Archive for August, 2025
Dealing With Responsibility
What your responsibilities are is important. Your attitude toward them is equally important. Which of the following typifies your attitude toward them?
Shirk, do you shirk them?
Og Mandino commented, “Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.”
Shelve, do you put them on the shelf? This is often done with the dream there surely will be time in the future to do them. Putting them aside often means putting them out of sight and ultimately outdated and undone.
Shoulder, do you shoulder them and undertake them without the help of the Lord? Undertaking a task alone is often accompanied by depression and anxiety, and it may make it hard for you to reach out for help or ask for what you need.
Feeling like a task being undertaken without the help of the Lord is a load too heavy can be an overwhelming experience, but remember, it’s not a journey you have to walk alone. By employing prayer and unloading can put you in a position to reload in partnership with the Lord whose broad shoulders can enable the task to be done well.
Shed, do you tend to shed them, that is, not assume responsibility for them? Occasionally a responsibility is faced and finished. There is an old Indian adage that is appropriate, “When you are riding a dead horse, dismount.”
There are times we find ourselves a burden that really isn’t ours. When you do, admit it. Even if you can’t sing it, do it: “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.”
Share, do you share them with the Lord and let your responsibility be aided by His ability.? There is no responsibility so small He will not take a part in it or so large He can’t enable its achievement.
When confronted with a challenge let your responsibility be based on His ability. Undertaken alone some responsibilities will wear you out. When done in partnership with the Lord your energy and effort can be enhanced exponentially.
We should not wait passively for God to act in our stead. However, we should extend ourselves energetically while all the time asking the Lord for His enablement.
The Bible encourages us to depend on God while also putting in effort ourselves.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5 – 8).
Sin Wears Camo
Sin is a ruse designed to convince us that what is not good for us is the best for us.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14: 12).
Sin meets us at the crossroads of life having switched the direction signals of right and wrong to get us on the wrong road. It seems right but is wrong.
This passage highlights the transient nature of worldly pleasures and contrasts them with the eternal value of doing God’s will. The desires of the flesh and eyes, along with pride, are seen as distractions that can lead one away from a life centered on God.
In the Christian life, the call to prioritize God’s will over worldly pleasures is a recurring theme throughout Scripture. This principle is rooted in the understanding that true fulfillment and joy are found in a relationship with God, rather than in the fleeting pleasures of the world.
If you were going to make a counterfeit $20.00 bill what would you want to make it look like? Naturally, a $20.00 bill. Satan skillfully makes sin look like that which is good and right.
The Scripture refers to “the passing pleasures of sin…” (Hebrews 11: 24 – 26) We tend to want to profess sin isn’t pleasant. Experience and the Bible join in saying sin has its pleasures.
Contrast those passing pleasures with the pleasures God provides, “In Your presence is fullness of joy… At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16: 11).
Therefore, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2: 15 – 17).
Sin’s younger sibling is noted in Hebrews 11: 1, “ …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us….” Herein sin is noted along beside “weight.” A weight is not necessarily a sin, but can be a good thing that keeps us from doing the right thing. This is a point at which many Christians who are adept at avoiding sin are kept from that which is best by that which is good.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 1).
Sin Is a Hoodwink
Medieval Venetian society was extremely class-conscious, but masks allowed people to transcend social boundaries. Nobles could mingle with commoners, and people could behave more freely—flirting, gambling, or speaking openly—without fear of damaging their reputation.
In a way, masks give people permission to live outside the rules for a while.
Modern day sin does the same thing. Several expressions describe its deception.
Hoodwink is a 16th Century term that soon came to be used figuratively for veiling the truth. It further means to deceive by false appearance. At some point it took on the meaning of being a hoodwink, depicting a nun wearing her habit and winking coyly figuratively veiling the truth.
To “snooker someone” means to trick or deceive them, or to put them in a difficult or unfavorable situation. In light of that definition every time we sin we have been snookered by sin. Sin depends on a beautiful disguise in order to snooker us. Envision sin snickering after snookering us.
The devil masquerades as an angel of light offering blessings and benefits. This metaphor illustrates how sin can appear attractive and righteous, yet its true nature is destructive. The deceptive nature of sin is such that it can lead individuals to rationalize or justify their actions, blinding them to the truth.
