Take the High Road

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles: lest the Lord see it and be displeased. And then He turn away His anger from him." Proverbs 24:17

Manuel Noriega. No one epitomized the banana republic cliche better than the little general. He was the dictator of Panama, a corrupt, ruthless drug dealer and to top it off, he had a face that could stop a clock. During the presidency of George Bush the elder, a concerted effort was made to expose his corruption. For months, the media whipped the American people into a frenzy of outrage over the criminal activities of Noriega and his henchmen. They did a great job painting him as the personification of evil. Polls indicated the people of the USA were ready to see him go. An invasion was ordered to protect the interests of the United States in the Canal Zone. When the U.S. military landed it swiftly defeated the outmatched forces of Panama. Instead of admitting defeat, Noriega fled to the compound of a representative of the Vatican. What a weasel. Negotiations for his transfer to American authorities went on and on. Eventually he was turned over and removed from Panama to a prison in Miami. I was thrilled. I really enjoyed seeing the downfall of this guy who thought he was above the law. My itch for justice had been scratched and I was feeling pretty good about the whole outcome.

Then it happened. Two mentors and friends of mine, evangelists Cliff Brannon and Rudy Hernandez went to see Manuel Noriega in prison. They had the audacity to trust God to change the man. I saw their trip as an act of futility. Bless their hearts! Note: Didn't mean it, just said it.
Long story short, they led Noriega to a life-changing encounter with Christ. He got saved. He was no longer the enemy, but was transformed into a brother in Christ. Wait a minute! What was I supposed to do with all this moral outrage that I had worked up. I was really conflicted about the whole deal. When he got what was coming to him, I felt awfully good about his downfall. Since his incarceration, I had been enjoying a prolonged sense of well-being at his expense. It did not sit well with me that he had been brought into the family. Any other elder brothers out there?

I had gotten hold of the wisdom of Solomon, but it had not gotten hold of me. "Do not say, 'Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.' " Proverbs 24:29

OK, I know the Bible says, "For God so loved the world, and gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). But for crying out loud, NORIEGA! Doesn't God have any standards? It embarrasses me to admit how long this conflict raged inside of me. When you are a pastor of a church you are supposed to know better. After processing this violation of my personal prejudices and preferences, I slowly and begrudgingly came to have a change of heart. It was as if I heard a voice say to me, "Get over it!" I have never heard God speak audibly to me, but it didn't sound like something Satan would say. I began to think, if I didn't deal with this here on earth, I may have to room with this guy in heaven. Never underestimate the lengths God will go to make sure you learn a lesson. I didn't want to have to stay after school here or say for eternity, "Mi casa es su casa." I admit my standards were low, but I did at least have them. God meets you right where you are, but loves you too much to leave you the way he found you. Over two decades later, I am so glad Brannon and Hernandez took the trip. Bless their hearts! Note: I really mean it this time.

Our culture has lost their handle on "The Golden Rule": Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It has been replaced by tarnished substitutes,

• "He who has the gold, rules."
• "Get all you can. Can all you get. Poison the rest."
• "Stick it to them before they stick it to you.
• "Watch out for number one!"

This isn't new. Jesus established His kingdom in the wake of one of the most ruthless regimes the world had ever seen. Whether it was Roman aggression or Jewish corruption, Jesus challenged the conventional wisdom of the day. Throughout his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeats over and over, "You have heard it said,...But I say to you." "You have heard it said...But I say to you...turn the other cheek."Matthew 5:39

In other words, He knew people may like the way they felt about their enemies, but He was going to change their hearts and that was going to change the way they lived. God uses changed people to bring about the kind of change that makes a difference for eternity...not just for the next election.

Abraham Lincoln described resisting the urge to rejoice over our enemies or to exact our revenge from them as, "listening to the better angels of our nature." Thanks Abe, I needed that. What Lincoln suggested, Paul declared was a moral imperative of the Christ follower. "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:17-21)

The Noriegas of this world come and go with great rapidity. Life becomes a lot like an endless game of "Whack a Mole." If you have to get even with every petty dictator that crosses your path you are going to have great muscle tone in your arms, but a heaviness in your heart. The game is stacked against you worse than the odds at Vegas. So many moles, so little time. The house wins.

Nothing has really changed from the time Jesus first spoke to his early disciples. They too had been influenced and saturated with revenge by the culture in which they lived. Conventional wisdom today lies to us when it says, "Revenge is sweet." In place of, "Get 'er Done!", God's wisdom says, "Let it Go!" The next time you are tempted to cheer over the downfall of an enemy, ask God if He wants you to let go of your joy over their collapse. He may want you to pick them up, and help them on down the road. This means taking the high road, when the world world screams for you to take the Low Road Exit and leave your enemy in the dust. You may be surprised at what you hear God say. I know I was. Vaya Con Dios!

On the Rock or On the Rocks

"Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always." Proverbs 23:17

A contemporary view of envy may be: wishing I could trade places with someone else who seems to have a better life than the one God gave me. The same word for envy is sometimes translated in Proverbs for the word "reverence." This could be a warning to step away from the altar of celebrity worship. The tendency to want what others have is not new to the human condition. Words like envy, jealousy and covet fill the Word of God like flashing lights on a dashboard. When they start blinking in our lives, it is time to pull over and let God check under our hood.

