Are You a Little Tipsy?

“My life is a Bible for some folks to see,  

I wonder just what they are reading in me.”

 

One of the Ad Council’s most effective public service commercials is the “Don’t Almost Give” campaign. One ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of steps. The narrator says, “This man almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money.” After a pause, the narrator continues, “Almost gave. How good is almost giving? About as good as almost walking.” 

  Another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball atop a pile of rags. He’s covered with a ratty bed sheet. The narrator begins, “This is Jack Thomas. Today someone almost bought Jack something to eat. Someone almost brought him to a shelter. Someone almost gave him a warm blanket.” Then after a pause the narrator drives his point home, “And Jack Thomas? Well, he almost made it through the night.”

  We know this yet far too easily forget it. It’s not enough to “almost” love for Jesus. As D.L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” Knowing without doing is worthless. Yet, before you can do, you must know.

  A term often thrown around in the Church is “Biblical Worldview.” But what does it mean to have a “Biblical Worldview?” A biblical worldview is essential for having a successful Christian life. A biblical worldview is essential if you want your life to count for eternity. A biblical worldview is essential if you want to truly make a difference.

  As we enter 2021, may we all determine to grow in a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview is like a three-legged stool. Each leg is vital.  

  The first leg is knowing. Knowledge is like med school for a doctor. It demands reading and studying. But in American culture we value doing, not knowing. Knowing must always precede doing or you won’t know what the right thing is to do. God gave us a mind and we’re to use it.

  Christians should be the most voracious readers. We must be committed to study (2 Timothy 2:15). God has given us a written revelation. We must faithfully read His Word. Study demands reading books about the Bible and about God. It means digging deeper. It takes time and discipline.

  Can you imagine having an appointment with your doctor, you describe your symptoms, and he says, “I think it might be…but I’m not sure. I’ve never been much of a reader. I just go with what feels right.” How fast would you run out of his office?

  Think of the top five areas of your life, those areas that consume most of your time and focus. God’s Word speaks to each of them. Yet, if you don’t know God’s Word, if you don’t know how to think through the grid of a biblical worldview, then you will stink at all of them because you’re using man’s wisdom. A biblical worldview means that you must read and study.

  The second leg is talking. Just for a moment stop and think about all that you talked about this past week. Was any of it significant? Yet why is that we’re so uncomfortable talking about matters, well, that really matter? That have true significance?

  A healthy conversation that helps us grow must be a dialogue, not a monologue. The emphasis in our culture is wrongly on sharing what we think, yet failing to listen. And too frequently, we only talk with those who agree with us. But to have a biblical worldview we need to have deep conversations. We must have our assumptions challenged. Reading, studying and thinking should precede talking. Talking then helps us to grow and stretch, especially when our assumptions are challenged.

  The third leg is doing. American culture skips ahead to doing and jumps over reading and talking. Doing is essential. Truth needs work clothes. Yet when we get the order wrong, we do the wrong thing because we simply don’t know what we’re doing. Successful Christians know it takes all three: reading, dialogue and then doing.

  Our culture wants to rush the cycles and shoot from the hip. The outcome is that we become frantic doers and not even sure why we’re doing what we’re doing. All three legs are necessary. Knowing without doing is empty and sterile. Many Christians know what’s right and what they should do. They just never get around to doing it.

  Then, talk by itself is cheap. It takes deeds to validate the talk. But deeds by themselves are ambiguous; it takes words to explain their meaning.

  God, throughout history, has been gracious to provide His people with all three—deeds powerful enough to show He’s not just someone who promises. He’s revealed Himself to us in His Word because He wants us to know Him. His words are clear enough to keep us from misunderstanding what His deeds are all about.

  Recently, I heard about a factory worker who longed to see one of his fellow laborers become a believer in Christ. His witness was to befriend this fellow, to treat him kindly, not just to see him as an object but very much as a person. Theirs became the epitome of a relational witness.

  Some time later, the unbeliever became a believer—but it happened through someone else. Coming back to the factory, he spoke of his new faith to the man who’d been a Christian for many years. “That’s wonderful,” said the first fellow. “I’m a believer too.”

  “You are?” the new Christian said, incredulously. “Did you know that I’ve put off becoming a Christian for months just because of you? To me, you were the very embodiment of someone who could be a good person without Christ. I thought maybe I too could become that good without becoming a Christian.” So much for works without words as a witness.

  As we celebrate our Lord’s incarnation, it’s what He’s called us to be as well…we’re to be incarnational. We’re to be Jesus in our world. You can’t be Jesus without knowledge. Study His ministry. It included talking and doing. A biblical worldview has all three. Determine to make 2021 your year to commit to balancing them out in your life. Read, talk and do!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

God is not Santa

 

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
And checking it twice;

He’s making a list.

Sometimes, particularly antitheists, will make a comparison between God and Santa. They’ll suggest, that after all, you can’t see either of them. Then, some believe in Santa but most don’t. Both see all – weighing up your good and bad deeds – and reward you based on how good you’ve been. The clincher is that both are essentially myths that bring people a bit of comfort and joy with not much behind them in the way of evidence. But the parallels are really only there for those who wish to force them.

  Drawing a link between God and Santa Claus because you can’t see them is weak. There are lots of things that we can’t see that exist, nonetheless.  For example, consider time, emotions and history. All things we can’t see but all things that every sane person accepts exist. Not being able to see something does not mean it doesn’t exist.

  Nor is existence determined by the number of people that believe. As it happens, if it were determined by the numbers, theism wins. There are more theists in the world than atheists and agnostics combined. The validity of God’s existence isn’t determined by popularity. Even if we insist that “experts” get to decide, truth isn’t determined by some sort of popularity contest. For a long time, the overwhelming majority of people believed stomach ulcers were caused by stress or a terrible lifestyle. Dr. Barry Marshall won a Nobel prize proving that view wrong, insisting that he was repeatedly told – and held by the majority – to be entirely wrong. That is until he infected himself with bacteria causing him to get a stomach ulcer and then curing himself. Truth is not determined by majority rule.

