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Feeling Guilty?
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Sep 11, 2008 5:14 am
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"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."–
2 Corinthians 7:10
Feeling guilty can be a good thing – if it doesn't get out of hand. Guilt can serve as a self-imposed guidance system to keep us from doing what we know we shouldn't do.
Imagine what society would be like if there were no such thing as guilt: people would be doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to do it, without giving a single thought to how their actions would affect others. It doesn't take much imagination to picture how difficult it would be to live in a society like that.
But then, guilt is not always a good thing. It can be very destructive – a load that is impossible to carry, a burden that can cause men and women to stagger far off the path they ought to follow.
The Bible speaks of "godly sorrow," which leads to repentance, and "ungodly sorrow," which leads to death. Guilt that is handled in the right way – it is admitted and dealt with – can be a corrective measure in a person's life, a catalyst spurring the guilty person on to greater strength and achievement. But guilt that is left unattended will fester like a splinter left in a finger and cause all kinds of problems. It is also likely to be the root of all sorts of aberrational behavior – behavior that begins as an attempt to hide from guilt and the pain it causes.
Over the next couple of days we will take a closer look at guilt and see how confession offers us a way out of guilt into freedom and joy. Be sure to meet me here tomorrow, won't you?
Guilt attended spurs us on to better things. Guilt neglected becomes a spur in the hide of life.
* * *
Dear Heavenly Father, I can see in my life times when I've experienced both kinds of guilt described here. Help me see where I need to leverage my guilt to do right and to let go of false guilt that impairs my relationship with You. Amen.
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WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN
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Sep 10, 2008 2:37 am
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"Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you." –
2 Corinthians 1:6 (NLT)
Some time ago I was on a plane and overheard a stewardess say, "I've been out of this for a year. I'm just back on the job today."
As she pulled her cart up alongside my seat I said to her, "I'm curious. I heard you say that you've been gone for a year. I hope it's been a happy holiday."
Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she said, "No, not really. I lost my little boy."
"Oh my," I said, "I'm so sorry." I reached out to her and gave her a little hug. "What helped you get through your pain?" I asked.
She said, "So many people meant well, but what they said didn't help. They told me things like, 'God wanted your little baby, so He took him.' That didn't help – it made me angry at God. Others said, 'Your little baby is now a bud in the bouquet of heaven.' That didn't help me, either. Maybe these things help some people, but they didn't help me."
I asked again, "What did help you?"
She said, "A couple I didn't really know well came to visit me. They told me they had lost a little boy. I had heard about their loss. It was tragic. But then they just sat there with me. They didn't say anything. They simply reached out and hugged me and we cried together. That did it for me. That's what helped the most."
Silence has a language all its own. It can help. It can heal. Next time someone you know is grieving a loss, do what this couple did for the young stewardess – just be there. Be still. Let silence speak for itself.
To those caught in the grip of grief, say little and love much.
* * *
Lord God, how often You have brought others to comfort me in times of grief. It has often been their silence, not their counsel that has helped me most. Today may my presence, support, and silence comfort others in the same way I've been comforted.
* * *
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Forgiveness Bring Peace
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Sep 9, 2008 6:08 am
228 Views
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"Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned."–
Psalm 32:1
What happens when we hold our wrongdoing inside and don't confess it? Psalm 32:3-4 tells us: "When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long….My strength was gone as in the summer heat." Can you relate to these words of King David? I can.
But God is gracious and kind, loving and just, and as the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Whatever you've done in your life, God knows all about it already. When you confess to Him, you're not telling Him anything that's going to make Him angry. He will be happy that you have not tried to hold back from Him, and you will find peace in the love and forgiveness He offers you.
How does God feel about sin? "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1.8. God knows that every one of us has fallen short of perfection in one way or another, and what makes Him angry is when we deny that fact – not when we face up to it.
We gain the virtue of integrity by admitting our wrongdoing first to ourselves, then to God, and finally to other people. For those of us who have spent most of our lives building fences or wearing masks, working through this process is never easy. But it is essential if we want to find the happiness and peace we really desire.
So…are you ready to take the next step?
Sin saps. Confession calms. Forgiveness frees.
* * *
When I refuse to face up to my wrongdoing, Lord, I'm miserable inside. You are faithful and have promised to forgive my sins. Humbly I come to You and ask You to forgive me. Replace my guilt with Your peace.