As a Texan growing up on Long Island, New York, I fell in love with the New York Yankees. I still remember my first professional baseball game at the old Yankee Stadium, "The house that Ruth built." Nestled in Yonkers, like the proverbial gardenia in a garbage can , it was a magical place. When I emerged from the dark passage ways of the ball park on the evening of May 12, 1961, I got my first glimpse of the immaculate playing field. I was mesmerized. The bright lights magnified the red clay, the manicured green grass, and the perfect white stripes separating the stands from the field of play. It was a sight to behold. Then the pin-striped, "Bronx Bombers" walked from the dugout with the swagger of champions. At first, "Moose" Skowron, at second, Bobby Richardson, short-stop, Tony Kubek, third base, Clete Boyer, behind the plate, Yogi Berra, and on the mound, left-hander, "Whitey" Ford, in the outfield, Maris, Mantle, and Pepitone. Later in the evening, Pepitone would go to first base, and Elston Howard would take over in left. It was Yogi's birthday and he hit a home run. The Yanks beat the LA Angels. I was only 11 years old, but already a serious fan. I put the fan in fanatic. Being able to recite the starting lineup of this team impressed a friend of mine a few years ago, and he rewarded me with a gift of a "Whitey Ford" autograph baseball. My youngest daughter Allyson has put her claim on it when I die. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I put this in the category of harmless hero worship. As I grew older, I learned the difference between the content of a player's character and his conduct on the field. For instance, Bobby Richardson has grown in my estimation, and Mickey Mantle has fallen a notch or two. Mickey will always have my heart, but I couldn't help his liver. Sad story. Nuff said.

Magazines like "People" and "Instyle" regale us with what the celebrities are doing, and what they are wearing. Television is overloaded with shows that stalk every move a celebrity makes and record every word they say. They seem intent on exposing the flaws of the newest flavor of the month and bumping them off the pedestal to make room for another victim of new found fame. The cult of celebrity is alive and well, and it craves more and more of what it does not have. Envious people love to hate people who have what they really want.

Envy reveals a hole in the heart, that only God can fill. Trying to satisfy hunger and thirst with anything that is man-made only leads to a more ravenous appetite. God's meal plan for our lives begins with living water and the bread of life, Jesus. Spending time with Him, and listening to what He says for us to do will give us a full and meaningful life, in spite of what contemporary culture may try to lead us to believe. The ash heap of history is littered with more examples than I can list of people who were stars, and then they fell from the sky. Charting one's ship by a course based on what the stars have to say usually ends up on the rocks.

David, the father of Solomon, must have been a hero to his son. What Solomon shares in Proverbs, his father sang about in Psalms.

"Fret not yourself because of evil doers, be not envious toward wrong-doers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will do it." Psalms 37:1-5

Like any son, he probably wanted to be like dad when he grew up. That is not envy, but a legacy. Jesus is the Rock. A life built on the Rock will not end up on the rocks.

Thanks

"So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you." Proverbs 22:19

"Talking is not teaching and listening is not learning." I am crediting Alvin Reid with this quote. It is one of those personalized proverbial statements that has a great root system in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 22: 19 challenges us to learn that life is all about trusting in the Lord. Putting our confidence, and faith in God is the beginning of wisdom. This reverence, deference and respect we give to His plan for our life is the key to our eternal salvation, and results in a life filled with meaning and purpose.

How do we learn to trust in the Lord? When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God. When we come to the end of our rope, we need to stop making rope. When we lose confidence in our own ability, we are more likely to make ourselves available to Him. This is important to learn. God is more interested in our AVAILABILITY than our ABILITY.

The book of Luke records one of the most comprehensive pictures of the prayer life of Jesus. He made Himself available to God. When He showed up to pray, God showed up in His prayer life. The early disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1) They had never heard anyone pray like Jesus. More importantly, they had never seen anyone get answers to their prayers like Jesus. He was always praying for the impossible. They wanted to know His secret of turning the IMPOSSIBLE into the HIMPOSSIBLE. This ought to be filed under the warning: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR. Everyone knows we pray our best when things are at their worst. If we never had a crisis, we would probably relegate prayer to a level of irrelevance. It would be placed on the shelf with other non-essential devotional disciplines like fasting, and giving.

David came to the end of himself as recorded in Psalm 23 when a "shadow of death" passed over him. The most remarkable thing happened. He stopped talking about God, and started talking to God. He moved God out of the third person singular and started talking to Him one on one, face to face.

Paul came to the end of himself more than once. He had a "shadow of death" experience on one of his journeys, and said that he even despaired for his life. "Indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises from the dead...He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us." (II Cor. 1:9-10)

Are you seeing a pattern here? Listening is not learning. You don't audit class in The School of Prayer. Once when Professor William Barclay was asked to comment on one his students, he said, "He is not one of my students. He just attends my classes." Well put. Showing up for class is not enough. Applying what you hear is where the real rubber meets the proverbial road.

Putting our trust in the Lord begins with an attitude of gratitude for what He has already done for us. In those early days of fatherhood, I felt pretty useless. As long as our baby daughters had no use for me, they didn't really warm up to me. The relationship was all about Dana. She had what they wanted, when they wanted it. How selfish! The good news is that their childish behavior did not last. Today I have a relationship with my daughters that has matured and brings great joy to me. They come to me for what they need, a personal relationship with their Dad. They trust that I will be there for them in the present, because I have been there for them in the past.

During this season of THANKS, I would like to suggest that trusting in the Lord could move from a proverb read to a principle applied. Trust is developed when we give THANKS to Him every day. This is how we begin to learn the meaning of , "I have taught you today, even you."

