Mistakes

I would like for you to think back to some moment in the past when someone made a mistake which impacted you either directly or indirectly.  What about the person in line ahead of you at the bank who waits until they are at the window before beginning to fill out their deposit slip – Or you are in the 10 items or less line and the person ahead of you is over the limit by 20 – Or the driver in front of you does not move quickly enough or cuts in front of you to make a turn – Or someone makes a comment about you or something you are involved in which is incorrect and hurtful.

Modes

In each of these situations how did you react — were you in lightning or loving mode?  What are these two modes, you ask?

Lightning mode is where we desire immediate consequences and if we were in charge of things there might be a lightning bolt to emphasize the point!

Loving mode is where we consider first why the person did what they did and do not assume that it was intentional or malicious, perhaps it was merely an oversight or they had other things on their mind.

Now that we have defined these different modes of responding when others act in ways we do not approve, or do things which interfere with our plans, let’s consider which mode we as Christians should seek to develop as our first response.

God has a unique way of teaching us things and for me, when it comes to understanding His mercy and forgiveness, He uses specific times when I have done something that I know immediately or soon thereafter was a mistake and I felt awful because I knew better.

In almost every instance the mistake was not intentional or deliberate, but still it was something I wish I could have handled differently.

Mercy

When I make a mistake, what I want most is mercy and not justice.

Later when I am in the other position of being the one impacted by another’s actions and begin to revert to the lightning mode, God softly reminds me of the last time I deserved justice, but received mercy instead and I am humbled before Him.

Jesus spoke often about the need for His followers to develop the proper attitude about forgiveness and mercy.

In the portion of the Sermon on the Mount which is the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says we are to ask God to forgive us to the same extent that we forgive others.

This seems an almost impossible standard, since when it comes to ourselves we desire total and complete forgiveness from God and for His understanding of our weaknesses, especially at those times when we have to seek forgiveness for sins we have previously repented of.
But when it comes to our forgiving others, we cannot seem to imagine that God would expect us to show the same level of mercy, forgiveness and patience with others as He does with us.

There are many reasons for our thinking in this manner — perhaps we think we are special in some way as compared to others, otherwise known as Pride – or we try to make excuses such as saying we have forgiven but cannot forget, nurturing bitterness in our hearts.

But what Jesus truly desires in our lives is for us to embrace this new life we receive when we accept Him as Lord and Savior and continuously seek to grow stronger and more mature each day in our faith and as a disciple.

Maturity

As we mature as Christians, our lives will begin to exhibit more and more the fruits of the spirit. As we more fully understand all that forgiveness includes as God defines it, we will see that it is expressed in the fruits of the spirit which Paul wrote of to the Galatians.

Galatians 6:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self control….Christ’s forgiveness, which He desires that we seek to develop in our lives as Disciples, involves each of these nine fruits of the Spirit.

LOVE which focuses on others needs, even at its own expense
JOY which comes from lifting the burden of guilt from others
PEACE from removing all bitterness towards others from our hearts
PATIENCE which seeks to see things though the other person’s eyes
KINDNESS which seeks to share the Grace of God which we have received
GOODNESS which seeks the very best for others in each situation
FAITHFULNESS remembering each day how God deals mercifully with us
GENTLENESS desiring to calm those who are hurting from their mistakes
SELF-CONTROL to avoid reacting in lightning mode instead of loving mode.

Message

If we can comprehend the full measure of the forgiveness, mercy and grace we have received from God, we will realize it is so far beyond any measure of forgiveness we could be asked to grant to anyone else.

In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus told of a Master who was owed 10,000 talents by a servant who begged the Master not to imprison him over the debt and the Master forgave the entire debt.

But immediately thereafter the servant confronted another who owed him 100 denarii and he began choking him, demanding his money. Even after begging for mercy, as the original servant had just done, his plea was denied and he was thrown into prison.

To put the two amounts into context, a talent was equal to 15 years of wages for a manual laborer, so 10,000 talents was Jesus way of saying this debt was impossible to repay; the same as our saying he owed a zillion dollars — and the 100 denarii owed to the servant was in comparison pocket change.

When the Master heard about this, he confronted the servant and asked how could he not show mercy for such a small debt, when he had been forgiven a debt which was impossible for him to ever repay?
The servant apparently believed he was forgiven because he deserved it, not because he had received mercy; and therefore he saw no need to show mercy to one whose debt to him was nothing in comparison.

How many times have we withheld forgiveness from others for things which were nothing in comparison to our sins which Jesus Christ forgave? I know in my life that I have received forgiveness in far greater measure than I could ever be asked to grant another and that God has provided His mercy and protection over and over again to keep me from harm when I have made mistakes.

When I look honestly at the quantity and quality of God’s love and mercy for me – God forbid that I should fail to forgive others and not show them mercy and patience.

Years ago we sang a chorus that I still remember

He paid a debt he did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song,
Amazing Grace all day long
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

I pray that this week you will look at the quality of forgiveness contained in your witness for Jesus Christ as His Disciple and ask God to show you those areas where you are responding more with lightning than love.

May God remind us of the times we have received mercy from Him and been blessed by the amazing grace of Jesus Christ in order to spur us on to sharing with others a patient, merciful and forgiving spirit.

MONDAY MORNING MESSAGE / FRED G. CHILTON

You are seeking to live life to the fullest,
To completely enjoy each day that God gives,
But breakthroughs in our Christian walk,
Seldom comes when all is going smoothly.

God seems to choose your dark times,
The problems, pains, and temptations,
Through those sufferings and disappointments,
He invades the struggles of your daily walk.

Laboring under trials and tribulations,
Place your trembling hand in God’s hand,
The very situations that causes the most anguish,
In His light become treasured memories.

God is now reaching out to you,
In your places of weakness and strain,
You’ll find your humble afflictions are dignified,
By His immeasurable grace.

BY FRED G. CHILTON 2006 ©

Christian Father’s

•    Father’s Day is the one day we honor the Father’s in our lives, including those Grand and Great, as well as the other men who, while they are not related to us biologically, were and continue to be a significant part of our lives.

•    The blessing of having loving, caring, and Christian fathers cannot be over-estimated.

•    Their guidance in our lives is essential to us as we grow into the men and women God desires for us to be.

•    It is interesting that for far too many years we had a hard time believing that our Fathers’ really understood what was going on in this world.

•    After all, they are out of the loop and not up to speed in modern day activities and trends.

•    But as we grow older we begin to realize that they really did understand and had we listened more we would have avoided some of the problems we had to deal with.

•    As someone once said – The older I get the smarter my dad becomes!

•    Although there will be millions of telephone calls to Dad’s this Father’s Day – along with cards, meals and gifts – the best way to honor our Fathers and all the other men who have made an investment in our lives is to conduct ourselves in a manner that upholds their best aspirations for us.

Heavenly Father’s Day

•    True honor is found not in what we do or say on one day, but in the daily way in which we live our lives and the choices we make.

•    There is another Father’s Day I want to consider in addition the holiday we will celebrate each year – for you see every day should be a Heavenly Father’s Day!

•    Just as there are attributes of our earthly fathers’ which make them unique in our lives and call forth our love and gratitude, so too, there are unique characteristics of our Heavenly Father that we should constantly recall in our daily Heavenly Father’s Day celebration and worship.

1.    Here are just a few, beginning with His provision for each day of our lives:

•    Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

•    Each day is a day to rejoice and be glad for the Lord has made it uniquely for us!

•    I know we all have those days when we wonder – what was God thinking today?

•    But even on those days we can have an assurance that God understands and will make a way for us even when there appears to be no way.

2.    Another quality of our Heavenly Father is His ability, provided we accept His efforts, to help us as we seek to develop into the disciples He desires for us to be.

•    Our earthly Fathers do their best to help us develop into adults with well balanced values and ideals, as well as the skills to maximize our opportunities and abilities to accomplish our goals.

