8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Dr. Laura: Shame On You
I was listening to Dr. Laura while in my car a few days ago. I don't generally turn her on at home but do while I am driving around town, mostly for comic relief. Although this time, the answer she gave to a young married woman, enraged me.
The woman was complaining that her husband was an "excessive compulsive" personality and somewhat of a controller.
Dr. Laura's quick and ill-considered answer was beyond belief. She told the woman that she had picked her husband unwisely and must correct her mistake. The inference was that the woman should dump him by divorcing him. Then Dr. Laura gave her the alternative to dumping him, which was to have her tubes tied so that she would not bring children in to this "situation."
Dr. Laura's advice was not only uninformed but childish. We do not dump people we love just because they don't act exactly the way we like them to. We chose to love those we have committed ourselves to through marriage, by standing by them no matter what.
Secondly, how can Dr. Laura know for sure that this woman's opinion of her husband is correct. Women often state things in more dramatic terms than they really are. We are emotional creatures given to assumptions and perspectives based on our feelings. We can not trust our feelings, especially in a culture that had coddled and babied us all through our childhood.
My advise to that young woman would have been very different and I believe kinder than Dr. Laura's. I would have told the young woman that she may be overreacting, but for the sake of argument, let's assume she was not. Do we dump people because they don't meet our expectations? I would have asked for clarification as to what the wife was calling excessive compulsive. Is the woman in question doing her job as a homemaker and seeing to it that the work in the household is done for the sake of her family? Is she selfish and lazy? We don't know which is true by her testimony alone. Did she throw out that "psychological" term "excessive compulsive" to manipulate Dr. Laura into an answer she wanted to hear?
Thirty second marriage counseling can not be effective or accurate. It is showmanship of the worst kind. Playing counselor for three hours, possibly ruining the lives of people in thirty second snippets for the sake of ratings, is unconscionable.
I used to enjoy Dr. Laura, she would extol the virtues of homemaking and taking care of your man as though she really believed it. Is it possible that Dr. Laura only believes in these principles if we are married to perfect people.
I have news for Dr. Laura, no one is perfect. We all have things that we need to work on in order to grow into a better person, we don't divorce over them, we grow and change and work them out.
I was also angry when Dr. Laura used the phrase, "these kind of people don't change." It is an untruth. Many people change, and so what if they don't, we learn to accept the quirks in people and love them anyway.
One thing Dr. Laura does not understand, is that in Christ we can and do change. But being an unbeliever, Dr. Laura would not understand that changing power of Christ in someones life. She would never point anyone to faith in Jesus Christ. Because she does not believe people change, she leaves the caller with no hope at all for the marriage relationship that is experiencing trials.
Christians should not listen to Dr. Laura for advise. She does not know the Lord and will not counsel from the Word of God.
God's Word, as believers, is our authority for the situations of life. But in order to know God's way we must read His Word for general principles and then ask Him for direction on the specifics. If we seek the Holy Spirit for our wisdom, we will not go wrong. A perfect God has the perfect answer to everything.
The woman was complaining that her husband was an "excessive compulsive" personality and somewhat of a controller.
Dr. Laura's quick and ill-considered answer was beyond belief. She told the woman that she had picked her husband unwisely and must correct her mistake. The inference was that the woman should dump him by divorcing him. Then Dr. Laura gave her the alternative to dumping him, which was to have her tubes tied so that she would not bring children in to this "situation."
Dr. Laura's advice was not only uninformed but childish. We do not dump people we love just because they don't act exactly the way we like them to. We chose to love those we have committed ourselves to through marriage, by standing by them no matter what.
Secondly, how can Dr. Laura know for sure that this woman's opinion of her husband is correct. Women often state things in more dramatic terms than they really are. We are emotional creatures given to assumptions and perspectives based on our feelings. We can not trust our feelings, especially in a culture that had coddled and babied us all through our childhood.
My advise to that young woman would have been very different and I believe kinder than Dr. Laura's. I would have told the young woman that she may be overreacting, but for the sake of argument, let's assume she was not. Do we dump people because they don't meet our expectations? I would have asked for clarification as to what the wife was calling excessive compulsive. Is the woman in question doing her job as a homemaker and seeing to it that the work in the household is done for the sake of her family? Is she selfish and lazy? We don't know which is true by her testimony alone. Did she throw out that "psychological" term "excessive compulsive" to manipulate Dr. Laura into an answer she wanted to hear?