  God is not like Santa Claus. For one, few adults come to believe in Santa. While it’s common for children to believe the Santa myth and then, as they grow older and examine the evidence, it becomes clear Santa is only a fairy tale. Compare this to the multitude of people who grow up to examine the evidence, having never believed in God before, who come to believe in Him as an adult. On top of that, there are the people who are taught about God as children who never shake their belief in Him. You’ll have a tough time finding anyone who holds to the Santa myth later on in life.

 Add to that, we need to compare the behavior of God and Santa Claus. Santa is a distant figure who watches the world and rewards people based on their deeds once-per-year. But the God of the Bible is the One who cares about this world so much that He sent His only Son to enter it. God is not a moralist who rewards you based on how “good” you are. Instead, God is a gracious father who gives us the very opposite of what we deserve. He doesn’t hold out rewards based on whether we please Him with our behavior, He gives us good gifts out of grace because He loves us.

  Most people grow up to stop believing in Santa not out of a lack of evidence for his existence but because of the positive evidence against his existence. Most stop believing in Santa that moment they catch their Mom or Dad laying out all their gifts on Christmas Eve. Even if that clarifying moment never comes, most begin asking questions that defy logic. How can Santa fly around the world in one night and deliver all of his gifts? How does he get down chimneys when he’s so fat? Why has nobody ever seen a flying reindeer? Why are parents okay with a stranger wandering their house at night at Christmas but no other time of year?

  There are good reasons to actively disbelieve the Santa Claus myth. People don’t reject it because of the lack of evidence. They reject it as a result of the overwhelming evidence that he doesn’t exist. Yet, contrast that with those who come to believe in God, particularly God as revealed in His Word and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. They believe because the evidence is so overwhelming. It’s not evidence that’s simply poured into them as children which they never managed to dismiss. Many come to faith entirely apart from being taught it as children.

  Add to that, there are unanswered questions. Where do morals come from? Is it more likely that the universe has always existed or that it has a cause? Is the fine tuning of the universe better explained by necessity, chance or design? What explanation best accounts for the Jesus’ empty tomb, the postmortem appearances and the birth of Christianity? Many conclude that the evidence points in the direction of the existence of a real God. They conclude that it’s the answer that has the widest explanatory power for all these questions, the least ad hoc of all available explanations.

  Maybe you think that God is a myth and Christianity is a big fairy tale. But are you sure? Aren’t there other “beliefs” that you were very sure of at one time?

  Can I challenge you to give yourself a gift this Christmas? Examine the evidence for yourself. Don’t just believe what you’ve been taught or what others have told you. Check it out for yourself. Read Jesus’ biography for yourself. It’s the original Fab Four – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And maybe pray this simple prayer: God, if You’re real then reveal Yourself to me. Christianity isn’t a blind leap of faith. Countless skeptics, when they were honest and examined the evidence, found themselves overwhelmed by the truth of a loving God who gave His Son as that first Christmas gift for them. I know that’s true because I was one of them.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

A Norman Rockwell Christmas or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

 

“Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

 Many years ago our church did a wonderful Christmas program called “The Peanut Butter Christmas.” This fictional story tells of a family who experienced the worst Christmas nightmare. Somehow they were stranded in a motel room without electricity on Christmas Day. But this terrible Christmas, this nightmare becomes a favorite Christmas memory as the three children learn that the spirit of Christmas lives not in what we get, but in what we give.  
  Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” or so the Andy Williams’ song goes. It’s expected to be a time of celebrating with family around a Christmas tree filled with gifts underneath, parties filled with friends and fun, and unique moments of enchantment and joy therein. In the mind’s eye of many, Christmastime is supposed to reflect some Norman Rockwell painting. But what if it doesn’t. What if instead of experiencing that Norman Rockwell version, you end up experiencing some version of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Would that potentially be a Covid-2020 Christmas? 

  Let me guarantee you on how to ruin Christmas and not just a Covid-2020 Christmas, but this and future Christmases. The guaranteed way for me and you to ruin Christmas are The Three Kings. 

  Most of us are familiar with the Christmas carol, “We Three Kings.” I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve sung that song or heard recording artists add their own rendition to the classic. We refer to the three kings as the “wise men” who traveled to worship baby Jesus and present Him with gifts.

  As we wrap up 2020, I’ve been convicted about which “king(s)” I’m admiring, listening to, taking advice from, and worshiping. This time of year is always a great time for reflection. There have been a number of things to think back on in 2020: COVID-19, riots, disharmony, a tenuous election cycle, facemasks, shutdowns, racial tension, Supreme Court confirmation…the list goes on and on. So, I have to check myself on a regular basis to make sure I’m not following the wrong “three Kings.” Sadly, too often I do. But these kings are not in charge. They’re not the wisest. In fact, they’re very selfish. They generally lead me into trouble and sin, and away from what I know is right. And you have the same three tugging on your heart, trying to lead you down the wrong path.

  Who are these three kings? Me, Myself, and I. Yup, that’s them. Those three “kings” get me in a lot of trouble. I’m constantly battling to resist their rule over my life. Yet, I still fall victim to their temptations. If they’re on the throne of my heart, it’s a guaranteed National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation rather the Norman Rockwell version.

  While you can’t change Christmas past, you can change Christmas present and Christmas future. Starting right now, in your own heart and with your own family, create new memories and Christmas traditions that will redeem this season. You can give yourself and those around you a Christmas gift that no one will want to return. And in the process, your heart will grow to love the Lord and others more. So, as we reminisce in 2020 and plan ahead for 2021, would you join me in making every effort to de-throne these kings? How can we do that?

  Be Intentional. Grab some paper or open a new note on your phone and create an actual plan that you’ll execute. Nail down some dates and times for the things you decide to do. If you need other information first, such as the family calendar, get it as soon as possible. The next days will pass by faster than you think so now is the time to make a solid plan.

