From the Heart of a Pastor...
May 28, 2010
The Road Ahead: Developing Christian Character through Life’s Journey II. Walking With Jesus Lesson 9: Making Friends Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Things to meditate: There are some people who make it very hard for us to be their friend. Sometimes people demand more than we can give. Those demands seem to put us through our greatest patience. There are some people who complain that they have no friends, and many times the complaint may be true. There is no one who will have a close personal relationship with them. There is no one who is ready to share in their joys or sorrows. They seem to be without real companionship. Most of the time people without friends think the fault lies with other people whom are regarded by them as cold, selfish and inhospitable towards them. But the fault really is with them, they just don’t see it. Friendship can be impossible to live up to: The friendless place high demands on others in order to be their friend, but friendship must be mutually unselfish. A close friendship can be formed and can continue to exist only where there is mutual unselfishness. Friendship can not only be one sided. We can not ask someone to be generous, patient, confiding, self-denying and thoughtful toward us if our behavior toward them lacks the same qualities. Selfishness strains friendship: Some people seem to think that a friend is only there to help them. They expect them to show them favors at any given moment. They expect them to just drop what they are doing to go to see to their every need. They just can not seem to grasp the truth that at the heart of a personal friendship is not the desire to receive, but the desire to give. We can not claim to be someone’s friend if all we want from them is to be served. If this is so, then all we are doing is declaring our absolute selfishness. A true friend doesn’t expect favors in return: Christ bears with us all our sad faults. He is patient towards all our weaknesses and infirmity and sin, and is our faithful, unfailing Friend; though we give Him little love, mingled with doubts, complaints, problems, and ingratitude. With Christ as our example true friendship is in giving of oneself asking nothing in return. You can be a friend to someone else just as Christ is a Friend to you, if you remember it is more blessed to give than to receive. We gain the most by demanding the least: We can get the most and the best from our friends by being large-hearted and trustful ourselves, by putting no restraints on people, by making no demands or requirements on people, by seeking to be worthy of whatever they wish to do for us, by accepting what their love prompts in our behalf, providing our gratitude by a friendship as sincere, and as helpful as it is in our power to give. This is what makes it easy for others to be our friend and we will not be the one saying. “Why don’t I have any friends?” A true friend is someone who gives all that he can in the Spirit of Christ, and in return― he receives true friendship. shb
From the Heart of a Pastor...
May 28, 2010
The Road Ahead: Developing Christian Character through Life’s Journey II. Walking With Jesus Lesson 7: Standing Alone for Christ 1 Kings 19:10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." Things to meditate: At a certain point in Elijah’s life a great crisis arose and he thought he was the only one left to stand for God. There were others, but he didn’t know who they were, but in his own mind he was the only one who was for God. He stood alone against king and false priests and people. In the end he was a hero. You alone must stand for God: There will be times in our life when we will have to stand alone for God. Man, woman, or young person, the only one in your family who has confessed Christ Jesus. You take Him as your Savior and then you stand up before the world and vow to be Christ’s and to follow Him. You go back to your home, the members of your household love you, but none of them are faithful to Christ as you, you alone must stand for God. Perhaps they oppose you for your discipleship. Perhaps they are indifferent, having no opposition at all, but only quietly watching your life to see if you are consistent. Standing alone at work or school: You may be the only Christian at your work or school that has to stand alone for Christ. Each week you return from worshiping the Lord to your weekday duties filled with spirit and awe, but you find yourself standing alone for Christ. Your companions are ready to mock you, and they point the finger of scorn at you with hurting insults. You must stand alone in your faith, being conscious of all the unfriendly eyes that are watching you. Many Christians, young or old find it hard to be the only one standing for Christ in their place of work, school or even in their daily schedules. Your responsibility to stand alone for Christ: You are the only witness Christ has in your house or your place of work, the only witness Christ has to reveal His love, His grace, His Holiness. You are the only one to represent Christ to your family or to your co-workers. You have a responsibility to represent Christ’s gentleness, forgiveness, to do the work of Christ. To do the things Christ would do if he lived in home or worked in your place of work, or went the places that you go. In the store, in the Doctors office, in the beauty salon or barber shop, etc. etc. If you do not testify for Christ, then who will? Your place of service for Christ: Every Christian has a particular place of service for Christ. There is always a place where the Christian will have to stand alone for Christ. There may be a hundred others standing near to you, but your work waits for you alone to stand for Christ. Elijah did not fail to stand up for God on the day that he was the only one God had to stand for Him. We are only one in the midst of thousands that surround us in any given day, but not one of those can take our place, we stand alone, for we alone will be accountable. shb
From the Heart of a Pastor...
