All posts by 5Q

The Law of the Garbage Truck

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Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven …. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”1

Mike Benson asks, “How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood?

“Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? The mark of a successful [mature] person is how quickly he/she can get back his/her focus on what’s important.

“I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly.

“So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital.’ And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’ He said, ‘Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.’

“I started thinking, how often do I let garbage trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’”2

However, as many of us know, that’s easier said than done. When we overreact to people who “dump their garbage” on us, we need to realize that what the other person does is his or her problem—but to the degree that we overreact that is our problem. To react in a Christ-like manner, it is imperative that we resolve our “garbage.” If we don’t, we will be forever allowing others to control our moods and trigger our unresolved problems. For help in “Taming Your Anger [garbage]” go to: http://tinyurl.com/b439f

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to recognize whenever I overreact to what others do to me and to resolve my problem so that I will, with your help, always respond to others (no matter what they do) in a loving and Christ-like manner. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:43-44; 46-47 (NIV).
2. Mike Benson, KneEmail. To subscribe, send a blank email to: kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org

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The “Angel” Within

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“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”1

I have read that “one of the most distinguished sculptors in American history was a man named Gutzon Borglum. He was a sculptor on a grand scale who is perhaps best known for his bust of Abraham Lincoln at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On that project he carved the head of Lincoln from a large block of marble that had long been in his studio.

“The woman who cleaned his work area had swept around the formless mass of marble day after day for a long time. Then one day, as Borglum’s work progressed, she began to see the face of Lincoln emerging from the stone. She quickly turned and, looking at Borglum, asked, “Is that master Lincoln?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“How did you know he was in there?” she asked.

“The great sculptor knew, for he had double vision. All great artists have such a gift. They see what is and what can be.”2

Years before Michelangelo said the same thing: “I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until I set it free.”

And that’s how God sees you and me. He sees the “angel” within us (our God-given potential) and when we are truly committed to him, through his Spirit he will keep “chipping away” until we become all that he envisions us to be.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when I surrender my life to you, through your Spirit you are making and molding me into the person you have envisioned me to be. And when some of that chipping/molding is painful, help me to realize that is all a part of your refining work in my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB).
2. Leader Links, http://www.leaderlinks.com

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Ignoring the Warnings

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“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”1

I read about a West Virginia State Trooper who stopped a woman driver for going 15 miles over the speed limit. After handing her a ticket, the driver asked him, “Don’t you give out warnings?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “They’re all up and down the road. They say, “‘Speed Limit 55.’”2

I can imagine that many people—who have rejected God all their life and failed to accept his forgiveness for their sins—when they stand before God at the end of life’s journey and are required to give an account of their life and receive God’s judgment are going to want to say the same as the lady above: “Don’t you give out warnings?”

I can imagine God saying, “Yes, sir/madam, my Word, the Bible, is filled with warnings from cover to cover to prepare for life after death. And every year of your life you were reminded of my offer of forgiveness and eternal life at both Christmas and Easter.”

And this is what they will hear God say to them: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have warned me over and over to prepare to meet you face to face after I die. Please help me to make my life right with you today, to obtain your forgiveness for all my sins and be prepared for life after death. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

And, Dear friend, if you have never put your life right with God, he is giving you that opportunity today. For God’s Invitation go to: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or for further help to know God go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Hebrews 9:27 (NIV).
2. from Reader’s Digest, “All in a Day’s Work,” by Patricia Greenlee.
3. Matthew 7:23 (NKJV).

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Weep With Those Who Weep

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“When Jesus saw her [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him [Lazarus]?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him.’”1

Chuck Swindoll in his book Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns, tells about “a little girl who lost a playmate in death and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother.

“‘What did you say?” asked her father.

“‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her.’”

What did Jesus do when his friend Lazarus died? He wept.

Rare is the friend who knows how to weep with those who weep.

Also, know when to be silent. In the same book Chuck tells about Joe Bayly who lost three of his children. He quotes from Joe’s book, The view from a Hearse. Joe writes: “I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly. He said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.

“Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask me leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.

“I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”2

This visitor and the little girl were being as Jesus to hurting people. May God help us all to be and do likewise.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a tender and sensitive heart and help me to be as Jesus to hurting and sorrowing people. Help me to be silent when I need to be silent, speak kindly when a tender word is needed, and to weep with those who weep. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 11:33-36 (NIV).
2. Today’s Daily Encounter is taken from I Hate Witnessing-A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications, by Dick Innes (2003 edition), p. 89. Available at: www.actscom.com/store.

