2 Timothy 2:22-26
Run away from infantile
indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining
those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get
involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s
servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher
who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to
obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change
of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s
trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his
errands.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Each
night at Vacation Bible School (VBS), the leader talks to the children
during the opening activities about our mission project. This year, we
are collecting an offering to feed hungry families in Costa Rica.
During the crafts class, we are coloring fabric tote bags that will hold
food for distribution to these families. Our Costa Rica mission team
will deliver these bags and distribute the food later this summer.
As
leaders in countless VBS assemblies across the country probably do,
ours has challenged the boys to out-give the girls in this mission fund
raising. For the first two nights, the boys “out-gave” the girls by a
margin of almost 2 to 1. Last night, the tables turned, and the girls
donated almost twice as much as the boys. So our leader declared the
girls the “winners”, and a shriek like only little girls can emit
pierced the Family Life Center. Many of us - adults AND children -
covered our ears in defense. And Timothy burst into tears.
“We’re
LOSERS!” he cried. “She said the boys are LOSERS!” Big tears poured
down his face as he buried his head in my lap. I tried to console him.
I tried to explain that this was not what our leader meant. We are ALL
winners because Jesus loves us, and we are doing a GOOD THING as we use
our money to buy food for these hungry families. Timothy has been
concerned for the Costa Rican children. Each night at VBS he has asked
me about them…how will they manage without food (we’re going to feed
them), aren’t they lonely and sad (no, they will be happy to get our
bags filled with food, and they will know that someone loves them – that
Jesus loves them). And now, he feels like a loser…a failure.
We’re
working on this. I know that there will come a time when Timothy will
understand that this is just a game. When he gets older, he will
probably revel in this competition – and “beating” his sister at
anything and everything! But for now, this little guy is truly
disturbed to think that he and the other boys are “losers”. This breaks
my heart…and opens my eyes.
As I read today’s scripture passage,
I couldn’t help but replay this incident in my head. Where have we
gotten involved in seemingly innocent conversations and activities that
stir up trouble we didn’t ever imagine? Where have our thoughts and
deeds been insensitive, sparked an argument, and truly been inane to
begin with? In the case of our churches and money, it strikes me as
rather curious that we tend to emphasize “giving” so much, while
ministering to many people who barely have two nickels to rub together.
We say we want the hungry, the homeless and the downtrodden to join
us…to feel the love of Jesus in our midst. And then we tell them that
they need them to “give until it hurts” - both figuratively and
literally.
We “step on toes” in numerous ways…from promoting our
own agendas to expounding on social and political views to gossip and
discrimination of all kinds. Sometimes we don’t have a clue that we are
doing this – or hurting someone else. Other times, I think we know it
(at least a little bit)…and for some reason, we simply don’t seem to
care. We go right ahead and do it anyway.
Last night when I took
the children home, Timothy asked, “The boys will win tomorrow
night…right?” I told him that honestly, I don’t know. But I reminded
him that he is ALWAYS a winner…every single day…that in Jesus’ eyes, he
can NEVER lose. I hope it was enough, should the little girls rally
again tonight and pour on the pressure! But I know for sure that I will
be more aware of the ways that I might be involved (even innocently) in
controversies, judgments, words and actions that could be viewed as
divisive or hurtful.
I will deliberately seek to operate in grace, mercy and compassion for others… to see things through their
eyes…and to ask God to show me how to minister out of His abundance and
mature righteousness. We can learn a lot from the tender heart of a
5-year-old. Maybe it’s time a lot of us returned to this perspective in
our own lives and saw things a little more literally…with fewer gray
areas. Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:14 that “God’s kingdom is made up
of people like these.” Are you childlike in your faith and
discipleship? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label think before we speak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label think before we speak. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 7, 2011
Proverbs 16:27-28
Worthless people plan trouble. Even their words burn like a flaming fire. Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I recently purchased a box of vintage linens at an estate auction. When I got home, I carefully sorted through the things in the box and washed many of them to starch and iron and prepare for sale. You never know what you will find in a box of old linens. Some things are perfect… practically brand new… like they were never used. Others are stained, frayed, and worn. But most still have some use in them – even if they bear the marks of continued usage and/or abuse.
