Yes, Jesus Loves Me!

Heart to Heart from the Housewrights

 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. - John 11:1-5 (ESV)

In our morning coffee and devotions today Missy and I read one from Max Lucado that included a quote from his book The Great House of God. It says:

When a friend tells Jesus of the illness of Lazarus, he says, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” He doesn’t base his appeal on the imperfect love of the one in need, but on the perfect love of the Savior. He doesn’t say, “The one who loves you is sick.” He says, “The one you love is sick.” The power of prayer, in other words, does not depend on the one who makes the prayer, but on the one who hears the prayer…We can and must repeat the phrase in manifold ways. “The one you love is tired, sad, hungry, lonely, fearful, depressed.” The words of the prayer vary, but the response never changes. The Savior hears the prayer. He silences heaven, so he won’t miss a word. He hears the prayer.” 

- Grace for the Moment, March 21st entry.

The one You love. Those words should give us a strong assurance. Those words should bring encouragement. Those words should be life-changing and life-sustaining. The one You love.

We (the church) are always - and it’s not a bad thing - proclaiming our love for God. Our love for Jesus. Our love for his Holy Spirit. Our love for God’s people. Our love for the lost. We should love! After all, it is the supreme command of life: One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:35-40 (BSB).

But, more than our love for God or others is the fact that God loves us. “While we were yet sinners (still sinning) Christ died for us - this proves God’s love for us,” Romans 5:8. “We love because he first loved us,” I John 4:19.

“The one You love.”

God loves you. God loves us. “For God so loved the world…”

Now, what do we do with that truth? What do you do with that truth?

Well, if you are like us, you are struggling or will struggle. We all go through moments of confusion and days of darkness. We encounter seemingly unconquerable mountains and treacherous waves. We face situations where there seems to be no escape and people who simply drain us dry. We become lonely, we hurt, we cry.

Yet, these moments are fleeting. They are temporary. They do not last - although we may think they do. But, God’s love is permanent. God’s love is forever. God’s love outlasts. God’s love overcomes. God’s love cannot be stopped.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 NLT)

Missy and I are facing a lot of trials right now. It seems the enemy has clocked into work and has decided to work overtime! Yet, we must always remember that, circumstances being what they may be, we have One who loves us. That, our friends, is what gives us all overcoming joy and sustaining strength.

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. 

Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.

Jesus loves me, he who died, heaven's gate to open wide.

He will wash away my sin, let his little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

Fresh Fruit

Heart to Heart from the Housewrights…

                                                       

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law….So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:1; 16-25 (NLT)

Anyone else purchased any fruit recently? Do you, like us, take a moment to touch it, press it, sniff it, check it out and make sure it’s fresh? Or, are we the only ones, and you walk by us in the local store and just shake your head and wag your finger at people who take precautions to not buy rotten fruit?

Freshness in our food is critical. It keeps us healthy, keeps the human body functioning at peak performance, elevates moods, and creates an opportunity for general well being.

Rotten food? Ugh, throw it out!

Well, if this is true of food - how much more so when it comes to the spiritual fruit of people!

The world is in dire need of fresh fruit from God’s people. But, just what does that mean?

What is spiritual fruit? In regards to Paul’s letter to the fellowship in Galatia, the question ought to be phrased in the plural: What are fruits of a follower of Jesus?

Thankfully, the New Testament offers us specific answers to the question. And, Charles Ryrie, known for the Ryrie Study Bible, and author of So Great Salvation gives the following information which is helpful in learning about the fruit/fruits of the Spirit of God.

Firstly, Christians are, by name, followers of Christ. And Christ has commanded those who love him to follow him. To be like him. Therefore, “if the goal of the Christian life may be stated as Christlikeness, then surely every trait developed in us that reflects His character must be fruit that is very pleasing to Him. Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in nine terms in Galatians 5:22-23, and Peter urges the development of seven accompaniments to faith in order that we might be fruitful (2 Peter 1:5-8). Two of these terms are common to both lists: love and self-control. The others are joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, virtue, knowledge, endurance, piety, and brotherly love. To show these character traits is to bear fruit in one's life.”

