated by a growing case of greed and selfishness. The skeptic is one who habitually questions and examines before coming to a conclusion.
I believe a healthy skepticism is to be desired. It keeps us from being taken in either by our own wishful thinking or the deceptive practices of others. The goal of the skeptic is to arrive at the truth, and to stand on it with reason and conviction.
Cynicism, on the other hand, closes the mind to further consideration. The matter is already settled in the negative. The cynic and the skeptic both doubt, but the cynical position paralyses us from future action. Healthy skepticism employs doubt to clear up apprehensions and discover truth. Cynicism might well be spelled “sinicism”, for it wrongfully keeps us from the truth.
The Bible says, “Brothers and Sisters, have I got a deal for you.” Well, it does not actually use those words, but it does make incredible offers to us. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31) That is one of those offers, which sounds too good to be true.
The healthy skeptic will examine the evidence and conclude that it is eternally true. Jesus, the revealer of God, has paid the price for our salvation. He has many, many more incredible sounding offers we need to examine.
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH AMERICA?”
In response to riots in Los Angeles, the mayor of New York City called for a protest march on Washington. He declared there is deep-seated frustration and anger throughout the country. While this assessment of the mood of Americans is perhaps accurate, the problems go deeper than Washington can solve.
All that we have seen is symptomatic of deep-down problems in the hearts and souls of individual Americans. When we find conditions of social decay we may be sure that first there is personal decay. Rather than protest to Washington, we need to look within.
Many Americans have wrong-headed perceptions that need to be changed. We cannot see and act clearly until we first come to grips with some basic and serious question about God, human nature, and life itself.
I believe we are distorted in our view of God, human nature, sin, and life in general.
One distortion is that we have humanized God. What does that mean? It means that we view God as though He were one of us. Some look on God as a celestial policeman, a grand old man, the man upstairs, and the managing director of the universe, our buddy and friend who is always there when we need Him.
Such a god is not the God of the Bible. Scripture describes God as Holy Creator. He is personal, righteous, transcendent, purposeful, and faithful. He alone is God, the God of all history, and throughout all eternity. When Isaiah heard God’s call to be a prophet, this is the description he gave Isa.6: 1-8.
There is but one true and living God. Until we see Him properly, we may think the answers to life are best served by a protest march on Washington. It is impossible to think or act clearly until we get right with God on an individual basis. Our great need is to know God in the fullest Biblical sense. Jesus encouraged that in Matt. 11:28-29. This is the special duty and privilege of the Christian. God promises that those who seek Him will find Him.
Another distortion is that we have deified man. Far too many people think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. We need to know our place in the total scheme of things. The psalmist discusses human nature and God’s glory in Psalm 8.
We are to properly view ourselves as the crowning act of God’s creation. He made us that we might have fellowship with Him and serve Him. Jesus asserted that one soul is of more value than the whole world (Matt. 16:26), but we are not equal with God.
Our first task is to see that God alone is deity. We are the crowning glory of His creation, but we are not more than that.
A third distortion is that we have minimized sin. The tendency of our nature is to look on sin as a mistake, or an error in judgment. In fact, we think of sin very lightly, if at all. Many Americans would even define sin as being stupid enough to be caught.
One thing is for certain; an easy-going attitude toward sin is always dangerous. That attitude will keep us in rebellion against God and one another. Sin is always rebellion against God. Humans have always wanted to run the whole show, so we demonstrate our rebellion through sinful thoughts and acts.
One common form of sin is unbelief toward God, an unbelief that questions the truthfulness of God. When we cease to take a serious view of sin, we are in a perilous position. It was sin that crucified Jesus Christ. It was to free us from sin that He died.
If God did all that to deal with sin, we dare not take an easy-going view of it. Sin is always a grievous matter for sin is anything less than what God expects and demands of us. Since God does not ignore it, we cannot ignore or minimize it.
The Bible describes at least five serious results of sin. 1) Loss of communication with God and alienation from Him. (Col.1: 21; Eph 2:1) 2) Condemnation of God. (John 3:18,36) 3) Earthly unhappiness. (Psalm 72:17) 4) Death. (Rom. 5:12-21; 6:23) 5) Eternal punishment. (Matt. 25:41)
If the problems of life are ever to be dealt with satisfactorily we must get our individual priorities and perceptions correct. The questions of God, man, and sin must be faced. It is not possible to blame others, society, or the government. Whatever might be going on in the world, I am always responsible for what I am and what I do. Let each of us pray that God will enlarge our faith and increase our hope.
GIVE ME PATIENCE, PLEASE!!!
If I had a dollar for each time someone has said to me, ”Be patient! Don’t get in such a hurry,” or words to that effect, I would be rich. Most of us would.
We are all too prone to be like the one, who prayed, “Lord, give me more patience; and do it right now, please.”
Daily life is so filled with shortcut methods and instantaneous results that we feel like we have been done wrong if we must wait for anything. It is an unpleasant experience when we are delayed. At least that is the interpretation we choose to place on the experience.
One day years ago, I was driving on an expressway in Atlanta during the heavy late afternoon traffic. Actually, it was more like sitting still on the expressway. Now and again, we would make some forward progress, but there was a lot of sitting still too.
The lack of movement was beginning to get to me and I started to feel the tension build up. Fortunately, I became aware that I was doing it to myself, for stress is largely a do-it-yourself activity. Therefore, I had a talk with myself about the situation. I reasoned that all the impatient behavior I could exhibit would not make one bit of difference in the flow of traffic. Every weekday afternoon it is this same way, I reminded myself. (Thank goodness, it is much improved now.)
Having reached a conclusion or two about the non-flow of traffic on that expressway at about that time everyday, I began to consider possible uses of time in a more profitable manner.
As I was turning this over in my mind, I looked in the rear view mirror. The middle age man in the car just behind me was having a full-blown temper tantrum. He was in a rage. He was screaming at the top of his voice, beating with both fists on the steering wheel, getting very red in the face - and going forward at the same rate of speed as everyone else.
Now a child of two or three will sometimes have a tantrum like my fellow driver, but it is more rare in the forty to fifty age brackets.
I did have to wonder what was going on in a fellow’s life, which caused him to become so very frustrated, and out of control. Whatever it was, it certainly gave me more incentive to be calm and try to be patient.
After getting home that day, I noted that there are many references to patience in the Bible. In fact, the same Greek word is sometimes translated “patience” and at other times ”endurance.” It is even described by some translators as the manly virtue. James 1:3 says it is patience that helps bring about and perfect our faith. Romans 5:3 adds that patience begets experience and results in hope.
The Christian life is to be marked by patience. (Col.1:11)
Now the patience described in the Bible is not sitting with head bowed while enduring the storm. Instead, it is having the spirit to bear whatever may come, not with resignation, but in the hope born of God.
We may bear the present because we know that these things are leading to a goal of God’s glory. The Godly-kind of patience is the opposite of being short-tempered and given to outbursts of rage.
This kind of patience does not grimly wait for doom, but waits expectantly for the dawn. It has the aspect of spiritual staying power, even under hard and unfavorable conditions.
Only God’s kind of patience can enable a person to live the day in faith.
O God, help us not to
live the day with dumb resignation, but with a holy joy, not with a mournful
murmur, but with songs of praise.
FIRST DOG
There seems to be an unwritten rule, maybe even a requirement that whoever occupies the White House must own a dog. Perhaps on a dark and stormy night the political bosses gathered in a smoke-filled room to decide the issue. “If we are going to take over the White House for the next eight years we’ve got to have a candidate who loves dogs. No two ways about it, the President must be a dog lover. It’s patriotic and the American way.”
