It’s Hard to Help People

Recently I went to a conference for faith-based organizations. The lunchtime speaker (Tracy Williams), who was quite humorous, said “It’s hard to help people!” I laughed quite hard (I think the people I was with at the conference thought that was a bit strange). The reason I laughed so hard is because it’s true! It’s hard to help people! And the principal reason why is because so many times, people don’t want to be helped! How many times have I seen things like an addict consumed by his addiction or a parent enabling her adult child, and my heart goes out to them. They are so in need of truth and freedom! But until the Holy Spirit convicts and shows them that fact, the best way we can help is to pray. Although we can do things like offer a struggling person support and accountability, or suggest that they go to a support group or Christian counselor, which may help if the person is truly motivated to change, in my experience, a breakthrough rarely occurs that way. Most people (including myself) have to come to the end of their rope, and the end of themselves, and cry out to Jesus for help – and then He answers and starts to do His work. That’s when we can come alongside a person. I am exactly the same way. I am so stubborn and willful that the Lord has had to practically break me in half in a major way at least three times over the course of my life to bring me back into intimate fellowship with Him (and he does so in less dramatic ways on a continual basis). But He is always faithful to do so. All praise and glory to Him.

Weak or Strong?

Consider the following (italics mine):

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God … I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

Now I … myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!

[The Greek word translated above “meek” is “tapeinos” which means:
depressed, i.e. (figuratively) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition), base, cast down, humble, of low degree (estate), lowly. Reference: http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/5011.htm]

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

The above Scripture references are from:
I Cor 2:1,3 (TNIV)
2 Cor 10:1 (NASB)
2 Cor 12:7-10 (NIV)
Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV)

They were all written by the Apostle Paul, that hard-charging, fearless … wait, is that really what Paul was like? I always thought so, but I Cor 2:1-3 in particular got me wondering. Notice the theme of weakness in the verses above. Could it be that Paul was not always fearless, but was one who used his weakness to bring glory to God as his weakness was turned to strength?

Quotes That I Like

I think I will keep adding to this post periodically, because I like quotes. Where I do not know the attribution, I have not given one.

Lack of meaning does not come from being weary of pain, but being weary of pleasure.
G. K. Chesterton

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
C.S. Lewis

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less.
Rick Warren

I fear the materialism of the West more than the persecution of the East.
A Chinese pastor

God keeps giving Himself as long as we keep bringing that into which He can pour Himself. When we stop bringing, He stops pouring.
Alexander McClaren

God does only what we can't.
James MacDonald

The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.
G.K. Chesterton

People are wounded in relationship and healed in relationship.

God builds His Kingdom through gifts of friendship.
John Dawson

Christianity is not a set of beliefs, but a relationship with the living Christ.
Josh McDowell

God made me for a purpose, for China. But He also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.
Eric Liddell

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Jim Elliot

Choose to sin, choose to suffer.
James MacDonald

Common sense ain't common, and you are proof of that.
Jim Peters' (comedian/musicianary) Dad

Are you willing to become what you never had?
Iverna Tompkins

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

Here I go ...

I finally feel led to start a blog - thanks to Ron, Doug, Danny, Mary Lee, and Darrell for the modeling which provided inspiration.