One teaches - two learn

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Robert Half told us that 'when one teaches, two learn.' I couldn't agree more! In order to teach, one must learn first what one is teaching, but within the teaching, additional learning actually occurs. It is kind of like a tiny embryo of knowledge begins to break into two, then four, and so on. Half also put a question out there for us to consider today: "When your future arrives, will you blame your past?" Too many times, we blame our past, but did we have the opportunity to learn from whatever it was in our past that we blame today and just didn't heed that opportunity?

If you ever get into the scripture and find there is 'new meaning' in a passage you have likely read time and time again, you are just seeing it from today's perspective. The scripture didn't change - your perspective did! The 'relevance' of the scripture is based upon the issues you are encountering at this moment. If you didn't realize it, you were learning something from that passage with each time your present perspective changed. What you 'learned' in an earlier season is not 'unlearned', it is 'added to' by your present season. Scripture is powerful that way - it teaches those who are willing to learn.

The past can be blamed for a bunch of stuff, but your present isn't going to benefit from blaming something or someone in the past for your present perspective. Instead of playing the 'blame game', embrace your present perspective, take it to Jesus, get his perspective on the matter and then let the learning begin. One teaches, two learn. Take what you have learned and use it to help another. In so doing, you are using the knowledge you have received to create a new perspective in someone else's life. Sadly, some feel what they learn at the feet of Jesus is 'just for them', but in truth, God's plan was always to have one learn, then teach, then learn again. 

Go out and make disciples of all men - that is one learning, then teaching, then coming back to learn again. Sometimes our greatest learning comes in those times when we stop blaming the past and take responsibility for the present. Just sayin!

Swimming Upstream?

My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. (Proverbs 4:20-23)

When God asks us to pay attention it is just that he knows how easily we become distracted by other things or people. The 'loudest voice' or the 'shiniest image' gets our attention and before we know it, we are following the crowd and not him. I recently attended a large gathering and at the end of the event, huge crowds all marched out in no particular order, but with intent. I took particular notice of those who were trying to 'swim upstream', pushing past those who were intent on going one direction when they were committed to going the other. Sometimes our Christian walk can seem a bit like we are 'swimming upstream' while the crowds are swimming smoothly in the opposite direction. Just remember one thing - they think they know where they are all going, but if they don't really know who is leading them, they might not reach their desired destination.

Pay attention to the words of God - they are not always easily heard, sometimes harder than we'd like to understand, but they have never steered anyone wrong. One of the most reassuring things we can count on when the crowds are streaming one direction, and we seem to be fighting the battle to go the other is that God isn't abandoning us in the 'swim'. He gives us his word so we can meditate upon it, recalling it when the crowds are telling us we should be going the opposite direction, then leaning into the direction it gives above all other advice we might receive to the contrary. Be careful what you think - this is probably the crux of the issue when it comes to choosing the direction we will 'swim' in life. What we think upon the most will influence the actions we take with ease. Think upon his word and we might just find ourselves taking action in the direction others have been avoiding.

The secret to living well might actually be finding a translation of his word that helps us enjoy our time in it, get something out of it, and desire more of it in our lives. We cannot think upon it if we never get it in. We don't know the direction our life should take if we never ask. When we hear clearly that the direction has been established, we can just merge with the crowds, or 'swim upstream' with one intention in mind - to be with him. Just sayin!

Bad and Good Teachers Abound

How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught. Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from them will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many honors. (Proverbs 1:8-9)

One does not become wise overnight - it takes a whole lot of lessons taught, grasped, and then lived out to make one wise. One thing we can learn overnight - how to live like a foolish person! We can make bad decisions quicker than we breathe. Just like that, we move in the wrong direction, and before you know it, we are speeding in the pursuit of something that we should have left alone. Don't believe me? Think about the last argument you had with someone, or the last time you gave into a craving for chocolate, ice cream, or some decadent treat. What got you there is not what will get you out of there! You need wisdom - to understand and recognize you are making a wrong move, then to turn away from that course of action, and take the steps to correct what you have done so you don't do it again.

