TO FILL A LITTLE SPACE

We cannot give the appearance of being anything other than what we really are. The impressions we give may work out for a while but very quickly people will catch up with who we truly are! We are not what others think we are; we are far from being what God wants us to be; we are not what we think others imagine us to be; we are not who we, ourselves, think we are!

Authenticity reveals the shape and color of who we truly are, for it must be a quality of our individual character. Webster defines the word “authentic” as “conforming to fact and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief.” This is not an impossible goal, especially for a child of God who may count on all His resources to be who and what He desires for us to be. Our daily task is to ascertain in greater depth what God wants us to be and with His help attempt to synchronize our lives with His perfect will. Only consistent contact with His Holy Word will enable us in that!

Nothing short of His design for our life will ever do or satisfy our longings, giving us the tranquility we desperately need in a broken and confusing world. But because we often fail, we need to submit ourselves to an “Extreme Makeover” from God, so our being may realign with His purposes, and we can again be what He wants us to be!

Our productivity for God, our job achievements, our most basic tasks in life, will be adversely affected if we lack authenticity. Who wants to be viewed as a “con” man? Who desires to be considered a fake? Yet, this is precisely who we will appear to be if there’s not a continual striving toward authenticity - matching our walk with our talk!

What we attempt to accomplish for God’s Kingdom can be easily destroyed in a moment, if we don’t watch our conduct to maintain it consistent with divine prescriptions. Lack of authenticity can never be fixed with band-aids, scotch tape, or any other form of patch-up from the outside. No pill can be swallowed to restore it to us. But God’s Truth can and will, not through our quick and occasional browsing our Bibles, but through consistent, well-planned immersion in its teaching.

Authenticity is an inside job, and corrective measures applied toward making it so, can only come from within, out of genuine conviction and a new determination to live by divine standards. If it is ever lost, it may be nearly impossible to recapture it in one’s life, at least with respect to those who interact with us on a regular basis.

Being authentic does not entail “washing dirty clothes” in front of many people. In other words, it does not require our “confessions” to other people in a display of contrition which may not necessarily be fully genuine. Confession is always good for the soul, but only when it is made to God and to a trusted confidant. Honesty and sincerity must be manifested in our attempt to be accountable to God and to others.

Life is truly fulfilling when we know that we are walking in the right path, periodically checking the correct map, making necessary corrections along the way, and recognizing that we are making progress instead of going contrary to the prescribed direction. God is ever aware of what we do. He knows our heart’s intent. People also will notice better and greater things happening in us, which will enable us to regain the impact we desire to have in their lives and in many more!

Insecure individuals suffer from an inability to adapt themselves to a variety of life situations; they avoid anything and anyone unfamiliar to them. By nature, they are often combative as well, when people and situations don’t match their pre-conceived molds.

These personalities literally suspect and dislike a large number of the persons they must interact with. It starts with family, and extends to many others they cannot avoid in society, such as doctors, hairdressers, insurance agents, sales clerks, just to name very few.

Naturally, it is most reasonable that humans should be on guard, to avoid unnecessary intrusions from undesirable manipulators or unscrupulous agents of any kind. But living with suspicion of anyone or anything is more a mark of bondage than a display of the freedom and courage all human creatures can enjoy.

People should carefully choose their battles and fight each one to win. But being isolated from others, or displaying a resistant attitude all the time, will often lead to defeat far more than to genuine conquest! If we cut ourselves from others, we not only miss what others may have to offer us, but we also limit our influence, by depriving them from receiving what we are able to share!

St. Paul in Romans 12:18 urges his readers: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” One will hardly impact others if suspicious of them; neither will one receive the benefits those persons are capable of providing.

Most of our fears are imaginary, not real. Some people spend more time and energy engaging in fictitious warfare, instead of reserving all their resources to fight and win the real, tangible battles which will occasionally assail them. Avoid adding fuel to any fire, or starting unworthy conflicts.

A life lived in perpetual suspicion is a life half-lived; it is a form of imprisonment instead of “the liberty by which Christ has made us free” (Galatians 5:1); it is unhealthy fear rather than the recognition of Emmanuel’s reality - “God with us.” God’s redeemed are under His perpetual watch and loving care!