•    But as much as they love us, their wisdom and ability is limited.

•    But when we have submitted our lives to our Heavenly Father and are willing to accept His guidance and direction, we allow Him to take these vessels of clay and mold them into the perfect shape for our journey through life.

•    Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

•    Just as we rebel and try to ignore our earthly fathers when we are growing up, we also do this to God as He seeks, by His loving touch on our lives, to create in us the heart of a disciple.

•    Perhaps the reason we ignore God’s direction in our lives for so long is that we have this idea that submitting our lives to Him will result in our having less than we think we should in this life.

•    But the opposite is true as Jesus taught the disciples:

•    Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

•    The gifts of God are all good and once we fully realize this we will never want to miss out on receiving those gifts from our Heavenly Father.

3.    Finally there is one over-riding attribute of our Heavenly Father that should create within our hearts a continuous Heavenly Father’s Day celebration – His unmerited, awesome love:

•    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

•    I pray that on this Father’s Day you will give the gift of your complete love and commitment to your Heavenly Father because you fully realize that He has given you the ultimate gift – eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Honor Your Father

•    Make sure you take time to honor your Father and all the other men who have played a role in your life, not just tomorrow but consistently through out the year.

•    Most importantly, pray about the attributes of our Heavenly Father we have discussed tonight and others that you have learned, and make sure that you are living your life each day in a manner which honors Him for all He has done for you!

MONDAY MORNING MESSAGE / FRED G. CHILTON

It started to happen gradually.

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”

“Nobody,” he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, “Oh my goodness, nobody?”

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family – like “Turn the TV down, please” – and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We’d been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking.

That’s when I started to put all the pieces together. I don’t think he can see me. I don’t think anyone can see me.

I am invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible; “The Invisible Mom.”

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands. I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going, and she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: ‘To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.’ And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.’

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, ‘you’re gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know…

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

A FRIEND WHO IS CLOSER THAN A BROTHER

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

False Contentment

Having many companions may give the appearance of someone who is content and surely not lonely.  But what each of us desires is a relationship with someone who really knows and understands us, who appreciates our strengths and understands our weaknesses, is willing to listen, ready to help and can always be relied upon.  This is the type of person the writer of Proverbs describes as a friend who is closer than a brother.

Are You Lonesome Tonight?

If your answer is yes to the question – Are You Lonesome Tonight? Remember this – Jesus Christ loves you!  The Son of God gave His life that you might have an eternal, personal relationship with Him.  Jesus, while on this earth, experienced all the stresses ands strains of life including loneliness, therefore He knows exactly how you are feeling and wants to replace any feeling of emptiness or being alone, with the fullness of His presence through the Holy Spirit.  The old hymn says it all – “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”!

Peace, Joy and Contentment

Knowing that we are never alone because Jesus is with us should bring us great peace, joy and contentment, but we also need friendships in this life. 

Illustration: I love the illustration I heard some time ago of the little boy who had scary dreams and frequently called out for his parents to come to his aid.  Whenever this happened the parents would talk with him about not being afraid since Jesus was always there with him, he just could not see Him with his eyes.  One night though, the little boy said to them – I know Jesus is always here but tonight I need someone with skin on!

Jesus is the perfect and eternal friend who is essential in our lives, but while we are still on this earth we also want friends with “skin on”.  This past week you have most likely come into contact with someone who was truly lonely and it may have been someone who would appear to have it all together and more friends than they could count.  But many times what we see are companions and not that true “friend who is sticks closer than a brother or sister”. One of the lost gifts in this world is that of true friendship and hospitality. 

Listen to how it is described in First Peter as found in “The Message” by Eugene H. Peterson: Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! (1 Peter 4:7-11).

The old adage, to have a great friend we must first be a great friend, flows directly from Jesus teaching that we should treat others as we would like to be treated.  I pray that you will make the effort and take the time this week to be the friend that someone you know really needs.  In doing this you will not only fulfill God’s will for your life by being a blessing to others, but you will also burn away any shadow of loneliness from your own life.  