Ever since, there has been a dog in the White House. In addition, wherever kind of mutt it is, that dog is referred to as First Dog.
Now I do not object to the President having a dog for a pet. It probably is the American Way of being elected. Really, for all I care, the President can have several dogs. However, I do object to that title - First Dog.
I had a dog for over seventeen years and I must respectfully state that he was First Dog. While Pancho was alive, the one in the White House was definitely not numero uno. He or she could claim any other title, but not First Dog. That title belonged to Pancho.
As far as we know Pancho had no particular ancestor relating him to the aristocracy of dogdom, but he was one of a kind. Like so many other dogs without a pedigree, he was described by the veterinarian as a mixed breed.
Our family would not have taken a million dollars for him, but, then, nobody ever offered to buy him at any price. He was “a good old dog” and First Dog for us.
When Pancho came to our house there had been no definite plan to get a dog. Our daughter, who was a teenager, then, had said she wanted a dog, but we had vaguely replied “someday.” That day arrived much sooner than we had in mind, however.
One evening, on returning from shopping, our daughter asked me to come out in the backyard and look at something. There on the patio was a very frightened six-week-old puppy that was desperately trying to find some place to hide. I pulled him from his place of concealment to discover a ribbon tied around his neck. A card attached to the ribbon read, “Happy Fathers Day.”
Our daughter wanted a dog and I got one! There is no way in the world that a father can refuse to accept his daughter’s Father’s Day gift.
Quickly we all fell in love with Pancho and he brought countless joys to our lives for over seventeen years. If Pancho could read, and we sometimes suspected that he could, he would probably have liked Paul’s statement: “This one thing I do” (Phil.3:13)
After getting over his initial fears, Pancho discovered a lifelong consuming passion for playing ball. He had boundless enthusiasm for catching a tennis ball. No attention was paid to any other object thrown in his direction. A tennis ball was his thing, and he would rather have someone throw the ball to him than to eat, sleep, or anything else. And he was good! He could catch the ball, bring it speedily to you, and then run out for another throw. He never wanted to stop, for playing ball was his one desire.
Even a mixed breed without noble parents has needs, and our First Dog worked hard to fulfill his needs. Pancho did his thing, did it well, and fulfilled the need we often call recognition-hunger.
We humans have the need to strive, to attain, and to gain recognition and approval. Otherwise, we experience emotional, sensory, and spiritual deprivation. In religious language, we may describe this as discovering and following the will of God for our lives.
That is why Pancho was First Dog. He was faithful and single-minded in discovering and living true to his purpose in life. He knew what he could do, and he did it with full dedication every chance he got. It would be a better world if more people were like Pancho. First Dog.
TO YOUR HEALTH
The natural state of the human body is one of good health. We humans tend to support or thwart our body’s attempts to have and maintain good health by our style of living. When we begin to feel pain, discomfort, unhappiness, and the like, these are symptoms indicating to us that something is going wrong.
Health exists when the mind, body, emotions, and spirit function in harmony.
Illness results when stress, conflict, and incongruence disrupt this process.
Symptoms, therefore, may be viewed as God-given ways to tell us we need to make some changes in our lives.
Every day millions of people get sick. Sometimes we hear one person say to another, “there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s all in your head.” In addition, the truth is that many forms of illness are psychosomatic. Some authorities would say there is a strong psychosomatic component in all illnesses.
Even if that is true, this does not refute the existence of our sickness, nor does it necessarily abolish the discomfort. However, whatever the obvious symptoms, we would do well to examine our style of living to determine its contribution to our sickness.
It is becoming clearer that fear, hate, anger, rage, conflict, frustration, dissatisfaction, anxiety, uncertainty, smoking, drinking, noise, poor diet, over or under eating, lack of exercise - and so much more - is involved in the wear and tear that helps create illness. Only by looking at all possible conditions that might have a connection with our symptoms, may we begin to move toward a cure.
In recent years we have heard many authorities describe and advocate the holistic approach to health care. It makes good sense to consider the whole person, to place emphasis on the fact that we are dynamic, integrated, and complex beings. In this connection we are beginning to recognize the capacity for self-healing as vitally important in the healing process. Likewise, we are talking more about the maintenance of good health and the prevention of illness, rather than just treating established disorders.
The holistic approach goes far beyond the attitude of a patient who takes a limited involvement and responsibility for the cure, and expects the physician to “fix it.” In such a case, what the patient is expressing is the feeling of personal helplessness. When that is the attitude it is a serious problem all by itself.
There should be no person in the entire world that is more interested in my good health than I am. Therefore, I will not turn over my responsibilities for health or recovery to anyone else, but will be vitally involved in the process.
Many studies report that the single factor that continues to emerge in people who stay healthy or recover well from sickness is attitude. It appears that there is a high correlation between positive response to treatment and positive attitudes and beliefs.
Evidence reveals that our mental state, attitude toward health, our belief system and style of life all play a highly significant part in health or recovery. That is where faith, hope, and love enter the picture.
AMBITION - DON’T LOSE IT
The person with a strong desire to achieve something, has the will to succeed, the willingness to take a challenge is expressing ambition. One man told me ambition = purpose, wish, desire, intention, aspiration, goals, ideas, and drive. If that is so - what a word! What a concept! It really puts us on the spot and requires some active forward movement.
When seen in this light ambition makes us see great possibilities, ways to be useful, and turns us in the direction of achievement. This kind of thinking seems to prevail when we talk with many college students today. I have met some very bright and ambitious students in the last few years. What great plans and concepts they are able to put together. I hope they will keep high and noble thoughts alive in the forefront of their minds, and deep in their hearts.
The fear I have is that their ambitions will lessen along the way. There is a real danger of losing the desire and the drive as we add to our years. Just look at the people around you. Some of them were much more alive at one time than now.
I recall hearing an address, which an accomplished psychiatrist made to a class just completing their psychiatric residency. He warned them at one point in his speech by saying: “There is a special danger you will all face as your practice starts to develop. After awhile you will begin to make a good living, have a nice house, at least two fine cars, and your children may be in private schools. With the good life and comforts will come the danger. If you are not very careful, you will lose your drive, your ambition, and your desire to be the best. Moreover, you will just hold on to what you have up to that point. But if you lose drive, ambition, and desire you actually go backwards.”
His word of warning applies to all of us, and like any word of warning, we dare not dismiss it.
Everywhere we see people at mid-life or later, who have not been aroused by ambition for a long, long time. I know a few who have aged rapidly through sheer laziness, mental and spiritual inertia, and plain indifference to life. They are only half-alive, and that is a shame. I think one of the most discouraging problems in the world is to try to help those who have learned how to be helpless.
A major question we all face is how to keep ambition fresh, bright, and developing. It seems wise to be alert to the possibility of losing it. No matter how old we are, we must keep alert. Being on guard is half the battle. I have made some personal resolutions: never lose the zest for living; keep enthusiasm high; see that the mind is active and clear; keep discovering the purpose for living; keep growing and going.
How important it is to be in an ambition-arousing atmosphere, an environment that will offer mental, physical, and spiritual stimulation. Keep close to people who will give you understanding and encouragement. Spend time with those who believe in you, and will help you make new discoveries. This will make all the difference between a great success and a mediocre existence.
When I was about to complete high school, I announced that I wanted to attend college. No one in the history of my family had ever gone to college, and I suspected it would not be a very popular idea. I was right. It was a very dumb idea I was informed. Go get a job, I was told.
