Forward into Less

It is human nature to always want more.    When billionaire John D.Rockefeller was asked how much was enough,  his response was, “just a little bit more.”

Popular culture pushes this urge for more even further.  Watch any commercial and the basic message is that you are lacking and this product will make you feel better.  We are encouraged to be unsatisfied with what we have even if we have enough. 

A person at the US federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, working 40 hours a week grosses $15,080.  While this amount would make it very difficult for a person to live in the US, it would still be enough to put them in the top 12% richest people in the world (globalrichlist.org).

If you have the ability to read this blog, then you have enough.

There is a similar phenomenon in the spiritual realm.  For a person who has made Jesus his Lord, it can be easy to get wrapped up in the “perceived benefits” of service to the Lord.  When people notice the work that we do, it feels good, but it is not fun to toil away in obscurity or to see others get credit for our hard work.  This can lead to anger, jealousy and bitterness.  I think that is one of the reasons why we need to encourage each other.  But it stands to reason that there will be times when our work will not be as appreciated as we would like.

It is human nature to also want to move upwards in positions of leadership and with that the feelings of respect and admiration.  It stands to reason that we will reach our positions and may feel unsatisfied with filling a role that seems beneath us.  Having to accept a demotion can be very difficult to take because of the feelings of humiliation and perceived loss of respect and admiration.

John the Baptist was losing followers to Jesus, and when he was told this he responded correctly:

“A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.  He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:27-30)

John knew his role.

“The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:35-36)

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:1)

This year, He must become greater, and I must become less. 

Celebrate Failure

I have one failed business under my belt, and while upsetting, I learned a lot from it.  Those lessons are being put into practice in my newest venture as an author.  When I first started teaching, I went through the usual round of substituting and being laid off as a new teacher.  Once after being laid off, I didn’t get rehired right away.  

Photo by Bill Nicholls

 Now I’m fairly responsible, so I launched immediately into an aggressive job hunt.  My family was depending on me and I couldn’t sit around and wait on a job that might not be there for me.  Seeing that nothing was coming and we were temporarily doing ok financially, I decided to upgrade my fairly useless history degree with a masters degree in business administration.  I was convinced that there were no opportunities in teaching and decided to cast my lot with the business world.  

I developed a two-track plan to create a business while looking for a position with a company.  Ironically, I was offered a teaching position at the end of that very summer.  While teaching, I took night classes to complete my master’s degree the following year because it would lead to an immediate pay raise, and it would provide some semblance of a lay-off back-up plan.  

A requirement of the degree was that I had to develop a business plan for a new business.  That summer I decided to pass on working at the San Diego Fair to try my new business idea.  It was a failure and it was upsetting.  I did; however, get a clear look at my interests and abilities by attempting this business.  I got a better look at what I enjoyed doing and what I really don’t want to do as a career.  At the time I was not sure what practical experience I had learned from that experiment, but I now believe it all had a purpose in my life.  

You also will travel down similar “dead ends” but it may be preparation for something greater, so don’t freak out when things don’t make sense.  Uncertainty is one of the hallmarks of a concept called faith.  Faith is trusting in something that is intangible or unseen.  When you walk with God, you must trust that He has your best interests at heart even when things are going horribly (Romans 8:28).  If you don’t trust Him, you won’t stick your neck out.  

Writing represents a new chapter of my summer life as an author so it is new, exciting and scary.  I don’t know if this will be successful, but what I do know is that God loves me and even if this becomes a failure it will mean something in God’s overall plan for me. 

I have put many hours into all this new venture and success is not guaranteed, but risks need to be taken or I'll stagnate. You should have a similar outlook towards taking risks. 

(Proverbs 3:5-6). 

As you trust God (a risk) with more and more of your life, you will be led into some uncomfortable things that may not succeed outwardly.  Sometimes success is not something you will see this side of heaven. Failure is a good teacher, so be ready to stop and contemplate the lessons in the failure.  In the same way that successes are not readily evident, there will sometimes be no apparent lesson to be drawn from a failure.  This is the mystery of God.  Sometimes bad things happen and there is no clear explanation why.  All we can do is press into Him for the strength to get through that difficulty.  Celebrate failure even though it stinks.

This post is one in a series of posts with the Christianwriters.com blog chain.  This month's theme is Celebrate.  Please check out some very talented writing by clicking on the links along the right side of this website.  If you are a Christian writer, this website offers a wealth of advice and support on your journey as a writer.

The Continual Pursuit of Digital Crack

ad·dic·tion:  the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma (Dictionary.com).