Thirty second marriage counseling can not be effective or accurate. It is showmanship of the worst kind. Playing counselor for three hours, possibly ruining the lives of people in thirty second snippets for the sake of ratings, is unconscionable.
I used to enjoy Dr. Laura, she would extol the virtues of homemaking and taking care of your man as though she really believed it. Is it possible that Dr. Laura only believes in these principles if we are married to perfect people.
I have news for Dr. Laura, no one is perfect. We all have things that we need to work on in order to grow into a better person, we don't divorce over them, we grow and change and work them out.
I was also angry when Dr. Laura used the phrase, "these kind of people don't change." It is an untruth. Many people change, and so what if they don't, we learn to accept the quirks in people and love them anyway.
One thing Dr. Laura does not understand, is that in Christ we can and do change. But being an unbeliever, Dr. Laura would not understand that changing power of Christ in someones life. She would never point anyone to faith in Jesus Christ. Because she does not believe people change, she leaves the caller with no hope at all for the marriage relationship that is experiencing trials.
Christians should not listen to Dr. Laura for advise. She does not know the Lord and will not counsel from the Word of God.
God's Word, as believers, is our authority for the situations of life. But in order to know God's way we must read His Word for general principles and then ask Him for direction on the specifics. If we seek the Holy Spirit for our wisdom, we will not go wrong. A perfect God has the perfect answer to everything.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Violence, What Does It Look Like
So often we equate violence with a smack in the face or a some other physical action that causes fleshly injury. There is another kind of violence that is much more subtle and damaging even than that which wounds the physical body.
Some of us who have lived more than 50 years, remember the days when a man would never speak crude language in the presence of a lady. In the eighteen hundreds in England, ladies were not allowed to attend funerals, or bars, or canteens where men hung out. They were considered the gentle gender in need of protection from those things that may emotionally upset them. We know that women had many hardships in their daily lives. Even those who were of healed means, experienced personal loss at young ages. There were diseases, accidents and hard work for those who were commoners. The disease also struck the wealthy, death was a common occurrence for everyone. There were no lack of lessons to be learned in the hardships of life.
There was a mentality in the old days that is conspicuously lacking in our culture today. That is the depth of concern for the well being of others. The women especially have felt the brunt of missing protection from the men. The women blame the men for their selfishness, and the men blame the women for the same reason. When in fact, both bear some responsibility, but the men carry the weight of the responsibility for their misunderstanding of the vision of the Biblical man.
The men abdicated their responsibility in caring for the woman in a loving manner, and the women responded wrongly in anger rather than in prayer. Both are cop able but the man holds the headship position ultimately is accountable for the condition of the home.
In business, if a CEO is not able to motivate his people in a manner that is fair and equitable, then he is accountable to the company for it's success or failure. The underlings are not held responsible for the company as a whole, but the CEO is. When a leader rules harshly and selfishly, then he presents a formula for failure and disaster. Of course the underlings are responsible before God to obey, but they are also responsible before God to inform the leader in a help-meet tone to protect him from disaster or error.
When the two work together in a Biblical manner with all considerations toward pleasing God, then all works together well.
When the two work together in a Biblical manner with all considerations toward pleasing God, then all works together well.
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Letter To A Muslim
The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, according to God's Word, the Bible, mankind is "desperately wicked, without remedy." We can not be good, there is no good in any man or woman. We have "all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The Bible says that there is only One that is good and righteous an that is Christ Jesus. God said that the penalty for our sin is death, and that there are no good works of our own that could pay that penalty, not even death. So Christ came to earth, the creator and Son of God is One with the Father, and gave His own life to pay the debt that we owed. The sacrifice for sin was death of a perfect God, the death of an imperfect person would not do. Christ was the only suitable sacrifice and He did that for us, because He is love. God said "there is not greater love than that a man lay down his own life for his friend." Christ said, "if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father, because My Father and I are One." He said that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me." All that God requires is that we place our trust in Christ Himself and believe that He is God that saves us from our sin and from Hell, then begin to follow His commands. When we trust Christ, He changes us, we do not change ourselves. He, "makes us a new creation, all things have passed away , and all things have become new." He "writes His law on our hearts." When He changes us we begin to have a desire for His ways, we begin to love Him and yearn for Him. We have a relationship with Him as a dear friend and holy Savior. "We love Him because He first loved us." Before He gave us this new nature, we had no ability to love Him or anyone else. After He changes us, then we can love because He comes to live in our hearts, in our bodies and He does the loving through us. He saves us, He changes us, He keeps us and then He works His good works in us. Christ said, "our good deeds are as filthy rags." His works in us are perfect, we are not perfect, but He is perfect. My deep undying desire is for Muslims to come to know Christ as their personal Savior and have the assurance of salvation through Christ Jesus. God said that we can know we are saved if we trust Christ. We don't have to guess or hope we do enough good to merit heaven. What kind of a god would allow 49% evil in His presence. Our God is a holy God and can not allow any evil in His presence, but thankfully He provided a way, that "we be holy as He is holy." And, that is through His Son Christ Jesus. Please pray today and ask God who He is and ask Him if this is true. He will answer you because our God is One who wants you to know the truth and He wants to be your friend as well as your God and Savior. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
We Have A Home Reserved For Us In Heaven
Once Saved Always Saved
We must first understand that we are not saved by works of our own. Galatians 2:16“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Christ’s blood on the cross was the payment for the debt of sin that we owed. If Christ paid our debt for us, what more could a mere human do to add to that sacrifice.
