Lightening The Load

Life's hard . . . when you try to do it alone.

I like to do things myself. I'd rather struggle through, wear myself down to the bone, and even fail before asking for help. I'm independent. I'm a problem solver. I can do it. Or die trying.

And many of us will. Die trying, that is.

The truth is, I can't do it alone--it being this life. Not well, at least. I will never accomplish all that I want to do, all that I need to do, if I try to do it alone.

There's simply too much to bear on my own.

My load grows heavier each day.

Between work, family, writing, serving in the church, kids activities, marriage, keeping up the yard, the house, the vehicles, friends, hobbies, and all the other stuff--there are not enough hours in the day or energy in my tank to get it all done. Leave something undone today, and it gets added to tomorrow, next week, next month.

Life starts to pile up. That load gets heavier and heavier.

Eventually, I'm going to drop it unless something gives.

Thankfully, I have Christ.

I am a Christian. I believe the Bible, not because someone told me it is true, but rather because I have seen it work in my own life. This is one of those lessons I have learned, and am still learning, the hard way.

I can't do it alone. I don't have to.

I have Christ.

Being a Christian isn't about taking on the extra burdens of going to church, giving money away, not having any fun, and in all ways being a drag. Being a Christian is about depending on Christ not only for what comes after this life, but what I am going through today.

You see, Christ didn't only take my sins on the cross; He takes my burdens every day.

I don't really know how it works.

As an elder in the church, having taught adult classes for years, I feel like I should be able to explain how this works, but I can't. All I know is that when I depend on Christ, life gets easier. When I depend on myself, it gets harder.

I cannot say that I have ever seen Christ do my work for me, but I have certainly experienced the evidence of His hand in my life. Take the subject of money--one of my heavy burdens. I have learned (the hard way, of course!) that when I give to God what He has put on my heart to give, I have more money. When I don't, I have less. How? I don't know. Honestly, I don't have a clue. It just works that way.

My marriage, my kids, my job--it's all the same. When I try to do it on my own, everything's harder. When I ask God to help me, He does. I don't know what He does, but it works. That's good enough for me.

Christ will give you rest.

All you have to do is ask. Life is hard, but He is there.

Ask for His help, and just see if He doesn't lighten your load.

Moving Mountains

Jesus' disciples knew hard times.

Our story for the day comes from Matthew 17:14-21. In this passage of Scripture the disciples find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They had been healing the sick and casting out demons, and were probably feeling pretty good about themselves. Life was going along pretty well, until all of the sudden they came up against a problem they couldn't handle.

A boy.

Not unlike others they had seen, and healed, this boy was afflicted by a demon. Try as they might, however, they could not cast the demon out. Imagine their consternation as everyone looked on as they tried, and failed, to do what they had done before, and no doubt promised they could do again.

Can you imagine the sweaty palms, nervous glances at each other, and clearing of throats as they tried and tried again?

"Come out of him!" 

No response.

"I say again, 'Come out of him . . .' "

Nothing. No healing, no screaming demon launched into the "arid places," no applause, no thanks, no converting to faith in Jesus Christ.

Just silence, and failure.

An immovable mountainous problem.

They didn't have enough faith.

That's what Jesus told them when He arrived on the scene. He cast out the demon, and when His disciples asked why they couldn't do it, He replied, "Because you have so little faith." 

Ouch!

Jesus' own disciples, the men who walked and talked and ate and laughed and cried with Him didn't have enough faith to do what He had enabled them to do. Was it because it was impossible? Not at all. In fact, this is the rest of what Jesus said to them:

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

If you just have faith.


I can't help but think that the disciples learned something that day, that their faith was made stronger because of the struggle they experienced. All they needed was faith, and Jesus told them they didn't have it in sufficient quantity. That would make you stop and examine your life for a minute, don't you think?

As the Bible works, this is not only the story of a group of guys who on one day failed to do what they should have been able to do.

This is the story of us.

Those mountains out there--those obstacles, those problems, those gigantic looming cliffs of terror that surround you--they're not insurmountable. They are not immovable.

You--yes you--can move whatever mountain stands in your way if only you have a little faith.


 

Struggles Make Us Stronger

I'll say it again . . . 

Life is hard.