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Creative Boredom

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“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.”1

“A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring to him—too far behind the times, tiresome tunes and meaningless words. His father put an end to the discussion by saying, ‘If you think you can write better hymns, then why don’t you?’ The boy went to his room and wrote his first hymn. The year was 1690. The teenager was Isaac Watts. ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross’ and ‘Joy to the World’ are among almost 350 hymns written by him. Feeling Bored? Let the world remember you for 300+ years!”2

I recall reading about a lady who said to Evangelist Dwight L. Moody, “I don’t like the way you preach,” to which Mr. Moody replied, “I don’t either. How do you do it?” I recalled Moody’s response when the president of a denominational college (seminary) in Australia was questioning the value of our outreach work and asked, “And how do you handle your follow-up?” So I asked him how he handled his. He replied, “I don’t. I teach.” A businessman once asked me the same question so I said to him, “If you give us the needed financial support we’ll develop the best follow-up program.” He walked out without saying a word.

Constructive criticism is fine—providing we are prepared to do something about what we are being critical about—rather than just being negative and becoming a part of the problem.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from having a negative critical attitude always looking for the faults and weaknesses in what others do. However, when I see a need for improvement in any area, please help me so that any criticism I give will be constructive—and help me to be willing to do what I can to help fix what needs to be fixed. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 (NIV).
2. Richard Jones, Parish Bulletin, Good Shepherds Wailuku, Diocese of Hawaii. © The Anglican Digest. Cited in Encounter magazine (Australia) Vol. 38, No. 1, 2007.

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Are Non-Biblical Terms Valid?

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“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”1

In response to a Daily Encounter on codependency a subscriber enquires, “What I’m wondering is, what led you to believe in co-dependency? The modern psychological term ‘codependence,’ the meaning of which is not an idea that I have ever found in Scripture. You say things like this a lot and so I’m only writing this wondering what led you to come to this belief/conclusion.”

Actually there are many terms we use today that are not found in the Bible. In fact you won’t find the word, Trinity, in the Scriptures but this truth is clearly taught. You won’t find anything about denominations either, or theological terms such as eschatology (the study of the end times), or homiletics (the study and art of preaching), or hermeneutics (the study and interpretation of the Scriptures), but these are all valid terms and biblical exercises. Furthermore, the word, Bible, isn’t in the Bible either.

Codependency, among other things, is short circuiting the logical consequences of somebody else’s self-destructive behavior. It is rescuing another from his or her lack of personal responsibility and mistaking need for love. It may look like love but it isn’t. It’s a way of trying to fix another’s problems by avoiding facing your own. It is keeping someone over-dependent on you instead of allowing them to take care of their own needs and becoming dependent on God. It’s neurotic.

While the Bible doesn’t use the word “codependency” a prime example of not being codependent is found in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son who, as a young man, wanted to do his own thing so asked his father to give him his inheritance now. So the father gave his son his inheritance and let him go. We know how the story ended. The son blew his entire inheritance in riotous living. When he hit rock bottom, did his father send to rescue him? No. It was his hitting rock bottom that brought him to his senses.

It was very important that the father allowed him to bear the consequences of his behavior. Only when the son came to his senses and returned home with a contrite heart, confessing his waywardness, did the father forgive and accept him back into the family and home—a great example for all parents and the wives of alcoholic husbands. There comes a time when we need to let go of a loved one and stop protecting them from the consequences of their self-destructive behavior.

Keep in mind too, that the deeper meaning of Jesus’ parable is about God, our heavenly Father, not being codependent but, rather, allowing us to experience the consequences of irresponsible and reckless behavior to bring us to our senses and repentance.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see if in any way I am being codependent and blocking the consequences of a loved one’s self-destructive behavior. Help me to let go of seeking to control this person, and overcome my problem of being codependent. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 15:11-13 (NIV).
2. See Luke 15:11-24.

Note: For additional help read, “Overcoming Codependency” athttp://tinyurl.com/8p4t6

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Witnessing Made Easy

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“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things.”1

“Do you remember the Mercedes TV commercial a few years ago that showed a Mercedes crashing into a concrete wall during a safety test? An engineer in a white lab coat walks over after the crash and kneels down to examine the damage, which is minimal. A reporter then asks the engineer about Mercedes’ energy absorbing car body. After the engineer tells all about the unique design the reporter asks him why Mercedes doesn’t enforce their patent on the design, a design evidently copied by several other companies because of its success.