Humans are most free when under the grip of the all-powerful, sovereign God of the universe. As an old prayer-hymn entreats: “Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.” And Isaiah reassures God’s people of all ages, through his address to the Almighty: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (26:3).

The child of God cultivates a peaceful disposition first with the Lord, giving one’s self the security needed to face people and the multiple situations life forces us into. Without Christ people live on a “minus” sign; but His cross is a “plus” sign, for a “plus” life, lived not in fear nor in defeat but “from victory unto victory”!

The praises which truly honor God are often expressed through actions, more than those stemming from words uttered or songs raised. God Himself had alluded to that in the Old Testament, when He lamented about some people who “worship me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.”

The same applies to several other acts of personal devotion. Whatever one says or does initially, needs to be backed up with consistency through tangible examples. Christian living is more than a one time commitment. Only the new birth occurs once; everything else is repeated, enhanced, and requires steady advances into higher levels.

The safest way to honor God, to please Him truly, is to follow the blueprint He left behind for all His redeemed. He desires the very best for all who have come to Him. Yet, His children have unique responsibilities to fulfill so as to advance as they must!

Author John L. Mason reminds his readers that “Man is responsible to God for becoming what God has made possible for him to become.” Sometimes we need to discard several things, even good ones, in order to appropriate the missing ingredient which will lead us on - that which truly contributes to our betterment.

After his Damascus road experience, Paul recognized the futility of all his previous pursuits. Exciting as many of his earlier experiences had been, he determined to know Christ as completely as he could. And to that end, he had to abandon anything and everything that would be in the way of his steady, continual growth in the new life he had found (Philippians 3:5-11).

People learn, at conversion, that they have been redeemed from sin, and will not face eternal darkness and damnation in the end. Yet, many often ignore what is available to them right now, including what may be unpleasant in the present, as well as how they may meet the challenges of today victoriously!

Several are seeking answers to “ultimate” questions while remaining at a loss regarding how to cope with the here and now. On the other hand, the higher one may want to go, the deeper must one’s foundations be, with respect to things present, as well as things to come.

God is always inviting His children to a higher plane, for it is there that their true fulfillment will be reached. God’s people are called to look up, to lift their eyes, for much that surrounds them on earth is in decay. Their true motivation and encouragement comes from above!

As I often say, don’t be overly preoccupied with the life you didn’t live. Instead, concentrate on the life you still have, and make the best of it, with God’s help! Recognize always what may cause you to trip and fall, to retard your progress, and quickly remove those stumbling blocks to clear the path God provided for you to travel. Even the best roads may not allow you to reach your destination, unless you overcome the obstacles found along the way!

It is sad, but true, that many members of the human race live their days in total distance from God. Obviously, many of these do so because they don’t believe He exists. Others, nevertheless, may be conscious of His existence but do not look seriously at the relationship they can and should maintain with Him. As a result, the latter will seek Him out only in moments of special need or distress.

As a committed Christian I prefer an everyday God, instead of one sought on Sundays only, or at other moments of dire emergency. Whether one realizes it or not, all humans live “coram Deo” - before the face of God. The Psalmist had recognized that in his day when he wrote in Psalm 139:7-8: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”

Although God is everywhere, He made it easier for humans to see Him when He sent Jesus into the world. Otherwise, people would be looking at different places, finding evidences of His presence but not His real Self (Hebrews 1:3).

God still makes Himself available to anyone seeking Him, anytime of day or night. And all individuals need His guidance and help, not just on week-ends, not merely at tough, distressing moments, but every second of each day! One doesn’t serve a human master for six days, and God for only one day! We cannot be independent of God as individuals, and much less as a nation. He dispenses wisdom to those who seek it from Him, and remains the fount of every blessing, the giver of every good and perfect gift.

Remember: If God is not satisfying your life, don’t blame Him nor others for such lack; just blame your self. You are either ignoring what He sends for your wellbeing, or you are not fully eligible for what He may have in store for you!

If you are serious in keeping company with the everyday God rather than an occasional one, develop a consistent fellowship with Him, whereby daily you read and meditate on His Word, address Him in prayer, and contemplate His mighty acts, as you enjoy the universe He fashioned, and the gifts He consistently sends.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1) and out of trouble. He leads His own “in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3b). All those who have found Him, and in faith have come to Him, now recognize that without His aid they can do nothing; they cannot even lift up a finger but for His grace alone!