Image by Petr Kratochvil  

As a teacher at a school with a “no cell phone” use policy I have come to rue the moment that I have to ask a teenager to give up a cell phone (cue temper tantrum). For me, this reaction is proof of an addiction. Over the years, the social expectation among teenagers is that everybody has a cell phone and to properly interact with everyone a cell phone is needed

The reaction to losing a cell phone is so visceral, so intense. In my mind, it was unwarranted, but I didn't understand what was going on underneath.   I eventually came to understand the role of the cell phone in a teenager's life.  It is their connection to the social world, but it can also be a crutch that limits the ability to conduct true face-to-face friendships. 

Many of my  former high school students are now college students and the cell phone has moved to a different (although important) role.  It is the link to what was left behind in high school.  At some point the real work of developing new relationships must begin.

Loneliness is a top reason why people drop out, and I wonder what the role of the cell phone is in all this.  We need face-to-face friendships.

Our society is still "negotiating" the rules surrounding digital media, so there is a lot of disagreement regarding what is offensive.  To put it simply, our usage of digital media should not come at the expense of reality.  How often have you seen two people sitting next to each other texting away ignoring each other?  Pity the poor fool who has to stand there "looking stupid" while their companion texts.  Most likely the other will whip out their phone to look busy.  Texting is a way to look busy, but we don't need to be busy.  In fact busyness can cause us to neglect what is really important (Luke 10:41-42) .

If any activity hinders our true calling, than that activity has become a problem and should be jettisoned (Hebrews 12:1).  God has called us to love Him with true concentration.  It is hard to do that when we have filled every second with something.  There is opportunity in boredom and we don't need to be externally stimulated in every waking moment.   Pondering takes time and quietness.

""Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

Psalm 46:10. 

This post is one in a series with the Christian Writers Blog Chain.   This month’s topic is ‘Pursuit’. You can find links to the others in the blog chain in the link list to the left.

Spiritual Economics

There are two obvious and one hidden dimension of the financial equation. Income and expenses are the obvious ones, so what is the hidden one?  As long as we spend less than we earn we will build savings.  The emphasis on limiting expenses makes sense because when we want to change the situation it is easier to stop spending than it is to bring in more money.  Income can be raised through increasing your education. 

 Photo by Petr Kratochvil

It is possible to make more money but the options tend to take a lot of time.  It is appropriate to work on these long term fixes, but it is best to reign in your spending now.  So what are some ideas to make more?  Some jobs automatically pay more if you have furthered your education.  You can switch careers, but this may take going back to school.  A switch does cause most people to experience a short term drop in income because you move to a lower tier on the pay scale.  As a teacher my pay is entirely a function of time in service and education level.  


If a car mechanic making $52,000 a year goes back to college, finishes a bachelors degree and gets a teachers credential it will take roughly 7 years at my district to get back to the point of where they were.  Remember, that in those 7 years the auto mechanic would probably be receiving pay raises.  This doesn’t mean the auto mechanic should give up on the dream of teaching, it just means that switching careers can be time consuming and expensive.  If that same auto mechanic were receiving no medical or retirement benefits, switching careers would make sense in order to get these benefits.  This pay drop keeps many people from going after something they want. 


 Long term thinking always trumps short term thinking, but is generally more painful in the short term.  You can generate more cash by working overtime, taking a second job, starting a sideline business, but these options eat into your time.  Sometimes it is best to make do with what you have then to chase after more money.  This chase for money can erode other areas of your life, especially you relationships with God and the people you love (Mark 8:36).  It is not wrong to be rich, but the thirst (or lust) for riches, is a foolish pursuit (Luke 12:13-21).

By lowering expenses you will generate savings, allowing you to invest and build wealth.  The goal of wealth, is to allow you to be independent and not dependent on others (1 Thess. 4:11-12) while able to help others (Eph 4:28).  Most people when they take a good hard look at their spending can identify areas where they can cut.  The truth of spending cuts as a way to economic freedom out of debt takes us to the third dimension of finances.  There is a spiritual dimension to your finances and it must be taken into account (Luke 12:34). 

The above verse talks about the correlation of spending to thinking.  We think about the things that involve our money.  If our money is going to bills and ever increasing late fees we will only think about that.  This is the mental trap of debt.  The hard reality is that you do not control any of the important variables of life (Matthew 6:25-34).  You could lose your job because the company you work for goes out of business, gets taken over, or moves to a new location.  Companies know that increasing productivity allows them to produce the same or more products with less human labor.  


According to Steven Bragg in his book The New CFO Financial Leadership Manual human labor represents the single largest expense for most companies; therefore, companies are always searching desperately for ways to limit costs.  Lower costs equals greater profits for companies, so you just need to be aware that there is no loyalty within the context of the free market system, and you can essentially be let go for any number of reasons.  Even government agencies are working to limit labor costs. You will need to view everything as temporary and be ready to adapt or adjust if you see change coming.

