“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”  Philippians 3:17

Years ago Charles Barkley, NBA star, was admonished for some behavior because he was a role model for kids.  He very famously snapped back, “I ain’t no role model.”  Well, he was wrong.  He might have said that he wasn’t a “good” role model, but he could not say he wasn’t “a” role model.  He was in a position of responsibility, but one he did not take very seriously.  He was castigated for living in denial of his role, as he should have been, but we should not jump too quickly on the “beat Charles like a drum” band wagon, especially if we deny that we are role models as well.

Yep, we are all role models and in fact, we ourselves have had role models.  Every day we influence someone and every day we are influenced by someone.  Role modeling is part of our walk whether we like it or not.  We can be like Charles Barkley and deny it, but that doesn’t change it.  We may not like it, because that puts some responsibility on our shoulders, but like it or not, we cannot escape it.

We usually think of role modeling when it comes to children.  Yesterday I heard some sad news about children and the internet and “smart” phones.   The statistics about kids giving out personal information to strangers, the number of hours spent playing games, the kinds of sites frequented, and the dangerous effects from spending so much time on electronic devices was sobering.  The conclusion of the study was that “smart phones” and the like were substituting for the normal activities that kids used to be involved in.

Playing outdoors, reading books, playing games, talking around the table, going for rides, eating meals together and other typical family activities of the past have been replaced by individualized time spent on electronic devices.  The final line of the report was most striking, however.  It said (I am paraphrasing) that all of this behavior of kids was learned mostly from parents.  It said that most kids who spent all their time on electronic devices had parents who lived very similar lives. 

It went on to say that the parent’s example was the most important part of the child’s development.  In other words, parents set the tone for the entire family by establishing behavior by example, not words.  If the parents wanted readers, they needed to read themselves.  If they wanted their kids to talk, they needed to talk themselves.  If they wanted their kids to pray, they needed to pray themselves. The conclusion was undeniable. Parents, through example, have the greatest influence on their kids. To extrapolate even further, everyone’s actions have great influence on those around them. We all have the power to influence- the key is, how do we use it?

When I was coaching, I often read a poem to the players to remind them of their responsibility to others. It was always in any playbook or website I put together.  If I was coaching girls, I put “she” in the poem and if boys, I put “he” in the poem.  Here is a copy of it like I would have read to my football players.

There are little eyes upon you and they’re watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager to do anything you do;

And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you.

You’re the little fellow’s idol, you’re the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly, holds to all you say and do; and

He will say and do in your way, when he’s grown up just like you.

There’s a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you’re always right;

and his eyes are always opened, and he watches day and night.

You are setting an example every day in all you do;

For the little boy who’s waiting, to grow up to be like you.

Although there are a lot of similar poems, sayings, and songs I could quote (and did quote) about our influence on kids, the fact of the matter is, we are all models of some kind to everyone around us.  The kids on my team were not only influential on those younger than them, but their peers and elders as well.  We are models to our children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, but also on our young neighbors, peers, and elders (in my case, there aren’t as many of the elder types any more).  We are, just like Charles Barkley discovered, role models no matter what we want to think.  As Christians we have an added burden.  We represent Christ; we belong to a team; we are not on our own any more.

If people know we are Christians they we scrutinize our actions even more closely.  In some cases, they will feel free to imitate them, believing they must be OK because, supposedly, we are OK.  Jesus taught us to be “flavoring” to the world.  In Mark 9:50 He said, “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” The way we live should be like salt is to food: it adds flavor, it preserves, and it causes thirst. We add flavor by making godly choices. We preserve by always speaking the truth in love. We cause thirst for God by living out a life of faith before the world.  If we don’t add flavor, don’t preserve the truth, or don’t cause a thirst for God, we are still modeling behavior, just the wrong kind.

We know that we have been influenced by others in our lifetime. In fact, we are still being influenced by others.  Who do we allow to shape us?  Some in our circle are good and helpful, others dangerous and harmful.  One day a farmer grabbed his shot gun to shoot at a flock of pesky crows. Unfortunately, he didn’t see his sociable pet parrot that had joined the crows. After firing a few shots, he walked over to the fallen birds and was surprised to find his parrot badly ruffled with a broken wing. When the farmer’s children saw the injured bird, they asked, “Dad, what happened?” The farmer simply replied, “Bad company.”  First Corinthians 15:33 says that “bad company corrupts good morals” and yet we sometimes “hang” with those who are not beneficial to positive behavior.  We will experience the same  consequences of those we flock with.   If that is the case, we will soon be the person that others should not “hang” with as well.

Proverbs puts it pretty bluntly, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Prov. 13:20  So we are influencers and we are the influenced.  Both positions require discretion.  In one we must examine our own actions in the other the actions of others.  As influencers of our children and others, we should not be like the Pharisees.  Look how Jesus spoke of their influence:  “therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds”  Matt. 23:5.  In other words, though their words might be correct, don’t follow their deeds.  Do we talk bigger than our actions?  The bottom line is that should neither be Pharisees nor follow Pharisees.

