August 22 2017 – Click here to listen
I spoke with my son yesterday and he mentioned that the quality of his life had substantially gotten better in the past month.
I asked him how so?
He responded that he’d quit following the news in any format.
He said that he found that he was much happier. He then confessed that about 15 days into his self-imposed exile he experienced temptation to backslide and went in and voraciously scoured the news. Hilariously he discovered that nothing had changed. The media was still talking about the same old junk and raging at every word out of Trump’s mouth and pounding their same themes.
He laughed and happily returned to exile.
I’ve tried to exile myself from the news several times and generally have failed miserably. In September, I’m taking a short two-week sabbatical out of the country and will try my utmost to stay away from the news the entire time. Who knows, it might even become a full-blown habit.
It is my hope that after several days of deep thought, prayer, and reflection that I can change many things in my life that bother me and detract from my happiness which of course affects the effectiveness of my ministry and serving God.
Many years ago, Satan convinced my brother to commit suicide; however, a couple of years before he did, he came to know Jesus as his Savior. He’d reached bottom and his innumerable problems had worn him to a frazzle. I convinced him to come to Atlanta and we visited my pastor and he received some excellent counseling. Afterwards he got down on his knees, asked for forgiveness, and asked God to come into his life and save him from his sins. Later I took him to Borders to buy a Bible and he read it daily for quite some time. He was exceedingly happy, and his life improved immeasurably and remained so for a couple of years or so. Unfortunately, along came Satan who tempted him back into a brief period of sin which culminated in his taking his own life.
Recently I came across his Bible, and he had written inside the front cover: “When on the edge, what would Jesus do?”
Too bad he didn’t read this when he sank into deep depression and ended his life.
We all have things that bug us, that unattended, will fester into a cancer. Recently I resigned from an organization because the politics had reached a point whereby my thoughts were not becoming to my witness for Jesus. I thought about what my brother had written because I was certainly on the edge with some things. I feel Jesus would have probably counseled me that life is too short and there are many opportunities in which to serve my God and that I should simply and quietly remove myself from the conflict without arguing and fighting.
So many ministries have members with varying opinions, and just like our nation, rather than being civil and intelligently discussing problems to find an acceptable solution, they find someone to blame, and then sides are chosen and it becomes a divided camp just like our divided nation. Invariably they end up at war with each other.
I understand the world being like that, but it is very disturbing to see ministries sink to that level. It seems odd to me to hear people who claim to want to advance the kingdom of God talk about each other behind their backs and stir up such dissension.
Is this how Jesus wants us to serve Him?
I think not.
Rather than join the fray, I prefer to move on to more peaceful waters. There are plenty of battles with the real enemy to be fought against the pervasive evil in this world to waste time battling each other. What little time I have left on this earth is better spent fighting Satan than watching ministry folks act like the world.
While some might think this is quitting when the heat gets turned up, it is an individual decision based upon: When on the edge, what would Jesus do? Ask Him to help you with your decisions and then follow Him.
Mark 3:25
If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.