Forgive Those Who Haven’t Sinned

Story of the Day for Tuesday February 2, 2016

Forgive Those Who Haven’t Sinned

For we all stumble in many ways.

James 3:2

The Netherlands is a flat country, so it is no surprise that the Dutch ski team has yet to make its mark in the winter Olympics. When it comes to speed skating, however, they own the ice.

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02132/veteransMarathon_2132253i.jpg)

The men’s 10,000 meters, a grueling 25 lap race, is the crown of the skating events. For the last three Olympics, the Dutch have won gold in this event, and it is a major source of national pride.

In the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver, Sven Kramer skated the 10,000 meters for a fourth consecutive gold medal. As he crossed the finish, Kramer raised his arms in triumph . . . until he was informed he was disqualified for an illegal lane change.

Kramer’s coach, Gerard Kemkers, was responsible. With eight laps to go, Kemkers told Kramer to switch to the inside lane. Confused, Kramer obeyed his coach. But his coach was wrong. Because of the mental error, the rejoicing in the Netherlands turned to disbelief. The headlines in De Telegraaf shouted, “How is this possible!”

Coach Kemkers feels understandably horrible about his mental lapse. He is devoted to helping his country take home the gold.

Many of the Dutch are in no mood to forgive. Kemkers knows full well that he will face humiliation and even hostility when he returns home from Vancouver. He will, undoubtedly, join those in the athletic world who are always remembered for one mistake instead of their hard work and achievements.

The disgust of the Dutch, however, points out a flaw which we all share. We all tend to assess another person’s guilt – not on the basis of their intent, but on the basis of the result of their actions. If a child accidentally spills milk at the dinner table, you may be a little exasperated, but you would probably clean up the mess without much fuss. But if a child accidentally spills a glass of milk on your computer, does the severity of your scolding increase? Learning to respond to a person’s action according to their intent, instead of the damage caused, is a challenge.

But, do you want to know something far more satisfying than celebrating a gold medal for your home country? Reaching out in sympathy and comfort to a forlorn coach responsible for losing a medal. Want to know something far more important than replacing a computer keyboard? Showing a child what God’s patience and understanding is like – because of how you respond to your child.

God tells us to forgive everyone who sins against us. (And you’ll be happy to know that the Lord practices what he preaches!)

But we must also learn to forgive those who haven’t sinned – those who have hurt us simply because they made a mistake.

(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

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Rescue From the Bog

Story of the Day for Tuesday December 1, 2015

Rescue From the Bog

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm

“The grace of God . . . instructs us. . . to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.”

Titus 2:11-12

When kids go to summer camp one of their responsibilities is to plot mischief. You just know that someone is going to get a frog in their bed or the guys are going to raid the girl’s cabins and pull some sort of prank.

Let’s try to imagine this: as the kids wave good-bye to their parents and assemble in the cafeteria, the camp director spells out the rules. One of them is that must never leave the fenced camp boundary. “There are quicksand bogs on the adjoining property,” he warns them, “and it’s very dangerous.”

Off limits? Dangerous? For kids, this is an irresistible enticement. So, in the middle of the night a few boys sneak out of their cabin and climb the fence. Sure enough, there is quicksand out there. And they are stuck. Their struggling only mires them deeper. As they sink to their waists they finally cry out for help.

Eventually they see a flashlight bobbing their way and their sleepy-eyed counselor inspecting the damage. With a big sigh he says, “Didn’t we clearly warn you to stay on the camp property?”

“Yes.”

And didn’t we tell you there were quicksand bogs out here?”

“Yes, we’re sorry.” By this time they are up to their chests in the quicksand.

“Well, I want you to know something,” the counselor says, “I forgive you.” And then he wishes them a good night and goes back to bed.

Can I ask you something? Do you think those boys would be satisfied with the response of their counselor? “Dude! Did you hear that? He forgives us! He’s not mad at us for breaking the rules. Awesome!”

This is not how the story ought to end, is it? But don’t you see that this is exactly how some believers view forgiveness? They think, “I like to sin, and God likes to forgive me and say it’s okay.”

When God forgives us it means that our sins have been taken care of. He’s not holding them against us. But (and here is the point, so listen up) God’s forgiveness means that he also wants to pull us out of the quicksand.

And isn’t that what we want? God’s forgiveness is not a free pass to jump the fence. But when we do jump the fence and get stuck in the bog, know this: Jesus not only will come to tell you he forgives you; he will also reach out his hand because he wants to rescue you from the bog.