God says that our good works are as filthy rags. They are worth less than nothing. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags;”
Before we get started there is a question that needs to be answered. That question is, when God does a work, is there anything that man can do to undo what He has done?” This is an important question because one of the characteristics of the sovereignty of God is that no one can change His decree any more than a surf can change the decision of an earthly king. We can appeal to the king, just as we can appeal to God, but when a king or the King of Kings declares something to be so, then it is permanent. God can change his mind if He so desires but His character does not change. He said “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And what ever He so desires, that He does.” Job 23:13
John 6:39 “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” God says here that He WILL raise us up on the last day, if we have placed our trust in Christ Jesus. He says in this verse that we will have EVERLASTING life. Everlasting begins at the moment of salvation.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” This statement is really a statement that "you will" continue to believe.
Romans 8:3-39 “Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor THINGS TO COME, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you WILL complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are IRREVOCABLE.”
1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, RESERVED in heaven for you.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” We are no longer the person we used to be we are changed, permanently changed. And, it was Christ that did the changing.
2 Corinthians 1:22 “who (God) also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit.”
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We have the Kings seal upon us. We belong to Him.
Ephesians 5:8 “For you were ONCE darkness, but NOW you are light in the Lord, Walk as children of the light.”
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
If someone is living in continual sin without guilt or remorse, then it is likely that they have never surrendered their life to Christ in the first place. We must remember that we can not save ourselves by our good works and we can not clean ourselves up enough to satisfy a Holy God. He must do the saving and He must do the cleansing. God said "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You see, He does the cleansing, but we must confess. And repent, repent meaning to turn from sin toward Christ, and He will do the rest.
After we have confessed and become cleansed by the Lord, He then sends us the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit is our helper that Christ promised and our seal as mentioned earlier.
What a weight is lifted from us when we realize that we cannot earn heaven and that Christ did it for us. Resting in His arms as He takes us through life is more blessed than anything on earth.
Blessings to you all. I hope that you have now or will find this peace that Christ can give through His Word and Strength.
We must first understand that we are not saved by works of our own. Galatians 2:16“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Christ’s blood on the cross was the payment for the debt of sin that we owed. If Christ paid our debt for us, what more could a mere human do to add to that sacrifice.
God says that our good works are as filthy rags. They are worth less than nothing. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags;”
Before we get started there is a question that needs to be answered. That question is, when God does a work, is there anything that man can do to undo what He has done?” This is an important question because one of the characteristics of the sovereignty of God is that no one can change His decree any more than a surf can change the decision of an earthly king. We can appeal to the king, just as we can appeal to God, but when a king or the King of Kings declares something to be so, then it is permanent. God can change his mind if He so desires but His character does not change. He said “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And what ever He so desires, that He does.” Job 23:13
John 6:39 “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” God says here that He WILL raise us up on the last day, if we have placed our trust in Christ Jesus. He says in this verse that we will have EVERLASTING life. Everlasting begins at the moment of salvation.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” This statement is really a statement that "you will" continue to believe.
Romans 8:3-39 “Yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor THINGS TO COME, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you WILL complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are IRREVOCABLE.”
1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, RESERVED in heaven for you.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” We are no longer the person we used to be we are changed, permanently changed. And, it was Christ that did the changing.
2 Corinthians 1:22 “who (God) also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit.”
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We have the Kings seal upon us. We belong to Him.
