Grief versus Thanksgiving
By Barbara Henderson
Here we are approaching Thanksgiving, so you may wonder why I am writing about grief. It is because grief seems to dominate the Thanksgiving and Christmas season for many people. People spend times that are supposed to be filled with joy ‘grieving over joys departed’.
( Line from ‘Tell it to Jesus’ http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/e/tellitto.htm I cannot recommend this song highly enough. It proclaims a real solution to a real problem. Tell it to Jesus – as loudly and as long as it takes.)
Spending times set aside as times of joy grieving is a recipe for disaster. Everyone needs a time that they set aside their grief and focus on the daily benefits that God is giving them continually, as well as specific blessings and gifts that are given at different times. Salvation is a gift that is given once, but it has daily benefits. It is like a child born into a practicing Christian family. It was a blessing to the child to be born into that family. It is a continual blessing to the child to be raised in a Christian environment by Christian parents.
In Nehemiah 8 we are told of the people of Israel who had returned to Jerusalem and were listening as the word of God was read to them. They understood the word of God and the law. The people wept when they understood how they had failed God. Then Nehemiah and Ezra and all the Levites that taught the people said,
‘This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’ (Nehemiah 8:8-10)
The people were sorry for their sins. But, it was a holy day, and they were told not to mourn or weep. They were instructed to have a good day themselves, and send good things to those who had nothing. They were given the formula to do this. They were to rely on the Lord. The joy of the Lord was their strength.
Now, here we are facing a holiday season that should be filled with Joy in our salvation, eternal security, eternal destiny, eternal companion, eternal guide, and all the good things that God has promised to us. No earthly grief or burden can nullify these blessings. By God’s strength we can rejoice in our present circumstances.
Now, I do not want to make light of any grief that anyone might be going through today. It is real, and it hurts to the point of mental anguish. When dealing with grief or loss, whether it be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, or just the loss of a treasured possession or position in life, we need to see and consider the example of Job. ‘In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ Job 1:22
When dealing with grief, people often waste time blaming God and being angry at Him. This separates them from the balm of healing that only God can give. If you were sick you would go the physician who could help you and heal you. You would not blame the physician that you were sick in the first place. That is what happens with Christians who do not take their grief to the Lord. They begin to blame God Himself for letting grief come to them in the first place. This separates them from the healing power of God.
Second, we need to understand that there is indeed a time to mourn. Ecclesiastes 3 says,
1. ‘To every thing there is a season, and time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and time to dance;
We definitely are allowed a time to mourn and grieve.
God does not expect us to set aside our grief and mourning on our own.
Psalm 147:3 says, ‘He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
God wants us to take our grief to Him so He can heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds.
So, according to the Bible, we have a time to weep, and a time to mourn. But that season is not eternal. Praise God, the season of mourning and weeping is not eternal. That season will turn, just as summer turns to fall and fall to winter and winter to spring.
My personal experience is that mourning and weeping over a loss tends to come and go a little. The season of initial grief and loss is always the worst. Then it comes again, but not quite as bad, and so on. When grief overwhelms you, just through it, but don’t let it become your way of life. After my sister died I had a few ‘melt downs’ at the oddest times. Just a few minutes before she died I was talking to her on the phone about the coming Easter weekend, and what I was going to get at that the grocery store before going to mom’s house. Less than an hour later we got the call that she had died. I suppose it was because we had been talking about me going to the grocery store, but after she died I was pretty prone to have an overwhelming sense of loss in the grocery store. That resulted in a bucket full of tears, and me just leaving the store without getting through the check out line. Now, I know that is sort of nutty, but that is what happened. Now, almost fifteen years later, I can go the grocery store anytime, and only cry at how expensive things are.
If you have a recent or long past sorrow, I think the time to consider it carefully is now, before we actually get to the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. If you still have tears, cry them. If you feel like your heart needs to mourn, then go ahead. But, at the same time, begin to ask God to help you set aside your sorrow, trouble, grief, uncertainties, and any other distraction so you can go through to a time of thanksgiving and joy because of God’s eternal goodness. You need that time as much as you need a time to grieve. You need the time to laugh and dance as much as you need the time of grief.
We have heard about the stages of grief. I think they are real; but, going through grief and turmoil does not give them the right to control how you live the rest of your life. God has clearly stated that while the elements of sorrow and grief have a time in your life, so do the times of laughing and dancing. (I think dancing is a time of praising the Lord joyfully)
Anyway, the first stage of preparing for the holiday season ahead (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day) is to go over any grief you have sitting in your heart. If it takes tears to let the grief go, then cry. But make it clear to your heart that the time of grief will give way to a time of joy and thanksgiving. The joy of the Lord and His blessings will enable you to be joyful and thankful in trying circumstances.
I want to put a disclaimer here. Three years ago this month my dear preacher friend Evan New died unexpectedly of a heart attack. That left his family and friends in the first stages of grief. Of course they were not able to have what is traditionally considered a joyful holiday season. I can tell you that in the middle of an ocean of tears they were thankful that Evan was in heaven. That was obviously the consuming thought of their holiday season that year. Without the joy of the gift of God’s salvation, they might have all lost their minds. Now, this will be the fourth Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day without him. Their lives have gone on. Of course they still miss him, but grief and loss are not the controlling force in their entire lives. They don’t wait for the holiday season to approach so they can mourn over his death.