(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

 

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The World’s Worst Pet

Story of the Day for Tuesday November 3, 2015

The World’s Worst Pet

Put up with each other and forgive whatever complaints you may have with each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

I just read a list of the worst pets to own. The article held no value to me because I’ve never been tempted to own a Madagascar hissing cockroach, or an iguana (which can grow to six feet and often carries disease), or a boa constrictor (which can do just what its name suggests).

Don’t get me wrong – I do own dangerous and undesirable pets (which, inexplicably, failed to make the list.) I’m not proud of this, but I currently own a menagerie of pet peeves.

http://jaredandkyal.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/petpeeves_hudsonsoundsdcr0800h1.jpg

Pet peeves multiply faster than rabbits, and you waste a lot of time feeding them. A pet peeve, by definition, is something that annoys you. So why I keep adding to my collection of things that irritate me is, to say the least, mystifying.

But, just as mystifying is the new school of thought that help us cope with life’s grievances. The new thinking claims we have a right to be angry. When we experience injustice – or even unfortunate events – we, supposedly, are entitled to be upset.

Well, okay. Maybe it does help to ventilate anger and express grievances. But I can’t help thinking about Charlie Plumb. Lieutenant Plumb was a Navy pilot in the Vietnam War, when he was shot down on May 19, 1967, south of Hanoi. As a POW, he endured unimaginable tortures, starving, and humiliation. Five years and nine months later, Plumb was released and returned to the United States.

Plumb underwent routine psychiatric counseling to help him deal with the trauma from his years of imprisonment. “You have the right,” the psychiatrist kindly told him, “to be bitter.”

But Plumb refused to accept this kind of therapy. “I have the right to be bitter?” he would ask, “That’s like saying I have the right to have diarrhea.”

Now, I doubt if I could stagger out of a prison camp like Charlie Plumb and simply forgive those who tortured me, and get on with life without experiencing deep emotional damage. But, I wish I could.

A few weeks ago, I rode over a thousand miles with a guy named Rob. When I drive I get easily annoyed with other drivers who fail to dim their headlights or signal a turn in busy traffic. But Rob had a different approach. He talked other drivers through their faults. “Hey, buddy,” he would calmly say, “no need to cut so sharply in front of me.” “Hey, buddy, no need to tailgate me; I can’t go any faster than the car in front of me.”

By the end of our trip Rob had a lot of “buddies.” But he taught me that life is better lived when we calmly accept the faults of others rather than adding to our growing list of grievances.

Peeves make lousy pets.

(text copyright 2011 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

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The Intent of Our Heart

Story of the Day for Friday October 9, 2015

The Intent of Our Heart

http://intentblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/my_heart_in_your_hands-300×295.jpg

We all stumble a lot.

James 3:2

A little four-year-old girl has a secret plan. Her mother’s birthday is tomorrow morning, so she is going to make her mommy breakfast in bed.

Her older brother shows her how to set the alarm clock so she can wake up before the rest of the household. Her mom tucks her in for the night, but she can hardly sleep – she is too full of joy at the thought of the present she is going to give her mommy in the morning.

When the alarm goes off, she yawns, tiptoes downstairs into the kitchen, and prepares a birthday feast. She makes toast with jelly (lots of it), pours a glass of orange juice, and heats a pot of hot water for tea. On the tray she puts the birthday card she made the night before.

The little four-year-old bursts into the bedroom, crying, “Surprise! Happy Birthday Mommy!” She beams as she rushes to set the tray on her mother’s lap. But, in her excitement, she trips on the rug by the bed. Orange juice flies everywhere. Hot tea scalds her mother’s arm, and the toast lands on the new quilt – jelly-side down.

As your distraught little girl breaks into tears, what do you do? Will you be furious because of the hot tea water that splattered on your arm? Will you punish her for the damage done to your quilt?

Or will you hug her tight and say, “It’s okay, sweetheart! It was an accident. Thank you for making me such a special breakfast. I love you!”

Think hard about how you would respond to your brokenhearted little daughter, because that little girl is you.

All of us stumble through life. The problem, however, is that we’re usually lousy at assessing our guilt. We tend to feel guilt based on the consequences of our behavior, rather than the intent of our heart.

But, the unintentional mistakes we make can occasionally have big consequences. As long as we assess our guilt based on the degree of damage we caused, rather than the intent of our heart, we will never find relief from our feelings of guilt.

When I said that the little girl who stumbled was you, I didn’t just mean that, like her, you goof up a lot (which we all do).

What I was really getting at, is that Jesus doesn’t punish you based on the consequences of your mistakes. Instead, in your grief, he is crying with you. He wants to wrap you up in his love, and let you know that it’s okay.

God always offers forgiveness for the sins of our heart. And he has nothing but love and understanding for the disastrous mistakes we never intended.