Paul told the believers in Thessalonica that he had, through his actions, become a role model for their behavior.  He and his companions had proven themselves as men of God by their consistent dedication to the truth.  Can we look at our those around us and say we are setting an example of how to be and that they should try to be more like us.  Regardless of whether we say it or not- they will be, so what we are should be what we hope they will be.

Proverbs says that “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth” (Prov. 22:1).  A good name is not so easy to earn, but very easy to destroy.  Our character should gain us a hearing to proclaim the gospel to others, not shut the doors.  It is not easy to be a role model like Paul.  Next to Christ, he was what we should strive to be not only for ourselves, but for others. He lived out his faith, so that anyone watching his life would be able to tell there was something wonderful inside him.

If we want to be influenced by others in a positive way, we should surround ourselves with people with people who care about their actions.  If we want to be people of positive influence, we should care about our own actions. It won’t be easy, but Hebrew’s 12:1 says “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Let’s run the race well, knowing that we are being watched and many around us will try to run it just like us.

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”   Luke 6:31

The “Golden Rule” used to be quoted frequently in almost all circles.  When I was in elementary school I remember seeing it on the walls of many classrooms.  Sure it was a Bible verse, but there was usually not a reference printed along with it, so I don’t think that was an issue.  Actually, in that long off time, I doubt it would have been a problem if the Bible reference was added to the verse, back then we still sang “real” Christmas songs at our Christmas programs.

In today’s society we face a dilema.  Almost all good and positive behavior is found somewhere in the Bible.  To bring up those principles in a school or government setting we must somehow disguise them so they are not from the Bible.  If secularists or humanists get wind that Biblical teaching is anywhere in the schools, they pull out the separation card and through a variety of pressures

shut things down.  So sadly, many schools disguise the wise teachings of the Word so much that they lose their “wiseness” or the schools eliminate teaching godly principles completely, leaving behavior in a huge gray area that no one can really define.

But principles such as the one found in today’s scripture can be invaluable as a guideline in many given situations.  We can keep it close to us so that we can refer to it when a “what should I do” question arises.  How should we handle criticism, requests for help, rumors we hear, treatment of others, needs found around us?  If we keep God’s instruction close to our hearts, we will have something to turn to when we face critical decisions in our daily relationships with others.

When I coached I gave a guideline to all my coaches.  I used to hate seeing coaches yelling at kids for something that was ultimately the coach’s own fault.  I would attend games and see coaches go crazy because a kid missed a tackle, but I knew that that coach never spent time in practice on tackling drills.  He was embarrassed by the kid’s performance and had to let everyone know that it was the athlete’s fault, so the coach made a big show of yelling at the “offending” athlete.

Because I saw this way too often, I put together what became known as Rick’s Rules of Reprimand.  Before any of my coaches could “loudly” correct a kid, I ask them to ask themselves five quick questions.  If all were answered “yes” they could proceed to correcting, but if there was a “no” in there, it was our job to correct ourselves by taking care of the oversight that we had allowed.

Here were questions they had to ask if a player failed to do something correctly: 1) Has he heard it?  2) Has he heard it enough? 3) Has he done it? 4) Has he done it enough? 5) Is he capable of doing what I am asking him to do?  Many times I saw coaches not yell at kids because they realized that what the kid was asked to do had not been covered enough or he was even incapable of doing what was ask. This was a form of the Golden Rule.  Would any of my coaches like to be yelled at for something they had not been properly prepared for- I doubt it.  So we were just extending that same respect to the kids themselves.

What would the world be like if we could openly teach the tenets of God’s Word without disguise.  All we need to know about our relationship with ourselves, others, and God are found there.  No one desires to be treated badly.  No one relishes abuse by others. If all would keep that in mind when making relational decisions, the world would be a different place. Other religions have their form of the Golden Rule, but most are in the negative.  “Don’t do to others what you would not want them doing to you.”  The Bible takes it one step further into the place of service.  Instead of not doing something vengeful, take the initiative and do something good.  Don’t be passive and just not seek revenge, be active and strive to treat others kindly.

We can keep the Golden Rule in its negative form without lifting a finger. If we do not want others to steal from us, we only need to refrain from stealing. But doing the right thing rather than just avoiding the wrong is much more demanding. If we want others to love us, we must first love them.  So the Golden Rule of the Word does not just say, “Don’t steal” but “Give.”  We live in a world that is amazed when someone does the right thing.  Movies have been made and books have been written about a singular display of honesty.  Why?  Because that kind of behavior is not expected.  The words of Luke 6:31 have become passe’.

During different seasons the natives in New Guinea have times of rituals, songs, and dances. They work themselves up into a frenzy and the whole “celebration” culminates in what are called “murder songs,” in which they shout before God the names of the people they wish to kill. When the natives became Christian, they retained some of the customs and that ritual, However, in the murder songs, they no longer shouted the names of the people they hated, but the names of the sins they hated, and called on God to destroy them.  A pagan custom had been captured for Christ.