Because of the merits of Christ we are accepted by Him, we are secure in Him, and we are eternally safe in His everlasting arms. He is not good just for some things, He is not encountered only at certain times, He is not extravagant in His love only one time. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also, freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). You obviously know the right answer, don’t you?

Although the Gospel of Christ remains the dynamite of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), much of what Christianity displays in this 21st century is often devoid of true power. A faith which is characterized by the blood shed for the remission of sins, quite frequently shows more signs of anemia than of vitality. And to the extent it remains so, it will have no lasting effect in the world.

It is not the names which individuals may ascribe to themselves that count; it is the transformation a life consistently manifests that makes a difference. Indeed, being a Christian does not signify a mere exchange of label, but a noticeable alteration of life. The biblical imperatives of repentance and faith are often substituted by signing a card, walking forward, or receiving baptism, with little, if any, genuine change of mind and of conduct.

More and more one finds ministries adapting themselves to the world instead of challenging current values and claims. There is more imitation of contemporary mores rather than a clear display of the uniqueness of Christian faith.

Just think: if the church offers what society already cherishes, there will be little or no motivation for radical change. Some contemporary Christian leaders may be taking their clues from a wrong script, instead of receiving their orders from God’s unchanging truth.

It is true that in His days on earth Christ fellowshipped with many who were the scum of the earth, such as publicans, prostitutes, and other types of sinners. Yet, His intent was never to leave them in their current, chaotic condition; His purpose was one of rescuing each from the devastating effects of their miscalculated, erroneous choices.

Many segments of the Church today are far too comfortable in the world and, thus, cannot challenge the ways of secular culture which many have already adopted as their own. Yet, Christians are to find their identity in Christ alone, not in the passing fads of any age! As Dick Keyes posits, “Jesus calls us to maintain our dissonant relationship to the world without rigidity or isolation from it.”

Christians are and shall always be “strangers and pilgrims” on earth; their presence in any society is to transform it. As salt and light, Christians are not to accomodate themselves to the agenda which the world attempts to impose on many of its inhabitants. God’s people are to challenge all assumptions and consistently offer a better alternative - the way of Christ, which provides life abundant on earth and the assurance of life everlasting in heaven!

An easy faith will never challenge a follower into continual growth, nor motivate the acquisition of new dimensions of faith to be applied to every facet of life and work. And people who remain content with the status quo shall fail to go and grow, as they can and must!

The issues which ultimately impact individual lives, are not necessarily sensational experiences, the most expensive items given, nor that which involves much public display. Instead, they entail meaningful, simple acts of kindness silently performed for the benefit of other people.

Every single day, an important item in my prayers is the request: “Dear God, help me positively to touch someone today, by word or deed!” Repeatedly the Lord grants that petition by making me more alert to a variety of situations around me, showing me the way on how best to respond to each. Our most significant task on earth is to make a difference for good!

There is no greater joy than to end each day and look back, recognizing some good done, some word of cheer conveyed, or any other tangible means of making another life better in some way. It may come through a smile we inspire, a cheer we offer, a word we say, or a small gift we provide!

In my roles as a public speaker, I address several groups weekly. Quite often, these are pre-planned and scheduled, while at other occasions more spontaneously given. Yet, in either case I attempt always to provide positive reminders and encouraging thoughts as genuine uplifts to people.

I’m often amazed at how little it takes to impact another person if we are proper in all our ways, choosing our words carefully as the vehicles which can best make an indelible difference in those who see and hear me. My caring agenda has no hidden items nor motives!

In stores and restaurants, as well as other public establishments, workers often meet with uncaring persons who deal with them unkindly. We can make a vital difference by restoring their sense of personal worth through the tenderness with which we approach them, by the kind words we use toward them, by our positive posture in meeting them.

All this must stem from a loving heart, attuned to the pulsations of God’s own heart. What we say or do should spring from sincere motives or that will make no difference whatsoever. It can never represent flattery, for that can easily be uncovered and promptly discarded!

A Christian may know the theological vocabulary well, may quote Scripture profusely, may defend the faith accurately. But unless one speaks the language of love to one’s neighbor, all else is of no avail. Individually and collectively, Christians should strive to meet the real, emotional malnourishment prevalent in society today!

