“What am I going to wear today?” For me, a no-brainer. As long as it’s not the same pair of pants and shirt I wore yesterday, it’s acceptable. In fact, I’ve been known to wear the same pair of slacks two days in a row-just not the same shirt.
Other decisions aren’t so easy. Which mutual fund should I invest in? Or should I just stick with stocks or bonds? Am I willing to give up my job so I can stay home and care for an aging parent? What college should I attend? Should I repair my car or trade it in for a new one?
Life is filled with decisions. Some require little thought while others take intense consideration and require more time. Some are trivial while others are vital. Knowing how to differentiate between good and bad and moral and immoral is essential. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives (Philippians 1:10 NLT).
Any size decision should be prefaced by consulting God’s guidebook. The Bible may not speak to my specific situation…I don’t know of a verse telling me which mutual fund to invest in, but it does give general principles that relate to any specific circumstance.
When I meditate on the verses, God’s Spirit shows me how to apply them to my particular decision. This requires alone time with God…away from noisy surroundings, so I can clearly hear him.
Nor is “If it feels right do it,” good decision making advice. My feelings are fickle and change numerous times during the day. Good and bad, right and wrong, and sensible and insensible must enter the picture.
Let God in on the decisions you struggle with. He wants to help you choose according to his will.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we admit we’re often helpless when it comes to making some decisions. Prompt us to include You in the process regardless of how insignificant the decision is.
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I might not be aware of the exact second it will sound, but most of the time I at least know the day. After all, I’m a teacher and need to plan accordingly. Then there are a few surprise fire, tornado, and severe weather drills. Even when I know the day, the piercing squeal sets my nerves on edge.
As alarms can be heard near and far, so our reputations should be as well. Believers in Thessalonica mastered the art. And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere…for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God (I Thessalonians 1:8 NLT).
I’ve almost had a lifetime of building a Christian reputation. Overall I’ve done well, but there have been short periods when the alarm wasn’t sounding clearly. Establishing a ringing reputation takes intense work. Like a credit history, it’s built over time. As I live out the reality of my faith in practical ways, I nurture my reputation. If I believe loving God is most important, I must attend to my relationship with him. If patience is a virtue, I should thank him for episodes that nurture the virtue. And if loving others is important, I must look for ways to show it rather than simply giving lip service.
A ringing reputation also entails incidents of forgiveness-mine and God’s. I’ve never been perfect, am not now, and won’t be until eternity. But it’s not periodic failures that tarnish my reputation; it’s choosing to stay the course of rebellion. God forgives continually-though he expects me to learn my lesson, and I must learn to forgive myself also. Unrealistic expectations only hinder my journey toward a ringing reputation.
What can you do to help your reputation ring more clearly?
Prayer: Spirit of grace and mercy, enable us to build reputations that honor You and ring loudly and clearly to others.
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one of my wife's favorite recipes? Visit the Recipe
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I’m a Baby Boomer, and at times I feel sandwiched.
Baby Boomers represent 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964. I barely made it in, but I’m beginning to feel the pinch nevertheless. For those younger 30-somethings waiting for us to retire, we may be perceived as irritants. But for us, we’re wondering if we’ll have a retirement.
More importantly, Baby Boomers are dealing with taxing life issues, among them being sandwiched between multiple layers of responsibilities. All, however, are encapsulated in the following statement. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith (I Timothy 5:8 NLT).
Many of our parents are still alive but have reached the age where they need assistance. I discovered this recently when my mother spent a few days in the hospital after several fainting episodes. No abnormalities were discovered; we simply diagnosed it as dehydration. The doctor nestled in a chair between us and reminded her that her children must now become the parent and she the child. His statement constituted one layer of the sandwich.
The other layer of bread is adult children who continually seem to return or who need frequent help managing their schedules and their children’s. For some of us, a grandparent’s work is never done.
So how do we survive the sandwich without it devouring us? By repeatedly modeling and teaching responsibility to our adult children. We love to help, but after all these are YOUR kids. By remembering the years of care our parents gave us and reciprocating with patience, love, and kindness. And above all else-while groveling in the sandwich, by remembering our purpose to glorify God in everything we say, do, and think. After all, one day we’ll be the outer layer of bread.
Prayer: Heavenly Lord, we pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance to care for those You’ve placed in our families.
Why not try one of my wife's favorite recipes? Visit
the Recipe
Page.
In 1757, at the age of 22, pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson penned the words to the song “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Verse four’s conclusion mimics Jesus’ story of the prodigal son: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.
Happily for the prodigal, he came to his senses and said to himself …“I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you…Please take me on as a hired servant (Luke 15:17-19 NLT)’”
Becoming a believer at the age of nine didn’t seal my perfection. I’ve wandered down a few stray paths during the course of my spiritual journey. These forays have always been initiated because I-like Adam and Eve, had a wrong desire and craved forbidden fruit instead of God things.
When I-with God’s assistance, failed to take these unhealthy desires captive, I found myself making decisions to depart for far countries. And I didn’t necessarily have to change geographical positions to get there. Just my spiritual mindset and focus.
Usually after only a short period in these strange places, I discovered I’d been duped. The grass wasn’t greener after all. Nor was the relationship more invigorating or the habit healthier. They just claimed to be.
Staying too long in the far country led to spiritual defeat. God could still use me, but he wouldn’t because I was dishonoring his name. So he threw in a spirit of despair and desperation that caused my eyes to turn toward home. And each time I ran back home, I discovered restoration.
And that’s the good news. God’s chances for renewal and restoration don’t stop with two. No matter how many times we fail, he’s always waiting with open arms for us to return.
Prayer: Thank You merciful Lord that our proneness to wander doesn’t lead You to turn us away when we come running back after realizing our mistakes.
Why not try one of my wife's
favorite recipes? Visit the Recipe Page.