Our jobs, our education, our families, our marriages, our friendships--at one time or another all of them are hard. This is to say nothing about financial struggles, failures, disappointments, enemies, and the like.

Everything can be, and at one time or another, is hard.

Life is a struggle.

Rejoice!

Really? Rejoice, as in show joy? Be glad?

Yep.  That's what Paul says in the verses above. And James in Chapter 1, verses 2-4. And Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12. And . . .

Rejoice and be glad, because struggle makes us stronger.

Does anyone like pain?

OK, sure, there are probably some people out there with various disorders who enjoy pain. The majority of us, however, don't. We'll do whatever we can, and whatever we have to, to avoid it. Pain isn't pleasant.

The thing is, without pain, there is rarely growth. Take an athlete. Can she become better, faster, stronger without some degree of pain? Or a student--can he master his studies without enduring hours of work? Does an artist produce a masterpiece without failure, or a parent an obedient child without discipline?

No.

We might not like pain, but we need it. To grow.

Look beyond the hardships.

I think that's the real lesson for us here. The point Paul, and James, and Jesus are making isn't that we should enjoy the pain, but rather look forward to what it produces. We are to rejoice not so much in the struggles of life, but the fruits they produce.

Think of marriage. Is every day easy? Mine isn't. But is the resulting growth of love, intimacy, and strength of bond worth the effort of endurance? Absolutely. As are the difficulties of parenting. The trials of friendship. The testings of faith.

The rejoicing comes on the other side.

Challenges are opportunities for growth.

That's one of those lines from countless self-help, team-building, and you-can-do-it seminars. It is also God's truth found in His Word. Suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character. Character produces hope.

Hope makes us stronger.

Life is hard, yes.

Rejoice, because we are the stronger for it!

Why Is Life So Hard?

It all started in the Garden.

As I alluded in yesterday's post, we face the inescapable truth that life is hard. Why? Because we messed up. We went against God's will. In short, we sinned.

The result was what we refer to as The Fall. We fell from the perfect state of unity with God, innocence, and obedience to a state of sin, guilt, and rebellion. The consequence is known as The Curse, which can be found in Genesis 4:13-19.

The long and short of it is this: Life was perfect until we sinned. Now life is full of struggle, pain, and turmoil. Life was easy, until we messed it all up.

We didn't leave sin behind.

You would have thought, being the intelligent creatures we are, that we would have figured this out. Life was good, then we sinned, and life got hard. The obvious answer is . . . don't sin. Right?

Theologically you could argue that even if we didn't sin (which we do), life would still be hard because we inherited the sin of Adam (Romans 5:14). However, the Bible tells us that our sins, apart from the sins of Adam, make our lives harder than they have to be. Let me show you.

John 8:34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." 

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

And on and on . . .

Sin made our lives hard. Yet, we keep right on sinning. And in case you don't think the Bible is a good enough source of truth, let's just look at some life examples.

If you murder someone, you go to jail.

If you commit adultery, your life falls apart.

If you lie, it's hard to regain trust.

If you . . . then . . .

Sin has consequences. 

Why is life hard? Because of sin. And while it is true that we cannot go back and undo the sins of Adam, we can certainly stop adding to them.

God has an answer.

I don't want to leave anyone without hope, and hope there is. It is found in the last verse I mentioned above, Romans 6:23. Yes, the wages of sin is death, but God has offered to us the gift of life. That gift is His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, and only through Him, can we have eternal life.

And let me tell you something: The Bible says that next life won't be hard at all. There will be no sin, so there will be no struggle, no turmoil, no pain.

That is hope.

Do you have it?

Life's Hard Enough. Don't Be Stupid.

Doesn't matter who said it, there's truth there.

The above little gem of wisdom has long been attributed to the straight-shooting, no-bull Duke. Unfortunately, no one can find a documented instance of him saying those particular words. For our purposes, though, it doesn't matter who first came up with that catchy, easy to remember one-liner.

What matters is that it's true. Life is hard. And yes, it's harder when you do stupid things.

Don't be stupid!

That's the lesson here, and it's simple enough. Just to be clear, by stupid I don't mean unintelligent or mentally challenged. I mean foolish, careless, and senseless. We can't change our intelligence, but we can certainly change how we use it.

