We all have heard certain sayings and we can start to believe some of them, though they may be completely wrong, completely anti-Bible.

I ran across this statement the other day and thought to myself – “well, its half wrong and half right.”

“Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good”

Let’s break that down – “Life isn’t Fair” - Well that’s just wrong…

If you look at from a monetary or social status I guess it could be true – but let’s look at it from a big picture…  Jesus said in  - Matthew 5:45

“…for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Let’s unpack that.

No matter who you are or where you are… the same sun rises on you, you have the same 24 hours that anyone else has. That sounds pretty fair to me.

When it rains, or snows, or is a drought, it happens to everyone in that area. I think that is fair.

The things in life that matter, the things of everyday life – happen to everyone – and frankly – that is fair. What you do with it, how you act and react in it is up to you.

Then there is the - “but it’s still good…”

Well, I think that is right. No I am not saying that everything in life is good, that would be ludicrous.

Look back at the scripture – the sun, the rain – they are both good and sometimes they might be bad. BUT when you put it all in perspective of the big picture of your life, life is good. And here is the great thing… IT CAN EVEN BE BETTER…

In Romans 8:28 the Bible says – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Again, not that all things are good but the good and bad work together for the bigger picture FOR THOSE who love God and are called for His purpose. So, you can know that not only is it all good in the long run, it can be beyond good. The great comes in the ultimate purpose, it comes from living that life of love in God and in that we can realize that, yes indeed… it’s all good – even when in the moment it may seem bad.

If life is fair – the same 24 hours, the same ride around the run, the sameness of every day – and if it can be beyond just good for those who love God – then it stands to reason that we can live a fuller life, an abundant life if we follow Jesus through the good and bad, the sun and rain.

Read what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

So in your same, fair 24 hours what will make it truly good is the love relationship with God through Christ that will open your eyes to see the abundant good around you even in everyday life.

I am in it with you

Doug

 

 

The Importance of Praying
     The importance of prayer cannot be understated. Prayer is the very life blood of Christian existence. Jesus Christ is both the example and key to the importance of praying. We come to God through Christ, thus Jesus opens the door that we might enter into that child relationship. Jesus is also the living, breathing example of praying.  Luke wrote that prayer was a lifestyle for Jesus when in Luke 5:16 he says of Jesus –
“But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”
Time and time again we find Jesus starting His day by slipping away from the disciples to spend some one on one time with God. The thought behind this is: If Jesus felt the necessity to spend daily time in prayer with God, while He was God, then does it not follow that prayer should be that important to us, mere mortals.


Or consider Jesus’ command in Mark 14 to His three favorite disciples:
"Keep watching and praying, that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38 
Prayer is important if we are to protect ourselves from falling into temptation, and to protect us sometimes from ourselves. 


Prayer is vitally important if we want to learn the character of God. By using Scripture and Prayer we come to learn who God is. We begin to glimpse the unfathomable, to understand more of the infinite nature of God. We learn what He likes, what He dislikes, what God’s desires are. Prayer is important because we learn to love what God loves, will that things that He wills and to think His thoughts.  Prayer is so important that it should never be a part of our lives, it should be our lives. Prayer should not be our "second nature" it must be our nature. It should become a part of our mental process.  Jesus encourage this very thing in Luke 18:1 –
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart...”


And Paul reiterated it in 1 Thessalonians 5:17  “pray without ceasing;”
So – how important is prayer in the life of the Christian? So much so that it should be their life. Ask God today to help you learn to pray without ceasing and to not lose heart.


I know MANY of you out there who are in deep struggles... let me encourage you to not lose faith - pray. I know that many of you are in a high water mark of life, all is going even better than you could have expected... let me encourage you to not forget who is the great Provider - pray...

“Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God.”
     Edwin Keith

Dream again -

 

David Augsburg in his book “When Enough is Enough” wrote some sage advice…

“People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.    Love them anyway.   