The point is that if the Lord allows a great grief to come to you during the holiday season, then it is time for you to mourn! However, that is only in the beginning. As time goes by, you do not want to turn seasons of rejoicing into perpetual seasons of grieving.
Now, a few weeks before our holiday season begins, is a good time to pour out your grief and sorrow to the Lord. Ask Him to comfort you, bear your sorrow, and strengthen you with His joy that you would have the strength to enjoy the blessings of God.
A thought on a good way to set aside your grief in favor of joy and thanksgiving is given to us in Nehemiah in a verse already quoted in this article. The people were told to send portions to those for whom nothing had been prepared. Consider those who have are in need of food as well as those who are need of hearing the Gospel. Food for the hungry in your churches food baskets and Bibles for the lost through an organization like the Gideon’s is a good way to help yourself.
In Nehemiah we are to eat the fat and drink the sweet. When we hear these words we think of the good things we eat and drink at festive dinners. The word of God is also what we should think of. Just as the meat is most tender by the fat on a big t-bone steak, the fat of God’s word is where we read of His tender love for us and find strength to go forward in rejoicing. Drinking the sweet is more than a tall glass of ice tea. It is also drinking in the good things of God that are explained to us in the Bible. N short, ‘eat’ the words in the Bible. In preparing for the coming holiday season, it is good to begin a Bible study on any subject that interests you, or any specific Bible Book that you like to read. You will find compassion for your sorrow. You will find healing for the scars left by your loss, whatever it may be. You will find strength to go forward with joy.
I do have one more thing to say. Holidays are not magical times. They are just days that have a different routine. Do not expect something paranormal to happen that transforms the next year into some supernatural fantasy world where trouble and sorrow do not come. Set a realistic expectation on exactly what is going to happen this holiday season. People are still going to be people with a sin nature. The grumpy person will likely still be grumpy. The martyr in the family will still be the martyr. The bossy controlling person will still be trying to micromanage everything. But, YOU can be different. You can follow the example of the King David the Psalmist in Psalm 71:16 when he says, ‘I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of they righteousness, even of thine only.’
Honestly, times of rejoicing and thankfulness are gifts God gives to Christians that resemble furloughs from the burdens and cares of life that drag them down to sorrow and grief. It is silly not to take advantage of such wonderful gifts. Most of all, God deserves our undivided attention for seasons of rejoicing. And, something to keep in mind is that thanksgiving often precedes additional blessings.
Now, watch for my article next week on the Pilgrims, and what the grief they had to set aside before they could properly thank God for His goodness to them.
Barbara Henderson
http://askbh.com
http://tobarbara.blogspot.com
http://ourhomeschoolideas.com
Barbara@askbh.com
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Your Part in Bringing World Peace
A Real and Lasting Peace in Our Time
‘Give peace a chance’ is the rallying cry of some who ‘really want peace’, and are ‘really willing to give peace a chance’, and think they know exactly what it will take to bring about peace. Now, if everyone else would just do exactly what they say to do, the world would be suddenly and eternally at peace.
They are overlooking the starting point for a true and lasting peace. The starting point for world peace is in the heart of the individual. Mankind in general is at war with the God of creation. The individual is specifically at war with God. A real and lasting peace begins in the heart of every individual. It begins with the individual making peace with God.
How is this done?
Acknowledge there is a conflict. The sin nature separates man from God. God is perfect and righteous; and we are not. God is the One who has the power and authority to fix all the problems facing the world, the earth, the cosmos, and the conflicts and problems in the lives of every individual. So, the question is, ‘Why doesn’t He? Why doesn’t God fix things?’
Something is standing in the way. Something specific has to be done before God moves on behalf of the individual. Mankind has no power to fix its own sin nature. The individual does have power to take THAT problem to God. World peace and peace in your heart must begin with facing the real problem. YOU are separated from God by your sins.
A tactic of ‘problem solvers’ who are faced with unsolvable problems is to change the people’s perception of the problem. We see this all the time. For instance, it is said that the conflict in the Middle East is caused by Israel taking land that is not theirs. That is not true. The problem is that the Islamic peoples hate the followers of the God of the Bible. The end result of that ‘sleight of hand’ is no peace for anyone. Such tactics might work part of the time with people, but it works none of the time with God. He knows the real problem. He has the real solution. He has offered His solution to you for free.
If you personally want a true and lasting peace, then you must surrender to God.
Unconditional surrender to God is required. This is not a negotiated peace. It really is an unconditional surrender. You must go to God on His terms. You cannot go to God and say, ‘Well, I am a good person; now let’s be friends.’ The path to God is through Jesus Christ the Son. There is no other way. Always consider that making one way into heaven was a very expensive endeavor for God. It is outrageous to ask that He make other ways into heaven, especially when the way provided is completely adequate for all who are willing to take advantage of the gift of eternal life.
In unconditional surrender, the repentant sinner goes to God as an immigrant; not as a settler.
