March 17 - Assumptions

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces- Matthew 7:1-6

Assumptions get people into trouble, and yet we all do it. We often do it unknowingly. We witness a brief moment in another person’s life or hear part of a story, and then we fill in the gaps in our mind. We may not think about it again until the moment the assumption is undone. This can be embarrassing or even destructive depending on the nature of the assumption.

I have a window cleaner once every three weeks to clean the outside of my house windows. I well recall the first day he knocked on my door to ask if I would like him to clean the windows that day, and regularly after that. I am ashamed to say, I took one look at him and thought, “No way!” He stood on the doorstep, wearing a hoodie, and to my eyes, looking shifty – not the sort of person I would have liked to meet on a dark night – the sort who hangs around street corners and doorways in gangs. Had it not been for the fact that I had earlier seen him at a neighbour's house, I would have quickly closed and locked the door.

I said I am ashamed – and I deserve to be. I had looked at a fellow human being and, with absolutely no evidence, immediately assumed he was dishonest and the sort who couldn't be trusted - I judged him.

Since that day, that young man has proved to be warm and caring. His work can't be faulted, and he regularly goes the extra mile by offering help in other areas – any suggestion of payment for those tasks is always quickly refused. I have well and truly learned my lesson!

How do we avoid these awkward and painful situations that are caused by our assumptions? By giving people the benefit of the doubt and always assuming the best. What gets us in trouble is we often assume the worst.

The Bible addresses this issue. Assumption is a nice word for judging. When we assume something about someone else, we are making a judgment about them. Matthew 7:1 is a popular verse in our culture. People like the fact that Jesus said, “Do not judge” but they fail to understand the context of his statement. What Jesus is prohibiting in Matthew 7:1 is a particular kind of judgment. We are not to judge unfairly. We are to follow the golden rule and treat others the way we would like to be treated (Matt. 7:12). We are not to be hypocritical (Matt. 7:3-5).

A few verses after Jesus’ command not to judge, he gives instructions regarding making a judgment based on the fruits of a person’s life (Matt. 7:15-20). If a person is consistently producing bad fruit, then this says something about the person. It's not the last word, but it is something that needs to be considered. If a person is consistently producing good fruit, then this also says something about the person. They are trustworthy. They are striving to do what is right.

What does this have to do with the assumptions we make?

How can we build a relationship with people and introduce them to Christ if we treat them so badly. We can destroy someone by the way we treat them. We put more weight on how they look, how they speak, and the clothes they wear - a single comment rather than the entirety of the relationship. We should always assume the best.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul defines love. What we learn from his definition is that love is not so much an emotion, as we tend to think it is, but it is how we act. Love is the behavior we are to display towards others. We are to be patient and kind. We are not to insist on our way. We are to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. This last part of the definition in verse 7 can be a little tricky to interpret. The meaning is not perfectly clear, but I believe it has to do with this business of assuming. We are to believe the best about a person until we know otherwise. We are to give more weight to relationships than to soundbites. We are to hope for the best. This is what it means to love people.

Acknowledgements Resurrected Living

“Love can turn the world” (LIVE) says it all. Click here to listen

March 16- Loaves and Fishes

"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked him only to test his faith, for he already had in his mind what he was going to do.” John 6:5-6

Our self-esteem may be at zero and we feel absolutely useless to God, beast, or man, but God is in the business of using what we are, who we are, and what we have to offer in ability and intelligence .

Men's Ministries tells of Jim Muzikowski, who was neither the most selfless nor sharpest tool on God’s workbench to start with, but Jesus rebuilt him from the inside out. With a rebuilt heart and mind, new insight, new purposes and new plans, thoughts came into a recovering alcoholic’s mind that shocked and excited him. Nurtured with faith, those great thoughts for God, combined with faithful actions, produced great results that brought great glory to God. It’s so like Jesus to take our little and make more – just as He did with the loaves and fishes.

Philip gives Jesus a mouthful, the boy gives Jesus a sack. Way to go, boys; no gold stars for you today! That one goes to the seven year old who saw and heard a need, came to Jesus, and gave what he had. Tell a child he can’t afford something and he comes back holding up his piggy bank. Children don’t know what it costs, they don’t care. They are focused on a solution to a need.