What would be eliminated if the Golden Rule was demonstrated? There would be no unkind words, no murder, no gossip or slander, no dishonesty or deception, no betrayal, no unforgiveness.  Unfortunately we will have to wait for that world until we reach heaven.  We can, with the strength of the Holy Spirit, do our best to make our little section of the world as much like heaven as possible, but in this fallen world it is not entirely possible.  Fortunately, when God looks at us, He only asks us to be responsible for that which we have control over.  We should draw a circle around ourselves and ask the Lord to help everyone in that circle live for Him. Maybe in that way, we can help others draw their own circles, as well.

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21

Okay, this way too  long, so I suggest you read it in a couple of settings.  I didn’t want to break it up because there would be a whole week between sections, so it is up to you to. break it up!  Thanks for your patience.

We recently had a memorial for one of our beloved members, David Williams.  It was a lovely time of remembering his life and his almost 50 years with his lovely wife Virginia and his very large family.  If you have not seen the memorial,  you can click here to view the whole thing.  Dave’s memorial  led me to remember another Celebration of Life I went to years ago.  That memorial was for my good friend James Witt and it was very touching and thought provoking.   James was the  youth leader for our four children at Emmanuel Baptist church years ago (yes, it was in the 80’s!). James was only 52 when he passed and beloved by many. He found out three months earlier what he was facing and so his fight was short, but very difficult. It was, of course, very hard on his nine children and wonderful wife, Lenae. It was also hard on the students in the school that he started and where he taught.  It was especially  difficult for the boys in the Christian Service Brigade that he had started two years earlier.   It was hard on his many friends, as well. In the two-hour service we heard from people in every one of those categories.

The service was held in the Melrose church gym that has been converted into a worship center. It was packed and there was standing room only for some of the latecomers. There was no slide show of James’ life, just testimonies. I don’t think he was too big on technology.

The service started with over a half-hour of his children and a few others combining in different groups and singing all of James’ favorite songs. It was incredibly touching. Amazingly, they all had wonderful voices and could play a variety of instruments. There were also love letters to James from each of his children in the program we were given and the love that was reflected in those letters was also reflected on the stage. Then several of the individual children spoke. They all called him “Papa,” and to hear them speak of their respect and love for their papa was intensely moving.

After about an hour of testimony about James’ life, his son Timothy got up and said that James had written and recorded a message for his own memorial a few weeks earlier. Timothy said that they were not going to play it, because is seemed almost morbid in a way. But after the family buried James on a ranch that he inherited last year from a man who James had befriended, they listened to the recorded message and were blessed by it. They decided as a family to play it at the service, so they did.

It was wonderfully strange to hear James speaking at his own memorial. He spoke with love and conviction. As was his way, he did not hold back. He knew that even the hardest of hearts would probably not walk out on a dead man speaking, so he laid it all on the line. There wasn’t a person sitting in that auditorium that had excuse any longer. If they had managed to avoid hearing the gospel up to that point in their lives, they hadn’t avoided it any longer. I think the message of hope that he gave while on the cusp of death had an incredible effect on all who were there. There was no bitterness in his voice or words, only anticipation. It was truly beautiful. He ended with some wonderful verses and said good bye “for now.”  I have never experienced anything like it.

After James’ message they opened it up to those who would like to come forward and share a bit. Some of the stories were lengthy (and as usual, some people used it for a personal pulpit time that had little to do with James), but most were just short vignettes about James’ kindness and love. After that a young pastor came forward and told how he had been kicked out of houses of friends and relatives up until the age 18 when James took him in. James would get him up at 5:00 every morning and they would run two miles and talk about the Lord. The young man was eventually saved and became a pastor. It was a very touching story. Well, at that point he gave a hellfire and brimstone sermon. I mean it was an old-fashioned, “I don’t need no stinkin’ microphone” lay-it-on-the-line message. Quite unusual for a memorial, but I guess not for James’ memorial.

At the end about 15 boys went forward in their Christian Service Brigade uniforms (similar to Boy Scout garb) and sang their Christian theme song and gave their motto. So after about two and a half hours, the service ended and we went to the family meet and greet line or the food line. James was a very conservative Christian with some different ideas, none of which offset his deep belief in Christ as Savior, so it was a bit like being at an Apostolic Faith, Mennonite, or Amish gathering. Many of the females wore small head coverings and long dresses and I saw more long beards on the men than at a Duck Dynasty convention or ZZ Top concert. The whole event was what I would call serious but festive. That sounds contradictory, but that is the only way to explain it. Many parts were upbeat, but a person could never escape the feeling that everyone involved was saying, “This idea of Jesus and the afterlife is crucial. Don’t mess up.” It wasn’t that everyone was uptight, but that everyone knew that with memorials comes great opportunity.

The reason I am reliving this beautifully unique memorial is not only because our kids knew James as a youth leader (and afterwards as well), but because like every memorial or funeral it forces us to face our own mortality. There wasn’t a person sitting there that day who wasn’t asking himself at one time or another, “What will my celebration of life be? How will I be remembered? What can people say about me?” There is a wonderful poem called “The Dash” that explains that when a date appears on a headstone it records the year of birth, then a dash, then the year of death. The dates are not the important part, what was important is what took place during the dash. What I heard about James’ “dash” was life of kindness, humility, and conviction. What I mostly heard, however, was about a life committed to Christ, family, and friends.

