The Best Things in Life...

They say that the best things in life are free. Including:

• The splendor of the morning sun as it illuminates the awaiting sky

• The calming reflection of the moon on a still body of water

• The harmonic symphony of the birds in the morning chorus

• The sweet fragrance of a flower as it spreads its pedals toward the horizon

I have found that the very best things in life are not free, they come at high cost. Love is the ultimate gift. Love requires sacrifice. Love requires a sacrifice of time, effort, abilities, gifts, alternative “fun activities”, sleep, money, the “right to be right”, “the last word”, tears, fears, personal safety and soooooooooooo much more. If it is free and came at no cost, I can guarantee you that it is not rooted in “Love”.

Love necessitates a choice. That is why Love is not passive. It is alive with action. People who are driven by love are people on the move. They are like rivers (flowing and vibrant), not swamps (that sit and stink).



Love demands a commitment. If you are not willing to commit to someone or something than don’t say that you Love that person or thing. A commitment is a promise, a dedication or a pledge. That simply means that what you say you’ll do, you will do. It is not based on emotions or feelings. Feelings/Emotions should never dictate how we carry out our commitments. There are many things that we don’t feel like doing but we choose to do them because of our commitment that stems from our love.



Love involves courage. Where fear paralyzes us, courage fueled by love motivates us to “take on the world” for the ones that we love and for the causes that we love. We can boldly perform acts of heroism in the lives of the ones that we love and come to the rescue of the people that God has called us to love (the poor, the sick, the outcast, the hurting etc.). It takes courage to go “where no man has gone before…or where no man wants to go”, in the name of love to reach those that man has no desire to touch.

John 13:34“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. (The Message)

John 15:13 “This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.” (The Message)

Who are you laying your life on the line for? Who is laying their life on the line for you? We and others talk it but do we actually live it. I don’t need any more “free friends” and don’t want anyone to “love me for free”. True friendship involves love as demonstrated by choices, commitments and our courage. Don’t take friendship lightly because friendships involve love and that requires some form of “sacrifice of your life”.

No more “free friends”, the best things in life aren’t always free.

Be Blessed,

B

Can you Dig it?

The story is told of a young man who began to dig a hole. For no apparent reason that anyone could figure out he was just determined that he was going to dig a hole. He dug for days and as people passed him, they asked him, “What are you doing? Why are you digging this hole?” He just replied in frustration and anger and said, “Listen…I know what I’m doing!!!” Day after day he continued to dig, until the hole was so deep around him, that he could no longer climb out.

Now he is stuck. He is stuck in hole that he dug for himself.

As he realizes his hopeless state, he humbles himself and cries out for help. “Somebody please help me!!! Help!!! Help!!!”

Imagine now that you are one of those people that passed him every day and tried to warn him about the eventual dilemma that he would face if he continued with carrying out his mission to dig that hole. Would you scold him? Would you ask him how he eventually got stuck in that hole or would you reach out your hand without passing judgment to help him at the time when he needed it most?



Galatians 6:1-5 speaks to this situation:



1 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. 2 Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. 3 If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. 4 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. 5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. (The Message Bible)

What is the cost of your help? Does your help come with self- righteous/demeaning criticism or life giving encouragement? When people are hurting or find themselves in a seemingly “hopeless hole” the last thing that they need is to be broken down even more. They need LOVE. Love doesn’t mean that we encourage others to continue to do the wrong thing, just to say that we support them. Love reaches out a hand to the fallen and offers to share their burden and partner with them as they walk the path of restoration and redemption.

We must also remember that we are not called to pull everybody out of their pits. Sometimes our friends and family need to stay in the pit until they realize that they need God, are called for a higher state of living and are willing to come out of their darkness and into the light of the Love of God. Too many times we waste our time, talent and treasure trying to help those who just want to get out of a situation without addressing the reasons and choices that they made that resulted in the situation. That is like helping that guy out of the hole, just so that he can begin to dig a bigger one right next to it. We aren’t helping…we are hindering God’s work.

We all need help and we all need to be willing to help others…without passing judgment and without a sense of self-righteousness. If not for the grace of God, we would be the one’s crying out from our self-made “holes of life”, so let us all be sensitive to the struggles of others and ask for wisdom and love to be the guiding forces that lead us to help those that are crying out.

Who is crying out for your help today?

Be Blessed,

B

Going Camping!!!

“Let’s leave the luxuries of home behind, pack our bags and go camping!!!” These are words that I have never uttered nor will I probably ever do so (smiles). I appreciate the outdoors, but I’m not big on creepy bugs or sneaky snakes. On top of that, I have a funny suspicion that a bear or a pack of wolves might “stumble upon” me in the middle of the night, so I would probably find it hard to sleep. I’m a “city man”. “The Great Outdoors” is a great place to visit, but I won’t be setting up camp there. I would feel out of place…uncomfortable…awkward. It would never feel like “home”.

I must also remind myself that I am not “home” in this world. I’m just a visitor camping out for a short part of eternity. I was not created to be “comfortable” with my current state of existence nor with the dominant messages within the world’s culture. My life’s mission is not to amass as many material possessions or as much worldly esteem as possible. That would leave my life both empty and meaningless. Too many have already compromised their souls, their families, their marriages, etc. in their relentless pursuit of wealth, power and fame.

We can’t get cozy with thoughts, images and actions that are in direct conflict with righteousness, truth and love. God put in us “uneasiness” about life, a desire to make a difference, a desire to complete a mission. In order to complete our mission, we can’t get caught up in the initiatives of the world at the expense of our souls and to the detriment of one day hearing “mission complete”.

Comfort can be the enemy of action. When we are comfortable, we accept things as they are and we are not moved to act. When we are too comfortable, we tend to be self-centered and are not compelled to commit action with compassion. As children of the Most High, we must recognize that in a world where so many people are not comfortable in their life situations (jobs, marriages, relationships etc.), our “comfort/coziness” makes us numb to the struggles of others and actually pushes them away from pursuing a relationship with God.

In my experience, what attracts people to God as the best option is the love that they have experienced from Him through His Children. This Love is a Love that is identified by our actions.

Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. 1 Peter 2:11-12 (The Message Bible)

Take a look at your life. Are you so entrenched in the world that you have made the “ways of the world” your home? Are you so comfortable that you are not pursuing your purpose? Does your life reflect Love of God in how you actively participate in the lives of those who are hurting and feel rejected?

If you have “made yourself at home” on the campgrounds of ungodliness and selfishness, it is time to decamp. Pack up and relocate to an area that God directs you to so that your life can be an instrument that He can use to enhance the Kingdom. Ask Him to lead you as you take inventory and make decisions about who and what you should take along with you for the journey.

Are you ready to go camping?

Be Blessed!

B