Secondly, if we produce a Christ-like character it will “result in right conduct, and as we live a life of good works we produce fruit (Colossians 1:10). This goes hand in hand with increasing in the knowledge of God, for as we learn what pleases Him, our fruitful works become more and more conformed to that knowledge.” Think of it this way, as you read the Gospel accounts we learn what it means to be a disciple/follower of Christ. That knowledge then fosters change in our thinking and behavior - which then brings freshness to the lives of the people all around us. Consider the addict who goes through recovery and is now a changed person - what a difference the fruit they are now bearing makes in their life and the lives of those who love them!

Thirdly, the fruit which we produce is to be “consumed” by the people around us and bring life and health to them. To a world without hope, love, grace or mercy, our fruit is the joy which brings light that overcomes the darkness. Therefore, “those who come to Christ through our witness are fruit. Paul longed to go to Rome to have some fruit from his ministry there (Romans 1:13), and he characterized the conversion of the household of Stephanas as the first fruits of Achaia (I Corinthians 16:15).” Fresh fruit creates new life. Not for us - but for others as well.

Fourthly, “we may also bear fruit with our lips by giving praise to God and thankfully confessing His name (Hebrews 13:15). In other words, our lips bear fruit when we offer thankful acknowledgement to the name of God. And this is something we should do continually.” Want others to truly believe you have changed - change your language. “For out of the mouth flows the issues of the heart…”

Fifthly, we bear beneficial fruit when we give. It may be a sensitive subject to some but the “love of/greed for money is the root of all evil.” Hence, if we are to follow Jesus and bear fruit befitting such a relationship…our money will be his and his alone. It is not what we earn. It is what he has provided. It is not our retirement. It is his to bless others. It is not that extra car we think we might need…it is the car we give to someone else who has none. “Paul designated the collection of money for the poorer saints in Jerusalem as fruit (Romans 15:28). Too, when he thanked the Philippians for their financial support of his ministry, he said that their act of giving brought fruit to their account (Philippians 4:17).” (Charles Ryrie, So Great Salvation, Victor Books, 1989, pp. 49-50.)

Fresh fruit. It’s not just found at the grocery store or fruit stand!

Incarnation and You

Heart to Heart from the Housewrights…

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son - John 1:6-14 (NLT)

“The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding…” Martin Luther, Table Talk.

There are many theological terms which are elusive to the normal Christian: soteriology; ontological; salvific; cessationist; antinomianism; epistemology…whew, brain freeze.

But, there is one term which we should all know and understand: incarnation.

During the Christian seasons of Advent and Christmas-time the family of Christ remembers and celebrates the fact of the incarnation. So, what is it? What does incarnation mean?

Incarnation simply means this: a particular form of physical state; the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form. Specifically, as the Christian faith is concerned: the union of the Divine with humanity in the form of Jesus Christ.

It is why the gospel of John begins by sharing this truth: “So the Word became human and made his home among us.” God (Divine) came to his creation and became one of us (human).

Geoff Moore and the Distance had a song called “One of Us.” The lyrics are:

How could He know much less sympathize with one who has fallen as often as I

To a world that was lost how could He show us the way

This mystery I don't understand, somehow our God became a man.

To every child to every man Who's longing for someone Who will understand

To each tender heart crying alone in the night

Lift up your eyes to a holy King - Who's walked the road of humanity

He was one of us - somehow like you and me - the God we serve breathed the air that we breathe. He stood where we stand, so He knows what we need - He was one of us.

He was one of us.

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler.

One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!"

The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn't. Instead he said, "You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!"

“You have given yourself!”

God was/is willing to make most any accommodation to have fellowship with us. Even becoming human. God has given himself. Incarnation.

Someone has written:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
If your greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

As much as we love the above thoughts - perhaps we would tweak that last sentence by saying this: “Our greatest need is relationship - so God sent himself.”

Now, let’s apply this knowledge and truth of the incarnation to each of our lives. God has sent YOU to where you are, to be with who you are with, to share what he has entrusted to you, to bless those whose paths you cross.

Today, tomorrow - every day left in your life - is a day of the incarnation. YOU are the heart, voice, hands and feet of Christ to a world in desperate need of good news.

Maybe that’s why Jesus’ command to his disciples was “Go.”

Come Over Here and Help Us!

Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day. Next, Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. - Acts 16:4-10

“Come over to Macedonia and help us!” What a powerful and yet oft neglected verse of the New Testament. 