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Courage To Try again
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Sep 8, 2008 12:35 am
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"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." – Deuteronomy 31:6
I ran into a young man in an airport in Texas who was carrying a copy of my book Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do. He recognized me and asked if he could have my autograph, which I gladly gave him.
He said, this book has really been helping me. I started my own business but recently lost everything I had. I'm absolutely bankrupt!"
With tears in his eyes he continued. "You know, my business was going pretty well. I expanded by opening additional plants and adding more equipment. I was making good money. But suddenly the people who owed me money didn't pay. First the little businesses went down the tubes; then a couple of my bigger businesses. I looked at my Accounts Receivable and came to the realization that everything that I had expected to take in had evaporated. I ended up worth nothing. And when that happened, I went under, too! That's where I am today. But I saw this book and it's helping."
I said, "Well, son, you haven't lost everything you had. Before you had a business you had a dream. And you had the nerve to try. You haven't lost that."
He replied, "Oh, but I think I have."
I said, "You haven't lost your courage. Courage isn't something you lose. Courage is always an option. It's a choice! You can always choose to start over. And to choose to try again is to choose courage."
Next time you're going through a tough time and you feel like you've been knocked down or maybe even knocked out, look to God and ask Him to give you new courage to try.
Tough times come and go, but courageous people never quit.
* * *
Life has handed me some sudden and seemingly devastating blows, God. But You are faithful. You have promised You will never leave me or forsake me. I'm clinging to Your promise now.
* * *
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Your Real Authority In LIfe
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Sep 5, 2008 3:11 am
180 Views
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"The people were amazed at His [Jesus'] teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority." – Mark 1:22
I will never forget the time I stopped by a Fannie May candy store while at Chicago's O’Hare Airport. I had gone in to buy my wife some candy and noticed another customer standing near the candy counter. She was an older woman with a bag, a bunch of gifts, and a little suitcase. The clerk behind the counter was waiting for her to decide what she wanted. I asked the sales clerk, "Do you have chocolate-covered nuts in one-pound boxes?"
Before the clerk could respond, the elderly woman answered, "Sure, they have chocolate-covered nuts in one-pound boxes. They also have them in two- and three-pound boxes, and they're very good."
Turning my back to the older lady, I asked the clerk, "By any chance, do you have turtles? You know the caramel and walnuts with chocolate over them. My wife loves turtles."
Again, before the clerk could answer, the busybody bystander said, "Oh, sure, they have the turtles in one-, two-, and three-pound boxes." She continued, "I suggest you buy a one-pound box of the Colonial assortment. It has chocolate-covered nuts, the turtles, and crèmes, too."
I tried to ignore the woman, but to no avail. She persisted. It was a very awkward situation until all of a sudden the woman said, "I have to go or I'll miss my plane." She quickly gathered her bundles and suitcase and walked out of the store. I breathed a sigh of relief as did the clerk who turned around and shouted to the back room, "Okay, girls, you can come out now. Fannie May is gone!"
I exclaimed, "Fannie May! That was Fannie May?" The clerk answered, "Yes. Her name is not actually Fannie May. Her husband died and left her a candy store. She decided that instead of feeling sorry for herself, she would invent some new chocolates. So she made up all of these recipes herself, opened more stores, and today she has 117 stores. All she does is fly around the country and check on her stores. She calls them her 117 children."
I had been looking to the sales clerk as the authority on chocolate when the real authority was standing right there! Similarly, many people look to Dr. Schuller or some other minister to interpret the Bible for them. But my counsel to you is this: Let Jesus Christ be the real authority of truth. In Him, you will find all the answers for life you need.
The sweetest delight in life is to experience Jesus Christ as your Real Authority.
* * *
O God, You sent Jesus to earth and gave Him authority over all things. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no greater authority in life or in death than that. I trust in You!
* * *
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TRUST THE GOD WHO LOVES YOU
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Sep 4, 2008 9:16 am
166 Views
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"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." –
Psalm 18:19
It happened on January 6, 1982. Allen Phillips was driving through the Guanella Pass, going from his home in Bailey, Colorado, to Georgetown, Colorado. He believed he could easily make the trip at the 11,669-foot elevation. He was expecting the road to be clear, so he had no snow chains on his tires. But an enormous storm struck suddenly and Allen found himself in a blizzard in which he got hopelessly stuck. Darkness fell and he knew snow had closed the road. There was no way he could get out. He didn't have enough gas to keep the car running, and he knew that by morning he would be dead. Then a thought came into his mind – a crazy, impossible thought.
