Dealing With the Tough Stuff

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy.  Encourage those who are timid.  Take tender care of those who are weak.  Be patient with everyone.  See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.  Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

Lazy, timid, and weak – It seems Paul has begun the work of caring for the kindergarten of Christianity.  And yet, who hasn’t been lazy, timid, or weak?  These are common ailments of character, and we humans are subject to character flaws.  But notice how Paul then modulates to patience.  That is the needed ingredient in caring for the weak links in character or community.

One of the privileges of being a pastor to a congregation is the holy ground of trust, where church members commit their problems and trials to your keeping in prayer.  A pastor is told heart secrets that would scorch the paint off nursery walls, and depress the most positive people. 

In 2005 I moved from being a Baptist pastor to the Methodist tribe.  Part of that process was in cooperation with a committee charged with overseeing and encouraging me during the shift.  They were kind, helpful, and encouraging to a nearly 60-year-old who had already served 25 years in pastoral ministry.  However, after one session their assessment was that I needed to wait another year before being confirmed in the process of elder-status, because you have too much sadness in your life.  I tried to accept their guidance graciously, but this was one time I had a tough time following Paul’s admonition to be patient!  Inside I was steaming…too much sadness???  Too much sadness?  I’m a pastor; people tell me all the sadness of their lives…OF COURSE I’ve got TOO MUCH SADNESS!

In retrospect, I’m repentant of that inner response.  I needed Paul’s warnings at that point.  Their assessment may have fallen short, but instead of humbly considering their earnest care for my inner peace, I bristled; I had no patience.  I missed the mark by a wider margin than their assessment.  In my impatience and anger I was not (as Paul advised) thankful in ALL circumstances.

Sometimes I think I have not grown much in the patience department.  This week I was walking in the parking lot from the gas pump to the store when a young man almost backed over me.  My Mother would have bristled to see the dance her youngest boy did to escape being flattened…and Dad would’ve had a great laugh and story to tell his buddies.  I quickly (and loudly) told the young driver what a four-thousand-pound SUV can do to an unprotected human body, and how he should look before he backs-up.  The young man humbly apologized to the irate old preacher.  I was immediately convicted of my inappropriate anger and impatience.  As a pastor I have taught, counselled, and (at times) prided myself on being patient.  In truth, I need to sit in dust and ashes more often.

After reflecting and praying about my impatience, I’ve decided to change my way of viewing my circumstances from reacting…to pro-acting.  Reacting is acting in response to how you’re treated, or how the circumstances affect you.  Proactive is deciding beforehand to act in love and joyful thankfulness, no-matter what happens.  I will look-for, and hopefully find, God’s hand of lovingkindness, however the circumstances unfold before me.  I know this will be difficult (at first), but I’m also certain the long view will see the benefit of inner peace for me, and opportunities to serve God’s Kingdom.

For You Today 

We live in a hurried, pressure-driven, and often angry world.  Pray for the calming, joyful influence of patience to take the temperature down a bit; that is something we can all use.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

When a Warrior Weeps

 

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Psalm 126:5-6

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.  They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Those who care passionately about people weep.  In a previous post I wrote: 

The text indicates that the sower goes forth and bears the seed; but he also weeps over it.  Do you weep over insignificant things, or precious?  I see weeping over lost loved ones, straying prodigals, health reversals and lost fortunes.

So, why the weeping?  The sower knows the seed must die before it can produce anything worthwhile.  Jesus said that plainly:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.  John 12:24

In that passage Jesus was predicting his death on the cross for our benefit.  It was a short time before the cross, and Jesus understood the cost of saving rebellious humankind from eternal death.  And that is why he wept in Gethsemane; Jesus was so moved with compassion for us he sweat great drops of blood.  These were the tears of his soul, longing for our redemption and squeezing every last ounce of caring for self and safety out of his system…and it was for us.

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  Luke 22:44

I think of presidents making unpopular decisions, knowing it might cost their political career, or personal reputation…but doing it anyway because it’s the right thing to do.

I think of a father scooping up his three-year-old from the middle of the street; the child howls with anger because she wanted to play there.  She didn’t understand the danger, so she rares back and declares to her father, I HATE YOU!