• Thanking: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing."
• Him: "In everything give thanks,"
• Always: "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:16-18
• Nearing: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8
• Knocking: "Knock and it shall be opened to you." Matthew 7:7
• Seeking: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

The season of THANKS is is a great time to renew our "trust in the Lord."

Victory

"The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord." Proverbs 21:31

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was a clash between the Norman invaders of William the Conqueror and the Anglo Saxons led by King Harold. In 1077 the Bayeaux tapestry was unveiled to commemorate the Norman victory. It is a 230 foot long, and 20 inch high narrative depicting the battle with a Latin inscription for every scene. It is one of the earliest examples of "spin" control.

Both armies made use of horses, but each had a different strategy. King Harold's Anglo Saxons used their horses as a means of transportation to arrive at the site of the battle. They took a defensive posture behind a wall of huge shields, and dared the Normans to take the hill. The Normans used a cavalry of mounted lancers as an aggressive attack weapon. History reveals the wisdom of the latter over the former. It was a particularly gory kind of warfare, and at times even the bravest warrior was tempted to flee the field. One of my favorite sections of the tapestry depicts Odo, half brother of William, and a bishop of the church encouraging the French warriors while waving his club or shepherd's staff in the air. He was forbidden by church law to carry an instrument of war that could shed the blood of the sheep, but he was free to club them over their helmeted heads or whack them on their backs to turn them around and face the enemy. In Latin the statement next to the picture is, "Odo... confortats." Translated, he comforts or encourages the men. One of the next scenes depicts the death of King Harold, and the Anglo Saxons fleeing the battle. The Battle of Hastings was over and the invasion of England successful. This was no small accomplishment considering, Napoleon and Hitler were never able to pull it off.

Obviously, the word "comfort" has lost something in translation down through the years. Today it used to describe a gentle touch, a soft word spoken or a blanket that is to be left untouched. The word once meant an infusion of courage. Break it down and you can see it in the word, en-courage-ment. Back in the day, comfort could be a knock on the head, or a whack on the back of a discouraged warrior to turn him around to face the enemy. There is no substitute for victory, but it will never be won by victims. Victors are just victims who have fired back at the enemy. When Jesus depicted the posture of the forces of evil, He revealed them to be on the defensive, and His church would be attacking the gates they were hiding behind. "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." Matthew 16:18

During my first year in seminary, I was introduced to a book, "Success Motivation and the Scriptures." It was written by William H. Cook and published by Broadman Press in 1974. The gist of it: Be filled with the Holy Spirit to become the person God intended for you to be, and leave the results up to God. It was a breath of fresh air. It is always a bad exchange to substitute personal ideas of success for God's concept of victory.

Ancient proverbs are as fresh as the latest newsprint, or the most recent Twitter of the day. They have influence far beyond the day in which they were first spoken. Their longevity is proof positive of their reliability. Keep passing on and practicing good advice found in Proverbs. Eventually it will have a positive influence. Even Wood Allen knows, "Ninety percent of success in life is found in just showing up." Scripture reminds us that victory is ours if we will get behind a movement of God, and give Him the elbow room to do what only He can do in this world through our lives.

"Some boast in chariots, and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God." Psalms 20:7 (David's prayer for victory over his enemies, must have been known by Solomon.)

"A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength." Psalms 33:17 (Solomon collected horses, but David had known victory and defeat.)

"Salvation belongs to the Lord; Thy blessings upon Thy people!" Psalms 3:8 (David knew that God was in control even when family turned against him.)

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:57-58

The key to victory is not found in how fast we get to the battle, but in how long we are willing to stay and fight the enemy. War can be terrifying at times. Christ followers need shepherds who will encourage them to return to the battle, and stay on the offensive. God's people strike fear in the heart of the enemy when they mobilize as prayer warriors against the gates of hell. Fire when ready! If you listen carefully, you can hear the enemy screaming, "INCOMING!"

"We must not be content to be cleansed, but filled with the Holy Spirit. The word Comforter as applied to the Holy Spirit needs to be translated by some vigorous term. Literally it means "with strength." Jesus promises his followers, "The Strengthener" would be with them. This is no lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living." E.P. Hovey

Flip the Coin

"The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair." Proverbs 20:29

We live in a culture that places great value on youth, and strength. Proverbs encourages us to receive the whole coin, flip it and focus on the other side. The flip side of a strong body is a strong finish. The honor of a young man has always been his physique at the start of the rae. The splendor of an older man is his perseverance to the finish line.

Every year I live, I grow in my appreciation for the men who have run the race long and are finishing well. The roadside of life is littered with men who got off to a great start, but lost their way . I have had heroes of mine falter, and fall, but there have been others who continue to lead me towards the finish line. Today it seems right to mention at least two of them that come to mind with Proverbs 20:29.

I heard Jimmy Draper preach for the first time in the fall of 1975. I was starting my second year of seminary and he was speaking in chapel. He challenged and commissioned us to continue in our calling regardless of the circumstances that we encounter. Knowing that he was in the middle of a personal crisis himself, and handling it with grace and dignity made his message even more powerful. Thirty-five years later he is often referred to as "Mr. Southern Baptist." A title he has earned for continuing to shed more light than heat on any crisis he is called upon to handle. I still refer to him as Bro. Jimmy. To me he is the poster boy for preacher boys.