The Price of Joy

Yoked Bulls Image by Teodoro S Gruh

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

1 Corinthians 9:19

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

When we accept Jesus as both our Lord and Savior we are saved (1 John 5:12).   At that moment the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts (1 Cor.9:19) and our obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading brings about many benefits. One of these is Joy (Gal 5:22).  Joy can also flow as a result of spreading the Gospel and seeing people come to a saving faith in Christ (1Thess. 2:19).

When we are disobedient, the Holy Spirit does not leave (Eph. 4:30), rather we become more likely to sin (Gal 5:16).  A Christian who continues to sin becomes enmeshed in an ever downward sloping spiral of sin that consumes them and everyone around them.  At this point a Christian looks a lot like any other person walking this earth. For more on this condition, check Here.   We must choose to submit to the burdens of following God.   There will be a burden, but there will also be joy.


This post is part of the April Christianwriters.com Blog Chain on the topic “Joy.”  Check out all the Joy posts by clicking on the sidebar links.

Savoring God Right Now

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “Savor.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column. 

Is your life in transition?  Are you starting something new, or preparing for a new phase of life?  Oftentimes the present seems so cluttered with preparations for the future that we usually neglect the present.

Psalm 46: 8-10 (NIV)

Come and see what the LORD has done,
   the desolations he has brought on the earth.
 He makes wars cease
   to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire.
 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Regardless of our situation, we are able to imagine something better.  This is why most people (including Christ followers) have an attitude of bitterness (Rev 2:4).  If we can be really honest with ourselves, then we would realize that this bitterness is directed at God (John 15:24-25).

When we obey God regardless of how we feel, we are acting in Faith (Heb 11:1).  God rewards this active faith with a stronger sense of connectedness to Him (1 Tim 3:13).  

When we stop and ponder who God is and what He has done for us, we will be filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude (Rom 5:8).  This gratitude should empower us towards greater devotion to the purpose of expanding God’s kingdom (2 Thess 1:11).

Savor the Lord, for He is good.

Ears to Hear

I teach economics to high school seniors.  For many students, I am the first (and sadly the last) person to teach them about personal finances.  Surprisingly, California does not require that I cover personal finances!  (History-Social Science, California Standards)

Nowhere does the state require that we teach how to balance a checkbook, create a budget, manage credit, and make smart consumer choices.  Luckily I can cover the state standards and still have time to cram in a lot of personal finance instruction. 

So you would think that these young adults would eat up the advice I have to offer about finances.  Wrong.  When I talk to young adults I find them typically resistant to sound financial advice.  There are always motivated kids out there who eat up wise advice, but their number is shrinking.  As a teacher who constantly probes for ways to get through.  I have a few theories as to why my teaching is rejected and here are my educated guesses:

1. I have useful advice but it can be couched in outdated terms that may make me look uninformed.  This one is my fault and I have to always be on the alert for changes in technology and trends.   My lifestyle does not put me socially in the places that interest many of my students.  I just talk differently than them and they may not get my examples.  This one is partially on me and partially on them.

2. I am discounted just because I am a teacher.  I represent the system that has “oppressed” them for most of their lives.  This failure to learn will consign them to poverty. (Prov. 12:1)

3. They don’t care about statistics, because they believe they will be well off.  This leads them to believe that there is no reason to listen to advice.  They believe they have a plan that will work (regardless of whether any real thought went into the plan.(Prov. 19:20)

4. I get discounted because I am old.  I’m only 40, but to a young adult, I may as well be 60.   To some young adults there is a strong perception that older adults hold ideas that are out of date and will not hold true in the future, so my advice cannot be trusted. (Lev 19:32) (Job 12:12) 

5. I teach concepts that are totally opposite of what they are told in the media.  These young adults are pelted with messages to conspicuously display wealth (Prov. 12:9).  I teach them to spend less than they earn, and it is seen as too embarrassing.   Similarly, the world has told them they can do whatever they want; they just have to work for it.  I tell them their career must line up with both their interests and abilities or it will end in poverty.  This always gets me sour faces. (2 Tim 4:3)

6. I teach financial concepts that are contrary to the example of their parents. It is hard to overcome a lifetime of teaching in a semester. (Pr 22:6)

7. I talk about growing money slowly to attain a middle-class lifestyle.  They want to be rich, famous, and glamorous.   These desires lead to a lot of pain down the road.  (Prov 13:11) (Eph 4:28)