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.  Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.   Do good anyway.

Honesty will make you vulnerable.   Be honest anyway.  

The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds.   Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.  Help them anyway.”

 

Life is “tough” – live it anyway (Doug Duty)

 

You have (you may have had) some impressive ideas, some daring dreams and powerful potential… It is my prayer that you never lose those – if you have I pray that you can rekindle them. You see if you do lose that, life takes on “mundaneness” – sort of just going through the motions.

I want to tell you today about a great example of living in the Old Testament, in fact it is one of (if not the #1) favorites of mine in the Bible.

But first -

Think back to the dreams and hopes and aspirations that you had… what kept you from them, what kept you from reaching them? Sure life is difficult, sure life has its twists and turns BUT life can be lived with an upward calling… life can be lived with those “dreams” finding reality. 

Let’s look at one man in the bible that made those “dreams” into reality… my friend Nehemiah. I love the life of Nehemiah; what he did, what drove him, how he went about his calling… in his life you can see several aspects of a person living upwards…

At the beginnings of what was driving Nehemiah – In Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 4 it reads – “Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

You see, Nehemiah - Had heart – when he heard the suffering and demise of the people his heart was broken; he felt for them and that feeling lead him to do something.

I know that it is easy to get caught up in our own circle, our own limited world. In this day and age it is far too easy to become callous, jaded and removed. We are bombarded by television, newspapers and the internet until we are numb. And once that happens we pull inward – we no longer see possibilities – we only want to survive. That is when we lose heart and we lose the drive to strive for something bigger than ourselves. And then we lose our dreams and aspirations, our goals become only distant “has beens”.

What are we to do –

1. Don’t let today’s circumstance steal tomorrow’s hopes.

Nehemiah could have. While he was doing all right for himself as the king’s cupbearer he had dreams of going home, of being with his people and he saw more in his life than what was happening at the moment.

2. Don’t let today’s “stuff” harden your heart.

It is far, far too easy to get hardened by the world, to want to put a shield around your heart because you are tired of getting hurt. But when that happens you lose the ability to feel compassion and passion for something more.

3. Don’t let today’s activities keep you from going to God.

Nehemiah, heart moved, went straight to God, he talked with God and shared his concerns and his broken heart. We will find out later that Nehemiah did that a lot! When was the last time you took your dreams and hopes, you hearts desires to God and told Him how deeply you felt them?

 

Take a look – where is your heart, where are your dreams?

 Get real........ 

Doug

John 10:10 “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 

 

Who is the one actually “sick!”

 I want to share with you a sobering thought today, not to bring you down on a Monday but to get you to think all week long…

 In Mark chapter one beginning in verse 40 – Mark writes…

“And a leper came to Him, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.”

 It is a great event in the life of Jesus because it shows us His tremendous compassion and willingness to help anyone, even those that society had deemed the absolute lost, the “untouchables” who weren’t worth anyone’s time.

Leprosy is a strange and sad disease. The leper does not feel physical pain. The disease renders the nerve endings dead and they are no longer alert to the damage they may be doing to their own bodies. The odd thing is that at no point does the leprosy patient “hurt”.

In a book by author Philip Yancey called “The Jesus I Never Knew.” He writes a story of a doctor in India…

“Dr. Brand told me of one bright young man he was treating in India. In the course of the examination Brand laid his hand on the patient’s shoulder and informed him through a translator of the treatment that lay ahead. To his surprise the man began to shake with muffled sobs. “Have I said something wrong?” Brand asked his translator. She quizzed the patient in a spurt of Tamil and reported, “No, doctor. He says he is crying because you put your hand around his shoulder. Until he came here no one had touched him for many years.”

 That is what Jesus had done 2000 years earlier to a man no one would touch. And while lepers don’t “hurt” don’t think that they don’t “suffer”. Almost all the pain that they endure, all the pain that they go through doesn’t come from the inside; it comes from the outside – the pain of rejection that people impose upon them. While they don’t hurt – they do “feel.” If you are like me that saddens you.