An immigrant goes to a new land with the goal of assimilating into the population of the new land. They prepare for their journey. They learn the language of their new home. They learn the customs of their new home. They don’t give up their individuality; but they fully leave behind the old land and the things of that land that are unacceptable in the new land. Immigrants truly want a better country. That is why they are leaving their old lives behind them.
Settlers, on the other hand, go to a new land intending to change the new land into their own image. They want the people of the new land to become like them; to speak their language and learn their customs. They intend to give up nothing, only to take what the new land can give them.
Heaven has no settlers. If heaven could be changed to be like the land from which the people come, what would be the point of heaven? A true child of God is an immigrant. Their heart has rejected the things of this earth. They seek a better country. They are ready to change things and behaviors in their own lives to be more like the King of Heaven.
So, lets go over this one more time.
Acknowledge that sin separates mankind from God. The individual (you and I) go to God the Father of our own free will through Jesus Christ the Son.
You surrender to God. It is an unconditional surrender. God has no negotiated surrenders.
You go to God as an immigrant, one willing to change your own life to fit into the rules and laws of your chosen country.
Then what? You are a citizen of heaven, but you still live on earth. How are you supposed to live here temporarily, until you go to heaven to live eternally? Your salvation is secure, but the outcome of your life is still teetering between living like an immigrant headed for a better country, and someone bogged down in the cares and disappointments of this world.
I think one of the most important things that can give you a bright future or bitter failure is the direction of your vision.
If you look backward, you are in trouble.
If you look forward, you are on the right track.
Remember Lot’s wife. She was told not to look back. I believe this meant not to look back with longing as well as not look back at all with her eyes. She didn’t have to actually turn her head around to ‘look back with longing’. She wasn’t even well out of the city until she looked back in sorrow over the things she was leaving behind. She had left her home. It was probably somewhat lavish and ultra fancy. It might have been a palace. All her ‘stuff’ was still in the house, and it was being destroyed as she fled the city. Her friends and many loved ones were there. Her wealth was there. All these material things were there, but her way of life was also there. She turned into a pillar of salt, and is probably still standing right there in the same boring spot.
What I see Christians doing is not really looking back at a sinful life with longing. It is looking back at a part of their life that was different.
They look back to a period of time when they lived in a place they loved.
They look at a time when loved ones were in good health.
They look at a time when they had a job they loved.
They look at a time when they had a car they loved.
They look at a time when they had a church they loved and in which they were active. They look at a time they were considered wise and helpful.
They look at a time when they were so certain they were doing the exact will of God.
They look at a time when they were the ones doing the helping instead of the one in need of help.
All these things may have been good in their time; but those times are past. It does no good to look back with longing as though one would return to them if it was within their power to do so.
The Apostle Paul says to run with patience the race that is set before us. No one runs backward on the race track and expects to win a prize.
Yet, some Christians have made a habit of continually looking backward instead of forward. They mourn all the day long over ‘joys departed’. Looking backward is at least one way that a ‘root of bitterness that will rise up in the way and defile many’. (Heb.12:15)
Looking backwards definitely is a stumbling block in the way of a true and lasting peace between the individual believer and the God of their salvation. This is a very sad but very true statement: Bitterness in your soul and your life WILL hurt (defile) those around you. It will hurt the ones you love the most.
Looking back at your past with longing is not the same thing as looking back with thankfulness, fondness, and laughter. The Bible records the mighty works of God. We are told to remember them and teach them to our children. The children of Israel remember the Passover of Egypt to this very day, but does anyone believe they want to go back and do it all over again?
People are often selective in their memories, or unrealistic. They want to go back and live over the good things, but they forget the sorrow and hard times that were present at the same time as the joyful things. Life is hard. Once you get a day finished, it is finished. Don’t live like you were in a cartoon with your eyes glued to something behind you.
Luke 9:62 says, ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ I have a cherished photograph (somewhere in storage) of my granddad with his shoulder to the plow attempting to get a furrow across a rocky field in Arkansas. (If I knew where the box containing the photo is, I would scan it and have Ray publish it with this issue). There is no question from the photograph that granddad could not take his eyes of the goal, or he would fail. Every furrow in that field was an accomplishment. While the photograph is just of granddad, a plow, one mule, and rocky field, the photograph loudly says, ‘determination’, and ‘focus’. Grandad definitely was not wasting any time looking at the furrows he had already plowed. He wasn’t mourning over the ones that might have been a bit crooked. He wasn’t rejoicing over the furrows that were incredibly straight and deep. He was looking ahead. He was racing to get that field plowed and planted in time to get a good harvest.
In plowing the field, granddad was also focused on caring for his family. He was focused on doing what was right. In our daily grind, we cannot forget our responsibilities, but we will do a much better job at everything we do IF maintaining peace with our God is the main focus of everything.
Now, as a Christian, that kind of focus and determination needs to be applied daily to your own life. You will not bring about a real and lasting world peace through your actions. However, you WILL bring about a true and lasting peace between yourself and the God who created you. The more people who are at peace with God, the more of God’s blessings will fall on the whole earth. God’s spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3) World peace will come, but it will come when God says it will come. In the mean time, do what you can to personally make a difference. Make peace with God yourself. Live a life that encourages those around you to also seek peace with God.