8. The lack of life experience does not allow a young adult to access experience as a guide (Prov 22:15).  This is why I believe it is not appropriate to release all major decisions to a young adult regardless of what the law says.  I believe there is generally a short window of opportunity to get educated to ensure financial stability.  Unfortunately, this window is open at the very time when a person is less capable of thinking long-term.  If a young adult forgoes education during this period, it is very hard to go back later to get it done.  I did my master’s degree while working full time as a teacher, dad, and husband.  I was obviously busy, but I knew how to manage my time effectively, and I worked really hard during that phase of life.  This is another skill that is lacking among young adults. (Eph. 5:16)

9. Many (not all) young adults are coddled to the point of utter laziness and helplessness, so they don’t want to listen about becoming independent.   I had a student write to me that I should stop nagging them about getting educated because “My mom said I can live with her as long as I want.”  I tried to explain that she will want to some day be independent, or mom may become unable to support her. (Prov. 19:18)

10. Many (not all) young adults are frozen with fear over the future, so they don’t want any reminder that it is drawing closer.  This fear of failure brings about the very failure they fear the most. (Prov. 10:24)

11. What I’m talking about smacks of religion, so they shut their ears off.  This is actually true because all of my money advice is derived from the scriptures.  Being a public school teacher I don’t pelt them with verses, but God’s way works very well financially (Prov. 14:12).

12. Much of my advice requires self control, which is impossible for a person controlled by sin (Gal 5:17).  While a person can fake it to some extent, true self control only comes as a fruit if the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).  This fruit comes only as we yield ourselves to the Spirit (Gal 5:16).  God’s way requires a relinquishing of our wishes, desires, and future to the One who saved us.  This laying down of lordship is very hard for people to do. (Mark 10:21-22)

Many of the teachings of Christ were designed to bring us to the realization that in ourselves we have no power to live by the Law.  It is only when we agree with God about our helpless condition that He can truly save us from our evil desires.

Hear the Words of Jesus

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

A Day In Mexico

 

Last week my son and I accompanied others from our church on a one day mission trip to Mexico.  AMOR Ministries (American Mission for Orphans and Refugees) works to alleviate the plight of migrants worldwide. 



Original home of family, the blue barrel is their drinking water



Throughout Central America millions of migrants seeking a better life have streamed to the northern border regions of Mexico.  Maquiladoras (foreign owned factories) are expanding to provide much needed jobs in these regions, but the migrants keep streaming in and joblessness is still rampant.



           

These migrants form an especially poor underclass within Mexico.  Some will stream across the border, but most will stay and try to make it in Mexico.  A curious thing I have noticed is that in San Diego, the valleys have been long filled in with housing and businesses.  Newer, more upscale housing is being added, but the only place to build is in the hills.  In San Diego the higher you are the richer you are.  In the hills surrounding Tijuana the opposite is true.  The higher you go the poorer and more desperate it gets, because that is the only place to build a house.



We met at the church at 6:30, drove about 15 miles to the AMOR office in San Ysidro to get our escort.  We were at the border, a half hour later.  The Federales pulled us over to the secondary inspection.  There is something unnerving about seeing soldiers with M-16’s wearing masks, but that is what is needed to keep these soldiers and their families safe.  A quick check in the back of the van and they let us go.  I am often asked why I take the risk to go to Mexico, and why would I take my son.  The truth is that sometimes we have to take risks in order to serve people.  I would also like to point out that AMOR takes precautions to keep their volunteers safe.  I feel safer in the neighborhoods overlooking Tijuana, than in parts of San Diego.

           

The worksite was very close and today we would be laying the foundation for a new house.  The thing that always strikes me is what the family is living in.  The new house is built in three separate trips to the worksite, but the number of trips can be lengthened if the work group is slow or inexperienced.  I have no technical training in construction, but most of the work requires no technical training.  If your group doesn’t have this training, then the AMOR staff will lead you through each step.  You just need to go once and you will be hooked.



The homeowner (left w/ son) helps us build



My first trip with AMOR bothered me a little in that it felt like our work was just a drop in the bucket, but once you begin to recognize the outline of an AMOR house you can start to see the effects of hard work over time.  AMOR has completed over 15,000 houses for families in need!!!  Now I can just look around a neighborhood and pick out the houses.  In addition, the families that were help are overwealmed with gratitude.

         

  The other thing that brings me solace is knowing that AMOR allows the local pastors to choose which families are in the most dire need and determine the order in which families get their house.  Our effort in building these houses empowers the local pastors in their effort to bring people to Christ.  Our job as missionaries is to just show the love of Christ.

            It was a little harder to walk away from this trip, because I knew the family would have to wait a little longer to move in, but I knew that other faithful servants of Christ would be there to finish the job.  

