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Stay Away From Fools

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Have you noticed the back and forth rants on social media that produce a lot of heat but contain very little intelligence? They are a waste of time! Anything you say will be countered with another avalanche of nonsense, confirming what Solomon said centuries ago:

“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted” (Proverbs 12:15-16).

“Stay away from fools, for you won’t find knowledge on their lips. The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves. Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation” (Proverbs 14:7-9).

“Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. Simpletons are clothed with foolishness, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge” (Proverbs 14:15-16, 18).

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions” [Proverbs 18:2].

Not only are we faced with a proliferation of foolish people, but there is also an increase of spurious reports and fake news. I recently read about two guys who spend their days making up fake news reports to incite their political enemies and dupe the masses. According Scripture, God detests this.

“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

To avoid being numbered among the foolish, we need to expose ourselves to the ageless wisdom of God-inspired people.

“People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock…People know how to tear apart flinty rocks and overturn the roots of mountains. They cut tunnels in the rocks and uncover precious stones. They dam up the trickling streams and bring to light the hidden treasures. But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding (Job 28:1-2, 9-12 )?

“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens” (Job 28:23-24).

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom” (Psalm 111:10)!

Our recent Presidential election taught me three things about myself and others. 1) Our biases make it very difficult to be objective. 2) The less time we spend in God’s Word, the more convinced we are the our opinions are correct. 3) It is easy to confuse foolishness with wisdom. If we spend more time with Facebook than Scripture, we’re going to end up with a head full of trivia and poppycock, and very little wisdom.

Rich DuBose writes from Northern California.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Taking Care of Stuff

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Years ago the now-deceased comedian, George Carlin, created a hilarious skit about “Stuff.” I can relate to the material. Tomorrow a rodent control business is coming to give us a free estimate on corralling the critters in our attic. I need to order filters for my shower and replace one on the furnace. The rugs should be cleaned again and the driveway is due for a pressure wash. A strange tear in the lining of one of my car doors needs attention and that requires a visit across town. Besides keeping track of the next oil change, tire rotations, and a few car washes. I grow weary of the use of my time to care for things. I would prefer to spend the precious days, months and years that I have left, caring for people and pursuing talents and relationships.

Not that my things don’t assist me in those endeavors. I use my car to get to people. I use my appliances to feed myself and family members. And I do get exhausted from caring about or for family, friends and clients. Yet my patience is growing thin about stuff. When I add up the time spent each year pricing, evaluating and shopping for appliances and services, along with waiting at home or in businesses for repairs, I am disgusted. I’m tired of babysitting possessions.

A few years ago I started yearning to downsize — get rid of things and space that isn’t necessary. Hurricanes, disasters, and terrorism remind us of what is really worth saving. Since then the “Foodie” in me acquired an electric ice cream maker, a pannini grill, a raclette grill, and some other gadgets. My children’s former bedrooms are filling with stuff that doesn’t fit in the other shelves and rooms of the house. I routinely sort through clothes and household goods to set out for the charities that provide pick-up service. The battle continues on controlling accumulation, the disease of Western consumer life.

All of this stuff may be part of the reason that fiction Amish stories are so popular in Christian book stores. We used to read the Little House on the Prairie stories and muse about the hard but simple life of bygone times. So in my fantasy world, sometimes I see myself in a little cabin among a pine forest with Internet service and a good shopping mall about one hour away. Indoor plumbing with hot water would be a must, along with my washer and dryer, a good stove, music and lots of books.

Perhaps this is another sign of my chronology. Each year is now a schedule of health maintenance appointments for various personal body parts, plus occasional unmanageable sicknesses or emergencies. And those for the dog. I fail to brush his teeth. The precious sand of time seems to be sliding ominously faster in the hour glass of each year.

Stewardship of my time, space, and health is a challenge that I want to pray about in the New Year. We joke that as file space in the mind is filled, some things fall away. I must be intentional about saving space and time in my life for the most valuable. There isn’t room for all the stuff, in my life my house, my heart. This year I will save space and time for Jesus Christ and those who mean the most to me?

