Monday, March 25, 2013

Be Humble and Gentle

Ephesians 4:2 
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. (NLT)

One who is humble is said to show meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit. They are not arrogant or prideful and show submissive respect. Being gentle is about being considerate or amiable. And patient is about being tolerant; showing understanding and handling whatever the situation is with calmness.

I bet you know someone who displays those traits. I wish I could say I do all the time. In low pressure situations, we all can put on those traits. We know how to act so we tailor or reactions to fit what we know to be correct.

When someone makes a mistake in front of us, how do we react? Do we move on and help them or jump on them telling them how they should have done it?

When the clock is running and we have to be somewhere, how do we react to that slow driver in front of us, or the one that cuts us off and makes us miss the green light?

When someone compliments us do we humbly accept it or does pride show its face with an "of course I was great" look?

"Holy Spirit, show me what I have to do to change; to be able to more easily show these traits in all my interactions with others. Make me more Christ like. In Jesus name, I pray."

Monday, March 18, 2013

Hide and Go Seek

Jeremiah 29:11-13 
For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (NLT)

Remember playing "hide and go seek" when you were a kid? Or maybe you do now with your own children or grandchildren. The game has been around of hundreds of years and does not require an Internet access or a cell phone! One person is "it" and closes their eyes for a count of whatever while all the other participants hide.

Remember shouting out "Olly olly oxen free"? That was the phrase used to indicate that anyone still hiding could safely come out into the open.

An offshoot of that game is called "sardines" where one hides and all the others look for them. When the person is found, that seeker hides with them as well until all but one seeker remains. The number of those hiding in one place is likened to a can of sardines.

Our Lord knows the plan for our life, but He is not playing "hide and go seek." He will not come looking for us. We are to look wholeheartedly for Him and we will find Him. He will lay out the best plan for each day of our life, a plan to walk with Him into the next layer of life, one step closer to eternity with Him.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Actions are Louder

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (NLT)

We think we can tell all about someone by what we read about them and what they have written. And we have all heard the words of Napoleon Bonaparte that a picture is worth a thousand words.

We tell everyone we love them as we walk around and shake hands on Sunday morning. We make sure we do not hang up the phone with our friend until we say "I love you".

Truth is no matter what facade someone presents to us, the real person comes across by their actions.

When an event happens in their life, a catastrophic event or even just an illness that puts them at home in bed for a few days, where are we? Sure, we say and probably do pray for them. Do we show up to help? Do we bring a meal or two? Do we call others to have them pray or be part of a food chain? Do we offer to come and clean?

The fact is, actions do speak louder than words. If someone were to take our picture, what would those thousand words say?

"Lord, help me be the person you made me to be. May my actions speak your love to others in all circumstances of life:"

Monday, March 04, 2013

Words of Encouragement

Ephesians 4:29 
Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (NLT)

Why is it that when people visit someone in the hospital they talk about all the other people they know that are sick or have been in the hospital? And even about people who have died with the same condition the person they are visiting is dealing with.

It reminds me of the story about the person who comes to work feeling really good. Had a good nights sleep and a great breakfast. The drive in was uneventful and he is ready for a good day. The first person who sees him remarks, "Are you feeling alright? You look like you had a tough night!" Wow, he sonders to the restroom and checks himself in the mirror.

My mother used to tell that "if don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." And yet we find it so easy to say just the wrong thing so often. God, forgive us.

The definition of foul or abusive language sure has changed over the last half century. What a commotion it caused when those words "I don't give a damn" were used in Gone with the Wind. What an uproar that made. Then look where we are now. Todays PG-13 flicks are filled with much worse language. It is like the movie could not tell the same story without the expletives. I don't think so.

So we should be watching our words in a couple of ways. Simply stated, we need to keep them clean and encouraging. Anything less is not shining the light of Jesus everywhere we go.