“Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace, that
where there is hatred, I may bring love;
where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
where there is error, I may bring truth;
where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
where there is despair, I may bring hope;
were there are shadows, I may bring light;
where there is sadness, I may bring joy.” —Francis of Assisi
There are times when I go through a difficult spot in my life and I can see the areas where I am growing as a result of successfully navigating the challenge. However, the tough time I just went through wasn’t one of those times.
The quote above resonates with me. I want to be someone who brings out love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy in other people. So although this challenging time I’ve gone through hasn’t been pleasant for me, it has been such a joy to see others “step up,” mature, stretch, and grow as they have been alongside me.
One more quote—”It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one of these destinations.” —C.S. Lewis
To which destination are you helping those around you? What characteristics are you bringing out in those alongside you?
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Have you ever been “cursed out” by someone? I mean had a stream of four-letter obscenities hurled at you? What happens inside you? Isn’t your natural reaction to strike back? To begin to a counter-attack with a few choice four-letter words of your own?
It’s natural to feel this way; it’s a very human response.
On the other hand, have you ever been “blessed out” by someone? Had someone shower you with niceties and accolades and compliments? What happens inside you this time? Isn’t your natural reaction the complete opposite? Don’t you want to say, “Well, I think you’re pretty special, too”?
It’s natural to feel this way; it’s a very human response.
But Jesus commanded us to do something counter-cultural, something which requires a spiritual response: “Bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28). Paul amplified this thought: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14).
These words curse and bless are challenging for me. Curse means to hope for someone’s downfall; bless means to say good words to or about someone. Cursing can be done internally or verbally; blessing has to be done verbally. Eugene Peterson captures the essence of this in his paraphrase of Romans 12:14: “Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.”
If my natural response is to match curse for curse, obscenity for obscenity, then to respond in a Christ-like fashion is going to take a change of character. To respond with the right four-letter words, I have to do the opposite of my natural response.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for bless carried the understanding that it all hinged on God—He is the focal point. All of the definitions of this word involve a close relationship with God: (a) bless God; (b) bless men in the name of God; (c) ask for divine favor for persons or things created by God; or (d) salute someone because we know God has saluted us.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for bless makes it clear that this has to be done verbally, out loud. It is impossible to bless under your breath. In the Greek, bless is the compound word eulogeo = eu- (good) + –logos (words): saying good words out loud.
Only God is good, so only a closer relationship with our good God will help us say good words to others. Especially to those who curse us.
The right four-letter words to use—the un-natural words to use—are: Good words.
I’m challenging myself today to bless others, especially those who curse me. I only want to say good to and about others today. I’m attempting to live out Ephesians 4:29—
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up (New International Version)
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others (Amplified Bible)
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift (The Message)
When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger (New Century Version).
So let me ask you: How will you say the right four-letter words to others today?
I often joke that the first word infants learn to speak after “mama” and “dada” is “mine!” I usually joke that this is an indication of the sinful, prideful nature that is inherent in all humans.
But what do you think about when God says, “Mine!”?
He does say this, and He says it about you. God says, “You are Mine!” Not only that, but God wants us to say back to Him, “God, You are mine!” David expresses this I-am-God‘s-and-He-is-mine mentality in a great prayer in 2 Samuel 22. Forty-four times in just 51 verses David uses the personal possessive pronoun my.
David is thankful for the reality that God is close to him. He calls God my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my God, my Shield, my Salvation, my Stronghold, my Refuge, my Savior, my Support, my Lamp.
David says, “I am aware that God hears my voice and my cry, and He sees my distress. He delivers me from my enemies, my foes, my disaster. He rescued me because He delighted in me! Why? Because of my righteousness and the cleanness of my hands.
“God makes my way perfect, He makes my feet like the feet of a deer so that I will not stumble. God trains my hands and strengthens my arms for battle. You stoop down to make me great. You make my adversaries bow at my feet; You make my enemies turn their backs in flight; I destroy my foes. You delivered me from the attacks of my people. You set me free from my enemies; You exalted me above my foes.
“Therefore I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name. The Lord lives! Praise be to myRock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!”
Why does God want me to say, “Mine!”? Because it‘s only when I know that I am fully His possession that He is fully exalted. God loves to bless me when I acknowledge that “I am Yours and You are mine!”
Right now God is saying to you, “You are Mine!” Have you said “Mine!” to God today?
I remember being asked by my church (Brightmoor Tabernacle in Southfield, MI) to help distribute Christmas presents to needy families. I recruited a couple of buddies to help me, and we visited some of the most desperate families I had ever seen.
That Christmas Eve changed my life. From that time on, I could care less if I ever received another Christmas gift. I am so blessed all the time, that my desire is to be a blessing to others.
Christmas should be more about giving than receiving.
Like many teenage girls, Tina enjoys playing video games, going bowling, and playing with her friends. Her favorite colors are pink, purple, and blue. And Tina is autistic.
Bethel Assembly of God has adopted Tina for Christmas, and we’re going to make sure she knows how loved she is. Our children’s ministry, The Rock, is gathering toys and clothes for Tina for Christmas. Can you help us?
Tina likes arts and crafts projects (anything she can put together), dolls and doll clothes, and books. She also is in need of some clothing items. She wears girls shirts size 14/16, and girls pants size 14. Due to Tina’s skin sensitivity, she cannot wear jean material, or anything with buttons or zippers. Fleece or sweat material seems to work best for Tina.
If you are able to help Tina have a Merry Christmas, please bring unwrapped items to Bethel A/G by Sunday, December 21. We will be delivering all of the gifts to Tina on Christmas Eve.
I was in court today. Family Court, to be specific. I was there supporting a family who is attempting to gain custody of their niece. She is a lovely young lady, and they are a beautiful family. In waiting for their hearing to take place I sat through about a half dozen hearings.
Judge Jennie Barkey was incredible to watch. She was loving and firm and decisive, and clearly only had in mind the best for the children. In fact everyone in court today only had the best in mind for the kids. As Judge Barkey’s decisions were announced some smiled, some frowned, some cried, some laughed, and one skipped out of the courtroom. I was emotionally drained before the hearing I was there for even began!
I was moved at how petitioners, social workers, advocates, and friends all were single-minded in their desire for the best for the kids. Some may not have liked Judge Barkey’s rulings, but that didn’t take away from the focus on the kids. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said that kids were the picture of God’s Kingdom, and He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. I pray that I can always have that same single-minded desire to only desire and work for the best for the most innocent and vulnerable in our community. It’s what Jesus would want, and it’s what He blesses.
“Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace, that
One more quote—”It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one of these destinations.” —C.S. Lewis
Craig T. Owens 