And it should… because it still happens today.

Mother Teresa in Calcutta ran a hospice and clinic for lepers. She said once,

“We have drugs for people with diseases like leprosy. But these drugs don’t treat the main problem, the disease of being unwanted.”

No we don’t see too many diseased lepers walking around the U.S. – but the human condition is an odd one.

A person will always, yes ALWAYS, find their own “leper.” That person that is “not like them” so they must be “diseased” (maybe so they can feel better about their own sickness).  Come on you know I am right – think of the modern day “lepers”…

Social status – someone being different (in any way) from you – those of “unlike feathers” – those who have been divorced – those with AIDS – someone with a drug or alcohol addiction – illegitimate babies (and God forbid, their mothers) – poverty – the homeless or jobless – the childless – the single – the “under dressed for church” – the list goes on and on…

If you talk to any of them you will find how they have been “untouched” – especially by modern Christians.  Think about it – you have your own personal “leper” don’t you; someone you have shunned, steered away from, gossiped about, pointed a finger at, ignored, felt disdain for, didn’t want to get near and God forbid you have to “touch” them.

Yet that is not what Jesus did – He didn’t see the disease He saw the need, He didn’t see the illness He saw the hurt, He didn’t see the sickness He saw the pain. And yet we say we are “followers of Christ”, that we are supposed to live to HIS example.

You know – the more I think about this – they may be “diseased” – but are we the ones who are sick?

See you “in the trenches” – Doug

John 10:10 “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 

 

 

IN THE TRENCHES!

     I am one who absolutely believes that we have a Father God who listens to His children, that we can approach the throne of grace with great assurance that He will listen. SO – I believe that we can ask the question “Why.”  But let’s keep something in perspective – we are just like Job. When Job asked the “why” he didn’t receive the answer, nor did David through out Psalms. What they did learn was to trust God and to trust that He would work it out if they did.  

     When life throws you a curve… and trust me it will – what will you do with it?   

None of us is immune from the ups and downs of life. Nor can any of us can escape the reality of physical death. Just as death is certain – so too is normal life, it isn’t what happens to you so much as what you do with it.

     Romans 8:28 reads – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  

One key here is that it doesn’t say that all things are “good” but that God works all of life together for the good. If someone loves and trusts and accepts God, if they are convinced that God is the all-wise and all-loving Father, then they can humbly accept all that he sends to him.  So the question becomes not “Why God…” but rather – “How would You have me respond to this?”

     Trust me when I say that sometimes when life happens to you; you might find it hard to pray, you might not be able to form the words with you lips. But I bet you could with your heart. Just before Paul wrote that all the stuff in life God would work for the good for those who love Him he wrote - 

     “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…” Romans 8:26  

      At this moment there is a Believer somewhat that has been thrown a curve in life, immobile in a hospital bed. Somewhere there is a Believer on the edge of eternity. Somewhere a family is facing ruin (financial, relational, etc.) Somewhere there is a Believer facing death from the hands of evil people.  They very well may be unable to form the words that would describe the depths of their despair. But the groanings in the weakness are being carried to the Father be the Spirit. Yes I am sure they may be asking the question “why” but I would bet that this same Believer is saying in their heart – “ok, God… now what?” Not in a negative sense but one that asks – “What do you want me to do about it?”

      I’ll will go out on a limb here and say that you have either been in a time like that, that you are going through a time like that – and if it is neither – you WILL go through a time like that… It isn’t/won’t be good.

     But in that moment… let me encourage you – PRAY. Pray straight from the heart. If you cannot form the words let the groans of you heart be carried by the Holy Spirit who will intercede for you. When you can’t pray, when weakness or tragedy overcomes your ability (physically or spiritually) to pray, when you are at a loss as to what to pray for – God’s word tells you – just pray from the heart.    

