Scriptural hope... Natural hope...

There are many differences between the two types of hope, but the most significant is that natural hope isn't based on anything while scriptural hope has a strong foundation. Natural hope seems to be a throw away word with no substance or foundation and little or no belief.

Scriptural hope is described and defined differently. Just a few examples will explain... In Romans 5, hope is the product of character. And in verse 5 the Word goes on to state that hope doesn't disappoint. Obviously the issue of what one is hoping for or in who is one hoping is paramount, but the point is that it doesn't disappoint. If it doesn't then that means it is based on a rock solid foundation.

In chapter 8 of the same book, hope is further defined by Paul when he says, "... hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees..." Bottom line is that without faith it is impossible to hope. But... in faith, hope is strong.

Another of Paul's writings, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, not having hope is equated with sorrow - with those who don't have hope. Those who don't have Christ in their lives are described as those without hope. Thus the way to hope seems simple. Hope is one of the attributes, qualities that you receive when you make Jesus your Lord. (1 Timothy 1:1)

To live without hope seems untenable. Hopelessness is a state of being not easily endured. Hebrews 6:19 assures us that hope is the anchor of the soul. An anchor is strong, fixed, and keeps us safely tied to the source of hope.

Hope

It is my contention that hope is the least know, least understood, least defined and absolutely one of the most important companions one can associate with as you travel through life. Also, it is a word that constantly is used in our daily speech. I realize that sounds a tad dramatic but that doesn't mitigate against the truth. Hope is critical for a quality life. (Just try living without it.)

Hope touches everything you do, everything you say. In many ways it's the spark. Look at the way it manifests itself in your words and actions. And look at how it impacts others. With hope there is anticipation, there's excitement, there's possibilities. If you didn't have hope how much of what you do and say would not be said, done?

But... what is hope? I suspect it has as many definitions as those who use the word. And it covers a variety of expectations. I also suspect that no one really ever takes the time to define the word since this way it can cover as many situations as possible. Hope is used to convey a ... I-don't-think-'it'-will-happen-but-it-might. Hope is used to express less than confident belief in someone or something (I 'hope' they will win, I 'hope' that it will happen...)

Because of its undefined yet universally used status, hope is both context as well as the conviction. But is this how the word is explained and defined in scripture? What does the Word say about the word?????

(more of) Wisdom

If you remember from yesterday's post, one of the attributes of Wisdom is 'good fruits'. One of the things that has always intrigued me is that the statement is "... full of compassion AND good fruits..." Good fruits is coupled with compassion.

The logical implication is that good fruits don't exist without compassion and the manifestation of compassion is good fruits. I like that. This gives a context to being fruitful (which is extremely high on my personal list of qualities to exhibit/encourage). What it tells me is that apart from compassion my fruits will not be good. But this also gives an expression for compassion - fruitful.

Scripture always proves itself and it really is most elegant in how it defines and describes words and then goes the extra step of providing examples that are understandable. This is true in this case. If you look at 'wisdom' as possessing the attribute of good fruit then wisdom becomes a sought after quality in one's life.

When you consider wisdom as full of compassion then if your goal is to communicate understanding to someone, your words will be compassionate. Notice I didn't say that you water down wisdom to make it more palatable or that you lie, but you do look at the words you use to declare understanding for the hearer.

Wisdom, if it is wisdom, is always presented in the frame of reference of the listener - for how else will they be able to comprehend? And if understanding is the goal then the words will be compassionate... resulting in good fruit.

Wisdom ... Knowledge ...

Do you know which is the most important? Granted you need both and knowledge typically occurs first, but which should be the goal - and why?

Even as a child I always wanted wisdom - first. Perhaps I was partially influenced by the scripture story of Solomon who asked for wisdom, but I think it might have been a tad more than that. I'm not attempting to inflate my intelligence but even then I recognized that wisdom was the ability to effectively use knowledge.

James (3:17) does an excellent job of defining the characteristics of wisdom: pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. However, there is also the inclusion of: willing to yield - which, for me, is extremely difficult. Besides, what does 'willing to yield' actually mean? Like patience, yielding has never been a natural quality.

I think my definition of 'yield' meant to give up, relinquish, not stand up for what is 'right and true' - basically it was defeat. I rarely saw any positive attributes of yielding. I suspect I still have problems with this. But... I think I've also arrived at a definition that allows me to accept this quality. To yield means to step back for a moment and reassess what is happening. Are you using knowledge as the basis for expressing your wisdom - or are you using emotion?