In North America the church of Jesus Christ has taken a real hit. Some of the loss is self-inflicted - other things beyond our control have also stymied us over the past few decades. It’s true and indisputable - the “church” has been losing “members” for decades now. The decline is evident - both numerically and, unfortunately, spiritually.

Yet, one wonders if we should be viewing this from a different perspective.

In other words, is this the opportunity we have been praying for? To quote a teacher from long ago: are “the fields white with harvest?”

We believe they are.

Which is why, after years of praying and wondering, Missy and I are (as an AARP-aged couple no less) answering the call to plant a church. We have heard the call come from “Macedonia:” “Come over here and help us!”

God has spoken clearly to us. His Holy Spirit has been directing and leading us all along the way. We have seen a great need and have a desire to fill it. Answering our “Macedonian call,” Missy and I are moving to Alabama to plant a church on the Eastern Side of Mobile Bay.

And God has already been opening doors for us to walk through.

We would like to take some time to explain to you what God is calling us to do…

First off, this will not be a traditional church plant as you might be thinking. We are looking to focus on only three things:
    Fellowship (lots and lots of time together!)
    Discipleship (spending lots of time doing in depth Bible study and the other spiritual disciplines)
    Service (our love for God should reveal itself in our love for others. Period)

Secondly, we will not be seeking to build a church numerically. We will not be focused on numbers. That is the way of the world. We will not care about numbers. We will care about people.

Also, we will not have a budget. (We know, some of your heads are spinning right now.)There will be no overhead for us. Each week we will take whatever funds are given, and collectively as a group agree to whom/what we will be sending our gifts to. Then we will turn around and immediately be a blessing to someone. 

Furthermore, we will not worry one second about trying something new out...you know, doing something different. We will not be caged by tradition or a "This is the way we have always done it!" mentality. Rather, we will be free to place new wine into new wineskins.

Now. What will be our aim?

We will focus on growing people. We will keep our primary concern on seeing people mature in Christ and growing closer to God. We will invest our time in them - via Bible studies, small group ministries, prayer groups, and service groups.

We will train people to be leaders. If there is a shortage of anything in Christ’s church it is leadership. But, to be a leader of others you must first be a follower of Jesus. Therefore, one of our aims will be to teach others to become leaders.

We will train others to be leaders so they may then go out and serve. We do not want people to just gather - we want to gather so then we will “go.” We desire to take to others what has been given to us.

We will serve together. That’s one thing that we cannot wait to do - Missy and I understood and accepted as co-pastors. Both of us. Together. A team. And, our fellowship will recognize it as well.

And all the while, we will do all things in joy. Fellowship, koinonia, will be a hallmark of who we are and what we do. Think of it this way: lots of food, lots of laughter, lots of sharing, lots of playing games, lots of just hanging out at the local high school activities...fun times!

Some people call what we are going to do “marketplace ministry.” That’s not a bad way of looking at it. We will both be working normal jobs. We will not look to ask people to come to us…we will be going to them. Kind of like Jesus and the disciples in the New Testament.

And maybe that last sentence explains best what God has laid upon our hearts. We want to do what we read and see in the New Testament. We want to be like Jesus. As Paul writes, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” May that be said of us all.

Please be in prayer for us. Please ask God to continue to lead us. Please ask God to anoint us with his Holy Spirit. Please seek for God’s favor to be upon us as we reach out to those he places in our path. May God use us all for his glory…

The Foundation of Forgiveness

 August 30, 2022

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your Name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:6-14 (NLT)

There’s been a lot of talk about forgiveness recently. Primarily, financial loan forgiveness in the billion-dollar higher education industry. This written offering will not tackle that issue.

What we do want to focus on is the term forgiveness. (Seems to be something a lot of forgiven prople have forgotten about...) It’s something we all want to take effect in our own lives but often redact from others. After all, to err is human, but to forgive - that’s out of the question!

In our text this week we see that forgiveness is the “bullseye” of this section of the Sermon on the Mount. Let’s take a quick look at this wonderful word.

The original word in Greek is ἀφίημι - pronounced af-ee'-ay-mee. It is properly defined as meaning “to send away, leave alone, permit.” If we were to do a word study of it we would find that aphíēmi is a compound word from apó, "away from" and hiēmi, "send.” Put that together and we have - to send away; release (discharge).

Literally, forgiveness means to release or discharge someone from something.