 I promise you that God who hears you in silence will answer you. I know it to be true, I have seen the results of sincere pray avail much…

 We are all in this together –  See you – “In The Trenches”

 Doug

  “When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.”  

 John Bunyan

STRESS

“STRESS” –

“…mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium…”

(read - external factors that throws life out of balance)

Or how about the word - ANXIETY –

“…an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it…”

    Not fun words are they – in fact just talking about stress and anxiety may cause a little of both.      Stress and anxiety are something that we ALL deal with at some time or another – no one is immune. Stress and anxiety are an internal state of being brought on by external forces or circumstances (sometimes by perceived circumstances that haven’t even happened yet)…

     Stress and anxiety are deadly, it can cause muscle aches, migraines, ulcers, mental breakdown and even heart attacks. They cause us to see life through filters. We might see through a filter of fear, maybe one of hate or maybe even a reality that isn’t really real. But whatever the cause it can affect us mentally, physically, socially and worst of all (to me) spiritually.

     Stress and anxiety can cause us to doubt ourselves – to doubt our beliefs – to doubt our faith and yes, even to doubt God sometimes. It may be hard for some to admit that,  but you only have to look as far as the Old Testament to see that the “heroes” of our faith stressed out at times too.

      Abraham – while we don’t normally like to see it you have to imagine that as he walked to sacrifice Isaac his heart would have pounded in his chest… what would he tell Sarah, could he go through with it…

     Moses – as he ran for his life because he killed a man, when he had to go home and tell his wife that he had just met face to face with God and that they were going to leave the farm and head to Egypt.

     Joshua – when Moses died and he was supposed to take Moses’ place.

     Nehemiah – when he knew that he had to travel home and repair Jerusalem, then some supposed friends threatened him.

     Job – after all he went through and his friends said it was all “his fault”, his wife told him to curse God and Job just wanted to die and get it over with.

 Even in the New Testament –

     All the disciples – running scared the night Jesus was tried and crucified, hiding in a room for fear that they would be next.

     Mary – standing at the foot of the cross watching her first born being killed for (in her mind) no reason.

     Paul and Silas – stuck in jail, beaten just because they wouldn’t quit telling others about Jesus.

     John – trapped on the island of Patmos left to die just because he too wouldn’t stop telling others about Christ.

 These folks were not different than you and me…they faced every day trials and tribulations, they faced failed relationships, work related stress, family problems, tax issues, religious persecution, money problems, health problems, legal problems, even obedience problems… it is easy for us to forget that they were real humans too.

They were though; they had failures and worries as well as stress and anxiety in their lives.

 And if God could help them through – well, even more – if God could use them through it all then maybe He can/will do it for Christians today. He won’t make the external forces or circumstances necessarily go away but He can/will steady the internal life.

He even warns us about stress, anxiety and worry – and then tells us what to do…

 "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7 

 "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life…   "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?”… "Do not be anxious then...”  "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”   Matthew 6:25, 27, 3, 34

 You cannot make the external forces go away, you cannot make the troubles evaporate – Jesus even confirmed that – “…In the world you will have tribulation…” (troubles) John 16:33b

     I will admit that I have read this before and said to my self – “Oh, great!” but we have to continue on to the rest of what He tells us -

     “…but take courage; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33b

 And Paul would say later – “Be anxious for nothing, BUT in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  Philippians 4:6 

 Yes, I know what it says – don’t be anxious, don’t stress – but we do anyway don’t we? Maybe that is why God was so clear in amongst these verses to keep saying… “I will take care of you!” Because He knows how we are…

 Take every situation – work, family, circumstances, relationships, finances, etc. etc… - take it to God in prayer – tell Him what that you need the strength to get through something particular (He cares about the particulars you know) – tell Him that you need guidance in a situation, direction and composure to overcome an external force that is putting pressure on you right now… He will listen, He will answer.

