The Blame Game

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip."

The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault."

The blame game... we all get into at one time or another in our lives, but it really accomplishes nothing. It may make us feel a little better for the moment, but when the moment is passed we are still where we are with the same challenges we had before only a little later and more off course now.

We’ve been doing it (blaming others for our situation) since the beginning. Adam said to God when caught in his sin, “The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

In Genesis 16 there is an amusing story. Abraham’s wife, Sarai, has not been able to have children and she knows that God has promised a son to Abraham through whom a great promise is to be fulfilled. She’s feeling the pressure and tells Abraham to have a child with her maidservant. Please understand that this is not an endorsement for such actions. I am just telling the story. Well, the servant began to despise Sarai and it angered Sarai. She said to Abraham, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering.” It was her idea but now Abraham’s fault.

We live in a world where criminals blame society, blame parents, blame abusers, etc. for their actions. As horrible as their pain and what brought the pain is we still cannot place responsibility for our actions on someone else. Those things in the past might help us understand our tendencies or our confusion so that we can take responsibility, correct our actions, and move forward, but we cannot excuse our actions because of them. Sometimes this even works the other way. Parents try to take blame for their children’s actions to protect them by saying, “It was my fault. I was a bad parent. If I’d done this or that or been better at ???? then they would have turned out differently.”

“The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” Ezekiel 18:20 (NIV)



Neither am I talking about sitting around in a self destructive mode. “It’s all my fault. I’m no good. I may as well kill myself. I can’t do anything right.” That is just a destructive as avoiding reality by shifting blame.

“Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” Galatians 6:4-5 (NIV)

We certainly need to care for others just do not compare ourselves to others. We need to recognize our mistakes and our successes with great humility taking responsibility for our mistakes and giving all the glory to God for any success we might experience.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me today to stop the human habit of shifting blame, and not get caught up in the pride that comes with success. All that I have is because of Your grace. Help me to step beyond my past that has kept me from embracing the future You have planned for me. Today I take responsibility for my actions and decisions, and release the guilt and condemnation through Your incredible, amazing grace. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger

Smelly Sheep

Good Morning!

There are a number of different word pictures used in the Bible to refer to Christians or the church. We are called the Bride of Christ and the body of Christ. He says we are like fish that are to be caught as he calls disciples to fish for men. In one parable we are soil, rocky, stony ground or good soil that is cultivated and ready to receive the seed of the Word of God. But did you ever think about why we are referred to as sheep? This is probably the most common.

Sometime back the Washington Post reported that shepherds eating breakfast outside the town of Gevas, Turkey, were surprised to see a lone sheep jump off of a nearby cliff and fall to its death.

Then they sat in stunned silence as the rest of the nearly 1,500 sheep in the herd followed, each leaping off of the same cliff. When it was all over, 450 of the sheep died; the last two thirds of the herd were saved only because the pile of carcasses grew high enough to cushion the fall of the others.

The loss to the families of this small Turkish farming community was devastating, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue in a country where the average person earns less than $3,000 annually.

What made them jump? That's what sheep do; they're not analytical, they're incapable of considering consequences, they just tend to do what they see the other sheep do. Now do you wonder why we are likened to sheep? It certainly doesn’t appear to be a complimentary thing or certainly not flattery.

I guess this shows why. Sheep don't think well for themselves. It's why they need a shepherd. It's why we need a shepherd. That’s why Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. David says in Psalm 100 that we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Isaiah said, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way...” Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)

"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." (Mark 6:34)

Why did 1500 sheep all jump off a cliff without hesitation? Because they had no shepherd. Jesus said in John 10 that sheep know there shepherds voice and they will not follow another... shepherd that is. But they will follow another sheep if they don’t have the higher voice of the shepherd they recognize to be responsive to. It is through hearing, believing, and following the teachings of Jesus that we become less like "sheep without a shepherd" and more like shepherds who have the heart of the Good Shepherd to rescue the lost sheep of this world from themselves with the good news that they don’t have to follow the rest of the lost sheep over the cliff’s edge to pain and disaster, but they can have an abundant, full life.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV) The word for” full” or “abundant” here is the Greek word “Perissos.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance iIt means “super abundant in quantity and superior in quality. By implication it means excessive or violent.” The word “violent” isn’t in the negative sense. In old English there were words like that which don’t just communicate well with us today. It’s like when David danced and Michal, his wife, mocked him David said, “I will yet be more vile...” in 2 Samuel 6:22. He meant more passionate not more evil. A better word for “violent” would be “outrageous.” It is the same word used for “immeasurably more” in Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...”