September 11, 2009
The Road Ahead: Developing Christian Character Through Life’s Journey, By Stephen H. Bryan I. Building Christian Character - PSALM 19:7-14 LESSON 6: Finding Out Our Faults Psalm 19:12 – Who can understand his errors? Forgive me for my hidden faults. Meditate on these things: Psalm 12 is a prayer asking for forgiveness for one’s secret or hidden faults. Therefore we must have faults that we can not see of ourselves. There are many things within us, whether good or bad, which our fellow men cannot see but we know what they are. Sometimes we get the credit for doing something good, when all the while we were really doing if for self seeking intent. Or someone may criticize us for doing something with a wrong spirit, when all the while we knew that we were doing it out of love. There’s Beauty in Each of Us – We are better off and worse off than others think we are. None of us are able to show others all the beauty that is within us. There are countless stars in the deepest heavens that cannot be seen by the human eye. We don’t always know what struggles people have gone through and how they overcame them. There’s Ugliness in Each of Us – Some of us have things in our lives which are not so beautiful, in fact they are ugly. Many people have some deed of sin or something they are shameful of that is hidden from others. It may be pride, vanity, envy, jealousy, or doubt. It is not enough to ask for forgiveness for the sins we commit consciously, we must also ask to be forgiven for the sins we commit unconsciously. “Forgive me for my hidden faults.” The Self We Cannot see – We do not see our faults as our neighbors see them. We only see our good side. If there’s anything on our bad side then we make ourselves out to be almost blameless. We sometimes don’t see our own faults because we are too busy looking at the faults of others. To justify our own life is not conclusive enough, because there is a self we cannot see. Sin Will Deceive Us – Sin is deceitful. There may be some things in our lives which are hidden, it could be a sin, something we cannot see, but that which God sees; the way we live, our disposition, are character traits, some of the things that we consider strong points in our lives, but in God’s eyes are wrong points. 1. It is easy for a man to justify his anger, when in truth he is only giving way to a very bad temper. 2. It is easy to let gentleness become tolerance toward sinners that grow in tolerance toward sin. Only God Knows our Faults – Those we cannot see, those which our neighbors or friends cannot see, but that which God sees. If we want to live a life that is plesing to God, then we must want to find every flaw there is in our lives. Count your day richer when you discover a hidden fault in yourself, not richer because you have found it, but richer because it is no longer there; it’s been forgiven. - Shb
From the Heart of a Pastor...
September 4, 2009
The Road Ahead: Developing Christian Character Through Life's Journey, By Stephen H. Bryan I. Building Christian Character - ISAIAH 50:4-9 LESSON 5: Criticism Builds Character Isaiah 50:5 –The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. Meditate on these things: We should profit from criticism, because sometimes two eyes can see more than one. However wise we may be, there are others who know some things better that we know them. A valuable helpful suggestion from another’s point of view just might be an answer to a prayer. A shoemaker would never think of criticizing an artists painting, unless the artist painted shoes. Then any criticism would only aide the artist. Accept Advice- No ones knowledge is encyclopedic. There may be some things others know more than us. If someone offers hints and information to make our understanding more perfect, then we should condescend to take hints and information from someone who is ready to give it to us. A Self Made Man – or Woman - A self made man or woman is really poorly made, because they are the product of one persons way of thinking. To build a strong character one must benefit from others wholesome criticism. We all need the valuable influence of other’s suggestions and opinions. Some People Resent Criticism - In order to benefit from any criticism one must try and relate oneself to the criticism in a receptive way. Some people are only hurt by criticism and never helped. They regard criticism as an unkind jester and take it with bitter feeling. Some regard criticism as unfriendly and as a personal assault on them that they feel the need to defend. Be Thankful to Learn of Our Imperfections- It is wise to keep oneself ready to receive instruction from every source, however good or bad we think the criticism may be. We are not making the most of our lives, or what God wants us to be as Christians, if we are not eager to do our very best in what ever it is that we are trying to accomplish. In order to be the very best God wants us to be, we must be continually aware of our imperfections so that we can correct them. We Need to be Wise - We must not criticize in the spirit of superiority. We need deep love in our hearts for each for one another. Criticism gives us the opportunity to rise to a more noble character. Criticism gives us the opportunity to rise to a more righteous character. shb
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