  Love the “neighbor” closest to you. Spend time one-on-one with your wife and each child during the holiday season. Maybe you need to start with some relationship repair. It’s been a difficult year. Some of the most important words that you and I will ever utter are; I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.

  Go for a walk with your spouse. Spend individual time with each child, even if it’s just going to a park and sitting in the car together. Pick up some hot chocolate and watch the cold on the outside with a warm relationship inside the car. Don’t make it a marathon. Half an hour may be enough. It’s important to take each child out individually to spend time with you alone.

  If your children are far away, schedule a video call at a time when you know they’ll be free of distractions or deadlines. Ask them questions about their life. A healthy conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. The goal is quality, one-on-one time with each family member.

  Have fun! Don’t allow everyone to drift through your time together playing with their devices or watching football. Set aside scheduled time to do some fun things together. There are tons of things to do safely outdoors together, such as an evening walk or a drive to look at lights. Even though staying home doesn’t feel like something that needs to be reserved on the calendar, it is! Set aside some specific times to play games as a group. Choose a favorite board game or card game. Bake or cook a special Christmas recipe together. If you have younger children, you could act out the nativity story with your family members (pets welcome).

  Give to someone in need. Christmas isn’t about getting, it’s about giving. That’s what God the Father did that first Christmas when He sent His Son, Jesus. This year especially, there is no shortage of people who will benefit from whatever you have to give, whether it’s your time, attention, or money. As a family, maybe be a secret Santa for a family with limited resources. Go carol someone elderly or shut-in, even if it’s just you and your spouse. It truly is the thought that counts. So, get creative. There are so many ways to encourage and give and serve. Find some. Make some memories. Make a difference in your own heart and in the lives of others.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Tone-Deaf Hollywood

 

“The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that.”  Governor Andrew Cuomo, Press Conference on April 13, 2020 

In another of countless examples of tone-deafness, Hollywood recently awarded New York Governor Andrew Cuomo the International Emmy Award, saying that his 111 daily coronavirus press conferences offered “authentic truth and stability.” In what was a Cuomo love-in for the so-called “Love Gov,” a chorus of celebrities joined in to sing his praises. Stars including Robert De Niro, Billy Joel, Ben Stiller, Rosie Perez, Billy Crystal, and filmmaker Spike Lee recorded video messages extolling the governor for setting “an example to the rest of the world.”

Yet, the fictionalized world of Hollywood is oblivious that words and press conferences are not the same as wise decisions, compassionate actions or have true substance. Words are cheap! Even the Washington Post recently described Cuomo’s arrogance as “a Marie Antoinette level of obliviousness.” Yet, as New York prepared to go back under lockdown that will put thousands out of work, it didn’t slow down out of touch Hollywood from awarding him an Emmy.

Hollywood’s aristocracy conveniently forgot that while the Governor urged his constituents to refrain from gathering for Thanksgiving amid a rise in coronavirus cases, he announced he’d be spending Thanksgiving with his 89-year-old mother. For several days he’d urged New Yorkers to refrain from traveling or gathering with older relatives for Thanksgiving. “Next Thanksgiving, you’ll ask yourself: Did I do everything I could to keep my community safe?” Yet, while asking others to sacrifice, Cuomo hypocritically disregarded his own advice. It wasn’t until he received a big backlash that he changed his plans.

Elites in Hollywood are oblivious to real-life suffering of boarded-up businesses, restricted business hours, or the financial turmoil that’s devastated almost 9 million people in New York City and another 22 million-plus throughout the metro area. It didn’t bother the rich and famous that the Governor was slated to receive a pay raise in January 2021 at the same time that his state faces a massive $63 billion deficit from revenue losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Recently, he said that he won’t take the raise. It would have made him the highest paid governor in the nation. A $63 billion deficit and he’s up for a raise while many of his constituents will end up bankrupt and even homeless.

While Tinseltown gives Cuomo a hero’s adulation, he’s known in his state as a ruthless politician and has been anything but stellar in his leadership on COVID-19. It was Cuomo, who early in the COVID crisis, tried to downplay it and encouraged people to go on with their lives as usual. Then, he hit the panic button and shut down his state and got into a turf war with Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City. Between them, they handed down all kinds of harsh edicts.

Though it was known from the beginning that the elderly and those with compromised were the most vulnerable to the virus, that didn’t stop Cuomo from forcing nursing homes to take in COVID-19 patients. Worldviews matter. Under Cuomo, New York passed one of the most liberal and abhorrent abortion laws in the country. Yet, if one has no moral compass about the beginning of life, why would one have a moral compass about the end of life? His directive ordering nursing homes to accept COVID patients caused the virus to spread like wildfire among the state’s elderly and infirm population. His decision contributed to the state’s COVID-19 mortality rate, which currently ranks as the second-highest in the nation. It’s estimated that his nursing home mandate led to 6,000 nursing home deaths. Would Hollywood have still given him an Emmy if their own aging stars like Robert Redford or Betty White were victims of his heartlessness?

Yet, it was all swept under the rug as Emmy’s president Bruce Paisner introduced Cuomo during the virtual ceremony, claiming that the Governor informed, demanded, and calmed people down. A video montage followed showing the Governor’s daily press conferences. One title card touted the governor’s response, calling it, “One epic turnaround” as Hollywood gushed all over him. Billy Crystal said that Cuomo “gave us hope, clarity, the truth,” adding that the governor was the “epitome of New York tough.” Brooklyn native Rosie Perez said, “You are the man,” adding that the governor “offered your strength, leadership, direction” and “set an example to the rest of the world.” Host Richard Kind added to the praise: “[Cuomo] united New Yorkers, he united the country…He even united the world.” 6,000 nursing home victims and their families would disagree!

Nearly 35,000 have died from Corona under Cuomo’s “leadership.” For a true leader that would result in humility and a broken heart, but not Cuomo. At a recent press conference on the issue of COVID-19, he lost his cool. Speaking of the people in New York who caught the virus, Cuomo blamed them explicitly saying, “If you socially distance and you wore a mask, and you were smart, none of this will be a problem. It’s all self-imposed. If you didn't eat the cheesecake, you wouldn’t have a weight problem.” Instead of rising to the occasion, he demonstrated contempt for the very ones he’s responsible for governing.

We need to pray that God will have mercy on Governor Cuomo. When King Herod deified himself as Cuomo has, God took him out (Acts 18:21-23).

And maybe it’s time to send Hollywood the only message they seem to understand – a reduced bottom line. When theaters re-open, don’t go. Unless it’s an excellent movie, wait for an online version. Read reviews from reputable sources. Too often we give away hard-earned cash for trash.

Then, support Christian actors and filmmakers. Even out of touch elites listen when money talks and says, “Good-bye.” It’s time for Christians to speak in a language even tone-deaf celebrities can hear.

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Your Bible is not a Museum Piece

“How many never in their lives read through all the Scriptures?
These have a sword but only to hang on the wall.” William Gouge 

When I was growing up, I never understood why we had a formal dining room. It included a large china cabinet with a set of fine china. There was a matching chest of drawers with silverware that had to be periodically polished. It even included a coffee and tea set. Yet, we never ate in the dining room. None of that beautiful china or silver or furniture was ever used. It was like a museum display or perhaps wishful thinking of some future formal meal that never happened.

For far too many Christians, their Bible is like that. They have one. Most own several. They probably have a Bible app on their phone. But the Bible was never intended to be a museum piece, set off for display. The Bible is to be a work truck. It’s not how it looks on the outside. It’s the “tools,” the content of what’s between the leather cover that makes the Bible valuable. As Christian author, David McKenna, wisely points out: “Unless we read the Word of God, we cannot be instructed by the Spirit, and unless we are instructed by the Spirit, we cannot become godly and effective servants. To put it another way, loving the Word, learning from the Word, and living out the Word are interlocked in God’s plan for our spiritual growth.”

Are you reading the Bible? Is it important to read it daily? Yes. Let me suggest a few reasons why you want to make Bible reading a daily habit.

Daily Bible reading can bring peace into our lives. Each day we roll out of bed and, as C. S. Lewis put it in Mere Christianity, “all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.” One reason to read the Bible is so that we don’t live out our day in a state of frenzy with little or no purpose. It helps us focus and remember the brevity of life, the eternality of heaven, and the abundance of gospel hope from which no sin or failure is excluded. The promises of Scripture are like an inhaler for an asthmatic. God’s Word helps us to slow down and take a deep breath.

Daily Bible reading is like beginning the day with a good breakfast. The president of the Bible college that I attended shared that his life phrase was, “No Bible, No Breakfast.” For some, it might be, “No Bible, No Coffee.” Reading Scripture is like eating a nutritious meal. We have to do it regularly, it tastes good to taste buds that are alive and nourishes us for the day. Bible reading is stored energy, stockpiled emotional and psychological capital. We stay energized and afloat throughout the day by making moment-by-moment withdrawals from that vast reservoir.

Daily Bible reading gives us wisdom for the day. How many dumb things do you do each day? How many dumb things do you say each day? None of us do wise, godly things naturally. Doing the right things comes from being plugged into God’s Word and empowered by His Spirit. We won’t act heavenly without being plugged into Heaven’s message to us. The Bible is the world’s great self-corrective. If we read God’s Word faithfully, it tweaks our lives and prompts fresh mid-course corrections.

Daily Bible reading deepens our minds about what truly matters. Have you ever thought about how much trivial data we store in our minds? I left home in 1975 but I still remember my home phone number. Play a few musical bars from a popular commercial from a few decades ago and most of us can immediately hum the rest. Remembering who played in Super Bowl XXIV may impress sports fanatics, but it’s not going to help you live. Though Tom Hanks is one of our most popular actors, knowing about his last movie won’t help you be kinder or more patient. One reason we read the Bible is to deepen our perspective of what ultimately matters. It helps us know God and live a life that pleases Him. It helps us think more accurately about life, eternity, and all that matters most.

Daily Bible reading helps us wisely invest our time. Are there times when you have so much to do, so much that you could do that you’re not sure where to start? The Bible is your best daily planner. It gives us direction to take action in concrete ways. Sometimes the passage commands action very directly. Other times it doesn’t, but at the least, indirectly, a text will mess with us, change us a little bit, alter our outlook, and impel us forward in some new step of practical obedience externally because we have been changed a tiny bit internally.

Daily Bible reading guides us in how to pray. Reading the Bible gives us an instruction manual on the right way to pray. In Jesus’ most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord shares with His followers what’s known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” His example illustrates a prayer filled with praise, submission to the will of God, reliance upon Him for our daily needs, and requests for forgiveness. Jesus’ prayer focuses more on honoring God than listing needs to be met. Too often we pray “Happy Meal” prayers while our Heavenly Father wants to give us steak and lobster. It’s only as we’re in the Bible that we even know what’s on the “menu” to ask for. Biblically informed prayer reminds us that we don’t have all of the answers. As we go through our day full of responsibilities, pressures and struggles, we recognize our need for God moment by moment and turn to Him in prayer. Being faithfully in the Word guides us in what to pray about.

We’re nearing the beginning of a New Year. A great way to start in 2021 is to plan and prepare now for being in God’s Word each day. A great tool to help you is the One Year Bible. Even if you split into two years, you’re headed in the right direction.

They’re only $12.99. The deadline for ordering them is Sunday, December 6^th.  Most of the items on our Christmas list will be old and out of style before summer. God’s Word is eternal and can direct you into a life of true significance. If regularly reading God’s Word hasn’t been part of your daily life, please make it part of your life in the coming year.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Skipping Thanksgiving?

 

“When I'm worried and I can’t sleep,
I count my blessings instead of sheep,
and I fall asleep, Counting my blessings” 

So, what’s your favorite Christmas movie? There are a few movies that, well, it’s just not quite Christmas if I don’t watch them at least once during the season. One for me is White Christmas. There’s also a big message for Thanksgiving in that movie. Remember when Bing Crosby sang “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” to Rosemary Clooney? “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep…” But do you know what? I’m not so good at counting my blessings. I’m much better at counting my burdens or the things that I’m ticked off about. I’m a natural grumbler. More times than I want to admit, I’m an ungrateful brat and need to repent.

This year, I don’t feel very thankful. Because of Covid-19, I’m missing a lot of things. We were supposed to be in Taiwan with Aaron and Jiayu in April but that didn’t work out. We delayed it to the first part of this month, but those plans had to be jettisoned as well. Maybe sometime in 2021. The truth is that I miss my son. I miss my daughter-in-law. I don’t want to just do Facetime. I want to give them a big hug. I want to see them face to face.

And I hate masks (there I said it…but, yes, I wear one). I miss seeing smiles. I miss seeing people laugh. I hate seeing the fear and anger in people’s eyes when I’m out shopping. If one more celebrity or politician scolds me and tells me to wear my mask, stay home, socially distance…well, it’s enough to make me want to mug a girl scout.

I miss seeing people at church. I’m not sure when I’ll see some of them again, though I understand, especially those with compromised immunity.

It breaks my heart that I can’t go to the hospital and pray with someone before they have surgery, and we’ve had a lot of them at church. Because they must quarantine prior to surgery, I can’t even go to their home and pray with them. The best I can do is a phone call prayer. It’s all so sterile and artificial. I’m a pastor, not “Dial-A-Prayer.”

And please don’t get me going about politics. I’m an adult child of an addict. I hate being lied to. When a politician speaks, that little ditty plays in the back of my mind, “Liar, Liar, pants on fire!” I wish that it’d happen just once…instead of Facebook or Twitter censoring and doing the “fact checking” because who’s fact-checking the fact checkers?

I can’t remember a time of so much rage and anger. Add to that the burning cities, all of those who have died, the lost jobs, and the closed businesses and restaurants. If the Grinch and Scrooge are the dark side of Christmas, what’s the dark side of Thanksgiving? Turkey-zilla?

So, if it’s okay with you, I think I’ll skip Thanksgiving this year. Maybe I’ll write a book, Skipping Thanksgiving? I wonder if Tim Allen would star in the movie version?

But I can’t just blow off Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving isn’t just a national holiday, it’s the DNA of the child of God. The government may be able to cancel family gatherings BUT they can’t cancel Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is to be who we are 365 days a year, 24/7. Lately the words of the Habakkuk 3:17-18 have been rolling around in my head:  

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation”

The continual message of Scripture is that I have a Heavenly Father who is there with me and will get me through even the worst times. That’s Habakkuk’s God. That’s the God he trusted. Often we talk about the faith of Job because of his perseverance in the midst of horrible suffering. But while Job demonstrates a college-level faith; Habakkuk is grad school – and he’s where we all want and need to be. Job trusted God after terrible suffering but he didn’t know it was coming. Habakkuk, even though he knows terrible, calamitous suffering is coming – still trusts God.  Joy isn’t found in our circumstances. It’s found in the very person of God.

It’s really not just about “counting blessings instead of sheep.” Biblical thankfulness is about God—His sovereignty, His  goodness, His love—even when it doesn’t feel like it. It’s an act of faith that changes everything.  

Christian gratitude isn’t despite the circumstances, but because of them. Because our Heavenly Father is in control that means that everything has a purpose, even when I’m not privy to His purpose and plan. It means that even when all hell is breaking loose, God is still good all of the time, kind all of the time, gracious all of the time, and merciful all of the time. His purpose is ultimately good and benevolent. And no matter what we do, that purpose will work for our good and the good of the world. It certainly puts Thanksgiving in a different light, even 2020 Thanksgiving.

Please don’t get me wrong. It’s hard to be thankful if the dark is really dark. I’m not a Pollyanna and neither were the people of God found on the pages of Scripture or believers who trusted Him throughout Church History. They were happy and thankful for the good stuff and weren’t altogether happy about the bad. Yet, they knew a secret about a good and sovereign Father who does everything right. Thankfulness was still hard in the dark, but it had meaning and moved from a cliché to a profound truth.

Because no matter what happens God is still good and He’s good all of the time. By God’s grace, I’m choosing to have a great Thanksgiving and be thankful, and not just on Thanksgiving. Even if I get COVID-19, even if the world falls apart, thankfulness is still at the heart of our faith. This world is not my Home! Now that’s something to be truly thankful about!

How about you? Want to join me as I walk forward growing in gratitude?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

The Answer is Water Buffalo

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”  Margaret Mead

It premiered on September 10, 1984. Ray and Carol Ziebell’s daughter, Beth Feest, was a contestant on the show in 2018. Jeopardy! has been ranked as one of the greatest TV game shows of all time.

Last Sunday, November 8^th, Alex Trebek, longtime host of Jeopardy! from 1984 until 2020, passed away at age 80 after a long bout with pancreatic cancer. In his autobiography, The Answer Is…Reflections on My Life, Trebek was once asked his favorite animal. His answer: the water buffalo. It seemed like an odd choice. So why? To which Trebek replied that they work together to care for each other, the young and the old. When attacked, the healthy animals circle the vulnerable, heads out, and defend them against attacks. Their head/neck/horns are almost impervious to attack and are known to throw a lion ten feet in the air.

That’s what we’re supposed to do! The local church – pastors, parents, old and young – we join with the Holy Spirit in the circle of protection of our vulnerable whether they’re the young or spiritually young. Maybe our new favorite animal in the church should be the water buffalo.

The Bible warns us that we’re under attack. A lone antelope may end up on some predator’s menu. Spiritually, we’re to have each other’s back. Like a herd of water buffalo, we must pull together to protect each other. What are some enemies we need to protect each other from?