Ephesians 5:8 “For you were ONCE darkness, but NOW you are light in the Lord, Walk as children of the light.”
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
If someone is living in continual sin without guilt or remorse, then it is likely that they have never surrendered their life to Christ in the first place. We must remember that we can not save ourselves by our good works and we can not clean ourselves up enough to satisfy a Holy God. He must do the saving and He must do the cleansing. God said "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You see, He does the cleansing, but we must confess. And repent, repent meaning to turn from sin toward Christ, and He will do the rest.
After we have confessed and become cleansed by the Lord, He then sends us the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit is our helper that Christ promised and our seal as mentioned earlier.
What a weight is lifted from us when we realize that we cannot earn heaven and that Christ did it for us. Resting in His arms as He takes us through life is more blessed than anything on earth.
Blessings to you all. I hope that you have now or will find this peace that Christ can give through His Word and Strength.
Monday, May 10, 2010
End Times Heartache, But Eternal Hope
We live in a culture today that loves to laugh and enjoy the pleasures of life. It is a culture that will not be corrected, because correction brings unhappiness. In the United States today we see that unhappiness is to be avoided at all costs, even at the expense of important life lessons.
It is unthinkable that we should experience sadness, in the minds of the typical American. According to the Lord, it is unthinkable that we avoid sadness at the peril of learned ignorance. The Word of God teaches us to glory when we experience trials, for they cultivate character in us.
Romans 5:3-5 says, "And not ony that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
In these last days we see the attitudes that are outlined in the Scripture when pleasure and happiness become our goal in life. Entertainment, personal gratification and self indulgence in all areas of life, have created the culture that we have today identical to the description we see in 2 Timothy 3:2-7.
"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, promise breakers, false accusers, lacking self control, fierce, despisers of those who are good, Traiters, heady highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Those of us who love the Word of God will be chastised in these last days for our "negativity" in exposing these attitudes. In order to remain possitive in our present state, culturally, we must be phoney. We must not call things what they really are and we must ignore sin and maintain a pretense of righteousness.
I am reminded of the Scripture that says, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Matthew 15:8-9
We have been trained on "Self Esteem" for the past 40 years. We have been raised to love ourselves above all else and we become enraged when we are confronted with opposition or disciplined for misbehavior.
How can a culture, in such a state as this, ever be trained or taught according to the Scriputres that continually, convict and redirect "normal human" behavior. We are predisposed to wickedness and selfishness. How can we ever repent and be changed when we will not allow any negativity into our sphere of influence, and when we negate and ignore those who are attempting to bring Scriptual standards of Christ-likeness into our teaching.
The influence, weight and pressure of the media has turned our world into a desolate hotbed of carnality. It truly is "as in the days of Noah", when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Proverbs 13:18 "Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards reproof will be honored."
Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.
God's instruction for us is that we "set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Colossians 3:2,5
God also instructs us in how we can avoid becoming like the world around us, He says; "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2
How can we accomplish these principles when our lives are full of those around us who are living wickedly and selfishly? I think that the answer is to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks. When someone will not listen to wise counsel we are to shake the dust from our feet and walk away. God says that "evil company corrupts good character." Those who do not wish to obey God will continually bring strife into our lives and keep us in a state of sadness. After walking away, we must stay in prayer for them, and for ourselves that we do not indulge in bitterness.
"Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
The more we think on the things God has commanded in Philippians, the darker the actions and attitudes around us will appear. The only way to survive the deluge of wickedness on a daily basis is to stay close to God's Word and prayer. When we look to Him, we acknowledge that we are not citizens of this world and our hope is not earthly. We are just passing through temporarily and soon we will be home, where all things will be made right.
Keep looking up, for our redemption draws near. Hallelujah!!
It is unthinkable that we should experience sadness, in the minds of the typical American. According to the Lord, it is unthinkable that we avoid sadness at the peril of learned ignorance. The Word of God teaches us to glory when we experience trials, for they cultivate character in us.
Romans 5:3-5 says, "And not ony that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
In these last days we see the attitudes that are outlined in the Scripture when pleasure and happiness become our goal in life. Entertainment, personal gratification and self indulgence in all areas of life, have created the culture that we have today identical to the description we see in 2 Timothy 3:2-7.