In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance we find that "to forgive" is to send; to send forth; to cry, forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, let be, let go, let have, omit, put away, send away, remit, suffer, yield up.

That’s a whole lot more than we bargained for huh?

When we speak of forgiveness it can be a tough mental exercise. Why? Because, when we look at the concept of forgiveness and then employ it in our lives, we have to do a quick (ok, sometimes long) inventory of what someone else has done to us. And that is exhausting.

Sure, it may make you feel good for a few moments to rant and rave about someone else’s shortcomings. It may give you a brief interlude of satisfaction to let someone know how you feel about what they said or did, or didn’t say or do. You might even feel a sense of revenge when you are able to hold power and sway over someone - simply by not forgiving them.

Thank God, Jesus doesn’t think or act like us. Nor should his followers.

Followers of Jesus should be committed to a life of releasing forgiveness into the lives of others. John Stott tells the story about Marghanita Laski, a well known secular humanist and writer. Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor on television, she said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me." Are you somebody who is willing to forgive others?

Followers of Jesus should be first in line to offer forgiveness. There's a story of a Spanish father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father. On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. Are you willing to not give up on those who have hurt and dissappointed you and offer forgiveness?

Followers of Jesus should be the greatest examples of releasing people from the prison of guilt. Karl Menninger, the famed psychiatrist, once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent of them could walk out the next day! Are you willing to forgive so that another may be whole?

Followers of Jesus should be willing to forgive themselves. In a dream, Martin Luther found himself being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of Luther's sins, and held it before him. On reaching the end of the scroll Luther asked the devil, "Is that all?" "No!" came the abrupt and loud reply. A second scroll was thrust in front of him. Then, after a second came a third! But now the devil had no more. "You've forgotten something," Luther exclaimed with a barely noticeable smile. "Quickly write on each of them, 'The blood of Jesus Christ God's son cleanses us from all sins.'" Are you willing to forgive yourself the way Jesus forgives you?

It really is all about forgiveness. It is the foundation to everything. Otherwise, why did Paul write to the church in Romans 5:7-9: "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!"

So, the question really is simple: how strong is your foundation?

Help! The Gift of Learning to Lean...on Others

The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 

(Proverbs 15:14)

Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.

(Proverbs 15:22)

The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. 

(Proverbs 18:15)

Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words. 

(Proverbs 23:9)

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. 

(Proverbs 23:12)

There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; but the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. (Proverbs 20:15)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Most people hate to ask others for help. Rather than seeking a “helping hand” they have that “I can do it on my own” mentality. Sure, YouTube can help us repair our cars, dryers, and computers. Shoot, you can even learn how to build a house out of pallets!

But, there are some things in life that you just can’t YouTube. Some problems, some situations are just beyond help from a video.

Yet, we still remain stubborn and refuse to ask for help. Maybe we don’t want to feel like a burden…maybe we are a bit too prideful…maybe we are embarrassed…maybe we just like being in control of everything all the time…or maybe we hate anything that feels like a hand out.

Well, we are here to say that there is nothing wrong with asking for or seeking help. In fact, Scripture encourages it. In truth - Christians must ask God for help daily or we will not get very far in life while trying to live off of our own strength or wisdom.

We are such a prideful and arrogant bunch…and remember, “Pride comes before the fall…”

In any situation you find yourself, God wants you to ask for help. The church has far too long spread the lies that, “This is your cross to bear,” or “You just gotta have faith and it will all work out.” We are not meant to go through life alone, without one another, without help. Why do you think in Genesis, God says, “It is not right that a man should be alone…?” Hmmmm.

Believing that we can do everything by ourselves without any help ultimately leads to failure. Trusting in the Lord God is the only solution we should ever seek. As it says in Proverbs 3:5&6 - “Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and do not lean unto your own understanding - in all of your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Trust in the Lord.

Sometimes God helps us by doing things Himself (miracle) and sometimes God helps us through other people (still a miracle). None of us must never be fearful of asking for help - from God or from one another.

Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re weak - even though we usually do not ask for help until we finally figure out we cannot do whatever it is we need done on our own! Actually, seeking help from God and from others proves you are strong and wise.

Being proud is a sin - and an act of pure rebellion against our Creator - and it is why many people fail to ask for help even when they so desperately need it. My, oh my, how the enemy must love it when we try to do everything on our own.

