Part 1 can be found – HERE.

In part 1 we scratched the surface of forgiveness.  We talked about the fact that we are commanded by God to forgive.  I also presented my first equation on forgiveness: Forgiveness = Freedom.  Today I want to look at the second equation in my Forgiveness Formula;

Forgiveness + Love = Restoration

This goes beyond the command to forgive.  This is to tap the barrel of love that Jesus has given us.  This is a slightly irrational response to being hurt.  Normally, we’re hurt and because of the command to forgive, we move past the hurt enough to not hold bitterness in our heart and forgive the offender.  Sometimes that’s all we can do.  Sometimes the pain or the offense is so horrible that achieving forgiveness is the extent of our ability. 

But as Christ-Followers, the limit or our abilities is the beginning of Jesus’ abilities through us.  This is what separates us from non-Christians.  Here is the difference, our ability to forgive and love someone that hurt us, regardless of the circumstance, is the love of God working in us and through us.  Even if they didn’t want or ask for our forgiveness.  Jesus is an irrational guy.  Rationality tells us that when someone hurts us we should be mad and hurt them back, an eye for an eye if you will, but Jesus turns this on it’s head and tells us to love our enemies.

^43-47"You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.  ⁴⁸"In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."  Matthew 5:43-48 The Message

Grow up!  Live out your God-created identity!  Be different from everyone else.  Go the extra mile.  Think beyond yourself.  Reflect God! 

This is a hard thing to do.  It’s a little revolutionary. 

Now check out Romans 12:1-2 in the Message;

^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

You see, it’s our calling to be different, to go beyond the norm.  That passage said at the end that “God brings the best out of you.”  What’s the best?  Love.  The two Greatest Commandments start with love; Love God and Love others.  Jesus ends that passage by saying that EVERYTHING hangs on these commandments to love.  Paul says that out of faith, hope and love the greatest is love.  1 John tells us that love comes from God and if you don’t know or have love you don’t know or have God because God IS love.

When we begin to love someone that hurt us our anger fades and the ability to care for that person replaces it.  This could take a while.  It is probably not an overnight thing.  Give it time.  Start slow.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you. 

Quick Hits about how to find love for someone that hurt you.

1.  Pray for yourself- Pray that God would change YOUR heart, not theirs.  Pray that God would help you to love them.  Pray that God would quench the anger or hate in your heart with His love.

2.  Pray for them.  Pray for them.  And,  pray for them again.  Don’t pray against them, pray FOR them.  Don’t pray that God would change them.  Don’t pray that God would “Get them”.  Pray that God would bless them.  If you know some of the sins in their life you can pray that God would teach them and soften their heart to His will. You can pray for restoration between that person and God.  You can pray for healing if they are sick.  The key is to only pray for good things.  The longer and more earnestly you do this the more love you will feel for them.  It will be hard at first but don’t give up.

  Forgiveness + Love = Restoration 

Restoration of a relationship, restoration of family, restoration of unity.  Restoration of a person to God, restoration of life.  Forgiveness + Love is a powerful thing!

One caveat, this doesn’t mean you should place yourself in danger.  I am NOT telling someone to stay in an abusive relationship.  I have counseled many people to get to a safe place and not go back.  However, this does not preclude you from forgiving and loving that person.  Trust is an altogether different issue from forgiveness and love.  I can love someone and not trust them.

Coming Soon- The Forgiveness Formula- Part 3

It’s all about Him,

Shawn

     

Questions? Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know. I will try to answer it the best I can. No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

I have been reading Charles Stanley’s book, Landmines in the Path of the Believer during my quiet time with God.  The current chapter is on unforgiveness.  A few people I know have expressed to me that they are having trouble with this concept.  It’s hard to forgive someone that has hurt you.  It’s hard to let the anger go.  It’s hard to move on.  But we must.  We must move past the anger, past the hurt.  The Bible actually commands us to forgive.  It tells us that we must.  Why?  Why are we commanded to forgive?  Why is it wrong to hold on to those feelings?  Maybe you are like me and think, if I forgive the person that hurt me I will be letting them off the hook.  Or maybe you feel if I forgive that jerk for what he/she did I will even be encouraging them to do it again.  Maybe my forgiveness will be a silent declaration that what they did was ok, or even that I agree with it.  In actuality, nothing could be farther from the truth.  And we all want Truth!  With that said, may I offer my Forgiveness Formula.

Forgiveness = Freedom

“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”  Galatians 5:1  The Message

What happens when we hold a grudge?  Here’s what happens to me.  Someone does something to hurt me, lets call him Bob (Bob is my favorite guy to pick on, no relation to Bob Newhart).  So Bob ticks me off, maybe he says something derogatory about me or maybe he does something mean to my wife.  Anger flares in my mind.  I’m so ticked all I see is red.  I say something and walk away but it’s not enough.  Soon the situation is replaying in my mind over and over.  Things I should have said start coming to me.  “I should have been meaner, I shouldn’t of held back.”  I should have called him a “such-in-such”.  Soon my witty, cutting remarks turn physical, “Man, I should have just decked the sorry sucker.”  “Why didn’t I beat the meanness out of him.”  Then I start thinking about what’s going to happen the next time I see him.  “If he says anything to me this is what I’m going to say….’”  I start rehearsing it like I’m rehearsing lines for a movie, a movie where I’m Arnold and he’s actor “f”, you know, the guy that Arnold kills so fast they didn’t even bother to give him a name. 