I was not going to be put off, and made it clear that somehow I would go to college. So I did, completing a Bachelor of Arts, two masters, a doctoral degree, then went on for post-doctoral work in several institutions. It was very hard work, but worth all the effort. I am still not very smart, but I am thankful for the opportunities to express my ambitions.
What is the meaning of that abstract concept called ambition? It is the lifelong, growing desire to be somebody, to do something worthwhile, to achieve high aims, to have lofty God-given purposes. At the end of the day it is good to be able to say, “Thank You, Lord for what You and I have been able to do today.”
GOING HOME AGAIN
A few years ago on a trip to Atlanta, I went to the neighborhood where I was born and lived the first twenty years of my life. Friends had alerted me that it had changed in recent years. However, I found more than a changed community; it now has a new face. It is an ugly and dirty face. Now my old neighbor-hood is a crime-ridden ghetto. Drug dealers and others bent on violence live there.
The number on the house and the name on the street sign match my old address. It had to be where I used to live and play, but I had the feeling of being in the wrong neighbor- hood. Everything was much smaller than my boyhood memory. The street seemed shorter and not nearly so wide as I recalled; but that was over forty years ago. My, my, where did the years go so quickly?
In 1936, my parents built a house next door to the rent house where I had been born. I lived there until 1949 when I married. It was a solid middle-class neighborhood back then. The Jones family lived on one side of us. Homer, who was two or three years older than I, really could eat a lot. When they had hot dogs on Saturday, they always reminded him that nine was the limit. He always ate nine!
The Spirlins and the Cooks lived across the street. Down the block a few houses the Guillebeau family had lived, and I married the younger daughter. All those former neighbors have died or moved away many years ago.
In spite of my resolve to recapture the adventures of youth, the place I knew only exists in a distant memory. Today the neighborhood looks like the result of a missile attack. And it is an unfriendly place. The people who now live there stared at me with great suspicion. I was not welcome, or safe, in my old neighborhood it seemed.
I stopped the car in front of our family home. I wanted to look at it, see if the trees I used to climb were still in the back yard. It had been an attractive frame house, with a comfortable screened front porch, but that was years ago. Now the paint is peeling off and has the appearance of a nasty shack with an offensive odor. The feeling I had was one of revulsion and unfamiliarity.
As I sat there musing about what used to be, reality brought me back to the present. I felt threatened by the strangeness of all I had seen, and the thought came to me that I had better get out of there. So, I left more quickly than I had meant to, but I took my boyhood memories with me.
GO TO YOUR ROOM
Each day many young people hear the words, spoken with strong feelings, “Go to your room until you can learn to behave yourself!”
Now these words are spoken to a child by a parent who at the time is critical of some particular form of behavior. The hoped for result is a change in some outward performance, which at the moment is especially displeasing to the parent.
One of my favorite stories is about the little boy who came running into the house shouting that a bear was in the front yard. His mother cautiously peeped out the door. Not seeing a bear, she ventured out the door and into the yard. Under a bush, she saw a small puppy. She called her son and asked indignantly, “Is this the bear you saw?” “Yes, and it nearly scared me to death!” The mother said, “Go to your room. And you ask God to forgive you for telling a lie.”
The boy went to his room. After a few minutes he returned to his mother, who said, “Did you ask God to forgive you for telling the lie?” “Yes, and He said He would forgive me - because when He first saw that puppy He thought it was a bear too!”
Although my childhood was many years ago, I can easily recall the hours spent in my room. When I was sent there I would usually sit and think about the lack of justice, for I was convinced that no wrong had been committed. How was I to know the boy down the street would get in the way of the rock I had thrown at him? He should have gotten out of the way! It’s not my fault that his dumb old leg was bleeding. But, somehow my reasoning did not prevail. “Go to your room until you can learn to behave yourself.”
To recall such childhood events today is not as painful now as they seemed in those earlier years. Perhaps I even learned some things from those experiences, as I was supposed to. When I muse over being sent to my room, it seems clearer that I was being taught that there are certain principles of behavior and performance expected of each person.
We all have to discover as a part of growing up that we either practice the prevailing set of standards, or else face some consequences. Most often, these are standards of parents or society that are applied informally, and perhaps even at random. Being normal, we usually tested the limits of those things others told us we could or could not do.
After a lot of trial and error, we arrive at our own definition of acceptable behavior.
It did not take me long to learn that my freedom to throw rocks in polite society had some definite limitations. In fact, the lesson learned was extraordinary. It seemed to start at about the same time Chubby’s father knocked on our front door. Events moved rapidly just after he left our house. A board of education was applied to the seat of my learning shortly before I was told; “Go to your room until you can learn to behave yourself!” The fact that I vividly recall these events of nearly 60 years ago must indicate that a lesson was learned.
A friend of mine was in his car with his three-year-old son, Bill. The radio was reporting a news item about a high- speed chase and the capture of a robber, now in the jail. Bill asked his father what the man had done to be put in jail. His father did not know how to explain serious crime to a three-year-old, so he replied, “The man did something very bad.” Little Bill thought about it for a few minutes then commented, “He probably threw his toy at somebody.”
Beyond any question we are always learning and relearning the basic principles of behavior in a civilized society. We are defining and redefining the internal and external limits that will be accepted. Fortunately, most of us learn to act in a reasonable manner as we grow toward adulthood.
Those of us who are Christians are expected to go beyond civilized conduct. In addition to the internal and external controls imposed by our culture, God calls on us to help His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Considering how often we fall short and fail to do that, He probably would like to say, “Go to your room until you can learn to behave yourself!”
GOD HAS THE ANSWER
Many years ago one of our twin sons and his wife were sharing a happy Memorial Day weekend water-skiing with another couple. There was an accident involving our son, and he was very seriously hurt. For many hours his life was in the balance, and none of us, including the skilled medical team, knew how everything would turn out. Thankfully, after many surgical procedures and months of therapy, he recovered. Looking back and reviewing that period of anguish, we have asked countless times: “God, why did this happen?”
We have talked with God about it because we had to quickly conclude that many of the events, situations, and crises of life are not understandable in earthly terms. Try, as we will, we cannot make sense out of many things that happen.
We are forced to our knees and to God for some interpretation. Life presents each of us with many challenges. Some are fun and fulfilling. Other times we feel overwhelmed by the complexity or immensity of life events.
As Christians we can be certain that whatever life may bring, it is required of the Christian to be faithful. Faithfulness to God, His will, and His purpose will guarantee us a life with much variety. The unforeseen events will always come our way. To be sure, there will be hours of darkness, defeat, and times of disappointment; but we will always be surprised to see how much God will do with just a little faithfulness on our part.
It is perhaps a statement of obvious truth that we should expect the unexpected when dealing with God. The thing that seems so far beyond our strength and wit is commonplace to Him. Whatever our need of the moment, He is able to supply. New strength, a fortified heart, a fresh awareness, or comfort that really makes a difference - He can give it all and much more. That is God’s grace in action!
Our God is no stingy deity begrudging everything He may give His children; He is lavish beyond our understanding. Even so, what He gives must be accepted and developed by human effort.
It should be extremely clear to every believer in Christ that our God is the Almighty. He is able to open the way when, humanly speaking, the road ahead is completely filled with insurmountable obstacles. He can turn such a road into a superhighway of joyful surprises for the one who travels alongside Him.
However - and this is a large word - we must not look on the events, situations, and crises of life in earthly terms alone. There are few satisfactory answers for the one who views life only from an earthly point of disadvantage. When God is left out, or ignored, life is bound to become heavy, and obstacles will appear to be immovable.