It is peace with God that will strengthen you to do the tasks that are set before you, to live a life that you find satisfying, and to have joy now and in eternity.
Looking backward will get your field plowed in incoherent circles.
Bitterness will be the crop you harvest.
You will feed your family bitterness instead of the sweet Word of God.
You will forfeit thanksgiving.
In forfeiting thanksgiving, you forfeit glimpses of a bright future.
Bitterness stifles repentance.
Bitterness smothers humility and meekness.
In looking backwards you pretty much turn into a pillar of salt, and wind up stuck in the mire as long as you live, OR as long as you continue to look back.
If you find yourself stuck in bitterness and have a crick in your neck from looking backward, then I have advice for you. Get a pry bar and turn your head toward the tree that cures bitterness. You will find help at the cross. There is an old song that says ‘Kneel at the cross, Christ will meet you there’. Hebrews 4:16 says, ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
THEN, there is another problem that stands in the way of peace between you and God. That is your side vision. King David was probably using a little of that ‘side vision’ when he saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof top. He wasn’t looking backward, but he wasn’t looking forward either. His lapse of focus caused him terrible grief. It caused grief to those around him. It came back to cause him more grief later in his life.
Today Christians may not fall into the sin of David and Bathsheba, although that is not uncommon even among the brethren. More commonly, they look at what other people have in general and find themselves distracted by jealousy. They may see the new home someone else has and begin a quest to gain a home of their own that is equal or even superior to someone else’s home. It may be a car. It may be a vacation or vacation home. It may be career advancement. It may be the figure or hairstyle of a Hollywood celebrity. It may be the acclaim or fame of someone that the Christian suddenly desires for himself. Their focus changes from ‘peace with God’ and ‘pleasing God’ to ‘I gotta get me one of them myself’. Now honestly, what do you need with that bigger house, vacation home, fancy car, or career advancement? There is nothing wrong with any of these things in themselves. The sin comes in when the desire to have them is causing your head to swivel away from keeping God as your first focus.
An additional difficulty is that peace with God, once achieved, is a bit hard to maintain. It isn’t impossible, but it is something that should always be considered. Even Paul the Apostle was vigilant lest he become a castaway after having preached the gospel. (1Corinthians 9:27) If Paul took care to remain faithful and diligent then we should follow his example and do the same thing.
The song for this article is ‘Come Thou Fount’. The line that says ‘prone to wonder, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love,’ describes most of us – most likely even all of us. Practicing Christians really love our God. We want to please Him; but, we can be distracted. Be vigilant. Stay focused on the future and the prize.
Come Thou Fount
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLqZnQ5v2RU
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm (This is a very long version of ‘Come Thou Fount’. I don’t remember half the verses, but they all sound good today. It is a shame that songs are often shortened in order to fit in the hymnal. Then they are shortened even more to fit into the song service. The most notable ‘shrinking song’ is ‘Amazing Grace’. It has at least three verses that are not in most hymnals. It sort of leaves out the middle of the story. If you want to see all the verses go to http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm )
‘Give peace a chance’ is the rallying cry of some who ‘really want peace’, and are ‘really willing to give peace a chance’, and think they know exactly what it will take to bring about peace. Now, if everyone else would just do exactly what they say to do, the world would be suddenly and eternally at peace.
They are overlooking the starting point for a true and lasting peace. The starting point for world peace is in the heart of the individual. Mankind in general is at war with the God of creation. The individual is specifically at war with God. A real and lasting peace begins in the heart of every individual. It begins with the individual making peace with God.
How is this done?
Acknowledge there is a conflict. The sin nature separates man from God. God is perfect and righteous; and we are not. God is the One who has the power and authority to fix all the problems facing the world, the earth, the cosmos, and the conflicts and problems in the lives of every individual. So, the question is, ‘Why doesn’t He? Why doesn’t God fix things?’
Something is standing in the way. Something specific has to be done before God moves on behalf of the individual. Mankind has no power to fix its own sin nature. The individual does have power to take THAT problem to God. World peace and peace in your heart must begin with facing the real problem. YOU are separated from God by your sins.
A tactic of ‘problem solvers’ who are faced with unsolvable problems is to change the people’s perception of the problem. We see this all the time. For instance, it is said that the conflict in the Middle East is caused by Israel taking land that is not theirs. That is not true. The problem is that the Islamic peoples hate the followers of the God of the Bible. The end result of that ‘sleight of hand’ is no peace for anyone. Such tactics might work part of the time with people, but it works none of the time with God. He knows the real problem. He has the real solution. He has offered His solution to you for free.
If you personally want a true and lasting peace, then you must surrender to God.
Unconditional surrender to God is required. This is not a negotiated peace. It really is an unconditional surrender. You must go to God on His terms. You cannot go to God and say, ‘Well, I am a good person; now let’s be friends.’ The path to God is through Jesus Christ the Son. There is no other way. Always consider that making one way into heaven was a very expensive endeavor for God. It is outrageous to ask that He make other ways into heaven, especially when the way provided is completely adequate for all who are willing to take advantage of the gift of eternal life.
