The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love Them Anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do Good Anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends & true enemies.
Succeed Anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do Good Anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be Honest And Frank Anyway.

The biggest men & women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men & women with the smallest minds.
Think Big Anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight For A Few Underdogs Anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build Anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help People Anyway.

Give the world the best you have & you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give The World The Best You Have Anyway.

Jesus On Genuine Truthfulness

“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes” or “No, no”; anything beyond these is of evil.” (Matthew 5:37)

Keeping your word is the mark of a genuine worshiper and demonstrates that you, as a child of God, hate lies. Everything in God’s kingdom is sacred and all truth is His truth, so truth has no degrees or shades. Thus, even what seems to be the most minor false statement dishonors God’s name.
The Lord has never had any standard other than absolute truthfulness. He wants every one of us to possess “truth in the innermost being” (Psalms 51:6). And it follows that “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22; 6:16-17; Psalms 58:3-4).
Because God has the ultimate criterion of complete truthfulness, even our most routine conversations should be truthful and dependable in every detail. Our everyday talk ought to be plain and straightforward, uncluttered by qualifiers, exaggerations, or hedges on the truth. Our word must be as good as our bond or as any vow or oath we ever make. Jame’s admonishment agrees with Jesus’ teaching, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgement” (James 5:12).

Ask Yourself:
Truth and honesty will never be your default setting until you pursue it deliberately — spending your words carefully and keeping your word completely. In what particular areas of your life is it hardest for you to keep your promises?

Jesus On Vows And Oaths

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.” (Matthew 5:33-36)

In the regular business of life, people use vows and oaths — at marriage ceremonies, in the courtroom, executive oaths of office. Because human nature is prone to lying and distrust, God has provided for proper use of oaths (Hebrews 6:16). In describing who may enter God’s presence, the psalmist says one requirement is that the person be one who “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalms 15:4b). Such a person’s word is more important than his or her welfare.
God Himself has issued oaths in the past (Genesis 22:16-17; Psalms 89:3, 49; 110:4; Jeremiah 11:5; Luke 1:73). He did so to impress upon people the special importance or urgency of a promise. As Hebrews notes, “Since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself” (6:13). Christ often used the expression “truly” or “truly, truly.” As with the Father’s oaths, the Son’s use of “truly” did not make those statements any more trustworthy than any other pronouncements. The “truly” teachings underscored the importance of certain teachings. Jesus even used an oath before the High Priest Caiaphas that He was indeed God’s Son (Matthew 26:63-64).
In view of the special nature of divine oaths, we should “make no oaths at all” — in other words, no frivolous ones that would compromise our truthfulness and integrity (Psalms 119:29, 163; 120:2).

Ask Yourself:
Could your conversation be improved with less embellishment and exaggeration? Can your word stand on its own two feet?

Jesus On Divorce

“It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32)

Jesus no more approves of divorce than did Moses (Matthew 19:6). Adultery, another reality God never condoned, is the only reason under the law that allows for dissolving of a marriage, with the guilty party to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10). Because Jesus mentions this here and again in Matthew 19:9, God must have allowed divorce to replace execution as the penalty for adultery at some time during Israel’s history.
Divorce is never commanded; it is always a last resort, allowed when unrepentant immorality has exhausted the patience of the innocent spouse. This merciful concession to human sinfulness logically implies that God also permits remarriage. Divorce’s purpose is to show mercy to the guilty party, not to sentence the innocent party to a life of loneliness. If you are innocent and have strived to maintain your marriage, you are free to remarry if your spouse insists on continued adultery or divorce.
Jesus does not demand divorce in all cases of unchastity (immorality, primarily adultery in this context), but simply points out that divorce and remarriage on other grounds results in adultery.
Our Lord wants to set the record straight that God still hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and that His ideal remains a monogamous, lifelong marriage. But as a gracious concession to those innocent spouses whose partners have defiled the marriage, He allows divorce for believers for the reason of immorality. (Paul later added the second reason of desertion, 1 Corinthians 7:15.)

