Pastoral Resources

Along our highways, well placed at appropriate locations, are official signs which give us direction and warn us of danger. Most of these are the reflector type; that is, they are designed to reflect the light of auto headlamps. In darkness, they are invisible to anyone who travels without a light. But when our auto headlights are flashed upon these signs, they reflect back to us their message of guidance or caution. Their night-time aid to us depends upon the light we bring to them. They have no meaning for unlighted lamps.

God would like to guide us through the days and through the years of this life. His signs are out there-in all the appropriate places. But whether we see them will depend upon the light with which we approach them.

Elizabeth Elliot tells of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She writes:

“Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me—confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?” She suggests that we often ask God for too little. “We know what we need—a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question. Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. “What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way.”

A faithful Christian soldier went to his chaplain for advice. "Last night," he said, "when I knelt by my bed and prayed, the fellows began to ridicule me and throw shoes at me. What should I do?" "Well," said the chaplain, "why don't you stop kneeling down? Just lie down in bed and lift your heart to God in silence and He will hear you." After a few days, the chaplain asked the soldier how he was faring with his evening prayers. "I'll tell you, Reverend. I followed your advice for three nights, but my conscience began to bother me because I was betraying my Lord. So I began to kneel down as I did before." "And what happened?" "I was really amazed. Not a single fellow ridiculed me. Now the fifteen men in my tent kneel down with me, and I pray aloud for all of them."

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, “Neil!”

Not daring to question or disobey the “command,” the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees!

1. Priorities: TV should not come before personal and family devotions, church responsibilities, schoolwork, or household chores.

2. Personal growth: TV should not become a substitute for reading good books nor replace family sharing.

3. Principles: TV programs should be rejected if they;

à Present violence as a legitimate way of achieving goals.

à Approve of adultery, homosexuality, or sex before marriage, either directly or by implication.

à Reflect a negative attitude toward the sacredness of the family and fidelity in marriage.

à Minimize the seriousness of such sins as murder, dishonesty, greed, lust, profanity, and immorality.

Paul’s letters have much to say to believers as we live out our faith in the work world. As he does here in Colossians 3:22-4:1, Paul usually speaks to both leaders and workers about the tough character and choices required to honor Christ in a difficult workplace environment. For example:

Finance

Workers deserve payment for their work (1 Cor. 9:7-14).

You are accountable for fair employee compensation (Col. 4:1).

Handle wealth very delicately (1 Tim. 6:9-10, 17-18).

Work Relationships

Bring your walk with Christ into each business relationship (2 Cor. 7:1).

Value people highly (Gal. 5:14-15; Eph. 4:31-32).

Treat and motivate employees with respect rather than threats (Eph. 6:5-9).

Have a reasonable view of yourself (Rom. 12:3).

Communication

Accusations must be verified (Matt. 18:15-35; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19).

Communication should always be gracious and truthful (Col. 4:6).

Responsibility

Fulfill your commitments (Rom. 13:6-8).

Remember your accountability (1 Cor. 3:9-15).

Care for the poor and the weak (Rom. 12:13; Gal. 2:10).

Learn how to handle times of bounty and leanness (Phil. 4:12).

Remember, God’s Son gets the ultimate credit (Col. 1:17-18).

Be sure to care for your own family (1 Tim. 5:8).

Discern needs and meet them (Titus 3:14).

Management

View time not only in terms of time management, but also in light of the long-term implications of your decisions (2 Cor. 4:16-18; 2 Pet. 3:8-13).

Help each employee discern the best thing to do (1 Thess. 5:14-15).

Be willing to change your opinions (2 Cor. 5:16-17; Philem. 10-14).

Tasks

Don’t try to get out of your current situation too quickly (1 Cor. 7:17-24).

View stress and trouble in perspective (2 Cor. 4:7-18).

Supervisors

Develop a respect for authority (Rom. 13:1-8).

Do your work wholeheartedly and respectfully (Eph. 6:5-8; 1 Thess. 5:12-15).

Give your employers obedient, hard work (Col. 3:22-25; 1 Thess. 4:11-12).

Honor bosses, whether they are believers or not (1 Tim. 6:1-2).

Coworkers

Develop a reasonable self-estimate (Rom. 12:3).

Acknowledge differences and accept the contributions of others (1 Cor. 12:1-8).

Help others, but do your job (Gal. 6:1-5).

Learn to speak appropriately and sensitively (Col. 4:6).

Understand others and treat them respectfully (1 Tim. 5:1-3).

Develop a reputation for good relationships (Titus 3:1-2).

Responsibility

Give your whole self to God (Rom. 12:1).

Develop the art of discernment in order to live responsibly (Eph. 5:15-18).

Do your work as if working for God—you are (1 Cor. 3:13; Col. 3:17).

Don’t let your responsibilities weigh you down with worry (Phil. 4:6).

Take responsibility for yourself (1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:8-9).

Develop a godly “workstyle” (Titus 2:9-10).

Finances

Live frugally and do not steal—including pilfering (Eph. 4:28).

Care for your family (1 Tim. 5:8).

All guilt motivation results in

1. Pride in those who make it,

2. Frustration in those who fail. Standards may lead to pride or frustration if they are used to . . determine spirituality.

Mahatma Gandhi is fasting to protest the riot killings that followed the partition that created Hindu India and Moslem Pakistan in 1947. A fellow Hindu approaches to confess a great wrong. “I killed a child,” says the distraught man. “I smashed his head against a wall.” “Why?” asks the Mahatma (Hindu for “Great Soul”). “They killed my boy. The Moslems killed my son.” “I know a way out of hell,” says Gandhi. “Find a child, a little boy whose mother and father have been killed, and raise him as your own. Only be sure he is a Moslem—and that you raise him as one.”

A story was told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “I couldn’t read it,” the friend explained. “Somebody named Guten-something had printed it.” “Not Gutenberg!” the book lover exclaimed in horror. “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!”

His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German.”

In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, was competing in the team competition. Somehow, during the floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It was obvious to all reasonable observers that he would be forced to withdraw. But they reckoned without the determination of a true competitor. On the following day, Fujimoto competed in his strongest event, the rings. His routine was excellent, but the critical point lay ahead—the dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended with a twisting, triple somersault. There was a moment of intense quiet as he landed with tremendous impact on his wounded knee. Then came thundering applause as he stood his ground. Later, reporters asked about that moment and he replied, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain in gone.”

Rodney “Gypsy” Smith trusted Christ in November, 1876. Reaffirmed his decision a few days later in a Methodist chapel. An old man asked if he had trusted Jesus and nothing else.

The lad replied, “I cannot trust myself, for I am nothing. I cannot trust what I have, for I have nothing. I cannot trust what I know, for I know nothing.”