I mean no disrespect meant to Chuck Swindoll who posed for a poster back in the nineties sitting on his Harley. He was dressed in black with a smile on his face, and the word, "SERMONATOR" emblazoned across the page. It was a great combination of chutzpa, humility and humor. I loved it. These two men have set the pace for preachers and pastors for close to 50 years. They continue to be faithful flames leading to the finish line.

One night, about ten years ago, my wife and I were visiting a little lady on her first night in a Fort Worth nursing home. Her daughter had called and let me know they were headed to Houston to close out her mother's estate, and asked me to check on her. She was afraid this was going to be a rough night for her mom. She was right. When Dana and I arrived at the door of her tiny room, I could see she was sitting in a chair with her head down. She was the picture of despondency and loneliness. We introduced ourselves, and tried our best to cheer her up. I hit on the idea to ask her to tell me about churches she had attended over the years, and what kind of ministry she had been involved in the most. She told me of a church in the ship channel area of Houston, and how she and her husband had worked with youth. I asked her if youth were any different then than they were today. She lit up and said, "Oh, no. We had some rounders in that group." She went on to talk about two of them in some detail. One was the pastor's kid, Jimmy, and the other was a piece of work called Chuckie. She went on and on, and then it dawned on me who she was talking about. I asked her if she was talking about Jimmy Draper and Chuck Swindoll. She said, "Why yes, do you know them." I admitted that I had heard of them and asked if she had heard from them recently. She laughed and said, "Oh, no I haven't heard from then in years." I asked her if she would like to get in touch with them again, and she was thrilled about the possibility. I told her that I was pretty sure she could count on it.

The next morning, I made two phone calls to the offices of Dr. James Draper, leader of Lifeway in Nashville, and Dr. Charles Swindoll, president of Dallas Theological Seminary. I didn't try to get in touch with them personally. I knew it wasn't necessary. I told my story to two wonderful ladies who were able gatekeepers of these men. I requested, if possible, a letter of appreciation be faxed to the nursing home. As if reading from a prepared script, each promised it would be done that day. When I said that it wasn't necessary to do so that day, they each emphatically stated it would be something they know would be done today. They knew who they were working for. These men of integrity each took time out of very busy schedules to sit down and compose a personal tribute. They both gave glowing, and warmhearted gratitude to a woman who had invested time in them when it didn't appear that there was going to be much interest made on her principal. I went back to the nursing home the next day, and I saw a transformed woman. She was walking from room to room reading her letters to residents and employees alike. She asked me to read them to her when we sat down in her room. I was impressed by their words, but more importantly by the hearts of these men who had not forgotten where they had come from.

When her daughter returned from Houston, she called and exclaimed, "What have you done to my mother? She is a new person." Once again, the life-changing power of encouragement had left its calling card. Both of these letters were read at her mother's funeral, and remain treasured family keepsakes.

Jimmy Draper and Chuck Swindoll continue to raise the bar for ministers who do not just want to survive the ministry, but who desire to thrive in it. Some ministers are not content to retire and in some cases they just die standing up a long time before the retirement party. They would do well to take a look at men who know that one of the joys of growing older is becoming wiser. The glory of young men is their strength, but that is only one side of the coin. The flip side is where the wise man finds his greatest worth. The highest value is given to the rarest coin. Thank God for men who save their best for last, and remind us the best is yet to come.

Come and Rest

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil." Proverbs 19:23

My first pastorate was in the City of Tempe, Arizona. It was located in an area called The Valley of the Sun. My wife loved the weather there. I should have known better. It was not like living n a desert. It was a desert. We moved there in the summer of 1983 and left in the summer of 1987. I call it four years and five summers. Man it was hot. Johnny Carson took a shot at this area's weather one night on the old "Tonight" show. He said, "They call it a dry heat. But you know folks, there is no humidity in a nuclear meltdown either. It is still going to kill you."

My wife, Dana, real sun goddess, always had a great, golden tan. I, on the other hand, was an "Irish tanner." I would burn, peel, burn, peel, burn,peel and maintain a hint of pale pink throughout the year. I had three episodes with heat stroke because I did not take my wife's advice and carry a bottle of water and drink from it like a prospector's canteen throughout the day. She kept reminding me, "We live in the desert, and everything you see is a mirage. Without water being poured into the ground every green thing you see will die. We are evaporating as we speak so drink up or die." I eventually caught on, but not after collapsing in the shower three different times. Note: When you reach a certain point of evaporation, you will not be able to suck enough water, fast enough from the faucet to replace what you lost in a day. Third time's a charm. Class dismissed.

One particularly hot day in May, 120 degrees in the shade with no shade, I was sitting at a stop light in the city and noticed an unusual church sign posted in huge, permanent letters on the entrance of their worship center. The words were, "Come...and Rest." I pulled off the road and into their parking lot. I knew from their sign that it was an unusual church or it would have said something like...

• "Come...and Serve"
• "Come...and Give"
• "Come...and Grow"
• "Come...and Go"
• "The end of your search for a friendly church."
• "First This of That"

I parked my car right in front of the sign like a man who had just found an oasis in the desert. I knew the source of the statement had to be based on the call of Jesus to His disciples, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) The cynic in me thought, "How can you build a church on calling people to rest, when there is so much of the Lord's work to do?" I should probably admit to you that I had been doing a lot of work for the Lord, but not spending much time with the Lord of the work. Later that day, I did a little research and find out that this was the largest church in the area. Evidently, I wasn't the only lost miner that had been lured off the highway by a sign that offered the promise of relief. Jesus must have known what he was talking about after all. Go figure.

One of the most prolonged and perilous epidemics sweeping this nation is sleep deprivation. It has been blamed for a host of illnesses and the possible source of road rage. There are countless numbers of remedies that promise relief. They run the gamut from surgery to sleeping pills, and mattresses to mantras. This is an indication that no one is getting the rest they need. How can this be? In spite of the economic downturn of recent months, this is still the wealthiest nation in the world. Regardless of what some would have us believe, our health-care system is still the envy of the world. Social apologists would have us believe the world hates us, but our borders and beaches are overwhelmed daily by those seeking relief from regimes that offer no hope. Comedians are flooding the airways with a constant stream of humor to relieve our stress and help us prepare for a good night's sleep. Churches on every corner offering a wide variety of sacred solutions for sinners, seekers, and saints. Why are so many people still in need of rest?

"The fear of the Lord leads to life." Proverbs provides a road map to an oasis that offers rest in the middle of the desert. The walk towards the saving shade and life-giving water begins with reverence for God. This refers to a respect for God as the source of life. He has written the book on rest, so when in doubt read His directions. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) OK. I know we live in world that wants me to believe that there is no absolute truth, and my values should not be forced on them. So, let me put this "new" source of life to the Dr. Phil test, "How's that workin' for ya'?" Note: When people get tired enough, they will come to the end of themselves and the beginning of God. Til then, don't gouge out their eyes, just keep the light on for them. Christ followers sleep best with the light on anyway.

"So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil." "Restless heart" syndrome deprives more people of sleep than any "restless leg." The gnawing hunger of an empty heart is relentless. It will never be satisfied until it is filled with the food God has prepared for His children, Jesus. When He puts His children to sleep, he guards the door of their heart. No intrusion will ever come into the life of His child without passing through His heart first. If it comes to us through Him, it must be received for our help and not our hurt. The Psalmist comforts us with this reminder about God. "He gives to His beloved, even in his sleep." (Psalms 127:2) This may mean God gives sleep to His beloved, or God gives what His children need while they sleep. Either way, taking it to heart provides a calm in the heart of His children that cannot be disrupted by unwanted visitors or late night marketing calls. Lean on Jesus for The Rest of your life.

A Matter of Life or Death

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Proverbs 18:21

Fred Swank, longtime pastor of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church of Fort Worth, was asked one day by a colleague, "Does your church speak in tongues?" I was standing next to him when he said brusquely, "My people aren't Spirit-filled enough." He dismissed the questioner with a stern look, turned his back and walked swiftly through the noisy, convention corridor to the exit. I was a first year seminary student, and newly hired by him to be his driver/youth director. His response intrigued me. I was trying to get the courage to ask him why he was so abrupt. I didn't have to ask. He launched into one of his many impromptu lessons of life that still serve me well. No direct quotes here, but the gist of his defense was this. He said there was a movement in Baptist churches at that time to try and solve all their problems with an experience that he called "tongues-talkin.'' He personally did not begrudge them the privilege. He was of the opinion, after 42 years of pastoring the same church, that local church was headquarters. He believed what the people of a local, autonomous congregation felt led of God to do they should be able to do. However, he was convinced that gossip was the real "tongues-talkin' " that caused most problems. He was convinced it was this kind of tongues that should be kicked out of the church. Bro. Fred's earthy wisdom rings true with Proverbs 18:21.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Two conversations come to mind. Both were with highly skilled, accomplished women I met while pastoring in the Panhandle of Texas. One was very faithful to attend church. I saw her Sunday after Sunday standing very uncomfortably during the praise portion of the worship service. She looked miserable. She had a frown on her face, her head down, and all of the peace of an animal with a paw caught in a trap. Whether it was oppression or conviction, I could not tell. It was painful to watch, and I just had to know. When I had a chance to meet with this lady, I discovered a great heart with a huge hole in it. She asked me if I had noticed she never sang in church. I admitted her reluctance to participate had hit my radar screen. She apologized and related her story. There is always a private story behind a public behavior. When she was a child, she had auditioned to sing in a choral group at her school. The director stopped her in the middle of her song, and shouted for the accompanist to stop playing. Loud enough for all the other children to hear she was rebuked this little girl for wasting their time. She was told, "You have a terrible voice. You should never try to sing." That verbal blast from the furnace of hell left a mark. Fifty years later I could see it. It was not a fresh wound, but a nagging scar on the soul of a grown woman. It was a privilege to walk this lady through God's plastic surgery to remove the damage done by a "tongues-talkin" terrorist. Week by week God restored her, as she focused on Him as the audience of one who loved to hear her praise Him. Never underestimate the power of the tongue to deal out death.