The other person(s) may not be rejecting whatever is being said but they could be not understanding. Understanding is an incredibly important aspect of wisdom - without it there really isn't wisdom, there's only a momentary acceptance without any substance. There is also the aspect that, for the other person, they may be operating on their perception of wisdom.

If your goal is for the other person to understand and accept then you have to be certain of your message. Are you stating your position, your wisdom so the other person can follow your thinking? Are you using words with the same definitions? Are you seeking to influence or to overwhelm? Your 'why' dictates your how of communication. What is your goal....

Judgment and Grace

A friend sent me this... "I've never been surprised by God's judgment, but I'm still stunned by His grace." (Max Lucado) Wow! Is that a terrific insight or what?!

Lucado goes on to point out that he has never heard/read of a person being rejected by God when they come, sincerely, to Him. Actually, if you remember the parable of the Prodigal Son, that's a perfect example of how God treats each of us. When we come to Him, He throws a gigantic party (even the angels rejoice) for us. This is incredible love.

And love really is the point. Love underscores His grace that He lavishes upon us. It is never a situation of our earning His love, His grace, His mercy. We can't, especially on any sustained basis. He simply provides it when we come to Him. And that, my friend, is tremendous news! Talk about Good News.

We are all deserving of judgment and we see countless examples of God's judgment in scripture. And, in every case, the judgment was deserving. And so are we. The point of deserved judgment is one we conveniently like to forget. However, God provides a way out - and He did then. His way is to provide us with His grace rather than His judgment.

Obviously this also leads to our interrelationships. Do we offer judgment or do we offer grace to others? Judgment is really quite simple. Grace requires more understanding, more love, more forgiveness. Now... what do you want to receive from others? Your deserved judgment or their grace? Give me grace every time.

Growth factor

Do you know what your Christian growth factor is? For that matter, did you know that you have a growth factor? AND... you do know that when you were saved that was only the beginning? You really are expected to grow.

I've always been amazed at the mentality that seems to think that the moment you are saved you also have all understanding required to be an effective Christian. It doesn't work that way. As way of example... when you were a child you went to school and you learned to read and write and do arithmetic plus a whole host of other subjects. And from saying your a-b-c's in grade school, by the time you graduated high school you could read and do far more with your reading than simply knowing a-b-c. You went to school 9 months of the year to learn and grow in understanding.

The same thing is true of being a Christian. You grow. Instead of a school you have other ways to become a grown up person. You have church worship services in which you learn more about who and what a Christian is. You have a manual, the Bible, to assist you in understanding. But the Bible is a book that you don't read just once, you read it countless times and discover than in each reading you grow more in your understanding. And just like school, you have activities to also help you grow, like prayer - individual and corporate.

There really isn't anything that is truly instant - even instant food items take time. So does becoming an effective Christian. You aren't suppose to simply stop once you are saved. Being saved starts you on an extraordinary adventure. You have a responsibility to grow. So... what's your growth factor?

Regret

There's a line in an old Frank Sinatra song that says, "Regrets. I've had a few but then again too few to mention." What about you? Do you have regrets? Are you doing anything with them, or are you simply regretting?

If you are only regretting - lost opportunities, lost ... (fill in the blank) - then you are wasting your time. Regretting is only surplus baggage. Harsh? Possibly. But consider - if you aren't or can't or won't do anything about the matter why are you holding onto it? And yes, everyone does this but it doesn't make it effective and it certainly doesn't make it logical.

With a regret, (IF) you have the option to 'correct' your oversight/misaction do you want to? You can't go back to the moment of the missed opportunity or misspoke word/action. Thus, you have to be alert to the changes in people and situations since that time. If you choose to attempt to correct it then remember that the result may not be all that you wanted. It may not play out in reality according to the script in your head. You also have to be aware that the situation may not have been in your hands to correct at the time of the occurrence.

In those cases that you really don't know what to do, you may not have an option except to accept what has happened then and now. If you can't do anything then don't force the issue thus creating a new one. Sometimes errors/mistakes/etc. are simply that and we have to live with the consequences and move on.

And moving on is the important point. Don't hold onto regrets - let them be what they were and allow yourself to move beyond. There is sufficient life in today and multiple opportunities to rue what you said/did to compensate. Don't let the baggage weigh you down. Allow your regrets to only impact on today's possibilities, not yesterday. Learn from them but don't hold onto them.

Out of harm's way...

Are you a tester of harm? Or do you avoid it like the plague? Granted, the caveat in this is your ability to stay out of harm, but given the choice... what is your preferred position? Personally I'm a 'don't get in harm's way' type but if there, don't run from it like a coward. The reason I chose the particular stance I do is that it is totally impossible to stay out of harm's way at all times so why court harm.

In this case I'm not referring to physical harm, I'm talking about harm to your personal standard(s). Example: someone you know does something but lies to you about it thus you discover you can't trust, their integrity has been (verifiably) found lacking. Do you forgive them, move on, and stay in contact? Or do you forgive them, move on, and stay as far away from them as possible?

It probably could be argued that if you choose the latter position you really haven't forgiven them and it is even questionable that you've moved on. But with no contact, you are out of harm's way - but at what cost to your personal standard, presupposing that forgiveness is high on your personal standards? Even though the other person has not acknowledged their behavior how should you respond? And to add to the issue, being truthful is high on your personal standards list as well as forgiveness.

There is no easy answer to this conundrum, this dilemma. It always reverts to which of your standards has the highest priority. But then, how do you respond to be consistent? How can you maintain both qualities as part of your personal standard? Staying out of harm's way may not be an option.

One person's opinion...

How do you determine your position, your opinion on a matter? What is the deciding factor that makes you take a particular stand on an issue? Is it a person or your experience or....??? Is it a reasoned opinion? Have you thought it out or are you responding based on feelings or instinct or...??? Regardless, ultimately it is one person's opinion - shared or not.

Equally important is the method you used to arrived at your opinion. Did you study the subject? Did you listen to someone you respect or a friend or a foe and reiterate what was said (or the opposite of what was said)? Or is your opinion based on your impression at the moment - thus open to change?

When asked, "What do you think...?" How do you respond? The 'what' of your response is important, but so is the 'how'. 'How' speaks more to the emotional side: angry, laughing, matter-of-fact, irritated, passionate, etc. And your 'how' underscores your words - it gives the listener the depth of your opinion. The 'what' is the context of your response - your actual words: articulate, logical, reasoned, unreasoned, step-by-step, incoherent, etc. Your argument related to the subject is your 'what'. But unless your message is understood then it might as well be in an unknown language.

Bottom line is your standard - because this is the most important determinant of your opinion. If there is a dichotomy between your opinion and your standard then one or the other has to be changed. Each calls the other to accounting. Unless your standard is cavalier or unthinking then your opinion will be reasoned. At least this is my opinion....

Unfinished Business

At the risk of sounding macabre... every once in awhile I do a check to see if I have any outstanding business that needs attending. What I do is to ask myself - if I were to die tonight was there anyone I need to talk with, anything I needed to finish... There are multiple reasons for doing this, not the least of which is to not have excess baggage hanging around. Because, let's face it, we really never forget these 'things'.

Doing a check on our personal 'To Do' items is important so we don't have a long list of unfinished business. And it isn't just the issues of forgiving - yourself, others, seeking forgiveness, giving forgiveness - it's also those words and actions of encouragement, of love, of support. I would suggest that it is this latter category that gets the most short shrift.

Most of the encouragement/love/support items are, in our minds, 'givens'. But they're not. And even if others did perceive them as a given, we still need to provide occasional reinforcement of our attitudes/beliefs. It's important to let others know that we appreciate them and what they are and do for us. When was the last time you told your significant other that you do love and appreciate them? If you have children, when was the last time you told them that you were proud of them and who they are becoming, not just what they were doing?

It isn't just the activities of others that need complementing, it's the more intangible things that are truly crucial to growth that need acknowledging. If we spent as much time on reinforcing the good in others rather than pointing out the deficiencies - how would that person react? Actually we have no idea the power of a word of support can have.

We all have unfinished items in our lives. What we need to do is to be more conscious of them and act on what we are aware of more often. We need to be proactive in our unfinished business.

Influence

You do appreciate that through your words and actions you influence others? Yes? And, by the same token, you also are influenced by others' words and actions. Having said that, are you aware of what influences you? Whether talking about the effect of your influence or the effect of what influences you, do you know what the single most important quality is for influence to exist? Trust. Without trust influence really isn't.