On and on I replay and visualize the next encounter until he’s lying dead in a broken bloody heap, yup, Bob’s dead!  OK, OK, maybe I’m being a little dramatic but you get the point.  Here’s the problem, if left unchecked, our anger for that person begins to dominate our thoughts and soon our lives.  Revenge is what we focus on, it consumes us.  If you can’t go a day without thinking about how someone has hurt you, you’re living in un-forgiveness.  If you can’t go a week or even a month without some angry feeling popping up about someone, you’re living in unforgiveness.  Whether you know it or not, you have become a slave to that person.  All you can think about is the wrong you suffered.  It affects your life.  You see things through an anger-filled pair of glasses.

Have you ever seen the first Toy Story?  Remember when the toys were headed out to  find Woody?  Mrs. Potato Head said to Mr. Potato Head, “Don’t forget you’re angry eyes!”  (Yes, I did just use Mr. Potato Head in a devotion about God- any other requests?)  Sometimes we have angry eyes. 

Anger leads to unforgiveness which in turn leads to bitterness.  Once bitterness and unforgiveness have a hold of you they don’t let go.  That person that you’re angry at now has control of your life.  You are no longer free. 

Quick Hits about forgiveness-

1.  It’s a choice.  You have to choose to let go of every feeling of resentment.  No matter what “Bob” does to you, forgiveness means no longer harboring any anger for them.  “Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.”  Colossians 3:13 The Message

2. Give up your “right” to get even.  As a Christ-Follower you don’t actually have a right to get even. “Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. "I’ll do the judging," says God. "I’ll take care of it."”  Romans 12:17-19  The Message

3. It’s up to God to deal with people that hurt or abuse you, so let Him.  “For we know the one who said,   “I will take revenge.  I will pay them back.”  Hebrews 10:30  NLT

This doesn’t mean we forget what they did, that’s not possible nor is it preferable.  To forget and allow that person to continue to hurt you is not what we are called to do.  But we must forgive.  We must forgive in order to be free.

“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”  Galatians 5:1  The Message 

Look for Part 2 in the series, “The Forgiveness Formula” soon….

     

Questions? Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know. I will try to answer it the best I can. No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

Why is it that God seems to like to wait until the last minute to do His thing?  Does He enjoy tormenting us?  Does God have a “Hero Complex”?  Or is it really for our own good?

The other day I used a verse in a post that said “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT 

I truly believe it and yet the last few weeks have been a series of ups and downs for me.  I have battled depression and fear.  I have wrestled with my faith in God and fought against disbelief.  A war has raged in my very heart for control of my destiny. 

Every prayer held the same phrase, “Lord, help my unbelief.  Give me faith in You!”  Most times I held onto my absolute trust in God, but to be completely honest and transparent, it hasn’t been easy.  Some days were harder than others.  When Amy would call and was having a hard time with the kids because I wasn’t there, when I would be all alone in my little motel room, when life seemed to crawl by, at these times I would loose heart and feel disconnected from God.  But looking back I can see that God was there, carrying me like a father carries his child on his shoulders;  in the phone calls from friends, in the comments on my facebook page from people praying for me, in the amazing Quiet Times I had with God. 

Another verse stands out to me as well, Hebrews 13:5b “be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (NIV)

This I have tried to do.  I have sought to be content with my circumstances and realize that God is in control.  I am His to do with as He sees fit.  This is hard for me, I like to be in charge.  I like to make my own decisions.  To allow God to be in charge is to give up what I want to hold on to, “me”.

It hasn’t been easy, I have been stressed like never before, but my faith, or at least my desire to have faith in God, has been rewarded.  God has stepped in at the Eleventh Hour, just as He promised.  Actually, He didn’t “step in” as He has been here all along, He just made His presence more fully known by pulling everything together at the last moment.

Does God have a Hero Complex?  Does He enjoy tormenting us?  NO!  What He  does enjoy is seeing the faith His children have in Him and rewarding those who honestly seek Him and want to have their faith increased.  But a secondary motive arises as well, this allows us to see where our faith truly is.  I can look back and see how small my faith was but how great my desire was to have faith in Him.  Now, looking back from the other side of the valley I can see how little I started with and how much I ended with.

How about you?  Are you in a valley?  How’s your faith?  It doesn’t have to be strong right now but the desire to have faith in God must be strong.  Call out to Him.  Ask Him to help your unbelief.  I did, and it made all the difference.

In Mark 9 we read of a father with a child afflicted with seizures and unable to control himself.  The young boy was possessed of an unclean spirit/sickness.  The father asks Jesus to heal his son but adds, “If you can.”  Jesus looks at him and says, “If I can?  Everything is possible for him who believes.”  The father recognizes his lack of faith and immediately cries out to Jesus, “I do believe.  Lord, help me overcome my unbelief.”  Immediately Jesus heals his son. 

