The Ten Minutes That Matter

You have a public life. It’s the part everybody sees. There aren’t many who don’t give at least some thought to how they appear to others. That’s why my most frequent fashion question is, “Does this look ok?” I’m not even sure what “ok” is all the time but a certain part of me fears not getting there. It’s not just clothing, it’s the impression you make: calm, cool, and sophisticated, that’s the ticket. Or competent. Or deep. Or spiritually strong. Sometimes you want people to think you care. Sometimes you want them to think you just don’t care because you are that confident and together. But whatever the goal, we can all give a lot of time and attention to carefully crafting an image.

Many have a professional life. That’s where you perform for a paycheck. You tell someone, “I’ll get the job done.” Every day you go out there and put your effort, skill, and energy toward fulfilling a promise and getting a reward in return.

You have a personal life. You interact with family and friends. You have conversations and go to Dairy Queen and take walks together.

And, we all have a private life. Our private life is hidden from everybody else.  But here’s the thing, who you really are is determined by what you do in your private life. It’s alone, in a private place that you think through your values and decide what matters. It’s in the private moments that you connect with God, confess, repent, surrender, and settle the matter of who’s in charge in your life that day. You don’t build your character while you’re in public, at work, or with your family. If it’s going to happen, it happens when you are there in your private world, through feeding on the Word and the wisdom of others.

Everything about your public, professional, and personal life depends on what happens in the hidden, secret, solitary minutes of the day. The strength of a building doesn’t depend on the flooring or the paint or the pictures on the wall. What matters are the solid timbers and steel beams and the foundation that are hidden from sight.

So, are you giving time and attention to your private life?  Maybe tomorrow take ten minutes to set some priorities, remind yourself of the kind of person you want to be, read some Scripture, and tell God you need Him. All of that will show up in the rest of your day in a very good way.

Do Something Good Today

I love this description of Jesus from the book of Acts in the New Testament:

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

He went around doing good.

Is there better advice for how to live life? Here are a few thoughts on doing good.

1. Do something good today because that is what you were made for. The New Testament doesn't teach that you are by your good works but you were most definitely saved FOR good works. You don’t have the capacity to do every good thing...but you were made to do some good things. In the area of your strengths and gifts and capabilities, do some good things tomorrow.

2. Do something good today because you doing good will please your Father in heaven.  Jesus made it clear, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) It's the "doing" that shows the reality of inner, genuine saving faith.

3. Do something good because the good things you do are the building blocks of a better world. It is true, we reap what we sow. Do good and good will come from it.

4. Do something good today and don’t let the devil keep you on the sidelines. Evil will whisper in your ear, "Who are you to try?  You're a nobody and your efforts will be wasted." Ignore that nonsense.

5. Do something good today and don’t listen to your excuses. “It’s not my job.”  “I”m too busy.”  “I’m too old.”  “I’m too young.”  “I don’t know how.” Ignore this nonsense too. Refuse to listen to your excuses.

6. Do something good today and don’t let past failures stop you. You may think the mistakes you’ve made in the past disqualify you from doing good today. If only people without past failures were eligible to do good then good things would never be done. Samson and Peter and Paul and many others...did their best work after they’d made serious mistakes.

7. Do something good today even if it seems like it's too small to matter.   Only God gets to decide what’s big and what’s little when it comes to doing good. I suspect the widow who did a small good thing in giving her mite to the Temple treasury is glad she didn’t think that act too small to count. I imagine that the boy with his lunch of fish and loaves is glad he was willing to do a small thing as well. You may have a sense of exactly what you could do and yet you hesitate because it seems so meaningless. Do the good things that are in your path regardless of how small they may seem.

8. Do something good even if it involves a task that seems too big for you.  If God puts the big job in your path, find the first small thing you can do towards tackling the big job and get after it. Every big job gets done because someone makes up their mind to start it.