As our passage points out, wisdom begins in learning from those wiser than us. In this case, our mother and father. Now, I know some of us grew up with great examples in this arena, while others had the parents who just weren't all that good of an example to anyone. Even a bad example is one that teach a lesson, my friends. Lessons aren't just learned from the best of teachers - sometimes we learn the best lessons from the worst of teachers. The greatest lesson we can learn is to trust God - to reverence him. Big word, so let's break it down a bit. We could say we 'admire' God, but to truly revere God, we need to do more than admire him or his actions. There should be a sense of awe in considering his truths, observing what he does, and being attentive to how he moves. When we revere God, we are indicating our allegiance with him - we are loyal to his plans and purposes. I don't always understand what he is doing, nor do I always see where he is moving, but I do know his plans are greater than I could ever imagine, so I trust him to be in control of my life.

Lessons we can learn when we begin to trust fully are far greater than those we come across 'casually'. Trust is even a learned thing - we don't just come by it naturally. As a tiny babe, we cried out and 'trusted' someone would come along, pick us up, soothe away those tears and tend to those needs we had. If we cried and cried without any response to our needs, we might form a belief that no one cared about our needs. As we got a bit older, we might not have cried out, but we had other ways of seeking to have our needs met - such as asking for a cookie from the jar, crawling up into the lap of our dad while watching TV, or riding our bikes over to our friend's house just to 'hang out'. When the cookie was rendered, the cuddle given, and the 'come on in' was heard, we learned to trust our needs would be met by asking and seeking. It is no different now - we come to God with our needs, asking and seeking - knowing there will always be more than enough to satisfy our needs. We sometimes bring all our wants and forget we don't need all we want! When it was minutes until supper time, the cookie jar was tightly closed and would remain that way until supper was served and consumed! Lesson learned!

We don't want to be fools - we want to be wise. Wisdom comes by being open to receive the lessons and then to embrace whatever learning comes from each lesson. Good or bad teacher - the lesson is being taught. What can we learn from each opportunity? If we put God first in our lives, the lessons we learn will be in alignment with his principles. We will choose to embrace the ones that align with the Word of God and the confirming urge of the Holy Spirit within. If they are not in alignment, we might just realize that as a lesson, too. Being able to identify what 'not to do' is as important as learning 'what to do'. The greatest lesson anyone can teach us is that we need to put God first in our lives. Just sayin!

Just the facts, ma'am...just the facts

Sophocles reminded us: "Quick decisions are unsafe decisions." I have made my share of those 'impromptu' decisions, only to regret the aftermath of not having taken more time to think things through. How about you? Deciding without knowing all the facts can lead to unforeseen consequences. Ever turn the wrong way thinking you were going to take a shortcut somewhere only to find yourself smack-dab in the middle of a traffic jam? The bad decision not only made you late, but it gave you unwanted stress and anxiety as you crept along in all that traffic. While that may not have been what some may label as an 'unsafe' decision, it might have been 'unsafe' in the terms of what it did to your reputation by being late, or in how it affected the others who were waiting on your arrival in terms of their worry, lost work time, or frustrations. As I have said on more than one occasion, our decisions - good or bad - affect not only us, but all those around us.

Pride ends in destruction; humility ends in honor. What a shame—yes, how stupid—to decide before knowing the facts! A man’s courage can sustain his broken body, but when courage dies, what hope is left? (Proverbs 18:12-14)

Back in the day, there was a show on TV known as 'Dragnet' in which Detective Joe Friday used to say, "The facts, ma'am, all we want are the facts." From that, we got the saying, "Just the facts, all I want is just the facts." If we were to operate a bit more in the 'facts' and a little less in the 'unknown', we might just make better decisions. God's plans aren't known to those who don't seek him, but to those who seek him, he opens their hearts and minds to understand his purposes. That helps us make better decisions - because we come into awareness of the 'facts, just the facts'. We can operate without those facts, muddling through and coming 'pretty close' to God's purpose in every circumstance, but I will be the first to admit 'pretty close' doesn't cut it.

If we don't know the 'facts', we only need ask God. He doesn't want us wandering around in darkness when there is light available for the asking! If you haven't figured this one out yet, it takes humility to ask for help. When we don't have clear vision, we have to humble and quiet ourselves long enough to actually listen for the 'facts'. We can bumble through with minimal light, because we didn't listen long enough, or we can walk in the fullness of light, having waited on God until he revealed the facts we needed to move forward. I hope I choose the latter more often than I do the former. How about you? Are you willing to ask for God's help? Are you willing to wait on his answers - the facts - before you move? Just askin!