In unconditional surrender, the repentant sinner goes to God as an immigrant; not as a settler.
An immigrant goes to a new land with the goal of assimilating into the population of the new land. They prepare for their journey. They learn the language of their new home. They learn the customs of their new home. They don’t give up their individuality; but they fully leave behind the old land and the things of that land that are unacceptable in the new land. Immigrants truly want a better country. That is why they are leaving their old lives behind them.
Settlers, on the other hand, go to a new land intending to change the new land into their own image. They want the people of the new land to become like them; to speak their language and learn their customs. They intend to give up nothing, only to take what the new land can give them.
Heaven has no settlers. If heaven could be changed to be like the land from which the people come, what would be the point of heaven? A true child of God is an immigrant. Their heart has rejected the things of this earth. They seek a better country. They are ready to change things and behaviors in their own lives to be more like the King of Heaven.
So, lets go over this one more time.
Acknowledge that sin separates mankind from God. The individual (you and I) go to God the Father of our own free will through Jesus Christ the Son.
You surrender to God. It is an unconditional surrender. God has no negotiated surrenders.
You go to God as an immigrant, one willing to change your own life to fit into the rules and laws of your chosen country.
Then what? You are a citizen of heaven, but you still live on earth. How are you supposed to live here temporarily, until you go to heaven to live eternally? Your salvation is secure, but the outcome of your life is still teetering between living like an immigrant headed for a better country, and someone bogged down in the cares and disappointments of this world.
I think one of the most important things that can give you a bright future or bitter failure is the direction of your vision.
If you look backward, you are in trouble.
If you look forward, you are on the right track.
Remember Lot’s wife. She was told not to look back. I believe this meant not to look back with longing as well as not look back at all with her eyes. She didn’t have to actually turn her head around to ‘look back with longing’. She wasn’t even well out of the city until she looked back in sorrow over the things she was leaving behind. She had left her home. It was probably somewhat lavish and ultra fancy. It might have been a palace. All her ‘stuff’ was still in the house, and it was being destroyed as she fled the city. Her friends and many loved ones were there. Her wealth was there. All these material things were there, but her way of life was also there. She turned into a pillar of salt, and is probably still standing right there in the same boring spot.
What I see Christians doing is not really looking back at a sinful life with longing. It is looking back at a part of their life that was different.
They look back to a period of time when they lived in a place they loved.
They look at a time when loved ones were in good health.
They look at a time when they had a job they loved.
They look at a time when they had a car they loved.
They look at a time when they had a church they loved and in which they were active. They look at a time they were considered wise and helpful.
They look at a time when they were so certain they were doing the exact will of God.
They look at a time when they were the ones doing the helping instead of the one in need of help.
All these things may have been good in their time; but those times are past. It does no good to look back with longing as though one would return to them if it was within their power to do so.
The Apostle Paul says to run with patience the race that is set before us. No one runs backward on the race track and expects to win a prize.
Yet, some Christians have made a habit of continually looking backward instead of forward. They mourn all the day long over ‘joys departed’. Looking backward is at least one way that a ‘root of bitterness that will rise up in the way and defile many’. (Heb.12:15)
Looking backwards definitely is a stumbling block in the way of a true and lasting peace between the individual believer and the God of their salvation. This is a very sad but very true statement: Bitterness in your soul and your life WILL hurt (defile) those around you. It will hurt the ones you love the most.
Looking back at your past with longing is not the same thing as looking back with thankfulness, fondness, and laughter. The Bible records the mighty works of God. We are told to remember them and teach them to our children. The children of Israel remember the Passover of Egypt to this very day, but does anyone believe they want to go back and do it all over again?
People are often selective in their memories, or unrealistic. They want to go back and live over the good things, but they forget the sorrow and hard times that were present at the same time as the joyful things. Life is hard. Once you get a day finished, it is finished. Don’t live like you were in a cartoon with your eyes glued to something behind you.
Luke 9:62 says, ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’ I have a cherished photograph (somewhere in storage) of my granddad with his shoulder to the plow attempting to get a furrow across a rocky field in Arkansas. (If I knew where the box containing the photo is, I would scan it and have Ray publish it with this issue). There is no question from the photograph that granddad could not take his eyes of the goal, or he would fail. Every furrow in that field was an accomplishment. While the photograph is just of granddad, a plow, one mule, and rocky field, the photograph loudly says, ‘determination’, and ‘focus’. Grandad definitely was not wasting any time looking at the furrows he had already plowed. He wasn’t mourning over the ones that might have been a bit crooked. He wasn’t rejoicing over the furrows that were incredibly straight and deep. He was looking ahead. He was racing to get that field plowed and planted in time to get a good harvest.
In plowing the field, granddad was also focused on caring for his family. He was focused on doing what was right. In our daily grind, we cannot forget our responsibilities, but we will do a much better job at everything we do IF maintaining peace with our God is the main focus of everything.
