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Adding a Zero Bumpers But I Love You Anyway Compass Influences Listen Up Making an Ishmael Natural Gas Old Yeller Serving Our Judas Start Listening Tailgating The Filing Cabinet
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Adding a Zero
If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you! (Proverbs 19:17, NLT)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:34-36, 40, NLT)
I had major back surgery in May 2017 and then again in March 2018. After many lengthy and excruciating procedures, and after losing a significant amount of weight and strengthening my core muscles, I was finally able to get back to work and live a relatively regular life again. During one of the many visits I had with my neurosurgeon, he said something that struck me. He said that every ten pounds a person is overweight, they are adding one hundred pounds of stress on their spine. That was an incredible statement. I had absolutely no idea such a small action could make such a monumental impact! I have tried to control my weight ever since.
Jesus gives us a parable in Matthew 25 that reiterates a proverb of the same principle in Proverbs 19: the little things we do make a monumental impact. The way we treat our backs and our brothers are strikingly similar and are both significantly amplified far greater than we may think. Every hurtful and hateful action and attitude is just adding more weight on an already unhealthy spiritual spine. Conversely, every helpful and healing action and attitude is removing weight and healing your spiritual spine. The ten pounds you added or removed has the spiritual effect of one hundred pounds!
The next time you begin a thought or statement with, “I hate-” remember that you’re adding a hundred pounds of hate. The next time you harbor unforgiveness in your heart, remember you’re adding a hundred pounds of unforgiveness. And the next time you decide to stay up late and watch porn, remember that you’re adding a hundred pounds of adultery- more unnecessary painful pressure on a marriage. The seemingly minor things you do have a monumental impact on your brother, on your back and on your relationship with the Lord- Everything you do adds a zero.
Bumpers
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15, ESV)
I am an awful bowler. Even as a kid I was absolutely talentless when it came to bowling. My problem was never strength or control. I could pick up any weighed ball and control it through the swing of my arm. The problem I had was lack of proper direction. I could have been much more successful in my bowling adventures had I used those “bumpers” that everyone makes fun of. They help the bowler succeed by absorbing the impact of a bowling ball that is off course and redirect it back into the bowling lane- they keep the ball from rolling into the gutter. One of the things Jesus implemented within His church was bumpers. He instructs us to serve as rails that keep each other out of the gutter.
God gave us His Church: a loving family that loves and cares for one another and lives life together. It is filled with brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, aunts, and uncles from all different walks of life and of varying ages. Our Church Family comforts us in our sorrows, rejoices with us in our joy, and rebukes us when we veer off course. Just as our heavenly Father rebukes us when we make mistakes, we are to rebuke each other in a loving gentle manner. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19, NIV) My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. (Proverbs 3:11-12, NIV) And when our brothers and sisters repent, we must forgive them, each and every time. “If your brother or sistersins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” (Luke 17:3-4, NIV)
Things that cause us to stumble are bound to come (Luke 17:1), but God has placed bumpers in our lives to keep us safe from dangers and to give us proper direction. He gives us guidelines to follow and people to bump us, so that we can stay safe in our lanes and live a full and happy life that glorifies the Lord. Don’t be discouraged if you get bumped. We are family and a family needs bumpers to stay in our lane.
But, I Love You Anyway
I, the Lord, said to Israel: You have become weary, but not from worshiping me. You have not honored me by sacrificing sheep or other animals. And I have not burdened you with demands for sacrifices or sweet-smelling incense. You have not brought delicious spices for me or given me the best part of your sacrificed animals. Instead, you burden me down with your terrible sins. But I wipe away your sins because of who I am. And so, I will forget the wrongs you have done. (Isaiah 43:22-25, CEV)
Some time ago I hear a story of a young couple that just could not stop fighting. They fought about the kids, money, bills, the car, work, laundry, dishes, intimacy, and just about everything else a couple could fight about. One day they went to a counselor and presented their troubles to him. He gave them each a blank legal pad of paper and a pencil, along with instructions to write down every single bothersome thing about each other. In an instant they both started writing. After only a few minutes the wife looked over her shoulder at her husband and noticed that he was adding to what he had just written down. This infuriated her. She thought, “Not only is he writing down all of my flaws, but he is even worried about punctuation and grammar!” This made her concentrate even harder to remember every single perceived slight and flaw of her husband. After she finally put her pencil down, along with five pages of complaints, the counselor instructed them to exchange their lists.
