“My Cross Is Too Big For Me To Bear”

July 15, 2011 2 Comments

A Christian woman was forced to continually deal with a ongoing problem in her life. Eventually she faded into total self-pity. Time and time again she told people, “My cross is too big for me to bear.”

One night she dreamed that she went to heaven. In the dream, she approached Jesus and said, “Lord, my cross is too big for me to bear.” Jesus said, “I understand. Would you be willing to trade it for another one?” The woman enthusiastically answered, “Yes.” Jesus said, “Very well. Then we’ll go into that room over there and find you another one.”

As the two entered the room, the woman was amazed at not only the number of crosses but how intimidating most of them were. There were big crosses, heavy crosses, twisted crosses, and even crosses with nails in them. Finally, after a good deal of searching, she saw a small, easy-looking cross standing in the corner. She looked at Jesus and said, “That’s the one for me right there. I’ll take it.” Jesus said, “Okay, but that’s the one you brought in.”

Christian, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that your problem is real. It is unpleasant, painful, and burdensome, and I wouldn’t even begin to try to explain it away. Furthermore, I don’t pretend to know all God’s reasons for either causing you or at least allowing you to have to deal with that problem. That’s His realm, not mine.

But what I will do is remind you that you certainly aren’t the only person in the world who has a problem. If the crosses we bear were literal, you’d be amazed to see that everybody is carrying at least one and many people are carry much more than one. You’d also see that many of the crosses are big enough and bad enough to make you cringe.

You see, what you need is some perspective on things. To acquire that perspective you’ll have to get your eyes off yourself and start noticing others. Stop talking so much about you and start listening to them. If you’ll do this, I think you’ll find that your cross isn’t nearly as unbearable as you think it is.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Choices, contentment, Disappointment, perseverance, Problems, trials Tagged with , , , ,

He Maketh No Mistake

July 5, 2011 Leave a comment

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache;
But in my soul I’m glad I know
He maketh no mistake!

My cherished plans may go astray,
My dreams may fade away;
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way!

Though night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break;
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake!

There is so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift,
And plain it all He’ll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

A.M. Overton

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Comfort, Disappointment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, faith, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Patience, perseverance, Problems, trials, Trusting In God Tagged with , , ,

Someone Who Understands

June 28, 2011 Leave a comment

A farmer had some puppies for sale. He painted a sign advertising them and nailed it on a post at the edge of his yard. As he was driving in the last nail, he felt a tug on his overalls. He turned around to see a little boy standing up against the fence. “Mister,” said the boy, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

The farmer was a little embarrassed at the request because he strongly doubted that the boy had the kind of money he was asking for the pups. Trying to dissuade the little fellow, he said, “Son, these puppies come from fine parents and cost a fair amount of money.” The boy, however, didn’t give up so easily. He reached deep into his pocket, pulled out a handful of change, and said, “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to at least take a look?” The farmer couldn’t help but smile and answer, “Sure.”

The man then let out a whistle and called, “Here, Dolly!” Out from the doghouse and down the ramp came Dolly, followed by four little balls of fur. The boy’s eyes danced with delight. But as Dolly and her pups made their way to the farmer, the boy saw another little ball appear at the door of the doghouse. It was noticeably smaller than the others, but it slid down the ramp with every bit as much enthusiasm. Then it began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.

Immediately the boy pointed at the runt and said, “I want that one.” Now the farmer felt really bad. In his most compassionate tone, he answered, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He’ll never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.” Upon hearing that, the little boy stepped back from the fence and began rolling up one leg of his pants. That allowed the farmer to see that a steel brace ran down both sides of the leg and attached itself to a specially made shoe. Looking up at the farmer, the boy said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”

We all wonder why God either allows or (let’s admit it) causes certain “bad” things to happen to people. “Why?” is surely one of the most common words ever spoken to Him. Well, I don’t pretend to have all the answers that people want, but I do know this: At least one of the reasons why God either allows or causes “bad” things to happen to people is because such things enable us to truly understand others who are going through them as well.

Tonya and I have two wonderful boys, but the fact is that we lost two other children, including our first, by way of miscarriage. During those incredibly difficult times I will never forget how various couples went out of their way to minister to us by sharing their stories of how they too had experienced miscarriages. I was surprised at how many there were. You see, these people had never spoken of such things to us, but once Tonya and I had to walk down that road, they instinctively knew that we needed “someone who understands.”

And now that Tonya and I have lived through the pain of those two miscarriages, we have the understanding to minister to couples who must endure one. Do you see how the divine chain of ministry perpetuates itself? Certainly no one wants to volunteer to go through something “bad,” but at least we know that God can bring something “good” out of the experience.