Now, as a Christian, that kind of focus and determination needs to be applied daily to your own life. You will not bring about a real and lasting world peace through your actions. However, you WILL bring about a true and lasting peace between yourself and the God who created you. The more people who are at peace with God, the more of God’s blessings will fall on the whole earth. God’s spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3) World peace will come, but it will come when God says it will come. In the mean time, do what you can to personally make a difference. Make peace with God yourself. Live a life that encourages those around you to also seek peace with God.
It is peace with God that will strengthen you to do the tasks that are set before you, to live a life that you find satisfying, and to have joy now and in eternity.
Looking backward will get your field plowed in incoherent circles.
Bitterness will be the crop you harvest.
You will feed your family bitterness instead of the sweet Word of God.
You will forfeit thanksgiving.
In forfeiting thanksgiving, you forfeit glimpses of a bright future.
Bitterness stifles repentance.
Bitterness smothers humility and meekness.
In looking backwards you pretty much turn into a pillar of salt, and wind up stuck in the mire as long as you live, OR as long as you continue to look back.
If you find yourself stuck in bitterness and have a crick in your neck from looking backward, then I have advice for you. Get a pry bar and turn your head toward the tree that cures bitterness. You will find help at the cross. There is an old song that says ‘Kneel at the cross, Christ will meet you there’. Hebrews 4:16 says, ‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
THEN, there is another problem that stands in the way of peace between you and God. That is your side vision. King David was probably using a little of that ‘side vision’ when he saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof top. He wasn’t looking backward, but he wasn’t looking forward either. His lapse of focus caused him terrible grief. It caused grief to those around him. It came back to cause him more grief later in his life.
Today Christians may not fall into the sin of David and Bathsheba, although that is not uncommon even among the brethren. More commonly, they look at what other people have in general and find themselves distracted by jealousy. They may see the new home someone else has and begin a quest to gain a home of their own that is equal or even superior to someone else’s home. It may be a car. It may be a vacation or vacation home. It may be career advancement. It may be the figure or hairstyle of a Hollywood celebrity. It may be the acclaim or fame of someone that the Christian suddenly desires for himself. Their focus changes from ‘peace with God’ and ‘pleasing God’ to ‘I gotta get me one of them myself’. Now honestly, what do you need with that bigger house, vacation home, fancy car, or career advancement? There is nothing wrong with any of these things in themselves. The sin comes in when the desire to have them is causing your head to swivel away from keeping God as your first focus.
An additional difficulty is that peace with God, once achieved, is a bit hard to maintain. It isn’t impossible, but it is something that should always be considered. Even Paul the Apostle was vigilant lest he become a castaway after having preached the gospel. (1Corinthians 9:27) If Paul took care to remain faithful and diligent then we should follow his example and do the same thing.
The song for this article is ‘Come Thou Fount’. The line that says ‘prone to wonder, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love,’ describes most of us – most likely even all of us. Practicing Christians really love our God. We want to please Him; but, we can be distracted. Be vigilant. Stay focused on the future and the prize.
Come Thou Fount
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLqZnQ5v2RU
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm (This is a very long version of ‘Come Thou Fount’. I don’t remember half the verses, but they all sound good today. It is a shame that songs are often shortened in order to fit in the hymnal. Then they are shortened even more to fit into the song service. The most notable ‘shrinking song’ is ‘Amazing Grace’. It has at least three verses that are not in most hymnals. It sort of leaves out the middle of the story. If you want to see all the verses go to http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm )
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Putting the Republican Party on Notice
Putting the Republican Party on Notice
Return to Conservative Values – Or Fade into History
By Barbara Henderson
Are you, the conservative people, sick of and even terrified by the Marxist policies being pushed through congress by the liberal Democrats? Do you, like millions of Americans, have no idea of how those hideous creatures even got to Washington in the first place? Do you wonder what it will take to stop them? Well, I have a few suggestions.
First, identify reason the liberals got there in the first place. Republicans keep ‘playing to the middle’. They want to be seen as good old boys and girls willing to get along with everyone. They don’t care if they are seen as good old boys and girls without any character or principles. They just want to be liked. Public opinion means more to them than right or wrong. SO – they run middle of the road candidates – RINO’s – Republican’s in name only. The results have obviously been disastrous!
Take a look at the last presidential election. Hillary Clinton was the darling of the Democrats. She had waited years for her turn, and her time had come. Or, so it seemed. To defeat her, the Republicans needed a candidate that was a true conservative. The people wanted a choice. Instead we got John McCain as a candidate. If you put John and Hillary’s voting record up on a scoreboard, what differences would you have seen on taxes, spending, and support of a traditional family? Both candidates couldn’t distance themselves far enough and fast enough from anything resembling Christianity. You had two peas in the same liberal pod.
Well, the democrats were smart enough to seize the day. They dropped Hillary like last week’s lettuce. They put in someone much farther to the left. And he was elected, to the sorrow and possible downfall of my country. He and his detestable czar/henchmen are currently working to dismantle the constitution, control every cent of money in the nation, and silence everyone who opposes their Marxist agenda.