The next issue is - what has to occur for you to trust someone? How do you know that you trust them? (How do you know that you are trusted?) Trust is something that has to be earned. It doesn't just magically appear. And it takes time. Which means that typically influence occurs over time as there is history/experiences between the two people. Because of that history you discover that you can rely on the other person's words and actions.

I realize that what I've said borders on the ultra obvious, but sometimes it's important to reconsider the obvious pieces in our lives. And I realize that basically all I've done is to indicate a series of questions. But do you have your answers? So what and who influences you? How do you know you can trust them? And what kinds of situations do you seek another's opinion?

Influence has far reaching ramifications and shouldn't be entered into lightly. You are influenced and influencing. What responsibility emerges as a result?

Achilles Heel

We all have at least one Achilles Heel... do you know yours? It is vitally important that you know what 'trips you up', otherwise, you get blindsided constantly. And... it doesn't need to be a 'bad' in and of itself but when it is taken to extremes it becomes a liability. Example: eating. Eating, in and of itself isn't bad but when it's taken to overeating this adds weight which is bad for your health which... you see the progression.

The thing about Achilles Heels is that they typically always go to extremes. What may start as a temptation can escalate into an obsession very quickly. This happens because we substitute this for dealing with the real issue. Avoiding really never accomplishes anything, actually the passage of time can make the situation even worse.

AH's will become worse when not dealt with. The stronghold that can develop can also make us blind to what our substitute is doing to others as well as to ourselves. And I'm not suggesting that dealing with what causes us to substitute an AH is simple - obviously that's why we avoid dealing with it.

Reality says that when we don't resolve the conflict then we allow it to impact other areas of our lives and it becomes even stronger. The underlying problem that causes AH's will cripple you until you do resolve it. The 'how' of dealing with it varies with what it is protecting, how long it's been in effect, and what you're willing to do to overcome it.

The caveat in all this is that I have a suspicion that if you do conquer your Achilles Heel that another one will pop up to take its place. The good thing is... you have at least one that you've overcome and it won't trip you up in the future.

Time

I just received an email from a dear friend that I consider absolutely brilliant! I really hadn't thought this way before. The thrust of the email was that if you had $86,400.00 deposited into your bank account every day with the stipulation that you HAD to spend it all: you couldn't save or redirect it. However, the bank could choose to end this daily deposit at their discretion with no basis of appeal and no opportunity to begin a new account. What would you do?

Most people would choose to spend as much of it as possible each day. Wouldn't you? For yourself. For your family. For other people, even those you might not personally know. The point of this is... that's precisely how many seconds you have each day - 86,400! So how do you spend them?

We do talk about time in terms of 'spending' ("How did you spend your time?"), thus something of value. But... do we value time? I suspect we don't think much about it. And when we do, we think in terms of quantity first. We look at days, weeks, months... even years - not moments. If we were to redefine time in terms of smaller units, would we then value it more? Not necessarily.

We need a paradigm shift in our understanding and appreciation of time. Part of that shift is in terms of the units and part is in terms of our definitions. However, I am not disparaging long-term goals or time-lines that take into account bench marks along the way to accomplishment. None of that is irrelevant. But I am suggesting that we need a view of time that encompasses the shorter view.

Especially in those value ridden aspects such as family and love and living and personal growth, etc. we need to reassess how we are responding to them in the 86,400 parameter. We, too often, put off these until a 'better' more convenient time. There may not be a more convenient time. And these need to have as much value associated with them as the work related aspects.

Another friend responded this way...
"God has planned for those of us who are believers to be His representatives on this earth - to invest our time and energies in doing His will, representing Him and seeking to bless others in His name! This is what causes us to 'enjoy life' - we are blessed when we bless others and demonstrate God's love." DJF

We can't save time - we can only spend it... wisely.

A Life Worth Living

I suspect this is what we all want - to be, to have a life worth living. Critically important to this is to realize that you are the only one that can define what A Life Worth Living means for you. What are the components that comprise your LWL? And who developed them? Did they come from expectations from others or from your determination?

A LWL can have many components and the importance of these components can change over time. What may have been critical in college, such as determining your major/how you were going to spend your life, can take on less importance in later years. Because it is the qualities that define a LWL that emerge as the strongest determinant.

