Appreciating and Affirming Moms
Have you ever thought how much easier your mother’s life would be if you had never been born? I’ve often thought about it.
Maybe it was different for you, but I’m sure my mother wouldn’t have gotten gray hair nearly so soon if she hadn’t had me!
In fact, I remember the day it started. I was six, and I was playing with a boy named Bruce who lived across the street. We had our bows and arrows out and one of us came up with an idea (I’m sure it must have been his idea).
He was going to lay down and hold an arrow to make it look like he’d been shot. And I was to run in and tell my mother that I shot him.
It worked according to plan. He laid down, I ran in and said, “Mom, mom! I shot Bruce and killed him!” She ran out, saw him lying there on the grass with the arrow. She threw her hands up and screamed…and almost passed out.
It was fun at the moment, but not too long afterward, I was really sorry we’d done it…if you know what I mean.
Yes, I’m pretty sure that was the beginning.
But you know, my mom still loved me…and she does to this day. She believes in me.
I appreciate my mother and I affirm her. Especially on Mother’s Day.
You might not agree with everything your mother says or does, but the Bible tells you to honor her.
The greatest gift you can give your mother on Mother’s Day - and every other day - is an affirmation of her importance and significance. May your mother – and mine - know she’s loved and accepted - and may they be blessed by our affirmation!
It is Possible to Forgive
A person’s last words are often extremely important and worth remembering. This is especially true of Jesus’ last words on the cross.
On the cross, He made seven statements, each important and powerful. The first of these is “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”
If you have lived very long on this earth, you have most likely been lied to, cheated out of something, stolen from and betrayed. Perhaps you, like many people, have struggled with the issue of forgiveness. You may even have wondered, “In this kind of a world, where there is so much wickedness, is it really possible to forgive? Should we even forgive?”
Yes. It is possible, and we should forgive. Christianity is built on the premise of forgiveness. Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, prayed, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” At the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them…” And after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, saying, “Peace be to you.” Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…”
If you do not forgive what someone did to you, what they did will affect you all the days of your life. But when you forgive, you are set free, and what they did no longer affects you!
When you forgive, you are not saying, “They didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t hurt me. I’m giving them a pass. There doesn’t need to be justice.”
What you are saying is, “God, I’m not demanding any recompense. Instead, I’m committing myself and my cause to you. I’m choosing to forgive them and am leaving justice in Your hands.”
Forgiveness is always possible, and when we forgive, something happens on the inside of us - and we are the ones who get set free!
Solving the World’s Problems
Almost everyone agrees that the world is messed up, but the question is: what can we do about it? Wouldn’t it be great if we could solve the world’s problems?
Some people believe that the world’s salvation can come through politics or education. Others believe in salvation through economics; that if people just had enough money, that would somehow take care of all the problems.
The truth is, there is only one answer to the world’s problems: we need new people.
You may be thinking, “Did he really just say we need new people?” Yes. That’s what I said, and I meant it.
You see, the root of the world’s problems is the heart of man - and there is only one way to change the heart of man. That’s why Jesus came: to make it possible for us to become brand new people on the inside.
The Apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation.” The gospel is the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ - and that is the power of God to change a person’s life!
I want to encourage you to watch this week’s conclusion of Framing Your Biblical World View for more on this topic.
Not Because You Have To
You and I are made in God’s image, and part of being made in His image is that you have been given a free will. You can choose to go God’s way and serve Him – or you can choose not to. In Deuteronomy 30:15, God says, “Today, I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.” He wants you to choose life.
God wants you to love Him, not because you have to, but because you want to. I love my wife, not because I have to, but because I want to. She loves me, not because I’m perfect (I’m not!) or because she has to, but because she wants to.
It is good news that God gives us a choice, but the bad news is that we are not free from the consequences of our choice. All choices come with consequences. Ecclesiastes 3:17 tells us, “In due season God will judge everything man does, both good and bad.” Many times we see the consequences of our choices in this life. Some consequences will not be seen until judgment day.
As we look at the world around us, God wants us to see our need for a Savior. He wants us to see that, on our own, lives get messed up.
You and I need to see the world and our part in it the way God does. When you view it His way, you understand that God knows best, that He has your best interest at heart, and your response becomes one of loving and choosing Him…not because you have to, but because you want to.
Framing Our World View Around God
We’ve been talking about how to have a Biblical world view on our weekly broadcasts. We’ve loosely defined a Biblical world view as one where you see the world and your part in it the way God does. We’ve talked about how, when Jesus came, He said, “It’s time to rethink your life, because the kingdom of God is here.”
Rethinking (changing how we think about something) is a necessary step in the process of change. In fact, you and I cannot change our lives without first changing what or how we believe. This is particularly true when it comes to changing how we see ourselves.
Long before God began to create the universe, He had us in mind and He chose us to be the focus of His love. God created this universe. He created this earth as a place to put the people that He would love.
When you look at it that way, why wouldn’t we want to frame our world view around Him?
A Biblical World View
Everyone has a world view. You might not consciously think about it, but you have one.
Your world view is your framework of thoughts, ideas and attitudes about the world, yourself and life. You could think of it as your comprehensive system of beliefs. It defines what is good, what is right, what is wrong in your sight.
Today, in our culture, many say truth is relative and that what is right for one might not be right for another. It is vitally important that your world view lines up with truth from God’s Word; that what is good, what is right, what is wrong to you is based on what God says.
Many say, “What is true for you is not true for me.” However, that is not what Jesus said. He didn’t say, “I want to be the truth, or I might be the truth.” He didn’t say, “I am a truth.” “He said I am THE TRUTH.” You see, there really is such a thing as absolute truth.
It is imperative that you and I get our beliefs from the Bible. Here’s an example of why: If I believe that chocolate is the perfect health food, and all I eat is chocolate, I’d be in BIG trouble! Likewise, if you believe something that is false, something that is anti-God, something that is anti-Bible, it is bound to have an affect on your life whether you are conscious of it or not.
Jesus said, “You will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” Let’s frame our world view around the Truth!