To be quite honest, that kind of limited thinking is natural and so easily besets all of us. In spite of our belief in God, we tend to look out on life as though we are in charge. We seem to say, “ Here is a great problem. What will I do to solve it?” Instead, the act of faith will take the easier, and at the same time the more difficult view. Faith will say, “Lord, what will You have me do?”
Never forget, God always has the answer. The right answer. Let’s face it, the human, the natural, the earthly way of dealing with events, situations, and crises of life will crush the best of us. God has the ability and the desire to reveal His truth and provide His solutions. Seeing things His way, and living life His way builds up, renews, strengthens, and fills us with joyful surprises.
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for me?” (Jer.32:27)Thank You, Lord God, for keeping our son alive and in Your Hand. My, how You have blessed and used him all the years of his life. Thank You for teaching all of us to view all of life from the vantage point of Your eternal love.
AS YOU THINK, SO ARE YOU
One of the most important forms of human behavior is thinking. In the textbook thinking is described as mental manipulation of images, symbols, concepts, rules, and the like. Great volumes have been written about human thinking. The word Paul uses in Philippians 4:7-8 for "think" means: to calculate, to reckon carefully.
God made us as thinking, rational beings, but God would have us know that all thoughts are not of equal value. We are to weigh and seriously consider how to make the virtues of God part of our daily experience. There was a popular song, which has the refrain, "You've got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Don't mess with Mr. In-between."
We are to take the positive outlook on life for then we will discover the plan and purpose of God. One of the greatest threats to Christian dedication is the strong pull of the world in which we live. Our environment is not arranged for Christian thought, growth, and development. We are surrounded by influences, which, in effect, say there is no God. Or if there is a God, you can ignore Him and do whatever you like. At Christmas, Easter, weddings, and funerals you can let Him into your life a little bit, but that's enough.
A Christian who is not on guard begins to accept the thoughts, standards, and expectations of the world in his or her daily life. To our shame it must be said that there is perhaps no greater weakness in Christianity. Often without questioning, we accept the world's intellectual and social demands. It eats away from the effectiveness of God's grace.
God has a plan and purpose for each and every Christian. But we must be aware that the prideful thoughts of our heart can wreck God's plan. We must be aware that disobedient thoughts will keep us from hearing the call of God when it comes. If we are going to discover God's will for our lives, we must consciously think about the positive dimensions of life.
Disciplined thinking is needed to keep us balanced in our approach to life. Some people seem never to think - only act on whims or impulses. I've often thought of the unthinking soldier who set off a stick of dynamite beside a tree just to see what would happen. He blew up a whole area of the forest - that's what happened.
Other people seem to get bogged down in thought and are never able to act. Those who are careless, casual or uncommitted will never discover God's will by accident.
Before Paul was converted he was greatly troubled, and acted out his troubles by doing harm to any Christians he could find. When Paul was converted to Christ he discovered God's plan for his life; he filled his mind with the truth of God; he became free for he was under grace. Even in his weakness he found strength.
Never fear: the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. Take the positive outlook on life for then we will discover our place and standing with Jesus Christ. You will discover who you are and whose you are. With growing awareness of your own personal uniqueness it is necessary to develop a wholesome self-image. You cannot fill your mind with despair, gloom, and trash and still expect to be positive, happy and enjoy good health.
There are very definite mind-body-soul responses, which will come to pass. Claim your place and relationship to Jesus Christ. We have been bought at a great price, the death of God's own Son. We are members of the family of God. God has set us apart for holiness. We are different, and God expects us to think like His children.
Take the positive outlook on life for that will lead us to choose deliberate action. The call is not for passive observers, but active participants. We are to consciously set our minds on those things that are of God then act on them.
The principle of wholesome emotional adjustment is simply this: Do something; preferably something appropriate.
One of the secrets of happiness is to be more concerned with what goes on outside rather than inside you. Here is a warning: if you do not find something wholesome, constructive, and decent to fill your mind, the devil will help you find plenty of rubbish.
The burden for taking deliberate action rests on each one of us. When we know the plan and purpose of God our place and standing with Jesus Christ, we are to become doers of the word. God does not judge us on Bible knowledge. He judges us on obedience - or the lack of it. Every Christian has the obligation to be aware of God's goodness whatever the circumstances of life. Being aware of God always calls for action on our part.
God invites us: "Come let us reason together." (Isa.1:18) He made us like Himself, in our ability to think, form concepts, and act creatively. We are invited to be partakers of the Divine Nature, to be transformed into His image, to become Christ-like in our thoughts and actions. There are those who want to force us into correct thought and doctrine, as they define it. But God has given each person uniqueness.
Do not surrender your God-given uniqueness. Learn how to use your own valuable capacity to the fullest measure. As you think, so are you.
THE NIGHT JOHN WAS HANGED
John, a Private First Class in the U.S. Army, stood anxiously before the General Court-Martial panel to hear the verdict in his case. The big question in his mind was not whether the verdict would be innocent or guilty. He knew it would be guilty. The trial had been a nightmare, for it publicly revealed his private habits and evil ways. His worst traits had been graphically displayed for all to see, and he was glad it was about to be over. His thoughts were fiercely concentrated on the sentence: life or death?
The matter was quickly settled, for the senior officer on the General Court-Martial announced that John had been found guilty. Further, the officer added that due to the severity of the crime, the sentence was that John should be hanged by the neck until dead.
He felt vacant, spent, and his heart sank as he heard the words. Pain and hopelessness walked with him as he returned to the stockade cell. For days after the trial John’s feelings alternated from panic to numbness. In time, he finally began to settle down and adjust to the inevitable.
I met John when he was transferred to the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the maximum-security facility for military prisoners. I was assigned as the Protestant Chaplain for the prison. This was my second assignment in a military correctional facility, and had been especially trained for such assignments.
John was confined to death row and began to get acquainted with the other prisoners there and the routine of life under strict security. All his rights and legal options were carefully explained. He knew that capital offense cases are automatically reviewed, and that he could make various appeals in addition. Such reviews and appeals take years to be completed, and then the case goes to the President for final review. The President has the power to commute the death sentence of a military person if there are adequate reasons to do so.
As the Protestant Chaplain for the Disciplinary Barracks, I made almost daily visits on death row to see John. He was not a Christian, but with death facing him, he was willing to learn what it was all about. We studied the Bible together over many months as he attempted to understand some of the basic teachings of Scripture. We reviewed the plan of salvation numerous times.
One point that I wanted John to understand clearly was that Jesus would forgive him for all his sins, even the sins that got him on death row; yet being saved would not change the death sentence imposed by the military. He would still face the consequences of his sin, but as a Christian, he would have God with him.
One day he told me, “I’m ready. I want to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I don’t know what might happen about my sentence, but I want to be saved.” We knelt on the concrete floor of his death row cell and he asked Jesus to come into his heart. His prayer was an expression of deeply felt need and sincere confession of his misspent life. It indicated the concentration of thought he had given to this act of faith.
What a huge smile he had on his face when we stood again! The terrible gulf between him and God had been removed and he felt great excitement and pleasure. He shared his new faith with other prisoners and the guards of death row. In addition, he wrote his mother telling her that he had changed and was now a Christian. It was plain for all to see that his whole attitude toward life and death was different. He took on a more positive demeanor in general.
The prison Chapel was on an upper floor in the same huge building where death row was located. I got permission for John to come from death row up to the Chapel where I baptized him by immersion. A local Church had given authorization for me to baptize him, and John became a member of that Church.
We continued to have regular Bible study in his cell, and he was allowed to come with a guard to worship services in the Chapel. John grew in grace as a Christian and greatly enjoyed his new relationships with the Lord.