In the box were twelve beautiful crocheted cotton placemats. The lines and the workmanship were fairly simple but still represented a huge amount of work and care. Most were completely intact and nearly perfect in condition. However, one had some tatters in a small area. Another had a tiny fray. And yet another had a slight stain. In all, the whole set still has quality, and once a table is set with the placemats, the tiny tatters and stains will hardly be noticeable… if at all. Yet they are there, and the integrity of those three placemats has – to some degree – been compromised.
As I pressed these placemats, I thought about these two verses from Proverbs… how poorly chosen words and venomous gossip create a stain and tatters in relationships. Sometimes, these can be mended… the rough edges and tears in the heart can be smoothed and covered. But the stain or tear still remains. The hurt may heal – the person who spoke harshly or spread the gossip may be forgiven. But the damage is done… and sometimes, no repair can be made.
Like the stain on a placemat that can be covered with tableware, hurtful words can be covered… but the “stain” is still there. And we, as Christians, are sometimes the very people who put the stain on someone’s heart or reputation with our ill-chosen words.
Sometimes, we don’t really even know the people about whom we gossip or say unkind things. And maybe we figure that, because we really don’t know them – and they will never know what we said about them – it doesn’t really hurt anything or anyone. But the truth is that people are watching – and listening. If even one person is influenced by our negative or unkind words… that’s one too many. The integrity of our Christian witness is compromised.
Ask God to show you how to control your thoughts before you speak… and ultimately what comes out of your mouth. Don’t be known as someone who is mean or worthless… a gossip that spreads lies and breaks up friendships… a troublemaker who is always trying to stir up others’ feelings. This is not Godly behavior… and it doesn’t please our Heavenly Father one bit!
Be who God has called you to be… a wise, careful, thoughtful person who prayerfully considers what to say before engaging the tongue. In The Message, Proverbs 16:25 says “There’s a way that looks harmless enough: look again – it leads straight to hell.” Ask God if what you are about to say about someone or a certain situation is really harmless… and let Him lead you in the right direction and toward a wise decision for yourself… and for all concerned.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Worthless people plan trouble. Even their words burn like a flaming fire. Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I recently purchased a box of vintage linens at an estate auction. When I got home, I carefully sorted through the things in the box and washed many of them to starch and iron and prepare for sale. You never know what you will find in a box of old linens. Some things are perfect… practically brand new… like they were never used. Others are stained, frayed, and worn. But most still have some use in them – even if they bear the marks of continued usage and/or abuse.
In the box were twelve beautiful crocheted cotton placemats. The lines and the workmanship were fairly simple but still represented a huge amount of work and care. Most were completely intact and nearly perfect in condition. However, one had some tatters in a small area. Another had a tiny fray. And yet another had a slight stain. In all, the whole set still has quality, and once a table is set with the placemats, the tiny tatters and stains will hardly be noticeable… if at all. Yet they are there, and the integrity of those three placemats has – to some degree – been compromised.
As I pressed these placemats, I thought about these two verses from Proverbs… how poorly chosen words and venomous gossip create a stain and tatters in relationships. Sometimes, these can be mended… the rough edges and tears in the heart can be smoothed and covered. But the stain or tear still remains. The hurt may heal – the person who spoke harshly or spread the gossip may be forgiven. But the damage is done… and sometimes, no repair can be made.
Like the stain on a placemat that can be covered with tableware, hurtful words can be covered… but the “stain” is still there. And we, as Christians, are sometimes the very people who put the stain on someone’s heart or reputation with our ill-chosen words.
Sometimes, we don’t really even know the people about whom we gossip or say unkind things. And maybe we figure that, because we really don’t know them – and they will never know what we said about them – it doesn’t really hurt anything or anyone. But the truth is that people are watching – and listening. If even one person is influenced by our negative or unkind words… that’s one too many. The integrity of our Christian witness is compromised.