Why are we writing about this? Yesterday, Missy and I were outside. Our dogs were sniffing around and I noticed one of them stopping under a tree. I went over to inspect whatever it was he was focused on.

It was a baby bird. Helpless. Laying on the ground. Its nest a good ten feet above its head.

Momma bird was screeching at the top of her lungs. Daddy bird was swirling everywhere. They were both helpless as well.

We went and got the ladder, gently picked up the helpless little fellow, climbed up the ladder to the nest and, with both bird parents going berserk, placed it back with its siblings.

After another thirty minutes or so of Momma bird screaming and Daddy bird flying circles they finally settled down. Next thing we noticed was Momma bird getting food and taking it back to the nest while Daddy bird sat on the fence. All was well in the Mulberry tree once again.

All they needed was a little help.

Don’t we all?

William Shultz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip tells this story. “People need people. Our daughter Laurie was about three when one night she requested my aid in getting undressed. I was downstairs and she was upstairs, and ... well. ‘You know how to undress yourself,’ I reminded her. ‘Yes,’ she explained, 'but sometimes people need people anyway, even if they do know how to do things by themselves." (Bits & Pieces, December 1990).

People need people. People need God. Learn to ask for help from both.

We are so great at giving help we forget that when we do not ask for help from others we are denying them that same great feeling we receive when we help others. True, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” but it sure feels good when we are drowning and someone throws us a life-line.

Ask for help. You will find it. And, you will be blest. By the way, if you need help with anything - we are here for you. And, we hope and pray, you are here for us…

Take An Interest In Others

 

May 24, 2022

Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful. Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible. When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time (Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders). Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions. Colossians 4:2-6 (CEV)

Dale Carnegie wrote one of our culture’s most famous books: How to Win Friends and Influence People. You may recall one of his salient points: “Become genuinely interested in other people.”

Or, as Paul put it 2,000 years ago: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders,” (v. 5a). If there were ever a verse needed for Christians today it is that one.

Why in the world can we not treat people nice? After all, we sure are good at treating ourselves well. Pedicures. Manicures. Selfies. Buying stuff for ourselves. Manipulating others to get what we want. Self-promoting. Self-absorbed. We even have a sense of entitlement.

We love ourselves so much we have forgotten how to love one another. And, ironically, that is what the world preaches and teaches: Me! Me! Me! Love yourself!

The word of God, in direct contrast, continually reminds us: “Love one another;” “Love your neighbor as yourself;” “Love your enemies;” “The greatest of these is love.”

And that is what Paul is truly pointing at, we think, in these verses from Colossians - love. Specifically, loving those who do not believe. Which is what Jesus was speaking about when he said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” Matthew 5:44-46).

The story is told of Gordon Maxwell, missionary to India, that when he asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, the Hindu replied: “No, Sahib, I will not teach you my language. You would make me a Christian.” Gordon Maxwell replied, “You misunderstand me. I am simply asking you to teach me your language.” Again the Hindu responded, “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No person can live with you and not become a Christian.”

“No person can live with you and not become a Christian.”

Let us ask you a question: Do the people living around you know you love them? Not put clothes on their back and feed them love them. Not “go shopping or fishing with someone” love. Not “Here’s something you need” love. We are talking about loving someone in a way that reflects your desire for them to hear the Good News of Jesus. Can anyone live with you and “not become a Christian?” 

How do we express this love? How do we live with others in such a way that they will have no choice but to become a Christian?

You make the time you spend with unbelievers count.

Listen to them. Ask about them. Be interested in them. Be focused on them. Spend yourself on them. Let them know - without words - that you love them…by the way you treat them.

In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington.

In Ephrata there also lived Michael Wittman, who for whatever reason did all he could to oppose, deride and humiliate Preacher Miller. In an incredible turn of events, one day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason - a crime for which the only punishment was death.

Once he found out about the unfortunate situation, Peter Miller did the unthinkable: he traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of his enemy, the traitor.

"No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend."

"My friend!?" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the most bitter enemy I have."

"What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. Wittman, I'll grant your pardon."

Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend.

That is being interested in someone else. That is truly loving them. Sure, most of us will never have to walk the path of Preacher Miller. However, don’t we all have people around us who we are not friends with? Don’t we all have people who refuse to have anything to do with us?

Still, shouldn’t we be interested in them? In their lives? In their eternal destination? If we love them we will…