“The engineer then replied matter-of-factly, ‘Because some things in life are too important not to share.’ How true this is. There are many things in life that fall into this ‘too-important-not-to-share category.’ Advances in science, in medicine, in technology. But all of these pale in importance to that of sharing our faith.”2

As Billy Graham said, “I am convinced the greatest act of love we can ever perform for people is to tell them about God’s love for them in Christ.”

There are many ways we can do this. Here’s one very simple way. For example, whenever I eat at a restaurant, I always leave one of my Good News business witness cards with the tip. And whenever a suitable opportunity arises, without being pushy, I ask the person I am talking to if I can give him or her one of my cards. It is a very attractive card that invites people to visit one of our Good News websites. The site has many articles that speak to the felt needs of the average person—articles that deal with overcoming worry, stress, marriage, relationships, and the like.

And, by the way, speaking to an individual’s felt needs is the only known sure-fire way to get people to read any message. The website also has a highly visible link to the clear gospel message, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian … without having to be religious.” The general card I give out in the U.S. points to: www.GoodNewsfor.com/usa. (In time we will have them for other countries and in other languages as well.)

I’ve never had anyone ever refuse to accept one of these cards. They are attractively printed and are not in any way preachy. This is a very easy, attractive, and non-offensive way to witness even for the most timid person. If you live in the U.S., or have friends who live in the U.S., I encourage you to send for a package of 50 of the “Good News for USA” business witness cards to give to family, friends and contacts. They are only a web click away at: https://actscom.com/donate.php and are available for a donation, not only to cover the cost of printing and postage, but also to help support the building and maintaining of this gospel web outreach ministry.

It is true, the gospel message of Jesus Christ is far too important not to share. Please send today for a pack of Good News Business Witness cards so you, too, can be involved in what God is doing in the world today.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I come to you with all my fears making myself available for you to use as a witness for Jesus Christ. Please use me to be ‘as Christ’ in some way to someone in need today, and give me the courage to share my Christian faith in a non-offensive and gracious way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 10:15 (NKJV).
2. Rev. Steve Jackson, Sermon: “Come and See.”

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Music, Music, Music!

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“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”1

One of the biggest areas of conflict in today’s church is music. Older generation Christians tend to like the “good old hymns” while the younger generation lean more toward what Joy and I like to call “happy clappy” gospel songs. So whose music is the best for worship?

Allow me to answer in a roundabout way. A few years ago I had the opportunity to preach in the Sunday morning services at an Anglican (Episcopal) church in Perth, Western Australia. It was in the middle of winter and I was so cold that a doctor’s wife loaned me her overcoat. So here I am sitting on the front pew dressed in a woman’s overcoat waiting for the service to commence. The moment the congregation began to sing it hit me like a thunderbolt. “Wow,” I said to myself, “surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!”

When I got up to preach, never in my life had I experienced such incredible liberty with such an overwhelming sense of God’s presence.

Very interesting, too, that in that service was a professor from the University of Western Australia. This lady had recently emigrated from China where she grew up under Mao with the teaching that said there is no God. This was only the second time in her life she had ever been in a church. She told friends who were with me that when I was preaching, she saw me encircled by an aura of rainbow colored light. She also said she now knew that there was a God because she felt his presence so strongly in that service.

So what does this have to do with church music? Everything. It’s not the form of music that matters but the attitude of the heart of those who are singing. When preaching, I can pretty much tell on the first line of the first song whether or not it will be easy or hard to preach in that service because one can easily sense whether God is in the music or not. If God is not in the music, you can be certain his Spirit is not in the rest of the service.

So the question is, is the music from the heart as Paul stated in today’s Scripture? If not, it isn’t worship—no matter how talented the singers may be. To put it another way, is our music a sweet smelling savor to God as an act of genuine worship, or is it nothing more than an obnoxious effluvium as were some of the sacrifices in the Old Testament era where the sacrifices were merely ritualistic and not from the heart?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me at all times to sing and make melody in my heart to you … whether alone at home or in a church worship service. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 5:19 (NIV).

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Well, Well, Well

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“When Jesus noticed him [an invalid] lying there [helpless], knowing that he had already been a long time [thirty-eight years, in fact] in that condition, He said to him, ‘Do you want to become well? [Are you really in earnest about getting well?]‘”1

I have a friend who had polio when she was a child and was left with a physical handicap. Many had prayed for her healing but she was never healed. Well-meaning but insensitive Christians told her she didn’t have enough faith, or gave some other lame excuse. It left her feeling insecure for many years until she realized that God doesn’t heal everybody. I don’t know why. In this life we all suffer from ailments from time to time. Some people get healed and some don’t.