That is where we stand today. And, the fault is at least partly with the Republican Party itself! They have taken conservatives for granite. They have acted like the conservatives have no place to go except the Republican party. They have even acted like committed conservatives are a fringe element and really an embarrassment to the Republican Party. Honestly, you can blame Republicans for the mess in Washington DC based on their failure to be true to conservative values.
To change the trend of namby pamby Republican leadership groveling at the altar of the ‘middle of the road’ is going to take determination on the part of true conservatives. In order to effectively change the party, committed conservatives must first get the attention of the Republican leadership. This is going to take courage. To date, we have been ignored for years, and even treated as though we were the nutty relative that must be kept hidden in the attic.
So, how can we get the attention of the Republican leadership?
I think it will take third party candidates. (I told you it was going to take courage.)
Right now, the common thought is that a vote spent on a third party candidate is a wasted vote. Baloney.
Every vote spent on a third party candidate is a message to the Republican leadership.
It clearly says,
‘We, the voters with true conservative values, are not interested in just keeping Republicans in power. If elected Republicans vote like democrats, what is the point anyway? Now, LISTEN TO US. We are through voting for someone just because the Republican Party throws him or her out there and labels them as a Republican. AND – don’t talk to us about the consequences of putting liberals in office. The consequences are the same whether the elected official calls himself a Republican or a Democrat. If the Republican Party wants to count on the votes of committed conservatives, then you better start running true conservative candidates.’
You may be thinking, ‘Barbara, the elections are over. The Republicans gained two Republican governors.’ To that I would say, ‘Yes, you are totally correct. However, midterm elections are just one year away.
• Republicans need to get ready for those elections by turning from their foolish ideas of ‘getting along with the democrats’.
• Republicans are not supposed to get along with Liberal Democrats. They are supposed to oppose them! True conservative ideology has nothing in common with true liberal ideology. There is no common ground!
• Republicans are supposed to have core values that are diametrically opposed to the core values of the liberals.
• Republicans are supposed to hold the line! They are supposed to filibuster evil legislation that raise taxes and erode freedom. Take it to the public. Shout loud and long. Embarrass the liberals at every turn. Don’t attack them personally – just show the folly and deceit of their policies.
Every Republican needs to take stock of his or her core values. If they are actually liberals – then stop lying about it and switch parties. A Republican who votes with the Democrats should be subject to party sanctions – and targeted to be voted out of office. Name one important issue that warranted parties working toward a common goal. You may be able to name some things that are of concern to both liberals and democrats, but core value differences will set two diametrically opposite courses of action to solve the problems.
This is war! It is being fought in the halls of the house and senate. Many of the elected Republicans are so afraid of losing their office, or being labeled as ‘unable to work in a bi-partisan manner’, that they sacrifice all conservative principles. Why on earth would true conservatives vote to keep such power hungry attention seekers in office? Why wouldn’t they vote for a third party candidate that clearly articulates conservative values and solemnly promises to do the best job possible to be a voice for the conservatives.
This is what the Republican Party needs to get through their tinsel covered heads. WE ARE SICK OF YOUR ACTIONS. You claim to be for us, but you are really for yourself. If that means you have to crawl in bed with the liberals, then you have no problem with it. You make us sick!
AND, Republicans can no longer count on the vote of committed conservatives. We would rather vote for a third party candidate or a even a write in candidate than continue to vote for the liberal Republicans you keep running for office.
In the end, I think one of two things will happen.
First, and hopefully, the Republican Party will finally get the message. Just as they fought for the ‘Independent’ vote, they now have to fight for the true conservative vote. They cannot take our votes for granite anymore. Instead of going for the ‘independents’, Republicans should just work to get all the true conservatives to vote. Many have left off voting simply because their gag reflex won’t let them vote for the RINO candidates. (for you liberals reading this – that means the so-called Republican candidates make true conservatives vomit – so they just don’t vote at all)
OR – Second – a third party representing true conservatives will eventually come up. I know, a third party system has a lot of problems. However, the Republicans currently are a group without authority, core values, or a vision for anything other than just how to stay in power. They are really just a useless appendage of the liberal/socialists currently in office. I believe the Republicans could be the ones to fade away, while what begins as a conservative third party movement, actually becomes the leader in a two party system.
Republican Party Leaders – it is up to you.
Either listen to true conservatives, and run true conservative candidates,
or
true and committed conservatives will find a party who will!
Barbara Henderson
Return to Conservative Values – Or Fade into History
By Barbara Henderson
Are you, the conservative people, sick of and even terrified by the Marxist policies being pushed through congress by the liberal Democrats? Do you, like millions of Americans, have no idea of how those hideous creatures even got to Washington in the first place? Do you wonder what it will take to stop them? Well, I have a few suggestions.
First, identify reason the liberals got there in the first place. Republicans keep ‘playing to the middle’. They want to be seen as good old boys and girls willing to get along with everyone. They don’t care if they are seen as good old boys and girls without any character or principles. They just want to be liked. Public opinion means more to them than right or wrong. SO – they run middle of the road candidates – RINO’s – Republican’s in name only. The results have obviously been disastrous!
