August 7
A lot of us like to be surrounded by friends. We don’t enjoy being alone, perhaps because we don’t like the silence of our own thoughts. When we are with others, there are many trivial things about which we may converse, many time-wasting activities in which we may engage that will distract us from the pondering of weightier things.
Yet, in allowing ourselves to be focused on the trivial rather than on the significant matters of life, perhaps we are doing a disservice to those we count as our friends. Perhaps we owe them the use of our own ponderings as a sounding board for their deep contemplations.
Proverbs 18:24 seems to confirm this, for it says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” The suggestion made by this verse is that the one who simply surrounds himself with companions denies himself the closeness of the kind of friendship that more accurately resembles the familial relationship of brotherhood.
Though a companion is one with whom we eat our bread (the word literally means, ‘with bread’) the implication is that it is the bread of abundance, of good times, of shared celebration. This contrasts to the depth of friendship that is enjoyed with one who is more a brother than a friend. A brother will be beside us through not only the good times but also through the rough places; he won’t leave us alone when times are tough.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Advantage of Cooperation
August 6
One of life’s saddest experiences is to feel isolated. The ultimate punishment inflicted within a prison’s walls upon an inmate is to place him into solitary confinement. Perhaps he has been incorrigible and other efforts to conform him to the rules of life within the walls have failed, but requiring him to be alone is extreme.
Great things are often achieved when they are performed in concert with one or more individuals. The McCormick Reaper was the brainchild of Cyrus McCormick. It revolutionized farming methods, but it didn’t become the great success that it was until McCormick’s son assisted his father in the endeavor.
The Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane, are another notable example of a great accomplishment being brought about when individuals worked together. Marie and Pierre Curie shared the first Nobel Peace Prize for their work in physics and together they pioneered work in radioactivity.
The advantage achieved when two or more apply themselves toward the same goals, whether in the science lab or in a marriage is undeniable. Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls, he will be helped to his feet; but pity the one who falls when no one is near to help him up.”
One of life’s saddest experiences is to feel isolated. The ultimate punishment inflicted within a prison’s walls upon an inmate is to place him into solitary confinement. Perhaps he has been incorrigible and other efforts to conform him to the rules of life within the walls have failed, but requiring him to be alone is extreme.
Great things are often achieved when they are performed in concert with one or more individuals. The McCormick Reaper was the brainchild of Cyrus McCormick. It revolutionized farming methods, but it didn’t become the great success that it was until McCormick’s son assisted his father in the endeavor.
The Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane, are another notable example of a great accomplishment being brought about when individuals worked together. Marie and Pierre Curie shared the first Nobel Peace Prize for their work in physics and together they pioneered work in radioactivity.
The advantage achieved when two or more apply themselves toward the same goals, whether in the science lab or in a marriage is undeniable. Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls, he will be helped to his feet; but pity the one who falls when no one is near to help him up.”
Friday, August 5, 2011
He Paid The Price
August 5
There is a very profound observation making its rounds of the internet that says, “Only two entities have been willing to die for you—the American soldier who died for your freedom from political tyranny and Jesus Christ who died for your freedom from the tyranny of sin.
Those of us who are ‘of a certain age’ weep at the realization that it is the young who lay down their lives to keep us from the clutches of the terrorists whose vision of the planet is that all men will be bound by the religious tenets they espouse; it is the youth whose whole lives are before them, who lay them down that we may live in freedom.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The soldier puts his life on the line for the love of his country, for America and the freedom for which she stands, for the hope she has held out to all who have come in search of opportunity to realize life’s potential. And for this, we thank them with all our hearts.
But apart from the willingness of the One who spoke and the worlds came into being (Genesis 1:3-27 and John 1:3), the One to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10, 11) to lay aside His deity (Philippians 2:7) in order that we might be saved, there would be no fulfillment at all of the great manifestation of love of which the Lord spoke or the freedom for which He laid down His life.
There is a very profound observation making its rounds of the internet that says, “Only two entities have been willing to die for you—the American soldier who died for your freedom from political tyranny and Jesus Christ who died for your freedom from the tyranny of sin.
Those of us who are ‘of a certain age’ weep at the realization that it is the young who lay down their lives to keep us from the clutches of the terrorists whose vision of the planet is that all men will be bound by the religious tenets they espouse; it is the youth whose whole lives are before them, who lay them down that we may live in freedom.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The soldier puts his life on the line for the love of his country, for America and the freedom for which she stands, for the hope she has held out to all who have come in search of opportunity to realize life’s potential. And for this, we thank them with all our hearts.