We get to choose whether to be stupid or not, as we are using the word today. Every decision we make gets ran though our stupid filter, or at least it should. For example, when faced with flashing red lights in our rear view mirror, we have the choice of pulling over (smart choice), or trying to outrun the police (stupid).  Or when faced with the question, "Does this outfit make me look fat?" . . . well, you get the point.

Getting a ticket is hard. Going to jail is harder. Correctly answering, "Does this make me look fat?" isn't always easy, but a foolish answer will likely make your life more difficult in more ways than one!

Think before you act.

The picture I used today warns of a dangerous cliff edge. What should you do--see how close you can get before you fall off, or keep a little distance? Is the view worth the danger?

Sin is like that cliff. Most of the time, we know what sin is. A lot of sin even comes with warning labels, like the Danger sign above. If a website has the warning of graphic nudity, you probably shouldn't go there. When your friends tell you that person who's been flirting with you is going to be at a party, don't leave your spouse at home and go.

When the flashing red lights appear, stop! The farther you go, the deeper you get, and the worse the consequences. We know this; sometimes we simply shut off our stupid filters.

Not a good idea.

Life is hard. 

That's an inescapable truth that goes way back to a stupid decision made in a once perfect world, and our topic for the week.

Our first lesson is this: Adding more stupidity to the equation won't make things any easier.

Life is hard. It's even harder if you're stupid.

Well said. Whoever said it.

The Greatest Gift

You can earn your way to hell, but not heaven.

That's one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. If we could earn our way to heaven, we wouldn't need a Savior. No longer would God's grace and mercy matter. If we could earn salvation, Christ would be unnecessary.

We cannot. He is not.

The only eternal reward we can earn is everlasting damnation and punishment, weeping and gnashing of teeth, as says the Bible.

Think you can earn God's forgiveness, or outweigh your sins by doing good deeds?

Think again.

Two verses pretty much tell it all.

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Our verse of the day, Romans 6:23 reads, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

From the first we learn that everyone has sinned. From the second we learn that the wages (payment, reward) for that sin is death (spiritual death, everlasting torment, hell).

Paul does not follow that up to say that the wages of good deeds is forgiveness, or that through working hard we can cancel out our debt and earn our keep.

Nope. Hard work isn't the answer. Doing more good than bad doesn't tip the scales in your favor. One slip up, one sin, and you're done. You can't wipe that out. Ever. The wages for your sin is death.

Except for one thing.

The greatest gift.

The wages of sin is death, but . . . 

As a preacher I heard one day put it, "Hallelujah for the but!"

But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God's gift to us is the cancellation of our sin, the replacement of our earned reward of death with the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus.

The greatest gift ever. Period. 

Rules For Holy Living

Words to live by.

That could be the title for Colossians Chapter 3. NIV uses Rules for Holy Living. I guess that will do just as well. This is a chapter where Paul tells us how to live as Christians, and there are some pretty heavy-hitting thoughts in this one page chapter.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (3:2). Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature . . . (3:5). Do not lie to each other (3:9). Bear with each other and forgive . . . (3:13). And over all these virtues, put on love . . . (3:14)

Then comes verse 15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body your were called to peace. And be thankful.

Be thankful for what?

The simple answer is . . . everything! The Bible says this over and over. In James we are told to consider it pure joy (be thankful) when we face hard times. In the Book of Psalms, David gives thanks to the Lord over and over, in good times and in bad. Jesus thanked God for hearing Him (John 11:41). The list goes on and on.

The message is we are to be thankful at all times.

What does it mean to be thankful?

One definition of thankfulness is feeling or showing gratitude. This brings us to our topic at hand.

Gifts.

Yesterday we learned that Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Nowhere in there does it say that receiving is not a blessing. Nowhere in there does it say we are not to be thankful when we receive a gift.

Nowhere.

If you can't receive a gift with thankfulness, you can't receive Christ.

In fact, in Mark 10:15 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 

Have you ever seen a child receive a gift? Their eyes light up, their smile swallows their face, and everything else disappears for that moment in time. That gift, no matter how simple, is received with true thankfulness.

We could learn a lot from a child.

Learn to receive.