"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, promise breakers, false accusers, lacking self control, fierce, despisers of those who are good, Traiters, heady highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Those of us who love the Word of God will be chastised in these last days for our "negativity" in exposing these attitudes. In order to remain possitive in our present state, culturally, we must be phoney. We must not call things what they really are and we must ignore sin and maintain a pretense of righteousness.
I am reminded of the Scripture that says, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
Matthew 15:8-9
We have been trained on "Self Esteem" for the past 40 years. We have been raised to love ourselves above all else and we become enraged when we are confronted with opposition or disciplined for misbehavior.
How can a culture, in such a state as this, ever be trained or taught according to the Scriputres that continually, convict and redirect "normal human" behavior. We are predisposed to wickedness and selfishness. How can we ever repent and be changed when we will not allow any negativity into our sphere of influence, and when we negate and ignore those who are attempting to bring Scriptual standards of Christ-likeness into our teaching.
The influence, weight and pressure of the media has turned our world into a desolate hotbed of carnality. It truly is "as in the days of Noah", when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Proverbs 13:18 "Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards reproof will be honored."
Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.
God's instruction for us is that we "set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Colossians 3:2,5
God also instructs us in how we can avoid becoming like the world around us, He says; "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2
How can we accomplish these principles when our lives are full of those around us who are living wickedly and selfishly? I think that the answer is to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks. When someone will not listen to wise counsel we are to shake the dust from our feet and walk away. God says that "evil company corrupts good character." Those who do not wish to obey God will continually bring strife into our lives and keep us in a state of sadness. After walking away, we must stay in prayer for them, and for ourselves that we do not indulge in bitterness.
"Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
The more we think on the things God has commanded in Philippians, the darker the actions and attitudes around us will appear. The only way to survive the deluge of wickedness on a daily basis is to stay close to God's Word and prayer. When we look to Him, we acknowledge that we are not citizens of this world and our hope is not earthly. We are just passing through temporarily and soon we will be home, where all things will be made right.
Keep looking up, for our redemption draws near. Hallelujah!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Unusual Mother's Day Thoughts
My husband asked me last night to write an introduction to a letter that he had written to his mother a few years ago. And, then to post the letter in its entirety here on my blog.
Many years ago Elsa Wehage left Saskatuan Canada at the age of 19 with her new husband Lawrence to make a home. The permanent home for the family was established in Portland Oregon, some 1500 miles from where she grew up, away from all her family.
Rodger's mother was terribly lonely the first year. It had been the first time in her life that she had lived away from brothers, sisters and her father. Her mother died when she was a very young girl, she never knew her. She was close to her father loving him very much.
Elsa once said to me that she was so lonely that first year away from home she felt she would run away and walk back home to the prairies. She didn't though, she remained with her husband and the many children that would come later. She was a devout Catholic, attending mass nearly every day for years with children in tow.
One of her sons, my husband, grew up and began to question the religion he was raised in. His desire as a small child was to know God, but the only way he knew to find Him was through the religion he was raised with. It was a comfortable place for him as he followed all the rituals and said all the expected prayers.
One day, the Lord opened his eyes to the truth about the Scriptures and his world opened up to a far more excellent way. Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ was a new concept for him, but oh so very satisfying. Truth always fills those empty spaces of our heart. As Rodger grew in his walk with the Lord he became more and more concerned about his family, especially his mother. He had been close to her over the years until the time that he left the Catholic church. The relationship was strained after that, although Rodger still felt a special place in his heart for his mother.
As the years passed, he desired to tell her about Christ's way of salvation outlined in Scripture. Over the years he had mentioned it from time to time, suggesting that she open the Bible that she had in her home. She would never do that and said that she would not ever consider any other religion except the one she was raised with.
Toward the end of her life, Rodger felt so deeply about his mother's salvation that he wrote a letter to her, praying that God would tell him whether or not he should give it to her. After praying about it, he sensed the Holy Spirit telling him not to pass on the letter.
Rodger's mother passed nearly a year ago, and just this week, he found the letter that he had written to her.
Rodger asked me to pass the letter on to others, during this season of Mother's Day so that they can see the foolishness of not receiving Christ, rejecting His Word and spurning His instruction. Elsa's funeral was a sad one, not because she passed, but because we did not know where she went.
Rodger passed a small copy of the gospel of John to her before she died, she said that she would read it but we never knew if she did.
Rodger's Letter
My Mother's Day Gift To You
Dear Mother,
Happy Mother's Day! This is the time of the year when I honor you for your faithful work through your many years as mother.
