FEELING LIKE A "HEEL"?

It is probably 80 % of the time that if you feel like a "heel" it's because of the tongue.  (The other 20% because of what you do.)

I was sharing with someone recently of some of the discipline I received in grade school.  Only paddled once but wrote a lot of "I will not _____" sentences.  It was in my last day at Junior High School I was sitting in the school auditorium, after class, writing "I will not ________ ______________ __________" some 200 times.  I am too embarrassed to tell what I did but rest assure today I still feel like a heel for doing such a foolish thing.

My dad, being the religious man that he was, tried to correct this "foolishness" by using what Proverbs 22:15 says, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."   It is true that it did drive it "far from me" but every once in a while I still do a foolish thing.  Sometimes doing a foolish thing is simply saying the wrong thing, or as we call it, "putting our foot in our mouth."  Psalm 38:5 says, "My wounds sink and are corrupt because of my foolishness."

I believe "foolishness" is something that probably many of us have to work on.  I enjoy "good clean fun" as we call it, but sometimes even I can take my "foolishness" too far.  So now that I have confessed, here's my prayer:

"God help me with my foolishness.  You know that in your word it says that this is something 'bound in the heart of a child.' True, my daddy tried to drive it out of me with leather but because of my tongue I still struggle and sometimes feel like a heel.  God, save my soul (and sole) from so much foolishness!"

I usually go to the shoe repair shop in the small community in which I live to have my shoe's resole and the owner of the shoe shop will laugh and say, "Yes Sir, I can save your sole!"   So off to the shoe shop!

THE BIG BAD WOLF

It was the nursery rhyme The Big Bad Wolf that I thought of this morning as the wind was whipping between the two buildings behind my office window.  It has been 40 plus years since I heard this nursery rhyme, and now there are several versions of this story, but the part I remember is I will huff and I will puff and I will blow your house down!   

Job 1:19 tells us that a "wind" (not a wolf) blew down the house of  Job's children - Suddenly a great wind came from the desert, hitting all four corners of the house at  once, the house fell in on the young people, and they are all dead..."

With a risk of sounding negative for just a moment, every day of our lives there is one that would like to "blow our house down" (or destroy you).  Jesus said it well when he said, "A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life-life in all its fullness"(John 10:10).  But the focus is not on the "thief" trying to destroy us but Jesus giving us fullness of life.

There are days that we will feel the wind from the storm.  There are days we will feel like that Satan is outside our door huffing and puffing and threatening to blow our house down. There are days that we do feel the pressures of life.  But when we walk in the fullness of life, the abundant life that Christ speaks of, we can weather any storm.

The Apostle Paul gave us some inside information on how to build our house that will stand against these storms (I Corinthians 3):

1. Laying a good foundation
2. Being careful how we build 
3. Using the right materials to build with

With these principles in place Satan can huff and puff and threaten all he wants, but "me and my house will serve the Lord!"  (Joshua 24:15).

...There is another character that I learned about 40 plus years ago.  In Sunday School we sung about "the sly old fox."  (The fox and the wolf are both from the same family, the Canidae family.)  "The devil he is a sly old fox, if I could catch him I put him in a box.  Lock that box and throw away the key for the many old tricks he's played on me..."

I REMEMBER THOSE DAYS...

"I remember you, the kindness of your youth..."  Jeremiah 2:2a

Oswald Chambers in his devotional "His Utmost For His Highest" brings out this thought that made me reflect on my youth this morning.  He asked the question, "Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me?...How much kindness have I shown Him this past week?...Am I as full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him?  Does He find me recalling the time when I did not care for anything but Himself?... Am I so in love with Him that take no account of where I go? or am I watching for the respect due to me; weighing how much service I ought to give?"

These are very provoking questions that at the end of the week that we probably ought to ask ourselves.  As a youth I lived in a Christian home and lived what some would defined as a "sheltered life."   There were certain things that as a youth, my parents "sheltered" me from.  To some degree I still live a sheltered life, but now of my own choice.  I choose not to put myself in uncomfortable situations, and when I find myself in that situation I am looking for an escape.  I want to be kind to God as I were as a youth.  To me it is important that I love him as much, and more, as I did in my youth and to show him that love.


My prayer today is "God help me to show my kindness to you as I did in my youth."   I remember those days...

WHAT IS "JAWING?"