Bent nails in the workshop

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1)

As parents, we know we are being 'watched' by our children all of the time. We can try that "do as I say, not as I do" thing, but we all know how well that one works! Kids see things and then they 'imitate' them. I remember my dad making things in the shop. He'd hand me a hammer and have me straighten bent nails. I wasn't doing the same thing as dad, but I was right there learning how to hold a hammer and aim at something with it. While some may not think this is a significant lesson, I will assure you I scored higher in my 'mechanic' section of my Army placement exam than any other section! All that 'learning at his feet' must have done me some good. God asks for us to learn from him - to see what he does and do it. We are to constantly be observing how he reveals his love and then learn to love in similar manner. We learn 'proper behavior' best when it is modeled. 

I think some of us expect that learning to love others as God loves others will come easy but let me assure you that unconditional love is far from easy. The more we 'keep company' with God, the more likely we are to learn tidbits here and there that will help us become more loving, forgiving, considerate, kind, and generous. These are the traits he consistently models for us, so sit at his feet long enough and we are sure to get some of these traits worked into our lives, too. I think we all love with a bit of caution, don't you? We don't easily just put it all out there on the line for just anyone who comes along. In fact, we are probably a bit guarded in most relationships - at least until we develop some consistency within them. The more we 'keep company' with each other, the easier it is to begin to extend ourselves to each other, isn't it?

The thing God wants us to know is that when we sit at his feet, it isn't wasted time. Just as when I was making bent nails straight in dad's workshop, we are learning to handle the instruments of God's grace, love, and peace when we sit in his 'workshop'. We may not think we are learning much but sit there and absorb what you can. The day will come when you find the things you learned while 'sitting at his feet' weren't just 'nice lessons'. They are life-giving expressions of his love put into action in the lives of all that you touch. Just sayin!

Hearing? or Listening to Learn?

The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds. (John F. Kennedy)

The mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge; the wise person listens to learn more. (Proverbs 18:15)

I would like us to consider if we are listening to just 'hear', or are we listening to 'learn more'? The first option is a very common occurrence in society today - someone talks, we listen, but do we really hear their heart, understand their turmoil, or experience their grief? When we listen to 'learn more' there is an investment of ourselves in the life of the one we are actually 'hearing'. 

God wants to be the first person we listen to 'learn more' from in this walk we undertake each day with him. He also wants us to develop this sense of 'learning more' when we engage with others who come across our path each day. It is good to hear but hearing alone doesn't really require that much effort. We get 'knowledge' as we hear, but we don't see knowledge convert to wisdom until we listen to 'learn more'.

As Kennedy indicated, knowledge might just increase, but it never ensures wisdom as a result of that increase. In fact, if what he says holds true, just gaining knowledge (hearing alone) may actually reveal just how ignorant we are as a society. God's plan is that we actually take time to invest in the actions of 'hearing in order to learn more'. Yes, it requires time and effort. Yes, it means we might actually have to lay down our own agenda a bit to truly 'hear' what is being said. In so doing, we might just learn more than we bargained.

God asks us to stop and listen. Why? Ceasing the actions of our day might not always be the easiest thing to do, but when we set aside that time to actually listen to him, we find our hearts begin to 'assimilate' the knowledge he brings into the conversation. This is why I set aside each morning to 'listen' and to 'learn more'. If you have not made a special time to just be quiet and listen, do so. You will be delighted to know just how much God wants to you 'learn' at his feet. Just sayin!

Tossing and Turning

You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book. (Psalm 56:8)

As I grow a bit older each year, I notice new 'aches and pains' that weren't there a few years back. I hear the creak and crackle of the joints. I don't sleep all the way through the night anymore and find I toss and turn a bit too much at times. It is good to know God isn't unaware of these changes - in fact, he is tracking them probably more than we are!

Sleepless nights aren't very frequent for me. In fact, I usually find it easy to get to sleep - it is falling back to sleep after I have awakened in the wee hours of the morning that is harder. I have noticed it is often in these times of being awake and 'tossing about' a bit that God speaks to me. He not only shows me things I need to address in my life, but it is amazing how he will spark a creative idea or help me 'fix' a problem I have been having with something I wanted to create.