Questions for personal journaling or group discussion:

1. If you have five minutes to collect your most important possessions, what would you take with you?

2. If you knew that in a few months your money would be worthless, how would you spend it now?

Karen Spruill writes from Orlando, Florida.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Vegetable Tortilla Soup

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This is a favorite crowd pleaser! Easy to make ahead. The secret is Trader Joe’s Chimichuri Rice, found in their frozen food section.

  • 2-3 T. olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 1 large bunch celery, chopped (or 2 small bunches)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 bag power greens or fresh spinach
  • 2 cartons organic vegetable broth
  • 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can black or white beans, rinsed and drained (or substitute diced firm tofu)
  • 1 bag Trader Joe’s frozen Chimichuri Rice
  • Sliced fresh Avocado
  • Garnish: Shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions or cilantro, sour cream (or plain 2% or 5% Greek yogurt) if desired

Directions:

  1. In large pan or soup pot, heat up the olive oil
  2. Add in the chopped onion, celery, carrots and bell pepper, sautee on medium heat until they start to brown and carmelize
  3. Add the greens and stir fry until wilted
  4. Add the broth, beans and/or tofu and Chimichuri rice, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Top with fresh avocado slices. You can also garnish with a pinch of shredded cheese, green onions or cliantro and a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt if desired. Serve with Quinoa Black Bean Chips or your favorite tortilla chips.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Waking Up to Trust

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For all the times I’ve heard humans go on and on about love and how Jesus is huge on loving all people everywhere, I have never heard a single monologue on trust. Considering I sit in a church each weekend, this should be strange. Yes, and sadly, the dearth of education on this subject has cost me a few boatloads of emotional energy—not to mention a few thousand moments of misplaced expectations.

The truth about trust hit me square in the face one day about a decade ago. I had been fuming to myself about the repeated judgments of a certain co-worker and how he would regularly lavish his twisted take on whoever was not present. As kind as I had tried to be around him, my turn had finally come. Driving home that day, I was crestfallen. I was part hurt and part frustrated. What was his problem?!

This is when enlightenment fell from Heaven. I heard a voice in my mind ask why I was acting all shocked and mad. Why? I returned. You don’t see why? The voice asked how many times I’d heard of this guy doing this. Ok, many. The voice then asked over how many months or years I’d witnessed this behavior. Ok, several… and…?

As this mental dialogue progressed, my ignorance came shining through. This guy was known to take a swing with his “baseball bat” every time someone rang his doorbell. I’d read it through the grapevine and seen the damage with my own eyes, more than once, yes, and yet without a second thought I had run up the steps to his house with a smile on my face and hopes of having tea. I was the fool.

Over the next few days I processed how trust is opening up oneself to receive favor. It’s a choice that is made—even if not consciously—and a choice to which the trusting one is held fully responsible. Why had I not figured this out sooner? I was trusting all over the place—without even one thought or intentional question about the person I emotionally embraced.

It all sunk in very fast. Trusting should not happen before the other party has shown over time that they are capable of coming through. Their track record should be the only consideration. And yes, if they exhibited negative behavior, expectations need to be adjusted, and emotional bonding kept in check. It made me think of the Proverb that states how it is out of the heart that all of life flows. What could be worse than opening my heart up to someone with a track record for ill? What could be more devastating than broken trust and a broken heart?

Today, many years of practice later, I am doing quite well. Instead of naively hoping that all the evidence will be wrong this time, I observe a person’s emotional maturity and accept them where they are, making choices accordingly. I size up Mr. Coworker, expect what is evident, and treat him with respect without looking for any kind of goodwill to be returned. Basically, I emotionally adjust to reality and resist opening myself up for something good that will certainly not be given.