(text copyright 2011 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

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The World’s Worst Pet

Story of the Day for Tuesday March 3, 2015

The World’s Worst Pet

 

                    Put up with each other and forgive whatever complaints you may have with each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

Colossians 3:13

I just read a list of the worst pets to own. The article held no value to me because I’ve never been tempted to own a Madagascar hissing cockroach, or an iguana (which can grow to six feet and often carries disease), or a boa constrictor (which can do just what its name suggests).

Don’t get me wrong – I do own dangerous and undesirable pets (which, inexplicably, failed to make the list.)  I’m not proud of this, but I currently own a menagerie of pet peeves.

Pet peeves multiply faster than rabbits, and you waste a lot of time feeding them. A pet peeve, by definition, is something that annoys you. So why I keep adding to my collection of things that irritate me is, to say the least, mystifying.

But, just as mystifying is the new school of thought that help us cope with life’s grievances. The new thinking claims we have a right to be angry. When we experience injustice – or even unfortunate events – we, supposedly, are entitled to be upset.

Well, okay. Maybe it does help to ventilate anger and express grievances. But I can’t help thinking about Charlie Plumb. Lieutenant Plumb was a Navy pilot in the Vietnam War, when he was shot down on May 19, 1967, south of Hanoi. As a POW, he endured unimaginable tortures, starving, and humiliation. Five years and nine months later, Plumb was released and returned to the United States.

Plumb underwent routine psychiatric counseling to help him deal with the trauma from his years of imprisonment. “You have the right,” the psychiatrist kindly told him, “to be bitter.”

But Plumb refused to accept this kind of therapy. “I have the right to be bitter?” he would ask, “That’s like saying I have the right to have diarrhea.”

Now, I doubt if I could stagger out of a prison camp like Charlie Plumb and simply forgive those who tortured me, and get on with life without experiencing deep emotional damage. But, I wish I could.

A few weeks ago, I rode over a thousand miles with a guy named Rob. When I drive I get easily annoyed with other drivers who fail to dim their headlights or signal a turn in busy traffic. But Rob had a different approach. He talked other drivers through their faults. “Hey, buddy,” he would calmly say, “no need to cut so sharply in front of me.” “Hey, buddy, no need to tailgate me; I can’t go any faster than the car in front of me.”

By the end of our trip Rob had a lot of “buddies.” But he taught me that life is better lived when we calmly accept the faults of others rather than adding to our growing list of grievances.

Peeves make lousy pets.

(text copyright 2011 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

(image: http://thehilljean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pet-Peeve.jpg)

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The Earthy People

Story of the Day for Monday January 19, 2015

The Earthy People

Accept each other, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:7

You’ve heard of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Have you also heard of the Am ha aretz? The Pharisee’s need to feel loved meant they had to be better than others. But, for them to be superior, somebody had to be inferior. And so, they called the “common” people, who were not as religious as they were, the Am ha Aretz, which literally means “the earthy people.”

A pious Pharisee would not invite “common people” to dinner, would not converse with them in the street, and did their best to keep their shadow from touching them. The Pharisees were very religious, very moral – because they felt they must, somehow, earn God’s love and approval.

But their pathetic need for approval turned cruel. They viewed those who were physically sick or deformed as cursed by God for their sin. Thus, they banned them from entrance to the temple. If you were blind or lame, for example, you could not go to the temple to pray or worship or offer a sacrifice. You were classed as one rejected by God.

Is it any surprise that the Pharisees were outraged at Jesus’ behavior? He gravitated to the sick, the weak, the sinful, and showed them compassion. He touched lepers and other people considered “unclean.” He ate with tax collectors and whores. Jesus said that it was not the healthy who needed a doctor, but the sick. And, like a caring physician, he had come to help those who are weak and helpless.

Jesus came with this simple, clear message: you don’t have to earn God’s love or approval. You don’t have to think of yourself as superior to others in order to meet God’s standard. You are loved. You are accepted, and there is nothing you have to prove.

Steve May tells the story of a young woman who was nervous because she was dining with her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. Would they like her? Would she be acceptable? She took one last look at herself before heading out her door. She noticed her shoe had a dirt spot so she used a paper towel to wipe the dirt off. It was the same paper towel that she used to blot her bacon grease at breakfast that morning.

When she arrived at her boyfriend’s house, his parent’s poodle immediately smelled the bacon grease, and followed her wherever she went. At the end of the evening, as she was leaving the boyfriend’s parents said, “Cleo really likes you, dear, and she is an excellent judge of character. We are delighted to welcome you into our little family.”