Why is it that those quieter moments of the night are the times he speaks the loudest? The answer is in the first part of that question - we are finally quiet, and we are more apt to listen! Try as we might in our 'quiet time' with him each day, it is harder to get our minds to 'quiet down'. In the wee hours of the night when we are awakened and 'sleepless', it is dark, there are no 'extra distractions' to lure us away, and we find our minds are a bit less 'cluttered' with all the issues of the day.

I learned quite some time back to ask God why I was awake. It isn't a complaint I throw his way, but rather a simple request to see if there is a particular something he needs me to pay attention to in those quiet hours. It might be something about how I have been behaving, what I have been doing, or even something totally unrelated to me at all. He sometimes just asks me to pray - for you, for my family, the nation, or someone who I don't even know, but who needs prayers lifted on their behalf. 

It may not be prayer that is needed - it could be he wants to show you a solution that has previously eluded your thoughts because of all the chaos of the moment. I find God helps me come up with creative solutions, ideas for how to proceed with a project, and even gives me new ideas I had never considered. How about you? Have you noticed similar things happening in those 'awake' moments in the night? Maybe these are the moments that help us grow the most. Just sayin!

Ideas need motivation

God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. (I Corinthians 2:9)

Why do we study the Word of God? Isn't it because we want to get to know Jesus just a little bit better each day? We want to go 'deeper' in our relationship - not content to remain superficial in our devotion or dedication. We truly want to be disciples - ones who are taught and then who follow what it is they are taught. As I have said on numerous occasions, just being taught is one thing - actually following what we are taught is another. 

A disciple is more than a 'learner', though. A disciple is also a worshiper, servant to others, and one who is able to give witness to what God has done in their lives. We study to learn how God moves, what he desires of us, how he wants to use us, and even how to reveal his grace to others through our lives. We learn 'things about' God, but we also learn to 'experience' the heart of God. If you have ever had scripture move you to the point of tears, you probably have experienced the heart of God just a bit in that moment.

We don't find God's wisdom at some superficial level - we only find it when we dig a bit deeper ourselves. Why does God require us to 'dig in'? There is something in that investment of time, energy, and attention that happens deep within us. We begin to sense how the grace of God is changing something within - bringing us to the point of worshipers and witnesses. We are more than students (learners) at that point. We begin to be disciples of men - as Jesus put it to those he called all those years ago - we begin to be 'fishers of men'. 

Seeking hearts find deep satisfaction at the feet of Jesus. How many times have you desired something, but didn't know just what it was you wanted or needed? I can sit for periods of time knowing I desire to do something, but I am not sure what it is I should be doing. I have ideas, but I don't have the specific motivation to do something that matches those desires. It is in times of 'discipleship training' where we see our 'ideas' and 'motivations' begin to match up. We begin to walk out what we are taught. Don't forsake those times of deep searching - they are the times when God is taking your learning and turning it into movement. Just sayin!

I am asking this again...

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14, 16)

I like how Jesus wasn't afraid to break it down for his disciples. It gives me hope when I have to admit to God that I don't understand a particular lesson he is teaching me. The truth is that if these disciples who were right there at the feet of Jesus when he was teaching them face-to-face in real-time presence were struggling to 'get' some of the truths Jesus was sharing with them, then why will it be any different for us? We are sometimes a little too obtuse and at others we are just a little to stubborn to 'get' what we are being taught. Jesus never faults us for asking him to break it down a bit for us - so we get it in bite-sized chunks that we can actually digest!

The disciples didn't understand their role in being the ones who would establish the first century church, carrying the gospel message of Christ to all the world. They didn't really appreciate the fact that Jesus had to die for the sins of the world - that he'd leave them to share the message of hope he was about to make possible for all who would believe. This didn't stop Jesus from re-teaching the truth - putting it 'another way' so maybe they'd get a glimpse of the truth. They were being made 'light-bearers' - to share the hope of salvation through Christ and him alone. Would they always be understood? No, but he was 'setting them on a hill' - making them 'shine' through the actions of their lives.

This is why he instructs them to keep an open house - to be generous with their lives. That generosity and openness to welcome those who needed shelter and protection was one way of showing how generous and welcoming our God in heaven is to us. By opening up to others - you prompt others to open up to the God they see in you. The God that forgave your sins, restored your life, regenerated your mind, and fills your heart with all things good and gracious. There is no greater joy than to see someone else embrace God's gracious 'welcome' into the family of God because they have seen something of God's light in you.