When an unbeliever dies, people talk about his or her goodness of character (even though it may have been missing). Mourners are more or less satisfied knowing that the person was just a “good guy” during his lifetime. But as Christians we should not be satisfied with just being “good.” Our time here should be marked by our love for Christ and the actions of our life should stem from that love. Our memorials should not consist of the occasional assumption by some that we must have been a Christian because we went to church once in awhile. No one should be able to turn to another in the service and say, “Oh, so he/she was a Christian? I didn’t know that.” Our lives are to reflect Christ, so our deaths should not reveal anything less. When I spoke at my Dad’s memorial, I tried to tell stories of his life, but also tried to express, undeniably, that they were all connected to his love for Jesus. He was a simple man with simple faith, but everyone who met him knew that God was important in his life. He attended church up until it was impossible and was not afraid to defend Jesus, Ronald Reagan, and gun control (in that order), to anyone who had the guts to take on a guy you could not get mad at.

I guess what I took away from Jame’s  memorial is that Christian memorials should be different from secular ones. John said that “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Our lives should reveal Christ more and more each day, so that when we reach the end there should be no doubt who we want to glorify. If our lives reflect just a passing glimpse of who Jesus is and a whole bunch of other “stuff,” even though the “stuff” is good, we will be disappointed in ourselves when see Him face to face. When most people say they want to live with no regrets, they mean they want to pile in every endeavor possible so they don’t miss out on anything. As Christians “no regrets” should mean exemplifying Christ and living for Him as much as we possibly can. We might think that sounds boring, but I don’t think we will feel that way when the family who loved us friends who knew us, and the Savior who redeemed all say at the end of our lives , “Well done, good and faithful one.” If our lives were books, how many pages would mention Christ’s name? Would there be long stretches, maybe even full chapters, in which He never appears. Is He like the soap opera character that pops in and out of episodes every few months for convenience or is He the leading character on which the story rests?

There was no doubt at the end of the day where James’ loyalties lay. His memorial service was more about life than dying. It was more about heaven to come than earth left behind. It was, from everything I could see, an example of a worthwhile “dash” between two numbers. James died on my birthday, so it is fitting that we remember that there is a “time for life and a time for death,” and in that in life we should live for Christ and in that in our death we should meet with Him, and that no one left should have any questions about either. Mark Twain once said that we should live such lives that when we die, that everyone should be sorry, even the undertaker! When famous pastor Donald Barnhouse was going to his wife’s funeral with his young children a huge truck passed them and its shadow covered half the road. He asked his children if they would rather be run over by that truck or by the shadow cast by that truck. Of course they said the shadow because it could not hurt them. He said, “That is the way it is with death. The truck represents the death, but because of Christ’s sacrifice, the only thing that touches us now is its shadow. Death can’t hurt us anymore.”

James lamp was not extinguished, he just doesn’t need it anymore so he can set it aside. He is in the true light now. As I write the book of my life, I hope it can be entitled, “Jesus and his friend Rick.” I want Him to be the main character. I think we all hope that we will live more for Him than ourselves and that our lives will be undeniably connected in word and deed to “Him Who lives within us.”

I belong to a great gospel giving group called the Pocket Testament League.  This group is dedicated to presenting the gospel to the world through devotionals and the Gospel of John.

Here is an example of the contents of one of their booklets.  Enjoy!

The World’s Greatest Message

”As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.”  Ezekiel 33:11

I have been pretty fortunate when it comes to substitute teaching  because overall I have been treated great by the kids no matter what the school or subject.  Some subs, however, are not so fortunate.  Kids see a sub and mistreat them.  It as though the students think subs have no feelings, so it is okay to abuse them.  When the kids see the teacher as robotic and without emotions, it becomes all right to treat them anyway they please.  That is often the process people use when they want to hurt others. They dehumanize them first, take away personal identity, remove the traits that would feel pain, and then go on to treat them anyway they want.

Unfortunately, that is what many do to God.  They see Him as a disconnected being overseeing the world with an uncaring eye and a cold heart.  Because they see Him that way it allows them to treat Him any way they like.  After all, if He has no feelings, He cannot be hurt so we can curse Him, mock Him, and reject Him at our own pleasure.  But that is not who God is.  On the contrary, God feels pain when we reject Him.  Not for Himself, but for us.  Peter tells us that, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward (us), not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9

When people misunderstand the sovereignty of God and assume that God is pleased with all that He allows to happen in the world they ignore God’s nature as revealed in His Word.  We mistakenly say that if God was really hurt by the bad things in the world He would stop all evil, pain, and suffering since He is all-powerful. If He does not stop it, He must not care, or at the least, not be hurt by what He sees.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God cares so much that He gave His only Son to suffer and die on behalf of those who cursed, mocked, and rejected Him.  Who else would do such a thing?

