Choose Your Battles Wisely

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 

  

  I was very hot under the collar. At a family gathering my wife had just scolded me in front of everyone. Since my teenage years, after being bullied as a child, my unwritten rule has been if you hit me I will hit you back twice as hard. Be it physically or verbally, I hit back. And I did. I used humor to do it, but my retort stung my wife and had us both at odds. And the more I thought about her original scolding, the angrier I got. 

  As I was nursing my grudge, I heard the Lord say in my spirit: Act like it never happened. Then I began to argue with Him internally, “Yes Lord, but...” Act like it never happened. I went through this with the Lord three or four times, but finally acquiesced and let it go as if it never happened.  

  Notice that the Lord did not say: “It never happened”. Yet He was telling me to let it go completely. And I finally did. Later, when we got home, I apologized for my retort, and she apologized to me for the scolding. This was not a battle we should have fought or continued fighting. Thankfully, the Lord is with me, telling me to be quiet and calm down when my natural tendency is to fight back. I need that help. All Christians do. 

  I love the saying: “Choose your battles wisely”. It is brilliant advice worth remembering and applying to our lives. My wife and I have been married for thirty-three years. It has been possible due to the fact the Lord has helped us overcome the natural tendency to argue. And if we do argue, to apologize and shut it down quickly. 

  In life there are times when we must fight to defend ourselves. Those times are rare. The problem is that too often we want to fight, to stand up for our rights in every circumstance. Our pride is pricked and then heaven help those who injured us. However, we know as Christians, and from our Lord’s example, we are not called to look for or involve ourselves needlessly in battles. We must overcome our natural tendencies, and fight spiritual battles instead.  

  Choose your battles wisely and be willing to walk away from a fight if there is no spiritual fruit to be gained. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to overcome our natural tendencies to fight, and instead be guided by Your Holy Spirit and Your Word which leads us to the proper path for our lives. Amen. 

Are You On The Inside Looking Out?

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Proverbs 8:34 

  

  Our little dog enjoys being inside the house looking out rather than actually being outdoors. He loves watching, rather than participating in outdoor activities. 

  Those who are disabled and suffer from chronic illnesses are just the opposite. We would rather be participating instead of watching the activities going on around us. 

  When health issues limit your opportunities, life can feel both unfair and crippling emotionally. It leaves us with the choice of finding other ways to participate in life, or simply keep watching the activities of others. 

  Limited activities do not mean no activities. We can grow our mind, our prayer life, and our relationship with Christ. We can still interact with others through a variety of communication devices. We can enjoy beautiful art and music. We can praise God for the fact we are alive and still have the ability to praise Him on earth. We may be limited, but we are not dead yet. 

  Recently I learned of the death of Charles Krauthammer. I had seen him many times on television. Journalists were constantly asking his opinion on one matter or another and I found myself mesmerized by just about everything he said. He was a smart man and a great communicator. It shocked me to learn he had been disabled since he was twenty-one years old and injured in a diving accident. It never crossed my mind that he was disabled when I heard him speak. 

  Whatever your disabilities and limitations may be, do not let life pass you by because of them. Do not sit by the window like my dog just watching life go by. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom for what He would have you to do. You need not be a spectator in life due to your affliction or disability. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, it is easy to sit and look outside while life is passing us by. Open doors and opportunities so that we can find our place and purpose to please You with the life You have given us. Amen. 

Be As Bold As A Lion

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1 

  

  I have been thinking about that verse, “the righteous are as bold as a lion”, and how we fulfill it. I certainly do not always feel as bold as a lion. What makes us righteous? It is a gift that is applied to us through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because He was righteous, His righteousness is applied to us as a gift when we receive salvation. 

  Likewise, I think when we are as bold as a lion it is because of Jesus, and not a natural impulse or ability. We know that we can cast our care upon Him: 

  

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:2 

  

  We can also give Jesus our fear and anxiety: 

  

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 

  

  Once we do those things we really have no reason for fear and every reason to be bold. When we consider that Jesus is within us by His Holy Spirit, believers can be courageous and bold. It is not based upon feelings or emotional responses. It is built upon the fact of Jesus being our righteousness and we being His representatives on earth. Boldness should be part of our character because of our Lord and our relationship with Him. 

  Boldness is a choice. It is a step of faith. It comes because we trust our Lord when we step outside of our comfort zone.  

  I know is hard to think about being bold when we are ill, afflicted, and feel so weak. It may be the very last thing on our mind when we can barely leave our sick bed. But I think we need boldness the most when we are at our weakest. The devil often attacks us when we are the most vulnerable. It is at such times we must call upon the Lord to be bold within us, for the Spirit to rise up to meet the challenge or temptation the enemy throws at us. 

  Look for opportunities to be bold in Jesus’ name. And when you are weak and under attack by the enemy call upon the Lord to give you strength, to make you as bold as a lion to overcome whatever the enemy brings your way. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, because You live in us we can be bold and courageous. Because you are our Lord we can be as bold as a lion. Thank You! Amen. 

The Power Of Women

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. Mark 15:40-41 

  

I looked around me as we awaited the arrival of our dinner. With me were four of the most important women in my life. Across from me sat my mother and sister. Beside me sat my daughter and wife. These women were with me and supported me through the hardest trials of my life. They were there before and after both of my major surgeries. Throughout my life they have been faithful and dependable and I have never doubted their support. These four women are my greatest advocates. They can always be counted on. 

  Jesus had around Him a group of women who supported Him through His trials. They were with Him at the cross when His Apostles had fled in terror. It is no wonder that it was one of these women who was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection. Mary Magdalene was at the tomb, and Jesus met her there. She was also the first He commissioned after His death to tell others about His resurrection (John 20:1-18). 

  From the beginning women have been the greatest of God’s gifts to men. They are that part of us that we lack, a side of us that is missing. There is nothing more wonderful than a happily married couple who have been together so long that they seem as one, and we can hardly imagine the one without thinking of the other. 

  Women are the core, the strength that upholds the church in prayer and in many other ways. Only the most ignorant and backwards of people ever think women are in any way lacking in power or strength when it comes to Christianity and the church. Women are not, and never were, second class citizens when it comes to the faith and body of believers. 

  In The Book of Proverbs wisdom is personified as a wise woman (Proverbs 1:20). There is nothing and no one like a wise woman for counsel and advice. I know who to go to for counsel, any one of the four ladies in my life are worthy advisers.  

  Women are the unsung heroes of the early church. We hear about the church fathers, but you can be sure it was church mothers who helped build and sustain the early church. 

  I am grateful that God has brought such wonderful women into my life. And it does not surprise me that Jesus was surrounded by incredible women who were with Him to His crucifixion and beyond. Women should never doubt their importance to Christianity and to the men around them. And we men should never take for granted the blessing of women in our lives. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the amazing women in my life. Help me never to take them for granted. Amen.