We are all lights set on a stand - placed high - beckoning in the wayward, lost, hungry, and hurting - much like a lighthouse welcomes the ships into safe harbor. We don't have to shout it from the mountaintops, but we merely live as graciously and kindly as we are able to through the grace God has shown to us. Don't be afraid to ask God to show you ways to 'keep an open house' so that others can see this grace revealed through you. When you don't understand the lesson - ask again for understanding. Ask God to put it another way. That lesson may be the very thing that brightens that light and welcomes yet another sinner into the gracious presence of Christ through you! Just sayin!

It isn't patience you need - it is endurance

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

If you have ever started a 'project', then realize it sits unfinished some months later, you are not likely alone in that 'project completion' cycle. Many of us are great at 'making starts', but then somewhere down the road it all fizzles out. Why? We began with all the gusto in the world, but somehow that gusto didn't carry us along to the finish line. We wearied, got distracted, lost interest - whatever the 'excuse' - there is sits in that 'unfinished state'. It might not be all that bad if we were restoring an old table, but when it comes to 'restoring' this old sinful life of ours, we cannot let that project fall into the 'unfinished state'! We have to keep at it.

Our faith has to reach the place of 'completion' - not that I have any idea what that will look like for me, let alone you, but I present Christ as an example we can ALL follow. As he walked this earth, what did we see exhibited in him? We certainly saw repeated record of his good character, didn't we? He was spat upon, whipped, beaten, skin torn to shreds, and do you know his response? "Father, forgive them." He was ridiculed for healing on the Sabbath, misunderstood as a son of Satan, and do you know his response? He continued to heal, embraced the sinners, and never wavered. Why? He was a man of 'solid character'. He expressed tremendously generous love in all he did - even when he needed to encounter sin head on.

We all likely want some greater amount of spiritual understanding. We might even believe owning a leather bound Bible, carrying it to church on Sundays, opening it while the sermon is preached, and taking a few notes to boot will help us develop that 'understanding'. I think we might think we will somehow get this understanding in the passages we read, but trust me on this one - it isn't what we read - it is what we study, apply, study again, and reapply that helps develop our spiritual understanding. We don't get deeper understanding by casual acquaintance with the Word of God - we get it by deliberate effort.

My daughter told me she prayed for patience - I asked her why? She said she needed it to deal with a couple of head-strong young men growing up under her roof - my grandsons. I reminded her to pray for patience is to welcome something she may not have wanted - tribulation. She paused for a moment while I explained that is what scripture proclaims as what produces patience in our lives, so she may not want to pray for patience as much as she prays for a spirit of endurance. God will help her endure the challenges of parenting teens - by helping her to develop spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, and even generous love. Endurance is the ability to stand without compromise - what more could a parent ask for from God?

We somehow equate spiritual growth to those 'great moments' when we experience those huge changes in our lives, but I want to point us toward the daily 'grind' of 'finishing the project' at hand. Those 'finished projects' within our lives lead to the next project and then the next. As we grow in small ways we are growing in larger ways than we might imagine. Grow, learn, grow again, and then relearn it all anew. We aren't going to ever be finished with this spiritual growth until Jesus comes and takes us home with him! Just sayin!

You said what?

Am I the only one who has those awkward silent moments when you just stunned somebody with what you just said, then you have this shuddering feeling sweep over you that says, "I am going to regret having said that"? If you have ever found yourself thinking, "I wish I hadn't said that", you are probably in good company - you are right there with me. Most of us have experienced some moment of remorse over poorly chosen words. We just had no idea of the impact they'd make when they were actually spoken, because we didn't consider them well, nor did we consider the audience who would take those words in and sometimes even take them to heart.

Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things, but a reliable reporter is a healing presence. (Proverbs 13:17 MSG)

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 KJV)

My son asked me the other day what an 'exhaustive concordance of the Bible' was and I was delighted to tell him it was a way to look up all the passages about a certain topic based upon key words. I discovered this topic of our 'words' has some of the most content in looking up "words", "speech", and "communication" in the scripture. Since we all probably find ourselves in the category of "irresponsibly speaking" on occasion, I'd like to share some principles I have found in the scriptures related to our words. Carefully chosen words lead to a carefully "walked" life. (Proverbs 13:3) The words we choose to speak have a life-altering ability. Not only do they alter our lives, but those who hear them. 