The other conversation took place while I was preparing for the funeral of a local doctor. We had become a personal friends. He had been an encouraged and blessed me with books from his library. His daughter came from Dallas to attend her father's funeral. She was a very successful business woman, and in her professional power suit she exuded the confidence of woman who had made something out of her life. I asked her to share any special memory she had of her father that might help me know him better. In an instant she was transformed from a woman in her late thirties to a six year old girl. She told me without hesitation, "My father loved to sing." I was not surprised by that. He was a member of the real church choir, the congregation. He would stand to my right a few rows back, and sing joyfully and heartily. He sang all the choruses or hymns that were offered up to God as worship in our church. It touched me to see a man of his advanced years and professional stature enter in with such enthusiasm and radiance on his face. She went on to say, "I remember standing next to Dad in church as a little girl. I always enjoyed hearing him sing. I couldn't read, but he would always hold the hymnal so I could see it. One day I was singing along with him, and he stopped, leaned down and whispered in my ear, 'You sing sooo pretty.' I was so touched by his encouragement that music has remained a major part of my life. Since that time, whenever I sing, I have always sensed Dad standing next to me." WOW. What a great way to describe why we need to praise God every day, not just on Sunday.

These two stories give us a picture of the death-dealing or life-giving power of the tongue. I do not know who came up with the insipid ditty, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I am pretty sure they were from another planet. In the world where I live, I have seen murderous damage done by the tongue. James saw it in the early church and said,
"From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not to be this way." James 3:10

Notice, James is not talking about "cussin' " but cursing. There are people who would never say a vulgar, four letter curse word, but they are expert surgeons at cutting a person to pieces with their tongues. I have been blessed out by men on a construction site or at the close of a funeral service with the same phrase. "You did a helluva job." To the ears of the self-righteous, it may have sounded like cussin', but these were not curse words at all. They were giving me a blessin' not a cursing. I have had people avoid using the vocabulary words identified with cursing, and still find a way to speak a curse over me. You probably have too.

So what is the message for us in Proverbs 18:21? Use the breath in your lungs to build a person up rather than tear a person down. Putting a person in their place usually means you had to take the low road to get them there. Words leave a mark. They linger long after the initial sting or the pleasant touch. You might want to take a page from David's play book today. "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue, I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle." Psalm 39:1

"And those who love it will eat its fruit." There is not a great market for rotten fruit.
People who will be taking the taste test of your fruit harvest can tell the difference between what is real, and what is fake, what is fresh and what is phony. There is not much nutrition in imitation fruit even for a starving man. Your tongue has the power to deliver life or death in the form of a verbal fruit basket to someone in need of encouragement today. How will you know who they are? Don't worry. They are everywhere, and everyone. Get with God before you pick up that rotten tomato and throw it at someone who has had their share of curses planted in their lives. Remember, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23) Trust me on this. They are going to love receiving this fruit basket almost as much as you are going to love giving it.

What To Do Before You Spew

"The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out." Proverbs 17:14

Proverbs is so versatile and timeless. Who knew that it contained wise words for defensive driving. Wouldn't we all be better Christians if we had to walk everywhere we went? The vehicle of choice has changed, but road rage has been around a long time.

The City of Houston taught me the real meaning of road rage. I had grown up in New York and had cut my teeth on some of the toughest traffic and roughest road hogs the world could produce. I was not a novice at protecting my turf when I arrived in Houston in 1980. It was the epicenter of "The Oil Patch, the peak of the oil boom and the glory days of "Luv Ya Blue." It didn't take me long to get into the spirit of things. Traffic was unbelievable. Houston had the same number of freeway miles as San Antonio, and four times the population. You do the math. Rats in a maze of jams and detours does not describe it fully. Everyone was from a small town, and this driving experience was new to them, and they hated it. Signs marked "Yield" or "Merge" were ignored by them as much as their blinkers when changing lanes. Dana and I lived 11 miles from the church we were serving, and my morning and evening commute would total approximately four hours a day. This workout twice a day developed 21 ulcers in less than three years. Good times. Good times.

One Saturday morning, when traffic was relatively light, I took off to perform a 10 AM wedding at the church. The night before, I had returned from a two week preaching trip to Japan, Hong Kong, and Hawaii. Jet lag was enormous, and all I wanted to do was get to the church, grab my notes, tie the knot and get back home to sleep it off. Then it happened. The guy in front of me slammed on his brakes, and began a 9 mile amateur version of "Mad Max." I tried to exit, and he would block me. I would get off the freeway and he would follow me. He would slow down and I would pass him. He would try to cut me off and run me into the concrete barricades. He was relentless and ruthless and his truck was twice the size of my car. The gun rack in his pick up was missing a shotgun. It was in his lap, and he was pointing it at me. God Bless America! I caught a glimpse of his face, and it was a hideous contortion of demonic features. I am not ashamed to say that it scared me then, and the memory of this experience chills me to my core even today.

Proverbs 17:14 probably saved my life that day. He finally drove off with a "win" under his belt and I arrived at the church feeling like a James Bond martini...shaken but not stirred. I have used this verse on more than one occasion to avoid letting myself get suckered into a fight on the highway that can escalate from a minor mishap to mass murder. I wish I was better at using every place I go.

Clebe McClary, Marine hero and evangelist, told me that he and his wife have a code word for cutting off an argument that can develop into to road rage IN the car. It is F.I.D.O., and it means Forget It Drive On. It has become their way of stopping the rising temperature in the vehicle. When they have a disagreement over directions or any other subject that comes up, either one is free to use it as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. Thanks Clebe, this has nipped in the bud the thorny vines of conflict that can choke the life out of a loving relationship.

Warning: When you are full of yourself, this spewing of resentment will jet out like a geyser when anyone punctures the smooth, thin veneer of your personal preferences or right of way.