           

 I was so proud of my son Spencer.  He worked very all day hard filling wheelbarrows with sand and gravel.   The Sunday prior to the trip, Spencer had been baptized by his own choice. I had the privilege of leading him to Christ following our church’s Vacation Bible School when he was six.  I can see that the love of Christ dwells in him fully. There is no greater feeling to see your children choosing God.

9 Thoughts on Forgiveness and Trust

1.  When you feel angry about a recurring offense, the anger is not in and of itself bad, but you need to know that anger can lead to sin (Ephesians 4:26).  Anger is an emotion that tells us we need to do something to change the situation, so we need to ask God what we should do.  
2. Within the context of prayer God will often require forgiveness if we are taking the offense personally.  Sometimes God will just require you to take it (1 Peter 2:19). 
3. There are times when you will need to assert boundaries between you and people who continually hurt you.  Be careful when dealing with someone who has offended you (Galatians 6:1).  Please follow God’s word, His prompting, and the advice of strong Christians.  Your “boundaries” may be nothing more than revenge (Matthew 18:15-20).  This is why you must carefully ask God to lead you in the right direction.  
4. Doing nothing when God is prompting you to do something is wrong (James 4:17).  Your inaction may lead to others being hurt.  
5. So what if you are the offending party?  The two statements that need to be said are: 1) I’m sorry for (name offense).  2) Will you forgive me? It’s their call whether to forgive you, so don’t come unwound when you do not get a favorable answer.  
6. Christians are commanded to forgive, but it is one of the most advanced things a Christian can do, so many Christians struggle to do it.  So don’t flip out when they don’t.  
7. You need time to show yourself trustworthy.  It may be that God may need to work on their heart for awhile.  I have been on the other side of an unforgiving heart and it is so painful because there is nothing you can do to force someone to forgive you.  
8. If you are being refused forgiveness, then you should “bear up under it” as stated 1 Peter 2:19 above.  This will take being “conscious of God.”  
9. You need to do your part in rebuilding the relationship (Romans 12:18).

REVENGE

Depending on whom you run with, revenge may or may not be a part of your lifestyle.  Movies that have revenge as their plotline are satisfying because it gets at our desire for justice when there is none.  This is revenge, and it feels good.  Stories that end with revenge are satisfying, whereas stories that end with forgiveness seem to leave us unsatisfied.  This is a direct result of the sin nature that continues to reside with us long after conversion (Galatians 5:16-18).

Revenge makes you feel empowered.  That is exactly the point.  YOU are empowered.  You have usurped the direct role of God (Romans 12:19).  When you grant forgiveness that person may never be fully punished for their crime in this lifetime.  This sucks when you think of it this way, but the offense was paid for.  Let’s go to the Cross:

Matthew 27:45-46

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

At this moment all of the world’s sin; past, present, and future was on Him (1 Peter 2:24).  God the Father, being holy and pure had to turn from Jesus.  This was the only moment in all eternity when the bond between the Father and the Son was broken.  Besides the sheer pain of the cross, Jesus was heartbroken.  I’m crying right now… I’m reminded that He did it for me.  It’s awesome and empowering to feel the power of the cross in your heart.  He also did it for you!  This is the joy and power that allows you to forgive.  Your forgiveness cost a lot.  It was not cheap, so when you forgive that sin will be paid in full.

So when you grant forgiveness be aware that you need to drop it, you don’t get to bring it up over and over to guilt trip someone.  This just doesn’t seem right, but think it through this way; Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 10:14).  Those who put their trust in Him can count on that and never worry.  The price was paid; all sin, past present and future was paid for.  The gift is freely available to anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Those who reject the free gift of God’s Son by the Father Himself are doomed to pay for their sins in eternity.  Even Christians must account for every wrong doing (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

God doesn’t mess around.  Don’t worry about how it will all work out.  Your role is to forgive, even when you haven’t been asked to forgive.  If you don’t forgive, you will become one of the bitter people, rotten from the inside out.  God has also made it very clear that when we are unforgiving we will not be able to escape the shame of our own sins (Mark 11:25).  Our own relationship with Jesus becomes degraded.  We don’t lose our salvation, but we cease to be a part of what God is doing here on this earth.  We lose our joy which should be our source of strength.  We stop feeling grateful.  When we do not forgive others, you will not be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15).

Bitterness

Ungratefulness and unforgiveness create the soil from which bitterness sprouts.  When somebody does something wrong to us we want revenge. We understand innately that a wrong incurs a debt that must be paid. When we take revenge, we feel better but now the other person wants revenge, what’s to stop this from becoming an endless cycle of retribution. 

