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Friday, March 19, 2010

MORE Blessed

Jesus said: “It is MORE BLESSED to give then to receive.” I am willing to bet that almost every one of us would like to be MORE BLESSED rather than LESS BLESSED. If this is true why do we give so little? Why do we give in such a way that we end up less blessed?

Jesus said: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38 NIV)

In Jesus day the land was owned by a relatively few people. These people were the rich people. The rich were those in power and who controlled most aspects of society and life.

In the harvest field there were two classes of people that would be found in the field.

One class was the laborers who Jesus often spoke of in stories and parables. These workers were paid not by the amount of work they did but by the amount of hours they put in. The parable of the Landowner – Matthew 20 illustrates those who got paid based on the number of hours they would put in.

The other class of people was the poor people. These people were given the right to ‘glean’ from the field. They would follow the harvesters and gather the leftovers to supply their personal need. What they gleaned was free. It was theirs.

The laborers would fill a basket only partially full. They had to carry the basket from where they were working to the main holding area. They didn’t fill the basket all the way full because it would spill as they carried it across the field and what would be the point of that?

The poor, the gleaners, on the other hand would fill the basket full, they would shake it, they would press it down and as they walked away it would be running over. What they had was theirs and there was no cost to them. They were going to carry as much as they possibly could.

Being MORE BLESSED is what Jesus was referring to when He said: “Give, and it will be given to you. … For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

You and I are in complete control of MORE BLESSED and LESS BLESSED!

Friday, March 12, 2010

“I NEED that!”

“I NEED that!”

At one time or another and more than just one time, I have heard each of our children exclaim, rather forcefully, that they had NEED of something.

It might have been at a grocery store, a stop along the road on vacation or in a restaurant somewhere – one of more of them would make the declaration. It was always somewhat comical. Barbara or I would remind the child that they didn’t NEED anything. I will be the first to admit that my children have never NEEDED anything. Of course they have lots of needs but those needs are always provided for. They’ve never been naked – (Well mostly never!) They’ve never gone hungry. They’ve never gone without a house or doctor visit or shots or toys or for that matter they almost never went without dessert due to their Dad’s sweet tooth.

Sometime along the way the “I NEED that!” declaration became more truthful. Each child, at some point, would change their declaration to “I WANT that!” For a parent, the new declaration is just as annoying as the old one but at least the new one is honest.

With each declaration Barbara or I would respond: “But I thought you wanted …” and they would reply – “Well, I WANT that too!” or “That was yesterday or last week or …” You get the idea.

Things don’t change much as we get old, do they? We don’t say to someone else “I NEED that!” But we convince ourselves that we NEED that. We have to rationalize, think through, argue with circumstances and the reasons that we don’t NEED that but eventually with enough finesse we convince ourselves that we need it.

I don’t have the that color of shirt though!
What if the other one breaks?
This will reduce the time that it takes to do the job now – it’s worth it.

You get the idea.

As teens and adults we would be better off telling ourselves the truth – I WANT that.
At least then we could ask the some helpful questions like:
Why do I WANT that?
Can I really afford all of my WANTS?
Is this WANT going to last or is this an impulse?

WANT is a powerful force … let’s be honest and let’s not let WANT rule our lives!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Are you ‘steeping’?

Anyone who has made a cup of tea knows that tea colors and flavors the water when the bag is put into water. This process is known as ‘steeping.’ For the tea to color and flavor the water the water has to be hot. Cold water doesn’t make a good cup of tea.

Transformation of a person’s emotions is not a quick process. There is no quick memory ‘flash’ that will change habits and ways of feeling and responding in an instantaneous procedure. There are times, when treating a patient who is experiencing significant emotional or mental struggles, that a psychiatrist will prescribe medicine. Some of these medicines function to block the normal ‘electrical pathways’ in the brain and by doing so, allow new pathways to be created. Over a period of time the electrical currents in the brain find new paths to travel in. When that occurs, a person’s mental and emotional patterns and responses can change. Hopefully the new paths are healthier than the old pathways. The new pathways, if they are given time and repletion, will become the default pathways. None of this change happens quickly.

In a similar way, emotional and mental transformation of a follower of Jesus Christ is the creation of new paths and habits of living and thinking. These new paths eventually become the default habits and patterns of living. None of this change happens quickly. Paul wrote: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

Transformation usually happens during these different conditions: Tension, Trouble, Transition and Trials. People often change when the tension between bills and available finances are in conflict with one another. People often change when they find themselves in trouble for some reason. People often make changes in life during times of transition. People often change when they are experiencing some sort of trial in life.

It is interesting that these are the conditions when transformation most often occurs, but people do almost everything they can to avoid tension, trouble, transition and trials, thereby removing the very conditions under which transformation takes place.

The Bible says: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-4 MSG) Could it be that followers are instructed to see trials, tests and challenges in a positive way because they are an advantage? I think so.

Going through times of tension, trouble, transition and trials is a sort of spiritual ‘steeping.’ Transformation happens in more powerful ways when we are steeping in tension, trouble, transition and trial.

Are you ‘steeping’ and being transformed, or are you trying to get out of the conditions of spiritual steeping?

Matt