The day came when we learned that all the legal reviews and appeals concerning his case had been completed. An order came that set the date for execution. All the activities that would lead up to the execution was set into motion.
Like everything else in the military, an execution is governed by regulations. There is a manual, Procedure for Military Executions, which tells everything needed to have a proper hanging. It’s instructions cover all arrangements for building a scaffold, the kind of rope to be used, how a hangman is to tie the knot, who will attend, disposition of the remains and effects, reports, notifications and all the other details of an execution. One of the official party to be present at an execution is the Chaplain, so I knew I would be with him.
After John was notified that a definite date had been set, he was moved from death row to a small cellblock nearby. This was the usual procedure in such matters and provided for even greater security and surveillance. He was the only prisoner there. A guard was outside his cell at all times.
He accepted the certainty of his forthcoming death stoically. My visits with John were now on a daily basis and we began having serious discussions about death.
Since I had been an official witness in two prior executions, I explained the execution procedure to him in detail, describing what would happen step-by-step. He was grateful to have this information so he could better prepare himself. One thought I especially wanted to impress on him was that he did not have a choice in whether or not he would die. But he alone had the choice of how he would die. Although he had not lived his life in a distinguished manner, he could make the decision to die as a witness to his new faith in Jesus Christ.
He responded that he realized people would talk about him, and he wanted them to say he died like a true Christian.
It is impossible to keep secrets in prison and the whole prison population knew well in advance that an execution was going to take place. On the day set for the execution the prison atmosphere was much more restless than usual. Tempers were shorter and conversations about the injustice of capital punishment were common. An uneasy and foreboding attitude seemed to fill the air throughout the institution. None of the staff involved wanted to have anything to do with such an event, for it was most unpleasant to all of us. But we knew we would do our assigned duties.
The execution time was set for one minute after midnight so all prisoners would be locked up. No demonstrations or unseemly conduct would be tolerated.
As is customary, John was asked what he would like for his last meal. He thought about it a moment and requested fried shrimp and chocolate cake. I went to his cell and ate dinner with him. He had a huge appetite, eating 23 large shrimp and then a big piece of cake.
During that last evening, we sat in his bare cell, sometimes talking and at other times in quiet contemplation. The Catholic Chaplain came and worshipped with us as we sang hymns, read the Scripture, and prayed. We rejoiced in our mutual faith in Christ, and keenly felt His Presence with us.
We experienced special grace during that long and somber evening. When we sang, “What a Friend we have in Jesus,” and “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me,” the words had extraordinary and rich meaning.
About fifteen minutes before midnight John asked if the guard escort was about due to come for him. I said it was almost time for them to arrive. He requested that we pray one more time before the guards got there, so we did.
His prayer was brief, simple, and matter of fact.
“Dear God, in just a few minutes I am coming
to be with You forever.
Thank You that Jesus is my Savior. God, please blesses my mama and
my sister, and takes care of them. And, Lord; help the people who are
about to hang me not to feel bad about it. I know they are just doing what
they have to do. Thank You that I can come to You. In Jesus name. Amen.”
I knew then that God was supplying the grace especially designed for that moment. And I could see that John had consciously decided he would bear a strong witness by the way his died.
The guard escort came and we formed a procession to make our way to the nearby building where the scaffold had been built. As we walked through the dark, with the aid of a small penlight, I read the 23rd Psalm aloud.
John walked behind me repeating every phrase. I noted that the entire institution had a strange and unusual silence about it, and suspected that few prisoners were sleeping well if at all.
The scene at the scaffold was orderly and stiffly military. The official participants were all in place. In one corner of the room there was a telephone connected to the White House in case the President gave a last-minute stay of execution. He did not call.
The official orders of execution were read aloud following strict military protocol. When reading of the order was completed, John was asked if he had any last words. I had alerted him that this opportunity for a parting message would be given, and I was waiting to hear what he might say.
Again, God’s grace was evident. He took a deep breath and said, “Yes, sir, I have. I want to thank all of you for the kindness you have shown me while I have been here. I know you don’t mean me any harm but are doing what you have to do.”
With that he walked over to the scaffold and stood very still as the hood was quickly placed over his head and the noose adjusted around his neck. With a hideous suddenness, the trap door flew open, with a loud sound like the bang of a fired gun.
John fell through to his death. While the initial drop through the door no doubt broke his neck and knocked him unconscious, it took fifteen minutes for the heart to stop beating so he could be certified as dead by two physicians.
John’s desire to die as a witness to his faith in Jesus Christ came true. Many people came to see me in the days following the execution to ask what there was about John that helped him to die as he did. Comments were made about the peace and calmness he seemed to feel. And one man was especially puzzled about how John could express appreciation in his last words.
I was able to share God’s word and His message of salvation in unusual ways because God had given special grace that dark night. I felt honored to see the awesome power of God working in our midst. It has now been over forty years since John was hanged, but his witness in dying is still a blessing to my life.
THE POWER OF AMAZEMENT
When I was in the Army, I had a most delightful three-year tour in Germany. One extremely cold February I was in the Alpine village of Berchtesgaden for a week.
Thousands of people travel from around the world to come to this beautiful part of God’s creation. The Army sent me there several times for brief periods of duty.
This region of Germany is an area rich in history, and the customs and culture have seen little change over the years. The native clothing and folk dances continue in the same quaint manner year after year. Some farmers still used the ox to plow just as they did hundreds of years ago.
There is the feeling that you have been transported backward in time. Everywhere you look, there is the picturesque beauty of the Bavarian Alps, the stillness of the valleys - a paradise for photographers!
During one very cold week in February, I greatly enjoyed being in Berchtesgaden, although the weather forecaster said it was the coldest winter in fifty years. In fact, I noticed the weather forecasters stated that same fact more than one winter.
One day during the weeklong stay, a friend named Frank was walking along with me and he seemed to be about as under-whelmed as I was overwhelmed with the beauty of Berchtesgaden. On the main street, there is an overlook where you can see straight down. Just below there is the train station with a fast moving stream beside it. The temperature was near zero, but the water in the stream was not frozen. The water was so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom of the stream. What an incredible sight!
I said, “Come over and look at this beautiful view, Frank. You’ve never seen anything so magnificent and beautiful.” Frank replied, “Oh, let’s go, I’ve seen it before.”
In the years since that day, I have heard Frank’s words many times. “I’ve seen it before.” I keep thinking that if you have seen it before, how is it possible you do not want to see it repeatedly.
It seems to me that God has given us the ability to be curious, to have new interests, to inquire with our minds. The little child is a delight, because he or she has the power to be surprised and intrigued by new experiences, new events, and fresh discoveries.
A God-given thirst for knowledge sends scientists and scholars in an eager search for new truth. Art, literature, music, health, and technological advances are the result. Yet, there are far too many people who seem to have an underdeveloped sense of wonder, coupled with little curiosity or interest in the world about them. They are not willing to examine an issue deeply, and appear content to live shallow lives on the thin surface of existence.
We even see some in church that are able to sing the words of “Amazing Grace” without expressing the least bit of amazement.
It should be our prayer that God will cause us to lookout on the beauty of His world with true praise and thanksgiving.
May our minds be challenged to explore and understand more of the wonders all about us. May we be soon delivered from the shallow, the frivolous, and superfluous. May God, stir us deeply so we go below the surface, get past idle curiosity, and develop a lasting wonder.
Psalm 8:1 gives us direction: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.”
“Come over and look at this, Frank. You’ve never seen anything so magnificent and beautiful.”