Having said this, I believe that many of us could be much healthier if we lived in harmony with biblical principles. In Old Testament times (before modern medicine) Jewish people were instructed by God not to eat certain foods. This was because these foods were disease riddled. In New Testament times God’s Word gives us two key principles for the healing of at least some sicknesses.

First, Jesus said to the invalid, “Do you want to become well?” Modern medicine has shown that those who truly want to get well are the ones most likely to do so. They take responsibility for their recovery even though it means a radical change of lifestyle. In other words, we need to want to get well badly enough that we will do whatever we can in order to get well.

I had another friend who had tried to quit smoking for years. He had been criticized for it and preached at about it. Nothing worked. He came to me hoping I might be able to help. After he shared his struggle with me I quietly asked, “Why do you need to smoke?” He gave me THE LOOK … mumbled a few incoherent words, turned around and walked away. I think Jim (not his real name) was looking for a quick fix to overcome his addiction and save his life. He didn’t want to look at possible causes … and died of lung cancer not too long after.

Second, many ills—not all by any means—or diseases are caused either by—or greatly aggravated by—unresolved personal issues that cause dis-ease. For example, the first symptom of super-charged repressed hostility might be death by heart attack. It is also well known that stress can be a killer. Stress can be caused by any number of pressures—some of which we may have no control over but many of which we do. For instance, unresolved guilt, illicit sex, being unfaithful in marriage, dishonesty in business, impaired relationships, etc., etc., can all cause big-time stress, which in turn causes dis-ease, and even early death.

The answer for healing of dis-ease caused by these stressors is also found in the Bible. It’s simple, though not easy: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”2

Speaking personally, as I’ve shared before, I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and in my twenties suffered from painful bursitis in both shoulders and with wretched hay fever. When I found myself in a broken marriage and got into therapy, I discovered that I had an awful lot of buried grief and anger from childhood days—emotions that I had buried and was in denial about; but when I faced, confessed and expressed these “sins of the spirit” and resolved them, I was healed of both bursitis and hay fever.

God’s principles are not meant to take away our freedom but to give us freedom from many ills and problems. It’s our choice as to what we do about them. Do we really want to get well, or do we just wish to do so?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that in your Word, the Bible, you give dynamic principles for wholesome living. Give me a hunger to know what your Word teaches and the good sense to live in harmony with your will so that I will be made well. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 5:6 (AB).
2. James 5:16 (NIV).

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Deadly Disease of Denial

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“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”1

I’ve worked with hurting people and taught in divorce recovery groups for a number of years. If you asked me what I thought might be the number one problem in so many of these situations, I would say, “Denial. And the second is like unto it—playing the blame game.”

Over and over I hear people say with variation on the theme: “My husband did this. My wife did that.” “And what did you contribute to the breakup of your marriage?” I ask. “Nothing … my spouse did such-and-such. He was such a jerk.” “And why were you attracted to such a jerk?” I ask! “Have you ever been attracted to other jerks?” Silence …!

No matter what struggle we are in, we are always contributing something. I’ve seen husbands berating and blaming their wives for their marriage problems when in reality they were very angry at their mother and were taking it out on their wife. I’ve seen wives do the same thing when they are really mad at either their father or some other significant male who hurt them deeply in the past.

Many spouses are angry about something in their past. Others are too “nice, weak and/or passive” (codependent). Others are over-dependent and smother their partner. But do they see their problem and the contribution to the situation they are in? Many, if most, don’t. Far too many of us are in denial about our own deficiencies. The reason denial is so deadly is because, as a Daily Encounter subscriber described it: “Don’t Even kNow I Am Lying.”

Deniers are avoiders of personal responsibility. They tend also to be blamers. And as I have said many times, if I play the blame game, I will “b-lame”—and will never get well. Only as we acknowledge the truth and reality of what we are contributing to our problems, will we ever have any hope of recovery and becoming well. The reality is that the only person I can ever change is me, and as I change, others are almost forced to change in relationship to me in one way or another. This is not always for the best, however, as some people simply cannot stand or handle our change. To get well this is the risk we need to take.

The only people counselors—and even God—can help are those who willingly admit: “I have a problem. I need help.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in every conflict or difficult situation I am in, please give me the courage to see and acknowledge anything that I might be contributing to the mess I am in and lead me to the help I need to overcome. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

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