I think of a child hearing his parents, late at night, arguing in the living room…again.  And, it turns violent…again.  There is pain and blackened eyes…again; the 7-year-old cannot stay in the bed and listen….again.  So, he runs to the living room and steps between mother and father, knowing he cannot make a difference, but his weeping makes him try.

In each instance the motivation is love.  It is love that causes a president to choose the right thing over a popular thing.  It is love that makes a father act when his child puts herself in danger, and doesn’t understand.  It is love that propels even a small child to stand in protection of a battered mother.  And it was love that compelled Christ to the cross.

So, what about those seeds?  Why plant them?  Love!

There are laws of the harvest. 

          ·       You will always reap more than you sow.

          ·       You will always reap later than you sow.

          ·       You will not reap unless you sow. 

And the greatest, least popular, law is:

          ·       The harvest is greater or lesser in direct proportion to the cost to you of sowing.

Parents of prodigals sow seeds of self-sacrifice, nurture, and forbearing the immaturity of youth because of love.  And the greatest cost is loving, doing the best for the prodigal, when the cost will be the prodigal choosing the pigpen over the homeplace.  That is when a parent becomes a warrior in the prayer room, and that is when a warrior weeps.

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we understand doing the so-called right thing is really just living the truth of love, doing the best for our neighbor, which includes the whole world, starting in our own houses with our children, parents, and kin.  Give us grace today to faithfully back up doing the right thing with our warrior’s tears.

For You Today

The joyful end of Jesus’ story of the Prodigal is separated by time in the far country’s pigpen.  It’s easy to want to jump to the last chapter; easy, not right.  Give God time and plenty of warrior’s tears to awaken your prodigal to just how bad that pigpen really smells…and how exceptionally foolish was the choice was to live there.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO                                                                                                                  

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on Psalm 126 see World UPSIDE DOWN and Precious Seeds  

Finding Common Ground

[1]

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.  When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ.  When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law.  Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.  When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ.  But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.  When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ.  Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.  I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.         1 Corinthians 9:19-23

The Apostle Paul was brilliant.  Even in a cursory reading of his letters you cannot miss the way God used the intricate and deep mind of Paul to communicate complex spiritual principles in ways that drive the point home to even the most uncomplicated reader.  At the same time there is depth that can keep you exploring for decades what God gave him to write.

Paul was not only intelligent; he was very persuasive and found himself in a position of power.  Prior to his  conversion to Christ and because of his impressive pedigree as a scholar and his connectedness within the ruling class, Paul had been so trusted by the rulers of Jerusalem he was commissioned to put a stop to the spread of Christianity; he was even empowered to imprison Christians, which often led to their deaths.  That all turned around on the Road to Damascus when Paul met Jesus.[2]  Suddenly Paul’s strength turned to weakness, which God then used to impact the whole world .

Paul could be caustic and borderline obnoxious with his strong will and being not at all shy about confronting somebody.  Several times in Scripture we find Paul in hot debate with those whose wobbly conviction needed some correction.

But we find in today’s reading the mysterious opposite of being dogmatic and confrontational; today we see the convivial warmth of someone who cared enough about others to keep his mouth shut at the right times.  Paul understood what it was to be filled with power, and what it meant to be blind and helpless.  As such he also understood what is needful for a witness of grace to take hold in another’s life.  Identification!  Paul understood that for someone’s faith to be helped along to receive saving grace, the person who witnesses must learn to be with, not just talk-at a person. 

Many years ago, as a young believer I was being “taught” how to witness.  George took me to a home where an elderly couple lived.  They’d recently moved to our community and visited our church.  They welcomed us in, and George began his memorized and rehearsed speech before we even sat down on the couch.  For the next twenty minutes he led them down the Roman Road eventually coming to the point where it was now or never for their eternal security.  Were they going to say “yes” or “no” to God?  The whole debacle made me feel so uncomfortable watching how uncomfortable the old couple were, squirming on their seats.  I wanted to rush over to them and give them a hug.  But the old man simply said, I think we’ll think about that.  The next twenty minutes or so, George put on the most amazing display of browbeating someone to the altar I’d ever seen.  The man and woman finally caved, joined George on their knees at the coffee table altar and followed his direction to pray the sinner’s prayer.  Five minutes later we were in the car headed home.  While driving George asked, wasn’t that great?  I had an answer, but God gave me grace not to pull the trigger.  The couple never darkened the doorstep of our church again.