We are His sheep. It’s why I believe in the local church. Sheep need a shepherd. The word for “pastor” in the Bible is the word for “shepherd.” A shepherd or pastor cares for the souls of the sheep and desires for them the superabundant, superior life in Jesus Christ, His outrageous love. That’s what I want for the sheep entrusted to my care as a pastor.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I listen for Your voice today to do Your will and follow Your directions for my life. Give me the courage to follow Your voice and not the rest of the sheep. And Lord, thank you for a superabundant, superior life. Thank you for your outrageous love. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger

Making Choices

Good Morning!

One of my favorite quotes is from Dwight D. Eisenhower. He said, "The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice - their choice."

The power of choice is incredible. There are few things in life that are not controlled by our choices.

Joshua admonished the people he served, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

Yes, we make choices for ourselves and for those God has entrusted in our care. I really get concerned when I hear parents say things like, “Well, I want my children to decide if they want to go to church. I want it to be their decision.” We have a responsibility as parents to make many choices for our children as they grow and mature. I would say that attending the house of worship is one of them. It has to be somewhere above, eating, taking a bath, brushing their teeth, wearing clothing, going to school. We don’t let them make decisions on their own about any of those and would accuse a parent who did of being negligent. Maybe to the point of reporting them to authorities.

But Joshua didn’t just say his “household.” He said “me and my household.” Each individual does have to make the decision to serve the Lord at some point. We are responsible for many personal choices in life. My attitude is a choice. No one controls my attitude even though we accuse other people of “making us angry” or “making us feel (you fill in the blank).” These are choices we each make. We give other people control of our lives when we allow them to influence our choice of attitude or feelings.

The Psalmist said, “This is the day the Lord has made. I WILL (emphasis mine) rejoice and be glad in it.” He made the choice to rejoice. He was actually saying two things. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of Greek and Hebrew words, To “be glad” is simply to have a bright countenance, to be happy. To “rejoice” on the other hand was a statement of faith. It means to spin round in response to any violent or strong emotion whether joy or fear. As you would spin round in the night if you heard a noise or movement behind you. Or you would spin round and stare at a celebrity if you passed them unexpectedly on the street. The context the word is in here tells us this experience will be happy, joyful.

Think about that. The Psalmist is saying, “Lord this is a day that You have made for me. You have unexpected blessings that will cause me to spin round in awe of You handiwork. He walked around expecting the unexpected.

That is your day... my day today. Let’s put a smile, the glow of His presence on as we go and walk around expecting the unexpected then stand in awe of His power.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to make right choices in all of my life today. May I expect Your goodness, Your miraculous grace to be demonstrated to me today. When my mind drifts toward negative thoughts, or wrong attitudes lovingly, gently nudge me and remind that You designed this day for me. It can’t possibly be that bad! AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger

Bringing Glory To God

Good Morning!

This has been an exciting playoff season to say the least. No blowouts here! Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Colts appeared at first to be the first blowout, but something happened. I don’t know what Coach Dungee said at half time, but I’d like to have been a fly on the wall. I might have gotten some good sermon material.

What did provide me with material was the team’s owner and CEO and Coach Dungee’s remarks after the win. They had just crafted the biggest comeback ever in a conference championship. They had just won the right to play for a world championship. That should buy some rights to be a little cocky, some bragging rights. Some right to feel like a great coach and CEO who had done their job well putting together a great team of players and coaches. But the first words out of both their mouths were giving God the Glory, thanking the Lord for ability to do what they did. I swelled with pride. In a 21st century America that tries in every way to quiet Christians and silence our testimony two men stand up in an arena where they could have boasted of their own skills (and with justification) and give God the glory.

In the sixth century, when St. Benedict wrote, "Do all for the glory of God," work in itself was considered valuable. “Treat even the pots and pans reverently as holy objects because God is found in all things,” Benedict counseled. Today, monks continue to serve God through work as varied as growing produce and raising chickens to teaching children and counseling adults. Benedict was onto something. Some of you are reading this as you prepare to begin you day feeling like you do what you do just to bring home “the bacon.” Well, while that is important, more importantly you can bring glory to God.

