'...I have finished my course...' 2 Timothy 4:7 KJV
The course God sets before us is seldom easy. Running it takes commitment. James MacDonald says, 'I've lived long enough to know men and women whose lives were sold out to God a few years ago, but who've since walked off the track...gone AWOL...lost their longing for God. Fear of following in their footsteps haunts me...and it should you, too... The faithfulness of my walk with God depends on my willingness to stay in a relationship with Him. I never want to lose the grip His greatness has on my life and the privilege it is to...serve Him till the day I'm welcomed into His presence. That passion compels me. It keeps me honest and humble... the last thing I want to do is crawl across the finish line a defeated, derailed Christian, or worse-give up the race before my life's over. I want to break that tape with arms high, my face to the sun.' Paul said, '...I have finished my course... Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown...' (2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV) Notice, courage plus endurance plus faithfulness equals reward. Photographer Jacob Riis said, 'When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it will split in two, and I know it wasn't the last blow that did it, but all the blows that have gone before.' God's Word is '...a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces...' (Jeremiah 23:29 NKJV) So, '[hold] fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ [you'll] have reason to glory because [you] did not run in vain...' (Philippians 2:16 NAS)
'...be transformed by the renewing of your mind...' Romans 12:2 NKJV
Are you wrestling with a personal problem, thinking, 'If I can just overcome this I'll be all right?' Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that by God's grace you can overcome it. The bad news is that when you've overcome this particular problem, another one is waiting to take its place. You're always going to be working on something. Spiritual growth is a work-in-progress. And it doesn't come through human effort, self-condemnation or the white-knuckling works of the flesh. It comes as a result of spending time in prayer and having your mind renewed daily by His Word. As you agree with God, believing what He says is true, change automatically happens. You start to think differently, talk differently, and act differently. Be patient with yourself; it's a process that develops in stages. Would you think there was something wrong with your child because they couldn't walk perfectly on the first few tries? No, you're delighted each time they take a step. When they fall, you pick them up. When they mess up, you clean them up and encourage them to try again. You never stop working with them! And God does the same with us. He's not angry because you haven't 'arrived', He's pleased that you're pressing on, endeavoring to stay on the path. It's God's job to '...cause [you to] be...governed by the Holy Spirit...' (2 Corinthians 3:8 AMP) If you could do it by yourself you wouldn't need Him. So instead of driving yourself harder and harder, start leaning on God more and more and you'll '...go from strength to strength...' (Psalm 84:7 NIV)
'Isaac...loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.' Genesis 25:28 NIV
Parental rejection drives children to two extremes: namely, rebellion and compliance. Children rebel out of their need for acceptance. Esau understood the principle of parentally-approved marriage. But he expressed his resentment against a scheming mother who failed to love him and helped cheat him out of his inheritance, and against an unloving father, by rebelling against the laws of God and family, and marrying unapproved women (Genesis 26:34). Perhaps Esau felt some perverse satisfaction when his mother was '...disgusted with living because of [Esau's] Hittite women...' (Genesis 27:46 NIV) When our kids drop out of school, run away, get pregnant, abandon church, take drugs, consume alcohol, engage in illicit sex and marry disastrously, in many cases it's saying, 'I'll show you!' Turning to compliance, Esau's rebellion didn't win Mom's love, so he tried the opposite technique with Dad, hoping that doing it Dad's way might make him loved. Recognizing Dad's approval of Jacob's marital choice, 'Esau...realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac...and married Mahalath', Abraham's granddaughter, but, alas, also Ishmael's daughter. (Genesis 28:8-9 NIV) A child at any age will do anything, however irrational or self-destructive, to earn and keep the love of parents! Did it work? No! Nothing he did could make his dad love him. The real problem was a self-centered parent who loved when it benefitted him! Certainly, Jacob and Esau were adults, responsible for their own choices. But parents are like potters, with the power to mould their child's character, conduct, convictions and course of life. Parents, nothing matters more to your children in life than your unconditional love for them!
'Isaac...loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.' Genesis 25:28 NIV
Isaac's favouritism triggered rivalry between his two sons. Now some rivalry is normal and healthy and is usually outgrown, but not in Esau's and Jacob's case. Time only turned their rivalry into hatred. It's tempting to blame Esau's explosive anger, but his brother Jacob was no innocent victim. Catching Esau at a moment of extreme hunger, Jacob tricked him into trading his inheritance for a bowl of stew. Later, pretending to be his brother, Jacob stole Esau's prophetic blessing from under their ageing father's nose. Where does this kind of toxic rivalry originate? Is it about good kids versus bad kids? Not likely! 'Isaac loved Esau.' Esau got his father's love, leaving Jacob resentful over getting what he, Jacob, wanted but was denied. Jacob couldn't get the love he craved from his father so he grabbed what he could: the birthright and the blessing. When children are denied our love they become self-destructive, pursuing whatever love-substitutes they can get from us or other sources. Jacob wasn't born a 'bad boy'. The failure of Isaac's love and his favouritism towards Esau left Jacob feeling rejected, hating the brother he perceived to be his problem. And Esau didn't start out a 'bad boy' either. His mother Rebekah favoured Jacob and helped concoct his 'stolen blessing scam'. Jacob wasn't loved by his father; Esau wasn't loved by his mother. Their parents weren't on the same page. Their favouritism led to one son becoming a fugitive and another programmed for a life of failure. Parents, consider carefully your power to shape your child's life!