That’s what I cried out as well, in the darkness and loneliness of my motel room, “Lord I believe, help me overcome my unbelief!”  And He did!

     

Questions? Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know. I will try to answer it the best I can. No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

There was a popular email that went around recently.  It turns out that it’s true.  Here’s the link to the Washington Post Story.  Click HERE!  Warning, it’s LONG!  Or just read the highlights below.

A man sat at a Metro station in Washington, D.C. and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour. Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Is it just me or does this remind anyone of the story of Jesus?

Josh Bell-  One of the greatest musicians of our day plays one of the most complex pieces of music in history with a priceless instrument and people just walk on by without taking the time to stop and look at him.

Jesus- Greatness steps into the mundane, lives an amazing, perfect life, dies on a cross for our sins and people then and now just walk right by without taking the time to stop and look at Him.

Whether you believe Jesus is the only way to God or not, you should at least stop and take time to decide for yourself.

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. (John 14:6, New Century Version)

We seem to do this with people as well.  We see people but miss the person.

Take time to find the amazing in the mundane, whether it be Jesus, a concert violinist in the metro or a friend that needs a kind word.

Questions? Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know. I will try to answer it the best I can. No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

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I love surprising people and I love being surprised, usually. 

I love surprising my wife.  I don’t do it enough, but I love it.  Actually, i think I love torturing my wife before I surprise her.  She hates surprises.  Actually, she hates knowing about surprises and not knowing what the surprise is.  So what do I, the loving husband do?  I get her something and then tell her, but I won’t tell her what it is.  Why?  Because it drives her nuts.  Yes, I have a little bit of a mean streak.  I like to keep her guessing.  I figure the day she knows what I’m going to do is the day our marriage becomes stale.  I doubt she would agree, but whatever. 

I like being surprised as well.  The other day she went shopping and came back with  a surprise for me, a Superman coffee mug.  It’s huge and it has Superman on it, two of my favorite things.  It also says “The Man of Steel” on the inside lip.  I feel manly just writing that! 

There are some surprises I don’t like though.  For instance.  A while back, probably about a year now, ,my daughter Abby surprised me.  Actually she scared the manliness out of me but since the word “surprise” is less emasculating we’ll go with that.

I was sound asleep when I heard the screams.  I immediately stumbled out of bed and started zombie-walking towards my kids room, you know what I mean, one eye sort of open but everything is blurry and dark, you’re a little disoriented and your balance is off.  As I walked out of the bedroom door and started into the kitchen a demon began to shriek at me from about two feet away and about two feet off the floor.  I, in my manliness, was terrified and began to scream as well, and not in a  “get out of my house foul demon” way.  Eventually I figured out the demon was my two year old little girl.  As I realized this I stopped screaming and started trying to calm her.   She stopped and then really surprised me.  She said, “Daddy, I threw upblahhhhhhh.”  And then proceeded to demonstrate exactly what she had done.  Now I’m wide awake and quickly grabbing her, cupping my hand under her mouth and sprinting for the sink.  SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

This is not a good surprise.  Nope!  I totally agree with comedian Bill Engvall, if alarm clocks came with a built in recording of a kid throwing up no one would ever need to hit the snooze button again.

As much as we get surprised by things, good or bad, God never does.  But we seem to think He does don’t we?  I can’t count the number of times something has happened, usually bad, and I have looked up at heaven and thought, “Where were you on that one?”  The meaning behind it being, “Did that surprise You, did it catch you unaware?”  The obvious answer is, “No”.  We however, don’t think of the obvious answer.  We question God. 

I am not one of those people that believe it is a sin to question God.  I don’t believe it’s a sin to be angry at God.  He gave us emotions, He wired us this way, how can it be sin?  I do believe it is a sin to stay that way because we don’t talk to Him about it.  These things lead to bitterness and uncontrolled anger.  There have been many times I have been angry with God for a perceived slight or injustice, but every time I have gone to Him He has taken my anger and frustration and given me peace and faith.  How?  By confessing my anger or fears too Him He can soften my heart and rebuild the trust and faith I have in Him.  This is true in any relationship.  When you feel hurt or angry with someone the first step is going to that person and telling them.  It allows the other person to tell you their side.  Most times it was a misunderstanding and trust can be restored.  (this is assuming the other person did not mean to harm you, as God never does things to harm you but only for your good this illustration works) 

By realizing that God is never surprised because He knows everything, we can trust that He is in control.  Through God’s Word we learn that all things that happen are working toward our betterment.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  Romans 8:28  NLT

This verse has been taken out of context and made to mean something it doesn’t for years.  This does not mean God is going to give you a Mercedes nor does it mean that when we sin God will just magically make it all better.  What it does mean is that for all Christ-Followers God is actively using the circumstances in our lives, whether self inflicted or caused by Him, to grow us spiritually and make us a more mature disciple. 

God may surprise us but nothing surprises God.  So when life wakes you up in the middle of the night, relax.  God is still in control and He isn’t caught off guard.  We may not see the big picture, but He does and He is working everything out in our lives for our own good.