When we don’t take revenge, anger can develop into a deep sense of bitterness towards that person specifically and life in general.  We tend to not take revenge because the results are usually disastrous, but I’m obviously not arguing for revenge, so stay with me.  People tend to feel this bitterness at work because people often feel they have no recourse for revenge against a boss who does them wrong.  

 Bitterness is a self-affliction brought about by unforgiveness and it causes many problems if you let it take hold (Hebrews 12:15).  Forgiveness is the antidote to the venom of bitterness.  Forgiveness requires divine power, so you will need to ask God for this power in order to grant forgiveness.  This takes great faith since we are allowing God to deal with that wrong (Romans 12:19-21).   

When we choose to forgive, that offence will be paid for by the person him or herself in hell, or that wrong will be paid for by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  When we choose to forgive we are absolving all ability of direct revenge or harboring bitterness.  Since we tend to not take revenge we do nothing and nurture a grudge.  

 Bitterness (unforgiveness) is critically harmful to our soul and erodes our character.  At the least, unforgiveness says to a person that you are no longer choosing to conduct a relationship with them.  God critically wants you to have healthy relationships as much as it is in your power.  Unforgiveness means the person does not get a second chance with us.  The reason this erodes our character is that unforgiveness is like a toxic substance that corrodes as long as we hold on to it.   

Forgiveness also allows us to release the burden of the pain to God, otherwise we hold on to the pain of the offence and it has to opportunity to hurt us over and over.  Forgiveness of others; therefore, is vital to your soul.  Otherwise you will waste away into one more of those bitter adults.

Prodigal Son or Prodigal Pig… Both are “Coming Home” Part II



Before he passed away, Pastor J. Vernon McGee introduced the concept of the prodigal pig in connection with  2 Peter 2:22.   He also compared the prodigal pig with the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). 

The idea is that a child, regardless of their location, is still a child of their parents.  In the same way, a pig is a pig regardless of its current location or level of cleanliness.  Just as the prodigal son was still a son while in the pig sty, a pig will remain a pig even if you bathe it, clothe it and treat it as a son.  When we become a child of God we (or anyone or anything) can never undo this transformation (Romans 8:38-39). 

The problem is that continued sin will begin to erode God's influence in your life and you will grow cold.  As I shared yesterday, I had brought my marriage to the brink of ruin through my selfishness.  We therefore reap what we sow.  If we live a life of sin there will be real consequences, but this does not include a loss of salvation.

When a child of God wanders away from the faith, God searches intently for them. God calls His children home through the active work of the Holy Spirit.  A person who has undergone the divine transaction of salvation cannot go on sinning, they will eventually be drawn back to God  (1 John 3:9). 

There are people who have cleaned themselves up and walk among Christians, but they have never undergone spiritual rebirth, when they “fall away”, they are just showing that they were never saved in the first place (1 John 2:18-20).  This type of person becomes much worse off as they throw off the final trappings of pretending to be a Christian (2 Peter 2:20).

           
Child of God, are you running from Him?  He wants a restored relationship with you (Revelation 3:20).  The farther you run from Him, the more your character will erode.  Submit yourself to Him before you lose everything that you care about. 

Warnings to a fallen son or daughter of God:

1. Although your salvation is secure, sin has its consequences. The prodigal son got a party upon his return but not his inheritance (Luke 15:31-32).
2. Shame is the outcome of sin (Romans 6:20-22)
3. We will have to account for our sins  ( 1 Corinthians 3:12-16)
4. If you are not submitting to God, you will have less self-control (Galatians 5:16-18)
5. If you are not submitting to God you will be filled with anger and bitterness (Galatians 5:19-21
6. If you are not submitting to God you will miss out on the blessings of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)
7. You will not be able to face down Satan, you’re on your own (James 4:7) (1 Peter 5:7-9)

What can I do if I’m far from Him and want to get back?

1. Go back, God will meet you on the way (Luke 15:20)
2. Confess your sins (1 John 1:9)
3. Press forward with God and forget what was behind (Philippians 3:7-14)

Repeat steps 1-3 continually (Romans 7:14-25) (Romans 8:1-17)


What about the rest of us?
       For those of you reading who have not crossed the line and handed God the control of your life, please do it now. You are the prodigal pig!!!  If you have been going through the motions of Christianity, God knows your heart and cannot be fooled. Fall on your knees and accept the wonderful gift that God paid for you.  Only then will you be reborn as a son of God (John 1:12).

