Golden Opportunities: Hard Choices - Part 3

Everyone has values for choosing how life should be lived. Jesus put our choices into perspective. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the wide is the gate and easy the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter it. Narrow is the gate and hard the way that leads to life and few are those who find it." What is your honest response to these words?

I asked a man in his late thirties if he could ask one thing from God, what would it be? After a long silence, he said, "A clean heart that’s been forgiven, one that absent of the guilt and shame I’ve brought on myself."

To enter the narrow gate requires examining your values. Put into perspective what's on the other side of the narrow gate that awaits you. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, or can the mind imagine what lies in store for those who choose to love God." God creates in us a new heart when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Will you do that?  

Golden Opportunities: Hard Choices - Part 1

The Jewish Rabbi Hillel was humorously challenged to teach the whole law while standing on one foot. Here’s his response: "What you do not like done to you, do not do to others. This is the entire law." The Golden Rule is based on "Love your neighbor as yourself." Can you love yourself, as this commandment intends?

Self-love includes the soul's desire for the essential enrichment that God provides. Loving your neighbor means believing he or she is worthy of the best that God makes available. One thing is for sure, bitterness, hate, anger and too much pride are incompatible with loving oneself as God intended.

Doing to others as you would have them do to you requires vigilance devoted to monitoring your attitudes, motives and actions. A desire to love God with your entire being must come first. Then be aware of opportunities that come your way, and deliberately choose to practice kindness, patience and goodness. These comprise the Golden Rule. God will reward your commitment to do so.  

Golden Rule: Golden Opportunities - Part 3

The mother of a young man who was brutally murdered related how she hated the man who committed the atrocious felony. She promised to give all her energies to keeping him incarcerated for the rest of his life. Complete healing may be impossible if the judicial system is lenient with this violent offender and neglects her need for justice.

Hate, bitterness and anger are self-destructive. My psychology professor noted that persistent stress subjects the body to disease by weakening the immune system. Hate, anger and bitterness are detrimental to the mind, body and spirit by creating a barrier to properly loving yourself.

Yet God’s word instructs believers to love what is good and hate what is evil. Hate felt toward another person, however, is contradictory to the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is difficult to actualize, and is a lifetime endeavor. Implore God to give you the will to comply with his command. Would you do that? 

Must I Really Love THAT Person? - Part 2

Some people believe “loving your neighbor as yourself” is out-of-step with today’s reality. Whom do you consider to be your neighbor? Is loving your neighbor possible in any profession where production is the main objective? It’s easier to love those who love you, but Jesus asked this question, "If you only love those who love you, what reward will you get?"

Most people respond positively to friendship, love, kindness and goodness, but when Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself," he went beyond the easy group. He extended it outward to include the hard-to-love person, the one who is difficult to trust, and those with grumpy dispositions.

Tenacity means being resolved to do what is right even though struggles and temptations are ever-present. Someone summed it up this way, "There is no merit where there is no trial or when you dodged the hard, difficult issues of life.” Determination and resilience generate blessings when you choose to follow Jesus’ command to "Love one another as I have loved you.”  

Remember! God Favors You - Part 3

When the people of Israel ended their forty-year residence in the desert, it was time to claim the promised land. Their journey, which had begun in Egypt, ended at the Jordan River near Jericho. Joshua, their leader and commander appointed by Moses, told the people, "Consecrate yourselves to the Lord God. Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

These people were to go forward to conquer the land. This is not unlike what God asks you to do as you go out to confront the tasks of making a living, parenting children, or just surviving the day. God wanted his people to remember he favored them and they would be successful regardless how the odds seemed stacked against them.

It's important to remember how God favors you by getting you through desperate situations that seemed impossible to navigate. Do not forget that God believes in you and regards you as his treasure and dear possession.  It's difficult to get that fixed into your consciousness, isn't it? You are his treasure and prized possession. He will never forget you!   

At a Crossroads? Get Out of the Rut and Reach Higher - Part 2

Mapping the brain continues to be an objective of scientists who research this magnificent, mysterious part of our body. Mapping the brain helps doctors diagnose, treat, and heal physical and mental disorders. The brain seems so complex, we tend to give it little consideration. The reason is, we’re busy making needed pathways through the difficulties and complexities of life.

