Choices

Rights or Self-denial?

Read: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

We live in a society where one’s rights are paramount. Everyday there are accounts in the news of lawsuits or protests in favor of the rights of some oppressed person or group, demanding their rights as human beings, as citizens, as protected minorities. Unfortunately, this kind of this-is-my-right attitude has permeated the church as well. All kinds of people are pressing for changes (some good, many bad) within the various American denominations with the idea of protecting “human rights.” The question is . . . is this the Christian way?

“Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21 RSV

I think that sometimes we are so worried about our own rights, our own feelings, position, ambitions, that we fail to understand that—in the broad scheme of things (that being eternity)—what we gain or lose here in this life is very little compared to what we can gain or lose forever. The Lord Jesus taught this:

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Breaking the Old, Negative Grid System

At MSN I can go to “maps” and, after clicking there, enter the address of my first home ever — in Washington D.C., my hometown. Once I have a map of the city up, I can find Southeast by crossing the Anacostia River and then find Good Hope Road. Soon I am in my old neighborhood via the “birds eye” feature of MSN maps. I can zoom close — so close it is very real. And there is the old neighborhood, seemingly unchanged after 50 years, as if time stood still.

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Dealing with Debt

Positive things you can do:

  1. Face your situation
  2. Set a Goal (make smaller goals in manageable steps to achieve it)
  3. Seek wise counsel
  4. Recognize that your choices matter and are significant
  5. Work Hard. Do not give up!
  6. Learn to be responsible
  7. Be committed to your family

Biblical principles of Money Management and Giving

You can learn more about these Biblical principles in Randy Alcorn’s books:

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The Truth Shall Set You Free – Part 5

In searching for, and living in the truth that can set us free, the first thing we need to do is replace the old with the new. Last time I shared about this verse:

Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect.


I see this verse as telling us to change a negative to a positive. The ruler of this world is Satan. If we just live in that sphere, we are under his influence, and this becomes a part of us. That is the negative. The positive is the ruler of the larger Kingdom, God, and His teachings, which are in Scripture. In so doing, the mind is renewed and we are changed. The negative grid system formed by our past, and pricked at by Satan and his demonic imps is replaced by the positive truth of the application of God’s word.

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True Peace Beyond What We Know and How We Can Have It Daily

We all have struggles in our lives that make us wonder if things will ever get better. Sometimes we get so stressed out about things that we feel like pulling our hair out.

And then there are everyday stressors that we all face, causing some upset in our lives. Getting to work on time, getting that essay done for our term paper, making all the appointments with work, the school your children are in, getting supper ready and getting the children to bed BEFORE you can actually sit down and go PHEW!!!

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We need boundaries! We need fences!

1 Peter 1:13-16 NRSV Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when He is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We have dogs. Currently, we have one dog, but often we have more than one. People know that we rescue poodles, and we are often called to see if we will give a poodle a home. In the past two years, the “yard” that our dogs have enjoyed has changed considerably. First, it was the portable yard that we use for our RV. We bought two units and attached them together, so it was about 6×4 feet. Not very big, but for small dogs, large enough to walk around. Last year, when we moved into the trailer, the yard was considerably larger. There was room to run and play a bit, certainly lots of room to nose around and smell (which the dogs loved to do). In this house, the yard is huge in comparison to anything we’ve had previously. It’s a big lot and the back yard goes from edge to edge. It’s possible not to be able to see our little poodle just looking out the back door; the yard is that big.

One thing every yard had in common was some kind of a fence. The fence is both a protection from at least some of the predators getting in (though there are still those, like snakes, that can get in under the fence) and a protection from the dogs getting out of the yard and being at risk of being hit by cars or stolen by thieves.

The fence is a protection.

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Is there anything wrong with “social drinking?”

Abstinence: Still the Best Choice

As a person who has struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs, I would be foolish to drink. But what about the Christian who has never had such problems? Is there anything wrong with what is considered social drinking? I believe there are at least five compelling reasons why abstinence should be the norm for all followers of Christ:

The cost to society.
Nationwide one in four families is experiencing alcohol related problems. It is estimated that 20-25 percent of all hospital costs result directly from alcohol misuse and abuse. People without Christ drink mainly to fill a spiritual void that only Christ’s presence can fill. Therefore, Christians who do know Him ought to stand out in this fallen world by not being identified with this destructive spiritual counterfeit.

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God’s Will for Us

God’s Will is for us to:

    1) read His Word,
    2) Consume His Word,
    3) Participate In Communion,
    4) Worship Him,
    5) Pray Daily,
    6) Share the Gospel With Those Who Have Not Yet Heard,
    7) Care for the sick and elderly,
    8) Exemplify Jesus in our life,
    9) Do everything we do as if we were doing for God alone,
    10) Obey the laws of our land,
    11) Meet with other believers on a regular basis,
    12) Prepare for the return of the Lord Jesus,
    13) Love our friends AND
    14) our enemies,
    15) Love God with your heart, soul, mind and spirit,
    16) Follow the golden rule and likely many more things I cannot alone think of.

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