Ask Yourself:
How could you be an encouragement to a couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse? How could you show Christ’s mercy to those who have been wounded the greatest?

Dealing Radically With Sin

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”
(Matthew 5:29-30)

We must be willing, as Jesus teaches here, to relinquish whatever is necessary to protect us from evil and preserve righteousness. Mutilation will not cleanse our hearts, but Jesus’ figurative words call for dramatic severing of any impulse that could lead to sin (Matthew 18:8-9).
In other words, we must deal radically with sin, as Paul says, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself, will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). If we don’t purpose to carefully control the worldly influences around us, they will control us. Those we can’t control, we should not hesitate to get rid of.
Cutting off harmful influences will not necessarily and automatically turn a corrupt heart into a pure one. But just as external acts of murder or adultery reflect internal hearts of sin, the outward act of fleeing sinful effects, reflects the inward attitude that seeks holiness and God’s will rather than human pleasure.
Jesus reminds us again that His standards of righteousness are humanly impossible to attain. We have all been murderers and adulterers in our hearts, and often we don’t realize this because of sin’s subtlety and blinding effect. But the impossibility of measuring up to divine standards points to our need to receive a new heart and turn over our helplessness to His sufficiency.

Ask Yourself:
How have you practiced this kind of severing in your Christian life? What familiar sins and seductions have proven so injurious in your past, it’s best if they’re just never in the same room with you?

‘Tis The Day AFTER Christmas

‘Tis the day after Christmas and out in the den,
Daddy is watching pro football again.
The children are throwing and breaking their toys,
And Mother is up to her ears in the noise.

The melting snow drips through a hole in the roof;
Wow! One of those reindeer sure had a sharp hoof!
Ribbons and wrappings are spread all around,
And we hope when it’s all cleared our lost boy will be found!

Santa long since disappeared in the fog,
The turkey is tasteless and the eggnog won’t nog.
The holly and ivy, the tinsel and lights,
No longer bring warm glows on cold, darkened nights.

Children, who last week were helpful and sweet,
Have mouths that are sassy and rooms less than neat.
Those people with faces that smiled forth like elves,
Are now, once again, just their grouchy old selves.

The carols of joy and hope filled the air,
But now they are muffled by hard rock’s loud blare.
The cold winds which now make Aunt Josephine freeze,
We’re not even noticed on Yule shopping sprees.

Why should such a great day let us down so hard?
Is there something about Christmas that we disregard?
The babe in the manger became a great man.
He grew up to be Savior; that was God’s plan.

Remember, when you take down that last Christmas bough,
God will never love you more than He loves you right now!
And if we know that God loves us and always is near,
Then Christmas should be every day of the year!

The OTHER Christmas Story

And there were in the same country, husbands and fathers, keeping watch over their homes by night, but going to work every morning to make lots of money.
And lo, the smooth-voiced TV announcer came upon them and the glories of many fine possessions shone out at them, and they were afraid that they would never be able to buy all the things their families wanted.
And the TV announcer said unto them, “Fear not, for I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all fathers, mothers, children, and relatives. For unto you there is this day in the city where our store is, a savior, which is our credit manager. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find this wondrous one wrapped in red clothing, with a big belly, and sporting white whiskers. We call him Santa Claus.”
And suddenly, there was with the TV announcer, a multitude of TV actors, praising the store and saying, “Glory to Santa, and on earth, lots of presents for all.”
And it came to pass, as the TV actors faded away, the fathers and mothers said to one another, “Let us now go even unto this store which the TV announcer hath made known to us.”
And they came with haste and found glittering wristwatches, fur coats, computers & tablets, new clothes, and also the wondrous one, dressed in red, sitting by the cash register, saying, “Ho, ho, ho,”
And when they had made their purchases, they spoke now among all their neighbors, how they were going to have one of the best Christmases ever, yet Santa Claus kept all the receipts in his safe and pondered on all the interest ha was going to collect.

