Yesterday we spent a few moments looking at our obligations to civil government according to the New Testament.  Do those obligations change if we are being persecuted?  What examples do we have about our actions then?
           
1.  Quiet compliance when the laws are not opposed to God's Word.
          After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them (Acts 18:1-2).
            Aquila and Priscilla were told to leave Rome simply because they were of the Jewish race.  What did they do?  They left Rome.  I am not sure what difficulties it might have caused them, what hardships they suffered because of the ouster.  But that law was not against the Law of God so they did as they were told.
           
2.  Prayers for safety.
          About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also…When [the escaped Peter] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:1-3,12).
            If you are under threat for your faith, if you or a brother or sister have been arrested and put into danger, there is certainly nothing wrong with praying about it, or gathering with others and praying together.  It is not a lack of faith but a perfectly normal reaction.  What else should a Christian do in times of trouble but go to his Father and ask for help, for safety, for deliverance?
           
3.  Flight when possible
            When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket (Acts 9:23-25).
            There may come a time when we have to run, or when we have to hide.  I would say Paul's example, once again, shows us that is not a lack of faith but a very practical response.  We know of many such times in history where the early Christians had to do both of those things.
           
4.  Acceptance of circumstance and continuing the work.
            I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear (Phil 1:12-14).
            Paul eventually reached the point that he could no longer run.  He was arrested and lived under guard.  What did he do?  Sit there and cry about it?  Ask God, Why me when I have been doing such a good work?  No, he just kept working in whatever capacity he could, and trusted God to "give the increase."  He knew that to stop preaching would have made the enemy the winner.  I know of a brother in another country who, even now, while imprisoned because of his faith, is still preaching and converting souls.
           
          This certainly may not answer every circumstance that might come along, but I hope it will help you think about these things, things that could very well matter in a few years.  I pray not, but it's not looking good out there, people.  Be prepared and know what you need to do to remain faithful.
 
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! (2Tim 2:8-9).
 
Dene Ward

I think it is obvious that many of us are not particularly happy with our government these days.  This is not the first time in history this has happened, nor will it be the last I am sure.  Paul and Peter wrote to Christians who lived under a tyrant whom many historians have said was insane.  I daresay they were not particularly pleased with a government that used its tax dollars to fund a coliseum where the Romans citizenry at large made sport of Christians being slaughtered.  But I think some of us are coming dangerously close to sin in our actions and attitudes.  Let's just take a moment today to remind ourselves of our obligations to civil government, no matter how good or bad it may be.  In no particular order, we owe our government the following:
           
            1.  Obedience.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment (Rom 13:1-2).
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people (1Pet 2:13-15).
            Notice, this does not specify only a certain type of government.  Paul speaks very generally when he says "governing authorities."  Christ even went so far as to say that God gives government its authority, and he was talking to Pilate then (John 19:11), certainly an unrighteous ruler. Daniel says the following three times in his book:  "The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will" (4:17, 25, 32).  Jeremiah says much the same thing in Jeremiah 27:5.
              Peter says we are to obey "for the Lord's sake."  The only time we can refuse is when the government demands we do something opposite of God's commands.  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men " (Acts 5:29).  Instead of complaining, count yourself blessed when you CAN obey because it means you are probably not under active persecution at the moment.

            2.  Respect
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor (1Pet 2:17).
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed (Rom 13:7).
            I can hear it now:  "He doesn't deserve my respect."  Wrong.  He deserves your respect because God told you to respect him for who and what he is—your governing authority.  That doesn't mean you have to like everything he does, certainly not the unrighteous things.  But it does mean you treat him with respect, dignity, and honor because God said to.  This may be the most difficult part for many of us.  But here is the bottom line:  will you obey God in this matter or not?  Because if you think you can pick and choose the commandments you will obey, you may as well stop trying.
           
            3.  Prayers
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1Tim 2:1-2).
          That doesn't say we just pray for our country.  It says we pray specifically for those people "in high positions."  That means even people we don't much care for.  And here you can see exactly what we are to pray for in their regard: "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life."  If you keep on reading in Timothy you see why this is so important.  It is not just a selfish desire; it's so we can more easily spread the gospel (verses 3,4).  Who can take the time to sit down and talk with a friend when you are having to hide from authorities or run for your life?  When things are peaceful, we can teach, we can preach, we can spread the gospel to our friends and show them our example in the way we live.  Count your blessings if you can do that, and then get out there and do it.
            Those are our obligations.  Now what do we do in regard to the government if we are indeed persecuted?  What godly examples do we have in the New Testament?  That will be our subject tomorrow.
 