Now that we're all grown up (or so we say), we sometimes allow our grown-up emotions to ruin the joy of receiving. We let the false ideas of guilt, obligation, or quid pro quo (literally, "something for something") get in the way. We take the idea that there's no such thing as a free lunch too far.

We've forgotten to be thankful. We've forgotten how to receive. As a child. With thankfulness.

Give thanks.

Going back to Colossians 3, verse 17 says this: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Whatever you do. Whether in word or deed.

Be thankful. Life is a gift. Salvation through Jesus is a gift.

If you can't accept the smallest gift from man, how will you ever truly receive the greatest gift from God?    

  

Better to Give Than Receive

A whole lot of giving going on.

Depending on your perspective, this past weekend we either enjoyed or endured one of the most popular gift-giving occasions of the year. Valentine's Day is the second most popular card and gift-giving occasion on the calendar, behind only Christmas, with Mother's Day a close third.

That's a whole lot of giving.

How did it make you feel?

If you took part in this giving and receiving bonanza, how did it make you feel? More to the point, which gave you greater joy--getting a gift, or giving one?

I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty here. I believe that most people will honestly say they prefer to give a gift rather than receive one. Sure, getting something from someone as a sign of friendship, love, and affection is nice. It makes us feel good, and there is nothing wrong with that.

But there is something about giving, something that reaches down inside us and gives us a great satisfaction and joy. When we receive a gift, there is a bit of selfishness involved, and we all know being selfish is wrong. When we give, on the other hand, we put ourselves to the side and focus on someone else.

It's freeing. It's pure. It is truly the greater blessing.

Want to feel that more often?

If we feel good when we give, why don't we do it more? I mean, most anything else in life that makes us feel good, we do whenever we get the chance. Why not this?

I think I'll just leave it at that.

May God bless the givers.

For those who give to us all--our military, our pastors, our teachers, members of our law enforcement, and so many more--may God bless you greatly. Your selfless giving is not unnoticed. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. 

And to those of you who give me the gift of your support by reading these blogs, making comments, and encouraging me--my sincerest thanks to you as well.

Because while giving is the greater blessing, there is certainly joy in receiving.

That's what I'm going to talk about tomorrow. 

 

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness

Using big words means you're smart, right?

Not really. Not unless the person you are talking to understands what you are saying. Otherwise, you're just spitting into the wind.

In case you don't know, that's counter-productive. I know. I've done it.

Christianity is full of big words.

Substitutionary atonement. Propitiation. Eschatology. Hermeneutics. Transubstantiation. Dispensationalism.

Don't know some of those words, or all of them? Don't worry. My spell-checker doesn't know a few of them either. That doesn't mean my word processing program is worthless. What it means is I've thrown a word out there that a lot of people have never heard, will never use, and really don't care what it means.

That's my mistake, not yours.

Big words have a place. Keep them there.

Going to a Christian symposium on the End Times? Feel free to throw around dispensationalism and eschatology. Talking to your unsaved friend about how to get to heaven? You're probably best served to leave substitutionary atonement and propitiation in your Bible dictionary at home.

You see, big words are great in that they convey an exact meaning of what we want to say--but only if everyone involved understands what they mean. Substitutionary atonement or Christ died for our sins; Which do you think most people would understand?

Know your audience.

If you want to introduce someone to Christ, understand where they are. If they know what these big words mean, you're not having a Let me introduce you to Jesus conversation. You're preaching to the choir.  Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just saying know who you're talking to and bring it to their level.

If you're talking to someone who has never been to church, hasn't read the Bible, and isn't into reading dictionaries for fun, don't break out 5 dollar words when 50 cents will accomplish more. After all, there really isn't that much difference between saying, My eschatological opinion is . . . as opposed to here's what I believe is going to happen in the end, is there?

Not a dime's worth of difference, if you ask me.

I started this week by saying I love words, and that's true. And yes, I like big words. I'm even guilty of throwing one out there every now and then. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes it just happens. But I try to be mindful of who I'm talking to, and if they're with me or not. If not, I don't dumb it down, I smarten it up. You see, if I'm trying to say something, and I don't make myself clear, who's the dumb one?