ACHIEVING A BALANCE
In the typical Church, there are those few people who try to be an active part of everything going on within the Church. They feel that no program, function, or activity can be complete without them. Other people in the typical Church try just as hard (and perhaps even harder) to do nothing.
Often I have seen representatives of each extreme in my counseling office. None of these seem to be happy, yet all of them want to be happy. Each would like to be happy, feel satisfied and at peace, but something is missing.
Mental health leaders of the past and present have had much to say about man’s striving for meaning and purpose in life. This is said to involve a wholesome sense of identity, a growing sense of self that provides unity to the human personality.
Jesus promised His followers “life and that more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Actually, the promise seems to indicate far more than the minimum needed for a good life. The idea Jesus wanted to communicate was that He wants to give us an overflow, a superabundance of resources for living.
The question that is always before us is this: “How may we have this personal unity, this power for living, this overflowing life?”
The Scripture reveals that the abundant life begins when we claim - truly claim - our place in relationship to God through Jesus Christ. The Biblical view of life provides us an eternal view. God clearly discloses that the ultimate questions of life are settled when we have a personal relationship of faith in Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
As we claim our relationship to Him, He forgives the past and wipes it clean. It is at that point that He begins to bring meaning and purpose to our present. Actually, all of life takes on new significance when we are in a right relationship to the God of all time.
Church members who are overly involved are often emotionally empty people who are striving to fill the void they feel within themselves. In their own way, they are attempting to create a state of happiness, satisfaction, and peace. Maybe they are even hoping to earn the right to the abundant life. The problem is that using the world’s best methods they are still empty and unfulfilled.
On the other hand, those who try hard to do nothing, to have the benefits without being involved, have either never discovered the meaning of life, or have given up. They may often be described as apathetic and without any motivation. They may feel that life has passed them by, and now there is no hope of change for the better.
In either case, the abundant life has been displaced by anxiety, boredom, depression, frustration and the like. Much more than that is offered to every believer who claims his or her rightful relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
Frequently Church leaders admonish us to be busy, to be productive and fruitful. However, there is the need for balance, purpose, and meaning. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord. Remember that the Lord will reward you; you will receive what He has kept for His people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.” (Col. 3:23-24 TEV)
A wholesome sense of identity as a child of God, a growing sense of self, a unified personality will include, and result in, a balanced life, the abundant life.
GOD’S ASSURANCE
Some dates stick in our mind for one reason or other. The same date may have opposite meanings for different people. Or no meaning at all.
The day, June 29, 1986, has a special meaning for me. That date triggers thoughts of a personal event that happened only to me. June 29 was the day before my retirement from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. I was traveling alone to Waco, Texas where we were going to settle in the retirement years.
The route I was taking led me through Arkansas and I was approaching Texas from the East. About midmorning I came near the Arkansas - Texas state line and it was raining very hard. There was thunder and lightening, lots of noise like it would crack the sky apart. It was a rumbling, banging kind of noise, and the sky got very dark. Some of the low clouds were not only black, but had a kind of putrid green color.
All this was accompanied by wind that slashed and shoved the car around. I must admit that it created an uneasy feeling. Then, very suddenly, there were several small areas in the sky that allowed the sun to shine through briefly. It was one of the typical summer storms that occur around these parts, fast moving and sometimes violent.
I turned the car radio on to a local station, hoping to hear a weather report. The storm made so much noise and created such static that I could hardly hear anything on the radio. It was a bit frustrating. However, just before I reached the Texas State line the static cleared on the radio so I could hear the station well.
As I reached the Texas line a choir on the radio began singing the hymn, “ I Am Bound for the Promised Land.” All the verses were sung, and I got a message of God’s presence and assurance. I sang along with the choir.
Then as I drove into Texas there appeared a most beautiful rainbow. It was as clear as a picture from one end to the other. It lasted several minutes, and was just ahead of me on the Texas side of the state line.
Most people would draw no conclusions regarding this storm and the events I saw. Or maybe would conclude that it is one more example of a bragging and boastful Texan making a fool out of himself. And I plead guilty to some of that charge.
At the same time, I take these events as a personal reminder of the everlasting covenant God has made with mankind. (Gen. 9) The rainbow caused me to be reminded of His gifts and grace shown over all the previous years. It also brought to mind my obligation to keep on loving, worshipping, and serving Him in my retirement years.
Later that afternoon I arrived at my new home in Waco. In the evening, we went to the annual picnic of the church we were going to join. It was at that picnic that God continued His activity of leading and direction, for I was invited to talk about being on the Church staff as Assistant Pastor.
It was quite a day. The violent storm, the hymn, the beautiful rainbow, and the invitation - all this gave me a feeling of God’s assurance that I was doing the right thing. And I knew I was home!
A BASIC AMERICAN FREEDOM
We Americans talk a lot about freedom. Yet, we often do not use to the full our most basic freedom, which we all now possess. The Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution does not guarantee this freedom.
No nation, no person can give us the basic freedom - or take it away.
This basic freedom is equally available to all persons regardless of race, age, sex, economic status, education - or any other circumstance. It is available to the young and old, the rich and poor, the sick and well, the president and the prisoner.
What is this most basic of all freedoms? It is the freedom to choose how we will think and respond to all the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
We cannot always control: what others do to us; what happens to us; where we were born; what physical defects or assets we have; what others expect of us; how high or low our IQ.
But we can control: how we react to what others do to us; how we cope with what happens to us; how we live, and if we live, where we were born; how well we use the physical abilities we have; what we do with the resources we have been given; how we respond to the opinion of others; what we do with the IQ we have; etc.
We each have the basic freedom to choose how we will think and respond to the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but too often, we place man-made limitations on ourselves. Limitations rob us of our freedom to make the best of what we are and have to offer.
The way we see ourselves will either propel us forward or hold us back. The limitations we place on ourselves are very real. They include things like this: a negative outlook on life; all the excuses we offer; our waste of the time we are given; failure to accept the opportunities that are offered; our pettiness; our inflexibility; feeling sorry for ourselves; the needless worries; procrastination; laziness and lack of ambition; lack of self-discipline and organization; and a host of bad habits we hold onto with true dedication.
The successful people - the real winners of this world-have always been those who have used their freedom to think and choose how to respond to whatever circumstances they face.
Look at some well-known examples: Colonel Sanders was told he was too old to start a new business. Nevertheless, he started the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in spite of that advice.
The Wright brothers knew no one had ever flown a craft heavier than air before and some scientists even proved it was not possible. However, the Wright brothers did not accept the limitation, and millions fly every day.
Florence Chadwick was well aware that others had died attempting to swim the English Channel, but she was successful.
Henry Ford had to face the fact that he had invented a motorcar that few people wanted. Some yelled, “Get a horse.” Aren’t you glad he persisted and won?
Young David was told he was unskilled and poorly equipped to face the great giant Goliath. We know how that battle turned out, don’t we?
The successful people, the real winners of the world, ignore shortsighted views of scoffers and critics. Instead of listening to the discouraging words, they go forward, and sometimes do the impossible.
The negative opinion of “experts” is not enough to turn back a real winner who is determined to use the most basic of freedoms. After Fred Astaire took his first screen test, an ”expert” wrote a memo. The testing director of MGM said in 1933 that Astaire could not act, was getting bald, but could dance a little. Fred Astaire always kept that memo over the fireplace of his expensive Beverly Hills
Early in his career, Vince Lombardi, the football coach who became a legend in his own time, was told to forget football. He had only minimal understanding of the game of football, and besides was not motivated enough.
Even Albert Einstein was treated as a mentally retarded person for quite some time. Experts diagnosed him. The point is that experts do not always know.
Since we all possess this most basic of freedoms, life demands that we make choices. Too many people go through all their years experiencing very little of what life has to offer. They believe and follow self-imposed limitations, or accept limits placed on them by someone else. It is like a person who goes to a huge all you can eat buffet table, and take only a few carrot sticks, then complains about being hungry and unsatisfied. On the other hand, imagine being given a signed check and told to fill in any amount you want, so you write $5.00.
Would you like to just muddle aimlessly through the rest of your life? Do you want to allow circumstances, or other people to dictate the way you will spend the remainder of your life? Or perhaps you want to “fly by the seat of your pants,” letting small thoughts wipe out the big decisions that can shape your life and future?
The really great and important question to ask your self is: “Who is in charge of my life?” The answer will go a long way in determining your future. Remember this: the most basic freedom of all - which we now have - is the freedom to think and choose how we will respond to every event of life.
LET FREEDOM RING
The Declaration of Independence has some strong words about freedom and Americans. It says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
It does not guarantee anyone happiness, but it says we are each free to pursue happiness!
That means if we are to be responsible, then we must be free people.
The crowning glory of God’s creative activity was that He made a man and a woman, and He made them in His own image. The maker of a product has the right to print or stamp his name or symbol of ownership on the product. God does the same and places His stamp of ownership on all human beings.
Perhaps the most basic element of God’s image on us is the ability to exercise freedom. We are always free to love or hate, to be moral or immoral, to submit ourselves to God or refuse to submit.
The use of freedom without Christ has led to every evil movement in the history of the world. Likewise, the exercise of freedom with Christ has led to every good and beneficial movement in history. When we stop to think about it, the same spiritual forces played on Judas as on the other disciples. Judas chose to betray Jesus Christ. The other disciples chose to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
Only in Christ are we so freed from self and sin that we want to do what we ought to do. When Jesus Christ is King of our heart and Lord of our life, then we experience true freedom. I believe that we often sin by being too easily satisfied. We want to exercise enough freedom to be respectable and get the benefits, but not to the degree that we get involved.
It was Robert Louis Stevenson who said that most people suffer from “the malady of not wanting.” The strong advice from Peter tells us: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” (1Peter 2:16)
We must be very careful how we use the awesome and God-given freedom to make choices, for we will live or die by what we do. That means our Christian freedom is always conditioned by Christian responsibility. Every day we hear new groups of people demanding their rights for some cause or other. They often do not demand the right to be responsible with their freedom.
I am not a historian, but I believe in the history of the world there have been only a very few years without the turmoil and destruction of war. Millions of our own citizens have participated in the defense of this nation. If we could take a worldwide poll, most people would say they cherish peace. Yet, the actual years of peace in the world are few. Why is that so?
Shortly after God created humans in His own image those same humans entered into sin and alienated the human race from God and one another. From that moment to this, nations and individuals have chosen to vent their rage in the most destructive ways.
The world has suffered from people like Herod, Pilate, Idi Amin, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Ayyatola, Saddam, and thousands of others like them. Fortunately, Peter, Paul, John, Martin Luther, Abe Lincoln, John Newton, John Wesley, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham and a great host of people like them have also blessed us. When we study history we discover that all the evil, all the tyrants, and all the dictators of the world have been unable to take away the idea and concept of human freedom. It cannot be done for it is God-given.
Even now, as we contemplate the future we may be sure that there will be more periods of turmoil and chaos. However, we may also be very certain that those who trust God by faith in Jesus Christ will be safe and secure. When the foundations of life begin to shake, we naturally turn to the important and basic beliefs that have sustained us in the past.
In 1941, President Roosevelt reminded the world of the four essential human freedoms: the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from want, the freedom from fear. We who are Christians believe that, not only for ourselves, but also for all people everywhere. God alone will endure forever, for He alone is sovereign. In addition, He alone is steady and steadfast. His people have always been able to say: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)
The people of God have the responsibility to preserve, protect, defend, and promote the cause of freedom for every individual. It is a self-evident truth that if we are to be responsible we must be free. Let freedom ring!
LET’S HAVE A REVIVAL
In the typical Church calendar, we have a variety of activities that are emphasized throughout the year. Now, some of these get more emphasis than others, and I suppose that is the way it should be. One of the more interesting annual activities is the revival meeting. Revivals used to be at least two weeks long, but not in these modern times. Now we can do the job in about four days, Sunday through Wednesday.
When we decide on a time for the revival we begin to “talk it up,” which means we attempt to create interest in this special emphasis. Revivals are held to give all of us something to think about, a time for bringing us back to the basic doctrines of the faith. Whatever basic doctrines we hold dear, it seems we are always straying from them. Therefore, in the revival emphasis we talk about the need for renewal, new decisions, and new beginnings. We always want to inform the non-believer about the “straight and narrow path,” and where he is going if he does not get on it.
If the series of meetings we schedule is to be a true revival, it must start with our own personal relationship with God. But that is not the way the typical Church member thinks you have a revival. I have done research on the subject, and here are the thoughts of Mr. and Mrs. Average.
First, you get a preacher who can provide highly stimulating and emotional messages aimed at someone else. For a good revival, the messenger needs three ingredients to please the customers: he must make us laugh; then he makes us cry; and he makes us feel religious.
Second, music plays a major part in the success of a good revival. So, there must be a song leader with an active thyroid, one who can jump about to make the rest of us excited. He has got to know the old gospel songs, and the newer contemporary music that has a lot of “bing-bong” in it. The theological message does not have to be too accurate if the tunes are catchy. If he can get someone to play a guitar, trumpet, or musical saw, he will meet all the high standards for revival music.
Third, during a revival we want to hear some impressive stories. Missionary stories are always fine, but testimonies from previously despicable characters are better. Add to those stories many rapid-fire warnings of coming destruction. That is, coming destruction of other people, by the way. If it is coming on some of those miserable characters that have not repented, so much the better. We want that evangelistic preacher to get increasingly excited, to stomp about the pulpit area, to beat on the pulpit stand. He must be able to shout and to whisper as he brings mass influence with hysterical suggestion.
Now if any of the above is what we look for in the revival meeting, we had better go look again. We had better pray for a little more light. In defense of the above formula for a revival, it probably will not hurt anyone, but it is doubtful that such methods will bring any lasting good either. To tell the truth, I have been through some of these experiences before, and some of it was fun. But we should stop looking for a revival where it is not.
A true revival that will do us some good is going to come when you and I get right with God! When we get right with God as individuals. There are some of us who are full and overflowing with anger, hatred, vile feelings, sour on the world in general. That has to change.
Some of us cannot get down even to pray because of the sin that fills the heart and chokes the words before they can come out. A few even seem to think you spell pray “prey,” because that is what they do best. That has to change.
There are those who seem determined to keep old wounds from healing. Much damage is done to the Church even in the attempt to defend it. That has to change.
There is nothing that Christ made clearer: the condition of God’s forgiveness is that we stand ready to love and forgive one another. We can find no access to God for ourselves if we are not willing to put things right between other people and ourselves. Jesus said: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matt. 6:12,14) “Leave there thy gift before the altar. first be reconciled to thy brother.” (Mk. 11:26)
Real revival as far as you and I are concerned must be personal. I must begin with myself. You must begin with yourself. Here, I believe, are the important elements of a real and true revival.
1. Personal, thorough, soul-searching examination. We must dare to face reality directly under the searching spotlight of God.
