Month: November 2020

Famed British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon once said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” Because we have no children or grandchildren to visit our grave site, my wife and I decided to be cremated. Her ashes are on my hearth, but I don’t need that to remind me daily of the light she shined into my life for over fifty years.  What kind of “monuments” are you and I going to leave behind?

I was almost 14 when my mother died. My father and I chose the tombstone that would eventually mark both of their graves. It had a cross on it with roses as a border, but like most modern tombstones the message carved on it was simply names and dates. The person’s entire life is represented by a small dash between the date of birth and the date they died; hardly a fitting tribute to two precious lives well lived.

In previous generations, the dying person and their family were much more creative when choosing a message to be carved into marble. Some of those old monuments or tombstones are interesting. One of my favorites simply reads, “I told you I was sick.” Here are a few others I’ve seen in photos. “Here lies John Yeast. Pardon me for not rising.” “She always said her feet were killing her, but no one believed her.” One tombstone has a Christmas cookie recipe on the back with a caption that reads, “When someone asked mom for her cookie recipe she would always say, ‘Over my dead body.’” But my all-time favorite simply reads, “Jesus called and Kim answered.”

You may think this is a gruesome topic for a blog about living the Christian life, but ever since Adam and Eve messed things up for all of us (not that we would do any better), death has been as much a part of life as our birth. As Christians, the day we die is simply “moving day” from here on Earth to more glorious accommodations. It is the end of our temporal, physical bodies until our new bodies rise on resurrection day. (Isaiah 26:19, John 5:28, 1 Corinthians 15:12 and Mark 12:25) But death is a continuation of our eternal, spiritual life that began when we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior. Our body returns to the earth from which we are made (Genesis 3:19) and our spirit joins our Creator in Paradise. (Luke 23:43 and Revelation 2:7)

Very few of us know when our life here will end; although I suspect at my age I’m closer to the end than most of you. The important thing is that each of us can continue to fulfill our mission one day at a time without fear or dread until our tour of duty here finally is completed. 

I hope you don’t mind a little ancient history on this day before Thanksgiving. When I began to talk as a toddler, my parents taught me to say thank you whenever anyone gave me something or did something nice for me. When I would forget, my mother would gently remind me, “What do you say?” For more than seven decades those two words have crossed my lips countless times each day. Normally, words repeated so often, almost automatically, quickly begin to lose their meaning; but I still sincerely mean them every time I say them. That’s because my parents were not just teaching me to be polite; they were teaching me to be appreciative. There is a big difference and I could never thank them enough for showing me how to fill my heart with gratitude.

I currently have three caregivers. Two of them come twice a week and one of them once a week; so I have help every weekday thanks to the Veterans’ Administration and Catholic Charities. They are paid to look after my needs and because it is their job, I could take their help for granted; but I can’t do that. I thank them for each thing they do and as they prepare to leave I thank them again for all they did for me that day. I believe my sincere appreciation has made them even more caring. Within a short time we have become connected, like family. I am still in touch with two former caregivers that I love like sisters.

As we prepare for our national Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow with so many restrictions and health concerns this year, it could be hard for us to concentrate on the things for which we should be thankful. Personally, I could become depressed when I think it has been eight years since my wonderful wife cooked Thanksgiving dinner with me giving her a hand in the kitchen. We would then enjoy that wonderful meal together, giving thanks to God. We would also enjoy the delicious leftovers for a week or so. Instead of being sad about those memories, I become so grateful for all of the holidays we shared throughout our married life. My gratitude leaves no room for sadness.

As Christians, we know who to thank for all of the blessings we enjoy. The question is; do we thank Him often enough? Do we wait for Sunday worship or a special holiday to give thanks to God; or do we thank Him every time He does something for us? As for me, I thank Him every time I’m able to stand. I thank Him for walking with me beside my walker and I thank Him again when I get safely to where I’m walking. Whenever something good happens, I look up and say, “I know that was you Lord, thank you.” Every time I pray, I thank God for all of the wonderful people He has put in my life over my lifetime, including those caregivers I mentioned earlier.  

I’m thankful for you as you read this blog post. You may not have a national Thanksgiving holiday where you live, but all of us can, and should, make every day a day of appreciation and thanks. God bless each and every one of you.