For You Today

For too many of us we err on the exact opposite of the abrasive George method – we fail to open our mouths at all.  Perhaps it would be different if we took the time to learn how to share our faith, but also took the time to get to know about, and care for those to whom we’d witness.  Then the sharing would be natural, and something led by the Spirit, as opposed to claiming another evangelistic scalp to list on the church membership rolls!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com     Unless noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] Acts 9

When Tolerance Grows Up into Spiritual Maturity

[1]

Friday, December 15, 2017

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.  But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.  If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.  But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.  Philippians 3:12-16^(NLT)

Paul takes the humble position of allowing for his own human fragility.  In one of his other letters (to the Corinthian church) Paul stated it clearly that when he let go of having to control everything – letting God do what God does – his weakness became the effective mighty power of God.[2]

Rather than trying to be “strong” in his own abilities, Paul desired to put the past behind and focus on what God was doing.  Henry Blackaby’s Bible study Experiencing God calls that mindset locating where God is working and cooperating with Him.  

The important point is that Paul understood, even in a wonderfully vibrant fellowship like the church at Philippi, there were going to be disagreements; that is inevitable with human beings!  What Paul wanted to stress was that even in the most controversial of differing opinions genuine spiritual maturity will not lose sight of the goal.

Tolerance has been an overly-accepted word in our vernacular the past several decades.  It hangs like a Behavior Storm Trooper over the entire culture.  We are expected to tolerate others’ viewpoints; in fact, we are expected to surpass tolerance to the degree that all people’s ideas and values are considered equally valid.  That may be high-sounding, but it is dangerous.  For instance, the person that holds an idea that thirty-five cents in his pocket is enough to buy a new car is going to have a huge problem when it comes to the Mercedes dealer allowing him to drive a $63,000 E-Class SUV off the lot for that price; not all ideas are equal!  There will be conflict…if not arrests!

Tolerance can also tip the scale toward arrogance.  Check into a discussion between a Christian conservative and a Christian progressive and you will not have to wait long before the accusations and tempers begin to fly.  The same holds true for liberal and conservative political discussions. 

What Paul suggests is spiritual maturity.  Hear it again from the apostle:

If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.  But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. 

Holding on to the progress already made is a matter of not losing your Christian cool!  It means being willing to be weak personally so that God’s Spirit can be strong in the middle of strengthening relationships.  It means in spite of a disagreement you’re willing to wait for God to make things clear.  A dear friend of mine made that point with me after he’d witnessed my prolonging a heated discussion with another believer.  He said:  You know, Russell, you don’t have to have an answer for everything!

This is the essence of spiritual maturity – when you refuse to take personal offense over a disagreement.  When someone wants to get in your face and turn up the volume, you can turn the other cheek and offer graciousness; if not, you disown the opportunity to build-up the person who disagrees with you. 

And if you’re simply (and arrogantly) tolerating someone’s ideas (because in your humble opinion he or she is an idiot) your attitude towards them can only bring deeper separation and fuel the angry fires of misunderstanding.

So, as Paul also said:

…but we are to hold to the truth with love in our hearts.  We are to grow up and be more like Christ.  He is the leader of the church.  Ephesians 4:15^(NLV)

For You Today

Growing-up into the likeness of Christ – keep that in focus!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] 1 Corinthians 12:10

Seven Deadly Sins - Part 1 - ANGER

[i]

                                                                                                 Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.  Ecclesiastes 7:9^(NLT)

We are going to take a look at what has been referred to for many centuries as The Seven Deadly Sins.  We begin with one of the most common – anger.

We encounter so much anger in everyday life that most of us have become somewhat desensitized to it.  Everywhere you go, and in every realm of existence there is anger – some is miniature in its impact, some wildly excessive.  And some of it is our own!

·       It is a fact of life in business places and schools.

·       The media – TV, Internet, Cell Phones – all filled with anger.

·       Wherever you find yourself you cannot miss the road rage of the highways, lines at stores, and even in churches, families and close relationships.

