Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 16 – No. 1514 April 12, 2014
Thought for the week: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." – William Arthur Ward
Conventional wisdom tells us that, "When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount." However, in institutionalized organizations scientifically advanced strategies are often employed by doing the following:
Buying a stronger whip.
Changing riders.
Appointing a committee to see how other cultures ride dead horses.
Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
Reclassifying the dead horse as living impaired.
Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.
Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.
"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."
– Benjamin Franklin, On the Price of Corn
and Management of the Poor, 1766
Dr. David Jeremiah tells about a suburban neighborhood in which several residents were extremely upset at the reckless and fast driving that was occurring in their quiet subdivision. They organized a petition drive and demanded that the police patrol the area with greater frequency and penalize drivers who ignored the speed limits. The police obliged and immediately ticketed five drivers who ignored the speed limits. All of them were fuming at the fines they received. It seems, however, that all five of these ticketed drivers had signed the petition calling for enforcement. We hate sin, don't we? At least other people's!
R – E – S – P – E – C – T. Aretha Franklin reminded us how it's spelled, but a lot of us need coaching on how to show it. In both personal and political relationships the failure to treat each other with respect is generating incivility, contempt and violence.
There's an important distinction between respecting a person in the sense that we admire and hold that person in especially high esteem and treating others with respect. While respecting others is desirable, respectfulness is morally mandatory. Thus, people of character treat everyone with respect, even those who are not personally respect worthy.
The way we behave toward others is an expression of our values and character. Thus, we should treat others with respect, not because they have a right, but because we have a moral duty to do unto others the way we want them to do unto us. Again, it's not because they deserve it, but because doing less would diminish our own character.
That's the message in an old story about a politician who found himself being drawn into mudslinging and name-calling. Once he realized he was lowering himself to his opponent's level, he stopped and said, "Sir, I will treat you as a gentleman, not because you are one, but because I am one."
It can take a lot of self-control to be respectful to people who are nasty, dishonorable, or disrespectful to us. Still, our inner sense of integrity should help us resist temptations to "fight fire with fire." As Lily Tomlin said, "The problem with the rat race is that, even if you win, you're still a rat."
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Be eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples."1
Some time ago at a church where I was a deacon we had one man in particular who claimed to have several spiritual gifts. When the deacon board was seeking an answer for a significant situation, our friend informed us that he had a word from God and said, "God told me it was to be such and such."
End of discussion! Who can argue against God?
However, my reply was, "God hasn't told me yet so can we discuss this matter further."
I'm not saying that God doesn't lead and guide people. Not at all. What I am saying is that sometimes some insecure people need to feel important and hide behind "God's skirt" as it were. Others claim to have a word from God simply as a means of controlling others and getting their own way; that is, as Jo Baily put it, they are adept at "arm-twisting for God."
Actually the Bible says, "Don't believe every spirit, but test them to see whether they are from God."2 A wise path to follow.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the ability to be able to discern whether a word or Spirit/spirit is from You or not, and grant that I will never misuse Your name or "arm twist for You" to get my own way. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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"Because the world is hungry,
go with bread.
Because the world is filled with strife,
go with peace.
Because the world is filled with deceptions and lies,
go with truth.
Because the world would die without,
go with the love of God."