The husband began to read his wife’s list, which consisted of all sorts of complaints like his modest income, failure to fulfill her needs, letting the lawn grow too long, and leaving his socks on the ground. Simultaneously, the wife began reading her husband’s list. Written on his list were his wife’s constant complaints about her life, ungratefulness, resentment, bitterness, disrespectful attitude, and refusal to apologize. But after every single entry, ended with the words, “But, I love you anyway.”
We all have a long list of our own faults and failures on God’s list, but He has forgiven them all. He blots them out and forgets them forever when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and trust Him with our whole heart. If God has done this for us, shouldn’t we forgive the wrongs of others on our list? The next time you start to write down a list, write the words, “but, I love you anyway.”
Compass
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:25, NLT)
You can learn a lot from a compass. It helps you find your way when you are lost and always points to the same direction, regardless of the circumstances. Whether you are in a raging sea, snow storm, hurricane, earthquake, or even if you are upside down and underground, a compass never stops pointing the way.
A compass is any magnetically sensitive device capable of indicating the northern direction of the planet’s magnetosphere. It always points north because the magnetized needle, at its heart, aligns itself with the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. The heart of the needle always pulls it in line with the magnetic pull of the earth.
The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and it is He that consistently pulls our hearts towards Jesus. Just as the earth’s magnetic field points the compass needle north, so the Holy Spirit points our hearts “north” towards Jesus Christ. If we align the innermost parts of ourselves with the gentle attraction of the Holy Spirit, we will find our way through every single storm and raging sea that we may face. We will never lose our way. We will never lack direction. We will never be lost. God’s magnetic pull will always point to Himself. We may choose to fight His gentle attraction, but if we do fight it we will head in the wrong direction and end up lost every single time. Listen to your compass and get your heart aligned with God. Follow the Sprit’s leading in your life. Follow your compass.
Influences
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV)
Have you ever seen a puddle of water suddenly become contaminated with just one little drop of engine oil? In an instant, the tiniest drop of oil flashes across the entire surface of the water in a colorful array of swirls. The water has now become toxic and unhealthy, all because of one drop of oil- one toxic influence- that was allowed to spread. A Christian must be careful about the influences in his life. We must constantly be taking inventory of what environmental influences, relational influences, and cultural influences we allow. To be sure, these influences will impact our walk.
We need to be careful not to “judge” people (to condemn someone out of self-righteous hypocrisy), but we are also charged with surrounding ourselves with God-fearing and righteous influences. We are supposed to be in fellowship with the children of God, not with the world; to be in this world, but not a part of it (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17).
This is not to say that Christians cannot have non-Christian friends, so as to deprive them of a godly influence in their life, but we must ensure that the godly are the influential and not the influenced. Scripture says, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Galatians 5:9, NIV) If we spend more time around people who would rather live for themselves than for God how can we expect to get closer to God? You see, if we allow ourselves to develop close personal relationships with improper influences, we will be the ones influenced, not them. Ask yourself if the company that you keep seek first the kingdom of God. Take inventory of the things and people that influence your life and, if necessary, make changes.
Listen Up
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.” (Proverbs 8:1-4, NIV)
“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22, ESV)
I have lost a large sum of hearing due to continued exposure to audible dangers like aircraft engines, weapons discharge, and loud music. Even with safety equipment such as ear plugs and ear muffs my hearing continued to erode and lose their sensitivity to sound. Our spirit can be very similar to our ears in this regard. No matter how much protection we may think we have against danger, we may still be damaging the sensitivity of our spiritual ears by repeatedly placing ourselves in danger- remaining in a sinful lifestyle and by ignoring the warning signs that God places in front of us. In some cases, the damage could be irreversible.
In his classic work, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer warns of this very thing. “This universal Voice of God was by the ancient Hebrews often called Wisdom, and was said to be everywhere sounding and searching throughout the earth, seeking some response from the sons of men. The eight chapter of the book of Proverbs begins, ‘Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding put forth her voice?’ The writer then pictures wisdom as a beautiful woman standing ‘in the top of the high places, by the way in the places of the paths.’ She sounds her voice from every quarter so that no one may miss hearing it. ‘Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men.’ Then she pleads for the simple and the foolish to give ear to her words. It is a spiritual response for which she has always sought and is but rarely able to secure. The tragedy is that out eternal welfare depends upon our hearing, and we have trained our ears not to hear.” [1]
If you have been placing yourself in dangerous situations and you know the Holy Spirit is pleading for you to listen, then listen up. Make the decision to hear and be willing to change your heart when the Holy Spirit prompts you- when He calls attention to an area of your life that needs to be addressed. Listen to the Lord before you lose your hearing all together.
Making an Ishmael
So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!” (Genesis 16:3-5, ESV)
Things never seem to go according to the way in which we envision them. Every single time we take matters into our own hands and do things on our own, rather that trust in God’s perfect planning and timing, we pay the price. Before the LORD had changed his name to Abraham, God had promised Abram a son. However, Abram grew tired of waiting on God’s timing. He lost patience in waiting for God’s promise and took matters into his own hands. Abram eventually had to pay a steep price for attempting to hurry along God’s plan for a child.
Abram had a son, Ishmael, with Hagar, the slave of his wife Sarai. Fourteen years later, Sarai, now Sarah, told Abram, now Abraham, to send Ishmael and Hagar away into the desert: But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. (Genesis 21:9-11, NIV) What an awful position to find yourself. Sending your son out into the desert? Had he just waited and kept trusting the LORD Abraham may have been spared that heartbreak.
We cannot fathom God’s plans for our lives; how many people our lives may impact or how this perfectly weaved moment in time has been prepared for us before the creation of the world. Unfortunately, we are not permitted to know the details of circumstances in our life, but we do have God’s promise that it will end up being what is best for us (Romans 8:28). All that is required of us is to listen and obey in complete trust. Let us not force circumstances outside of God’s perfect timing; it will only end in heartbreak. Let us learn from the example of a father’s broken heart for his son and patiently wait on the LORD. Don’t make an Ishmael.
Natural Gas
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35, ESV)
Have you ever put the wrong fuel in something? Whenever we run an object on the wrong fuel there are bound to be problems. Your body will have problems if you do not get proper nutrition. Diesel engines will be ruined with gasoline. Gasoline engine is ruined with diesel. And your soul will never run right if fed anything other than the One that created you.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said, “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended – civilizations are built up – excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down. They are trying to run in on the wrong juice. That is what Satan has done to us human.” [2]
When we come to Christ and completely surrender our lives to Him, we begin to run on the fuel we were designed for. When we are obedient to the Word of God and live a life that is powered by a powerful relationship to Jesus Christ we will always run just the right way. But we will never run right without the right fuel. Don’t let your tank fill up on the wrong stuff. Ask God to fill your tank every morning through prayer and His word. Allow Him to give you the fuel that you need to accomplish His will in your life every day. Run on the real natural gas.
Old Yeller
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:5-8, ESV)
Old Yeller is a story about a boy named Travis and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. While Jim, the boy’s father, is away, Travis sets off to work in the cornfield where he encounters this stray dog named, “Old Yeller.” Travis unsuccessfully tries to drive Old Yeller away, and the dog eventually endears itself to Travis and becomes an integral part of his life. One day the dog contracts rabies and turns on Travis. The dog that had once been an endearing friend to the boy had become vicious, ruthless and rabid. The sins in our life can be just like Old Yeller.
Just like that old dog you grew up with, your sins can turn on you. You could wake up one day and realize that the very thing you used to take comfort or pleasure in has suddenly turned on you and is viciously attacking you. Your sins will bare their teeth, bite you, and rip you apart without mercy. They will infect you and kill you.
For men, these sins are commonly adultery, pornography, envy, anger, and pride. For women they are commonly gossip and slander, adultery, pornography (trashy novels are just as pornographic as nude pictures and videos), disrespect, and covetousness. Do you have a sin or two that needs to be put down? Something that you have found comfort or pleasure in, but you know will only lead to destruction? Kill your Old Yeller. Take it out back and shoot it. Dig a hole and put it down.
Serving Our Judas
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:13-15, ESV)
The hardest people in life to serve are those that have wounded us the most. How do you serve a spouse that does not respect you or show you love? How do you show love and respect to a spouse who betrayed you and your vows, or whom has never thought of your needs? How do we serve those in authority that abuse and mistreat others, respect a parent that failed in their role or never have taken it seriously, or continue to patiently lead a child that has never said, “Thank you. I appreciate all of your sacrifice for me?” Jesus gave us the example to follow when He served Judas.
Just hours away from His unimaginable torture and gruesome execution, Jesus continued to serve others. In fact, Jesus served the very same people who will abandon Him, sell Him out, and betray Him. Jesus set the ultimate example as He washed the very feet that will lead to His arrest. Then He offers communion- the ultimate symbol of sacrifice and unconditional love. Jesus served the very same disciples that will betray and deny Him when He needed them the most, and He served them with unconditional love. He served with a love that loves and serves no matter the cost; and it cost Him everything.
I challenge myself, and anyone that may read this, to humble ourselves and willingly serve those in our lives that have hurt us. To die to ourselves and, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21, NIV) Let’s wash the feet of the Judas in our own lives.
Start Listening
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psalms 62:1-2, 5, NLT)
My kids talk a lot. In-fact, they talk so much there are many times I cannot give them proper instructions because they are talking instead of listening. Many times they miss out on desert or a treat after dinner because they cannot stop talking and goofing off and do what they were instructed to do. I think we may very well be doing the same thing to our Heavenly Father.
I get up early to start my day with a good straightforward devotional, prayer, and the Word of God. I always feel like I need to be actively doing something- reading something, thinking about something, or saying something, but I rarely stop and listen. I read my devotional and Scripture and I attempt to apply it to my life every day. I pray over my family and friends, church, work, community, and country. After I give God a nice long “to do” list I head to work and find that I have missed out on one of the most important and priceless gifts I could have received: hearing from my Father.
God gives each one of us His ever-listening ear, but sometimes He wants to be heard. The quiet moments in prayer or in reflecting on Scripture are usually the moments in which we hear just who God really is- when He shares with us His thoughts, His heart, and His desires. So many times, people ask, “Why doesn’t God speak to me? Why can’t I hear Him?” I think the real question we should be asking ourselves is, “Am I listening?” It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:26, ESV)
Tailgating
Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. (Matthew 26:57-58, ESV)
Different perceptions and expectations will almost certainly get us into a wreck when we follow them too closely, rather than Jesus. Peter followed too closely to his own idea of what he thought the Messiah was supposed to be, not what the Scriptures clearly taught, and the brakes of his expectations locked up on him- he got himself into a wreck.
The Jews tended to emphasize the Messiah’s kingship (Isaiah 4-30) and His conquering and powerful nature (Isaiah 55-63), but often overlooked His humility as a suffering servant (Isaiah 42-53, Psalm 22). Peter slammed into his failed expectations and subsequently denied Jesus out of self-preservation, even calling curses upon himself (Mark 17:71, Matt 26:74). As a result, he followed Jesus at a “safe distance” so he could see what would happen. Eventually realized that he had denied Jesus and broke down, “weeping bitterly.” After Jesus’ resurrection, He reinstated Peter as an Apostle and repeated His original command, “Follow Me!” (John 21:19)
Jesus knew Peter would fail, but Peter’s failures never changed God’s plan for him or His love for him. Jesus also knows that we will fail, but our failures don’t change His love or His plan for us. We don’t follow an idea or perception of Jesus, nor do we follow merely the teachings of Jesus, we follow Jesus. He knows that we will be tested. He knows that we will have misunderstandings and failures, but He forgives us, picks us up, dusts us off, and sends us back on our way. He repeats His command to us, the first time we heard His call, “Follow Me!” I want to challenge you to ask yourself if you are tailgating Jesus. If you find that there is too much distance between you and Jesus, close the gap. Get back on track. If you have been following Jesus at a distance, if you have denied Him, if you have failed Him, or just given up altogether, come back to Him. Remember His invitation when He first called you, “Follow Me!” And don’t leave any room where Jesus ends and you begin. Tailgate Jesus.
The Filing Cabinet
“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. (Isaiah 43:25, NLT)
While getting dressed for work one morning, a husband noticed that his wife’s make-up drawer had been left partially open. She had already left for work before he got up. He could never understand why it takes her so long to put get ready, so he decided to investigate. The husband opened the drawer completely, pushed aside several jars of make-up, lotion, eyeliner, and perfume. All the way in the back of the drawer he noticed a small rectangular item. He reached inside, pulled it to the front, and opened it. It was a small filing cabinet that was filled papers containing names, places, times, dates, and a description of everything he had ever done wrong!
That story is not true at all, but it does illustrate a point I would like to make: If God forgets our sins against Him, why do we keep a permanent record of sins against us? There is a direct correlation between how God forgives our sins and how we forgive the sins of others. Jesus tells us directly: “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15, NLT) He then gives an illustration of this truth in a parable called, “The Unmerciful Servant.” (Matthew 18:21-35)
Unfortunately, we see this most vividly in our marriages. When our spouse sins against us, or we sin against them, we file it away in our little filing cabinet of sin and store it away. We get into a fight and pull out the permanent personnel file of our spouse. We throw the most hurtful thing we can at them until someone storms off and slams the bedroom door. You held onto a sin, rather than forgive that sin. No one has won the fight; you both lost. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, God does not remember your sin. He doesn’t throw it in your face. There is no filing cabinet with your name on it and nothing will be used against you when you may disagree with God. Forgive the excusable in others because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. Dump the filing cabinet.