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare (Jer 29:7).  (Spoken to the Jews in captivity.)
 
Dene Ward

We have experienced much in our forty some odd years of married life.  Joy, sorrow, excitement, abject terror, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods, violent crime, automobile accidents, trips to the emergency room, frightening health issues, life-changing disabilities, serious economic woes, persecution on several levels—all of these and more have shaped us into who we are today.  I do my best to share with you what we have learned, and though we may have seen a lot, it still isn’t everything.  We can tell you some hair-raising stories, but we still consider ourselves blessed beyond measure.
            That’s one reason God gave us so many narratives in the Bible, so many faithful followers who have lived through practically every experience it is possible to live through. He has also given us people much closer to us, who set examples we can see every day.  Today I want to share with you a couple who went through one of the worst experiences in life—losing a child--and came out gold in God’s eyes. 
            My in-laws lost their little girl to cancer.  She went to the first day of school barely a month after her ninth birthday and had a seizure.  After a year of treatments and surgeries, even thinking for a while that the doctors “got it,” she died at 10.  I am not privy to everything that went on during that time.  But I did notice some things in them that seem to run counter to many of the things I have heard and read about experiences like this.
            First, Keith’s parents did not divorce.  Undoubtedly there were hard times.  I have seen that just in our marriage and the things we have dealt with.  Everyone grieves over losses in a different way and when I decide that my way is the only right way, there will be problems.  When I decide that my grief is worse than his, there will be problems.  When, “You just don’t understand,” becomes a wall instead of a bridge, you just might have reached the end.  However they managed it, the thought of divorce for these two never entered the picture.  This was a couple who understood lifelong commitment as they had vowed before God, “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part,” and they were determined to make it through no matter how difficult it became.   
            I wish I could give you specifics, the things they did that helped and the things they did that did not, but that was long before I knew them.  This I know:  They had a strong marriage, and however they managed it, they did it “together.”  The communication seems never to have stopped, even though I am sure it was occasionally painful.  They had each other and they made sure that the hurt drew them together instead of driving them apart.  They were married just a few months months short of 60 years when my father-in-law passed away first. 
            Second, this couple did not lose their faith.  Their commitment to God came even before their commitment to each other.  They did not expect a life of ease and they never had one.  They endured poverty, estrangement from family because of their faith, and many illnesses, some near death, besides this horrible illness and loss of their child.  But they believed in the resurrection.  They knew they would see their child again, and that was a primary source of faith and encouragement.  Keith remembers hearing, “This is what we believe” more than once during that period.  And now they are enjoying the results of that faith, together with that lost daughter, and they will never lose her again.
            And then there was this:  they did not let this tragedy define them as a couple or a family.  Of course they remembered their little girl and spoke of her often.  I heard many “Remember whens” and other references.  They were more than willing to help those who had similar situations and better able than most to offer the needed sympathy, but it never became an entitlement issue.  They did not think they ranked above any other family because of the things they had suffered.  In their minds, we all suffer, just differently.  And they felt their own brand of suffering made them responsible to be examples and sympathizers with others, not worthy of praise and admiration—not “special.”  Pain and death come from Satan and they would never have given him any credit in any way imaginable.  In fact, if anyone had tried to compliment them for how well they had come through the grist mill of life, it just might have made them angry. 
          Of course this experience changes you.  Life changes you, but something like this makes that change happen rapidly.  Keith told me they were different than before, but “different” isn’t always bad.  I could still see all these good things I have shared with you when I came on the scene over ten years later.  Isn’t it funny how it all turns out?  I was the same age as Keith’s baby sister, born the same year, and my birthday was the date of her death.  Nowadays people would have expected traumatic results, and analyzed it to pieces.  But they never even mentioned the coincidences.  If Keith hadn’t told me, I would never have known what they had been through, and the rest of their life story came out slowly over the years, most often from listening to Keith reminisce, not them. 
            Even through all their trials they stayed faithful to God and each other.  In fact, Keith’s father was converted several years into their marriage, when they had already faced some challenges.  None of this “health and wealth” sissy gospel for him.  But then, this was a man who jumped out of an LST and waded through the water to the beaches of Normandy, walking all the way to Berlin.
           I hope that you never experience the horrible tragedy of losing a child, but you will suffer something.  That is the nature of life.  When you do, here is a godly couple whose example might help you through it.  Did they do everything right?  No, and they would never have claimed to.  But they did do this:  They never gave up on their relationship, and they never gave up on God.  That is how they made it through.
 
