Thoughts for today!

I have been thinking about the last post dealing with rebellion and attitudes. I remember in one situation where I made some pretty pointed remarks to a parent regarding their young person. I was trying to help them to see where their thought process was wrong and how it would lead to more disrespect for leadership. So in the process I made some sharp remarks but in such a way as to not be offensive.

The parent looked serious then chuckled then looked serious again. Just then my wife walked up and the parent just busted out laughing and told my wife “your husband has a way with words”, “what he said was funny but very true”. I had addressed the sticky problem with God’s help and corrected it and kept a parent who is still a friend today! Maybe if we that are in leadership would spend more time connecting with people then when something like this comes up we can let God speak through us. I think Sis. Vesta Mangun preached it years ago; you have to win people to you then to Christ. We need to take time with them on a more casual basis.

I am not talking about running around with them all the time, but go eat with them every once in awhile to let them know you really care about them. Then when a problem arises you can quickly deal with it because of the established trust and rapport that you have built. The problem today is that we are all caught up with being “politically correct” instead we need to be “kingdom minded”. If you don't guide them and correct them don't worry someone will lead them, astray! If they are youth, then realize you are training the leaders of tomorrow and God sent you to them to train correctly.

So when you see a problem don't run from it. God has allowed you to see the problem because he wants you to deal with it for the Kingdom's sake!! Don't raise up a crippled church, do your best that's all God asks! In the end the person will come back and thank you. I know from experience of over 30 years in helping the throw away youth to overcome what life has dealt to them! It is worth it!! Enough for now I'll move on!

I went Monday to training for volunteer work in a local hospital. I applied on a whim last month. I thought I go so much to visit church people and their friends, what if I signed up so I could minister to others in need? They were more than happy to have me come aboard and help. I go next Monday for my Pastoral Care class and my second TB test then I will be certified to minister anywhere in the hospital.

I know that I can go pretty much where I want to now with my minister license but this new tag will let them know that I am going by their basic standards as well. Plus it puts me on call in case there is a disaster in the community. I will be one of the ones called to help the family deal with crisis, “That I might win some” as the Apostle Paul said.

It is part of what I have been thinking as I go into this year. What in the world am I doing for Christ’s sake? Not what I am doing at church with various schedules, services etc…, but what I am doing in the world?

Rebellion Part I

1 Samuel 15:22-24 (King James Version)
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Let me just share a few thoughts with you today on these verses. In I Sam 15:22 the question is asked in our terms today. Is the Lord as happy when we give sacrifices and offerings versus our obeying his word? The answer is No! No amount of sacrifices (even the fat of rams) is better than obedience. In other words you can’t give $5 or $50,000 in an offering and think that gives you a right to sow disunity or discord among the brethren or in the church because you did not get your way on new carpet in the church or new paint color etc...

The next verse gets down to the nitty-gritty and says rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Wow! That is a tough statement. Witchcraft has always been considered a “big/bad” sin. But to say that rebellion is as bad sheds a new light on how Jesus looks at our attitudes. He counts our attitude as very important. How we act and how we treat each otheris big in God's eyes. Plus as the last part of the verse shows when you let one spirit go unchecked then it opens the door for other spirits to come in your heart

When I was a little fellow growing up in Mendota CA., I can remember “pitching a fit”. I was on the floor in the hallway and yelling and kicking my feet. My “fit” did not last long because my mom got a hold of me and gave me a good whipping. I was told that this attitude was wrong and that Jesus didn’t like little boys to act this way. Later in life I looked at little kids that “pitched a fit” and thought they are such babies, they need some good old home training.

Unfortunately a lot of kids were never taught correctly and they rebelled or pitched a fit even when they got older. I remember working with some young people that pitched a fit. Just as I started to say something to them I remembered that their folks had pitched a fit a few days earlier. So I told them that their attitude was not right. They were being disrespectful to leadership in this case. I told them that if their parents were alcoholics that they did not have to be alcoholics. I also told them that just because they did it at home or that their parents did it didn’t make it right.

I was able to open their eyes in such away as to keep their trust and their parents trust even to this day. If you don’t make the captain of the team become a good team player. But don’t show an attitude that is not Christ like!

The last part of that verse 23 says that sometimes we reject some of God’s word and that we are rewarded accordingly. God can see your heart that is why the psalmist prayed in: Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. He knew that God knew his heart and the very intents of his doings. So he wanted God to show him where he was wrong.

Verse 24 goes even further and Saul admits he was wrong for his actions and attitudes. But he said I listened to the voice of the people. In other words he wanted to be popular with a group of people so he went their way and totally disregarded the ways and laws of God. Theses are signs of the end-times as recorded in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (King James Version):
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
They will be afraid of losing friends and popularity so they come up with new laws and rules. In disregard what God says and in trying to bring themselves up to some special “new” expectations they turn from the truth and shall be turned into fables.

You say how do I guard my heart? How do I check myself? For example if you find yourself at odds with the pastor or those in leadership over you. You need to be very careful as to what you do and what you say. After praying and getting a hold of God, Go to that leader and try to get an understanding as to what God’s wants to accomplish in your life at that time. Some people pray and say God if you don’t do such and such then I am going to wreck my car. I am sorry God does not work that way and his ways are above our ways.

Sometimes we try to open the rose by ourselves and forget to wait on God’s timing.