Of such is the kingdom, Jesus said. Jim Muzikowski, the recovering alcoholic got it and so can we. God’s man or woman does not require full knowledge before they start obeying the Lord’s will. This is called aggressive faith. What’s life without a little risk? With no risk, there is no need for faith.

Today's music is "Come to Jesus" (LIVE).  Click on the picture to listen.

“And those He predestined He also called, those He called He also justified, those He justified He also glorified. “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?… “Romans 8:30-32

The other day I found myself doing something I had long thought was in the past, and got to wondering.How many times have you started something and never finished it? (Unfortunately I'm famous for that one.) How many times have you lost weight and re-gained it? Lost a bad habit and found it again? Made a resolution and broke it? 

Yet, somehow every New Year we make fresh resolutions, only to get a few days into the year, and there are the resolutions – in pieces! But, there is fresh hope, isn't there? We have to believe that somehow we will get a will-power make-over. Fresh resolve rises up in us again and we give that thing a new try and we believe that THIS time we will make it.

Good! That's exactly the attitude God takes when He looks at us and our best efforts. He's always up to giving us a make-over. If we have failed every single day of our lives He still has all the faith in the world in us to be successful, no matter if it is the same old New Year resolution, or any other day. He cheers us on and pours out grace in abundance to help us over any hard bumps.

If you started the year(and every day since) on struggling to give up something, - cigarettes, alcohol, technology - think of it from God's viewpoint. You aren't in it alone. You have your own personal cheering section and you will get VIP treatment. "This I know, that God is for me." (Psalm 56:9) Knowing that God is for you can carry you a long way in achieving success. Having someone who believes in you a hundred percent gives you a head start on really making it.

Past failures getting you down? Wondering if you should throw in the towel? Or, dig in your heels, hang on to God, and finally beat the problem?

Take the second option. Don't you know that you plus God are a majority? Begin again!

Music today is  “I Will Go On” (LIVE)  Click on the picture to listen.

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

Where are you fighting from? First of all, we are all in a battle – against good and evil; For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

My friend gave me a new perspective. He called it to the ‘for or from’ principle. Maybe you have heard it before. If you have already won the battle then you are battling from a position of victory

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

However, what we do daily is to fight for victory ourselves. Victory of sins that Christ has already paid the price for. So let’s change our perspective from today; fight from victory instead of for victory.

Yolanda Adams sings ‘The battle is not yours’. Click on the picture to listen.

So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. James 5:16

It’s usually only when addicts ‘hit bottom’ that they’re willing to embrace a twelve-step programme of recovery, and submit to the guidance of a ‘sponsor’ who will help them by holding them accountable. Where did the twelve-step principles originate? From Scripture! The Bible says, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’

Have all the years you’ve spent hiding your problem only made it worse? If so, an important step towards your deliverance is having someone in your life who understands, wants to see you set free, will stand by you, identifies with your struggle, and knows how to keep your confidence. And it needs to be someone you trust and respect; otherwise you won’t take them seriously. There must be an agreement between you that you’ll work together until lasting change takes place. That means finding someone who won’t be shocked by your problem and who won’t ‘shame’ you, no matter what. It’s the broken who become masters at mending, so find someone who has won the battle you are fighting.

And make sure they share your faith and values. Why do you need to share your struggle with someone? Because we are only as sick as the secrets we keep! Jesus said, ‘If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them’ (Matthew 18:19-20 NIV 1984 Edition). By opening up to another person and asking for help, you’ve taken a major step towards a better life.
Courtesy of UCB

Steve Camp sings ‘Under his love.’ Click on the picture to listen.

March 2 – Faith journey

“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you” - Genesis 12:1

I got to thinking about Abraham, and the incredible example of faith in action he left behind, for us, for our example. Called by God, Abraham left the land of Ur and embarked on the roller-coaster of a life of faith. As Genesis 12:1 demanded, he left the land of his birth, his relatives, grandparents, cousins – everyone, and was led by the Lord on a journey of a life-time – a journey of faith.

All the way he put his trust in God....then, the climax came when God asked Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, up into the mountains and offer him up as a sacrifice. You know the story. Isaac, unquestioning, carried the wood he was to be strapped to on a makeshift, rocky altar on the hillside. Asking his father “where is the lamb, the burnt offering, for sacrifice?” Abraham replied that the Lord would provide.