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falls, and hath not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? Eccl 4:9-11

Dene Ward
 

We make one mistake in our Bible study over and over and over, and because of it we often miss the lessons we need the most.  What mistake is it?  We fail to make it “real.”  We see the words and know their meanings but never place it into our culture and our times.  Let me show you.
            Just a few weeks ago we talked about the Good Samaritan.  We mentioned that he left “two denarii” to care for the injured man.  So he was generous, we say, and move right along, missing just how generous he was.  Put it into our language.  A denarius was a day’s wage for a skilled laborer—not an untrained ditch digger, but someone like a mason, or a welder, or a carpenter or plumber.  Now think in your mind, how much an hour do those people make nowadays?  What would that be for two days’ labor today?  Relatively speaking, that’s how much the Samaritan left for a perfect stranger, and one who was his enemy at that.  Would we do that for, say, a Muslim we encountered in need?
            Here’s another one for you.  The early church sold property to provide for the needs of those who had come only for the feast and wound up staying far beyond that, with no work, no place to stay, no way to provide for their families.  Obviously those in Jerusalem did not sell the houses they lived in.  That would have exacerbated the problem with more homeless people.  But if they had another piece of property outside town, or maybe some rental property on the other side or even down the street, that’s what they sold.  Have you priced houses and acreage lately?  We are talking tens of thousands, maybe over a hundred thousand in our day, and the cost of living in their time would have made it relatively the same amount.  These were not paltry gifts.  Now you understand a little better the temptation that Ananias and Sapphira gave in to.  And doesn’t that make that instant excuse we fall back on so often when even a small need arises, “I have to be a good steward of my money,” just a little ridiculous?
            Sometimes we need to understand the culture in relation to people.  Young men were expected to be mature enough to begin a family and support that family with an occupation by the time they were in their mid-teens.  Young women were expected to marry at puberty and begin raising a family immediately.  John MacArthur says that girls in first century Palestine entered the betrothal (kiddushin) at 13 and married at 14.  Young people were expected to understand making a lifetime commitment well before we expect that of our own children.  Make it real:  13 back then was more like 19 or 20 now in regard to maturity.  Think about that before you begin pressing your child about baptism before he is even out of grade school.  Don’t make it a contest to see whose child is baptized first.
            A book of the customs of Bible times is an excellent investment.  When we do not know those customs we miss the bravery of women like the one in Luke 7.  The fact that she even got into the house to see Jesus took guts and what could have happened to her and been condoned by those in charge will fill you with shame at the times you have cowered in the back corner instead of admitting your faith.  How about the blind man in John 9?  Do you know what it meant to be cast out of the synagogue?  It meant no social and no business life—and that meant poverty.  And here he was just now able to have a normal life for the first time since his birth and he sacrifices it all when he puts those rulers in their place with the statement, “Here is the amazing thing—he made me see and yet you do not know where he came from.”
            When you make these things real, when you make them relate to something you actually know and experience, the application to your own life will become real as well.  In fact, it may hurt a little more.  It may hurt a lot more.  Maybe that’s why we don’t do it.
 
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Rom 15:4
 
Dene Ward

This past Thanksgiving we had our traditional game of Ultimate Croquet.  If you have been with me awhile, you know what that means.  It is far more difficult to play in a field instead of a table-top, bright green, freshly mown lawn!  Somehow paper-plate sized sycamore leaves, wads of gray Spanish moss, truck ruts, and armadillo holes wreak havoc with a rolling ball.
            This year both Silas and Judah were able to play their own game without help.  With 6 of us it was an interesting, if long, game.  Judah and I brought up the rear but we still had fun and cheered for each other.  At least twice both boys had little mishaps with their mallets.  Once the head of Silas's mallet hit the ground before it hit the ball and since all the impetus was gone, the ball only rolled an inch.  Another time Judah had a similar problem caused more by the fact that his arms are shorter than the mallet handle.  So almost at the same time with one voice, we adults cried, "Put it back and do it again."  They were much happier with their second chances.
            I suppose it is age that does it to you.  Several times lately I have had the thought, "This is it.  It's nearly over and you don't get another chance to do it any other way."  Every time, my stomach has done a little flip and I don't really know why.  It's not like I didn't know that already.  Maybe it's just having your nose rubbed in it by the early death of an old friend, or wanting to share something with your parents before realizing they are no longer there, or maybe it's just that you look in the mirror one day and, maybe due to illness or a bad night, it's really obvious how old you are now!  And when this is over, there is no going back.  Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass (Job 14:5).
            The only thing even close to a do-over is today.  If you opened your eyes this morning, you have another chance to be a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend, a better servant of God.  You have the opportunity to heal a broken relationship or confess a wrong.  You have one more chance to put down the mending and play with a child on his level, with ears open and welcoming to his words and thoughts.  Today is the only second chance you get.  And you never know—it may also be your last.
 
No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death… (Eccl 8:8).
 
Dene Ward

It is winter, even here in Florida, and we are once again drinking our last cup of coffee by a fire in the mornings, instead of under a fan.  Florida is not always hot.  It's not always even warm, especially in the northern parts.  On February 13, 1899, a Canadian cold front pushed a blast of arctic air into our state in what became known as the Great Arctic Outbreak.  Tallahassee woke to the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Florida, -2 degrees F.  Yes, that's a minus in front of that single digit number.  We have been here in north Florida for other amazing things, like an inch or two of snow on the ground and a white Christmas both in 1989, but never a negative temperature.  I hope we don't experience it any time soon.
            With the first front this winter, I was reminded of a basic fact.  Cool, crisp air behaves differently than hot, humid air.  Hot humid air is also hazy air.  You cannot see as far and the sky is a duller, almost muted, shade of blue.  Cool air is clear.  Even my weak eyes can see farther.  And a clear winter sky is one of the prettiest blues you will ever see.
            Hot humid air will also mute sound.  Not enough that you will notice it in the summer.  You only notice it on a cold morning when suddenly the traffic on the highway a quarter mile through the woods sounds like it might just be coming through the trees right at you.  You can always hear better in the winter.
            And that may very well mean that we need to keep a cool head about us in spiritual matters.  When your spiritual vision is clouded by the heat of emotion, you will inevitably make the wrong decision.  In almost every Bible narrative you will see the difference between wrong-headed emotion and cool, clear logic.  Look at Joseph and Potiphar's wife as a simple example.  Which one was guided by hot, wanton desire and which by a decision based on a cool, careful consideration of right and wrong?  And that process plays out over and over, not only in the Bible, but in our own lives.
            The difficult part of this, at least in a culture so steeped in emotionalism, is teaching these things to our children.  I told mine over and over, you have to be a little cold-blooded when it comes to choosing a spouse.  You have to be willing to ask yourself the hard questions.  Will she be a good mother to my children?  Will she be a help or hindrance in my chosen career?  Are her aims in life the same as mine?  Does she understand a lifetime commitment in the same manner I do?  Will she help me get to Heaven, and will she let me help her?  Too many times I see young ladies who are blinded by love, falling for exactly the wrong guy, and who will not listen to their friends who quite clearly see an emotional, and possibly physical, abuser.  And I see young men who refuse to understand that attraction should come from knowing one another and sharing spiritual ideals, not good looks and shapely figures.
            There are any number of decisions we make in life, some having nothing to do with right and wrong, and some everything, that require clear thinking.  Some things hurt, and hurt badly, but must be done for the good of oneself, one's family, and people we are trying to serve.  Some of those things are things God has said to do.  You would be surprised how many times I have heard God's commands completely dismissed because someone might be "hurt."
            And so, as you notice how clear things appear this winter, remember that a little cold logic can be an excellent thing.  You will see better.  You will hear better.  And you will make far better decisions both for this life and the next.
 
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD… (Isa 1:18)
 
Dene Ward

I have discovered a new body part.  It is called the “forgetter.”  A few weekends ago, it ran in overdrive.  On Saturday morning I melted the butter, then forgot to put it in the pecan waffle batter.  I preheated the waffle iron on high, then forgot to turn it down to medium.  Tough black waffles were not what I planned for breakfast.
            On Sunday morning I seasoned the roast with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and marjoram, browned it in olive oil, chopped some onions, garlic, and celery and sautéed them in the drippings, deglazed the pan, then put everything back in with potatoes and carrots. Sounds like a great cooking show, right?  I set the temperature on the oven, set the timer to start while we were gone, and walked out of the house without turning it on!  I knew we were in trouble when I walked in and sniffed and that aroma that instantly makes your stomach stand up and beg was missing.
            I always used to think the passage in James about the man who looks into the mirror and then walks away forgetting what he saw, was a little farfetched.  But now I regularly look at myself in the mirror every morning, walk away and get sidetracked making a bed or sorting laundry, taking a phone call or paying a bill, and forget to comb my hair until I look again a couple of hours later.  Lucky for me I have a head full of curls and the style these days is to look like your hair has not seen a comb for three weeks.  Celebrities pay big bucks for such a look.  So I can get by, right?  Everyone will think I just have the same hairstyle as some glamorous movie star.  When I looked out and said good morning to the meter reader the other day, the look he gave me said he was not fooled a bit.
            So it is not as difficult now to realize that people can look at the mirror of God’s word and walk away, forgetting to change themselves.  They are as easily distracted by the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life,” as I am by assorted housekeeping duties, and the Word is choked out of them, Luke 8:14.   But change is the essence of repentance; it is the point where self is pushed aside, and obedience and service to the Lord becomes my reason for living.  If I can see in God’s word what I need to be and do, and then walk away without doing it, I have not turned my life over to Him—I have not been converted, or else I have turned my back on that commitment like an unfaithful spouse.  That is why the Old Testament prophets call it spiritual adultery. 
            Sometimes I forget because I want to forget.  In a culture where self-control is a scarce commodity, it’s easier to say, “That’s just the way I am.”  It’s even easier to never look in the mirror in the first place because I do not want to see anything wrong with myself.  But God won’t be fooled any more easily than my meter reader was.
            Remember to look in the mirror this morning, and don’t forget what you see.
 
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror; for he sees himself and goes away, immediately forgetting what kind of man he saw.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and so continues, being not a hearer that forgets, but a doer who works, this man shall be blessed in his doing.  James 1:22-25.
 
Dene Ward

I am sure you have heard this prayer in Bible classes:  "Help us to apply these things to our daily lives."  As we saw yesterday, that's a whole lot easier said than done.
            The man who amens a lesson on longsuffering, bearing with one another, kindness and returning good for evil, will forget it as soon as he gets behind the wheel.
            The woman who compliments a sermon on modesty will head to the beach with 90% of her body showing.
            One thing I have learned in fifty years of teaching is that "applying these things" needs a little help along the way.  Making a few specific applications from real life situations can get people thinking about their own circumstances much more quickly.
            Let me say this about that:  making a few specific examples is NOT the same thing as making a checklist.  "Teach people to have a good heart and the rest will follow," is a wonderful ideal, but naïve and unworkable.  It almost always comes from the mouth of someone under forty, or who is simply brand new at teaching.  Plenty of good-hearted people experience a complete disconnect when it comes to realizing that certain principles apply to the very things they are doing.  "But I'm a good person," they think, "so what I am doing can't be what he is talking about."  And so those vaguely expressed ideals float around above their heads, never touching the ground they actually walk on.
            Teachers, you must learn to give some concrete, real-to-life examples if you really want to help people.  Be aware that it will get you into trouble occasionally because without meaning to, you will hit a nail squarely on the head.  But that's your job—helping people change, grow, and become better servants of God.  If that never happens, something is wrong.  And if they decide to get mad and leave, it's the plainly spoken Word of God that caused it, not you.
 
And now, Lord…grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.  And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:29,31).
 
Dene Ward

About twenty years ago while on a camping trip in the mountains, we had to make a run to the local Wal-Mart for a few necessities.  Maybe it was a couple more of those squat green metal propane canisters for our Coleman camp stove, or maybe it was the year we woke up flat on the ground because our air mattress had split in a way that was impossible to mend.  While we were wandering through Sporting Goods, we spied a folding metal grill, basically a metal rack designed to splay its legs open over a campfire.
            For years we had been using an ancient wire refrigerator shelf we had found in some trash pile somewhere and cleaned up.  We had to prop it up on logs or rocks, the latter of which were better because they didn't catch fire and burn up.  When we saw the folding grill, we looked at one another and cried, "Genius!" and picked it up.  That flimsy little thing gave us twenty years or so of solid service.  It was probably the best $15 we ever spent.
            Last year we decided it was time to look for a new one.  We found one online easily, a heavy duty metal frame with a thick mesh surface and an even larger cooking area than the old one for about the same price.  We used it three or four times, then brought it home, slipped it back into its box, and packed it away with the other camping gear.
            A month ago we began pulling things out for our trip this year.  I wondered aloud why Keith had not gotten out the folding grill.
            "I did," he said.  "It's on the porch."
            "I didn't see it."  I had been looking for the big piece of cardboard we always wrapped around the old one and tied with a piece of twine.
            He must have realized my problem.  "We got a new one, remember?"
            "We did?"  And then he took me outside and showed me the box which sported a drawing of our nice new grill--which we had used the year before!  The problem was it was brand new, we used it three or four days, then put it away for 365+, never even talking about it again.  No wonder I forgot about it.
            That's one of the reasons we have such a hard time applying Bible principles we learn to our lives in the week.  We learn them in a special building on Sunday morning and promptly forget them when we get into our cars and drive home. Bright and early Monday morning they have completely slipped from our minds and nothing changes, not our words, not our thoughts, and certainly not our behavior.  We listened to a sermon, then put it up on a "shelf" or out in a "shed," and never thought about it again.
            Much of this is simple forgetfulness.  Quick!  What was the sermon about last Sunday morning?  See what I mean?  Perhaps, if we are truly serious about growing and becoming better disciples of the Lord, we can come up with some simple family activities to help us with this.  Just discussing the sermon on the way home or around the dinner table—even at a restaurant where a waiter might overhear—might do the trick.  Why not try it, or something similar, this week?
            There is yet another reason this happens and we will talk about that one tomorrow.
 
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (Jas 1:25).
 
Dene Ward
 

I had finished my shopping in the small town grocery store and approached the check-out line with my wobbly shopping cart—somehow I had managed yet again to get the one with the wheel that won’t turn. 
The lady in front of me was much older than I, probably in her mid-sixties, wearing pink pancake makeup that showed a definite line along her jaw, and sporting a headful of gray curls.  She had on a blue flower-print house dress with a white Peter Pan collar and a hand-knitted cardigan a shade darker than the dress.  Her stockings sagged just a bit above her black shoes, the narrow black laces looped through a three-pair eyelet across the tongue.  She must have noticed me out of the corner of her eye when I pushed my cart into line behind her, because she suddenly stood straight up and looked around. 
            Her gasp was audible from several feet away and a dozen people looked at me as she asked, “What are YOU doing here?” 
            She was a member of the church we had moved to work with just a couple of weeks before.  Lucky for me I recognized her and could actually say her name when I greeted her.  Before I could add anything about needing a few groceries she must have realized how she had sounded and, trying to undo any harm said, “Well, I guess you DO have to eat like the rest of us.”
            I thought of that incident when I saw a commercial the other day which stated at the bottom, “Real people, not actors.”
            Ah!  So actors are not real people.  Yes, I imagine they too have been accosted in grocery stores the same way I was.  What are you doing here?  You don’t need to eat—you aren’t a real person.  Evidently, neither are preachers and their families.
            But don’t we do that to so many others too?  How about the waitress at your favorite café?  Do you even talk to her or do you treat her like furniture?  How about the cashier at the grocery store?  The bagboy?  The deli guy who slices your meat?  Have you ever thought to ask them how they are?  What would you do if you saw your doctor or your child’s teacher at a restaurant?  Would it be the same reaction I got so many years ago?
            Do you know the problem with this sort of behavior?  If they aren’t “real people,” then I don’t have to treat them like people.  Do you know why road rage occurs?  Because it isn’t a real person you are angry with, it’s a car. 
            When Desert Storm began and the news shows showed the airstrikes and dogfights on television, I was appalled.  One night at a church gathering, I came upon two of our teenagers watching two fighter planes on the host’s television.  When the enemy plane exploded, they cheered just like they would have for a touchdown.  I looked at them and said, “You do realize you just saw someone die, don’t you?”  They calmed right down and looked ashamed.  I hope it was real shame.
            As long as we view anyone as something other than a “person,” it becomes much easier to treat them badly.  I did some research and found that every time Jesus tells us how to behave toward our enemies he uses the pronouns “he” or “those.”  Never does he call them anything dehumanizing—like jerk, scum of the earth, dirtbag, or (insert your own personal favorite).  And when we resort to that name-calling we will never be able to treat our enemy—or just our inconsiderate neighbor—the way Jesus tells us to.  And how does he tells us to treat him?  Love him, pray for him, do good to him, bless him, lend to him, feed him, forgive him, give him whatever he asks for—your time, your place in line, your pew, even your driving lane.
            You can only do those things for Real People.
 
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12:16-21
 
Dene Ward