 I won’t promise that you won’t have some muscle tension, some headaches (Why? Because your humans and you’re going to anyway)… But I can tell you that if you put your heart, mind and soul into your faith and into trusting God’s promises you can overcome those external forces and circumstances and in the process you might find that the ulcers go away, the headache subsides, the heartbeat slows down – because Jesus said that He had overcome the world – and you can too!

 So let’s get real –

 I am praying for you…

 DOUG

 

YOU CAN GET MAD...BUT

A lady once came to evangelist Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper,” She said. “I blow up, and then it’s all over.”  “So does a shotgun,” Sunday replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!”  

Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a race car, gunning the motor, going zero to 100 in 4.4 seconds and then finding out that the brakes don’t work.  We all know what anger is. We have felt it, dealt with it and suffered because of it… And when it gets out of control it turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life.

I would have to say that 90% of what we get angry about doesn’t really matter.

Think of the last time you got “angry.”  

Was it about something worthwhile?   Was it something that really mattered in life?   Was it simply because you didn’t get your way, something didn’t go the way you expected, or you didn’t like the person you had to deal with?   What we get angry about is – silly stuff.  Sadly too few of us get angry for the right reasons… yes, even Christians.      Some Christians even think that getting angry is a sin – but folks – getting angry isn’t a sin, what you get angry at and what you do with it… well that is a different story.

In Mark chapter 3 verse 5 is says that Jesus got “angry” at the hardness of the Pharisees’ heart.     Jesus’ anger was what we call – “Righteous indignation.”  Indignation is anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, mean or hard hearted.   Jesus’ anger was a combination of resentment and a broken heart.

You know… If you cannot hate what is wrong, it becomes questionable if you really love right.   Some people suppress anger, holding anger inside in unhealthy ways.  Some people wrongly express anger, by griping, with sarcasm, or rage, maybe intimidation and blame. Some people become passive with anger. In a battle for superiority, passively angry people have a need to control without being transparent or open.     Some people are assertive with anger. Failure to share feelings in a constructive way may produce assertive anger.   Everyone needs to deal with anger. Folks, you can't eliminate anger – but what you do with it can make a world of difference in your life. Jesus was one who could be angry and not sin. And He is our example.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can get - ANGRY THE RIGHT WAY! 

TALK IT OVER –James 1:19a (quick to hear, slow to speak) If you will simply talk to the right person (not 50 others) - approach them with kindness and an attempt and attitude to make right – then you might find that a cup of coffee and a 30 minute conversation could diffuse an irritating situation.

THINK CLEARLY - James 1:19b-20 – Anger can blind your thought process.      Ill directed anger is not going to fix anything - it won't make you feel better (may actually make you feel worse). If you think clearly you see problems and situations for what they are, not what you perceive through angry eyes. James 1:20 – “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Reacting instead of responding will not achieve the Godly results.

TAKE TIME – to consider what is good and right - Philippians 4:8    When you get unjustifiably angry you don’t see much else… you don’t seem better solutions, you don’t see the damage you might be creating… Take time to consider all the aspects this way you will make sure you are getting upset about the right stuff, not the silly stuff.  Consider the right things to do in response.

TAKE POSITIVE ACTION - consider solutions rather than just the problem.   Anyone can find problems, anyone can get angry about anything… but Christian men and women should be those who can get angry and their anger (righteous indignation) leads to positive actions and answers – to actually DO SOMETHING.     Jesus’ anger was a mix of anguish and compassion – BUT - His anger resulted in POSITIVE ACTION – it moved Him to do something, something positive… Shooting a doctor who performs abortions is not the proper response to the anger the procedure might produce in you… Murdering in the name of God does not lead to a very good witness.

Jesus had the power to wipe out the Pharisees, instead He used that power heal.

 

You have been told “Don’t Get Mad – Get Even”  But take Jesus’ example

Don’t Get Mad– Get Right.