Discouragement. God commanded us to encourage each other. He knows how much we need it. We live in a broken world where nearly everything channels us toward discouragement. Sin steals joy, bodies break down, plans falter, dreams die, resolve weakens and our perspective dims. We’re promised suffering (1 Peter 4:12), persecution (John 15:20), and trials of various kinds (James 1:2-3). Encouraging each other reminds us that we’re loved, important, and not forgotten. As biblical encouragement is shared it will lift someone’s heart toward the Lord. It points a brother or sister to God’s promises, reassuring them that all they face is under His control. Who can you encourage this week?

Temptation. Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce. Within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. “Captain, give me a gun!” he shouted. “This fight ain't got any rear!” Our battle against temptation is ceaseless. When we love our brothers and sisters, we often know where they’re most vulnerable. Who can you help protect from temptation this week?

Reputation. “Loose lips sink ships.” The phrase originated during World War II. Gossip is the RPG that blasts holes in the fabric of the church. It harms at least three people: the one speaking, the one hearing, and the one who is being gossiped about. To protect our brothers and sisters we must redirect the gossip back to the person being talked about. When we have an issue with someone, we must go and talk to them. If damage has been done to the person’s character, the gossiper should go to the victim in humility and ask their forgiveness. They should also go in humility to others that they’ve gossiped to. It reinforces the need to reject the sin of gossip. Who do you need to help protect from gossip?

Anxiety. George Muller said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” Anxiety causes us to doubt that our Heavenly Father cares for us and that He’s in complete control. He loves us and is sovereignly working out His will for us. God designed His church for community. Yet, we can’t help each other beat back anxiety unless we interact with each other. It’s tempting during difficult times like this Pandemic to withdraw into our own little worlds or become family-focused, forgetting that as believers our family is much larger. Our local church, our brothers and sisters in Christ are our forever family. Who can you reassure to help them have victory over anxiety?

Anger. Chances are, almost everyone was angry at least once this past week. It may have been a minor frustration with another driver or being irritated with your kids for not putting away their toys. It could have been a situation at work. Some husbands and wives live with daily anger and hurt feelings. Some parents and their children are in a constant battle of outbursts of anger and abusive words. If you’re thinking, “Who, me, angry? I’m a Christian. I don’t get angry,” you probably have a more serious anger problem than those who admit, “Yes, I struggle with anger.” Jay Adams wrote, “Anger is a problem for every Christian; sinful anger is probably involved in 90% of all counseling problems.”

How can we help a brother or sister have victory over an angry spirit? Like the Lord Jesus dealt with the angry mob, stay in Spirit-controlled calm and peace. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath…” Then, pray for them. Many have an anger issue but because a lost world accepts it as “normal,” we either are unaware of it or rationalize it. Live out your own life as Christ’s Ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). Represent the values, attitude, and power of His higher call. Extend kindness, grace, compassion, and healing everywhere you go. Be an agent of grace in a cruel, unforgiving world. Who can you help have victory over anger this week?

The local church is called to do many things, but if we fail to take care of its own, we’re not living out our purpose. The church is the body of Christ. Members of His body must love and care for each other. When we fail to take care of our own, we’ve ceased to function as His church. The answer is water buffalo.

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Loving Your Neighbor...across the aisle

 “It is easier to love humanity than to love your neighbor.” Eric Hoffer

 Back in the 1970s, Pauline Kael was a theater critic for The New York Times and in 1972, she uttered one of the most interesting political statements of the 20^th century. When Richard Nixon was elected president, reelected by a landslide in 1972, Pauline Kael was said to have said that it could not have happened. Why could it not have happened? Because Pauline Kael said she didn’t know anyone who voted for Richard Nixon. That tells us that as far back as 1972, the theater critic for The New York Times didn't know anyone who voted for Richard Nixon. Remember Nixon didn’t squeak by in that election. He won by an overwhelming landslide.

Those words, that “it could not have happened,” actually say much more about the person who said it than about the people of whom it was said. Yet, Pauline Kael wasn’t speaking from say Wichita, Kansas. She was speaking from Manhattan. It’s safe to say that Manhattan in 1972 was overwhelmingly Democratic and thus voted Democratic.

Philip Bump writing for The Washington Post (09-18-20) said that “Three-quarters of Americans know only a few people who support the candidate they themselves oppose.” According to new research by the Pew Research Center, 75% confessed that they knew at most a few people who supported the candidate that they didn’t and about 40% knew no one at all who supported the other candidate.

Over the past few decades, Americans have increasingly self-segregated politically, to the point that today most Americans live in “landslide counties,” where the people in their area vote overwhelmingly in favor of one candidate or the other. As a result, many get the impression that their preferred candidate is not only winning but dominating.

As David Wasserman, one of the nation’s top election forecasters wrote in reference to the 2016 election: “If you feel like you hardly know anyone who disagrees with you about Trump, you’re not alone. Chances are the election was a landslide in your backyard.”

How does all of this relate to us? While those with political loyalty and worldviews can be isolationists, you and I are disobeying Scripture and the words of the Lord Jesus if we are. In Luke 10:27, Jesus commanded us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” It’s not optional. To fail to love our neighbor is a sin. But you can’t love your neighbor if you don’t even know your neighbor.

It’s tempting to think that Jesus doesn’t know what we’re experiencing in contemporary America. But He illustrated what He meant with a story, the parable that we know as The Good Samaritan. Jesus didn’t make the ones that His audience thought would obviously be the hero – a priest or a Levite. Instead, this hero was from one of the most despised groups of His day, a Samaritan. He used shock value to make sure they didn’t miss His point, loving your neighbor isn’t optional or when it’s convenient. In our culture, the Samaritan might be a Gay Muslim. It would have the same shock value.

It boils down to this. If you’re a Christian, love your Republican neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your Democrat neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your pro-choice neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your illegal immigrant neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your atheist neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your addicted neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your gangbanger neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your skateboarding teen neighbor. If you’re a Christian, love your neighbor who calls you horrible names. That also includes loving them and demonstrating Christ’s love on social media.