Being sesquipedalian isn't a compliment. It means using unnecessarily big words to convey a message better communicated by common language. And loquaciousness? That's the gift of gab. Using too many words to say something.

Sesquipedalian loquaciousness. Excessive diarrhea of the mouth.

Doesn't sound so glamorous now, does it?

Talking Trash

I don't know anyone who likes junk mail.

Whether it be spam, snail-mail, telemarketers, or political cold-calls (love those, don't you?)--I don't see the point. I throw away a good half of the mail I get (sorry to the letter carriers) without even opening it. As for spam--that's automatically filtered out. And political calls or telemarketers? 5 second conversation. Tops.

I simply don't have the energy or time to waste. I know someone expended a lot of resources getting that particular piece of communication to me, but as far as I'm concerned, it's trash.

The same is true when we talk.

I'm no Puritan. I've used about every word you're not supposed to use as every conceivable part of speech. I'm not proud of it, just being honest. What came from all that effort, all that mastery of the English language?

Nothing.

The breath used to utter those unwholesome words was wasted. What poured out of my lips was trash, pure and simple. No better than the credit card offers and letters congratulating me on my free trip to Cancun cluttering my mailbox.

A big fat waste of time and oxygen.

I'd have been better off saying nothing at all.

Thumper's momma in the movie Bambi had it about right: If you can't say something nice, don't say nuttin' at all. 

 In Ephesians 4:29 Paul says it this way: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

No unwholesome talk. Only what is helpful. Building others up according to their needs. That it may benefit those who listen.


If you can't say something useful, don't say nuttin' at all.

I told you that lady rabbit wasn't far off. I've referenced profanity above, but that isn't all Paul is talking about. He's talking about words that tear down instead of build up. He's talking about tripping others up with your words instead of helping them along. He's talking about casting shadows instead of being the light we are called to be.

If your words are not useful, they're trash. Junk mail. Hopefully, whoever you're talking to has a good spam filter, but what if they don't? What if that virus you just sent out finds it's way into their network of friends and family?

It could lead to a whole system crash.

Think before you speak.

Words are powerful. Satan loves to talk. God's Word is eternal. Those are the three previous blogs this week. Think about those things before you say anything.

Understand that what you say will have an impact.

Even if you're just talking trash.

The Word Eternal

We are but grass.

According to Isaiah 40:6, we (all men) are like grass, and our glory is like the flowers of the field. That could be really good. Grass is green, lush, full of life. Flowers are beautiful, colorful, resplendent in their creation. I wouldn't mind being compared to the grass of the field, with my glory compared to magnificent flowers.

Until I read on.

Verse 7 reads like this: The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.

Grass withers. Flowers fall.

We spring to life. We grow and prosper. Then we wither away. Our glory, that which so colors our life and brings us joy, lasts but a season and then falls to the ground. Our time on this earth is short.

The bulk of Isaiah Chapter 40 is dedicated to comparing God's infinitely great power, glory, and holiness to our comparative insignificance. In verse 18 the question is asked, To whom, then, will you compare God?

No one. That is the answer. God can be compared to no one. He is eternal. We are but grass, soon to be dust.

The Word of our God stands forever.

It's interesting, is it not, that Isaiah compares our temporary nature to the word of God? Why is that? Why not compare us to God Himself?

First, God is His Word. In John 1:1, Jesus is identified as The Word, having been with God in the beginning. The beginning of what? The beginning of the beginning. In other words, always.

Secondly, I believe, God wants us to understand that not only is He eternal, but His Word is eternal as well. Never changing. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

What God says, stands. Forever.

The world doesn't believe this.

The men of the world wants to change God, change what He has said. They want to make what God has called sin to be acceptable, and make what God called acceptable to be sin. They don't want to believe that His word is immutable, unchangeable, eternal.

They want to be their own god.

But they are but grass, and their glory, the flowers of the field.

They shall wither, and fall to the ground.

The word of our God stands forever.

 

Satan Loves To Talk

It all started with a few words.

In Genesis Chapter 1, God spoke and Creation came into being. In Chapter 2, God spoke and gave Man one simple rule. In Chapter 3, Satan spoke, Man responded, and sin came to be.