Recently, I received two comments on my blog in Polish. I asked Google for an English translation for each. The first one was a very positive comment about my blog. The second one, from a different person, was a quote from Sir Winston Churchill which read, “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” That comment was made in reference to my post on excellence and it reminded me that in addition to our willingness to accept more risk than others; to love more than others; to dream more than others; and to expect more than others; we must also be willing to keep going when others would give up.   

It saddens me to think about all of the people who have given up without realizing how close they were to reaching their goal. My grandmother gave me some wise advice that has served me well throughout my life. She said, “Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when your task is complete.” I have to smile as I write that quote, because with my physical limitations these days, if I stopped when I was tired, I wouldn’t make it from my living room to my kitchen. She also taught me the difference between stopping and pausing. We can’t work 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We must eat to refuel our body, spend time with the Lord to refuel our spirit and rest to renew our strength. Then, we can pick up the task with renewed vigor right where we left off and complete it.

As Christians, every task we take on is to be done as a representative of the Lord. (Colossians 3:17) Jesus takes it even farther when He teaches us that every kind act we do for others, we are actually doing it for Him. (Matthew 25:31-40) So whether our task is an assignment from our employer; an obligation to a parent, spouse or child; a service for the community; sharing the good news of the Gospel; encouraging a Christian brother or sister; or simply obedience to the prompting from the Holy Spirit; every task that we complete is for the glory and honor of God.

The Apostle Paul compares the Christian life to an endurance race. After listing all of the people in the faith hall of fame in Hebrews 11, he begins chapter 12, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless” and “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 2:16 and 3:14)

I pray that as you and I approach the end of our life here, we will be able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:7)  

I have made a purposeful effort to avoid doctrine in writing this Christian blog. The dictionary defines doctrine as: “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.” It is someone’s belief. Does believing something make true? Of course not! People believe lies every day; either because they trust the source or because it is something they want to believe. In the Christian faith, it is doctrine that separates us into denominations or sects; while it is scripture and the Holy Spirit that unite us as one, universal church.

In Jesus’ day, there were a lot of rules about what you could or couldn’t do on the Sabbath. Those rules had become Jewish doctrine even though they were nowhere to be found in the Law or the Prophets. When accused of “breaking the Sabbath” by healing a man on that day of the week; Jesus pointed out to them that nowhere in scripture does God tell His people to refrain from doing good deeds on the Sabbath. (Mark 3:1-6) During his earthly ministry, Jesus pointed out the rules or doctrines that were established by Jewish religious leaders to enforce their beliefs – not God’s commands. (Mark 2:23-28)

Today is no different. Some churches teach rules that can’t be found in scripture. Some charismatic preachers teach their followers doctrine that is not soundly based on God’s word. A friend has been following such a man. One of his doctrines didn’t sound right to me, so I searched the scriptures to find it and found it isn’t there; but many of his followers believe it must be, because that “man of God” says it is. Details are not important. I have pointed out false doctrine in the past, but I would rather point out how to discern the truth than dwell on the distortions.

I have two gates every teaching must pass through; even when it comes from my most trusted pastor. The first gate; is it scriptural? I must see what the inspired, infallible word of God has to say about it. (It is sometimes harder to ferret out the truth of political or other types of doctrine; but scripture is always the best source of truth.) With today’s technology, it is so much easier to search the Bible for an answer than it was with the bulky concordance of my youth. Whenever I quote someone, I always make an effort to compare or contrast it with Biblical truth. (2 Timothy 3:16) The second gate; does the Holy Spirit within me affirm it or warn against it? I must guard against letting my trust in the source muffle the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then, I can clearly recognize His warning or agreement. After all, it is God’s opinion about everything, not the opinion of men that truly matters. (John 16:13 & Galatians 5:25)

I share my real life Christian experiences and scripture with you in this blog, but never take my word for anything I write. Take time to read the scripture references and consult the Holy Spirit to confirm for yourself the truth of my posts. Then, you can comfortably applying them to your own relationship with God and your everyday life of service for Him and for others.     

My grandfather told me once, “If you find a job you enjoy doing, you will never work another day in your life.” I didn’t really understand that statement until many years later when I became a trainer. I began to look forward to the challenges of each new day and the satisfaction of seeing men and women start a new career with my help. I am still in touch with many of my trainees. Most are still in that industry. Some have found satisfaction in solving their customer’s problems in the field; others have found satisfaction in management positions; and a few have achieved the dream of owning their own business. Seeing them happy in their life’s work is very satisfying to me.