Here’s a funny video of a guy getting surprised.

Did you like this post?  Did you hate it?  Please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.  I would love to read your thoughts and opinions.

Questions?  Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know.  I will try to answer it the best I can.  No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

I have a monster that lives inside of me.  A monster that comes out at the worst times, the times I least want or expect him to.  He has several names.  Sometimes the monster is called Anger.  Sometimes his name is Envy.  Lust has made an appearance or two as has Worry, Bitterness, and Depression.  I have many monsters in the closet, some under the bed and even one or two in the glove box in my car.  I try to hide my monsters, sometimes I put a costume on them like I am trying to disguise them as something else, but the monster is still there, just below the mask.  I’m scared of my monsters most of the time but, truth be told, I like some of my monsters at times as well.  It feels good to get angry and not care who your words hurt, lust is fun sometimes, and sometimes I just want to be depressed and not be interested in the world.  The problem is my monsters aren’t happy to just be let free occasionally, they want to run wild.

Remember when you were a child and you had monsters living under your bed?  You would be laying there and all of a sudden you would just know, the monster is under my bed and he’s going to get me.  Then you realize your foot was dangling over the edge and you could just feel the monsters breath on your big toe.  Suddenly you jerk your foot back under the covers because we all know monsters can’t get past the Blanket Force Field.  As you get older, you start to doubt the existence of the monster and maybe you even defiantly leave your big toe exposed thinking, I can live without my toe.  A few days later you stick a foot out, then a leg.  Soon the monster fades from memory and you become an adult.  Then you learn there are real monsters to be scared of.

Unfortunately the same cycle seems to repeat itself.  The first time you’re angry and hurt someone you make a big deal out of it but the more you let anger rule you the less it concerns you.  The first lustful thought that occurs after you’re married makes you feel guilty but after a while it becomes “normal”.  The first time you have a suicidal thought it scares you, but soon suicide seems like a great way to end the depression.

All our monsters start small, but the more we feed them the bigger they grow.  A life of anger will eventually kill someone, maybe not physically but it will definitely cause the death of relationships.  Unchecked lust starts by checking out a hot girls/guys body and ends up checking into a motel room.  Envy begins by wishing you had a new car like Tom next door and ends with going bankrupt because the payment on your new Corvette was too high.  Bitterness says, “I will punish the person that hurt me.”, but ends with high blood pressure and heart attacks.  Worry starts small, but like a weed planted in the garden of the heart, grows until it chokes out everything we used to place our trust in.

Monsters!  They start small, even cute and cuddly, just like Gizmo from the Gremlins movie.  But like Gremlins, add some water and feed them and before you know it, there are hundreds of them and they are hideous looking.  All they leave is destruction in their path. 

How do we deal with our monsters?  How do I deal with mine?  I do what Paul says in Philippians,

 ⁸ Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.⁹ Do what you learned and received from me, what I told you, and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9, New Century Version)

Kind of a “look on the positive side” mentality for life.  Only it goes far deeper than that.  God, through Paul, is saying, “Meditate on My words.  Be grounded in My teachings.  Entwine the concepts and instructions contained in the Bible so deeply into your life, heart and mind that there is no room for monsters to grow.”  

You see, fertilizing the soil of your heart with Biblical concepts is like spraying monster-killer on the monsters of discouragement, anger, lust, depression and every other monster that tries to keep God from our lives. 

Think of it this way, God is an opposite God.  For every monster in us there is an opposite characteristic in God that can and wants to help us.

Anger- Peace

Bitterness- Joy

Lust- Faithfulness

Worry- Trustworthy

Depression- Hope

Envy- Contentment

Hate- Love

The Bible has the ability to, as Romans 12:2 describes, “transform or change us, from the inside out!”

Do you want to get rid of your monster?  It’s simple, not easy.  The more “Good Stuff” we put in, the more “bad stuff” it pushes out!  The more we become like Jesus, the less we act like our monsters.

Here’s a song by the Christian band Skillet.  The song is called Monster.  The song is pretty Rockish, very Lincoln Park if you know who that is.  If you don’t like Rock take a look at the lyrics under the video.

Monster lyrics
The secret side of me
I never let you see
I keep it caged, but I can’t control it, so stay away from me, the beast
Is ugly, I feel the rage, and I just can’t hold it
It’s scratchin on the walls
In the closet, in the halls
It comes awake, and I can’t control it
Hidin’ under the bed
In my body, in my head
Why won’t somebody come and save me from this? Make it end!
[Chorus]
I feel it deep within
Just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster!
I hate what I’ve become
The nightmare’s just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster!
I feel like a monster!
My secret side I keep
Hid under lock and key
I keep it caged, but I can’t control it, ’cause if I let him out,
He’ll tear me up, break me down
Why won’t somebody come and save me from this? Make it end!
It’s hidin’ in the dark
Its teeth are razor sharp
There’s no escape for me
It wants my soul, it wants my heart
No one can hear me scream
Maybe it’s just a dream
Or maybe it’s inside of me
Stop this monster!