Jesus said, “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
Luke 15:7

Prodigal Son or Prodigal Pig… Both are “Coming Home”



As a child, I had always attended church but I had no personal relationship with God.  He was an abstract entity to me.  I felt He was out there, but a deeply personal relationship with Him was not something I was ever taught.  In high school I met a person who would bring about great change in my life.  His name was Dave Ringenberg, (who now flies for Mission Aviation Fellowship) and we were on the track and field team.  One day he asked me if I was religious and I remember saying yes, so he invited me to his youth group.  In one of those meetings the plan of salvation was laid out to me:

1. God Loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. John 3:16
2. Man is sinful and separated from God.  Therefore he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life. (Romans 3:23) (Romans 6:23)
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin.  Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life. (Romans 5:8) (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) (John 14:6)
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives. (John 1:12) (Ephesians 2:8,9) (Read John 3:1-8)  (Revelation 3:20)

I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior that day.  I dove into my new faith head first.  The only thing I can figure is that I placed too much of an emphasis on head knowledge of scripture.  This led to a lot of pride. In my early twenties, I walked away from God.

During that period I lost that connection with God and stopped serving Him. I turned inward and became very selfish. I gradually gave up more and more of the values that defined me and became quite dysfunctional.  I stopped reading the scriptures, stopped attending church and stopped praying in any way.  I developed some destructive habits that would bring my marriage to the brink of ruin.  The odd thing is that during this time, I knew I was a child of God and in my fallen state I knew I needed to recommit myself to Him.  He would continue to teach me things about Himself during that period and kept calling for me with His still, quiet voice.

Once our kids were old enough to start asking about God, we joined the nearest church.  I didn’t really like it and just went to go along.  Eventually, I recommitted myself to Him with reservations.  I didn’t want to give up my destructive habits.  As I drew closer to God, He made it clear that I needed to cut out these habits.  I would try, have some success and falter.  Over time, I began to plead with God to just take these habits away.  But that was not the way it was going to go down.  God had a bitter pill for me to swallow, because I was trying to hold on to my bad habits while doing a relationship with Him.

            I was humiliated and exposed in a very painful way.  I was bitter over how it all happened, but it allowed me to start working on the core reasons for those destructive habits.  In a startling way, God opened my eyes to my selfishness and the effect that has had on others.  Sin has consequences and mine certainly did.  As I allowed God to renew my heart, things began improving.  Things aren’t perfect, but they are improving.  I am slowly being released from the pull of those bad habits, in addition our marriage has moved from critical to stable condition.  I look forward in hopeful expectation for a strong marriage that glorifies Jesus our Savior.  There are times I get frustrated at myself because I can still see my sin nature, but I know God has been changing me.  There is a long way to go, but much of the anxiety that runs my life is melting away as I lean ever closer into God.  It is amazing that God gives second chances. 

           

So the question is: What was going on spiritually during my period of “backsliding?”  More tomorrow…

The 10 Most Important Truths That You Must Consider

Please Note:  There are many Biblical Verses here.  You can see the verse by just hovering over the text.  You will not need to click on the links.  This will allow you to quickly check the verse and stay with me.  