So keep all this in mind today, Christian, and don’t be shy about ministering to those who are having to travel difficult ground that you’ve already traveled. Know that there is a person out there somewhere who needs someone who understands, and that someone is you. You just have to be willing to care and willing to share. And I”m happy to report that what you’ll find is that even as you minister to others, God will minister to you through the experience.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Disappointment, Doing Good, God's Love, God's Work, Influence, Mercy, Ministry, perseverance, Problems, Trusting In God, Witnessing Tagged with , , , ,

Criticism

June 20, 2011 Leave a comment

Yesterday I heard Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas, tell a great story in his sermon. It went something like this:

A man and his wife walked into a store. A parrot sitting on a perch greeted them at the door by saying to the man, “Hey you, you’re stupid and your wife is ugly.” Shocked, the couple quickly moved away from the bird. But the bird wouldn’t let the matter go. Even as they moved toward another part of the store it said to the man again, this time a little louder, “Hey you, you’re stupid and your wife is ugly.”

At that point the store manager came out of the back, and the couple immediately reported what the parrot had said to them. The manager said, “Oh no, is that crazy thing doing that again? I’ve warned him about that.” Then the manager walked over to the bird, grabbed it by its neck, and swatted its backside a few times with his hand. The bird took its punishment and squawked in pain, after which the manager returned it to its perch.

Well, by then the couple was pretty upset about the whole episode and decided to just leave the store. So they headed for the door, which meant that they had to walk past the parrot again. And just as they opened the door to leave, the bird said to the man, “Hey you.” The man’s first instinct was to just keep walking, but curiosity got the better of him. So he slowly turned around and looked straight at the bird. The bird stared back at him for a second and then said, “You know.”

Graham’s point was that critics are everywhere. He’s right. So if you are doing something that you know is right, don’t let them get you down. Just keep on doing it.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Choices, Commitment, Criticism, Doing Good, faithfulness, God's Will, Humor, obedience, Persecution, perseverance, Problems, trials, Trusting In God Tagged with , , ,

A True Masterpiece

June 13, 2011 Leave a comment

An artist visited a museum where one of his masterpieces was on exhibit. As he approached the painting he noticed that the museum had placed one of his earlier, lesser known works beside the masterpiece. He stood there comparing both paintings and began to feel sad. Just then someone recognized him and said to him, “You should be pleased because of the progress you have made.” But the artist didn’t share that opinion. He just smiled somewhat sadly and said, “It grieves me that I realized so little of the promise I showed in my youth.”

Truth be told, many Christians would have to say the same thing about their Christian growth. They showed such promise when they were young! They went to church. They studied the Bible. They prayed. They gave. They witnessed. They lived lives of holiness. But then they got older and ran into some trouble.

When conflict within the church caused them to become disillusioned, they stopped attending. When differing interpretations made studying the Bible harder, they gave up on it. When their prayers weren’t answered to their satisfaction, they quit praying. When their financial situation took a downturn, they eliminated their giving. When they saw no fruit from their witnessing, they hushed. When God didn’t seem to reward the life of holiness, they turned to worldly pursuits and pleasures.

Christian friend, do you find yourself anywhere in this description? If you do, I urge you to find your way back to the fellowship you once had with God. And, please, work on the fellowship before you start working on the service. If you can get the fellowship where it needs to be, the service will inevitably flow, but if the fellowship isn’t there the service will seem like drudgery. Try to rediscover that simple, childlike faith that you once had, a faith that was sincerely shown even in a rhyming prayer: “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.”

Consider Matthew 18:1-4:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus said that we must “become as little children” AFTER we are “converted”? Why would He say such a thing? He said it because He knew that we are prone to become more hardened, cynical, and doubtful as we age. The adult life has a way of knocking the childlike faith out of us, and even authentic Christian conversion doesn’t eliminate that tendency. That’s why we adults must become again “as little children.” Is that a tall order? You’d better believe it. But is it one worth meeting? Absolutely, because when we meet it that creates a true masterpiece.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Backsliding, Bible Study, Children, Choices, Disappointment, Evangelism, faith, giving, God's Work, perseverance, Personal Holiness, prayer, Problems, salvation, The Bible, trials, Trusting In God, Witnessing, Youth Tagged with , , ,

Suffering

June 2, 2011 Leave a comment

We live in a culture in which we are taught to avoid suffering at all costs. After all, avoiding it does seem to make perfect sense. However, the problem is that God, Who oftentimes delights in making little or no sense, sees suffering as one of His tools. It’s a tool He uses to grow the sufferer in terms of maturity and spirituality. As one writer has written, “God often digs the wells of joy with the spade of sorrow.” Another one has written, “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor; uninterrupted prosperity and crowning success never qualifies a man for usefulness and genuine happiness.”