Webster (online) dictionary defines "jawing" as scolding, clamorous, or abusive talk."  This is a word that I have heard used frequently during some of the recent pro-football games by the commentators when two or more players from opposite teams would get nose to nose and helmet to helmet and "talk with loud abusive language."


I am reminded of someone else that did a lot of "jawing".  One of the greatest battles in the bible is mentioned in I Samuel 17.  Eighty times, at least, Goliath "get in the face" of the Israelites and "jaws."  Why did Goliath spend so much time talking in place of fighting, when he was such a huge fellow?  I believe that Goliath wanted to intimidate his opponent.  Saul and the Israelites heard Goliath and they would tremble and run.  Goliath was literally winning the battle just by running his mouth!


But David could jaw too and he came out and jawed back at Goliath saying, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of t he armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.  this day will the lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (I Samuel 17:45, 46)"


 The result of Goliath's jawing is that he literally lost his head!  I bet (just an expression of speech) he didn't do anymore "jawing."  Maybe Goliath should have fought the battle before David arrived in the camp instead of all of that "jawing".


The moral of the story is that Satan likes to run his mouth with a lot of loud abusive talk.  But David finished up his speech to Goliath with "...for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands."   If you will trust God with your life and your battles, He will fight your battles for you.  Do not be intimidated by all of the loud abusive talk that the devil does.  He's all mouth!

I ALSO WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU MUCH MORE!

"I also would have given you much more!" is the word that I hear ringing in my ears of what God is saying to King David.  Read 2 Samuel 7 and hear the words of King David giving thanks to God for "bringing him this far."  Hear David telling God "with your blessing let my family always be blessed."

It sounds like David is on a journey headed toward success.  But then in 2 Samuel 11 we see that David's journey takes a left turn.  It is John Maxwell that states, "When we stop growing, we stop leading.  When we stop sacrificing, we stop succeeding."  Many times people ask the question, what happened?  Things were going so well for them and then they take a wrong turn.

In over 30 years of pastoral ministry I have seen many lay leaders and pastors take a wrong turn.  I have sat and listen to pastors and lay leaders relate how that they could not blame anyone but themselves for their sin.  (I heard other pastors and lay leaders wanting to blame someone else for the wrong turn in their life, as well.)  It is a sad day because the blessing of God stops when we stop being obedient to his word.  It is like stopping up a kitchen sink with yesterday's grease.  Grease hardens and stops the flow as sin will harden our heart and stop the flow of God's wonderful blessings in our lives.

But, God ...would have given you much more!

Thirty-four years ago, as a 16 year old grocery clerk one day I spoke with the Keebler Sales Representative that was busy stocking the cookie shelf.  I begin to witness to him about God and what he had done in my life.  As I told him about Jesus he stood there with tears in his eyes and told me that he "once was a missionary" for God.  God would have done much more in his life but somewhere, somehow, he had made a wrong turn in his life.  Thank God for his saving grace that brings forgiveness and restoration in our lives.  Today, thirty-four years later, I still vividly remember that incident of speaking with this total stranger about Jesus. Maybe it was as much for me as for him!

God still has much that he wants to do for you!  God blessed King David but the fact is that God had much more for him then what he ever received.  (Read of King David's sin in 2 Samuel 11 & 12).  The fact is that God has much more that he wants to give you, as well.  It is my prayer today that you will be able to walk out your journey with God, receiving all of the blessings that have your name on them.  For God has great things that He wants to give YOU!

Don't Call Me Stupid!

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid" (Proverbs 12:1).  Now I don't make it a habit of calling folks "stupid".  (That is one of those "s" words that as a kid I learned that in using cost me a "mouth washing"  Kinder like "foot washing," both will bring about a great sense of humility.)  But in several translations of the bible this is the word that is used to translate the word "brutish".  Call them brutish or stupid, it makes no difference, the point is they are the folks that hates correction.

Reading recently about King Saul and King David in the Bible, I see this contrast.  Saul seems to be one that hated correction while David was one that was acceptable to instruction.  Samuel spoke to Saul about a burnt offering that he made to God, which was not acceptable.  Saul shows no sign of repentance in that episode.  On the other hand King David was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sin with Bathsheba, and David had a repentant heart.  There is a great difference!

Recently I have been reminded of the thought, "What is God saying?"  It is my prayer that if it is correction or instruction in my life that I will listen every morning to what God is saying.  God help me to always spend time listening to you before I spend time speaking for you!  I don't want folks labeling me "stupid" because I fail to accept correction.