It’s on these pathways that we come to a crossroads where circumstances require us to choose what is possible or impossible. After fifteen years of marriage a husband presented his wife with a divorce decree, due in part to her withdrawal of affection. While there was no stated reason for the withdrawal, he was firm in seeking the divorce.

Help for managing shock, hurt, and confusion at a crossroads is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." What clearer map could you choose to follow?

Shaping Life Scripts at the Crossroads - Part 2

Ben Johnson was offered a major role in the movie, "The Last Picture Show," but refused to play the part because of the script’s dirty language. He finally agreed to take the role when he was allowed to delete language he opposed. He believed foul language wasn’t necessary for an outstanding script. Ben Johnson won an Oscar for his performance in that movie.

He knew he alone was accountable to God for his self-esteem, integrity, and conscience; therefore, he refused to condone filthy language. Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “The lower one's self-esteem, the greater will be a person's loneliness, unhappiness, and interpersonal incompetence." Foolish, reckless choices damage self-esteem.

Psalm 1 describes the benefits of choosing wisely. “The righteous prosper, but not the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Like Ben Johnson, you will stand at the crossroads to confront your choices. God will give you wisdom to choose his righteousness.

Shaping Life Scripts at the Crossroads - Part 1

It seems that some people have a natural winning formula for success and happiness while others fit into the opposite category. To be self-sufficient and productive, it appears from a distance that successful individuals have life scripts written out, and all they have to do is roll with the flow of opportunities.

A man in his thirties said he was encouraged by his parents to become a molecular biologist. Being intelligent and motivated, he thought it made sense to comply with his parents’ encouragement. Approaching mid-life feeling dissatisfied and conflicted, he now questions his choice. However, obligations and so much responsibility make change a distant dream.

This man is at a crossroads where decisions affect himself, his career, and his family. What helps him choose wisely is the wellspring of hope from Psalm 1. “The man who delights in the laws of God and follows his will is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in due season. Whatever he does prospers.” This is a winning formula for success.

Rewriting Your Life Script? Set Boundaries - Part 3

Can you imagine going back in time to change significant choices you made at a younger age? Being older and wiser indicates the probability for choosing differently. Some would even like to rewrite their entire life script composed of experiences, decisions, and the direction their life took over the years.

Some things are unalterable. You can't change who your parents were or the environment you were exposed to growing up, but you can change your attitude. Altering daily routines to allow for more flexibility isn't easy, but it's not impossible. God’s grace and mercy and the insight he provides allow for a new script to be written on how you will order your life for the remainder of your days.

Psalm 1 refers to a life script God will bless. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord on which he meditates day and night.” This is not easy, but a choice that honors Christ Jesus.

Never Give Up! God Will Send Help - Part 1

Jesus' parable in Luke 18 illustrates two critical components of resilience. One is persistence, which is required for getting legitimate personal needs met with satisfaction. The other demonstrates the limitations of resilience by refusing to do the right thing. Godly stubbornness or steadfastness always seeks justice and goodness.

Listen as Jesus teaches about praying constantly and with determination. "There was a judge who never gave God a thought and cared less for people. However a widow kept after him seeking justice: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me'. After this went on and on, he said to himself, 'I care nothing about what God or people think, but this woman won't quit badgering me. I'll  see that she gets justice - otherwise I'm going to be beaten black and blue by her pounding.'"

Isn't that a wonderful story? The point is, God rewards persistent faith. He shows respect for resilience, which is a quality of character that will not give up or give in to rejection, no matter what its source.

Resilience: Character Strength for Survival - Part 1

When reading biographies of Christian martyrs, it's impossible not to be amazed by their character strength to endure hardship and pain. They refused to give in to pressures and temptations and abandon their commitment to Christ and his church. Their faith paralleled St. Paul's, who was willing to face death rather than default on his faith in Christ. "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day."

President John F. Kennedy acknowledged this strength of character. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Defectors and traitors usually are despised because they portray a weakness of character like Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Resilience is a character strength that enables each of us to overcome adversity and hardships we're bound to face. Pain is inescapable, but St. Paul declared that he rejoiced in suffering because he knew that suffering produced perseverance, another good synonym for resilience. Standing up to adversity strengthens your faith in Christ Jesus. 

