Monthly Archives: September 2009

Responsibility = Response Ability

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“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands … so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”1

One of the great principles we need to emphasize to keep ourselves and our society healthy and productive is the principle of personal responsibility. It’s a principle that needs, through repetition, to be programmed into our belief system. It needs to be taught and demonstrated in the home and at every level of society—including among the highest business and political leaders in our communities and nation.

If people don’t believe they are responsible, they will not act responsibly. If they believe and know they are responsible, most will consistently act responsibly.

Obviously, we weren’t responsible for our background and upbringing but we are fully responsible for what we do about these and for what we become. The world doesn’t owe us a living. As the Bible teaches, if we are unwilling to work we shouldn’t eat.

When we repeatedly do anything for others that they can and need to do for themselves we can make and keep them overdependent, immature and irresponsible. It is not the loving thing to do.

I remember reading about some sea gulls in a fishing village that, for many years, fed on the scraps the fishermen left. When the fishing industry in this place closed, the sea gulls had forgotten how to gather food for themselves. They died of starvation.

The same principle applies to people. When we do things to keep them overdependent, we destroy their growth and maturity. It’s the same with God, he will bend the heavens to touch the earth to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves—such as on the cross of Calvary—but he won’t do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves. As another has said, “God feeds the sparrows but he doesn’t throw the food into their nest.”

One effective way to program responsibility into one’s unconscious mind is by constantly saying to yourself, either silently or out loud: “I am responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible.” And say it with the feeling that you really mean it and believe it. Just mouthing the words is meaningless.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I am responsible. Thank you for granting me this freedom. Help me to act accordingly always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NIV).

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When My Child Was Lost

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“You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.”1

Dr. Leighton Ford tells the story about when his daughter was young, several years ago.

I was minding the children while my wife was shopping. Debbie Jean had returned from school and was playing with her four-year-old brother in the back yard. When I called them to come in, Debbie Jean was missing.

I walked up and down the street calling her name—fearing the silence.

Later (after she was found) I reflected on the incident. During the nearly two hours that Debbie Jean was missing, nothing else mattered. In my study were books to be read, letters to be answered, articles to be written, planning to be done—but it was all forgotten. I could think of only one thing: my little girl was lost.

I had only one prayer and I prayed it a thousand times: “O God, help me to find her.”

“How often,” I ask myself, “had I felt that same terrible urgency about people who were lost from God?”

I had a similar experience when one of my baby sons was with his grandmother and I feared both were lost. I panicked a blue streak until I found them.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to realize in the depths of my heart that people without you are lost for all eternity. I’m available. Please use me to be as Christ to every life I touch, and do all that I can, in as many ways I can to help win others to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: Please join with us to be a People Power for Jesus partner at www.actsweb.org/people_power.

1. Mark 16:15 (TLB/NLT).

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Hot Potato Two: Alcoholism, Etc.

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“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”1

It is a fact of life that our lifestyle affects our life and that of our families.

Alcoholism, for example, affects millions of families and individuals. It tears families apart and is terribly damaging to children in their developmental years when they have a parent or parents who are alcoholics. It causes innumerable crimes including rape, physical and sexual abuse, murder, robbery and maimed lives and slaughter on our highways.

According to an article in Moody Monthly, homosexuals account for half the nation’s cases of syphilis, even though they represent only a small percent of the population. The reason? Promiscuity. Homosexuals are also the principal victims of AIDS and other infectious diseases, and are fifteen times more likely to commit a murder. And according to the EP News Service, the U.S. government spends more on AIDS research than it does on heart diseases. This is in spite of the fact that cardiac disorders claim forty times more deaths than AIDS.

And Pulpit Helps reports that 30 percent of all cancer deaths are related to smoking. There is also a 70 percent greater risk of heart disease among smokers than among nonsmokers.

God has a sound reason for all of his laws—including the ones that apply to the sins of the spirit such as emotional dishonesty, jealousy, envy, malice, hatred, resentment, greed, lust, an unforgiving spirit, and so on. All of these are damaging to the body as well as to the spirit just as much as cigarette smoking, and perhaps even more damaging. It’s good to keep this in mind when we judge other sinners. Whatever it is that we sow, that’s what we reap. That’s the law of the harvest. And God never goes against his own laws.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to realize that all of your laws are for my protection and that of my loved ones. And please help me to abide by them so that I can lead a healthier, happier life and be a good example for my children and my children’s children. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

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Hot Potato One: Homosexuality

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“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”1

About two decades ago a teenager asked me the question: “Do you think homosexuality should be legalized?”