Coming at this issue another way, we know that God certainly used the sufferings of Jesus. No, Jesus didn’t need to become more mature or grow spiritually, but God used Christ’s sufferings in an even greater way: to provide a payment for the world’s sin debt. Hebrews 9:26 says that Jesus “has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” And in Luke 24:25 Jesus says of His death, burial, and resurrection, “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

My goal with this post is to remind us that suffering, as unpleasant as it is, is not without its benefits. As a matter of fact, the Bible actually sings the praises of suffering for the sake or cause of Christ. Acts 5:41 says of the apostles who had just been beaten:

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Along the same lines, Philippians 1:29 says:

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Of course, such passages exclusively apply to the Christian. But if you are a Christian there is one other passage that I’d like to share with you. It’s Romans 8:18:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

That is the verse that I will leave with you today, Christian. So if any bouts of suffering do come your way, please try to keep them in proper perspective. Remember that they are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will one day be revealed in you. This is the great promise that allowed the apostles to rejoice that they got to suffer for Christ’s name, and it’s the same promise that should motivate us today.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Disappointment, Patience, Persecution, perseverance, Problems, Reward, salvation, Waiting Tagged with , , , ,

Can A Person Truly Change?

May 31, 2011 Leave a comment

Can people truly change? Mel Trotter did. Trotter was born to a Christian mother and an alcoholic father. By age 19, he was drinking heavily himself as well as gambling. He met and married a young woman and she gave birth to a son. Trotter, however, wasn’t much of a husband or father. He lost job after job and spent many nights out on the streets in the gutter while his wife and baby went hungry. Sadly, the little baby died. In a climax act of despicability, Trotter removed the shoes from his dead son’s corpse and pawned them for money to buy another drink. You talk about rock bottom!

After the death of the child, Trotter left his wife and ended up in Chicago where he soon found himself homeless and suicidal. During a blizzard, he sought refuge in the city’s Pacific Garden Mission. There he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was marvelously transformed. He got a job, was reunited with his wife, and became active at the Mission. Ultimately, he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he and a group of community leaders opened a new Mission. Hundreds of thousands of people would be won to Christ and have their lives restored through that Mission, and even today, more than a century after its founder’s death, Mel Trotter Ministries carries on the work of ministering to the needy and telling them about the transforming power of Jesus.

And now I’ve got two questions for you. Question #1: If you find yourself at rock bottom today, what will it take for you to wholeheartedly and unreservedly give your life to Jesus? My prayer is that you won’t have to sink as low as Mel Trotter did before you lay your stubbornness and pride in the dust and accept Christ as your Savior. And then question #2: Have you totally given up that some “Mel Trotter” type in your life will ever change? If you have, perhaps you have given up prematurely. I’m not guaranteeing that the person will ever truly change, but I am guaranteeing that such a thing is possible through Jesus Christ. Think about that.

Filed under Belief, Change, Choices, Forgiveness, Gambling, God's Love, God's Work, Human Life, Husbands, Influence, Marriage, Ministry, Problems, Repentance, salvation, Sin, submission, The Depravity of Man, trials Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Test of Prosperity

April 26, 2011 Leave a comment

Quick, name the toughest test to pass spiritually. Did you say, “Disease”? Did you say, “The death of a loved one”? Did you say, “Troubles?” Did you say, “Disappointment”? Well, there’s no doubt that none of these tests are spiritual gimmes, but would you believe that for many people the correct answer would be, “Prosperity”?

King David was just such a person. Study his life sometime and you will see why I say that. When he was a young man, he was such a spiritual wonder that God Himself rated him as a man after God’s own heart. David was most likely still in his teens when he was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the king of Israel. Not long afterwards he brought comfort to the demon-tormented Saul, the sitting king, by playing soothing music on the harp. Not long after that he slew the giant Goliath. David was on a spiritual roll!

Then began the long years wherein Saul tried to kill David, years which saw David and his personal army living in constant hiding from Saul and his troops. Was David’s behavior perfect and above reproach during those years? No, not by a long shot. But was he always God’s man, a man whose basic spiritual center was right? Yes. And David remained that way all the way up through: those years on the run from Saul, Saul’s death, David’s ascendency to the throne of Judah (the southern part of Israel), and seven years later his ascendency to the throne of all Israel.