He remained cool. He did not panic. He thought, What if I use the headlights of my car to signal an S.O.S. – three shorts, three longs, and three shorts? Even though I'm surrounded by trees and mountains, maybe somebody will see me.
A Rocky Mountain Airways commuter plane was flying high overhead at about the same time Allen was signaling and one of the passengers – a local deputy sheriff who knew Morse code – just happened to be looking out the window and saw his three shorts, three longs, and three shorts. He went to the pilot and said, "I think I just saw a Morse code in headlights. Someone must be in trouble down there." The captain circled around and made another pass over the area where the sheriff thought he'd seen the S.O.S. Indeed he had. There is was again – three shorts, three longs, three shorts. The pilot radioed the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA called the Clear Creek sheriff's station and they sent out two snow vehicles and rescued the stranded man!
Nothing about your life catches God by surprise. He loves you. So trust Him to provide even when it seems impossible.
A loving God reads all our signals for help. Trust Him!
* * *
Father in Heaven – when I find myself unexpectedly and impossibly stuck in life, You come to my rescue because You love me. Thank You for Your love and mercy.
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WHAT IF?
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Sep 3, 2008 2:27 am
179 Views
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"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." – Psalm 62:8
One time when I was in San Francisco I was riding on a cable car and halfway up the hill the cable car lost power. Everybody had to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way up the hill. Some of us are like that in our own lives. We don't dare make a commitment. We're thinking, What if the power runs out before I get to the top of the hill?
Another time, I was flying with a friend in his private plane. We were coming back from Cabo San Lucas. The pilot and my friend, who is also a pilot, were up front and I was in the back with my son Robert. It was a nice, relaxing plane ride. The weather was beautiful. The Sea of Cortez below us was a gorgeous turquoise and green. There was nothing but sea to the right, to the left, ahead, and behind us. I was reading and studying. As I lifted my eyes, I saw the pilot suddenly throw some switches. Then I heard him say, "Would you see if the owner's manual is in the glove compartment?"
I was feeling a bit nervous. My friend opened the glove compartment and the pilot asked my friend to look at page fourteen of the owner's manual. I interrupted, "How far are we from land? What if the engine fails before we are over the landing strip?"
What if the power quits halfway up the hill? What if the engine goes before the landing strip is below you? What if the top rung of the ladder breaks before you reach the roof? What if…what if…what if?
All of us have asked that question. And here's my answer to that question. God will give you the strength you need to see you through to the end. That is what He promises and that is what He provides. Be confident – God, who has begun a good work in you, will complete it (ref. Philippians 1:6). That is how God carries us – with a dream, with a decision, a desire, and finally with the determination never to stop trusting Him – even if the engine is misfiring!
When your faith misfires, God's faithfulness will carry you through.
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Lord, I will trust You at all times. You deliver me from all of my fears. You set my feet upon a rock. You are my shield, my strength, my portion, my deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my very present help in time of need.
* * *
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When God Goes Silent
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Sep 2, 2008 5:04 am
158 Views
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"O Lord, You have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me." – Psalm 35:22
An amusing incident happened to me one week when I had an especially jam-packed travel schedule. I lectured on Tuesday at the University of California, Berkeley. On Wednesday I was scheduled to speak in Arizona to a group of Lutherans gathered to celebrate the five-hundredth anniversary of Martin Luther's birthday. On Thursday, I was to be at Northwest College in Iowa, and on Friday, to lecture at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. It was really a full week. Everything was carefully timed and planned so I wouldn't miss any of my airline connections.
Everything was going very smoothly…until I got to Phoenix where I was supposed to catch an eastbound plane. I was first in line at the check-in counter to make sure I would not be late. Before long, thirty or forty people were standing in line behind me with suitcases, waiting to check in. The plane was scheduled to leave in thirty minutes. Eventually, an airline hostess arrived at the gate's counter to start checking us in. She looked harried. Trying to be understanding, I said to her, "You look like you have troubles."
Without even looking up she mumbled, "Boy, have I got troubles! I suppose you're here to check in for the flight to Denver."
I replied, "Yes."