Regardless of what I thought at the time, much of our culture has come a long way since then in accepting homosexuality as “an alternate lifestyle.”

True, everybody has a right to decide for themselves whether or not homosexuality should be legalized or accepted as an alternate lifestyle. What I did in this instance was share what I believed God’s Word had to say about the subject. “According to God’s Word,” I answered, “homosexuality is an unnatural condition2 It is listed with various other sins which are all destructive to human personality, and as such are opposed by God.”

The Bible also says that God will forgive all who confess their sins, but indicates that those who willfully practice sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, male prostitution, homosexuality, stealing, greed, drunkenness, slandering, and swindling will not inherit the kingdom of God.3

If God is opposed to these damaging behaviors, can we justly justify or legalize any one of them? The reason God is opposed to these actions (and all other sins) is because they are harmful to those whom he loves—us. Furthermore, it has never been proven that homosexuality is in one’s genes any more than pedophilia is. And if they are, perhaps sin, too, is in our genes because we are born with a sin nature. But would that justify sinful acts? In fact, there are usually deep psychological causes behind many of these external “acts of sin.” The causes often have their roots in the past and need to be confronted if a person is to find wholeness, healing and recovery—emotional and spiritual.

If we justify and legalize any act of sin, we harm the person involved much more than we ever help him. It gives him/her an excuse not to confront and resolve his/her problem.

As Christians we are to accept and love the sinner and not judge or condemn him (because we are all sinners and are probably all guilty of at least greed, gossip, or slandering which are listed in God’s Word along with the sin of homosexuality).This doesn’t mean that we accept, excuse, or approve anyone’s sinful behavior (including our own). Very often it is a failure in love in early childhood that “drives” people into some acts of sin. Only love, Christ’s unconditional love through us, will ever draw these people out again.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to always accept what you say and not yield to the pressure of so-called political correctness. Help me to take the beam out of my own eye before trying to take the splinter out of another’s eye. And like you, while I oppose all sin, please help me to love the sinner unconditionally and thereby help draw him to you for your healing grace, forgiveness, and victory over his sinful behavior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: Please read Chuck Colson’s article on BreakPoint, “When a Dog Says Moo” at: http://tinyurl.com/ntceqf.

1. Romans 6:23 (NIV).

2. Romans 1:27

3. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

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Seek Wise Counsel

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“Listen to wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord.”1

“My wife is leaving me,” one man said to me, “what can I do?” My gut response (which I kept to myself) was, “Why didn’t you come to me at least five years sooner?”

I tried to assure this man that if he and his wife both genuinely wanted to save their marriage, there were no guarantees, but with wise counsel, deep honesty, courage, hard work and God’s help, they undoubtedly could. Both, however, need to be totally committed to saving their marriage, confront their own personal issues and quit playing the blame game, for in every conflict there are always two contributing to it in one way or another.

One way to keep a marriage healthy is to see and treat problem symptoms when they first appear. If these symptoms are the fruit of a deeper root, which they often are, they won’t go away of themselves. The longer we leave symptoms untreated the deeper their roots go and the stronger they become.

If there are things in your marriage or in other areas of your life that bother you, it is wise to seek competent guidance from a qualified counselor right away. Don’t put it off any longer. Make that appointment you know you need to make—today.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to recognize the symptoms in my life which, if left unattended and ignored, in time could harm or even destroy my closest relationships—including my relationship to you. And as I diligently seek the help I need, please lead me to the best help to meet my need. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 22:17-19 (TLB/NLT).

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Gift of Encouragement

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“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”1

Michael Josephson of Character Counts says that “Mark Gibson, a former gymnastics coach, tells a wonderful story about a 15-year-old girl I’ll call Cindy. When Mark coached at a gym where several world-class gymnasts worked out, he said Cindy was the most important person in the gym. Cindy wasn’t the best athlete—not even close. But when she was in the gym, everyone whined and complained less, worked harder and achieved more. She brought out the best in everyone. You see, Cindy was blind.