What happened next? Oh, the story keeps getting better. As king of all the land, David unified Israel’s fiercely independent twelve tribes. He led his army in the conquering of Jerusalem. Then he expanded Jerusalem and built it into his capital city. A major part of that was him bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. We can truthfully say that, during those days, David’s decisions were, for the most part, dead on. His army was unbeatable. All the people loved him. And God was pouring out His favor upon him. God even made a covenant with him that David’s royal line would be established forever.

You see, after all the years of struggling to formally claim his annointing as king and make the nation of Israel the greatest and most godly nation on earth, David had now “arrived.” His life was just as he wanted it to be. He had remained true to God during all the trials and troubles, and now he was living in a season of major prosperity.

But guess what story from David’s life comes next. Tragically, it’s the one about how David had a one-night-stand with Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s most loyal soldiers, Uriah. That one-night-stand resulted in Bathsheba getting pregnant. David then indirectly had Uriah killed and hastily married Bathsheba to prevent a royal scandal. You see, David emphatically failed the test of prosperity.

Noted pastor Chuck Swindoll has said, “When testing comes we get purified, but when prosperity comes we get vulnerable.” How true. So tell me, is your life looking pretty good these days? Are you enjoying more ease, comfort, and worldly blessing than you have ever known? Would you call it a season of prosperity for you? Then you’d better put in extra effort to stay on top of your game spiritually. Please don’t pull a David and forget the Lord in the midst of all that prosperity!

But what if your life isn’t looking very prosperous right now? What if you have more in common with David when he was on the run from Saul than when he was reigning as king? Well, if that’s your situation, could it be that God knows that you aren’t ready yet to handle the test of prosperity? Maybe you need some more spiritual maturing and seasoning. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but that doesn’t make it a wrong assessment. So my advice is: Don’t be so quick to gripe and complain to God that your life isn’t exhibiting much prosperity. The fact is that might just be nothing less than an act of mercy on His part.

Filed under Adversity, Backsliding, Choices, contentment, Desires, God's Provision, Greed, Mercy, needs, Patience, perseverance, Personal Holiness, Problems, Sex, Sin, Temptation, trials, Trusting In God Tagged with , , , , , , ,

All You Need To Know

April 5, 2011 Leave a comment

The teacher of a children’s Sunday School class had her students memorize the 23rd Psalm. She gave them one month to do so. Little Bobby gave it his best, but by month’s end he still couldn’t quote all the Psalm. So when it came his turn at the microphone he walked up there and said, “The Lord is my shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.” I like his theology.

Christian, what perils are you facing today? What problems? What worries? What fears? No matter what they are, here’s what you need to do about them: just play the role of a sheep. You see, you have Christ as your great Shepherd, and He knows the direction you need to take. So listen to Him and do whatever He tells you to do! Furthermore, He is your protector and your sustainer. So trust in Him that He is going to take wonderful care of you. A good shepherd never abandons his sheep, and Jesus will never abandon you, even if the times get tough.

Filed under Adversity, Comfort, Eternal Security, God's Love, God's Omnipresence, God's Provision, needs, Problems, Sunday School, trials, Trusting In God, Worry Tagged with , , , , ,

Be A Good Neighbor

March 22, 2011 Leave a comment

“He who despises his neighbor sins…” (Proverbs 14:21)

“Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10)

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:38-39)

While I understand that Jesus told the parable of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) to explain that my “neighbor” is anyone I meet, I also understand that I live on a specific street and have literal neighbors. Therefore, it is my Christian duty to do all that I can to get along with them and show them love and friendship.

A man bought a farm and went out to look at the line fence, which had been the source of much quarreling between the farm’s previous owner and his neighbor. The neighbor spied the fellow inspecting the fence and, in a huff, went out there and said in an agitated tone, “That fence is a full foot over on my side.”

To the angry neighbor’s astonishment, the new owner answered, “Very well then, we will set the fence over two feet on my side.” That offer rendered the neighbor speechless until he was finally able to stammer out, “Oh, but that is more than I claim.” “Never mind about that,” said the owner pleasantly, “I’d much rather have peace with my neighbor than two feet of earth.” But with the situation now difused completely, the neighbor said, “That’s very good of you, but I couldn’t let you do a thing like that. That fence just won’t be moved at all.”

Are you having a problem with one of your neighbors these days? Is a property line in question? Is a tree limb hanging over onto your place? Is a drainage issue causing you trouble? Is a barking dog keeping you up at night? Then by all means show love in your attempts to resolve the matter. Don’t turn the thing into the Hatfields and the McCoys. Ask God to give you wisdom and guidance in reaching a solution that is pleasing to Him. Remember that you can’t put a price on being at peace with your neighbor.

Filed under Character, Choices, contentment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Extending Forgiveness, Influence, Personal Holiness, Problems Tagged with , , , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 40 other followers