9.  Do something good today because your family needs it. Family is responsibile to take care of family. Today there is some good thing that needs to be done for a family member. You can turn a few spare minutes into a chance to bless and help your spouse or a  child or a parent. You can warm their hearts and create the kind of family spirit that we all want in our homes. It may just be that someone else in the family is watching and the next generation may end up doing even more good things because of what they learned from you.

10. Do something good today for the glory of God and the love of others. Don’t get caught up in the need for applause or affirmation.

11. Do something good today because you need it. There is nothing that will bring you greater joy than doing good for others. The secret to self-esteem is to forget about yourself and do good for others. The more you focus on others doing good for you, the more miserable and unhappy you’ll be. You will never be more satisfied and fulfilled and happy in life then when you are doing good for others. Today, for your own sake, do something good and you just will find yourself at the end of the day, maybe a bit tired but able to look back with joy and gratitude on a day full of good things done.

Four Words. Four Prayers.

Listened to Annie Lamott (my new favorite) this morning.   (See her talk here.) .   She said there are only three prayers.  “Help.”   “Thanks.”   “Wow.”   There is some truth there.   I'll add one more.  "Sorry."

Help
I think we honor God when every day we ask Him for help with everything.   Our asking shows that we really believe He’s that powerful and that kind-hearted.  Our asking shows that we really understand how much we need help.  When we ask for help we exalt Him and we walk in an appropriate humility.

Here’s a great bit of instruction about asking for help all the time in everything from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
                Philippians 4:6-7

Thanks
Everything is a gift.  Every new day.  Every bit of sleep.   Every old friend and every new friend.  Every good thing.  And even the tough things are a gift to help us trust and grow and change.

Wow
God does amazing things doesn’t He?    When we trust Him across the years He guides us to places we could have never gotten to on our own and looking back we say, “wow.”   When we let His Spirit and his Word shape us, we become better people than we would have ever become on our own and we say “wow.”  We look at the intricate complexity of this world and the more we see how remarkable it is, we can only say “wow.”

Sorry
Sometimes we will fail.   Everyone reading this has pride issues and selfishness issues.  At times, fear drives all of us to anger and worry and other bad places.   That’s when we can just say, “sorry.”   And we can know that I John 1:9 is true, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”


Four words. Four prayers for all of us to pray.

Choosing Humility

There is nothing nice about pride.

I’m not talking about the pride which is akin to gratefulness.  I’m proud of my children.  I’m proud of my college.  Those sorts of pride are different.

 I’m talking about the pride that thinks, “I’m better than everybody else.”   That’s the dangerous kind of pride and from what I can tell, we all carry that with us like an invisible virus that’s just waiting to flare up.

A few weeks ago as I was preaching through I Peter, we came to I Peter 5:5 ‘In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,  “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

I love the picture of every morning, consciously choosing to put on humility.  Just as I select a shirt out of the closet, I can also choose the attitudes of my heart.

Paul seems to be saying that having humility is not automatic for any of us.  We have to reject the pride option and come out clearly on the side of humility every day.   It seemed to me that it would be helpful then to think about what the two attitudes look like.   I came up with this list which is helpful to me and may be to you.  I doubt it’s complete but it’s a start toward thinking about the issue.

1. Pride is bossy and controlling.  Humility is easygoing and sees leadership as service.
     
2.  Pride wants to be sure and get the credit, humility is content to have served.
   
3.  Pride is harsh and demanding.  Humility is gentle and understanding.
   
4. Pride doesn’t think about the feelings of others in the conversation or in the moment.   Humility is tender and empathetic.

5. Pride can be rigid and unbending. Humility is flexible and can adjust.

6. Pride is sinfully independent. Humility is gracefully interdependent.
    Pride would rather die than ask for help.
   The humble values the help of others and easily, comfortably acknowledges their need for help.

7.  The proud person is frustrated with the imperfections and weaknesses of others.  The humble soul is patient and accepting.