Take a look at the last presidential election. Hillary Clinton was the darling of the Democrats. She had waited years for her turn, and her time had come. Or, so it seemed. To defeat her, the Republicans needed a candidate that was a true conservative. The people wanted a choice. Instead we got John McCain as a candidate. If you put John and Hillary’s voting record up on a scoreboard, what differences would you have seen on taxes, spending, and support of a traditional family? Both candidates couldn’t distance themselves far enough and fast enough from anything resembling Christianity. You had two peas in the same liberal pod.
Well, the democrats were smart enough to seize the day. They dropped Hillary like last week’s lettuce. They put in someone much farther to the left. And he was elected, to the sorrow and possible downfall of my country. He and his detestable czar/henchmen are currently working to dismantle the constitution, control every cent of money in the nation, and silence everyone who opposes their Marxist agenda.
That is where we stand today. And, the fault is at least partly with the Republican Party itself! They have taken conservatives for granite. They have acted like the conservatives have no place to go except the Republican party. They have even acted like committed conservatives are a fringe element and really an embarrassment to the Republican Party. Honestly, you can blame Republicans for the mess in Washington DC based on their failure to be true to conservative values.
To change the trend of namby pamby Republican leadership groveling at the altar of the ‘middle of the road’ is going to take determination on the part of true conservatives. In order to effectively change the party, committed conservatives must first get the attention of the Republican leadership. This is going to take courage. To date, we have been ignored for years, and even treated as though we were the nutty relative that must be kept hidden in the attic.
So, how can we get the attention of the Republican leadership?
I think it will take third party candidates. (I told you it was going to take courage.)
Right now, the common thought is that a vote spent on a third party candidate is a wasted vote. Baloney.
Every vote spent on a third party candidate is a message to the Republican leadership.
It clearly says,
‘We, the voters with true conservative values, are not interested in just keeping Republicans in power. If elected Republicans vote like democrats, what is the point anyway? Now, LISTEN TO US. We are through voting for someone just because the Republican Party throws him or her out there and labels them as a Republican. AND – don’t talk to us about the consequences of putting liberals in office. The consequences are the same whether the elected official calls himself a Republican or a Democrat. If the Republican Party wants to count on the votes of committed conservatives, then you better start running true conservative candidates.’
You may be thinking, ‘Barbara, the elections are over. The Republicans gained two Republican governors.’ To that I would say, ‘Yes, you are totally correct. However, midterm elections are just one year away.
• Republicans need to get ready for those elections by turning from their foolish ideas of ‘getting along with the democrats’.
• Republicans are not supposed to get along with Liberal Democrats. They are supposed to oppose them! True conservative ideology has nothing in common with true liberal ideology. There is no common ground!
• Republicans are supposed to have core values that are diametrically opposed to the core values of the liberals.
• Republicans are supposed to hold the line! They are supposed to filibuster evil legislation that raise taxes and erode freedom. Take it to the public. Shout loud and long. Embarrass the liberals at every turn. Don’t attack them personally – just show the folly and deceit of their policies.
Every Republican needs to take stock of his or her core values. If they are actually liberals – then stop lying about it and switch parties. A Republican who votes with the Democrats should be subject to party sanctions – and targeted to be voted out of office. Name one important issue that warranted parties working toward a common goal. You may be able to name some things that are of concern to both liberals and democrats, but core value differences will set two diametrically opposite courses of action to solve the problems.
This is war! It is being fought in the halls of the house and senate. Many of the elected Republicans are so afraid of losing their office, or being labeled as ‘unable to work in a bi-partisan manner’, that they sacrifice all conservative principles. Why on earth would true conservatives vote to keep such power hungry attention seekers in office? Why wouldn’t they vote for a third party candidate that clearly articulates conservative values and solemnly promises to do the best job possible to be a voice for the conservatives.
This is what the Republican Party needs to get through their tinsel covered heads. WE ARE SICK OF YOUR ACTIONS. You claim to be for us, but you are really for yourself. If that means you have to crawl in bed with the liberals, then you have no problem with it. You make us sick!
AND, Republicans can no longer count on the vote of committed conservatives. We would rather vote for a third party candidate or a even a write in candidate than continue to vote for the liberal Republicans you keep running for office.
In the end, I think one of two things will happen.
First, and hopefully, the Republican Party will finally get the message. Just as they fought for the ‘Independent’ vote, they now have to fight for the true conservative vote. They cannot take our votes for granite anymore. Instead of going for the ‘independents’, Republicans should just work to get all the true conservatives to vote. Many have left off voting simply because their gag reflex won’t let them vote for the RINO candidates. (for you liberals reading this – that means the so-called Republican candidates make true conservatives vomit – so they just don’t vote at all)
OR – Second – a third party representing true conservatives will eventually come up. I know, a third party system has a lot of problems. However, the Republicans currently are a group without authority, core values, or a vision for anything other than just how to stay in power. They are really just a useless appendage of the liberal/socialists currently in office. I believe the Republicans could be the ones to fade away, while what begins as a conservative third party movement, actually becomes the leader in a two party system.
Republican Party Leaders – it is up to you.
Either listen to true conservatives, and run true conservative candidates,
or
true and committed conservatives will find a party who will!
Barbara Henderson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)