Additionally, we sometimes justify a particular sin or sinful way of life by telling ourselves that if it really hurt God or if He was really upset, He would change us.  After all, if we don’t like something someone else is doing and we have the power to change it, we normally try to change it.  But God has tried to change things.  Over and over in his Word he says in many different ways,  “turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.”  His Word gives us all the ingredients for a joyful (Brynn) contented life.  Our rejection of those ingredients does not say as much about God as it says about us.

We can try to rationalize our bad behavior, just like the kids do with the poor substitute teacher, by changing God into an unfeeling being, but the truth is He has more feeling for us than we can possibly have for ourselves.  When we hurt, He hurts more.  Our tears stream down his cheeks and our breaks from Him break His heart.  He takes no pleasure in our pain and, in fact, He feels our pain.  An atheist said, “If there is a God, may he prove himself by striking me dead right now.” Nothing happened. “You see, there is not God.” Another responded, “You’ve only proved that He is a gracious God.” God loves us and often saves us from ourselves because of His great mercy. When we rebel against Him because we think He has no feelings, He shows His feelings by showing us grace.

God delights when we turn to Him and

sorrows when we turn away.  With His power He could grab us and turn us around, but He would much rather we turn responding to His love than to His heavy hand. When I was growing up, I did what my father ask of me, not because I was afraid of him (which I should have been, because he was one tough guy), but because I was afraid to disappoint him.  He loved me so much, that I had a hard time seeing him hurt.  If we could see how much our Father in heaven loves us, and how much our rebellion hurts Him, we would think twice about our tendency to rebel.

If we read the Word and open our hearts to it, we will see the nature of God.  We will also see our own nature.  Juxtaposing the two, we will see that it is us who should change, not God.  While visiting the U.S. after World War II, Winston Churchill was aboard a train bound for Missouri with President Harry Truman. They were in a special car which had the presidential seal hung up on a wall. Truman noticed Churchill studying the seal and he pointed out that he had changed it so that the eagle on the seal was turned toward the olive branch instead of the arrows. “Why not put the eagle’s head on a swivel,” suggested Churchill. “That way you could turn it to the right or the left, depending on what the occasion warranted.”   Unfortunately, that is what we tend to do in our own lives.  We put our behavior on a swivel and sometimes point it toward God and sometimes point it away depending on whether we want to war with Him or not.

We should not wait until we are forced to turn to God by our own self-destruction.  Some people seem to see the light, but others won’t turn to God until they feel the heat.  God has open arms, and to understand that fact we merely need to have open hearts.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32

I have some breaking news for you.  Some people are difficult to be kind to.  I will wait a moment while you pick yourself off the floor after that “breaking “  news.   Actually, of course, I am being  I am being mildly sarcastic.  We all know that there are difficult people out there.  Looking at our verse for today I don’t  see any postscripts that say, “Be kind unless they are difficult.”   As a matter of fact,  in 1 Peter 3:8-9 it almost says the opposite.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” 

When the verse says not to repay “evil for evil” or “reviling for reviling”  it is actually saying that there will sometimes be people who do evil and reviling things.  I know that is no surprise to you either.  But as we look at the above verses we realize that God has left us very little wiggle room when it comes to showing kindness to others.

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink.

The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?”

The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and reverence no other god.”

When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.

When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.”

God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”

We may not have thrown someone out into the night lately, but how many have we turned out of our lives.  How many have we decided were not “worthy” of our time and goodness.  There are many ways we can turn people away without physically removing them.   We must know that if God has tolerated them for this long we might be part of the plan to bring them kindness.    It did not say in the story above, but is it possible that  God could have said to Abraham, “What came of the man I sent to your door tonight.  He has been turned away by so many, but I knew that you love me, so you would love him also.  How did it go.”  Boy,those would be harsh words for Abraham to hear from God- for us as well.

A few years ago we were on our way back from a camping trip and our oldest son and his family were following us in their car.   We passed  a young man walking the opposite way along the road.  He was wearing some raggedy clothes and carrying a well-worn backpack.  I did not think much of it as we see many young people  along our highways and byways in this day and age.

I looked in my rear view mirror and our son was pulling off the road and making a u-turn.  I pulled off the road and waited for them to return, thinking maybe one of the kids tossed a hat, a toy, or maybe a brother out the window.   We waited for a bit and along they came and our son pulled over behind us and jumped out to see what the matter was. 

Chris said, “Did you see that guy back there.  He didn’t have any shoes.  I didn’t need mine to drive, so I went back to see if he needed them.  It was great.  They fit.”   Well, I was really proud of Chris, but realized that I had not even noticed that the man was shoeless.   Even if I would have, I am not sure I would have stopped.  I learned a lesson that day.  Don’t just glance at appearances because God might just send a need my way and I need to look with that in mind.