Our words should be true. If you have ever spoken words that really do not conform well to the facts, you probably have either personally interpreted the facts through your own "skewed" perspective, or your intention was to mislead another by the words you spoke. Either way, the words have an ability to mislead. God's first reminder to us - be truthful. Our words should be honest. You might think this is the same as being truthful, but it carries a different type of meaning. In being honest, we are to be upright and fair. In other words, we speak in such a manner so as to be fair (consistent, even, and without bias) in what is said. 

Perspective goes a long way in determining our perception of a situation. If we determine we want a perspective which causes us to see things in a truthful manner, then the words we speak sometimes are "tempered" by this "fairness" principle - they are without bias, not misleading, and proper. When we go to a counselor about our problems, what is the counselor doing while we sit there in their office? They are listening to both sides of the story! From a neutral perspective they help us "re-frame" our personal perspective to see things from another's viewpoint. Before long, if done well, we begin to see the other person and situation a little differently.

Our words should be just. Think of this as words which actually are proper to be spoken at the time. They are given or awarded rightly. If we use words like "always", "never", or "without fail" in describing another's actions, are these words accurately reflective of the other's actions? Not usually - - try as we might, we cannot "accurately" label someone's actions as consistently, without fail, or as always being a certain way. So, we need to learn to bring "reason" into the picture. Our words should be pure. When something is considered "impure", it is usually because it has had something "added" to the mixture. Pure words don't carry a lot of contaminating "add-mixture" stuff. We don't embellish. We don't need a whole lot of examples to build our case. We need to keep our words as free from inappropriate elements as possible - perhaps this would help us not get us down so many rabbit holes in relationships.

Our words should be lovely. They should possess a beauty to them that is sincere and appeals both to the heart and the mind. Words which are insincere have a "masked" meaning. They may appeal to the mind for a while, but when they hit the heart, their true meaning becomes apparent. Our words should bring a good report. Mom always taught, "If you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all." Our guiding principle with this concept is to allow our words to be morally excellent. If they don't reflect good morals on our part - don't speak them. If they destroy the good morals of another - don't speak them. If they would be best left unspoken - don't speak them. The questions to ask ourselves: Are they right? Are they fitting? Are they proper? If not, don't speak them.

Our words should bespeak virtue and praise. Words should lend something to the integrity of the relationship. If they don't, they tend to tear down rather than knit together. If this seems like a rather long list, it is. God gives it to us in bite-sized chunks so we have an ability to allow him to impact our words in measurable ways. If we begin at the top, working with God each step of the way, he can impact our choice of words. It may not come instantly, but as we commit to the principles taught, we become much wiser with the use of our words. We don't need to manipulate to get our message across - - it comes across in a powerful and altering way because it is tempered with the grace of God! As a closing thought, take a lesson from one who has learned, "All words need to be thought, but not all thoughts need to make it into words!" Just sayin!

Solve for "X"

Do you remember being in school as a kid and looking forward to that last bell of the school year - when you knew school was out for those summer months and you were going to 'luxuriate' in all the fun and games summer offered? It was different hearing that final bell at the end of the school year than all those bells announcing the end of a school day, wasn't it? It had a sense of 'freedom' or 'liberty' that you were excited to embrace. It meant you were going to be able to sleep in, frolic in the pool, have sleep overs, and even perhaps enjoy a family vacation somewhere. If you were honest, you almost were giddy with excitement at the possibilities laid before you with all that freedom at your fingertips! I wonder if we feel that same sense of anticipation and almost 'giddiness' with our freedom in Christ - the place where we lay down all the stuff that burdened us and then launch off into a new found freedom. It is a place where we find ourselves being told to 'go ahead' and then 'keep going', but do we really move forward, or do we march in place right where we have been?

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. 

(Colossians 2:6-7)

We have been given so much in Christ Jesus, but do we go ahead with it? Do we embrace it fully and then put it into application within our lives? For example, we are given the peace of Christ, but do we always live in perfect peace? We are given liberty from our past sins, but do we let go of them? To 'go ahead', we have to move forward. We cannot march in place! We have to realize we have all the 'rooting' we need - but we may still need to grow a little bit, right? Does that mean we don't move forward? No, the tree that is well-rooted doesn't just settle for being a seedling - it sprouts more growth and allows the development of the growth it already has until the size of the trunk is massive and the boughs of the tree spread wide. Why? That is the purpose of the rooting - to grow!

