Monday, April 24, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article For April 23, 2006

Graduates:  Do Not Waste Your Life!
By Bill Denton

“And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (.Matthew 12:25, NASB95)

Emanuel Ninger wasted his life.  He was arrested on March 28, 1896 for forgery.  He had $244.25 in “good and bad money” in his pockets.  But Ninger was much more than a forger.  He was an artist.  In fact, his forgeries were hand painted.  He was so good, that some shopkeepers, impressed with the artwork on the forgeries, kept and framed them in stead of turning him in.  In a search of his home, three oil paintings were found.  It is said, he could paint a picture, or draw a forged bill in about the same amount of time.  His paintings sold for around $5,000.00 each, meaning he could have made much more money legitimately than by forging banknotes.  Still, he chose to waste his talents, and thus his life.
     - adapted, Ninger Had No Witnesses, The New York Times (4-21-1896).

There are a lot of young people about to launch themselves out into the world in the next few weeks.  Some of them will enter college.  Others will enter the work force.  Others will enlist in the military.  Some will participate in other kinds of training programs.  Regardless, most of them will set out to prepare themselves for a career or profession, or engage in some kind of life work.  A lot of them will waste their lives.

I hate to the be the lone voice during a time of mostly positive accolades, congratulation, awards, and well-wishes.  I accept the job of pointing out what nobody else wants to admit.  A lot of young people are not on the brink of success, they stand at the precipice of disaster.  Why?  Well, it’s not because they have no talent.  It’s not because they’re destined to fail.  It’s because they will end up wasting their talents and opportunities by foolish choices, destructive behavior, or misguided application of their cherished talents.

Please understand, I’m not a pessimist.  I’m a realist.  What if someone had said to Emanuel Ninger, “Manny, old pal, you’re just wasting your talent.  Let me sell one of these paintings of yours and show you the right way to market your artistic skills.”  Perhaps Emanuel Ninger wouldn’t have listened, but maybe he would have.  His life’s story might be totally different.

I’d like to say to all these promising youth, “Do not waste your life!”  Unfortunately, waste is what will happen to too many young folks.  We send them forth into the bigger arenas of life as if success is guaranteed.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Success and productivity require hard work, much further preparation and training, and participating in the right kind of things.  Lots of these young people will just end up wasting themselves and a tremendous amount of potential.  All but a negligible amount of success is the result of hard work and one more try.  But put those efforts into things that are good and legitimate.  It’s a waste to fight against oneself.

© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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Sunday, April 09, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article For April 9, 2006

Set Yourself Down For A While
By Bill Denton

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, NASB95)

     A pastor was counseling a woman on the verge of nervous breakdown. She was powerless against the multitude of problems she faced, and she asked her pastor, "What can I do? What can I do?" He asked, "If I tell you what to do, will you do it?" She said, "Yes." Knowing that her schedule included free time during the week, and that she loved to cook, he said, "On Monday, I want you to bake some bread. On Tuesday afternoon, take it to the nursing home. Go into the common area where everyone watches TV and plays checkers, pass out the bread and talk to people. Stay for at least an hour. Don't worry about not knowing anyone; you'll know them all before you leave. On Wednesday, bake cookies. On Thursday afternoon, take them to the children's hospital and find a worker to help you pass them out to the kids who most need a visitor.  Talk to as many of them as you can. Stay for at least an hour. On Friday, come back and see me."  It was obvious, as she left his office that day that she didn't think much of his plan. The following Friday, he was disappointed that she didn't keep her appointment. About three weeks later she came to see him again. "Sorry I haven't been back sooner," she said, "I'm working at the cancer center everyday, and I've been so busy. Our Sunday School class is taking on this project together." He said, "But how about you? How are you coping?" "Coping with what?" she asked. "Everything's fine. All those things I was worried about before, I've forgotten them."
          -- Steve May, “The Heart of a Servant,” www.preachingtoday.com

What a wonderful story, but not really surprising.  One of the most effective ways of coping with the stresses and worries we face daily is to just turn them upside down.  What I mean is that we need to do what the lady in the account above did.  She got busy with others instead of stewing in her selfish, empty conceit.  She learned what it meant to be humble instead of continuing to focus only on herself.  Rather than camp out on her own personal interests, she began showing sincere interest in other people, and when she did that she suddenly discovered that not only were her problems not so bad, but that life took on a zest and purpose she had missed before.

The best medicine for a lot of people is stop dwelling in the tiny little world that is them.  They should get out and do something helpful and productive for others.  There is nothing like setting aside all the demands we make for ourselves and to start blessing others with our efforts.

If depression or anxiety is causing a problem, or if you seem overwhelmed with worries about one thing or another, take the advice above to heart.  Find your own version of the nursing home or children’s hospital.  It may not be the same where you live, but there are any number of similar opportunities to help people.  Invest yourself by putting a bit of yourself into the lives of people who truly can’t do for themselves.  Rather than adding to your problems, you might discover that the way to lighten your load is set yourself down for a while.

© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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Wednesday, April 05, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article for April 2, 2006

The Erring Brother
By Bill Denton

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.  (James 5:19-20, NASB95)

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Be good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People need help but may attack you if you try to help them. Help them anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
               Kent M. Keith, "The Paradoxical Commandments," from The Silent
               Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council

We have a responsibility to help brothers and sisters in Christ who have strayed from the truth of God’s word, and somehow become embroiled in the ways of the world.  It is not an easy thing to do.  Sometimes, those who have chosen to live contrary to truth do not want our help.  Sometimes, they exhibit a spirit of rebellion so strong that they reject any well-intentioned help.  In fact, I cannot think of anyone living in error who displays a completely God-like attitude devoid of the influences of their error.  Of course, at times we try to be magnanimous about things, and point out that “erring brothers and sisters” are the only kind of brothers and sisters we have.  The point, I think, is that everyone we know needs help to be true to God.

I believe that little quip is true.  The only brothers and sisters I have are “erring” brothers and sisters.  There is one thing that gets lost on some people, however, and it’s worth mentioning here.  The only kind of brothers and sisters that our erring brothers and sisters have are also erring brothers and sisters.  Did I lose you on that one?  What I’m trying to say is that if you think of others as “erring” then should you not also give yourself the same description?

Some Christians seem to have the attitude that “error” is always the other guy’s problem.  Hopefully, that is true, for if we are following God’s will as best we can, then surely we’ll be more right than wrong.  But, we must avoid the pride-filled, self-righteous attitude that afflicts the hearts of more than a few Christians that leads us to discount the possibility of our own error.

Someone once said that when we point our finger at the other guy, there are three pointing back at us.  That’s a good observation.  Yes, we can, and should, be sensitive to those who allow error to creep into their lives.  When that happens, we must love them and help them, even if they don’t always display the best of attitudes and behaviors.  But we must be aware that we are also prone to errors, and sometimes we need help from others.  At times, the erring brother is us..

© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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