God’s Way to Fight Fire!

William Shakespeare, in his play Henry VIII, has a character warn about the danger of seeking revenge: "Heat not a furnace for thy foe so hot it do singe yourself." That quote brings to my mind another anonymous saying I ran across somewhere along the way – "When you’re tempted to fight fire with fire, remember the fire department usually uses water." The Bible speaks to the human desire to retaliate and seek revenge in a very direct and sobering way in Romans 12:17-21 – "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." That passage describes God’s way to fight fire! It calls for a radically different reponse to evil and unjust treatment than we often see in our world. Instead of paying back in kind – eye for eye, tooth for tooth – the Lord calls on us to "kill our enemy with kindness." Some would say that’s weak and passive, but the cross of Christ says just the opposite. At the cross evil and injustice was heaped upon Jesus in verbal and physical ways and to an extent that stun and numb our minds. But the people who blasphemed and cursed and abused the Son of God that day did not crucify an angry, bitter, vengeful man. On the contrary, Jesus stayed and prayed on the cross that God would forgive His tormentors (Luke 23:34). He didn’t fight fire with fire. Instead, He rose above the evil and overcame it with good.

Fire, of course can be a good thing, used to provide heat and light and cook our food. But fire, including the emotional kind we call "anger," so easily burns out of control. The Bible calls on us to recognize our anger, deal with it appropriately, then put it out! Ephesians 5:26-27 says, " ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." As Colin Powell said, "Get mad, then get over it." If we don’t do that, we end up fighting fire with more fire. The emotional heat increases until the anger reaches a boiling point and turns to rage. Evil escalates as someone strikes back, doing some odd and evil thing to get even, increasing the heat. Eighteen years ago (3/22/2000) a usatoday.com article reported about a woman who had surgical scissors lodged in her chest for 10 years. The Guyana Medical Association reported that Roman Soman, 43, did not know the scissors were there until she went to the state-run Georgetown Hospital for treatment after she said her husband attacked her with an ice-pick and a knife. X-rays revealed the instrument, apparently forgotten after a chest operation performed at the same hospital in 1990. Surgery was scheduled the week the incident was reported. Common sense tells us there are things (like a pair of scissors) we just ought not to be carrying around inside us. Don’t harbor anger and resentment and a desire for revenge. It will burn others, and you. God has another way of fighting fire, if only more people would use it. Think about it.

By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Tamer Lions!

           Life can be tough sometimes. Like the lion tamer who put this terse ad’ in the newspaper: "Lion tamer looking for tamer lion." Anything or anybody in your life you wish was "tamer"? From time to time most of us find ourselves face to face with circumstances or people who cause problems and pressures and pain in our lives. The problems range from mild irritation to major frustration. In the words of the Bible in James 1:2b, we sometimes "fall into various trials." Unlike much comfy and convenience-oriented contemporary religion, the Bible teaches God’s children to expect "the sufferings of this present time," even as we weigh them against "the glory which shall be revealed" (Romans 8:18). That glory is ahead in a time and place when all the lions that threaten us here will be tamed – when, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Meanwhile, whether preachers and modern day purveyors of so-called "health-and- wealth, name-it-and claim it, feel-good religion" ever get round to telling us or not, we all live in a world where "the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

                 We might all wish for tamer lions. But what if your lions can’t be tamed? What if you are locked in a cage of painful circumstances you can’t control or escape or make "tamer"? A verse from the pen of the apostle Paul speaks to that very situation. In Romans 12:12 he wrote ten words that won’t necessarily make the lions in our lives tamer but will help to make us tougher and better able to cope with the untamed lions– "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer." Amazing counsel. Instead of the "life-is-not-fair, I’m a helpless victim" attitude of so many people who wallow in a sea of self-pity, the apostle calls us to choose a nobler path! Christian joy is grounded in nothing less than the hope of heaven, and we can hold on to joy and hope anchored there. We can be patient although in pain. We can maintain a steady prayer life even in the midst of life’s trouble, trials and tears. Or we can choose the well-worn path and sit and sour and sulk and bitterly complain about how unfair life is. Some wit said, "Suffering is inevitable, but misery is optional." Victor Frankl saw a lot of suffering and faced some untameable circumstances. He was an Austrian neurologist and a Holocaust survivor. In Man’s Search For Meaning (1948), a book about his experience as an Auschwitz concentration inmate during World War II, Frankl noted there were a few men who walked through the camp huts comforting and giving away their last piece of bread. Frankl wrote, "They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of his freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." Here’s the bottom line: I can’t always control painful circumstances and people in my life, but I can always control my attitude. I may never tame all the lions in my life, but neither do I have to let the lions tame me – "through faith ... stopped the mouths of lions" (Hebrews 11:33b). Think about it. 

   By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

How You Can Help America!

America celebrated her 242^nd birthday as a nation Wednesday July 4, 2018. Our Presidents often utter a three-word prayer that is prayed by millions – "God Bless America." But comedian Jay Leno reminds us some would rather blast America than bless her. He said, "A new book lists all the countries that hate the United States. It's called the World Atlas." He overstated the case, but it is clear "America" does not mean the same thing to everyone. The comedian George Carlin once said, "I don't get all choked up about yellow ribbons and American flags. I see them as symbols, and I leave them to the symbol-minded." I don't want to be symbol-minded, and I don’t believe God is a flag-waving American, and I know the world is a complex place. But I don’t want to forget the history or sacrifices behind the American flag. There is enough wrong with America to trouble thoughtful people. Scripture testifies, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). That being true, there is cause for alarm. Public morality is now more accurately public immorality. Personal freedoms and choices have replaced principled behavior and personal responsiblity. Sexual sin has been scrubbed clean of its stigma as wrong. Millions now worship at the altar of uncritical tolerance, and the result is the abnormal has been declared to be the "new normal." As was said of Israel long ago, it seems to be the case today – "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6). Shame is out of the closet and into the homes and hearts of millions via media, music, movies, the Internet, etc. Attitudes about abortion, divorce, modesty, honesty, and respect for authority have seen seismic shifts in majority opinion in recent decades, and our laws now reflect those shifts. Besides moral and marriage matters, money, material things and pursuit of pleasure are popular American idols. Racial tension, domestic violence, drug abuse – truly sin is a reproach and disgrace to any people, including the American people.

So, is there any good news? Yes. In spite of all that is wrong with America, much is good and right. Millions of citizens get up daily and go to work to support their families. Millions do not rob, rape, rebel, lie or cheat or steal, abuse their kids, or commit adultery. These good citizens love their country, pay their taxes, vote, salute the flag, and seek to be good neighbors. They show courtesy to the elderly, respect the law, and pray for our leaders. They seek to obey the inspired directive in 1 Timothy 2:1-3: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior." I urge you to remember those words. Daniel Webster said, " Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens." If you truly want to help America be a better place, start with yourself. Be honest. Work a job. Take care of your family. Avoid hatred and prejudice. Don’t abuse drugs. Spread the gospel. And pray. If you do these things, you will be helping America and will honor God in the process

By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN