The example and teaching of Jesus

No one gives us a better example of how to respond to conditions of diminished capacity than Christ himself. In heaven he was "with God" and "was God" (John 1:1). In the presence of his Father, angels obeyed his every word. Yet he willingly and lovingly stepped into history to become the servant of servants and the husband of a very imperfect and unfaithful church.

No one had more right to be followed. No one had more inherent ability to rule. In the words of Paul, Jesus "made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:7-8).

Christ's self-limitation and submission were voluntary. His example was intentional. To his disciples Jesus said, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? It is not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the one who serves"(Luke 22:25-27).

The history of diminished capacity

The first pages of the Bible talk about the origin and results of impaired judgment. At the onset of human morality, God said that weeds and thorns would sprout from the earth, pain would accompany childbirth and men would rule their wives. (Genesis 3:16-19). Although most of us work to minimize the curse of weeds in our yards and the pain in childbirth, some of us have not seen the subordination of women as part of the same curse. As a result, we have seen male dominance as a principle to affirm rather than a problem to be minimized. Yet the Bible itself shows that in circumstances of diminished capacity, God is flexible in his approach to the complementing roles of men and women.

* Abraham is widely regarded as "the father of us all" (Romans 4:16). His legacy is rich in faith but also included impaired reason and flawed judgment. In several examples of diminished capacity, both he and his wife Sarah made the mistake of following one another's advice. (Genesis 12:11-20; 16:1-4). Along the way, Abraham learned that it is not beneath a man to submit to an imperfect woman. Ina difficult family dispute, the Lord told Abraham to defer to Sarah's demands (Genesis 21:9-12).

* Abigail is an example of a woman married to a man whose pride blinded his judgment. Rather than submitting to her husband's stubbornness, she protected her family by providing care and assistance to David and his hungry soldiers (1 Samuel 25).

* Then there is Deborah, who rose above the prominence of her husband in ancient Israel, acted as a judge in matters of social dispute and in a moment of national crisis led the army into battle (Judges 4-5).

Diminished Capacity

In an age of equal rights, it is sometimes difficult to see the Bible as a friend of women. Although some texts treat husbands and wives as equals (1 Corinthians 7:4), other passages view women a the "weaker vessel" (1 Peter 3:7) and place them in a supporting role rather than a leading role (Ephesians 5:22-25). In another time and place, the Bible's approach to gender looked different. Ina patriarchal world, daughters ad wives were viewed as property. In such a setting the Scriptures elevated the status of women.

But, today the suggestion that a woman should submit seems backward and even unAmerican. What if a wife has better judgment than her husband? What if she is more gifted in making and managing money, hanging wallpaper, or fixing things around the house?

Conditions of diminished capacity

As a rule, we don't question a woman's leadership if her husband loses his ability to protect and provide for his family. Few will criticize a wife for stepping up to the challenge if her husband is:

* Physically disabled.
* Diagnosed with a debilitating mental or emotional condition.
* Morally entangled in an addiction that blinds him to the needs of his family.

Some, however, have missed the extent to which such lost capacity is a significant factor in the Bible's approach to men and women........

What happened to the paper clips?

I buy paperclips in boxes that are filled to the top with the tangled metal curlicues. I place them in a magnetic dispenser. I use them one at time to clip papers together. When I am finished with the papers, I remove the paperclip and put it back into the container. They shouldn’t need to be replaced. But in just a few weeks, I am back to the local office supply store to purchase more paperclips. Mine disappeared somewhere. Poof! They’re gone. (It’s like losing my socks in the dryer.)

Sadly, friends can disappear like paperclips. Sometimes, I realize that I have lost a friendship connection. My life became busy and I neglected to nurture the relationship. I find our hearts have drifted apart. Unfortunately, I can’t run down to the friendship store and replace valuable relationships as easily as I do my paperclips.

As I study my Bible, I see how Jesus valued His friendships. He ate with friends. He traveled with them. Christ developed His ministry with friends by His side. And, Jesus served his friends with love and humility.

So, I ask myself, “What can I do to insure I do not lose my friends like I lose paperclips?”

The answer is to do what Jesus did:

• Invite a friend over for dinner
• Plan a trip together
• Decide how we could work together in our community or church
• Serve my friend out of love and humility

Friendships are invaluable. Let us challenge ourselves to follow the example of Jesus. Let’s clip ourselves to our friends for a lifetime of fellowship.

Lord Jesus, You knew the value of friendship while You were here on earth. Your friends included people from all walks of life. Remind me how important friendships are in this life. Help me not to lose those important connections in life that will add love and joy to my dreariest days. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Get up and work

It is obvious we are supposed to work more than rest. Some people just lie on the couch, eating junk food and watching television all day, and then they wonder why their lives are a wreck.

Once rested, get up, and work. You can’t take authority over your life if you don’t have authority over a sink full of dirty dishes or a messy garage. If you want to grow in ministry to others, the Word says you must get your own house in order first (See 1 Timothy 3:5). Stay home and clean if you need to; but win the battle of getting your life in order before tackling the whole world.

Peek-A-Boo Jesus Loves You!

Wow! it's finally Halloween!

Do you feel special all dressed up in your costume? Jesus thinks you're special too, just like you are because he loves you.

Jesus loves you when you wake up with a big yawn in the morning.

Jesus loves you when you're playing or singing or laughing with friends.

Jesus loves you when you're quietly reading in your room or outside jumping in the leaves.

Jesus loves you when you stretch and sigh and fall asleep at night.

You see, Jesus loves you ALL the time, just the way you are!

Did you know that Jesus loves you even when you do bad things?

The Bible says anyone who does bad things (sin) will be punished and won't get to live with Jesus in heaven. But Jesus loved us so much that he died on the cross and rose again to save us from being punished.

The Bible says:

The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Roman 6:23

If you want to live with Jesus forever, say a prayer like this:

"Jesus, I'm sorry I do bad things. Please forgive me. I believe you died and rose again to take away my sins so I can live with you forever in heaven!" AMEN

Do you cook your Pancakes?

Pancake breakfasts have become a Wednesday morning tradition at our house. One morning, as I prepared a batch, my older son proudly told us he had cooked the pancakes for his Scout Troop on a recent camping trip. He’d never cooked anything at home, so this was a surprise to me. He was also pleased to report that they had liked his pancakes!

Well, the next time we made pancakes my younger son wanted his brother to make them. My older son did a great job making pancakes for all of us and each turned out perfectly! But we had to wait very patiently for our breakfasts because he cooked just one pancake at a time. I suggested that he could speed up the process by cooking more than one but he said that this was the way he did it.

We certainly cook pancakes differently. I cook several at a time and while waiting for them to cook, I try to multi-task by rinsing out the mixing bowl, pouring drinks and doing whatever else needed to be done. In just minutes I’d made a whole batch of pancakes and would have other tasks done too.

However, I quickly learned that productivity and efficiency weren’t the only differences in the way we made our pancakes. The results were different, too. His were better than mine! He had taken the time to tend to each pancake, making sure it cooked just right. I, on the other hand, tried to cook too many at once while juggling other tasks and my pancakes were inconsistent. Some were done perfectly, but others were too done or not done enough.

It occurred to me that results in life often parallel the lesson I learned from making pancakes. Whether tending to my family, church matters, school needs, assisting others, or just doing things for fun, the results are better and more consistent when I allow myself to tend to each task properly, treating it as if I want it to be a perfect pancake – not over-done and not under-done.

This lesson is especially important to me as I seek to serve the Lord. I want to do my best to serve Him and not compromise my efforts by taking on too much, or distracting myself with other tasks. For me, this is best accomplished by seeking God’s will and keeping my priorities in tact as I decide what to do and when to do it. I also must be patient in my efforts, taking the necessary time to do things well.

Dear Lord, Help me to serve You and manage my life and family, too, in a way that serves up satisfying and consistently pleasing results. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.