Choosing at the Crossroads - Part 3

A word picture from the New Testament portrays Jesus pressing on toward the task that lay before him. He refused to be distracted. In the days before his crucifixion, he was determined to press on toward Jerusalem to meet his critics, his enemies, and those who loved and cared for him. He knew God's purpose for his life.

He was tempted by Satan to take the easy road. His disciples and friends begged him to bypass the cross, but he stayed on course. Where did this unrelenting resilience come from that enabled him to accomplish God's purpose? Resilience is a character quality that balances determination and pain in the pursuit of given objective.

Resilience does not indicate the absence of weakness that makes a person subject to fatigue, grief, or even physical handicaps. Under-girding resilience is faith that overrides anxiety and fear or even discouragement. Faith is a gift from God that's available to all who believe in Christ Jesus who ask for it,  gladly accept it, and use it for God's purpose.

Choosing Compassion and Forgiveness - Part 3

There have always been tragic situations that God's people have to endure, while perpetrators of hurtful acts appear to escape suffering. Are laws that give criminals rights and protection, but often ignore the rights of victims, unjust? Are we too lenient on those who hurl rebellion and pride in the face of society?

The older brother saw his father coddle his younger sibling, who was irresponsible, lazy, and disloyal. The older brother's attitude concerning his younger brother was to send this slacker on down the road. Let him suffer for the pain he brought on the family. He could not bring himself to forgive either his brother or father.

We, like the older brother, have choices concerning how we behave. Anger and resentment destroy our inner peace and separate us from fellowship with God and others. Proverbs 12:15 issues a warning. "The ways of a fool seem right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." God never fails to show us the way to forgiveness and righteousness.  

Come Out of the "Pig Pen": Rethink Your Choices - Part 2

I heard a story about a man who wanted to quit the Mafia. He became convicted of his sins after accepting Jesus as Lord of his life, but you just can't say good-bye to the Mafia. A contract was issued to kill him. However the contract became invalid when the Don who issued the contract was assassinated. His mother's prayers helped him reframe his past choices.

This man had the ability to understand what's important and find the will to make needed changes. He could not balance being a Christian with continuing to work for the Mafia as a criminal. Reframing allowed him to make a significant shift in what is valued, in what it actually means to serve Christ Jesus with every aspect of his life.

The prodigal son made that shift. He knew where he belonged. For this rebellious young man, a crisis threatened his life that forced him to see clearly who he was and what he needed to do. Reframing puts into perspective the fact that God is waiting for you to come to yourself and make the decisions that will lead you back to him. 

Dealing Constructively with Reality - Part 2

It is not unusual for a friend or parent to offer words of caution when they observe us approaching a painful situation. God also is working to guide and direct us by whatever means he chooses. However we're at liberty to ignore every concerned voice offering caution and guidance, even the voice of God himself.

Dealing effectively with reality must include our willingness to consider the unsolicited advice and guidance of others. The eagerness to consider another person's perspective indicates a belief that God works through other people to help us define and clarify direction for our lives. Being unwilling to listen to other voices can flaw our ability to make effective decisions.

Dealing constructively with reality may require asking God and others for help. David, Israel's greatest king, often found himself in this position. In Psalm 51:12 he pleads with God to restore the joy of his salvation and to grant him a willing spirit so he could be sustained as he faced a difficult situation. This can be your choice.  

Facing Tough Realities: Pressing On - Part 1

The facts of reality are not always easy to accept, but most individuals  eventually face what cannot be denied. The issue is learning how to deal constructively with reality, which is a basic principle for making choices for effective change in difficult situations. This applies to power struggles where   striving for dominance and control jeopardize a relationship.

Someone told me he finally realized the futility of fighting with his wife. A deeper hurt was the lack of closeness and loneliness they both experienced. Quarreling proved to be a "no win" situation as the main issue failed to be addressed. Getting bogged down in power struggles overlooks areas where there is compatibility for potential happiness.

Dealing constructively with reality requires making some tough choices. What appears impossible can become workable by accepting the positive attributes about a person or relationship. Being flexible enough for God to create an attitude of hope in you is a choice you can make. Hope that rests in Christ Jesus builds confidence for facing tough realities.