Integrity

It is the political season and integrity will be a topic and it won’t be a topic. It’s already happening integrity will be questioned of some and not of others depending upon favor or disfavor. Double standards exist whether we like it or not. So, the irony is even those questioning integrity seem to lack it. Unfortunately that is true in the faith community.

 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. ² For with the judgment you use,^[a] you will be judged, and with the measure you use,^[b] it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 HCSB

We know all too often of our own issues and all too often use that as an excuse to not help another who is struggling to see, another double standard.

A couple of articles ago in our thoughts about forgiveness one of the key aspects we misunderstand is our forgiving is dependent upon us and not the actions or inactions of others. Forgiveness is what we do. It is what we control. It is our choice and duty to forgive. It benefits us first and then others. Integrity has a similar ingredient. Our integrity is dependent upon who we are NOT what others have done. Just over a week and a half ago, nine people were shot and killed in Emmanuel AME church in Charleston, SC during a Bible study of which the alleged shooter took part for an hour before opening fire. It is hard to imagine this happening at all much less in our back yard. This has probably raised more than a few questions in your mind. The chief of which is, “how would I respond?”

When the alleged shooter was arraigned families of those killed were in attendance. They made the point of forgiving him and committing to pray for him and his family. WHAT??? That surprised me. I guess I have less faith in others than I should but I was surprised and after a bit delighted. The act is beyond comprehension. The hatred, contempt is more than reasonable people can understand. If you or one of your family members were involved how would you respond? It becomes a question of integrity. Sure, folks would allow you the room for all kinds of harsh words and you would be justified at least by them. I ask you would your response be out of your faith? These families in my opinion have responded beyond comprehension by showing great faith in our Lord and living like he lived. That’s integrity. Responding with action based on who you are and what you believe, not how others would have you respond. Have you noticed what has NOT happened, riots, protests? Have you noticed how faith has changed the expected response? I have and Glory Be to God for the example of integrity of faith in the midst. Those nine have joined the great cloud of witnesses.

 

In HIS Service and Yours!

Bro G

Be Present

As Father’s Day is here we at Crossroads are in the midst of our VBS Camp at the Assembly. It’s always tiring, aggravating and GREAT all at the same time. Kids in my estimation always enjoy adults being with them, doing with them just being present. I guess what that means is to enjoy them. Maybe that’s what being present really means enjoying “the one you’re with.” Yes that is a reference to an old CSN title.

I’ve done this I am sorry to say and I would venture to guess so have you, where you are “present” but not “there.” There is so little about that location and activity that interests you that could care less to be there. So, you are there but not there. Maybe you are on your phone or in a book or staring out the window whatever you are not there. In another way of looking at it you don’t enjoy the people you are with. Sometimes that is true of our families.

There are times when we don’t enjoy being around our immediate families much less our extended families. They can be like the general public, stinky, smelly just unbearable to be around. It’s those times that we need to be reminded of our obligation as people of faith as found in Ephesians.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives[family], exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives[families]. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. Ephesians 5:25-28 The Message [brackets mine]

Particularly on Father’s Day the role of the Father in any home has never been more important. But guys that means we have to be there physically and emotionally. I know…I know that seems like we are doing nothing. We are supposed to be doing something for them etc. the truth is the most we can do for them is to be present with them. Honestly, our families want us to be there engaged, enjoying them. That means we/I have got to change our/my thinking.

We must decide our family is our priority. They are more important than our job, hobbies, friends, desires well everything except God. If we make them that important then we need to be there. That means we need to un-plug from the TV for a period. Turn off the cell phone for a while. Check those e-mails tomorrow. Cut the grass another day (it will still be there). Work on that thing later. Turn our attention to our wives and children now so that later they will turn their attention to you. You see in the end family is all that we have when a job ends, health fails, mind falters and our doings become being. It makes life much more enjoyable. You want to be present so do they!                    

Bro G

Forgiveness, so misunderstood!

For the past two weeks I have been speaking about forgiveness based on an article at MarkMerrill.com Forgiveness is not what you think! The following is an outline of sorts. It will probably evoke more questions. That’s good. We start with

Ø  Forgiveness is NOT:

§  A Feeling If it were we would never do it because we would never feel like it!

§  Weakness It requires more strength to recognize the wrong, declare it and deal with it.