Our acceptance is not about us. It does not depend whether we are good or bad. It is all about the Lord. His love for us is not based on who we are, but who he is. He is the God of love and mercy.

(copyright by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

(image: https://38.media.tumblr.com/88a90c960ffda5de99006de55414485b/tumblr_ndfdvogdeh1sfhh4oo1_400.jpg)

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His Grace Will Tune Us Up

Story of the Day for Monday January 5, 2015

His Grace Will Tune Us Up

God’s grace teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly desires, and to live wisely, justly, and godly in this present time.

Titus 2:11-12

I like New Year’s Day, for the obvious reason that there’s a lot of football games on TV. But, in a deeper sense, a new year is refreshing because it’s the closest that Time comes to picturing the grace of God.

When we begin a new year, the slate is wiped clean.

And what happens when we put the past behind us? Inevitably, we look forward. We’re optimistic, and make resolutions to lose weight or to clean the broom closet. When we don’t have to lug last year into the future, we feel light and cheery. We don’t want to be slugs (for more than a day). We want to live.

Some think that, when Jesus forgives your sins, it makes you want to sin more. If you assure a criminal, for example, that, if he robs a bank, he will be immune from prosecution, wouldn’t that motivate him to rob more banks?

It would seem so. But let me ask you this: does the arrival of a New Year make you want to fail in your new resolution to lose fifteen pounds by summer? No, whenever we put the past behind us, we’re fired up to do better.

When I was an adolescent, we visited my grandma in Upper Michigan. I sat down at the piano, and, not knowing how to play, sounded awful.

Then my sister, Lois, who was a child prodigy at piano, sat down to play. Not to brag or anything, but she has gone on to play piano for the Detroit Metropolitan Opera. A vocalist demanded that she be flown to London as her accompanist. She has even performed at Carnegie Hall.

From memory, my sister played an intricate piano piece. And you know what? It sounded awful too! If Beethoven played this piano it would have hurt your ears, because grandma’s piano hadn’t been tuned since sometime before the French Revolution.

In the end, the New Year can evoke God’s grace, but cannot replace it. If we resolve to play a better song with our lives this coming year, but our piano is still out of tune, then we’ll produce nothing of beauty.

That’s why we need to confide in the Lord and to confess that our life is out of tune. His grace will tune us up.

I can hardly wait to start hammering away at “Chopsticks.”

(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre) (photo by Tyler Capa)

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Truth Should Never Go For Walks Alone

Story of the Day for Monday November 24, 2014

Truth Should Never Go For Walks Alone

. . . You desire truth in the inner being; deep in the heart you teach me wisdom.

Psalm 51:6

Just because something’s true doesn’t mean it’s good. For example, you can’t argue with the truthfulness of this statement: “Build a man a fire and you’ll keep him warm for a day; set a man on fire and you’ll keep him warm the rest of his life.”

When I was in college, the poster over my dorm room desk showed a photo of a bloated, warty toad. Below the photo was the maxim:

http://www.wildlifehotline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Avatar_Frog_by_Diablomako.jpg

EAT A LIVE TOAD FIRST THING IN THE MORNING

AND NOTHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN TO YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY

The poster amused me because, while it may be true, it’s not advice I intended to follow. Truth should never go for walks alone; it should always be accompanied by wisdom, fairness, common sense, or love.

The University of Houston was in a tight basketball game against UAB when the Houston coach, Tom Penders, suffered a heart attack. He fell to his knees, then collapsed face down on the court.

League rules state that coaches and players on the sideline may not step across the foul line while the ball is in play. However, because part of Penders body slumped across the foul line, officials called him for a technical foul.

Penders suffered from cardiomyopathy, a congenital heart condition, and the medical staff put him on oxygen and carried him off the court on a stretcher. The official originally assumed that Penders was reacting to his call. But when it became obvious that Penders was seriously ill, the three-man officiating crew refused to reverse the call.

The referees were simply following the rules. The rule book never said it was acceptable to cross the foul line if you collapsed with a heart attack. Yet, while the referee adhered to “The Truth,” the conference commissioners, coordinator of officials, and the general public, felt differently. Truth should’ve teamed up with common sense, and the technical foul should’ve been reversed.

The incredible love of Jesus brings us a truth that we can twist to our own harm. Is it true that someone could become a drug lord or engage in insider trader on the stock market and still find forgiveness? Yes! It’s true. We can find forgiveness from any sin.

Since it’s true that all sins can be forgiven, does that mean it’s okay to sin? Utilizing truth in this way is about as brilliant as eating a live toad first thing in the morning.