For a number of months now I have been urging you to read a book. This is not a book that I selected for you. It is not a book that pushes some new-fangled religion. It is a book that has been in your home , the home I grew up in ---from the very beginning, for well over 50 years now. The book I want you to read is the Bible.
Why has this book gathered so much dust?
Let me ask you a few questions. When you were first married, I would guess that some in your family back in Canada wrote letters to you. Some of those letters might have been written by your father. Did you treasure those letters by leaving them unread, sealed up in their envelopes, by storing them away in some safe and secure drawer? Or did you tear them open, anxiously reading and re-reading every word because you knew and loved these people, and so desperately wanted to know what was going on in their lives? Did you save those letters for a long time and maybe even go back and reread them, just so you could feel a little closer to those loved ones so far away?
And, if you did leave them sealed up unread, what did you say to those loved ones when you saw or spoke to them again? "Oh, hi. Say! I got y our letter and I just want you to know that it's in perfect condition, unwrinkled (and unread), stored away in a nice safe place." Would they have felt hurt that you didn't take the time to read their words to you, words where they opened their lives to your mind, words that they took great care in selecting to let you--you know what was going on in their lives?
So it is with the Bible!
These are the words of your Father. These are the words of God Almighty, preserved from ancient days for you---you personally. Our Father in heaven did not exercise such great and loving care to tell you about Himself simply to have you reverently store them away unread. He wrote those words with you specifically in mind because He loves you and wants you to learn firsthand (from His own mind) what He is like. He wants you to read them.
Stop and think. If a messenger brought to you a letter from your father in Canada, would you choose to cast it aside and instead decide to listen to what the messenger had to say about your father? What if that messenger had not had direct contact with your father but instead had been told about your father by another messenger who had heard from another messenger who had heard from another messenger, who had heard from another messenger, who had heard from another messenger (and so on)? Which would you choose---hear-say or your father's own words?
You see, Mom your Father (in heaven) is my Father (in heaven). And in my mind there is no hesitation. I want to read for myself my Father's own words. Just like the tapes I recorded of my earthly father --I can hear his own words.
I know you are afraid that what you may read in the Bible may challenge what you have been taught and have come to believe over the decades. You once said to me, "I will never change my religion." But I'm not asking you to do that. The Bible has always been the foundation of Christianity. It is the basis for our belief in Jesus Christ our Savior. I'm simply asking you to open the book you have always held up to me to be the true word of God our Father. I'm simply asking you to personally seek God through His own words.
I don't use the word "religion" as in "my religion" or "their religion" when I speak of my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and I love Him with all my heart and soul. The Bible says in John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." That's all --just believe in Jesus! Not doing this or that special thing. [That comes after you are saved for the bible also says that "a faith without works is a dead faith."] These truths are repeated and reaffirmed throughout the Bible [see Titus 3:4 for another example]. But you have to read to see God's message to you.
So my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior is a relationship, not a religion. Do you have that relationship, not a religion? Do you have that relationship? Do you believe what it says in the Bible in: John 3:16 and Titus 3:4
It's not me saying these words. It's that book that you have stored in a nice, safe, dust-free place in your home for the last 60 years. Maybe it's time for you to read it. Then, instead of me asking the question, "Do you believe?" you can ask yourself that question.
Your loving son,
Rodger
Many years ago Elsa Wehage left Saskatuan Canada at the age of 19 with her new husband Lawrence to make a home. The permanent home for the family was established in Portland Oregon, some 1500 miles from where she grew up, away from all her family.
Rodger's mother was terribly lonely the first year. It had been the first time in her life that she had lived away from brothers, sisters and her father. Her mother died when she was a very young girl, she never knew her. She was close to her father loving him very much.
Elsa once said to me that she was so lonely that first year away from home she felt she would run away and walk back home to the prairies. She didn't though, she remained with her husband and the many children that would come later. She was a devout Catholic, attending mass nearly every day for years with children in tow.
One of her sons, my husband, grew up and began to question the religion he was raised in. His desire as a small child was to know God, but the only way he knew to find Him was through the religion he was raised with. It was a comfortable place for him as he followed all the rituals and said all the expected prayers.
One day, the Lord opened his eyes to the truth about the Scriptures and his world opened up to a far more excellent way. Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ was a new concept for him, but oh so very satisfying. Truth always fills those empty spaces of our heart. As Rodger grew in his walk with the Lord he became more and more concerned about his family, especially his mother. He had been close to her over the years until the time that he left the Catholic church. The relationship was strained after that, although Rodger still felt a special place in his heart for his mother.