She said, "Well, I just got word that the Denver flight is going to be canceled, and I suppose you are now going to want me to help you, which I'm obligated to do, but I don't know how I can help you!" She looked up and said apologetically and yet somewhat relieved, "Oh, Dr. Schuller!" She grabbed both my hands and said, "Say a little prayer for me. I'm in trouble. I don't know what I'm going to do. Let me talk to the computer a minute."
She began typing on the keyboard, but stopped. Looking at the computer, her face registered a look of dismay and frustration. Frantic, she picked up the phone. "Ben! Help! The computer is down! Nothing. It's just looking at me. What? You say we have a line problem? I don't care if it's a line problem. Just make it come alive…PLEASE!" And she hung up.
Sometimes we behave in the same way with God. When the line of connection between us is down and He goes silent, we quit believing in Him. Just like a computer is eventually restored and goes online again, so it is in our relationship and communication with God. Next time there's a "line" problem, don't stop believing in Him – eventually things will be restored to normal.
You will find God in the silence as you trust in Him.
* * *
There are times, O Lord, when I am in trouble that You seem far from me and oh so silent. I will wait patiently because You are my God and I trust in You.
* * *
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Dealing With Anger:
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Sep 1, 2008 6:46 am
169 Views
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"'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." –
Ephesians 4:26
Have you ever heard anyone described as a "walking time bomb"? That's someone who goes through life repressing anger. He may deny his anger and act as if everything rolls off his back like water off a duck. But the reality is if the anger keeps building…building…building – there will come a point when it is either going to be released in one violent explosion or it will implode causing physical damage resulting in an ulcer, high blood pressure, or even deep depression.
Anger is like water building up behind the wall of a dam. The floodgates of a dam have to be opened occasionally to release excess water. If they are never opened, the water will build up to the point where the dam can no longer hold it back, and the dam will break.
Take for instance a friend of mine who had a real problem with anger. James carried resentments toward his father who not only was an alcoholic but had abused him when he was a child and also abandoned the family when James was no more than seven or eight years old.
James had never been able to find a way to deal with his anger, and the result was that it often erupted in violence and abuse of others. He would even beat his wife from time to time and on one occasion broke her arm.
As time went by and he failed to deal with his issues, James started to deteriorate, not only emotionally, but physically as well. He began smoking more and more, and by the time he was thirty-four years old he was suffering from lung cancer. A year after his first lung surgery, with his anger still very much in tact, James’ cancer spread to his brain. He died at the young age of thirty-eight.
Don't let repressed anger steal your life away from you. Give honest and clear expression to your feelings when something happens that makes you angry. Open up those floodgates and let the excess out. Otherwise, it will build up to the point where the dam can no longer hold it back.
Anger – don't repress it, learn to express it in a healthy and godly way.
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O God, there are days when my anger feels like it will consume me. Teach me how to honestly and clearly express my feelings in ways that are both healthy and godly.
* * *
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WHEN? WHERE? HOW?
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Aug 29, 2008 8:25 am
124 Views
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"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." – Psalm 139:23
Have you ever wondered how a boat, far out on the ocean, can find its way back to the safety of the harbor? After all, out there on the water there are no discernible landmarks, no mileage markers or highway signs to look for. So how does the captain know-how to head straight for home? He is aided by an ingenious device called a loran. How does it work? Two radio waves cross at a certain point and the loran gives the exact location of the boat with reference to those radio waves. Once the captain knows where he is, it's a simple matter of getting out his navigational charts and setting his course for home.
You may feel like a boat on the water right now, adrift and not at all certain of the direction of the harbor. The first thing you must do is find out where you are. And one of the tools that will help you in that discovery is a personal inventory of your life.
Here are a few things I would suggest to help you get ready to do a personal inventory: First, find a time and place where you can be alone with your thoughts. Second, be sure to set aside sufficient time to complete your "searching" inventory. You can't really do this in twenty or thirty minutes, or even in a couple of hours, so allow plenty of time. Third, pray about it, asking God to reveal things to you that might otherwise stay hidden. Ask Him to help you be completely honest with yourself and to give you clarity of mind so you can think things through.
Let me encourage you to take a little time today to write down a plan of action for completing your personal inventory. Decide when you will do it, where you will do it, how much time you are willing to devote to completing it, and what you need to do to get ready to complete this very important writing exercise. I promise you, it will be worth the time and effort you put into it.
You can't get to where you want to be unless you know where you are right now.
* * *
Heavenly Father, keep my eyes clear and my search honest. Show me truth and help me accept it as I lean on Your strength and love.
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