"So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out." It is hard to abandon a quarrel when you are hiring lawyers, enlisting eyewitnesses and character references to prove your case before you head out the door each day. Perhaps this is honorable preparation for the trial of a life time, but most of us are not challenged by great trials as much as tedious, life-sucking tests that come our way through the relentless grind of daily life. When you wake up in the morning, remind yourself that the rest of the world is not getting up hoping you have a great day. There are huge numbers of crazy people getting dressed, into their cars and on their way to celebrate, "What's In It for ME Day." Don't be surprised if you eat their bumper on the way to work, or find them inflating balloons for an office party when you get there.

So, how does Proverbs 17: 14 help us? It reminds us that there is honor in choosing our battles, and not allowing someone to thrust their insanity upon us. It points out the inevitability of strife reaching flood stage in our lives, unless we are willing to prepare ourselves to resist the urge to take it to the next level. Abandoning the quarrel with another person is easier if you have settled the dust balls of resentment that can slowly collect under the bed of an unexamined heart.

Martin Luther said, " You cannot stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building nests in your hair."

Luther understood how easy it was or people to get in our heads. Our responsibility is to show their toxic behavior the exit before we react to it with a vengeance that belongs only to God. This is best done by what I call "Proactive Praying." Before you head out the door pray for those who will cross your path that day. Ask God to give you grace to respond rather than react. You can only die on one cross so choose it carefully. Does every traffic blunder and snide remark require a conquest over the offender that leaves them crushed at your feet? This is going to be a long day if you let other people set the agenda for you. They are messed up!

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:18-21

Pray, proactively, before you leave the house today. Invite Jesus to carpool with you on the way to work, school or church. When another person needs to merge into your lane, ask Jesus if you should. Let God's grace empower you to let them in. You will be surprised at how many friends you can make on the road. If you are abused by another driver or person today, (and you will be) invest in them. Pray for them. It is harder to hate someone you pray for. Not impossible, it is just harder. See you on the road. I will be the one without my blinker on.

T.H.I.S.

"The Lord has made everything for it own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil." Proverbs 16:4

"I don't need this." "I am not going to put up with this." " I don't deserve this." "I can't believe this is happening to me." THIS could be chiseled on the cornerstone of a building that is collapsing on top of us. THIS reflects the chaos, confusion, dust and debris of encountering the unexpected consequences of our own action or the undeserved results of other people's toxic trafficking in our lives. What is T.H.I.S.? It is, "The Hurt I Suffer."

The Proverbs are filled with some challenging statements. T.H.I.S. is one of the toughest to grasp. Just when we think we are getting a hold on the way God works in our lives, some unwanted interruption blasts in uninvited. It knocks the breath out of us, and brings us to our knees. Not a bad place to end up when you get taken down by circumstances out of your control.

There are times in our lives that God brings a person across our path to give us insight for the journey. I remember fondly every moment I was able to spend with a man named Ron Dunn. Over a 30 year period, God allowed a long distance admiration to develop into a personal friendship. I will always be grateful that God brought Ron into my life. To know more about him find your way to the website of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. The Senior Pastor, Michael Catt, has done the world a great service by establishing a link that will put you in touch with Ron's work. He went to heaven in July 2001, but thank God Michael will not let us forget a giant walked among us.

Ron Dunn had a great perspective on pain and suffering. He had earned it. He would often say,
"Good and evil travel on parallel tracks and arrive at the same time." This may have been the greatest legacy he left for my life. He would tell the story of a woman who once came to him with a grandchild in her arms. The woman told a heartbreaking story of abuse and abandonment that had happened in her daughter's life at the hands of worthless husband. Her final words were, " I wish she had never met that man!" Ron was no coward. He was like a moth to the flame. He soared in to the fire even if he got singed. With the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of a lion he asked the question, "So, you are ready to give up the baby." The immediate response of the woman was to step back and hold the baby with a tighter grip and say, "No! I would never give up this child. This baby means the world to me." Then Ron would say, "Good and evil travel on parallel tracks and arrive at the same time." Did I mention Ron had left the pastorate.

Whenever I would have Ron come and lead a Bible Conference in our church or meet him at an airport to grab a bite of lunch, I would pour out my heart and wait for wise counsel. Ron would sit and listen patiently to my litany of woes. After enduring my "whine" list for a few minutes, he would interrupt with something sarcastic, yet supportive, "Stop! Please stop! You're making me homesick for the pastorate! I miss all those weddings and vacation bible schools and deacon's meetings." I got the message. This is life. Deal with it. Winning and whining seldom follow parallel tracks. If you want platitudes for painless living Ron's not your man. His words hit like a 22 oz. rib-eye right across the lips. "Don't just stand there, pray something!"

The message to be gained from Proverbs is very simple. Bad things do happen to good people. One of the most challenging assignments I have ever been given was to speak to a Jewish congregation in Houston on the topic, "The Christian View of Suffering." In the audience were several hundred people who were Holocaust survivors or the relatives of those who had died in it. I was young and stupid enough to accept the invitation, but smart enough to lean on the message of Joseph, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Gen. 50:20) I quit talking when I saw their heads nod in agreement. They had forgotten more about suffering than I would ever know.
Thanks Joseph, for not getting twisted off by what you went through and leaving me a light to shine into the darkness of sufferng.

The truth is, suffering is hard to take by itself. God does have a purpose for it. He can give meaning to it. When it is taken alone, it is like trying to swallow a pill without a glass of water. You choke on it, before it can do you any good. The cure will kill you, unless there is some perspective that God is still at work in your life through T.H.I.S.