Does that describe you?  Are you trying to escape the monster?  You can’t hide from your monsters, they’re inside you.  You have to face them, confront them and allow God to deal with them.  By letting God change you from the inside out you allow Him to banish the evil within and nurture the love of Jesus for us and others. 

A new life is waiting.

Did you like this post?  Did you hate it?  Please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.  I would love to read your thoughts and opinions.

Questions?  Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know.  I will try to answer it the best I can.  No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

(Luke 6:31  New International Version UK)

The Golden Rule.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  I heard it about as often as I heard “If you don’t have anything nice to say….”  You know the rest.

Everyone quotes The Golden Rule but how many people live by it?  And the few that do, who do they apply it to?  I know who I apply it to, people I like and people I know.  It’s easy to put this rule to use with our friends, but it’s a different story all together when talking about someone we don’t like or don’t know. 

I’ll go out of my way, I’ll sacrifice, I’ll endure pain and misery for a friend or family member, but what about for the stranger in Wal-Mart?  What about the guy at work I can’t stand?  How about the lady at Church that reminds me of fingernails being drug across a chalkboard?  It’s easy to love the loveable.  It’s no big deal to sacrifice for a sister or your Dad.  But someone I either don’t know or don’t like?  That’s a different story.

Let’s look at that verse in context with the rest of the paragraph.  I’m also going to switch Bible versions to mix it up a bit.

Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.  (Luke 6:31-34  The Message)

Oops.  That put it into perspective for me, how about you?  I love helping people.  Let me correct that, I love helping people I like.  Friends and family call all the time.  “Can you help me move?” sure  “Can you work on my truck?” no problem.  “Can you figure out why my outlet doesn’t work?”  be there in 5. 

I even love helping people I don’t know.  Guy broke down on the side of the road?  I’m already pulling over.  Lady having trouble reaching something on the top shelf at the store?  I’m already reaching for it.  But help someone that I don’t like, or worse, someone that hurt me?  Now you’re asking a lot. 

The problem is that we lack compassion, real compassion.  Jesus had it.

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.  (Matthew 20:34  New American Standard Bible)

Now I don’t want to get all Bibleological (not really a word) but I think it’s important to look at the Greek word for compassion.  The Greek word is Splagchnizomai.  Don’t try to pronounce it, it hurts.  If you want to hear it you can click on the word and there is a little speaker that you can click on.

Anyway, Splagchnizomai means “to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)”   (This is where the title of this post came from!) 

In other words, to be so moved with compassion that it hurts your stomach.  Ever see a report of a child having been raped and killed on T.V. and your stomach tensed up and you wished you could have done something to help?  You get that little knot in your gut.  That’s compassion, but that’s not the end of compassion.  To show true compassion requires you to act.  You can feel it, but it means absolutely nothing until you act.  Jesus could have had all the compassion in the world and it wouldn’t have meant squat to these men with no sight.  They wouldn’t have cared.  It was the “show” of compassion that changed their lives forever, sight restored, hope renewed, life regained.

Here’s something else to think about, did you go to that website earlier by clicking on the Greek word?  If not, take a second and do it now.  Click HERE!  Look to the right, see the links for Matthew, Mark and Luke?   Splagchnizomai is used 12 times in the New Testament and 8 of those times it refers to Jesus having compassion on someone and then showing compassion to them.  He has compassion on the crowds and sends His disciples out to heal and feed them, He has compassion and then heals.  He has compassion and then teaches.  He has compassion on a woman and brings her son back to life.  Every time the word compassion is mentioned in connection to Jesus He “does” something to help.

As a Christ-Follower I say I am compassionate, but to say I am compassionate and do nothing makes me only a liar.  As Christ-Followers we say we are compassionate, but to say we are compassionate and do nothing makes us all liars. 

So here’s the deal.  When you see someone hurting, sick, broke or in any other situation that needs action, act!  Don’t think about it, don’t analyze it, just do it.  Obviously safety comes into play here, ladies, if you see someone broke down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, be smart.  Call someone to help them.  But if you see someone in Wal-Mart struggling, help.  If you see a young family in Mc Donald’s and you know just by looking at them that this is a rare treat that they can barely afford, pay for their meal.  Don’t make a big deal out of it, just walk up and slip $20.00 on the counter in front of them, tell them Jesus loves them,  and walk away. 

We walk past people every day that need help.  We stare straight ahead or are to busy typing an SMS to notice.  I’m as guilty as everyone else.  But if we want to show people that Jesus loves them, we have to show them that Jesus loves them.  This implies action, getting dirty, dropping a $20 on the counter at Burger King. 

I want to do this.  I want to show Jesus’ love in a practical and helpful way.  How about you?

Last week on my Birthday I posted a teaser for something I have been working on.  I posted a verse at the end,

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Luke 6:31

What I have done is create a graphic design for a standard size business card.  It is fully customizable.  You can add colors, logo’s, address, website etc…  It is intended for individuals, churches, Christian organizations, charities, pretty much anyone and anything that wants to help people because they love Jesus. 

You can take it to your church or Christian group and customize it to reflect your ministry, have it printed and then hand them out.  The design work is all free.  I am not charging anything for it.  The printing is up to you.  You can print them at home, at Office Depot or online.  One website allows you to print 250 for about $25.00.  That’s pretty reasonable.  Here is one I designed to hand out to tell people that God loves them and has my website on the back so they can get in touch with me if they have any questions or need anything.  I call them DUO cards.  DUO stands for “Do Unto Others”

If this looks like something you might like to use I encourage you to visit the “DUO” page listed at the top of my blog or just click “DUO” and it will take you there.  There is more information and FAQ’s on that page.  Again, all free except the printing.

I hope it encourages you to not only “have” compassion but also to ‘”show” compassion to others, whether you like them or not.

Did you like this post?  Did you hate it?  Please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.  I would love to read your thoughts and opinions.

Questions?  Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know.  I will try to answer it the best I can.  No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

One of the things I struggle with is small compromises.  I have a trend, I start out strong, reading my Bible, praying and trying to do God’s will.  Then, slowly but surely, I start to drift away.  I get lax on my Bible reading, I forget to pray, I stop looking for God in my daily life.  Invariably this eventually leads to compromise.  Soon, I’m just going through the motions.  God seems as distant as the sun in the sky and just as unreachable.  This process takes time, a year, maybe two years, but never-the-less, it seems to be a constant cycle.  We all struggle.  We all take a step or two forward and a step or two back, but eventually I seem to take several steps back and like Wylie E. Coyote, I look down and nothings under me and it’s a long way to the bottom.

For years I have tried to figure out why I do this.  Why am I on this merry-go-round?  Well, I may have part of my answer.

I am reading a book by Charles Stanley called “LANDMINES In the Path of a Believer”.  I am on the chapter about the landmine of Compromise.  In it he lists and explains several reasons we compromise.  The one that hit home for me was the need for acceptance.  I thought I was over this.  But apparently I am not.  When I read it a light clicked on in my head.  The Holy Spirit spoke directly to my heart and basically said, “No, you’re not over this.  It’s still there behind your facade.  It waits to jump up when you aren’t looking.  I want it gone, I want you to KNOW that the only person that needs to accept you is Me.”  Granted it wasn’t in such concise words, but that was the gist of it. 

A little background.  I have a skewed sense of God.  I get it from the way my Dad was when I was a child.  This is NOT a rant against him.  I love and respect my Dad.  We have a great relationship and he is a great Dad and Grandfather to my kids. 

Before he became a Christ-Follower he was never there.  He worked 80+ hours a week (not an exaggeration) and when he was home he rarely spoke to us kids, at least that’s the way I remember it.  My Mom was who we talked with and who we asked permission to do things from.  Dad was there when Mom said, “Shawn needs a spanking.”  I don’t remember my Dad expressing love and pride in me very much.  Maybe he did, but I don’t remember it.  Not many hugs or “I love you”s.  He was a very unemotional man.  This is where I got my view of God.  God is our Father and our views of our earthly Dad’s cross over into our views of our heavenly Dad.  When I think of God, I picture an unemotional, distant, gone a lot, kind of God.  While this is completely the opposite of God it is hard to get my heart to accept it.  My mind get’s in the way. 

Top that off with not being in the “in crowd” in school for most of my life and you find a 34 year old man who has been a Christ-Follower for 29 of those years and still struggles with acceptance from God.  This in turn flows over into looking for acceptance from others.  This continues into seeking acceptance by trying to fit in with those at work.  So I struggle with swearing, I struggle with inappropriate jokes, I struggle to share my faith.  I struggle with standing up for my ideas and beliefs. 

All these small compromises eventually lead to bigger and bigger ones until I am standing in mid-air looking down and thinking, “This is gonna hurt!” 

So what’s the answer?  How do I change?  How do I get my heart to agree with my head on it’s view of God? 

Here is a quote from Charles Stanley’s book,

“Ask yourself, Do I want to be accepted by a group of people who could love me today and not tomorrow, or by an eternal, loving, heavenly Father, Who loves me with an everlasting love?”  The answer is simple, There is no greater acceptance than God’s acceptance.  Anything else is many times less than the best.  When you make a commitment to be the person He has designed you to be, you will face some challenges.  Rest assured, you won’t face a single one alone.”  Charles Stanley,  Landmines In the Path of the Believer

Which is all well and good, but it is also way easier typed than done.  It’s the doing part that gets me.  I have to make sure I am focusing on the small compromises.  Ensuring  I don’t start back down that road.  My main prayer my whole life has been that I would see God as He really is and not as I think He is.  I want to be able to have a close relationship with Him.  Reading and meditating on God’s Word has helped.  I am closer to seeing the true God than ever before, but I still have a long ways to go.

²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
       and will not forsake his faithful ones.  (Psalm 37:28 NIV)

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⁹ This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. ¹⁰ This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.  ¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other. (1 John 4:9-11, New Century Version)

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 ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.⁵ Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, New Century Version)

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God loves me.  He also loves YOU!  Maybe that is the first time anyone has ever told you that.  Maybe it is the millionth time but this time it finally made sense.  The fact is that no matter whether I believe He loves me or not, He does.  He never stops.  He never leaves and He never ignores.  I have felt that love many times before and it is amazing.  Why do you think I want so badly not to fall backwards this time?  I have it now, I want it forever.  I want nothing to come between myself and God. 

Maybe you have never felt the love of God but right now you are reading this and you hear a faint whisper in your heart.  A simple longing to feel loved, cared for.  This small spark of hope burned just a little brighter when you read about my struggles, that you weren’t alone after all.  My friend, you are not.  There is a God out there that loves you, He loves you so much He sent His Son Jesus to die for you so that the love you crave can be yours.  So that the emptiness can be filled, not by temporary things, but permanently, once and for all. 

If that is you today and you are ready to grab the Love, the Acceptance, and the Assurance that God is with you, it is quite simple.  Notice I didn’t write that it is easy.  It is simple in the fact that all you need to do is accept it but it is not easy in the respect that you have to give up control of you.  You can’t be first anymore.  God has to be first.  Putting Him before “self” is hard, but it is so worth it. 

Now, I want you to understand that simply saying a prayer does not “save” you.  Saying the prayer below has no more power to save you than saying, “I want to be a fairy” will make you a fairy.  It is the intent and faith of your heart that saves you.  Only putting your faith and trust in Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins and believing that He was raised from the dead three days later and that He is the ONLY way to get a relationship with God, will save you.  The below prayer is just a way of putting all that into words and telling God that that is your decision.  There are no magical words to get into heaven.  You either believe and accept Jesus or you don’t. 

The biblical method of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.  Going to church doesn’t save you, reading the Bible doesn’t save you, being christened doesn’t save you.  Salvation only comes by faith in Jesus.   John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), not by reciting a prayer.

So what do you think?  Are you ready to find peace, joy and Love?  Simply believe what we read just a second ago and pray this prayer,

Jesus,

  I need you.  I need Love.  I need acceptance.  I don’t want to be empty anymore.  I accept your offer of forgiveness and I ask You to be in charge of my life.  I don’t want to be the boss anymore, I want to follow you.  Forgive me for my failures and my sins.  Help me to stop doing what I want and start doing what You want.  I want You as my Savior, I want You as my Lord.  Thank you for dying for my sins.  I believe you were raised from the dead and that you are alive in heaven right now.    In Jesus Name, Amen.

If it was your decision to believe, accept and pray then allow me to be the first to say,

“Welcome to the family!” 

“Welcome to love and forgiveness and acceptance like you have never known.  It won’t always be easy, sometimes it will be very hard.  But the struggle is worth it. 

Let me encourage you, if you made the decision to follow Jesus and accept His forgiveness, send me an email or leave a comment below with a good email address.  Not only do i want to send you another congratulations but I would also like to send you some info on what happens next.  Nothing big, I won’t spam you.  I don’t have a generic email I send out.  Here’s my email- reflectionsofamirror@gmail.com

Or if that freaks you out a little, find a church in your area and talk to the Pastor.  I don’t push one church over another but make sure it is a Christian Church. 

Another place you can go with a bigger presence is InTouch Ministries.  Or you can contact the folks at Billy Graham Ministries.   A great website to look at is www.crosswalk.com.  These ministries are very large and will help you take the next steps in your relationship with Jesus.  No matter what you decide though, find someone that can help you and show you where to go now.  If you just let it sit all those same feelings of emptiness and loneliness will come back.  Even though God hasn’t left you, it will feel that way.

Did you like this post?  Did you hate it?  Please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.  I would love to read your thoughts and opinions.

Questions?  Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know.  I will try to answer it the best I can.  No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein you know

The “Normal” excuse is the excuse we use to justify not doing or attempting anything great for God.  “I’m just a normal person, what can I do?”  “God can’t use me, I’m not important.”  “I’m a nobody, why would God even want to use me?”

While reading through the Bible it seems to me that God enjoys using normal, everyday people.  Most are not some kind of superhero or prominent person in society, they’re just normal.  Some are what we would consider the lower end of society and one’s a donkey.

Take a look.

A prostitute- Joshua 2:1-7

Who ended up saving lives.

An old, poor widow- 1 Kings 17:7-24

Who fed a prophet of God.

A donkey- Numbers 22:21-35

That saved a mans life.

A young shepherd- 1 Samuel 17

That killed a guy that looked like the Terminator with a rock and a sling-shot..

A teenage girl and a carpenter- Matthew 1:18-25

Mary, the Mom of Jesus and Joseph, His Step-Dad.

A guy that owned a donkey- Luke 19:29-34

Who gave it to Jesus without question.

A guy wearing camel’s hair clothing who ate grasshoppers and honey- Mark 1:6

That prepared the way for Jesus as well as baptized Him.

A domineering religious gangster- Acts 8:3

Who becomes one of the most influential men in church history.

And these are just a few.  The Bible is full of “normal” people doing incredible things for God.  Let’s look at one in particular.

Saul.  Saul was a Pharisee.  A religious leader.  He was also basically a hit man/enforcer for the Jewish religious group of that time.  He went around arresting and having Christ-Followers stoned to death.  He was focused on destroying the church.  The Bible goes into detail and says that “Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”  (for context read Acts 7:54-8:3)

So here we have a guy going around trying to exterminate the church.  But something happens, he gets knocked off his high horse, literally.