It's not so much what we do as how we do it. Ron Berges, a lawyer who with his wife, Jody, is an oblate at St. Andrew's Abbey in California, describes how he works to bring the principles of the Benedictine Rule to his law practice: "I have a duty to my clients to watch out for their best interest. But I also have a higher obligation to God," he explains. "I am always trying to do the right thing, so if my clients are on the wrong side of something, I encourage them toward the right side. If I am faced with a conflict, I try to bring resolution. When dealing with my employees, I try to rule with a gentle hand and listen to people before I make decisions that have an impact on them."

Yes, everything we do brings glory (or shame) to God or to man. If we will give the glory to God He will give us our due. He promised to “supply all our need according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” Let us recognize that while we get up before daylight to begin a day of work and often work until the sun have set on the opposite side of the land it really is God that owns it all and deserves the glory for it all.

When I feel I deserve honor help me remember...

“Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor.” Proverbs 18:12 (MSG)

“The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.” Prov. 22:4 (MSG)

“Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors.” Proverbs 29:23 (MSG)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for examples like Coach Dungee and the Colt’s team owner (who did such a good job giving You honor I can’t remember his name) that remind us we all have a higher calling that whatever we do in life... to honor You and bring glory to You while we “bring home the bacon.” Give me a fresh sense of purpose in my life today. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger

Managing Tough Times

Good Morning!

Note: The fuel for this devotional came from an article I read by Dr. Tony Alessandra. I simply added Scriptural content and other personal thoughts of my own. Dr. Tony Alessandra has authored numerous books, recorded over 50 audio and video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976.

Everyone experiences tough times, that is just how life goes. How you react to those times can change how your family and those close to you react. How you handle tough times will impact how you and those around you, (your employees, if you’re a business owner or supervisor or your coworkers) produce. How you handle tough time will also impact how those you influence or mentor at church or elsewhere grow and mature or how they react to similar circumstances in the future. How you deal with tough times will impact how you personally feel physically and emotionally.
Tough times can be described an isolated situation or a combination of issues (child in trouble, parents, spouse, close family member, or child ill, money problems, mergers or drastic changes at work, relocation, etc ).

It is easy to fall into the trap of going into automatic pilot and reacting as you always have. The silent treatment towards everyone, the drama queen/king, the pity party whine fest, or perhaps the martyr syndrome. None of these behaviors helps to resolve the issues, in fact they just make matters worse.

Each of the behaviors described above are driven by self centeredness. It is all about me! The truth is the issues aren't about you at all. You and only you are making it about you.

Too often people only focus on what is going wrong in their world, what they don’t have, and not about what is working right. The challenges at work aren’t about you...its just business. Your child's trouble isn't about you or because of you... its about him and his choices. Family illness certainly isn’t about you, it just happens in life or it’s about their health and life choices.
So what can you do about tough times?

First, change the focus of your life. Focus on what is right in your life, at work, in your marriage, with your child, etc. What is working right, what is profitable, what are they doing well? If you can’t find anything good (you may have a mental block) ask someone else more objective to help you.
A man who kayaks says that he finds when he is in treacherous if he focuses on the rocks he crashes, yet when he focuses on the open water he avoided crashes. Change your focus.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (NIV) Paul is simply saying change your focus.

Second, take time to really appreciate what you do have. Do you appreciate all that you have? Sometimes we get so busy looking ahead at where we are going that we forget to look behind from where we came. The Apostle Paul again, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) He is just saying see the things that are right and be thankful for them. Many have erroneously interpreted this to mean "be thankful FOR the circumstances." That results in a martyr syndrome and it becomes self centered again, all about you. What he said what "give thanks IN all circumstances." The circumstances of life should never blind us to many other blessings of life not connected to the present pain we are experiencing.

Third, help someone get what you want. For instance, if is tight then help someone else’s business make money by referring business. Need a car, find someone who needs transportation and help them. Struggling with you own self respect? Then encourage someone else and help them with theirs. Feeling unloved and unappreciated? Demonstrate love and appreciation to someone else you know needs it. Zig Ziglar said it this way, "You can have anything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." The greatest teacher in history, Jesus Christ, said it like this, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:37-38 (NIV)

Change the focus of your life. Take time to appreciate what you have. Help someone else.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Thank you for all You have given. You have even given me a grateful heart. I just need You to wake it up and renew that right spirit in me. Help me as I go through these tough times (I know I will come THROUGH them) to be an example and blessing to others. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger