One night a man came to Mother Teresa’s house and told her about a family of eight who hadn’t eaten for a week. When she got there, she saw the faces of little ones suffering from malnutrition, so she gave them a sack of rice. Then the children’s mother did something interesting. She kept half the rice and went out carrying the other half.
When she returned, Mother Teresa asked, “Where did you go?” She answered, “To my neighbours; they’re hungry also.” Mother Teresa says, “I wasn’t surprised that she gave; the poor are usually very generous. But I was surprised that she knew they were hungry. As a rule, when we’re suffering, we have no time for others.”
The Bible teaches that when you focus on the needs of others, God will make sure your needs get met too (see Ephesians 6:8). So if you want it, give it! Here’s why: (1) Giving is the key to blessing. Jesus said, “If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap.” (2) The seed you sow now decides the size of the harvest you’ll reap later. No seed is too little to multiply if you’re willing to sow it.
By finding a cause greater than your own self-interest and pouring yourself into it, you discover two things: first, it’s okay to acknowledge your limitations as long as you don’t build your life around them; and second, God’s blessing is released when you give what you have instead of talking about what you don’t have. So if you want it, give it!
If You Want It, Give It!
“You will be given a full amount in return.” Luke 6:38 CEV
February 24, 2017 • Bob Gass
Conquering Your Fear Of Intimacy (2)
February 28, 2017 • Bob Gass
Emotional intimacy is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. It fills their souls and yours too. It eliminates our loneliness. And yes, even in our macho society, the Bible suggests emotional intimacy between men. The elders of the church at Ephesus, realizing they would never see Paul again, “wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more” (vv. 37-38 NKJV). Famed athlete Bill Russell said, “Most people have a harder time letting themselves love, than finding someone to love them.” So, what can you do? (1) Understand the source of your fear. What happened to make you avoid a desire to be known? (2) Accept yourself completely—every feature, every imperfection—as God’s masterpiece; then you can stop worrying about someone rejecting you because you’re not perfect. (3) Test the waters. Start gradually with a few friends and begin to share your needs and how you really feel. Confess your struggle with your weight, self-image, habits, or other issues. Instead of pretending you’re something that you’re not, ask for support. Find joy in being authentic. (4) Practice saying, “I love you” to the significant people in your life even if it feels foreign to do so. Stop fearing. “I love you” doesn’t translate, “I want to be your slave,” nor does it say, “I’ll tolerate anything and remain in relationship with you.” It just means “I’m committed to our relationship, and I believe that by God’s help we can work through the problem.”
Conquering Your Fear Of Intimacy (1)
February 27, 2017 • Bob Gass
Adam and Eve had no secrets from each other. “They were both naked…and were not ashamed.” As a couple, God said, they had power to rule the world. And that’s when Satan entered the picture. What did he attack? Their intimacy! “The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings” (Genesis 3:7 NKJV). The word intimacy means “to be open, transparent, and trusting.” When Adam and Eve lost that, they started hiding from God—and each other. And we’ve been hiding from each other ever since. Emotional intimacy is the bedrock of any meaningful relationship. Without it, relationships become shallow and unfulfilling. We are afraid of revealing to others our fears, needs, insecurities, secrets, hopes, dreams, weird opinions, or our undesirable parts. And this fear is rooted in the fear of loneliness: “If you really knew me, you’d leave me.” Or the fear of inadequacy: “You may be disappointed in me because I cannot fulfill all your expectations.” Or the fear of losing control: “Now that you know how I feel, you may use it to control me.” Women play “hard to get,” and men play the “tough guy” who doesn’t need anybody. What’s the answer? Learning to pray together. Our most honest moments are before the God who already knows everything about us. When we share such moments, the barriers come down, our hearts become tender toward one another, and we move closer together.
The Father/Son Talk (2)
February 26, 2017 • Bob Gass
Psychologist Henry Brandt tells how his son got upset when he wouldn’t permit him to go out alone in a car with a girl down to the lake after dark. “What’s wrong, Dad?” demanded the son. “Don’t you trust me?” Brandt replied: “In a car, alone at night, in front of a lake, with a beautiful girl? I wouldn’t trust me!” Solomon got involved early and strongly in the lives of his children and educated them about God’s perspective on sex. The three largest sections in Proverbs dealing with one topic are found in chapters 5 through 7. In chapters 5 and 6, Solomon dealt exclusively with premarital sex—fornication. He devoted almost the entirety of chapter 7 to extramarital sex—adultery. And in between, he gave a frank discussion of sex within the will of God. For too long pastors and parents have kept their heads buried in the sand, hoping this topic would just go away. But the subject can’t be avoided. Pollster George Gallup stated, “There’s no question about it, sex-related issues are going to become the most important issues facing all churches in the foreseeable future. Abortion, AIDS, premarital sex, homosexuality—all those are going to be at the vortex.” Solomon warned his son, “With her enticing speech she caused him to yield.” So whether you’re a father, a mother, a single parent, or even a grandparent, your child won’t make the wrong move if they’re not in the wrong place, with the wrong person, at the wrong time. So teach them, “If you don’t want to get burned, stay away from the fire!”