What got me to thinking about all of this was a quote I read recently, “Human life, by its very nature, has to be dedicated to something.” The key for each individual is to find what that “something” is in their life. Each of us is created with unique abilities and interests. As Christians, we have the distinct advantage of having the Spirit of our Creator guiding us to the work to which we can dedicate our life. Hint: the only lines of work that provide purpose and true happiness are those that serve the needs of other people. One of the favorite sayings of sales motivational speaker Zig Ziegler was, “You can get what you want if you help enough other people get what they want.”  

I have seen many people retire from the work that gave them purpose to a life of rest and relaxation only to find their health begin to fail and death take them before their time. Reaching a certain age doesn’t eliminate the need for purpose in life. We still need a reason to get up in the morning and look forward to the challenges of a new day. We must retire to something, not just from labor.This blog has given me renewed energy and purpose in my retirement.

It has been said that the two greatest days in a person’s life is the day they are born and the day they discover why. My Christian brother or sister, whatever stage of life you are in right now, follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to guide you to the life’s work you were created for. When you do that, you will find that work full of purpose corresponds with your mission as a member of God’s family and it won’t seem like work at all.     

What is the best way for you to learn something new? Some people can just read or hear the instructions and visualize exactly what needs to be done. Others need to see a live or video demonstration before they get it. While still others have to actually have hands on experience before they get it down pat. There is an old Chinese proverb that describes that third group. “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

Over the years, I trained many new hires with no previous experience. I encountered trainees from all three of those groups, but even those who were quick to learn, got more understanding of their new job when they were in the field doing the work under my supervision. Education will take you just so far, but practice makes perfect.

You may be wondering what this has to do with living a Christian life. I think there is a strong parallel between learning a new job and learning your new life as a redeemed child of God.  God has given you an instruction book or manual for your relationship with Him – the Bible. He has also provided an instructor to help you understand that manual – the Holy Spirit. Even more importantly, the instructor is there with you as you apply the instructions of the manual to your everyday life. He dwells in your heart to guide and supervise you as you get involved in living the life God has planned personally for you.

There is one other group of people I haven’t mentioned. They refuse to read instructions or manuals. They think they can figure it out as they go. They don’t even want to ask someone else for help or directions. Tradition tells us that more men fall into that category than women, but I’m not sure if that is true. What I do know for certain is that a life of trial and error will produces just as many failures as successes. Experience may be the best teacher but those lessons can also be the most painful.

Daily, prayerful study of the Bible is essential to our Christian life. Just as important is learning to recognize the instructions and promptings of the Holy Spirit and heeding them. But it isn’t until we get involved; applying what we have learned by putting it into action in our daily life that we truly understand what it means to follow Christ.              

I saw an interesting opinion recently about how to achieve excellence. “Excellence can be achieved if you risk more than others think is safe, love more than others think is wise, dream more than others think is practical and expect more than others think is possible.” The source is unknown, but I think there are some truths in it that we can apply to our Christian life.

The overriding point of that statement is that we will not achieve the excellence God created us to attain if we listen to the voices of the enemy and those in the world around us. We must ignore the negative, discouraging words being continuously whispered in our ear and concentrate on the positive encouragement of the Holy Spirit within us and our Christian brothers and sisters.

Let’s take a closer look at the four parts of that statement. First, God often asks us to step out in faith when it appears risky to do so. I take heart from the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua. In that chapter God is urging Joshua to lead his people into the Promise Land without fear of the risks involved. My coffee cup has on it a quote from that passage of scripture that is a daily reminder to me; “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)  

Second, the love we give isn’t always returned and sometimes that can hurt us deeply, but we are told to love everyone, even our enemy, regardless of their response or actions. Jesus loves and died for everyone in the world, including those who tortured and crucified Him. Not everyone has returned His love, but those of us who have, receive the love in our heart that only comes from God. If we love others without expecting love in return, we will eventually find our soul mate with whom to share a deep mutual love and we will also find many others with whom we can share the Christian love of brothers and sisters in God’s family.