Most of us 'know our way around the faith' pretty well, but what do we do with what we have been given? If we are marching in place, we are not spreading the wealth of that faith! We are hoarding it all up for ourselves and that isn't God's plan for us. We are to put our faith into daily practice. That means we are to pray for each other, minister to each other's needs, and build each other up in the faith. It also means we are to allow the love of Christ to touch those the world might label as 'unlovely'. Many will say they are a little reluctant to move out in faith. They don't think they 'have enough' faith. Truth be told, we have 'heard the last bell' and school's out! It is time for some of us to begin to live in the liberty we have been given instead of focusing so much on what we don't think we have yet. 

It is time for some of us to 'do what we have been taught' - to begin to live out the liberty we have been reading and studying about for quite some time. We don't actually understand the application of what we are studying until we are living with it being put to use in our lives daily. I never knew why I was forced to take Algebra in High School. It seemed like learning all those exponential equations was just kind of useless. I 'learned' how to solve for 'x', but did I realize how to actually use this type of equation in real life? Nope! Until one day in nursing school when a drug came up from the pharmacy and my instructor told me I needed to 'solve for x'. I looked at her in astonishment as she said I had this drug in this concentration and I needed this dose for the patient - solve for 'x'. 

"X" became a whole new thing to me at that point! It is quite possible we have been learning all manners of things in Christ's school, but until we are 'living it out' in our daily faith walk, we won't know what the real use of our faith is! Just sayin!

Scrap Pile Growing?

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. (George Bernard Shaw)

How are you doing on that 'mistake' count? I could fill journals! Mistakes are a part of life - good or bad judgment is the only thing that contributes to mistake making - right timing combined with bad judgment can make for an equally messed up outcome. There are lots and lots of checks and balances that are in play every day to keep us from 'messing up', but you and I both know we don't always follow the rules or maintain a perfect balance! Mistakes aren't always bad, though. Yes, they can be costly, but the 'expense' of making a mistake is actually one way of saying we just had an investment made into our 'learning'!

For a good man may fall seven times and get back up again, but the wicked will stumble around and fall into misfortune. (Proverbs 24:17)

Scripture doesn't tell us a good man won't fall (fail) - it reminds us of the power within us that helps us get back up again and again. For those of us that fall pretty often, let me just lay it all out there. We fall down, God helps us get back up, we fall down again, and he still helps us get back up. God never tires of helping us up, but he would get pretty tired of us just plain quitting! Sometimes we think we will just fail again, so we quit instead of being subject to failure ever again. I am learning woodworking skills and I have a large pile of wood 'mistakes' that have been both time-consuming and costly. Have I given up? Nope! Why? I want to master this!

We need to have that "I want to master this" kind of attitude toward those things we label as mistakes or failures. Our mistakes don't master us - we master them, but that requires us getting back up and doing it over and over again until we get it right. Let me be clear here - God doesn't celebrate our mistakes, but he doesn't leave us to wallow in them, either. He reaches out his hand, helps us back up, dusts us off, and then helps us take the first steps toward 'mastering' whatever it is all over again. Why? He understands the power of grace. He has done more than just provide the 'means' by which we can have grace, he provides the constant learning that comes each time grace is extended.

A good man falls - not once - but repeatedly. Don't overlook those words because they will give you encouragement if you let them. We will fall. We have the choice as to whether we will get back up again, though. We can wallow or we can rise. What you choose to do with each mistake is really going to determine the outcome of the mistake. I choose to make mine learning opportunities. Yes, I have lots of 'scrap' in the woodpile, but I can always find a project to make from the 'scrap'! God has a way of turning our 'scrap' into something beautiful. So, why not trust him to help you up and get you started on the right path again? Just askin?

Huh...so I have to listen?

Of all human activities, man's listening to God is the supreme act of his reasoning and will. 

(Pope Paul VI)

Listening to God is harder than you might think! We can 'hear' God and then we can really "HEAR" God. The first 'hearing' is just merely letting it go in one ear, consider it a little while, then lose it as fast as we received it. The latter 'HEARING' is us really being intent on ruminating on what God tells us and allowing that word he gives to begin to affect our total being - thoughts, emotions, attitude, and eventually our actions. Did you stop for a moment to consider what Pope Paul said there - listening to God is really an act of the will and our 'reasoning' power. Do you know how to always have the right answer when you need it? You learn it before you need it!