Notice the progressive nature of temptation leading to sin: “But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1: 14, 15).
Read that again.
This verse highlights the insidious nature of sin, which can harden hearts and lead individuals away from the truth of God.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Believers are to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). For that reason it is important that we keep good company. It is childish but true “a rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel.”
Sin often represents itself as harmless or even desirable, but its intent is to encourage acts of disobedience to our loving heavenly Father.
Biblically we are told God provides a means of avoiding temptation’s appeal. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God’s Phone Number
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33: 3).
God’s best provisions often come to His people when they are in the worst of conditions. The assurance of God’s attention to his needs came to Jeremiah while he was unjustly imprisoned. If most of us would engage in introspection we would see this principle is true in our lives.
These provisions cascade down upon the faithful every time God is honored by the one praying. It is as though the “Lord of the Manner” opens the door to his treasure and welcomes the loyalist.
Not only does the devout heart yearn for God, God longs for the devout heart to call on Him.
You may not get the blessings for which you ask. Perhaps from God’s perspective He knows it would not really be blessings. We are not always good at translating our needs into words, and it is a mercy that God understands what we do want a great deal better than we do ourselves. Whether the specific petition is answered or not will matter comparatively little. In some instances the petitions are denied, but the purposes are fulfilled.
God does not always give the thing we ask. Lord Bolingbroke, a prominent British statesman, said to the Countess of Huntingdon, “I cannot understand, your ladyship, how you can make out earnest prayer to be consistent with submission to the Divine will.” “My lord,” she said, ‘That is a matter of no difficulty. If I were a courtier of some generous king, and he gave me permission to ask any favor I pleased of him, I should be sure to put it thus: ‘Will your majesty be graciously pleased to grant me such and such a favor; but at the same time, though I much desire it, if it would in any way detract from your majesty’s honor, or if in your majesty’s judgment it should seem better that I did not have this favour, I shall be quite as content to go without it as to receive it.’ So you see I might earnestly offer a petition, and yet might submissively leave it with the king.”
Such is the nature of the prayer offered with the spirit of “Thy will be done.” No prayer should be offered as an attempt to impose God’s will.
We realize what we consider a need and think we know what it would take to meet it may not find it fulfilling. God acknowledges the need, but often knows that what is requested won’t meet the need. Therefore, He often says “no” to our specific request, but wisely fulfills the need in a different more fulfilling way.
It has been suggested that Jeremiah 33:3 is God’s phone number. If so, call it now. He has invited you to do so. Don’t deny His appeal. He wants to hear from you. You will be amazed at what great and mighty things He can and will show you.
Ageless Axioms
The death of Pope Francis and the election of a new Pope has focused the world’s attention on Catholicism. History’s pages are replete with remarks by some more renowned followers of the faith considered worthy of all ages. These ageless axioms are worthy of universal acceptance not only because of their literary worth, but because of their lifestyle merit. Age has not diminished the truth
they encapsulate. Consider these and how they relate to you. Are you a living embodiment of any of them?
Augustine of Hippo (though technically late antiquity, his influence dominated the medieval church):
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
Thomas Aquinas (13th century, Dominican friar and theologian):
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”
Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century, Cistercian abbot and mystic):
“What we love we shall grow to resemble.”
Anselm of Canterbury (11th century, monk, philosopher, theologian):
“I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand.”
Meister Eckhart (13th-14th century, German Dominican friar and mystic):
“The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.”
Francis of Assisi (13th century, founder of the Franciscan Order):
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
St. Bede the Venerable (7th-8th century, English monk and historian):
“Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.”
Bonaventure (13th century, Franciscan theologian, called the “Seraphic Doctor”):
“In everything, whether it is a thing sensed or a thing known, God Himself is hidden within.
Peter Abelard (12th century, philosopher, theologian, and priest):
“By doubting, we are led to question; by questioning, we arrive at truth.”
Catherine of Siena (14th century, Dominican tertiary and Doctor of the Church — again, not a priest but hugely influential):
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Hildegard of Bingen (12th century, Benedictine abbess, mystic, and composer):
“The soul is kissed by God in its innermost regions.”
Thomas à Kempis (15th century, priest and author of “The Imitation of Christ):
“Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living.”
Hopefully readers will find those good axioms by which to live.