For the past two years, I have tried to stand by my wife as she has fought for her life in a battle with breast cancer. She has had her share of people try to minimize the experience with, "Oh at least it is curable." Tell that to someone after they have had six months of chemo and both breast removed, and you may get more than a rib-eye across the mouth. My wife just looks little. There have been others that felt compelled to blurt out, "O, I had an aunt who died from that." Well thanks for sharing. Dana had a younger sister die from it, but thanks for putting that curse into our minds. It is hard to put your head on the pillow at night and not have that blast from the past scorch your brain cells. Both of these extremely toxic remarks were spoken by well-meaning people within the walls of a church. Bless their hearts. Note to self: Stop saying that if you don't mean it.

When people minimize or trivialize our suffering, it is demeaning. Why? Major surgery is what I am having. Minor surgery is what you are having. Before you can feel for someone, you have to hurt with them. When we allow people to maximize suffering by injecting panic into our lives, it is disheartening.

I have been comforted over the past two years by the words, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose...to become conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:28-29a) God never intended this verse to be a driver's manual that we toss from our window into the wreckage of suffering. Rubber necking our way past the crash site of personal crisis and dropping these words calleously into the destruction is not a wise move. Yes, it is a word of hope, but timing is everything. There are times when people are so deafened by suffering they cannot hear the truth. They are so blinded by it they cannot even read your lips when you say it to their face. What people need to be able to do, in time, is to have someone help them loosen their white-knuckled grip on T.H.I.S.. It is usually done best by someone who has been through the same thing, and learned that God can bring something good, even out of T.H.I.S. .

A picture is worth a thousand words. My mind's eye recalls watching my wife share her cancer diagnosis with our church and walk from the platform down into the congregation. She had asked people to pray for her as she began this battle. I asked people to back up the hearse and stop ordering flowers. This was a fight not a funeral. Two ladies, spontaneously, from different parts of the room moved towards her. They did not say a word. They held on to her like bookends of mercy, and wrapped their loving arms around her crisis. I found out later that both of these warriors had fought this battle, and had walked away victorious. There was a confidence, and a smile on their faces as they spilled tears on my wife's shoulder. Their radiance was a confirmation that they had become champions over cancer. Their suffering had taken on a whole new meaning when they sensed Dana's pain. They did not minimize T.H.I.S.. They knew better. They did not maximize T.H.I.S.. They prayed for her. You can't make this up.

That's it. Talk Less. Pray More and T.H.I.S. (The Hurt I Suffer) will bring us to the end of ourselves and the purpose of God. All aboard. The Monday morning train is leaving the station.

Whining or Winning

"All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

My father, Don Miller, has had more influence on me than any other man I know. He is an 87 year old prayer warrior/preacher/pastor and planter of churches. He has logged his share of time in multiple pastorates, operating rooms, and deacon's meetings and still has one of the most cheerful outlook on life that lets him live more like a victor than a victim. His personal triumph over adversity and affliction of the enemy has been achieved through the use of prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil.

Dad has introduced me to many great quotes over the years, almost all of them have to do with prayer. Go figure. One of my favorites is the statement made by Samuel Chadwick, " The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying, He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom but trembles when we pray." I have read everything I can get my hands on written by Chadwick. He was known as the "Wesley of the 20th Century" in the early years of the 1900's. He became a mentor to Leonard Ravenhill who came to the United States and had a prolonged and profound influence on many American preachers later in that century.

The Armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-18 should be a clear reminder that life is going to have conflict. Therefore the armored ones may expect to be afflicted. The armor will not end the conflict. Only victory ends the conflict with the enemy. Ephesians warns us that the real enemy is not the one we can see, but the "world forces of this darkness." The armor is described as being defensive in nature, except for the sword which is described as the Word of God.

Did I mention Dad prays and reads his Bible alot. All day long to be exact. His heart is overflowing with the promises of God no matter what the enemy throws his way. When you squeeze a lemon you get lemonade. When you squeeze a lime you get limeade. When you squeeze a Christian you get "whine. " In other words, everything that is God-made delivers what God has put on the inside. With Christians you don't always get what is on the label. I have had a front row seat to the crises of life that have hit my Dad for close to 60 years. The one common theme that runs through the river of my childhood memories and flows into the rough seas of adulthood is this: when Dad gets pressured Jesus comes out.

To have the fruit there must be the root. Being rooted and grounded in the unchanging Word of God and filled with the interceding Presence of Jesus is the key to having victory over affliction.
Remember Ephesians? The position of victory is "stand." When the enemy smells fear in the air as a result of the "whining" of God's people, he senses that he is close to winning a victory over them. Prayer strikes fear into his heart.

On the other hand, prayer strengthens the heart of the person who is being afflicted. When the enemy delivers an attack, rather than planning a funeral they start planning a victory party. How can they do that? They refuse to be a victim, and stand, and deliver what the enemy fears most...powerful, confident prayers calling on God to take the field against their enemy. Praying for strength in the middle of a fight as E.P. Hovey said is "No lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living." Hovey,born in 1908, was a Presbyterian minister in Idaho in the early 20th Century. He was one of the most quotable unknown preachers America has ever produced. He is another one of my heroes.

It is Sunday morning, and we all need to go to church. Let me close by saying that the Word of God clearly states that life has affliction. The cheerful person will fill his heart with the promises of God and fire back in prayer when he is under attack. Save me a place at the victory banquet.