Ask God to show you how to control your thoughts before you speak… and ultimately what comes out of your mouth. Don’t be known as someone who is mean or worthless… a gossip that spreads lies and breaks up friendships… a troublemaker who is always trying to stir up others’ feelings. This is not Godly behavior… and it doesn’t please our Heavenly Father one bit!
Be who God has called you to be… a wise, careful, thoughtful person who prayerfully considers what to say before engaging the tongue. In The Message, Proverbs 16:25 says “There’s a way that looks harmless enough: look again – it leads straight to hell.” Ask God if what you are about to say about someone or a certain situation is really harmless… and let Him lead you in the right direction and toward a wise decision for yourself… and for all concerned.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 1, 2011
Proverbs 16:7
When we please the LORD, even our enemies make friends with us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In my book, clear-headed, rational thinking and the ability to remain calm in trying situations are God-given attributes! And my husband has them in spades. So when I am in a situation where I would tend to “fly off the handle,” I often use him as a sounding board first. And I have to admit, I have gotten better at stopping and saying a prayer… asking God to give me the right words and actions… and thinking about what advice my husband would give me, also.
A lot of times, we are called to “take the high road,” even when what we really want to do is thump a few heads. There are always going to be people who challenge our patience… who fabricate the truth to suit their own needs… and who are, for whatever reason, just a little off their rocker! But lowering yourself to their level accomplishes nothing – and it only pleases the devil.
When you know you are right… when you know you are in God’s will and pleasing Him with your decisions and your behavior… you have nothing for which to apologize. You can stand tall and proud and politely say, “We may just have to agree to disagree” – or walk away without saying anything. When you are being attacked, ask God to give you the strength and courage to smile at your attacker and keep your cool. The first year I taught school, I had a few parents and a principal who thought I was too young and dumb to know what I was doing… and they tried to make things pretty hard on me. One of my fellow teachers said repeatedly, “Just kill ‘em with kindness.” That stuck with me… it was – and is - great advice.
God knows your heart. He knows if/when you are doing the right thing… and He knows when you are being attacked, mistreated, or disrespected. If He approves of your life, nothing else matters… and neither does the opinion of anyone else. Hold your head up… take the high road… “kill ‘em with kindness” – and let God handle the rest. Your enemies may not literally end up shaking your hand, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you did not disappoint yourself… or more importantly – your Heavenly Father. Whether you realize it or not, you will have emerged the true winner – in this life and for all Eternity!
©2011 Debbie Robus
When we please the LORD, even our enemies make friends with us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In my book, clear-headed, rational thinking and the ability to remain calm in trying situations are God-given attributes! And my husband has them in spades. So when I am in a situation where I would tend to “fly off the handle,” I often use him as a sounding board first. And I have to admit, I have gotten better at stopping and saying a prayer… asking God to give me the right words and actions… and thinking about what advice my husband would give me, also.
A lot of times, we are called to “take the high road,” even when what we really want to do is thump a few heads. There are always going to be people who challenge our patience… who fabricate the truth to suit their own needs… and who are, for whatever reason, just a little off their rocker! But lowering yourself to their level accomplishes nothing – and it only pleases the devil.
When you know you are right… when you know you are in God’s will and pleasing Him with your decisions and your behavior… you have nothing for which to apologize. You can stand tall and proud and politely say, “We may just have to agree to disagree” – or walk away without saying anything. When you are being attacked, ask God to give you the strength and courage to smile at your attacker and keep your cool. The first year I taught school, I had a few parents and a principal who thought I was too young and dumb to know what I was doing… and they tried to make things pretty hard on me. One of my fellow teachers said repeatedly, “Just kill ‘em with kindness.” That stuck with me… it was – and is - great advice.
God knows your heart. He knows if/when you are doing the right thing… and He knows when you are being attacked, mistreated, or disrespected. If He approves of your life, nothing else matters… and neither does the opinion of anyone else. Hold your head up… take the high road… “kill ‘em with kindness” – and let God handle the rest. Your enemies may not literally end up shaking your hand, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you did not disappoint yourself… or more importantly – your Heavenly Father. Whether you realize it or not, you will have emerged the true winner – in this life and for all Eternity!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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