8.   Pride has to be heard NOW or else. Humility can wait.

9.    Pride hates to apologize. Humility is eager to set things right.
       Pride will defend, justify, ignore what happened, hide from responsibility and resist any suggestion of fault.  Humility will find no problem in recognizing that they can be wrong.

10.  Pride feels entitled. Humility is grateful.

11.  Pride hates correction and the suggestion there might be something lacking. Humility welcomes it because it is fully aware that there is room to grow.

12. Pride secretly thinks “I’m better.” Humility knows, “I’m not special.”

13.  Pride wants (needs?) to be better than...   Humility is content to do well.

 14. Pride automatically loves its own ideas best.  Humility welcomes everyone’s input
   Pride really wishes everybody would just keep their thoughts to themselves...because, why bother...”haven’t I spoken?”
   Humility honestly, welcomes everyone’s input and questions and thoughts:

15.  Pride makes others feel small.  Humility helps others feel significant and valued.

16. Pride is closed to instruction.     Humility is eager to learn.

17. Pride is mortified when mistakes are made or weakness exposed.  Humility is not shocked or embarrassed,  but ready to correct, learn, and improve.

This is a list I need to read often.  I hope it’s helpful for you as well.

Four Reasons For The Gospel Study Guide.

1.  Children aren’t born knowing the Gospel.

    There is nothing automatic about the process of a person coming to understand and believe.

     Teaching and learning have to happen.  Your child’s sport team has scheduled practices. They set a time and place and begin to learn the basics.  You may have already said, “let’s go to the backyard.  I'll show you how to kick a ball or swing a bat.”   In the same way, you can set a time and place and begin to teach your child the lessons of faith that can lead them to their own relationship with God.
 

2.  You need a plan and a tool that will work TODAY.

    You are busy, busy.  You don’t have time to create a plan or invent and build a tool. You need something that’s ready to go, straight out of the box.   Once the Gospel Study Guide and a Bible are in your hands, there is no preparation necessary.  Find Session One and start.  It’s really that simple.

3.   Understanding builds over time.

    Very, very few of us “get it” the first time we are shown anything.

   We need multiple exposures to an idea.  We need to hear it and then hear it again.  Repetition and review are built into the Gospel Study Guide.  Over time, understanding deepens.

4.    The Word of God is powerful. 

      The Holy Spirit has always used the Word to bring about saving faith.   “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”  Romans 10:17     The Gospel Study Guide leads your children and teens into Scriptures that teach the big truths about our sin, God’s grace, and the work of Jesus.

Want to know more?

Email me at clark956@hotmail.com.  Or, if you are local, come this Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 PM to Faith Baptist in Tioga.   You can see the Guide for yourself.  I'll spend out about 45 minutes explaining the process, walking you through the Guide, and answering questions.

The response of so many to the news I shared about The Gospel Study Guide (GSG) has been very encouraging!  Thanks everyone.

I thought I would mention a few things about this new resource so here are five things I want you to know.


1.    This is 100% a PRE-conversion tool to help students come to really understand what the Bible teaches about our sin, the work of Jesus, God’s grace, and faith.   As a pastor, I am often approached by children and youth who want to be baptized.  I want to be sure that they have deeply understood the Gospel and said a whole-hearted “YES” to it before they are baptized.  Those of us in Baptist and other like-minded churches hear this story often: “I was baptized when I was 6 or 7 or 8 but I really didn’t know what I was doing.  It was later that my faith became real.”    It seems to me that we can prevent those kinds of confusing experiences with better teaching.  I couldn't find a resource that addressed this need so over the last few years I've been developing one.  Now, here it is.

2.   This resource can be used by anybody - student, parent, church leader, in any setting.   The GSG takes the user through the Scriptures and the key concepts of the Gospel.  There are answer pages in the back so you can check your responses.  You don’t have to be an expert or a professional.  You can do this!

3.   There are several pages of instructions and guidance for the students who will use the GSG and for the parents or other adults leading sessions.   If you choose to use the GSG, I strongly encourage you to read these pages.