1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq.
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac’s wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh – which is in Iraq.
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion’s den in Iraq!
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the “writing on the wall” in Iraq.
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The “Empire of Man” described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!

Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.

From the first time I saw you,
And for every moment until this day,
In whom you are and all you do,
You are beautiful in every way.

God blessed me with a mate,
My lover and my friend to stay,
One from which nothing could separate,
You are beautiful in every way.

In a God called ministry to which we said yes,
You stood by my side without dismay,
While others you influenced to do their best,
You are beautiful in every way.

Even though it’s not Linda anymore,
It’s Lyn that we speak of throughout the day
Or it may be Mom, or Grandma that we adore,
You are beautiful in every way.

There are some, who have gone ahead,
Whose lives you tendered their every day,
Mom, Dad, Pa and Ma — they all have said,
You are beautiful in every way.

Those three boys and their partners in life,
And gorgeous grandchildren even in play,
Have seen in your strength and also your strife,
You are beautiful in every way.

We have seen the influence of His love, your Savior dear,
Through you, The Spirit has impacted our lives today,
Often we have said it, but someday from Him you will hear,
You are beautiful in every way.

Two new surveys from The Barna Group indicate that things are changing dramatically in the religious landscape, indicating that the number of churches and adherents to Pentecostal perspectives and practices has grown significantly in the past two decades.

A decade ago, three out of ten adults — compared with 36 percent today (80 million adults) — claimed to be charismatic or Pentecostal Christians. (For the survey, this included people who said they were a charismatic or Pentecostal Christian, that they had been “filled with the Holy Spirit” and who said they believe that “the charismatic gifts, such as tongues and healing, are still valid and active today.”) Although just eight percent of the population is evangelical, half of evangelical adults (49%) fit the charismatic definition. A slight majority of all born-again Christians (51%) is charismatic. Nearly half of all adults who attend a Protestant church (46%) are charismatic.

The survey revealed that four out of every 10 non-denominational churches are charismatic, in addition to the most well-known charismatic denominations, which include the Assemblies of God, Foursquare and Churches of God in Christ. The profile of the typical charismatic congregation is nearly identical to that of evangelical, fundamentalist and mainline Protestant churches with four out of five (80%) having a full-time, paid pastor (average age:52-years-old) in charge of the ministry. Weekly attendance is equivalent to that of other Protestant bodies (82 adults at Pentecostal gatherings compared to 85 adults among all Protestant churches).

The Barna study found that several widespread assumptions about charismatic churches are inaccurate:
• Although many people believe that charismatic Christianity is almost exclusively a Protestant phenomenon, 36 percent of all U.S. Catholics are charismatic.
• Thought to belong to a strictly defined group of denominations, the growth of Pentecostalism has recently crossed denominational boundaries with seven percent of Southern Baptist churches and six percent of mainline churches being charismatic, according to their senior pastors.
• One widespread view is that charismatic Christianity is found mostly in small, relatively unsophisticated congregations. But, charismatic congregations are about the same size as non-charismatic Protestant churches and are more likely than other Protestant churches to use five of the seven technological applications evaluated, such as the use of large-screen projection systems, etc.
• Many female pastors were thought to be welcomed into the Pentecostal community, but nine percent of both charismatic and non-charismatic Protestant churches are currently led by a female senior pastor.
• It is assumed faith trends in America are dictated by white churches, which represent about 77 percent of the nation’s Protestant congregations. However, only 16 percent of the country’s white Protestant congregations are Pentecostal, compared to 65 percent of the Protestant churches dominated by African-Americans.
The compensation of each group’s senior pastors differs some with non-charismatic church pastors receiving an average total compensation package ($47,000) annually greater than charismatic pastors ($42,000).
With regard to education, a large majority of the senior pastors of non-charismatic churches (70%) have graduated from a seminary, while not quite half of the charismatic pastors (49%) have a seminary degree.