As the years passed, he desired to tell her about Christ's way of salvation outlined in Scripture. Over the years he had mentioned it from time to time, suggesting that she open the Bible that she had in her home. She would never do that and said that she would not ever consider any other religion except the one she was raised with.
Toward the end of her life, Rodger felt so deeply about his mother's salvation that he wrote a letter to her, praying that God would tell him whether or not he should give it to her. After praying about it, he sensed the Holy Spirit telling him not to pass on the letter.
Rodger's mother passed nearly a year ago, and just this week, he found the letter that he had written to her.
Rodger asked me to pass the letter on to others, during this season of Mother's Day so that they can see the foolishness of not receiving Christ, rejecting His Word and spurning His instruction. Elsa's funeral was a sad one, not because she passed, but because we did not know where she went.
Rodger passed a small copy of the gospel of John to her before she died, she said that she would read it but we never knew if she did.
Rodger's Letter
My Mother's Day Gift To You
Dear Mother,
Happy Mother's Day! This is the time of the year when I honor you for your faithful work through your many years as mother.
For a number of months now I have been urging you to read a book. This is not a book that I selected for you. It is not a book that pushes some new-fangled religion. It is a book that has been in your home , the home I grew up in ---from the very beginning, for well over 50 years now. The book I want you to read is the Bible.
Why has this book gathered so much dust?
Let me ask you a few questions. When you were first married, I would guess that some in your family back in Canada wrote letters to you. Some of those letters might have been written by your father. Did you treasure those letters by leaving them unread, sealed up in their envelopes, by storing them away in some safe and secure drawer? Or did you tear them open, anxiously reading and re-reading every word because you knew and loved these people, and so desperately wanted to know what was going on in their lives? Did you save those letters for a long time and maybe even go back and reread them, just so you could feel a little closer to those loved ones so far away?
And, if you did leave them sealed up unread, what did you say to those loved ones when you saw or spoke to them again? "Oh, hi. Say! I got y our letter and I just want you to know that it's in perfect condition, unwrinkled (and unread), stored away in a nice safe place." Would they have felt hurt that you didn't take the time to read their words to you, words where they opened their lives to your mind, words that they took great care in selecting to let you--you know what was going on in their lives?
So it is with the Bible!
These are the words of your Father. These are the words of God Almighty, preserved from ancient days for you---you personally. Our Father in heaven did not exercise such great and loving care to tell you about Himself simply to have you reverently store them away unread. He wrote those words with you specifically in mind because He loves you and wants you to learn firsthand (from His own mind) what He is like. He wants you to read them.
Stop and think. If a messenger brought to you a letter from your father in Canada, would you choose to cast it aside and instead decide to listen to what the messenger had to say about your father? What if that messenger had not had direct contact with your father but instead had been told about your father by another messenger who had heard from another messenger who had heard from another messenger, who had heard from another messenger, who had heard from another messenger (and so on)? Which would you choose---hear-say or your father's own words?
You see, Mom your Father (in heaven) is my Father (in heaven). And in my mind there is no hesitation. I want to read for myself my Father's own words. Just like the tapes I recorded of my earthly father --I can hear his own words.
I know you are afraid that what you may read in the Bible may challenge what you have been taught and have come to believe over the decades. You once said to me, "I will never change my religion." But I'm not asking you to do that. The Bible has always been the foundation of Christianity. It is the basis for our belief in Jesus Christ our Savior. I'm simply asking you to open the book you have always held up to me to be the true word of God our Father. I'm simply asking you to personally seek God through His own words.
I don't use the word "religion" as in "my religion" or "their religion" when I speak of my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and I love Him with all my heart and soul. The Bible says in John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." That's all --just believe in Jesus! Not doing this or that special thing. [That comes after you are saved for the bible also says that "a faith without works is a dead faith."] These truths are repeated and reaffirmed throughout the Bible [see Titus 3:4 for another example]. But you have to read to see God's message to you.
So my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior is a relationship, not a religion. Do you have that relationship, not a religion? Do you have that relationship? Do you believe what it says in the Bible in: John 3:16 and Titus 3:4
It's not me saying these words. It's that book that you have stored in a nice, safe, dust-free place in your home for the last 60 years. Maybe it's time for you to read it. Then, instead of me asking the question, "Do you believe?" you can ask yourself that question.
Your loving son,
Rodger
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