Today on my way to town I was in a left lane with about thirty cars packed bumper to bumper because the right lane was closed ahead.  I have a pet peeve and sure enough it came to pass.  I huge truck came barreling along in the right lane passing all the cars in the left lane dutifully staying in the open left lane.  That man in the speeding truck had to rely on the kindness of at least one driver who was willing to ignore  an obvious infringement of etiquette and let him in.  Well, up ahead the man got his break and someone let him in.

Allegorically speaking, that is what we are called to do in today’s verses.   We are called to be kind whenever possible to the irritating, the obnoxious, the difficult, and even cruel.   After all, they are the ones who may need kindness the most.

We sometimes look at the great people of the Bible as super heroes who God enlisted in a task because they were fearless and would do anything they were told unflinchingly and without any hesitation.  But that was not so and the wonderful thing about the Bible is that it shows all sides of the people it portrays.  Even from the most obedient men and women we see reluctance, doubt, and fear.  We see also the great crutch of excuse-making that we all have used and will continue to use to avoid taking on tasks, taking on responsibility, or taking on criticism.  Someone once said that excuses are like arm pits, we all have them … and they all stink.  Well, the men and women of the Bible had arm pits, too.

It doesn’t take long perusing the Bible in our minds to find some excellent examples of excuse making.  Moses was called to “set his people free,” but argued that he was not the man for the job.  In Exodus 3 God tells Moses, “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you…”  In the following verses clear into chapter 4, Moses has a series of excuses that God must address.  Things like, the Pharoah is too powerful to I can’t speak well enough, are faulty reasons that Moses gives to God.  Until Moses took his eyes off his own inadequacies and his difficult circumstances, he could not be used of God.  When he finally gave God the reins and the reign, Moses led his people to the promised land.

But, of course, Moses isn’t the lone example in excuse making. Arguably, one of the greatest Old Testament prophets was Jeremiah.  Surely, he must have tackled his task without hesitation. Right?  Not quite.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;  I am only a child.”

But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’   You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.  Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”  Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah was not too different from us.  “I can’t” or “It’s too hard” or “I don’t know how” or “someone else is better, stronger, smarter…” are just some of the excuses that he and we use to avoid uncomfortable tasks that we face.  Jeremiah and Moses, fortunately, overcame their excuses and took their tasks on and served God faithfully.  But some of us let our excuses stop us from doing those things we should do (or shouldn’t do).  This is especially dangerous when it comes to spiritual things.  Excuses abound… “The Bible is too boring and hard to understand.”  “I am really too busy for God.”  “I can’t talk to others about God, I don’t know enough.”  “When things get settled down, I will get more serious about God.”  The list goes on.

The prophet Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh, a huge city and the avowed enemy of Israel, and call them to repentance.  Jonah had all kinds of excuses for avoiding that task.  He might be killed, it was a long journey, he didn’t have the “right stuff” to do it, and a classic excuse that he didn’t want to go because he knew God would forgive them and that would make him mad.  “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”  So, Jonah didn’t want to go because God is good and would forgive Jonah’s enemies if they repented.  That’s really reaching deep in the excuse barrel.

These are just a few examples of excuse making in the Bible, but there are countless others from Eve blaming the serpent and Adam blaming Eve all the way up through Revelation.  Many of these people were called directly by God, but most of us are called by the Word of God.  We know what we should do, but so often we come up with excuses (and not such original ones at that) to sit on our hands. We should only marvel that God continues to call us to service when are so slow to act. We are like reluctant middle schoolers lining the walls of the gym at their first sock-hop.

We need to remember that God has plans for us and he will only give us tasks for which we are equipped. If we don’t do what we are called to do, someone with lesser skills, but a more obedient heart might have to take over that job.  We all know those people.  The ones who will tackle anything because there are so many who will tackle nothing.  It is better that we be one of the former than the latter. There is an old saying that a poor workman always finds fault with his tools. If we do not take on the spiritual tasks that we are called to do, we are really faulting God because He is our power to achieve.

There are usually three excuses for our inaction or our bad actions. First, we deny that we are being neglectful or that we are doing anything wrong. Second, we fall back on the “it’s not my fault” excuse that is always quite handy.  Third, we admit that we are wrong, but it is our circumstances that are at fault. So excuses are just that, they are not reasons and we can’t shape them to be reasons. We look to blame others, so we don’t have to look toward ourselves. We can’t just admit that we just don’t want to do what we are called to do or we just don’t want to stop doing what we shouldn’t do.   Like the outfielder who misses the ball and holds up his glove toward the sun to tell everyone the sun was in his eyes, we hold up our excuses, so everyone knows we are not at fault.

We will close today with a few humorous examples of excuses that have come in on accident reports to the police.

“As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.”

“I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.”

“The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.”

“The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.”

“The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”

Sometimes our excuses are as ridiculous as these.  I hope God isn’t publishing them somewhere for people to read.  Remember, excuses are the nails for building houses of failure.  Let’s avoid excuses; let’s avoid failure.

“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”  Ephesians 6:10

We have had tough times and in the midst of those we have had others who have tried to encourage us to “be strong.”  Although the counsel is certainly not bad advice, it is often easier said than done.  It is much like the PE teacher who runs his kids, lines them up, and then says, “Stop sweating.”  Some things seem a bit out of our control.  After all, if we could just “be strong” we probably wouldn’t need encouragement to do so.

Paul is advising the Christians in Ephesus (and us) a much more practical way.  Rather than a glib “Hang in there,” he is actually telling them from whom they can draw their strength other than reaching “deep from inside.”  He is saying that they need to focus not on the problems, but on The Lord, and from Him they will be able to draw strength.  When Paul wrote to the Philippians he reminded them, as well, that they “… (could) do all things through (Christ) who gives (them) strength.”  (Philippians 4:13)  Paul does not just give encouraging words but encouragement through solutions- that is truly encouraging.

Herbert Johnson was a fledgling missionary going to school who was assigned a car by the local missions board.  The only trouble was that the car would not start without a push.  Herbert learned to park on hills or at least slight inclines so he could get it going. On occasion he would have to enlist others to help him fire up the engine with a good push. After two years, when he was finally going to go off to the mission field and decided to leave the car to another young missionary and told him the car’s malady and how he had solved the problem through the years.  The missionary looked under the hood and remarked, “It seems this cable is loose,” and he tightened it, stepped into the car, and it started right up.  We are often like Herbert.  We have access to power, but still try on our own strength to get things done.  Paul is checking under our hoods and telling us that if we just tighten the connection between us and God we will have the power to go forward.

We can’t always will ourselves to just “be” a certain way.  “Be happy.”  “Be strong.”  “Be encouraged.”  The effort to do those things on our own can be exhausting.  When we rely on our own efforts and our own wisdom, we are tapping into limited resources. Instead we should be tapping into the unlimited power of a mighty God.  Years ago one of my football teams gave me a wonderful plaque with this verse from Isaiah: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:29-31  It has been an encouragement to me every time I have read those words because it reminds me that it is “He” who gives true strength.

Of course, even turning toward God seems beyond us sometimes.  There is a wonderful song that says, “when you don’t know what to say, when you don’t know what to pray,  just say Jesus.”  Christ makes it easy to come to Him; it is us who makes it hard.  We fight through every scenario in our life on our own until we finally give in, lying sweating and out of breath on the coliseum ground, and finally ask God for help.  Why must we reach that point?  Why don’t we ask God to help us before the battle and during the battle, rather than in desperation at the end of the battle.  Only God can give us the power we need to successfully battle against sin, against self, against selfishness, and of course, against Satan.  He awaits our call, armored up and ready to go, stronger than anyone or anything that we might face, not because He has to be ready to come to our side, but because He wants to.

The Word says, “if He is with us, who can be against us?”  Well, the answer is everyone can be against us, but the truth is no one can stand against us.  It would be futile for anyone to try to test our Warrior King who “never rests, never slumbers,” but instead sits on the right hand of God waiting to empower us.  Let’s quit jump-starting our lives with senseless self-effort and instead connect closely to God and let Him move us. That is so much more sensible.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”  John 14:6

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

Jesus warns us that the path to truth is narrow and so does Luke, and so does  Paul,  In fact almost every New Testament writer tells us the same thing.  Regardless of that, we live in a world that adamantly denies the narrow path and is trying to open up the gates to heaven to non-citizens in a way that is strikingly similar to the US and its southern border.  People use the same arguments for allowing anyone into heaven as do those who argue for open borders in America.  See if any of these arguments for open borders seem to fit the “everyone should get to go to heaven” argument.

“It is is not fair that we should get to have (this country) (heaven) just to ourselves.”

“There are a lot of good people who deserve to be in (our country) (heaven).”

“They should get to be in (America) (heaven) to avoid the terrible conditions they will face elsewhere.”

“(Our country) (Heaven) is a most wonderful place, so we should be able share it.”

“(We are) (God is) good and (good people) (a good God) would not keep people out.”

“The (constitution) (Bible) does not have the right to decide who can enter, and besides, the (constitution) (Bible) is outdated and written by people who are out of touch with the times.”

So let’s face it.  Many people believe that heaven should have open borders and there should not be any requirements or restrictions on any who enter.   Of course, the only way we can say that is to ignore the Bible’s teaching, or to decide the Bible is not the inspired Word of God.  The Bible says that salvation comes only through Christ, but there are many false alternatives that the world accepts for entrance into heaven.  Some even think intelligence should be a factor. After all, how could so many smart people be wrong.  But Paul warns Timothy in I Timothy 6:20: “O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and absurdities of so-called ‘knowledge.’”

Others believe that if we keep the law we will be saved, but Galatians 2:16 says, “yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

But surely if we are good people, we deserve to go to heaven.  But what does the Word say? “For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8)

“But I have been baptized” say many, “surely that will get me into heaven.  But Paul tells us in I Corinthians 1:17  “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.”

Even giving to a church, going to church, building a church, or even pastoring a church, does not get us into heaven.  Well, what does, then?   Salvation is through grace  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”  (Titus 2:11), which is proceeded by faith:  “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1), and followed by the Savior’s peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Unfortunately, the learned and stubborn of this world have defined faith as “blindly following,” but that is not faith. It is not opinion or acceptance of that which flies in the face of evidence.  It is a sense of knowing.  True faith is as real as anything can be and it is faith in Christ that leads to salvation.  Nothing more; Nothing less; Nothing else.  It is this faith that comes by the Word of God: “Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17), and we change our minds about God, so that we might please God: “Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6), and thus there is only one way to be saved. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)  “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2:5)   Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

In other words, as much as people want it to be so, heaven does not have open borders.  There is a step that one must take to become a citizen.  Good intentions are not enough, and the never-changing Word of God lets us know the truth and no matter what others want to think, there is only one way and that is through Jesus Christ.  It is not in the Bible, but there is a saying that says, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” and that is true. People who preach that all roads lead to heaven, may be well intentioned  (but I doubt it), but their words, if taken as true, lead people away from heaven. As Paul said, “If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.”  He doesn’t have a plan B attached to that!

I watched a rerun of the Biggest Loser the other night and as usual it was a tear-jerking event (well, for me anyway).  It was a special one that featured ex-athletes, many of whom I have seen on the professional circuit in past years, trying to get ahold of their lives again.  The difference between their current condition and their glory days was stark.  As athletes they were in peak condition and now they are well over 200 or 300 pounds and very obese.  As I watched I was asking the same question that I am sure many others at home and probably the athletes themselves were asking- How did that happen?  How did they go from winning Olympic gold medals, Super Bowls, and Tennis championships to barely being able to walk five minutes on a treadmill.  What had brought them to that point? We will talk about the how later, but first of all we should realize it can happen to anyone.  In the Biggest Loser it is mostly physical, but that kind of  slow but drastic change can also take place in other parts of our lives.

The people on the Biggest Loser had one advantage that we don’t have when we degrade in areas other than physical.  They have mirrors.  They could look in the mirror and see the differences.  None of them got there overnight just like none of us turn flabby in our spiritual life overnight.  Unfortunately we don’t have a mirror to reflect our spiritual condition.  We can’t see where we are or where we were by looking in a magic mirror, but there are some things that can help us see our spiritual condition.

Gaining weight might happen over a period of months or years when we have neglected to push the plate away like we should.  Gaining spiritual flab might also happen over a period of months or years when we have been pushing God away rather than running towards Him. Throughout the journey with the people on the Biggest Loser we heard how they got to where they were.  How seemingly suddenly, but not really, they rolled out of bed one morning and had moved up eight sizes and could no longer tie their own shoes. This morning, however, we will look at how we can avoid spiritual obesity that can just as easily sneak up on us and steal the pleasure that we can have in life.

Let’s pretend we have a magic mirror for a minute- that we can look into it and see our spiritual condition.  What would be staring back at us? The Apostle Paul that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) In other words, if we want to see a spiritually fit person staring back at us, we need to be in the Word of God. One of the early signals that we’re moving away from God is a diminishing desire to study His Word.  Just like someone physically degrading by not eating the right foods, we are not consistently taking in the nourishing food of Bible.  We are caught up in the junk food of the world.

Another symptom that we are losing control of our spiritual condition is a diminishing desire to be around God’s people.  Being around loving, spirit-filled, people of God, gives us accountability, strength and support.  It is like hanging around a gym for our physical well-being.  Being around the right people encourages us to stay on the right track. The right kind of fellowship strengthens us, just as much as the wrong kind of fellowship weakens us. In fact, that truth is repeated throughout the Bible. Ecclesiastes says it this way: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

Finally, if we find ourselves increasingly thrilled over the things of this world, we are probably moving into spiritual obesity. The Apostle John said in 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all this is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  If we replace prayer and service, reading and fellowship, with the things of the world it will affect us.  We cannot eat like we want, avoid exercise, and not treat our bodies right and expect good results.  The same thing goes for our spiritual lives.

So there are remedies against getting out of shape spiritually.  Routine Bible study and church attendance will yield great results.  Prayer and service will help us stay in shape. If we do these things we can be alert to the traps the world sets for us.  Where we put our time will be what shapes us.  Lust, an unhealthy desire for things in this world, can do more to kill a relationship with Jesus as anything I know. Paul told us if we “walk in the spirit…You shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Peter said it even more strongly “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)

That is the unfortunate thing about both spiritual and physical obesity.  People are unhappy, but continue the same habits that keep them there.  People are afraid to give things up because they think that those things give them true happiness, but they usually aren’t happy.  The 1/2 pound of chocolate makes them happy for the moment, at least until they walk by a store window and see their reflection or walk up flight of stairs and have to stop every other step.  The sin that we are involved in seems great at the time, at least until we have a moment of reflection and realize that it’s fun effects were temporary and we are still not content on the inside. Satan’s lie is that the alternatives to fattening foods are tasteless and the alternative to sin is funless.  Both lies, but we fall for them.

So we need to be spiritual biggest losers.  Losers of those things that hold us back and make us spiritually flabby.  If we are in a spiritually fit condition, we will be happier and will finally find a purpose in our lives.