4.    This is the kind of study that a pre-teen or youth can work through more than once.  In fact, the more times they walk through it the better!   Some who have genuinely said “yes” to the Gospel will benefit from gaining a clearer, sharper understanding of what they did when they trusted Jesus to be their Savior.

5.   We all want our children and teenagers to experience this wonderful thing we call being saved.  But wishful thinking is not enough.   The Holy Spirit doesn’t use  vague hints or indirect pressure.   The Spirit uses the Gospel to convict and create faith.    The guide provides a structure for a sustained exposure to the Gospel facts.  This is a long look at what this thing called the Gospel is all about.  This is a tool to help the child deeply engage with the Gospel.  

     If you are looking for something that is quick and easy...this is not for you.   This for the parent or pastor who wants to bring an older student through a sustained interaction with Bible passages that teach Gospel basics.  This allows the child to discover the Gospel for him or herself.  It requires their mental engagement with the hope that it will lead to heart engagement.
   This will require a serious commitment of time but this is, after all, a serious issue.

Copies are available for $10 plus $2 for postage costs.   Email me at clark956@hotmail.com.   If you find this resource helpful, I hope you’ll tell other parents and/or church leaders about it.

Thanks!
Clark Palmer

Walking In Our Forgiveness

Let’s talk about being chronically miserable because of the sinful/dumb/foolish things we did in the past. 

Let’s talk about that inner voice that says, “You can’t worship, pray, serve, because of that thing or those things.”  Or, “You shouldn’t even mix with those other, ‘decent’ people.”   

You hear those voices and sharp-edged feelings of guilt and shame explode inside you.  

I suspect that all of us have some experience with guilt and shame.   We’ve all behaved in ways that fell short of what God intended and short of what others expected and needed.   For some, the past may seem littered with a thousand small instances of failure.  The memory of those multiple mistakes is ever present, stealing the joy from today.   For others, the present is haunted by that one big failure in the past that still clouds every day. 

On the one hand, those of us who are believers would affirm our belief that when Jesus died on the cross, it was for our sins.  We believe what we sing... “Jesus Paid It All.”   But the truth is we don’t always feel it.   We aren’t walking in the forgiveness that was granted us when we put our faith in Jesus.

So we carry extra baggage with us through each day.   Guilt.  Shame.  Fear.  Sadness.  Emptiness.  Hopelessness.  Like a low grade fever these drag us down.

   

Events....trigger memories that trigger shame.  Opportunities....excite you but then you remember... ”Oh wait, I’m not fit.  I’m not worthy.   I can’t serve.  I can’t attend.  I can’t pray.  I can’t speak up.  Who am I to get involved?”

  

We aren’t walking in our forgiveness.   

Walking in your forgiveness means that each day you actively remember what the Bible says about the sins of your past.   

Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

All of Psalm 32, but especially verse 5, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.    I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”  And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

All of Psalm 103, and best of all verses 11-12, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth,  so great is his love for those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west,  so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

How will you greet the new day with joy again?   By walking in your forgiveness

How will you be real again?  By believing what God says about your sin

How will you serve again?   By fully owning the fresh start God gives to those who confess. 

How will you worship and pray again?  By knowing you stand fully accepted before God because Jesus took your sin with him to the cross. 

You have to walk in your forgiveness. 

Shut down the relentless attack by your memories.  

Healing of the memories comes as you stand up to that part of your mind that puts the record of your past sin on "repeat" so that it plays over and over. 
Sternly, firmly tell that accusing memory to be silent.
Subdue the voice that whispers ''condemned."

It speaks lies.

When those thoughts say, “You are worthless and unacceptable,” you can forcefully respond with the truth:  “That’s not what the Word says.  The Word says I’m a cherished, beloved child of my heavenly Father."

Live in  joy.   Approach God in prayer.  Say yes to the chance to serve.  Take your place among the believers for worship.   Pull up a chair and take part in fellowship with the rest of the forgiven sinners.

Walk in your forgiveness.