2. Confession must be made to God and to others. Our rottenness must be told. We must face any hate, guilt, bitterness, or any other personal offense before God. We must throw ourselves on His mercy.
3. Get up from our personal examination, confession, and go make restitution. This means giving back what has been stolen, making apology to any person we have wronged, extending love where we have been giving anger, making right what we have previously made wrong. Personal examination, confession, and restitution all go together.
4. Now we come to the very heart of the matter; we are to accept the forgiveness of God and from one another. Forgiveness is one of the most therapeutic ideas in the entire world! God says that when He forgives our sin He does not remember it any more. It is removed from the sinner as far as the East is from the West. If He forgets, so must we put it away and forget.
Having a revival is not just talking with a stained-glass voice, and going through some holy motions. We have played the game of “revival, revival, let’s have a revival” before - and it never has worked. Let us skip the games and get oriented to reality. Let me get straight first, and then together we can turn to God. As we redirect our lives, make the hard decisions, feel a new sense of urgency, bring a new happiness and excellence to our Christian faith, we begin to learn what revival is all about. It might take more than four days.
THIS CHANGING WORLD
We live in a rapidly changing world, a world where changes are taking place from the ocean floor to the moon and beyond. We turn on our TV news and view violence from the very scene of action. In one newscast, we may see a prison brawl, a ghetto riot, and a civil war. All from the comfort of our homes.
Strange doctrines are being put forth and gaining followers. Increasing numbers of people seem to believe there is nothing sacred about anything. Violence, hatred, and distrust are experienced on every hand. Many Church members shake their heads and wonder “ what is the world coming to?” Everything is changing so fast.
Sociologists point out that a basic change has occurred in religion and behavior. The emphasis has changed from studying how religion affects behavior. They now study the factors in society that determine religious behavior. These are troubling, confusing, and very serious times for all people.
Faced with such circumstances the Christian should be able to see that a clear, lively witness to our faith is badly needed today. It must be a witness that lacks excessive holy jargon to be understood. Is there such a word from God? In 2Tim. 1:7 we read: “The Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid, instead, His Spirit fills us with power and love and self-control.” A humanistic liberalism coupled with a social action orientation is the answer some groups offer. This answer is rightly spurned by those who fear the social gospel.
We demonstrate a great awareness of contemporary human problems. We emphasize a special concern and perception of the current social issues we all face. But we must bring spiritual applications and solutions to bear. We hear enough speculations about life; what we need to hear is the testimony of personal experience that will bring hope and meaning to life.
Do Christians have anything worthwhile to tell the world? As Christian individuals and Churches we must both tell the good news and put it into practice. That means ministering to people where they are and according to their needs. Can we say that those in our sphere of influence are positively affected by our actions, our faith? The people who look at us should be able to say: “There is no doubt about it, there goes a person with faith in Jesus Christ and he/she cares.”
It is increasingly clear that people will identify with about anything, but we must point them to personal identity with the Son of God. If we are not channels of communication for the message of God, who will be? Using our best skills, techniques, and methods we must be sensitive and respond to God’s directions. The needs of people cry out from our home communities to the ends of the earth.
We recognize, of course, that Christians face the world from a minority status. For that reason we must have an inner toughness based on the warm, loving concern of Christ. He wants to reach all kinds of people in every possible place. He wants us to help His do it.
Yet we must admit there are problems standing in the way of our ministry. There are many inaccurate ideas about religion in general and Christianity in particular. In fact, some people view religious faith as a kind of Disneyland.
They have their fantasyland where all dreams come true and every story has a happy conclusion. They have a religious frontier land where the good old days are celebrated with hymns and stories of heroic deeds of yesterdays Bible believing Americans. They have a Sabbath land where feelings about God are closely confined to one hour per Sunday, now and then. And best of all, there is tomorrow land. It is filled with nostalgia and all the forgotten promises that have ever been made to God.
What this means is that many people naively demand a kind of relevance, which the average Christian is not equipped to provide. The resulting confusion demonstrates the difficulty of facing today’s world with Christian integrity and practicality. Problems are not new, and we cannot draw back and be inactive because there are problems. God will convince us that the problems of today are large and very complicated, but He also has solutions. He has answers that will enlighten and guide His people. Often His solutions are not simple or simplistic. His enlightenment and guidance may lead us to the very gates of hell, as we bear our witness.
God calls us to do more than be concerned in general. We are to be concerned for the whole person, soul, body, mind, environment, working conditions - and all else that has bearing on the human condition. Any important work is hard, but it is especially difficulty to know how and where to begin in ministering as a Christian.
Here is an extremely significant fact: one Christian, rightly placed, can make an enormous difference in the lives of other people.
Our work as Christians is important, not because we are always wiser or better than other people are, but because we are so placed that we are able to draw out and direct people to the abundant life in Jesus Christ. Our most important witness is what we are and how we use ourselves to rightly influence others for Almighty God.
We must do for our day what other Christians in former years did for their day. Here are some suggestions:
1. There must be a gospel ministry to the vital issues of life in every community.
2. Evangelism must come to bear on the places of business where decisions are made.
We must tell of Christ in the halls of government where law and order is at stake.
We cannot avoid the cleavage between races, cultures, and nationalities. Our ministry is vital here.
We must address the plight of the “up and out” and the “down and out.”
We are told in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to go into the entire world with His message. If our ministry for Christ does not make sense in these places, it will not make much sense anywhere. Keep in mind that a message has very little chance of success if the messenger is ill equipped to deliver it.
I suggest several special thoughts to keep in mind as we attempt to minister for Christ.
1. People are the main thing. As we map out programs, build buildings, or do anything else, people ought to be brought to an encounter with God.
2. We need to confront people with helpful, meaningful, and growth-producing relationships.
3. Ordinarily people will respond to our ministry in the name of Christ if we are first significant to them. Only as we dare to expose our personal faith to others will our work begin to mean something for Christ.
4. Most people today will only respond to those things that have some promise of personal value. Approach them based on their needs or interests. Our efforts must be to glorify God, and not ourselves.
5. When we share our faith we multiply the value of it. Let your example be one that will cause someone to follow you to Christ.
6. People grow through love. Healthy love develops healthy, mature, spiritual people. Major on God’s love, not on His wrath.
These are not new ideas for others have been reminding us of them for years. We always seem to need urging to move from a state of chronic inertia. When the old, familiar, and comfortable methods of ministering work, we keep using them. Otherwise, the Spirit will give us new equipment for our witness. May we go forward in faith, hope, and love. We ask God to make our ministry true to His purposes.
OPTIMISM AS CONTAGIOUS AS PESSIMISM
If we continue the current trend of doom and gloom, soon the majority of Americans will be qualified as professional pessimists. Listening to the never-ending barrage of negative reports would send the most confirmed optimist into a state of despair and depression.
Those who focus on the wrongs of America would have us believe:
There are no businesses that are sound and successful.
All who serve in government are incompetent and/or crooks.
Young people only think about dealing drugs, drinking alcohol, and being sexually promiscuous.
Typical workers in business and industry are lazy and have no talent or skill.
Our schools are backward, of little value, and must be completely overhauled.
Good grief. All this pessimism is contagious. Those who are looking for what is wrong will surely find plenty to talk about, for there is no shortage. Evil people, movements and events abound, and if that is what we choose to focus on we will never run out of material for headlines.
But we should remind ourselves that while pessimism is contagious, so is optimism.
It comes down to a matter of personal choice. How will I as an individual view people, movements and events? What will be my personal outlook on life? Realistically, we must admit that every American will arrive at his or her own view.
Some in Congress go to enormous lengths telling why some proposal of the president will not work,