Yet, we can’t love people we don’t know. It begins then by being their friend, no questions asked. Aren’t you thankful that Jesus chose to love you and me, even though He knew what a mess we were? If I’d been Jesus, I wouldn’t have loved me and I certainly wouldn’t have died for, as Amazing Grace author, John Newton so aptly described me, “a wretch.”

Those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior must be more likely than other Americans to come into contact with people with different worldviews and beliefs. Jesus was “the friend of sinners” (Luke 7:34). His followers are to imitate Him. It should be normal for us to have those who consider us a close friend yet dramatically differ from us in our worldview.

You and I have a wonderful opportunity to show a watching world what love and grace looks like. We have a wonderful opportunity to show what a community of believers looks like where allegiance to Christ transcends political differences in the current moment. We must push back against the trend of making nearly everything in life political or of reducing people to their political views. The commission we have from our Lord doesn’t distinguish between party affiliation. We are called to make disciples—and not only of Republicans or Democrats or Independents. It’s sin for us to only love and befriend those who are like us.

Jerry Bridges in his book, The Gospel for Real Life writes that loving our neighbor means…You cherish your neighbors with the very same love that you have toward yourself. In your dealings with them you never show selfishness, irritability, peevishness, or indifference. You take a genuine interest in their welfare and seek to promote their interests, honor, and well-being. You never regard them with a feeling of prideful superiority, nor do you ever talk about their failings. You never resent any wrongs they do to you, but instead are always ready to forgive. You always treat them as you would have them treat you.

The bottom line is this: What is my relationship with Christ doing for my “neighbor”? What is my Christianity doing for the people that God has placed in my path? In my neighborhood? At work? In my family? Do I even know my neighbor? Can I truly say that I love them?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Worshiping Politics?

“For those looking for security, be forewarned that there’s nothing more insecure than a political promise.” Harry Browne

 

Did you get your chicken? In 1928 then presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised, “a chicken in every pot.”

If you haven’t already voted, I hope you vote this Tuesday. We have a privilege in America that many others around the world don’t have – free elections and the right to vote. Yet, we must realize the extreme limitations of government to resolve core problems. That doesn’t prevent political candidates from promising that they will solve all of our major problems if elected…but have they?

We still haven’t won the War on Poverty. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared an “unconditional war” on poverty. Visit any urban area in America and you’ll quickly see that in spite of Johnson’s good intentions, we’re losing the “war on poverty.” Some 40 million live below the poverty line. That works out to 12.3% of the population or one in eight Americans. In 2020, the poverty threshold for a single person under 65 was an annual income of  $12,760; the threshold for a family of four, including two children, was $26,200. Though the numbers have bounced up and down since 1964, government has been able to do little to make inroads against poverty. 2,000 years ago the Lord Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you” (Mt. 26:11 NIV). Sadly, we do.

We still haven’t won the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs begun under President Richard Nixon continues to utilize policies of prohibition to achieve a variety of objectives. The popular “Just Say No” campaign aimed at discouraging children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying No. The program was championed by First Lady, Nancy Reagan, during her husband’s presidency. Yet, while in 1980, 580,900 people were arrested on drug‐​related charges, forty years later that number has increased to well over a million. Nearly half a million are currently incarcerated for drug-related offenses with another 1.15 million on probation or parole on drug‐​related charges. 50,000 Americans die annually from opioid overdose.

We still haven’t won the War against Racism. How far have we come since Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham jail” or his historic, “I have a dream” speech? Tragically, not very far. The events of this past year clearly reveal that in “the land of the free,” racism is still a terrible blight on the American horizon. That’s because laws, social programs, and education can never change hearts. In one of the most liberal cities in America (NYC), Jews were recently attacked because they dared to support the “wrong” political candidate. It was a page straight out of Nazi Germany. According to Pew Research, 63% of Americans say that being Muslim hurts someone’s chances for advancement in our society. What social activist, Dorothy Day called “a revolution of the heart” is more like a regurgitation of the same terrible maladies.

We still haven’t won the War against Abortion. In 1980 I voted in my first presidential election. At one time I naively believed that with a pro-life President, we could end this atrocity. 12 years of Reagan and Bush were a wake-up call for me. Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned (I don’t believe it will be), it won’t end abortion. Estimates of the number of illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year. Currently, there are almost a million annual abortions in America.

While few want to acknowledge it, abortion is one of the greatest acts of racism with 40% of them performed on African-Americans. It’s no wonder that Bernice King, MLK’s daughter is opposed to abortion and believes that life begins and should be protected by law at conception.

Many other social evils could be added to this list. While as Christians, we must do what we can to combat poverty, drug addiction, racism , and abortion – the solution isn’t and never will be found in government.

One of God’s constant rebukes of His chosen people, Israel, was they're trusting in foreign governments to rescue them. Rather than trusting God to intervene for them, they reached out to evil foreign kings. God used the Old Testament prophets to continually warn them. Yet, because Israel would not repent, God finally brought judgment on them for their idolatry.

It was wrong because our ultimate hope is not in government or elected leaders, but in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone. Only He has the power to  meet our greatest needs of forgiveness and salvation. Only He can truly change us and our world, true heart change from the inside out.

Many in the Church and many Christians are guilty of the same sin of idolatry. We’ve deified government and worship at the altar of politics. For many politics has never been more important and has turned into the opium of the masses. As former Nixon “hatchet man” who later came to Christ, Chuck Colson wrote, “Modern history is replete with lessons about the futility of putting ultimate trust in much vaunted political systems.”

How do you know if you’ve made politics your idol? Some signs are: Your hope in life is inextricably tied to a politician or your political party winning. You look to a politician or party as a perfect savior who can’t do or say anything wrong. You side with your party on every issue by reflex without thinking through a biblical worldview. Your speech and tone in political discourse tends to be harsh and angry, rather than kind and honorable. You forget that political opponents have eternal souls, that Jesus loves them and died for them just as He did for you. You let politics steal your joy. You don’t seek to understand how a political opponent thinks. You fail to acknowledge the false idols of your own political party.