But apart from the willingness of the One who spoke and the worlds came into being (Genesis 1:3-27 and John 1:3), the One to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess (Philippians 2:10, 11) to lay aside His deity (Philippians 2:7) in order that we might be saved, there would be no fulfillment at all of the great manifestation of love of which the Lord spoke or the freedom for which He laid down His life.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Honor Others Above Ourselves
August 4
We live in a world where the general consensus is that we must, ‘look out for number one.’ If we don’t mind the things that concern us with diligence, we will slip up, we will fail to achieve our goals, or, we will be undone by someone who is more clever than we are and who will take advantage of our ineptitude.
This is not a very optimistic outlook and it doesn’t afford us much incentive to interact with kindness and respect with those around us. It is a mindset that requires us to be forever ‘on guard’ against our own inability to foresee the future and our neighbors’ proclivity to wield whatever advantage they can muster against us to their own ends.
And it is at total variance with the heart of Christ whom we profess to love and serve. It flies in the face of all He would have us to do and to be. It negates the efficatiousness of God’s assurance that He will establish the work of our hands,’ Psalm 90:17. In light of this contradiction, the looming question becomes, ‘Do we trust Him?’
And if we trust Him to truly take care of, to bless and prosper us to the degree our talents and insights can take us, can we then trust Him enough to obey His admonition in Romans 12:10 to, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, honor one another above yourselves”? Can we make others, rather than ourselves, number one?
We live in a world where the general consensus is that we must, ‘look out for number one.’ If we don’t mind the things that concern us with diligence, we will slip up, we will fail to achieve our goals, or, we will be undone by someone who is more clever than we are and who will take advantage of our ineptitude.
This is not a very optimistic outlook and it doesn’t afford us much incentive to interact with kindness and respect with those around us. It is a mindset that requires us to be forever ‘on guard’ against our own inability to foresee the future and our neighbors’ proclivity to wield whatever advantage they can muster against us to their own ends.
And it is at total variance with the heart of Christ whom we profess to love and serve. It flies in the face of all He would have us to do and to be. It negates the efficatiousness of God’s assurance that He will establish the work of our hands,’ Psalm 90:17. In light of this contradiction, the looming question becomes, ‘Do we trust Him?’
And if we trust Him to truly take care of, to bless and prosper us to the degree our talents and insights can take us, can we then trust Him enough to obey His admonition in Romans 12:10 to, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, honor one another above yourselves”? Can we make others, rather than ourselves, number one?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
That Kind of Friend
August 3
Although we can’t pick our family, we can be discriminating when we select our friends. Most people have certain basic qualities that they consider to be essential in anyone they allow into their inner-circle. They want their friends to be loyal, trustworthy, honest, available.
Loyalty is important because betrayal is such a commonplace occurrence in the social and professional worlds. In the arena where it is understood that everyone is out for himself, nobody anticipates loyalty. Therefore, it is placed high on the list of priorities one seeks in a friend.
Trustworthiness and honesty go hand-in-hand. An individual who is trustworthy will evidence this trait to everyone, not just to his friends. He will not betray a confidence even if his best friend tries to pry it out of him. If he is honest, he will tell the truth, even if it doesn’t tickle the ears of the listener—even the listener might be his best friend.
The true friend will be available to laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, grieve with you. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” That kind of friend, the one who, “sticks closer than a brother,” (Proverbs 18:24) will always empathize with you for his heart will virtually beat with yours.
Although we can’t pick our family, we can be discriminating when we select our friends. Most people have certain basic qualities that they consider to be essential in anyone they allow into their inner-circle. They want their friends to be loyal, trustworthy, honest, available.
Loyalty is important because betrayal is such a commonplace occurrence in the social and professional worlds. In the arena where it is understood that everyone is out for himself, nobody anticipates loyalty. Therefore, it is placed high on the list of priorities one seeks in a friend.
Trustworthiness and honesty go hand-in-hand. An individual who is trustworthy will evidence this trait to everyone, not just to his friends. He will not betray a confidence even if his best friend tries to pry it out of him. If he is honest, he will tell the truth, even if it doesn’t tickle the ears of the listener—even the listener might be his best friend.
The true friend will be available to laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, grieve with you. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” That kind of friend, the one who, “sticks closer than a brother,” (Proverbs 18:24) will always empathize with you for his heart will virtually beat with yours.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Remade for Heaven
August 2
Jesus makes us aware, if we don’t already realize it, that we are bound to something, and in Luke 16:13 He reminds us that we cannot be bound to two masters. Some of us are profoundly aware of our bondage. We are snared by drugs or alcohol or pornography—things that tether us like chains and drag us into a Sea of Shame.