If we had just shut our mouths and ignored that evil serpent, we would have been fine. We didn't. We talked about it. Satan talked to Eve, Eve talked to Adam, Adam lied to God.

When words are many, sin is not absent.

This does not mean, of course, that we should live our lives with our hands over our mouths. We are to praise God with our lips, honor Him with our mouths, and speak His Word to the world. We are to use words to build up and encourage, or to reprove and correct in love.

And then shut up!

Our problem, my problem, is that Satan loves to talk. He understands the power of words. He understands that our tongue, in the words of James 3:6, is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

The more I talk, the more the fire spreads.

People love to talk.

As with most things, this is neither good nor bad in and of itself. Communication is key to relationships, and relationships are key to life.  The problem comes when we let Satan do our talking for us.

King David understood this. In Psalm 141:3 he says, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." 

Why would David ask God to set a guard over his mouth if there was nothing to guard against? David understood the tools of Satan, and that one of his greatest tools is our very own tongues. People love to talk. So does Satan.

What could go wrong?

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

This jewel of wisdom comes from Jesus Himself in Matthew 12:34. He goes on to say that good things come (out of the mouth) from the good stored up in a man's heart, while evil things come (out of the mouth) from the evil stored up in a man's heart.

What goes in will come out. 

I've used this expression from a friend before, but it bears repeating: Garbage in, garbage out.

Satan loves garbage.

When to talk, and when to shut up.

What's the condition of your heart? Are you full of God's love and wisdom? Have you stored up His Word in your heart? Are you right with God? Then speak, and healing waters will flow.

On the other hand, if you are you angry, frustrated, bitter, hurt, jealous, envious, or otherwise full of garbage, shut your mouth. It is at those times that many words will simply multiply sin.

Let God be your guide. If the Spirit is telling you to speak, then by all means raise your voice. If, on the other hand, that still, quiet voice inside you is saying to hold your tongue, grab hold of that glowing ember of evil and tie it in a knot.

As Solomon said in Proverbs 17:28, Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Want to keep Satan at bay?

Hold your tongue. It's one of the greatest weapons he has. 

The Power of Words

I love words.

From the time I was young, I have been fascinated by words. Big words, little words, words that stand alone and words that mean nothing without the company of others. I didn't realize it then, but now I know what drew me to those mysterious combinations of letters was power.

Words are powerful.

According to the Bible . . . 

Proverbs 18:21 says that the tongue (words) has the power of life and death. In Matthew 12:37 Jesus says, "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." The Apostle John identifies Jesus as the Word (John 1:1, 14).

I say it again--words are powerful.

With great power comes great responsibility.

This truth has been recognized by men through the ages. From Voltaire, Presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill--even Uncle Ben in Spiderman--we have understood that whenever there is power, it is accompanied by obligation.

Words, then, in their great power carry with them an equally great responsibility.

The responsibility is ours.

We are responsible for the words we use, and how we use them. Everyone knows it's not only what we say, but how we say it, that matters. This is a lesson I learn over and over--and then seem to forget--with my wife, my children, my friends, and everyone else around me.

Words can build up or tear down, heal or wound, even, as Proverbs says, bring life or death.

That's power. That's responsibility.

Thankfully, we have a guide to follow. 

The Bible, God's Living Word, tells us how to use words correctly. Like money, authority, knowledge, or any other tool, words are neither inherently good or bad.

It's how we use them that matter.

Love Yourself

Really, in today's world?

With everybody taking selfies and posting them on social media for the world to see, does this need to be said? We say we live in a self-centered world. Does anyone not love themselves?

You might be surprised.

According to the Center for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents aged 15-19. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States across all ages, with an average of 117 deaths by suicide every day.

That's just one set of statistics. The number of people who deal with self-loathing through drugs and alcohol, bad relationships, self mutilation, and every unimaginable form of self abuse is something I couldn't bring myself to research. I know it's high. Too high.

Those people don't love themselves. Not as God loves them, anyway.

Are we supposed to love ourselves?

Isn't that wrong? Isn't that like pride or something? Arrogance? Selfishness? Isn't that the problem with the above-mentioned self-centered world?

Let me ask you this: What did Jesus mean when He said love your neighbor as yourself? Does that command not require that we love ourselves? Putting others before yourself does not mean you have to hate yourself.

