You Wouldn’t Play Scrabble That Way

Posted on December 6, 2004 by gophumek | Permalink 0

You wouldn’t play Scrabble that way!!!
Galatians 3:27-28

How many who read this actually play Scrabble? I love to play it, but rarely do I find someone who shares my enthusiasm about it. A couple of the rules in Scrabble are that you cannot use the dictionary, and you are not allowed to use proper names. Those are fair rules and all that play the game have to follow those rules. If you played against your family with those rules, but allowed your friends and co-workers to use the dictionary and proper names, someone would call foul. I believe you’re family would say you weren’t being fair. What would your co-workers or friends think? They’d probably say, “Man, he makes playing Scrabble so easy for us, but makes it so hard with his family.” Yeah, that’s probably what they would say. You might see where I’m going already.

There are some of us that play the game of life (not the board game) with two sets of rules.  We tend to treat our friends and co-workers according to one set of rules and then we treat our family with a completely different set of rules. Take me for example; I may say something sarcastic to my wife when we have some disagreement or when she doesn’t understand my intended meaning about a topic. I’m human, I sin, and I do this sometimes. I do this with my wife or maybe another family member, but I rarely if ever do this to friends or peers of mine. I sometimes play by two sets of rules, maybe you do too. If you think hard enough, can you remember a time when you’ve acted unfair to your family?

I think as Christians we need to treat everyone fair. This means eliminating that extra rule book we sometimes use with our families. Let us look at Galatians 3:27-28: For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

While my wife and I may have different roles at home and at church, and we are physically different, we are exactly the same in God’s eyes, in other words, we are of the same value. We are His creation and He loves us equally. God doesn’t have a different set of rules for different people and we shouldn’t either. Join me today in shredding that other rulebook we sometimes use. Let us have some character in our lives by treating our family as well as we treat our friends, co-workers, or our neighbor across the street.

A bit of preaching, Peace

Directions?

Posted on November 29, 2004 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Today’s Devotional Tidbit – Directions
Psalm 143:8-10, 12

Husbands or males in general, have a bad reputation. There’s something that we usually do that gives us that reputation. O.k., maybe there’s more than just one thing that gives us that bad reputation, but I’ll focus on just one today. One word says it all, “Directions.” Do you get where I’m going yet? 

Now I’m different than most husbands, but that’s because my wife is different than most wives, at least when it comes to traveling. When we travel, we travel far. We don’t fly, we just drive. It can be monotonous (simply stated that means “uuurrrgggghhh!!) We are usually out in rural areas where directions need to be asked or we might get lost. That’s where we as a couple are a bit different. I have yet to hear my wife complain to me about never asking directions. When it comes to directions, I have no manly pride. I hear my wife say the following sometimes, “You were asking directions again weren’t you?” Or she might say, “Why do you have to ask directions every time we stop somewhere?”

I always tell my wife (Mary Ann) that I ask because I enjoy talking to people. From a simple asking of directions, so many things can be talked about.  It might be that, or maybe I am just an untrusting soul and I want to make sure that the last person wasn’t leading me astray. Whatever the reason of my constant asking of road directions, I am an odd duck, a male that asks how to get somewhere when lost or almost lost. When I am in places such as Prairie City, SD; Dunning, NE; or Ft. Yates, ND, I am so good at asking directions when I lose my way.  Why don’t I do that more often as a Christian when I don’t know where I’m going in life?

Psalm 143 is a wonderfully written account of what God wants us to do when we lose our ways.

1)        Pray to Him –vs. 1

2)       Remember what God has done – vs. 5

3)       Ask God for direction and trust him – vs. 8

4)       Ask God to teach us His will – vs. 10

5)       Ask God for his Good Spirit to lead us – vs. 10

Let us focus on verses 8-10.  Three times in these verses, David asks God for directions. I don’t know how often he asked for directions when he may have got lost between Shiloh and Jerusalem, but I do know that he asked directions when he most needed them. When he needed guidance, when he was persecuted, when God seemed most distant, David humbled himself before the Lord and asked God to guide him. Shouldn’t we do the same today? And if we do it sometimes, shouldn’t we do it more often?

Read the words of David:      “Show me the way I should go.” vs. 8

                                               “Teach me to do your will” vs. 10

                                               “May your good spirit lead me on level ground.” vs. 10

Would our lives be less burdened if we humbled ourselves before God and asked directions (guidance)? Why of course!!!! Let us not be like typical men. Let us ask directions when we feel lost. Let us follow the example of a real man after God’s own heart – let us follow the example of David. 

God Bless Ya’ll (or is it Y’all?),
Brian Humek

Holy Spirit, Praying to God, Struggles