Saul goes to the high priest and asks for permission to go to Damascus and look for more Christ-Followers.  The high priest agrees and Saul mounts up and rides off.  Lets pick up the story there in the Bible,

³ As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! ⁶ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  Acts 9:3-5 (New Living Translation)

So Saul gets booted off his horse and Jesus talks to him.  He tells him to knock it off.  Saul is confused, he thinks he is doing the will of God.  He honestly believes he is in the right.  It must be quite a shock to have the supposedly dead leader of the people you have been killing and arresting appear and tell you you’re an idiot.

The story goes on, not only has Saul been brought down to earth but he is also blind.  He makes his way to the city and waits.

Let’s pick it back up in the same chapter,

¹⁰There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.”

“Yes, Master?” he answered.

^11-12“Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”

^13-14Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”

^15-16But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.” (Acts 9:10-16, The Message)

“You can’t be serious.”  Can you hear the amazement and absolute horror in Ananias’ voice?  You know he’s thinking, “Are you out of your mind God?  This is the man that has been killing people, ripping families out of their homes and putting them in prison.  Seriously?  This is what you really want me to do?”

God answers him, “Don’t argue with me, just do it.  This is the guy I want.”  Ananias goes to Saul and tells him about Jesus and Saul becomes a Christ-Follower.  Later God changes Saul’s name to Paul who then goes on to write most of the New Testament and bring the story of Jesus to the Gentiles (that’s us, non-Jewish folks).

Why?  Why would God choose Saul?  Why not Peter or Matthew?  Why not some guy named Larry?  Why Saul, someone hell-bent on destroying the church?  I have a theory.  And I have a Bible verse that I think backs it up.  God tends to choose what we would think would be the worst possible person to do His work.  Why?  Because God needs humility, not pride.  Prideful people think that they deserve to be special, to be treated better, to be respected, and they usually have a hard time following anything and anyone, even God.  But someone that doesn’t deserve it, someone that needs help, God’s help, that’s a person God can use.  That’s a person God can work through.

Check this out,

⁶ But God gives us even more grace, as the Scripture says,
“God is against the proud,
but he gives grace to the humble.” — Proverbs 3:34 (James 4:6, New Century Version)

God can’t work through a prideful person like He can a humble one.  Pride says “I know what I’m doing and I can do it better than you.”  Humility says, “I’m in over my head God, tell me what to do.”  God humbled Saul.  He knocked him off his high horse straight into the dirt.  God took someone that the Christ-Followers were afraid of and made him the main figure in most of the New Testament (excluding Jesus)

Kind of blows our whole “normal” excuse out of the water doesn’t it?  It’s people that don’t feel adequate to do the job that Jesus chooses to use.

So the next time you think, “I can’t do that, I’m just not smart, wise, rich, popular, good looking, or talented enough,” read and remember the verses below.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families.²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.²⁸ He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.²⁹ God did this so that no one can brag in his presence. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, New Century Version)  emphasis mine

Questions?  Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know.  I will try to answer it the best I can.  No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

Because today is my 34th Birthday, there will not be a blog today or for the rest of the week.  I know, I know, “Let the celebration commence.  Woo Hoo”!”  However……

Since there won’t be the normal “Make You Look At Yourself In The Mirror” entrée.  I thought I might give you a taste of something I am working on for future consumption.

I do a little graphic design, mostly free lance and fun.  I don’t charge, (read- Not That Good!)  but I love doing it.  Here are a couple blogs that I have done custom headers for.  Check them out, the first is designed for Social Studies teachers and the second is for History Buffs.

Citrus County Social Studies- useful to Social Studies teachers and insomniacs only!!!

Great Lives In History- Good blog, I learn a lot about history I never knew I wanted to learn!

On both pages I designed the large graphic at the top, nothing else.  It was for a good friend of mine that I have known for years.  OK, enough with the shameless plug for people to read his stuff.  (I expect my check no later than Aug 43rd Mike)

Here is what I am working on.  I am working on designing a business card that you can print from your own computer or over the web for a very low cost (not through me, through an online printing company).  You will be able to customize it or have me customize it with any name you want.  Your name, your Church name, your business’ name, the name of a civic group, a charity or, well, anything.  The list is endless.  I will have several designs that will be available for FREE download.  I will have them so you can change them and personalize them, or you can ask me and I will personalize them (at no cost) for you or whatever group you want.  Although, if you want me to do the work I will need a generous lead time as I have three kids, a wife and Mother-in-Law, 2 dogs, a full-time job, this blog and church that  monopolize my time.

OK, any one interested?  I am going on faith that there are people out there that want to make a difference in others lives but just don’t know how.  This will give you the incentive and the small kick in the pants to do it.

While I won’t tell you the details, I will give you a hint. (note:  a few of you know- keep you yapper closed!!)

Matthew 7:12

Questions? Don’t forget to visit the Questions??Questions?? page and let me know. I will try to answer it the best I can. No Quantum Physics or Time Travel questions please!

I’m not Einstein!

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