A good mental exercise is to sit in some quiet spot and take a good 'look' at your life. Does it match your goals and ambitions? To some degree, I would imagine. But it is the intangible qualities that emerge as the critical considerations. Again, each of us may define this differently. Example: for one, the quality of an adventurous life is the strongest determinant. For another, the simpler pleasure of a happy family is the main consideration.

There is no right or wrong answer to this - only your answer. And it is never too late to have a LWL - perhaps delayed or detoured as you've gone along, but it is never too late. If you are not pleased - then change. And change can always occur, even in confined spaces. Perhaps the change is in the definition of the quality or its location in the list.

If you are pleased.... then you are blessed indeed.

Making a Difference

I believe that everyone, down deep if not overtly, desires to make a difference - and difference is spelled with a capital D. However, not everyone defines this in the same way, ergo - the problem.

In its simplest and perhaps most profound way, we make a difference every day in our daily activities and interactions, though these rarely are on the big playing field of life. Ergo, the problem - we don't always see the difference we make. Or because it doesn't appear 'significant' to us, we dismiss it.

What needs to happen is to rethink what 'making a difference' means, if only to you. Why do you need it to be spectacular and again - according to whose measurement? And that's part of the dilemma - we really want to make a difference in some lives and are indifferent in other cases. So 'difference' is relative, but it is also uncontrollable. Who is affected by what you say and do is not something you control so there are unforeseen 'consequences'.

Though we don't always acknowledge this, making a difference can be negative as well as positive. It really depends on what we do, how we do it, with whom we do it, and to whom we do it. And just to add another conundrum - timing does make a difference, so this needs to be factored in as well.

I believe that you need to be aware of who you are, what you do, and that you are making a difference in someone's life - even if that person isn't the intended focus. Thus, being true to your standard and consistent with your behavior speaks volumes. It does make a difference. Perhaps even a hugely important difference.

Our Roots

Today is July 4th, the birth of our nation - the day we declared our freedom from outside control. That auspicious beginning declared that we were a people who stated our reliance on and belief in God. We gratefully acknowledged that America was a Christian nation.

Since that beginning we have strayed from our roots, from our heritage. If Washington, Adams, Paine, Franklin and their fellow patriots were alive today I wonder what their reaction would be to what we have become? How would they react to our current 'political correctness' that tolerates all sorts of negative reaction to our country, our flag, our religious freedom? Would they laud the attack on our Christian heritage? Somehow I don't think they would honor that all beliefs were acknowledged and given voice except Christian beliefs and expressions.

We can point to many reasons for the erosion from our heritage but the saddest is that too often the those with voices chose to keep quiet. Tolerance for other views seems to have been the rationale for no other voice. But how can a person make a reasoned decision if all voices aren't heard?

Can we, do we want to return to our roots? What will it take to turn our current bondage into freedom again? How can we fulfill the reason our country was established? Repentance is the only way - to repent of the way we act, to repent of the direction we are going. Repent simply means a turning away and a turning toward. May we once again turn to God to heal our land and return to our roots.

Care ... Caring ...

Those two words are not the same: care, caring. And one doesn't necessarily translate into the other. Simply: care is an emotion and caring is an act. You can care about someone, something and do absolutely nothing with the feeling, the emotion. But if you're caring then by definition you are doing something.

To care requires at least a minimum of appreciation. You are interested in ... but you haven't gotten to the point of doing anything about it. Actually you can state in this state indefinitely because there is no requirement on you to act. I may care, be interested in, a person or a 'thing' but until this interest escalates into someone/something I value to the point of an action on my part, then there's no personal involvement. Example: I may care about the Boston Red Socks baseball team and their win/loss record but if they lose a game I may be mildly disappointed but it won't progress to me actually trying to do something about this.

On the other hand - caring always includes some personal involvement. And personal involvement always includes some action. If I truly care then I will be caring about the other person/'thing' actively. Valuing, in this situation, is an action verb. Quite often this action will be costly to me personally not just an emotional reaction. Caring is visible - others can see the object of my caring. Caring means that I want the best for the other - most cases this is a person not merely a 'thing', though it can be - example: one's job, even one's toys. However, the only meaningful caring is in terms of people.

So why am I even mentioning this? Because we too often say we care about ... (fill in the blank) but does this move into caring? Do our actions support this? And if we care... shouldn't we be caring?