While all seek their own, make it your goal to go after the things of Christ, and translate them into good deeds for the benefit of others. Your concrete love for persons validates your professed love for God! Therefore, never put off an act of caring, for tomorrow you may be unable to fulfill it.

The Bible is replete with illustrations of God’s plan for His children in its perfect unfolding throughout human history. The message is also clear that this happens not once or twice, not just occasionally, but always!

It also occurs not only with some people, but with everyone of God’s chosen everywhere. It is true that at times it may involve distress and some pain, but even then it is part of His perfect design for all His own.

As the late Amy Carmichael once wrote, “We are not here to be overcome, but to rise unvanquished after every knock-out blow, and laugh the laugh of faith, not fear.

Indeed, regardless of circumstances, a divine imperative remains unaltered: “Fear Not” - an expression which, I’m told, appears no less than 365 times in Holy Scripture. It is addressed to individuals, to families, to groups, and to God’s family in its entirety, at all times and places, from the first moment God’s interactions with His human creatures began.

We live today in a world which is becoming increasingly more complicated. With the steady population explosion, evil appears more dominant as further confirmation of the sin nature which is inherent to all human creatures. As a result, to some individuals, God even appears distant and disinterested, if not dead as others have erroneously proclaimed.

But God’s Word is true in its entirety! Many of its prophetic utterances have been literally fulfilled in different ages and siatuations. And what is yet to come to pass shall occur precisely as the Bibole describes it. This includes not only judgment and condemnation, butalso God’s continuing care of His own, the promise of His love, and the reassurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us under any circumstances.

Faith is the only antidote for fear. And we are talking here of faith in God and in His unfailing promises, since “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6a). Amazingly, without faith it is also impossible to please ourselves, for where faith is weak or absent, fear dominates and living on earth becomes more difficult, if not unbearable.

You need not be afraid, anywhere, anytime. LOok back into your personal history and recognize the instances when God came to your aid; hold on to God’s promises toward a future yet unknown, and live with confidence, in greater dependence on His infinite, unlimited resources! As the Moravian denomination has as its motto: “Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him!”

Among the many reasons for which people should be grateful to God, is His gift of words to human kind. Through these wonderful tools persons can communicate. They are the necessary vehicles for human interaction and achievement. For those unable to speak, sign language has been provided; for people without sight, the Braille method enables them to learn and advance in life! There is power in words!

How exciting it is for parents to recognize the very first word their infant child started to pronounce! How thrilling it becomes for parents, guardians and teachers to further guide young children in the proper use of words, at the right times, and for specific reasons. Anyone easily remembers those “magic” words such as “please” and “thank you” which youngsters are taught for successful social contacts, as they progressively mature.

Similar to the charm of first words from little children is also the significance of the last word or words spoken by someone just before dying. Family members are often affected by what was uttered; friends and other relatives are equally eager to know what was said.

It is a known fact that words evolve and even change in meaning. One is also aware that words can edify just as they are capable of destroying. Jesus’ three-year ministry on earth positively affected people through the power of His speech, as the Word of God Incarnate. Some of his contemporaries marvelled: “No man spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46)

Impacting words are coated with truth, power, and love. Jesus’ words manifested those qualities, and our talk can also do the same. Words convey meaning, provide challenges, inspire action! Great speeches of history have been preserved to be passed on from generation to generation. Several works of literature have become immortal, as their authors were, in terms of their continuing significance.

Worthy of notice are British journalist and author, Malcolm Muggeridge’s remarks: “Words can be polluted even more dramatically and drastically than rivers and land and sea. There has been a terrible destruction of words in our time.”

The greatest pollution of words, however, occurs when they misrepresent a fact, or are used in “double-talk” or in any evil, negative fashion. Sadly this takes place more frequently than one might recognize, when false promises are made, when words are used as an attacking weapon, or in other improper ways.

Yet, of one thing we may remain ever certain: “The Word of the Lord stands forever! (Isaiah 40:8). “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Our Christian hope is grounded on the Word of God Incarnate, as well as in God’s written Word, the Bible. His promises are real; His commandments are valid. They provide an infallible guide for this life and the next, for what God has said has eternal significance; God’s Truth is forever contemporary and fully relevant!

One of the most beautiful pictures the Bible paints, pertains to the relationship Christians have to one another. It appears in different ways, depending on where you are reading in the New Testament.