Some of us are held just as tightly by things that seem more benign—over eating, indulging too much TV time, engaging in gossip—but that ultimately do nothing to improve our character or to contribute to the betterment of those we love. We would like to be free of our foolish indulgences, but they hold us tightly.
There is a flip side to this perplexing coin. We can bind ourselves to something good. The world offers us many wonderful things into which we can delve—volunteerism, charitable activities, maintaining a lovely home for family and friends to enjoy, using our talents to enrich mankind—things that benefit others and make us feel good about ourselves; but even these pursuits cannot totally solve our quandary. Even these worthwhile endeavors leave us feeling empty at times.
What we really need is prescribed in Romans 7:6 where Paul tells us, “It is by dying to what once bound us that we are released from the law so we may serve the Lord in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the law.” Whenever we try to improve our lot via the law, we must ultimately fall short; however, when we die to our ‘self,’ bind our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to remake us in His image, we become new creatures who are blessed on earth and ‘bound’ for Heaven.
Jesus makes us aware, if we don’t already realize it, that we are bound to something, and in Luke 16:13 He reminds us that we cannot be bound to two masters. Some of us are profoundly aware of our bondage. We are snared by drugs or alcohol or pornography—things that tether us like chains and drag us into a Sea of Shame.
Some of us are held just as tightly by things that seem more benign—over eating, indulging too much TV time, engaging in gossip—but that ultimately do nothing to improve our character or to contribute to the betterment of those we love. We would like to be free of our foolish indulgences, but they hold us tightly.
There is a flip side to this perplexing coin. We can bind ourselves to something good. The world offers us many wonderful things into which we can delve—volunteerism, charitable activities, maintaining a lovely home for family and friends to enjoy, using our talents to enrich mankind—things that benefit others and make us feel good about ourselves; but even these pursuits cannot totally solve our quandary. Even these worthwhile endeavors leave us feeling empty at times.
What we really need is prescribed in Romans 7:6 where Paul tells us, “It is by dying to what once bound us that we are released from the law so we may serve the Lord in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the law.” Whenever we try to improve our lot via the law, we must ultimately fall short; however, when we die to our ‘self,’ bind our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to remake us in His image, we become new creatures who are blessed on earth and ‘bound’ for Heaven.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Overcoming Complacency
August 1
Jesus has done it all for us. We have nothing remaining to do to achieve our spiritual freedom, our eternal salvation, but to simply receive what He has purchased in our behalf. We don’t have to attend church a certain number of times a week. We don’t have to read a prescribed set of verses of the Bible daily. We needn’t pray.
Of course, we will want to do those things because we desire to draw close to the Lord who first loved us and Whom we now love, but there is a vast difference between being ‘required’ to do something in order to be worthy of receiving salvation and being ‘compelled’ to do something because we can better know the One we love by doing it.
The one thing we must guard against is our human penchant toward becoming complacent with familiar things. After a time, we take even the best things for granted. We do it in both the natural and the spiritual realms. We buy a new car and it delights us. We clean and wax it continually. We find a favorite food and we indulge it often. Then we become indifferent. The car begins to look as dirty as our old one and we pass when our former favorite food is served.
When we are first saved, we cherish our new status in Christ. We know who we were and from what He’s delivered us, but as time passes, so does our fervency in faith, so does our appreciation of His sacrifice in our behalf. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” We who have received the gift of freedom mustn’t allow ourselves to lapse back into the mindset or the lifestyle of bondage.
Jesus has done it all for us. We have nothing remaining to do to achieve our spiritual freedom, our eternal salvation, but to simply receive what He has purchased in our behalf. We don’t have to attend church a certain number of times a week. We don’t have to read a prescribed set of verses of the Bible daily. We needn’t pray.
Of course, we will want to do those things because we desire to draw close to the Lord who first loved us and Whom we now love, but there is a vast difference between being ‘required’ to do something in order to be worthy of receiving salvation and being ‘compelled’ to do something because we can better know the One we love by doing it.
The one thing we must guard against is our human penchant toward becoming complacent with familiar things. After a time, we take even the best things for granted. We do it in both the natural and the spiritual realms. We buy a new car and it delights us. We clean and wax it continually. We find a favorite food and we indulge it often. Then we become indifferent. The car begins to look as dirty as our old one and we pass when our former favorite food is served.
When we are first saved, we cherish our new status in Christ. We know who we were and from what He’s delivered us, but as time passes, so does our fervency in faith, so does our appreciation of His sacrifice in our behalf. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” We who have received the gift of freedom mustn’t allow ourselves to lapse back into the mindset or the lifestyle of bondage.
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