Yes, we should vote, so please vote for the candidate that best reflects a biblical worldview. Remember though that none wholeheartedly do. Most of all, remember that our ultimate hope is in our sovereign God.

I am so thankful that politics have not divided our church. Our focus must be on His eternal Kingdom, not temporal earthly politics. None of us know what will happen after this election. One thing we are certain of though is that  King Jesus will still be on His throne! His promises will remain true, His church will move forward, and His gospel will prevail. Our hope is not in who wins this election, it’s in King Jesus. Regardless of what happens this election, God is in charge and His coming kingdom is forever! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Danger of ANGER

“Satan recognizes anger as a fertile field, capable of producing all kinds of sin.”      Bob Deffinbaugh 

Two men, driving in Southern California, got into a battle of road rage after one cut the other off in a parking lot. The hot-headed men sped out of the parking lot in a fit of anger, chasing, driving recklessly, dodging, and weaving in and out of traffic. They endangered a lot of lives before one finally forced the other to careen out of control. The driver frantically tried to regain control, but in the process, an innocent little girl on a nearby sidewalk was killed. A young life was taken simply because two men became needlessly angry at each other. The danger of anger!

It’s estimated that the average man loses his temper six times a week. The average woman loses her temper three times a week. Women are angry more often at people, men at things (for example, machines when they break down). Single adults express anger twice as often as married adults. Men tend to be more physical with their anger than women. You’re more likely to express anger at home than anywhere else. And sadly, anger is most frequent and intense towards those we love, not toward strangers. 

With the Pandemic a new term was coined, corona-rage. Add the vitriol of an upcoming election and the meanness of politics, racial division, economic pressure – and our culture is an inferno for the incensed.  

I wish I could say that anger is not an issue for me. I am so thankful though for the work God has done in my life. Though I sometimes struggle to not hit my internal nuke button, I’m light years ahead of what I once was. It is truly because of God’s grace and the Spirit’s control.

It’s embarrassing to admit that when Jane and I were first married and living in Detroit, someone gave me a one-finger wave. I had a meltdown. I was so angry that I followed them for several miles. I’m not sure what I’d have done if they had pulled over and confronted me. Fortunately, they didn’t. After about five minutes Jane graciously asked, “How long do you intend to follow them?” It pricked my soul and I quit following them.

Probably each of us was angry at least once this past week. It may have been minor frustration with another driver or being irritated with your kids for not putting away their toys. It could have been a situation at work. Some couples live immersed in daily anger and hurt feelings. Some parents and children are in a constant battle of outbursts and abusive words. Many adults have scars from childhood that bubble to the surface. Each time they think about them, they seethe again with anger.

Christian counselor, Jay Adams, states, “Anger is a problem for every Christian; sinful anger is probably involved in 90% of all counseling problems.” Consider how different our world would be if everyone learned to deal with their anger! Child abuse and divorce would be eradicated. Murder, terrorism, and war would cease. Many health problems would clear up. Physicians believe anger can harm the heart as much as smoking or high blood pressure. The number one predictor of cardiovascular disease is mismanaged anger. Anger causes many serious health problems.

Anger is contagious. If we’re around it too much, we become more prone to become angry. In relationships where sinful anger is a struggle, hanging around those who are angry only inflames it. Proverbs 22:24, “Make no friendship with a man given to anger.” If anger is your struggle, look for friends who tend to be peaceful. Their influence will help you have victory.

You’re not a victim. You can control your sinful anger. Anger is a choice. Yet, we often say to our spouse or children, “you make me so mad.” No, they don’t. You chose to give in to anger. Because if our anger was uncontrollable, Scripture wouldn’t command us to control it and God wouldn’t hold us accountable for it.

The Bible is filled with commands about controlling anger. The book of Proverbs has over a dozen verses about keeping your temper reigned in. Your own experience proves that you can control your anger. We’ve all controlled our anger—instantly turned it off—when we wanted to. For example, if your boss does something that makes your blood boil, but you know if you explode, it will cost you your job, so you control your anger.

Recognize and confess sinful anger and submit it to God’s control. Before you can deal with anger, you must recognize that you’re angry, that it’s sin, and you’re responsible for it. It’s wise for us to ask those who love us, “Am I an angry person?” (Don’t get angry if they tell you the truth!)

Many Christians deny or rationalize their anger. Rather than confessing it as sin and turning from it, they accept it as “normal.” It’s not. The cure begins when you’re angry that you acknowledge, “I’ve sinned” (Ps. 51:4).   Confessing it means accepting responsibility and taking appropriate action to turn from it. It means going to the one you were angry with and asking forgiveness. We must believe that God sovereignly out of His goodness allowed whatever happened for our good, so we submit joyfully to His mighty hand, asking Him to teach us what I need to learn from this trial.

Deal radically and decisively with sinful anger. A passive approach won’t work. You must confront it head on. It won’t go away by itself. To deal with anger, you must develop a biblical strategy. 

First (and foremost!), make sure that you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and give you eternal life. The minute you believe in Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit who takes up permanent residence in your heart. You must learn to walk in moment by moment dependence on the Spirit, yielding control of your life to Him. You’ll find that memorizing key Bible verses that relate to anger will help in being armed to combat it.

Second, when you sin by being angry, go to the person and humbly ask for forgiveness. Humbling ourselves and taking responsibility becomes a barrier to not succumbing in the future.

Finally, pray for those that you struggle with being angry at (Mt. 5:44).

Have you spoken words in anger? Have you asked God to forgive you? If you’ve spoken words in anger that you know wounded someone, go to them and apologize, taking full responsibility. It might be what God uses to touch their heart and bring them closer to God. One thing is certain. It will bring you into closer fellowship with Jesus when your heart is free!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.