This Christmas season, be very careful that the message of what man has to sell, does not overwhelm the proclamation of what God has freely given.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven, where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too.”
(Matthew 6:19-21) TLB

The Real Christmas Story

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country, shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’
And suddenly, there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.’
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it, wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”(Luke 2:1-20) KJV

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

When You Can’t See The Star

Every man could have seen the star and understood it, but only the wise men followed it. They were called “wise,” because by profession and study they had mastered the lore of books and the wisdom of heaven. They were philosophers and astronomers, wise men who were accustomed to looking above the world of men for guidance and truth.
Now there’s no particular reason for limiting the number of wise men to three, except for the fact of three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Early tradition says the kings traveled in the vast company, of which 7000 were left at the Euphrates, while another 1000 continued on to Jerusalem.
Don’t you know those kings of the East were objects of ridicule and scorn when they first announced they planned to make a journey to a strange land to worship a new King by following a star! But aren’t you glad their faith was stronger than their pride?
Did you know the wise men lost the star? That’s right! Somewhere on their journey, the star disappeared. They had it well in sight when they began their trip. Actually, it was the appearance of that star that started them out across the desert to find the Son of God in the first place.
But they lost it! Of course, they kept going. They couldn’t just park in the desert! And when they finally got to Jerusalem and entered Herod’s palace, they didn’t tell him where the Baby was. Remember, it was only after conferring with his scholars that Herod told them that the Baby was born in Bethlehem.
The wise men walked out of the palace, looked up, and there it was: “Lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them” (Matthew 2:9). Scripture says, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10).
What makes a star disappear? Why would we ever lose it from sight? A heavenly vision. A holy calling. How could a star like that get lost?
Well, I suppose clouds could get in the way and block it from view. Or maybe the day could get too bright all around us. It’s hard to see a star at noon! And sometimes we can just get distracted. We tend to look at other things, and then when we get back to look at the star, it’s gone.
So what do you do when you can’t see the star? Where do you go when you don’t know where you are? What do you say when you can’t find the way? Well, you keep going the same way you were when you last saw the star. Like the wise men, you follow your dreams of faith.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Once Upon A Tree

Once upon a hill, Three trees were standing tall;
Dreaming what they’d like to be, If trees can dream at all.
One tree longed for palaces, Another treasures rare,
The third tree chose to forever stand, Pointing men to God.

More than anything, the first tree wanted to be a part of a beautiful palace where one day a great king would dwell. The second chose to be made into a large, seaworthy ship, sailing all the oceans of the world with great treasure.
The third tree wanted to stay right where he was. He dreamt of growing so high that whenever men saw him, he would cause their eyes to look to heaven, and then they’d think of God. He wanted to be the tallest tree in the world.
Those trees shared their dreams for years. So, don’t you know it was a happy day for the first tree when the axe cut him down and he was carried into town. But he wasn’t made into a palace. Instead, he became a feed box for cattle and was thrown into a stable. His dreams were gone. No king would ever see him now.
The second tree fell to the axe and was thrilled when they took him to the shipyard, but oh, the disappointment! No beautiful ship to sail the oceans of the world would he become. Instead, rough hands fashioned him into a fishing boat. No treasure here, just failure and loneliness.
The third tree tried to stop the woodsman, but the man wouldn’t hear. He chopped the tree, cut him in two, and tossed him in back of the carpenter’s shop to be forgotten. And all he ever wanted to be was the tallest tree in the world.
Then one day, God’s love touched the little feed box, and that first tree finally got his wish and housed a King the night that Mary laid her baby in the manger.
And the second tree — the lonely, smelly fishing boat — his day came when a man was walking by the seashore. The crowds were so great, they were pushing Him into the water. A fisherman spoke up, “Master! Use my boat for a pulpit. You’ll be safe here.” Jesus stepped in, and the tree knew he was carrying the greatest treasure the world had ever known.
The third tree didn’t understand when they took his two pieces and crossed them. He cried when they nailed Jesus to him and lifted him up. All he had ever wanted to do was grow tall and point men to God. Finally, as the crowd began to look to the heavens, he realized he had his wish, and humbly held the Savior.