Anger is “number 6” on the list commonly known as the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, greed, anger and pride).  Our question today is

Why Is There So Much Anger?

In order to begin to talk about why there is so much anger you have to address the question’s forerunner – where did anger begin?

A number of years ago I watched a History Channel presentation called “The Seven Deadly Sins”.^[1]  The episode on anger gave God credit, starting in Genesis 6 where God’s wrath (anger) destroyed all the earth.  But the very first reference to anger in Scripture predates the flood; it’s in Genesis 4, where God asked Cain why he was so angry. 

When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.  Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.  The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift.  This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.  “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain.  “Why do you look so dejected?  You will be accepted if you do what is right.  But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out!  Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you.  But you must subdue it and be its master.”  Genesis 4:3-7

Cain responded to God’s questioning by acting out his anger; he killed his brother!  We have been angry and killing each other in various ways ever since.  There are so many references to angry persons in Scripture that I stopped counting after 100.

One side-road about anger in the Bible:  There is a difference between the anger (wrath) of God and human anger.  God’s anger is always righteous; man’s is not.  There is a different quality to God’s anger than just being ticked-off. 

Anger can be quick in the hot-tempered or short-fused personality.  But it can also be slow and deeply-formed.  However it happens there is always the danger of having it master you.  But God says to master it, subdue and keep it at bay like a rodeo cowboy lassoing an angry bull.

God’s instructions at this point may help us understand that our anger is inevitable, it will happen.  But that is all the more reason to examine our attitude often to see if this sin is creeping up on us.

For You Today

You do not know if anger will present itself today.  All the more reason to be on guard.  They are not called deadly sins for no reason at all!  And the person who doesn’t learn to master this one will wind up a fool.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

---

[1] © 1996-2010, A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved.(Premiered Dec 29, 2009 – January 4, 2010)

---

[i] Title Image:  Hieronymus Bosch (circa 1450–1516) or follower [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Follow Me

 ^[1]   

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

For VIDEO of this devotion go HERE

As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.  He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival.  But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem.  When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”  But Jesus turned and rebuked them.  So they went on to another village.  As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”  He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”  The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”  But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead!  Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”  Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”  But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:51-62 (NLT)

Did you ever notice how easy it is to get on somebody’s list….and how agonizingly-hard it can be to get off?  Jesus said follow me to lots of folk; but he didn’t make it easy to join the band; he wanted them to have their eyes wide-open about the cost of following.

There are three primary costs of following Jesus in this text:

      

      1.     Sometimes you must forbear

James and John wanted to call down judgment on the rude Samaritans.  Jesus rebuked them; it wasn’t their job to judge, even in the face of injustice and unfair evil attacks.

We watched “Selma” last week; Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to non-violent resistance of oppression was the epitome of what Jesus wanted in disciples.  James and John had a long way to go.

      2.     Sometimes you must forego

One person offered to follow Jesus in whatever direction, and to whatever length the journey took him.  Jesus said, really?  Then he laid-out the retirement plan – zero!  There would be no assurance of even a place to lie down and rest. 

Are you sure you want to follow?

      3.     Sometimes you must forge-on

The last two people in our text wanted to take care of family responsibilities first – then follow Jesus anywhere.  Jesus said, if that’s how you organize your priorities you’re not ready to follow ME.

The point is not that Jesus doesn’t value family – there’s too much Scriptural evidence otherwise.  The point is that sometimes family expectations and tradition will make it hard to keep your eye on the goal of serving the Kingdom.  And sometimes your family will just, plain, not understand.

At such times you’ve got to know that when all else is weighed – family responsibilities, cultural expectations, injustice and the cries of whatever crowd the crowd is following these days – at the end of the day, if you’re following Jesus, you’re going to have to follow Jesus.  You must forge-on.

For You Today

Is there anything that wants to take Jesus’ place?

Let the dead bury the dead…follow Christ; but do it with eyes wide-open.  It won’t be easy, and you will get tired, hungry, overstressed and underappreciated. 

Sounds like there are crosses in your future!

---

[1] Title image:  By Keven Law from Los Angeles, USA, via Wikimedia Commons