God wants you to treat others as you treat yourself. Does He want you to hate or abuse others? Of course not. He wants you to love others. He wants you to love others as you love yourself.

He wants you to love you.

Because He made you and He loves you.

Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 

Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

 John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:38, 39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There's a difference between loving myself and being in love with myself.

I think you know what I mean. God said I am supposed to love Him first, then love my neighbor as I love myself. That order is very important. As long as I put God first, others second, and myself third, this whole self-love thing will work itself out. It's when we try to jump a rank or two that we get in trouble.

That being said . . .

If you don't love yourself, you won't love others. You can't. The command of Jesus to love your neighbor rests upon the foundations of love of God, and love of yourself. If you don't love yourself, how can you love your neighbor?

Anyone who says you shouldn't love yourself is leading you astray. God first. Neighbor second. Then yourself.

You are worthy of love. How do I know?

God loves you, and He's never wrong.

Love Your Enemy

Who is my enemy?

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), an expert of the law smugly asks Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" The parable that followed is well known today, but I am sure that Pharisee walked away a little less smug than when Jesus started talking.

Jesus' answer as to who our neighbors are is much further-reaching than many would naturally assume. I bet His answer to the question, "Who is my enemy?" would be as well.

When Jesus said, "Love your enemies," I don't think He was talking only about Hatfield and McCoy kind of enemies, or Jew/Gentile, to avoid being anachronistic. As His definition of neighbor for the Jews included the hated Samaritans, I think His definition of enemy would include their brothers and sisters.

You see, I think my enemy is anyone I might not be getting along with at a particular time. That might be an acquaintance, a close friend, or even my wife. If you don't like that idea, just remember that Jesus told a Pharisee that his neighbors included a people group that Jews viewed as sub-human who lived days distant from Jerusalem. What makes you think His definition of enemy would be any less encompassing?

Why love my enemy?

Because God said so!

I could stop there, and be correct, but of course I cannot. Call it beating dead horses, but here's the long version. Our verse is Luke 6:27. Go on down to verse 35 to find the answer to Why should I? Do you see it? Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 

There you go. Jesus knew this command was so hard He gave us an incentive to follow it. Not a negative incentive as in Do not judge, and you will not be judged, but rather a positive one. Love your enemies, and you will be rewarded.

For good measure, Jesus gave us another reason in verse 36. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 Do you understand Jesus is talking about God being merciful to us? Because before we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were enemies of God. There's a good verse in the Bible that talks about that. If you aren't familiar with it, Google it. (I think it's good for us to search God's Word ourselves for questions we have).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . .

Love your enemies and be merciful to them because you were once an enemy of God, and He didn't turn you away. That's a pretty good reason.

How do I love my enemy?

Jesus knew we would ask that question, so He gave us the answer ahead of time. Starting back in Luke 6:27 and going forward, here are some practical examples:

Do good to those who hate you. Wonder what that means? No you don't. You know what it means to do good to someone. We just don't want to do it when we don't want to do it!

Bless those who curse you. Someone tells you to go to hell, tell them how to get to heaven. Greatest blessing you could give anyone, friend or enemy.

Pray for those who mistreat you. Jesus prayed for the men who pounded nails through His hands and feet. Need a better example?

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. Do not retaliate. Do not strike back. I'm pretty sure Jesus would include verbal attacks here, aren't you?

Jesus goes on, and then sums it all up in verse 31 this way: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Any questions?

Your enemies may be closer than you think, just as your neighbors are farther away. You're supposed to love them by treating them the way you'd like to be treated.

I told you this whole love topic wasn't going to be easy.

On that note . . .

Tomorrow we are going to look at love from a different angle. I want you to read and pray about Mark 12:28-31, with emphasis on verse 31. What is required before we can love our neighbor? Know the answer? We'll discuss it tomorrow! 

Love Isn't Soft And Squishy

Sin is ugly and hard, pointed and sharp.

Like that strand of barbed wire above. With prongs pointed in all directions, it cuts deep and indiscriminately. Sin doesn't care who it grabs hold of or what damage is done. It's goal is to tear through whatever protective layers stand in it's way to get to the soft flesh beneath.