“When it was her turn to do the vault, her mother would run alongside her, saying, “We’re getting close, we’re closer,” and when her mom said, “Vault!” Cindy, with complete trust in her mother and herself, would jump. It was awesome.

“Neither Cindy nor her mother allowed her sightlessness to confine her, so they soared like eagles for all to see. Cindy led in the most powerful way possible, not by fancy rhetoric but by example. All who watched her strive to be the best she could be realized how much more there is within themselves.”2

Cindy’s mother was a great encourager to her daughter. As Christians, that’s what you and I need to do for others.

The word encourage comes from “en,” meaning “in,” and “courage” meaning to “fortify one’s inner strength in fearful situations.” In other words, an encourager is one who puts courage into another or who puts inner strength into others when they are afraid or needing a helping hand.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for all the people in my life who have encouraged me along the way—who have helped spur me on when I was feeling insecure, fearful, and afraid of failure. They were ‘as Jesus’ to me. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of fellow strugglers and be ‘as Jesus’ to them and be a great encourager in their time of need. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson of Character Counts www.charactercounts.org

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Moonlight Sonata

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“Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?”1

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the world’s greatest musicians, was born into a musical family in Germany. As a child he spent many lonely hours practicing his music every day.

By the age of eleven he was already composing his own music and conducting an orchestra. In his late teens he went to Vienna for further study. There he reached fame, though not fortune.

I have read how, one evening, as he was out walking he passed a cobbler’s house where he heard someone inside practicing one of his compositions. As he stopped to listen he overheard a girl say that she wished she could hear a real musician play it properly.

Beethoven went into the house and, noticing the young lady at the piano was blind, offered to play the piece for her. He did so for her for more than an hour, and while he did, darkness fell and the lone candle in the room had gone out.

Outside in the night sky the moon shone brightly and sent its radiant beams glistening into the room where Beethoven sat playing beautiful music. He was so inspired by the appreciation of his music by the young lady and the beauty of the atmosphere in the room that he composed his famous “Moonlight Sonata.”

Do you ever feel that your dreams have been shattered and you feel all alone in the darkness of despair. I certainly have. However, when our life is truly committed to Christ, it’s in these “dark nights of the soul” when God is working in us to give us more understanding of life and compassion for others—and in time will bring back the music into our life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in my ‘dark nights of the soul’—even though I feel that you are far away—help me to see with my heart and know that you are at my side, and that you will never leave me or forsake me. And help me to ‘see’ that you are using my circumstances to help me become a better, healthier, and more whole person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Job 35:10 (NIV).

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In Sorrow’s Hour

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”1

A Daily Encounter reader writes: “We just found out that my mother has lung cancer that has spread to her liver. I know the Lord holds us in his arms, but how do we find the strength and courage to handle what we know is coming? I know Mom needs a rest from her pain, and that the chemo will make her sick, but I’m not ready to let her go. How do I stop being so selfish? It’s very hard to ‘Let go and let God.’”

I don’t think it’s selfish to feel the way you do. In fact, I’d say it’s normal. It’s always difficult when loved ones suffer and when there is a possibility of losing them, and even harder when we do lose them.

Unfortunately, loss is a part of life and all of us will experience it at some time, and it’s never easy.

I don’t think there are any easy answers except to daily commit and trust your life and that of your loved one to the Lord. Tell God exactly how you feel (he knows it anyhow), and tell him you choose to trust him even if you feel you can’t. Do this every day or even more if necessary. In time your feelings will catch up with your choice to trust God. It is also very important not to bottle up your feelings of grief. Tears are a gift from God to help drain the pain of sorrow and loss. Pray that God will give you a friend with whom you can cry without being criticized or told you shouldn’t feel that way. Remember that when Jesus was sad, he wept! We need to do the same.

I’m reminded of a song that Danny Gaither sang so marvelously before he died of cancer. The words of the chorus went like this:

Through it all,

Through it all,

I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,

I’ve learned to trust in God.

Through it all,

Through it all,

I’ve learned to depend upon his Word.

It’s only through the rough times that we truly learn to trust in God. And in the end for all who trust God and have committed their life to him, we will meet again where there will be no more sickness, sadness, sorrow or dying, and where God himself will wipe away every tear. What a glorious day that will be. In the meantime we also need understanding and caring friends on whom we can lean.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all of life’s circumstances I choose to trust in you no matter how I feel. Please help my feelings to catch up with my choice to trust you, and even if my feelings don’t catch up, I choose to trust you regardless. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV).