Good Morning,
Amy and I ask for your prayers as we go see the social worker that oversees my mom tomorrow in Newport, doctors appt. on Wednesday, and our safe journey during the process. Just a reminder that there will be no Tuesday fuel group as well. Have a great week in Christ!
'...we were bold in our God...' 1 Thessalonians 2:2 NKJV
If you want to be led by God you must learn to be bold; not rude or insensitive, but bold, because God will sometimes direct you to do things others don't understand or agree with. Any time you step outside the boundaries of what others think is acceptable, you risk rejection. So be it! You can't allow that to keep you from doing what you know God wants you to do. Confronting criticism becomes a little easier when you remember that, ultimately, '...each of us shall give account of himself to God.' (Romans 14:12 NKJV) It hurts to be criticized. But if you're to succeed in life, you must have the attitude Paul had. Ben Campbell Johnson paraphrases Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4: 'I am not the least concerned with the fact that you are deciding what is right and what is wrong with me... Neither you nor anyone else can put me down unless I first put myself down (and I'm not doing that)... Though I don't know of anything against me, my ignorance doesn't mean that I am correct in my appraisal, because the final evaluation is in God's hands.' Secure people can handle being the only ones doing something. They can also allow others the same choice because they know we have been called to love one another, not analyze and categorize one another! To avoid growing old and feeling like somewhere along the way you got lost and never succeeded at being what God called you to be, you must be bold.
'...be of one mind, united in thought and purpose...' 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
Here are two things you must do in order to mend a broken relationship. First, attack the problem, not the person. You can't fix the problem if you're obsessed with fixing the blame. The Bible says, 'A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up.' (Proverbs 15:1 GNT) In resolving any conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say. If you say it offensively, you'll be received defensively. 'A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.' (Proverbs 16:21 GNT) Nagging doesn't work. You're never persuasive when you're abrasive! Don't use words that are condemning, belittling, comparing, labeling, insulting, condescending or sarcastic; rather, 'Use...only helpful words...so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.' (Ephesians 4:29 GNT) Secondly, focus on your relationship, not your differences. It's unrealistic to expect everybody to agree about everything. But when we focus on the relationship, the problem often loses its significance, diminishes or becomes irrelevant. Often we can re-establish the relationship even though we're unable to resolve our differences. We'll always have honest disagreements, but surely, by God's grace, we can disagree without being disagreeable. We can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye. This doesn't mean giving up on finding a solution. You may need to continue discussing it-but now you agree to do it in the spirit of love. Reconciliation means burying the hatchet, not necessarily the issue. So who do you need to contact? With whom do you need to restore fellowship? Pick up the phone and begin the process.
'...be of one mind, united in thought and purpose...' 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
Getting along with each other requires more than compliance, it calls for cooperation. So make sure you validate the other person's feelings! Never try to talk someone out of how they 'feel'. Listen without being defensive, and nod that you understand-even when you don't agree. Feelings aren't always true or logical, but until they're validated you won't get anywhere. David said, 'When my...feelings were hurt, I was...stupid.' (Psalm 73:21-22 GNT) We all act badly when we're hurt. But Solomon says, 'A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offence.' (Proverbs 19:11 NIV) When you are willing to empathize with someone's feelings it says, 'I care about our relationship more than our differences; you matter to me.' Yes, it's a sacrifice to patiently absorb somebody's anger, especially when it's unfounded. But remember, that's what Jesus does for you! Getting along with each other means that you must confess your part. Jesus said, '...First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.' (Matthew 7:5 NLT) Since we all have blind spots, get a friend to help you evaluate your attitudes and actions before meeting with the other person. Ask God, 'Am I part of the problem? Am I unrealistic, insensitive or too sensitive?' Confession is a powerful tool! When you can admit your own flaws, it defuses the other person's anger because they're expecting you to be defensive. Don't make excuses or shift blame, just acknowledge your part. You say, 'That's hard to do.' Yes, but God '...has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.' (2 Corinthians 5:18 GWT)