Third, when we dream of what God wants for us, the sky is the limit. Our dreams won’t seem practical to the world, but by faith we can achieve the impractical. Finally, in addition to the impractical, we can expect to achieve what others think is humanly impossible, because we know “with God everything is possible”. (Matthew 19:26)

 Not feeling excellent right now? Remember how much God loved you long before you began that climb toward excellence. (John 3:16) Jesus thinks you were worth dying for. If that doesn’t encourage you to make it to the top, I don’t know what will.

I saw a quote the other day that hit too close to home. It read, “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” I have never been a man of few words. That may be the reason I now rely so much on the Holy Spirit and other people for wisdom. My parents taught me at an early age that the reason I have one mouth and two ears is to remind me to listen twice as much as I speak; but by the time I was a teenager, I thought I had all of the answers and I was happy to share them with anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, that habit lasted well beyond my teen years.

In the New Testament we find; “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” (James 1:19) Those are wise words from Jesus’ half-brother. (Mary gave birth to both, but Joseph was James’ natural father). I don’t know if he gained that wisdom from watching his perfect older brother growing up or if he learned it from the Holy Spirit when he accepted Jesus as his savior, but it is advice we all need to follow.       

In the age in which we are living, it is common for us to spend the time while others are speaking to us thinking about what we are going to say next instead of paying close attention to them; especially if we disagree with what they are saying. So many simple conversations these days turn into heated debates as a result. When you attack someone’s beliefs or feelings, it comes across as a personal attack on them.  As Christians, it is not our job to judge or accuse others; it is our job to love them.

I have learned to listen intently to the beliefs and feelings of others and then state my experiences, beliefs and feelings without attacking theirs. As a result, I have maintained friendships with people directly and on social media who have very different political and religious views than I do. We know our differences, but we don’t dwell on them. Instead, we discuss the areas of life where we find common ground.

How does that affect my testimony as a Christian? I know there is power in my personal testimony of what God has done in my life, but I also know that I cannot force anyone to believe as I do. It is, however, more likely that my testimony will have meaning for them as they get a glimpse of Jesus through the fruit of his Spirit within me. That can only happen if I remain in their life as a friend. Their relationship with God will always be (like yours and mine) a personal decision they must make.

Let us listen carefully to others and speak truthfully and lovingly without anger or hatred as the Spirit moves us.          

Among Paul’s longer letters to Timothy and to the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi and Rome, which are very useful to us; we find a very short letter to a single Christian convert. On the surface, it seems to be a personal note to Philemon reintroducing him to someone named Onesimus. What makes this short note so important that it is included in the New Testament? I have found this letter to be one of the most profound books of the Bible and I want to share with you why I feel that way.

Imagine with me if you will the figure of a man silently moving through a home in the middle of the night collecting valuable items and then sneaking out the door with them. That man was Onesimus (which means “useful” in Greek). He was a household slave belonging to Philemon, whose home he just robbed and escaped from on the run. He traveled all the way to Rome where he could blend in with the crowds and surely be impossible to track down. Then, as God would have it, he ran smack into Paul, who recognized him from being a guest in Philemon’s home. He confessed and Paul led him to faith in Jesus Christ. Onesimus became one of Paul’s most useful helpers; but they both knew he must eventually return to face Philemon and make things right. Paul wrote a brief note in his own handwriting for Onesimus to deliver to Philemon to vouch for his conversion and “usefulness” as a brother in Christ Jesus. Now imagine Onesimus dropping to his knees in front of Philemon and handing Paul’s note to him with a trembling hand.

That story is an analogy of the rebellion, repentance, mercy and grace that leads every Christian to a right relationship with God. We flee from God, seeking to hide in the crowd, but run smack into Jesus. He recognizes us as a fugitive and offers us amnesty from our sins through His mercy and grace. He writes a note to His Father on our heart in His own handwriting using His shed blood vouching for us as now a useful son or daughter. Now you know why I cannot read that short book of the Bible without shedding tears of gratefulness and joy that Jesus made it possible for me to make things right with His Father. The only difference; Paul offered to pay Onesimus’ debt – Jesus actually paid yours and mine.

How would you like to go through life named Useful? Would it be appropriate, or would it be a contradiction? I pray that you and I make ourselves useful in service to God and thus useful in service to others around us.