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Anger Pegs

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“Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.”1

One night when I was watching the news on TV, I couldn’t help but notice that one group who were demonstrating against war became very violent. Violent peace—an oxymoron if ever there was one!

Now, I’m not against peaceful demonstrations, but when people get violent, it seems to me that they are very angry and are looking for a peg on which to hang their anger. That is, they want to blame someone or anything outside of themselves for their own personal problems.

Unfortunately, this happens far too often in relationships. Angry people breed anger and until they “own” their anger (admit that they have an anger problem), they will continue to look for pegs on which to hang their anger and blame others for their anger and rage. What happens doesn’t make them angry—it just triggers it. To blame others or external circumstances for one’s anger is a handy excuse to hang on to if we don’t want to grow up and accept personal responsibility for our problems.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get angry at wrongdoing and evil. We should. But when we overreact and become violent or rage-full, that is entirely our problem. The purpose of anger is to bring about creative change—not to lash out at others and blame them for our rage.

So … if you are angered too easily, too often, too much, and react out of proportion to what has happened, and you want to bring about change, may I kindly suggest that you start the change in yourself, admit your problem, and seek help to resolve it.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see through my blind spots and acknowledge all of my problems and character issues. Help me to accept personal responsibility for resolving them, and lead me to the help I need to do so. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help read “Taming Your Anger” at: http://tinyurl.com/tame-anger.

1. Ephesians 4:26 (NLT).

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Alarming Irresponsibility

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“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”1

A Spanish proverb says: “God says, ‘Choose what you will and pay for it.’”

Not so here in the U.S., maybe, according to at least some so-called justices. Chuck Colson in BreakPoint pointed out a few years ago just one of many similar examples when he wrote, “A young woman I’ll call Susie Smith has a weight problem: She’s five feet, six inches and weighs 270 pounds. Why does she weigh twice her healthy weight? Genetics? Poor nutrition? Lack of exercise?

“No! McDonald’s. Smith claims that she is obese because ‘her regular diet included an Egg McMuffin for breakfast and a Big Mac meal for dinner.’ And that is why she and other overweight people were suing McDonald’s.”

Back in college days for two summers I drove a CTA passenger bus in Chicago, and in our training we learned how some people would purposely fall in the bus so they could sue the bus company for damages. And these people never seem to want for a lawyer who will accept their case.

In recent days we have read how smokers have successfully sued tobacco companies for millions of dollars blaming the manufacturers for their (the smokers’) addiction! I certainly don’t approve of tobacco companies but not one of them ever made anyone buy or smoke their cigarettes. Every single smoker did so because of his/her own choice and action. And never has a McDonald’s ever made any customer buy an Egg McMuffin or a Big Mac let alone make them eat them.

What so-called justices are granting is not only absurd, it’s downright alarming. Once upon a time law, order, and justice, were based on the Judeo-Christian ethic. No longer. We’ve thrown out prayer, God, and the Bible from our schools. And there’s ever increasing pressure to have God and the Bible removed from all public places. Consequently we are now living in what has been called post-Christian America and it seems as if some lawyers and judges are making their own laws instead of adhering to the law as spelled out in the Constitution.

Consequently, personal and moral responsibility is rapidly being decimated.

If we keep heading this way, law and order based on a higher power (be it God or the Constitution—essential for the successful functioning of any society and nation) will become so eroded, we will end up like ancient Rome and every other civilization who discarded God, morality, and personal responsibility.

The Spanish proverb is correct: “God says, ‘Choose what you will and pay for it.’” Susie Smith and company did exactly what they wanted to do and are paying for it. Denial will never take off their weight nor cure their lung cancer, the result of smoking.

One thing is certain, we cannot break God’s laws and survive any more than we can break the universal law of gravity. When we attempt to, it breaks us. What we sow is what we reap! Period—even if it is eventually.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please send a revival of your Spirit to our nation so that we will return to your ways and abide by your laws. Deliver us from our self-delusional irresponsibility and help us to realize that when we defy your ways, we ultimately destroy ourselves and the world of our children’s children. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:7 (NASB).

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