Joy is found in giving the right answer. And how good is a word spoken at the right time! (Proverbs 15:23)

The 'right answer' isn't all that far away from our intellect, nor our hearts. The attitude of listening and then applying what it is we are hearing - that is the problem! We can reason just fine - we can work out problems in our minds pretty well - but are we working them out all on our own, or are we listening to what God has as the solution (the right answer)? The 'right answer' isn't always what we can rationalize or reason through in our minds. Sometimes the right answer is something totally foreign to the way we normally think or act! God's direction in our lives needs to begin to break down the walls and really 'get through to us' in order for us to act any differently than we have been acting.

Reasoning and will are closely related, but how many times do we act without really thinking it through? If you are anything like me, it is probably quite a bit! Reasoning is a dangerous thing if it is done in a vacuum. The 'vacuum' of our own reasoning and will can get us into deep trouble at times. By its very nature, a vacuum is a space totally devoid of matter - so when we just 'get inside our own heads' and shut out the 'matter' that God wants to put in there, we are relying upon less than a 'full thought process'. Do you know the danger of a vacuum - it exerts less pressure than might be expected otherwise! When we limit our 'right answers' to what we think or feel, we are probably excluding the 'pressure' God wants to put into the situation!

Joy is found in giving the right answer - reasoning and will need to both be submissive to allowing God's input into the matter at hand. To truly listen to God, we have to submit our reasoning - what we think, how we think about something, and even what is behind our thinking on the matter. This is why 'will' is linked with reasoning - we have to submit our thinking to God and then really turn our attention toward listening. Remember where I started today - to really have the 'right answer' BEFORE you need it means you learn it before you need it! Listening to God's direction isn't always quick, but in the 'rumination' process, much is learned. Just sayin!

Learning from mistakes

 

I don't usually post images on my feed, but today this one caught my eye and it made me ponder just a little bit how much we all probably try to 'erase' our mistakes. I don't think I am in this alone, am I? The times we make mistakes can be quite painful, with our memories lending to the painfulness by constantly helping us to recall just how miserably we failed! I think we all get carried away in the memories from time to time - recounting just how far from the mark we were when we hit that 'bottom' place. The mistakes of our past are not something we should ever discount, though. They are indeed 'stepping stones' into the throne room of grace. Were it not for those mistakes, how close to Jesus would you be today? I daresay those mistakes have actually drawn you closer to him! There is something 'humiliating' in making the same mistake, I know this, but there is something 'liberating' in bringing those mistakes (even the ones we repeat time and time again) to the foot of the Cross.

How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false. (Psalm 32:1-2)

What is the lesson God is teaching you today? It may come out of a recent failure - a 'trip-up', so to speak. That lapse in judgment, or total disregard for the warnings you were receiving to 'not proceed', what has it taught you? What have you done with the moment of your failure? Have you 'memorialized' it by giving it 'space' in your mind so you can keep rehearsing how poorly you responded? We tend to beat ourselves up over failure, while God welcomes us into his presence with open arms, asking us to see ourselves as he sees us - sin erased, grace given, and the opportunity to learn from the failure set before us. He doesn't erase the learning - he erases the guilt and shame of the sin. He allows the learning because it teaches us to depend upon his 'niggling' that comes to warn us we are about to proceed into something that is clearly not good for us. It teaches us to rely upon his wisdom, to listen to his voice, and to lean into his strength when our own flesh is battling to take the lead.

I think we equate forgiveness with 'erasure' of the mistake, the memory of it, and even the chance to learn from it. We want it ALL gone - as though it never happened at all. Go figure! We are like cats trying to cover over our recently deposited 'duty' in the litter box! Despite all the efforts to make it look like it is 'all gone', there is still that tell-tale odor! There will be signs of sin in our life - it leaves an 'odor', so to speak. God removes the 'dirtiness' of our sin through his grace and he helps us to not return to it as we learn the processes of obedience in our lives. Herein is where we stumble a bit - we forget that forgiveness involves the processes of obedience - taking the right steps time and time again as revealed to us in his Word and times of prayerful thought. Eventually, the 'stench' of the sin as we remember it will go away - but we need to continue to learn to take the right steps to keep us from returning to the 'pile of duty' once again! Just sayin!