1. God has created all humanity (including you) for a personal relationship with Him. He knows you will be most happy when you are in a relationship with Him.  He deeply loves you and intensely desires this relationship with you.  He did not build you into an automaton that must obey, instead He gave you free will with the ability to reject or accept Him (John 10:10) (Rev 3:20). 
2. The original sin of Adam and Eve placed in you a sin nature that is the source of sin and the evil in your heart. Your natural state is sinful, and people are not naturally good while God is a holy God who is perfect and sinless.  You hurt others as well as yourself.  There is much pain and tragedy in this world as a result of sin. (Gen 1:19) (1 Cor 15:22).
3. All of us have sinned and continue to sin willingly.  All of us have not lived up to the perfect standard of God.  There is no grading curve with God, because He is perfect, and He expects perfection. (Pr 14:12)  (Rom 3:23)
4. This sin has consequences.  God sees all sin as worthy of death, and there is no differences or gradations in how God views sin.  God will not do a relationship with us when we are in sin.  The Bible says that the wages of sin are death.  This death is a physical death as well as an eternal one.  We are excluded from the blessings of God.  Hell is real, excruciatingly painful, and never-ending (Matt 25:41) (Rev 20). 
5. We feel this separation and try please God in the way we feel is right, but it is not enough.  We sense emptiness and try to fill the void with useless things to take our minds off our guilt and unhappiness.  Your natural condition is like a huge chasm that is very wide and deep, with no possibility of getting to the other side without help.  You cannot please God on your own (Eph 2:8).
6. We need forgiveness.  We need a break.  God must do it for us, but sin must be paid for, because He is infinitely righteous.  God knows our inability and wishes to have relationship with us.  He loves us tremendously, so He sent His Son Jesus to be condemned in our place.  I can’t explain how painful it was for God to do this, but you are worth it.  If you, yes you, were the only human to ever walk this earth, He would have sent his Son just for you.  Jesus stepped out of his position beside His Father, a position of total power and love and took the form of man and willingly humbled Himself to death as a sacrifice for our sins.  This was a perfect sacrifice, and it was enough.  God has approved of this sacrifice by raising His Son after the third day.  There is no more need for any more sacrifices, it is finished (Heb 10:13) (1 Cor 15:20).  
7. We must do our part, but don’t get lost here, because it isn’t what you think.  There is nothing you do to earn anything.  Eternal salvation is a free gift of God that is conditional on us accepting it.  This gift only comes through the sacrifice of the Son of God.  God has made Him the only way to him.   We have free will to accept this gift or reject it.  You must take the gift.  Please take it, otherwise you will have to pay for your sins yourself (John 14:6) (John1:12).
8. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and submit to Him as Lord of our lives with authority to direct our steps.  We must confess that Jesus is Lord and turn over the control of our lives to Him.  If we do this we are saved.  Forever! The moment you do this an amazing one-way transaction happens.  At that point the Spirit of God comes into you, bringing a full guarantee that this salvation can never be snatched away.  (Rom 10:9) (Rom 8:38) (John 3:16)
9. Once saved, we now have the power to obey God; we now have the potential of being a part of God’s plan on this earth.  We have access through obedience to Him for the fruit of the Spirit for love, joy, peace, happiness, and self-control. It won’t happen immediately, you must strive to depend on Him in ever increasing measure. Your life is on the way to being transformed more and more into the image of Jesus over time, but you must submit to Him.  You will screw up a lot, so when you do, you must confess your sins, get up, dust yourself off and continue walking with God.  Rest in the fact that God takes an active part in shaping your destiny (1 John 1:9) (Gal 5) (Heb 10:14).
10. We still have free will.  The sin nature is still present, so we must submit to walking in the Spirit.  If we walk away from obeying God, there will be consequences.  Our salvation is secure, but if we walk away from the blessings of God we become sidelined and no longer a part of God’s plan on this earth.  We can lose our sense of joy and peace.  God is always ready to take you to newer places, but you must remain open to his leadership in your life. (1 Cor 5:5) (John 14:23) (Eph 2:8-10)

The Way

Proverbs 14:12

Have you ever experienced an addict at their worst?   They don’t care about anything or anyone more than getting their next high?   It makes sense to outsiders that they are ruining their lives, but the addict doesn’t really care about the consequences of the addiction.  An addict is totally out of control with no ability to help him or herself.  How is your self control?  Do you feel confident in your ability to control yourself in all areas of your life?  What areas do you sense a need for improvement?  Your assessment of your situation matters to this discussion, because it is highly likely you are unaware of your true condition. God has placed eternity in our hearts.  Another way to talk about this is that there is a God-sized hole in our hearts and all our attempts to fill it fail miserably. We still try and we can have fleeting moments of success.  These false fulfillments can give us moments of pure bliss, and though this bliss can be very intensive, these highs become the goal as they become more and more difficult to obtain.  Soon we are working hard just to be at normal.  We all do this, and not just addicts, for our true condition is beyond our ability to fix ourselves.

Your sense of willpower matters.  If you feel you have control over most of what life is doing, you are mistaken and have little chance of improvement.  Can you really get it done when you want to?  Addicts at rock bottom have an opportunity to see themselves as they actually are which is at the mercy of their own weaknesses with no way out, but the rest of us just don’t get it,  Similarly, a rich person often sees no need for God, while a poor person has nowhere else to turn.  I am not arguing that all poor people are righteous and the poor are evil; it is that the poor clearly understand their helpless situation in life.  Successful people who have no relationship with God have a way viewing their accomplishments as a result of their own effort.  They are ignoring all of the breaks (both seen and unseen) that have led to their success.  It is possible to be successful (by the world’s standards) outside of God’s will, so why do life God’s way and what does that look like?  We will discuss this next time: The 10 Most Important Truths You Must Consider

Signing On!

     Welcome to the College Field Manual.  This site is dedicated to the College Freshman!

In this one year you will face the pressures of learning new skills connected with doing college, navigating the relational challenges of making new friends in a new setting, all while remaking a working relationship with your parents.  Let's start with a simple verse from God's Word:

Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

     Your whole life lies before you, it is both exciting and scary because you are entering a period of life that will involve some serious choices.  Many of these choices are high stakes decisions.  I hope to be of some help in all this.  Look again at the verse above and think about the path of your life.  Your path is unique, but to ensure your greatest potential you must submit your life to God's leadership.  He loves you with an everlasting love, so He can be trusted.  Place your Trust in Him, He will not lead you astray.