Gripes of Wrath

“A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.”1

The past few years have certainly been marked by many major crises and natural disasters … terrorist attacks, bombings, massive earthquakes and devastating floods.

In the midst of these disasters we witnessed incredible acts of compassion and unprecedented deeds of kindness by thousands of good-hearted people. We also witnessed dastardly evil: looting, crime, anger, rage, irresponsibility and the never-ending nauseating “playing the blame game.”

Sadly, the world is filled with gripes* of wrath. This is about angry obsessive complainers who blame God, the government, their spouse, their boss, or anybody else for the problems they have. They gripe about the weather, gripe about the service be it good or bad, and even gripe when they are being helped by the sacrifice of others. These are those who avoid personal responsibility, live in a state of constant denial, and gripe, gripe, gripe.

Yes we need to help the helpless and those who are in a position where they literally cannot help themselves. But let’s wake up! Stop rescuing those who can and need to help themselves. As the Bible teaches, if we rescue these people we will have to do it again … and again … and again. The most loving thing we can do for this kind of person is to help him to help himself. And we can only do this if he wants to become self-reliable and personally responsible. For those who can help themselves but don’t want to, we need to get out of the way and let them crash in the hopes that this will bring them to their senses and face the reality of life as it really is.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of being an obsessive complainer, playing the blame game, and/or for being irresponsible. And deliver me from rescuing those who are quite capable of and need to become responsible and learn to help themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

* For those for whom English is not their primary language, “gripe” means to complain.

1. Proverbs 19:19 (NIV).

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Opportunity Comes to Pass—Not to Pause

“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’”1

In a speech in August of last year a well-known woman of color shared the following: “A little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham—the most segregated big city in America,” she said. “Her parents can’t take her to a movie theater or a restaurant, but they make her believe that even though she can’t have a hamburger at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, she can be President of the United States. And she becomes the Secretary of State [of the USA].”2

The speaker’s name? Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, a committed woman who knows first-hand the values that make a nation exceptional and what it means to live the American Dream!

From time to time I receive requests from overseas young people who want me to help finance them to come to America and receive a college education. And how do I help them? I do it by telling my story as I came from humble beginnings in Australia. My father made me quit school at the age of 13 and work full–time, insisting that I give every penny I earned to help support our family of four siblings.

Did I become resentful of other kids whose parents allowed them to go to high school? No. I believed in hard work and always worked diligently. By age 15 I was put in charge of a department where I worked in a radio factory. By age 16, while working full time, to learn a trade I put myself through a five-year, part-time course at a technical college. When I felt called to Christian ministry and wanted to come to the U.S. for training, I never asked nor received a penny from anyone to help me. All I prayed for was that God would give me enough work so I could earn all I needed to come to America to study, and that when I got here that He would help me to find part-time work so I could pay my way through college. God answered these prayers. I never lacked finding work and accepted any type of work I could get … including scrubbing floors and more. In the summer time I worked three jobs at once—one full-time and two part-time—seven days a week.

Sadly today, however, we are living in an ever-increasing entitlement society where too many believe that the world owes them a living and where too many government leaders are supporting this societal-self-destructive way of life. At the local pier where I live there is a notice that says. “Don’t feed the birds. It will make them over-dependent so that they will become unable to take care of themselves.”

Yes, I believe in helping those who genuinely cannot help themselves (including those who simply cannot find any kind of work), but when we do for others what they can and need to do for themselves, we are NOT helping them, but keeping them over-dependent, immature and irresponsible.

Remember that opportunity comes to those who prepare themselves and are ready for it when it appears! They know that it comes to pass—not to pause. As basketball coach, Bobby Knight, stated, “The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to realize that while I was not responsible for my initial background, I am totally responsible for what I become and for what I do with my life. Deliver me from the sin of expecting others to be responsible for me and help me to prepare myself for all opportunities that come my way. And help me to live a fruitful and productive life and always do so for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV).

2. http://tinyurl.com/d5r6jqp

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Why Does God Have Me in This Relationship?

“You do not have because you do not ask [God]. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”1

A Daily Encounter subscriber writes, “I have fallen out of love with a man over a year now, so is it possible for me to fall back in love with him? We are not married. We have had a roller-coaster ride in this relationship over many years, so why is God allowing us to stay in this relationship. Also we are back together after 16 years. If we are meant to be together as husband and wife, why doesn’t God show me?

“Dear Henrietta” (name changed), I replied, “First of all realize that—at least in our Western culture—’falling in love’ has more to do with being strongly attracted to someone, being fascinated with this person, or more often than not being physically and/or sexually attracted to this person. It may lead to true love but it isn’t love. It’s either fascination or just plain lust. True love is a commitment of one imperfect person to another imperfect person, with or without so called ‘in love’ overpowering feelings.

“Secondly, God isn’t co-dependent. God will give us wisdom and guidance if we genuinely want it, but he doesn’t make our decisions or choices for us. If he did, he would be keeping us immature and over-dependent. The reality is that you are still in this not-going-anywhere relationship because you, and not God, have chosen to be in it.

“Also, realize, that only happy and mature people find and relate to happy and mature partners, and vice versa, and have happy and fulfilling relationships. Furthermore, it’s not so much a case of praying for the right partner but rather praying that you become the right partner, for only as you become the right person/partner will you be attracted to the right partner, and he to you. In life we all are either as sick or as healthy as the partners we are attracted to and they to us. Thus, if you are choosing to stay in a bad relationship, it indicates that you have issues you need to resolve. This is what God wants you to see. His concern for you is that you become a healthy and mature person before becoming involved in a committed relationship that could lead to marriage.

“To pray the right prayer you need to ask God to show you the truth about you and why you are in such an unhealthy relationship, and to help you find the help you need to recover and become whole. For only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our attitudes, our behavior, and our relationships be wholesome. Only as we face the truth about our self, resolve our issues, and become whole will any of us have a chance of finding a meaningful and genuinely loving relationship.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me always to pray the right prayer—with the right motives—so that I will have the assurance that you have heard my prayer and that you will answer it according to your will. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

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

Note: for further help, see the following website for articles on relationships at: https://learning.actsweb.org/articles/Marriage.php.

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