What is so huge about all this is that we are only as strong as the people we let into our hearts and lives. And what is so overlooked about all this is that the choice is always ours. Even if you have to share geographical space, this doesn’t mean you have to share your heart. And by the way, if you check out the Bible on trust, you will find it adamant that we are not to trust humans—even ourselves. We are told to trust only God.

I can count on two hands the people I now trust. They, as it turns out, are all people who have given their lives over to God. They are people who have shown over time that they are committed to honoring God’s laws and teachings. So, in the end, I guess I have found the Bible to be right on. Screening those who I trust has got me—even if indirectly—trusting only God. And what a huge relief that has been.

Clarissa Worley Sproul writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Waking Up to Trust appeared first on Answers for Me.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Can God Use Me?

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“Don’t give up! Keep pushing!” As I look into the eyes of this innocent woman, I know right away that I am far from home. She hasn’t been given any medication to help with pain, and her pelvis is too small for the baby to come out easily. I stand at the end of the hospital bed trying with all of my heart to comfort her with the fragment of French words I can understand as I begin to deliver the baby. I am not acquainted with the culture very well, so in my ignorance, I make the effort to show as much compassion, praying she will understand.

Finally, after forcing the baby to come out by pushing on the mother’s stomach, she delivers. Her uterus is not contracting well and she is bleeding excessively to the point of being anemic. I begin to run from family member to family member trying to find the correct blood type that matches hers. Either no one has the same blood type or they aren’t willing to donate even though they know it is for her survival. I realize after awhile that I match her blood type. I can give my own blood to save her life! Her blood pressure drops drastically, and she is loosing blood rapidly.

I run to the laboratory and tell Clara about the emergency. She promptly sits me down and retrieves a blood bag. As soon as I see the needle, I turn my head away. It is practically the size of a PVC pipe (a little over exaggerated). I start to pray that it will be over quickly. Thank God my blood came out fast, and before I know it, I have a pint (500 ml) of blood ready for the patient. Eliminating strenuous exercise after giving blood is out of the question today. I immediately stand up and run as fast as I can back to maternity where the mother is still struggling for life. I try to stay courageous, but deep inside my heart is welling up with frustration. I refuse to believe that this woman would go through so much for her little child, and then not be there to raise him. My job is to hold the baby while the other nurses’ frantically take the bag of blood and start running the IV. I fall in love with this mother and her little helpless baby boy in my arms as I wait for a miracle.

Being in the medical setting in Africa has been quite different from America. I decided to take my mission experience at the Koza Seventh-day Adventist hospital in Cameroon. Each day I have to be careful about what supplies to use for fear that there might not be enough for the next day. I’ve had the privilege of working with some very talented people who are quite resourceful, and at times when I haven’t known what to do, God has provided. He has given me the energy to work hard and get through many challenging days. To His glory, He has been accomplishing the task He sent me here for.

I have been in Cameroon for almost five months and I have found every minute worthwhile. When I surrender my selfish ambitions and give my life to Christ, the most exhilarating feelings come over me as I work for Him. It is the highest honor to see first-hand what God is doing around the world — and to be apart of it! I’ve had the pleasure of helping with surgeries, delivering babies, and comforting people by the bedside. I know God has called me here, and although sometimes I don’t know all that I’m here for, Christ keeps giving me reasons to stay just a little longer.

After much prayer and waiting, the mother survives, and I begin to take care of her as she heals from this traumatic experience. It is impressive to see the miracles of God as I work with Him in His plan to save souls physically and eternally. Since I have been here, reading the book Ministry of Healing has lead me to the faith that God can do anything. Ellen White states: “Faith is a mightier conqueror than death. If the sick can be led to fix their eyes in faith upon the Mighty Healer, we shall see wonderful results. It will bring life to the body and to the soul.”

My prayer for you today is that you have faith enough that God can mold you into his likeness and character. Take every opportunity that God presents to you to help others. It is a life full of surprise and fulfillment. He is calling you to be part of His story.

Elissa McMurry writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Can God Use Me? appeared first on Answers for Me.

Read more at the source: Can God Use Me?

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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