Raising his arm with the knife in his hand he was ready to bury it deep into his son's body. “Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns”- Genesis 22:10-13.

Abraham's faith was unconditional....and the Lord provided.

Though we can't – and wouldn't want to, claim that the Lord has asked any-one of us to prove our faith and trust in Him in by sacrificing any of our children, yet, we do arrive at similar dramatic moments in our lives when our unconditional faith is severely tested.

Like Abraham, we reach a point in our lives when we must trust God without the benefit of knowing all the details. We are challenged – our faith is challenged. Human logic cries out, “Why God, why are you leading me this way!” We are challenged to turn to God and seek His provision, believing that He really does provide.
Well over 2,000 years ago, Homer, in his classic tale The Odyssey, wrote: “The journey is the thing”, and we are blessed, we are not making the journey alone!

Bryn sent me a lovely song - “My Life is in Your Hand” LIVE – lyrics by Kathy Troccoli. Click on the picture to listen.

‘A gentle answer turns away wrath.’ Proverbs 15:1 NIV (2011 Edition)

If you’re an organised, time-conscious, purpose-driven, make-it-happen kind of person you can get upset with incompetence and low productivity in others. And you can end up speaking words that hurt them and don’t bring the result you hope for.

In Proverbs chapter thirty-one here’s how Solomon describes a wise woman: ‘On her tongue is the law of kindness’ (v. 26 NKJV). Speaking kindly to and about others was one of this woman’s core principles. And when you think about it, there’s never any justification for being harsh or unkind in your communication. Certainly not if you’re a Christian! Hasn’t God been gracious with you? Then extend that same grace to others. The old adage, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,’ isn’t true. Harsh words can impact a person for a lifetime.

Many so-called ‘social outcasts’ have been victims of verbal abuse at some point in their lives. They have suffered at the hands of parents, teachers, insecure spouses, and others battling their own emotional issues. If you find you’re prone to speaking harshly to people, pray for God’s help. Whatever it takes, including seeking help from a pastor or counsellor, do it. The Bible says, ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city’ (Proverbs 16:32 NKJV).

Decide today to ‘rule your spirit’ and make kindness a hallmark and guiding principle of your life.

Courtesy of Word for Today

‘Draw me close to you’ sung by the Katinas, is today’s music. Click on the picture to listen.

February 23- 24 - Prayer Partners

“Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:19-20

How much would happen if we just prayed and did nothing else? Probably a lot more than we can imagine but yet, not everything always happen with prayer alone. Sometimes it calls for action, or supporting prayer by someone else too.

Barbara Lardinais writes about a battle in the Old Testament which gives us a pretty good clue about the way prayer works.

The Israelites were out in the desert when the Amalekites attacked them. Moses came up with a response plan which directed Joshua to pick fighting men to go to battle against Amalek the next day while he positioned himself on top the mountain above the fight. He would pray and Joshua would engage the enemy.

Exodus 17:11 tells us how things went. "So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed." Aaron and Hur were with Moses and they supported his hand when it was too heavy to continue.

Moses prayer was successful but so were Joshua's actions. "So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." This verse seems to give Joshua the credit. Actually both actions were integral to success. If it would not have been for the prayer the battle would have been lost, but someone was needed to carry out in the natural realm what the prayer declared in the supernatural/

Prayer and action go hand in hand. For instance, one may pray for souls to be saved while another goes forth witnessing. One prays for provision for a starving country and others arrive with food.

Whether God assigns you to prayer or action, perform your duty humbly with excellence. Your partner is depending on you!

“I'll Pray for You” (LIVE) is the message in music today. Click on the picture to listen.

February 17-18 - Christian Doormat?

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” - Genesis 1:27. ESV

I'm sure we've all met someone who, no matter what is said or done to them, they never retaliate, or stand up for themselves, they just absorb the flak. Ask them about it, and they will say “well I'm a Christian. Jesus told us we must turn the other cheek. But, just because you're a Christian, does that mean we have to be doormats? Yes, Jesus did say; "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also." (Luke 6:29) The result is that thousands of women in the past were told to stay in abusive marriages (and probably are still told) based on that scripture – some people stay under the misguided notion that if they stay in the relationship they will be the means of changing their spouse/friend.

But are they really doing what Christ meant? Or, are they being doormats?

Doormat? NO. You may stand up for yourself against injustice. You may refuse to accept inferior products and services. You may require others to treat you decently and with respect. However, none of that prevents you from obeying the command to turn the other cheek.

How do I reconcile that? Well, let Jesus be our example. See what He did when He was arrested and was being questioned by the high priest. An officer thought Jesus was being a smart mouth in the way He answered a question so He struck him. Jesus stood up for Himself. He responded; "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" (John 18:23) Jesus never acted like a doormat.

On the cross, Jesus could have come down at any time but He had a higher purpose - His Heavenly Father's purpose - in staying on. Turning the other cheek has to do with learning humility - not humiliation. Turning the other cheek is a decision based on strength, not weakness. Doormats are people exploited by those who see them as easy marks. You're not an easy mark are you?

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16) Don't let anyone trample over that!

(Acknowledgments Barbara Lardinais)

“Love one another as I have loved you” – John 13:34 – today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

February 17 - Miracle of choice

Genesis 2:16-17 - “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat....”. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 - “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live....”.

It's an amazing miracle that when God created us He inbuilt freedom of choice (Adam and Eve soon misused that, and look where it has got each of us ever since!). But despite that, from the moment we are born, (picture shows a baby seconds after birth), we are still free to make our own choices, and miracles occur moment by moment, day by day.

Through personal experience, I believe in miracles. I also have a friend who, through the miracle of X-rays, was diagnosed to have need of a gall bladder operation, the stones were large and showed up clearly on the X-rays – that, and the excruciating pain she was suffering signaled the need for a speedy operation to remove the stones.

That was decided on a Friday, and the surgery was scheduled for the following Monday. There was just one problem. This friend was to be baptised on the intervening Sabbath, the day after diagnosis. Stepping out in faith, and in great pain, this friend insisted on leaving hospital to attend her baptism. She was baptised and returned to the hospital on the Sunday to await her operation the following day. On the day, Monday, prior to the op', further routine X-rays were taken. This is where the miracle comes in. Astounded surgeons couldn't believe what they were seeing – no gall stones, not a one! From the moment she rose from the batismal waters, the unbearable pain she had been in had disappeared, been washed away – and now the proof was evident before everyone's eyes, the gall stones had also gone. God had rewarded her choice to put her trust in Him.

I came across the following article this week tucked away in Hannah's Cupboard.

What's your favourite miracle in the Bible? There are some great ones, aren't there? Consider Daniel in the lion's den, the fall of the walls of Jericho, Jesus walking on the water, multiplying the loaves and fishes, raising Lazarus from the dead, Peter and John healing the cripple at the Gate Beautiful - the list goes on and on. You know, it isn't hard for God to do miracles. None of this stuff even begins to break a sweat on God's brow. To the One who spoke the worlds into being and set up all the laws of physics, chemistry, etcetera, etcetera, miracles are a minor detail.

Want to know what's hard? Changing a heart. God made a choice to give us free will and not violate it. That puts him in the position of limiting himself in our lives to what we will allow; what we will choose. So if we choose to thumb our nose at him or disbelieve that he even exists or harden our hearts against his love, he honors that.

He keeps on nudging us. He works in the unseen places of our soul to woo us to accept his love. He follows us down every blind and dead end path we take ready to show us the way that leads to life. He places people in our lives that help us feel his touch. He leaves no stone unturned in pursuing us. Without violating our free will, he makes his unconditional love irresistible.

The most remarkable miracles I know of are the testimonies of people who have had a deep change of heart. The son of Madelyn Murray O'Hair who helped take prayer out of the schools had a deep change of heart. Norma McCorvey, who brought Roe v. Wade to the Supreme Court to legalize abortion, had a deep change of heart. Charles Colson, the arrogant Nixon staffer who served prison time for his part in Watergate had a deep heart change. These are a tiny few of the famous ones but there are millions and millions of nameless others down through the centuries.

My very favorite miracle is my own changed heart. I treasure this miracle above all others. You may feel the same way about yours. If you haven't had your miracle yet, I can tell you that God is standing by ready to perform it as soon as you are ready. Just ask!

(Acknowledgments Barbara Lardinais)

Today's music is Bill and Gloria Gaither "Perfect Love" (LIVE) Click on the picture to listen.