§  Ignoring It is not ignoring the hurt or hiding from it. It is just the opposite.

§  Forgetting It is what God does but you are I are not God. At least not like him yet!

§  Condoning It is not excusing the wrong. It neither minimizes nor justifies the act.

§  Reconciling We are to forgive and reconciliation may follow but it is not necessary for forgiveness

§  Based on THEIR actions or inaction it really is about us and our actions. They may never acknowledge the wrong or even know of the wrong. We should forgive to let go of the hurt and begin healing.

§  Conditional It does not contain clauses like If you do this and this and this…then I will forgive you. It’s not about them! It’s you letting go!

§  A Free Pass Sin has a way of finding us out. It will come back to bite us again and again if we don’t change our ways.

§  Revenge It is not a way to make the other feel bad so they can hurt like you.

§  Justice God is the judge of the righteous and the unrighteous. ALL will stand in judgment before him with Christ or without!  

§  Change The other person that is. Their actions, thoughts or behaviors. It’s about changing yours.

§  Trust Because you forgive another does not mean you have to trust them. It may mean that you can and will and that is best. Forgiveness is freely given. Trust must be earned with consistent truth telling over a period of time usually longer than we think.

§  Changing the Past Rather it is to draw a line in the sand to change the present and the future from her on out.

Ø  Forgiveness IS: A Command with a Consequence

A command of God is for our best interest. It is for our benefit. We don’t like being told what to do that’s why we rebel. But God’s heart is good. He is for us not against us. He has way too much invested in us to destroy us although it would be his right as we can never repay the debt we owe to him.

 

 ^14-15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. Matthew 6:14-15 The Message

In HIS Service and Yours

Bro G

Bad hair days!

                A long time ago when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, elementary school went through 6th grade and then you went to Junior High 7-9 the grade. That’s what I did. Junior High/Middle School was the minefield of personal appearance and discovering ones style or styles that it is today. That was/is a struggle. Hair can become the symbol of that struggle. My hair is curly. It has always been. During that time I spend a lot of time and effort on trying to make it straight. I didn’t tell you that my hair is curlier the longer it gets. Short, not so much, but let it grow and it takes a shape and a life all of its’ own. In Junior High I also wanted it to be long which made for a double whammy. Even today drying and straightening makes my hair more dry which makes it curlier. It did that back then too. I would get so aggravated.

                That’s what happens when things don’t go our way. However, I still continued down the path to straight, long hair of course all along assuming it would make me, cool, happy, popular etc. you know how that is. Those pictures from that time and space tell a sad tale of bad, bad, bad hair days. Did I tell you my hair is curly? It still is. Over a long period of time I gave up. I figured my hair was curly and would do what it wants to anyway so why fight it? What about going with it? That’s what I do. Turns out that the key to management was length and not curl. The truth is I was focused on the outside making me secure, significant and satisfied when it was the inside that needed the work.

                We major on the minor issues and outside veneers and fail to deal with the root causes on the inside. James Merritt in his book 52 weeks with Jesus writes of this tension between the outside and the inside. “The world wants to satisfy your body. Jesus wants to satisfy your heart. The world wants you to focus on what will eventually die—your body. Jesus wants you to focus on what is going to live forever—your soul.” [i] Repeatedly Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day who focused on the appearance of righteous to the exclusion of real inward righteousness. It is an easy trap to fall into and not even know it. Minor issues become a distraction to the larger picture. They fog up our vison creating an illusion that we will always be in a fog or we buy into the illusion that by resolving this one thing everything else will be made right. Giving up on my hair didn’t fix everything but it sure gave me one less issue to deal with. It changed my perspective in a simple way but an important one. The larger picture of who I was/am and who I wanted to be did not depend on the quality of my hair day curly or straight!

                Jesus transforms us from the inside out. Sure we can put on a good costume and act the part but it is a thin veneer. Simply a covering that is easily punctured from within as the true nature of our selves comes to the surface. Jesus always looks beyond appearances into the heart of each of us. Clean the heart and the outside will follow. Only as we die to self are we made clean by Jesus. When we are secure, significant and satisfied in Him bad hair days make no difference!

In HIS Service and Yours

Bro G

[i] James Merritt, 52 Weeks with Jesus, (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 2014), 36.