Perhaps the most colorful illustration is that of a body and its many parts. It tells that we are all interdependent, that we belong together, and are all members of one another.

Although it is very easy for anyone to understand this issue from the spiritual standpoint, it is often a bit hard to practice that reality here on earth. Yet, not only in the exercise of one’s faith, but in the living of our daily lives in any situation, we may benefit from what some persons may offer us, just as others can also profit from what we may be ready and willing to impart to them.

It is very sad when pride, arrogance, impatience, or timidity keeps one from seeking support from others. Some persons fear to ask for anything, wrongfully assuming that it makes them inferior; they prefer to give the appearance of having it all, or of knowing it all, about everything.

When people come to me for counsel on any matter I’m capable of helping, I begin the session by praising them for seeking assistance instead of acting on their own impulses, or depending solely on their own insights. It is always a sign of strength instead of a demonstration of weakness when people are ready to solicit the aid of others, when these others can indeed provide it!

I never forget an episodo of the TV program “Candid Camera,” viewed close to fifty years ago. It depicted people at a Diner’s counter, drinking their morning coffee. To see how people would act, the program directors had glued cups to their saucers. Yet, out of several persons sipping their coffee in that strange manner, perhaps only about two were bold enough to inquire about that strange situation, or to ask for another cup, detached from its saucer. All others sought no exchange of utensils, even if inconvenienced by that experience. Some people thought it was a new trend, one got disgusted and didn’t finish his drink, a few used their spoons to imbibe the content from the entire cup, while still others tried in vain to remove the cup from the saucer. But only two, at most, ever asked for an explanation!

We can avoid unnecessary headaches, we can become better informed, we can learn many new things, if we simply ask those whom God has placed around us to aid us in a variety of situations and circumstances. There should be no fear of being made debtors to others on any issue; neither is our intelligence or power diminished when we raise a question or seek a favor from anyone, whomever she or he maybe!

Even though our ultimate aid comes from above, may we never miss anything that God may be sending our way through others, due to our sense of superiority, personal arrogance, or any such illegitimate feeling. Let us also, likewise, be available to others by responding to their needs, or in initiating what may enrich their lives or promote their wellbeing!

In all his writings, the late Dr. Sam Shoemaker often discussed some awesome practical truths. In one of his books he suggested that “it is a tremendous thing to realize that we may truly be the bridges between God and people.” How wonderful and true!

This, of course, is not limited to full-time Christian workers. It remains a primary task for any Christian eager to serve God through helping people. The challenge issued in Proverbs 3 is crystal clear: “Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person.”

Help reaches others, and impacts them in varied ways and shapes: It may be through words we utter, by a healthy attitude we convey, or as the result of a concrete deed we display. It may positively affect a person instantly, or it may take a while to produce its legitimate effect.

Although not every problem we detect in others is of a spiritual nature, every solution we seek must always be guided by God’s revealed truth in Holy Scripture. Jay E. Adams goes as far as to affirm that “whenever well-meant help is not biblically directed, it does more harm than good. It amounts to bad advice, leading to harmful action.”

If help is requested of us, we need to determine first of all if it is the kind we can indeed provide, if we have the time it will take to offer it, if we are spiritually, emotionally, and physically fit to give it, and even if we actually want to help at all. WE should never forget that Jesus Himself often ran away from many who sought Him for aid. He chose carefully the situations or conditions He felt led to deal with among the people He came to serve.

Quite often a need is perceived by us long before the person facing it may desire to seek human help. We may choose to volunteer our aid, or just wait until it is asked of us. Many people, due to pride or anything else, prefer to suffer alone, and that is a decision we need to respect. Others may fear their privacy is invaded whenever somebody else does things for them - even helping in time of need.

When the aid needed enables a brother or sister to maximize his or her Christian experience, our intervention is always expedient. Large segments of the Christian population, anywhere, still do not know everything that is abundantly available to them in Christ. As someone put it, “One of the reasons so much unhappiness prevails in our culture isprecisely because so many people live lives unconnected to Christ.”

There may be times, however, when shaking the dust off our shoes may be necessary, as our offer of assistance is repeatedly declined. Thus, may we be wise in determining where our potential help can make the greatest difference in meeting human need with the resources God dispenses for us to share!