When King David prayed his famous prayer of confession in Psalm 51, he didn’t just speak of learning what is true; he longed for the deepest kind of truth: the truth that knows God’s heart.

(copyright 2011 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

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Refusing to Return the Insult

Story of the Day for Thursday July 3, 2014

Refusing to Return the Insult

 

When they insulted Jesus, he refused to return the insult.

1 Peter 2:23

I know a guy who wears a grumpy face and looks like he just flunked out of Charm School. When I smile at him and say “Hi,” he normally just scowls and says nothing.

While driving through northern Wisconsin, I was listening to the radio and was jolted by the words of a Jewish man who survived the Nazi holocaust.

After Hitler’s regime collapsed, some Jews were intent on seeking vengeance against the Nazis. They were plotting how to torture those who had worked under Hitler.

But the Jewish holocaust survivor on the radio said he would meet a fellow Jew and ask, “Do you like the Nazis?”

“Like them!” the other man would spit back, “I LOATHE them!”

“Then, why do you want to be like them?”

When we lash back against those who have hurt us, we inevitably begin to resemble the ones we’re angry with. “They hurt me.” we conclude. “Well, I’m going to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

We become like the ones we hate.

We may not be aware of it, but when we fall into this way of thinking, we surrender our freedom to decide how we will behave. We relinquish that prerogative to those whose behavior we find disgusting. If they’re snotty to us, then we’ll be snotty to them. But we must understand clearly: our adversary is now the one calling the shots.

Jesus never let others dictate how he would behave. When they hammered his body on a cross, his enemies smugly assembled to taunt him and enjoy their triumph. But Jesus refused to trade insults or make threats.

Jesus’ enemies didn’t choose his behavior; he did.

Michael Green tells a story that goes something like this: A man goes to a newsstand to buy a paper. He politely asks for a daily newspaper and the man working at the kiosk rudely shoves it at him and, muttering, hands him his change.

As a friend observes all this, he asks the man as they walk away, “Does he always treat you so rudely?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“And are you always so polite to him?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Why are you so nice to him when he’s so rude to you?”

“Because I don’t want him to decide how I am going to act.”

My sour-faced friend may never smile and return my greeting. He doesn’t have to. He doesn’t get to decide how I choose to behave.

(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

(image: https://kaarre.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/8363f-grumpy.jpg)

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Not a Matter of a Cost-Benefit Analysis

Story of the Day for Friday June 20, 2014

Not a Matter of a Cost-Benefit Analysis

 

Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit their lives to their faithful Creator, and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19

 

Jim Elliot was the class vice-president in high school. He won the lead role in theatrical plays. In college he lettered in sports and graduated in 1949 with honors. Popular, handsome, intelligent, and a gifted speaker, Jim’s prospects for the future were bright. Just a matter of time before he could afford a two-car garage and an electric potato peeler.

But Jim Elliot did not care about money or status or success. He took a boat to Ecuador and prepared for mission work. In college, he wrote in his journal, “God, I pray thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee.”

Jim and four friends decided they would bring the Good News of Jesus to the primitive Auca Indians. The Aucas were known to be fierce, and no missionary had been able to established friendly contact among them.

After depositing gifts for the Aucas, Jim and his fellow missionaries made friendly contact with a few of the natives. Encouraged by this, the five missionaries flew again into the jungle to further their contact with the Aucas.

But they never returned. The Aucas murdered them all.

Hah. See? That just shows you, doesn’t it? It’s fine to be committed to the Lord, and all fired up to serve him – but you don’t have to be so fanatical about it. Look where Jim Elliot’s burning zeal got him, eh?

You’re right — Jim Elliot’s passion to reach the Aucas got him killed.

But, commitment to the Lord is not a matter of scribbling out a cost-benefit analysis. Jim and his friends were fully aware of the risk they were taking. And they would never see any fruit from their brave attempts to build a friendship with the Aucas.

Jim would never see his widowed wife, Elizabeth, boldly venture into the jungle to continue his mission and establish contact with the Aucas. He could not have known that Elizabeth (and wives of the other missionaries) would eventually live among these natives. Who could have known that the forgiveness these young widows showed after the Aucas killed their husbands would be exactly the demonstration the Aucas needed to understand the sacrificial love of Christ? Through this powerful demonstration of forgiveness, many became converts to Christ.

We are called to commit our lives to the Lord. We can seldom see the effect that our commitment will have on others. The beautiful thing is. . .we don’t need to. All we need to see is God’s promise to be faithful, and that the results of our dedication to his will are in his hands.

He’ll take it from there.

(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)

(first image: http://reneeannsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/guys.jpg ; second image: http://reneeannsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/elisabeth-and-kids.jpg

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