Sin is dangerous.

You don't cover barbed wire with a Kleenex and try to cross the fence. Important parts are liable to have an unpleasant experience if you do.

Love has to be tough.

If the Bible is correct, and I believe it is, then love must be pretty tough to be able to cover over sin. Tough doesn't mean rough, harsh, or offensive. You can push down a strand of barbed wire with a pick-axe to get across, but I'll take my chances straddling 1 inch barbs over a 1 foot steel spike any day, thanks just the same.

Tough means strong, durable, resilient. One definition of tough is the ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. Like a good canvas coat. It's not the most comfortable material to wear, but a pair of Carharts saved my leg from the careless handling of a chainsaw a few years ago. Talk about covering a multitude of sins!

That tree in the picture above is tough. See how it has wrapped around the barbed wire, completely engulfing it's barbs, rendering them harmless? I really like that as a metaphor for love covering sin. That tree may not be something you want to snuggle up against--until you realize your other option is braided strands of wire with sharp points sticking out all over the place.

Which would you choose?

Sometimes love is confrontational.

The world would have you think that if you love someone, you give them anything they want. OK. Someone you love is in a burning building and doesn't want to leave until they find their favorite pet. What are you going to do? Sure, the pet is important. But is it worth dying over?

I hope you'd pull them out against their will. They'll probably be mad at you. It may strain, or even end your relationship. Your actions may cost you a few burns, bumps, and scrapes, but you saved a life. Hopefully one day your loved one would realize that, but even if they did not, the reality would be the same. You'd be a hero, whether they acknowledged it or not.

The ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. That's toughness. That's love.

Love isn't free.

We who are patriotic recognize that freedom isn't free. We who love also realize loving someone else isn't without cost. Loving those who love us back is emotionally expensive; loving those who don't . . . that's a hard enough subject for another blog.

Love, in it's toughness, covers a multitude of sins. That works both ways. My love for you covers your sins against me, and my sins against you. Love and forgiveness are so intricately interwoven as to be inseparable. Forgiveness isn't easy. Love doesn't come cheap. If it seems so, it probably isn't love.

Teddy bears, lingerie, and heart-shaped pillows are soft and squishy.

Love isn't. Those things may be symbols of affection. Giving them may be an act of love. But the driving force behind had best be a lot tougher, and go a whole lot deeper than the world's idea of love.

Because I guarantee you this--a teddy bear, bustier, or cheap pillow don't stand a chance against the barbed wire of sin.

There's More To Love Than You Think

Is this what love is?

I think the picture above would probably sell on a Hallmark card.  Even though it is Scriptural, it embodies what the world wants to believe about love, or at least what the world has been led to believe about love. We like 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 because there Paul talks about the "feel-good" parts of love. The "happily ever after" parts of love.

It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. We like that.

That isn't the whole story.

The Bible has a lot to say about love.

I Corinthians 13 is known as the "Love Chapter," and indeed Paul says a lot about love there. Love is patient and kind. Love does not boast or envy. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres. Yes, love is and does those things.

However, I Corinthians 13 is not the only place the Bible mentions love. According to I John 4:8, God is love. The Bible is God's Word. We can assume then, since God is love, His Word would be filled with comments, descriptions, and stories about love. Indeed it is.

According to Psalm 94:12, Revelation 3:19, and Proverbs 3:12, God the Father and God the Son discipline those they love. Love is discipline? I've never seen that on a Hallmark card! How about Jesus' command to love your enemies (Mattheww 5:44), or His insistence that love demands obedience (John 14:15)?

The Bible is full of truth about love that you'll never see in the card aisle. Love of money. Love of evil. Love of the world. Love of sin.

We're going to learn more about love than most of us ever wanted to know.

In preparation for that day of red roses and chocolates, let's learn what love really is, according to God's Word. Celebrating Valentine's Day with those who love you is easy--so easy even the world does that, just as Jesus said (Luke 6:32).

I don't want to be like the world. I want to be like Christ. I want to love according to what God says love is. Going back to 1 Corinthians 13, Paul talks about how when he was a child, he talked like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child, but when he became a man, he put childish ways behind him. That's in the same chapter as all that talk about love. I want to know what he meant.

Don't you?