Investing Time and Honor

As I recently painted the Christmas story, I thought how the wise men heard of Jesus’ birth and desired to seek him out and honor him with gifts. Then they not only honored him, they protected him from Herod, by not telling Herod where he was, because they realized Herod wanted to harm him. They knew Jesus was to be honored. Even though I feel there were more than three wise men, I depicted three of them bearing the gifts of worth, which were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were lavish gifts bestowed upon a king of all ages. I want to focus on the fact that they put great effort and traveled many miles to witness that this ruler had been born. They invested time as well as luxurious gifts. They saw that a child had been born that wouldn’t be a typical man, he had a purpose to fulfill. His purpose was far above any purpose you or I have and he drew crowds everywhere he went as he grew older.

But in that same vein, how often do we overlook others in this world that we come in contact with each day and ignore their purpose in life? How many times do we wish we didn’t have to deal with lines in the stores or the person we have to call to arrange some event, reservation, or to buy something? How much time do we give others? Sometimes a simple sentence of encouragement is all a person needs to hang onto to make it through the day. Sadly, a negative phrase or sentence can have the reverse and harsher effects. Or perhaps there’s a family member who we don’t accept? But that person or those people also have a purpose in life, just like Jesus did, and just like we do. It isn’t just to service our needs or be a thorn in our side, God put them on this earth with a destiny. Are we helping them fulfill their destiny by honoring them as an individual? What gifts do we bring to them? I’m not talking physical gifts, I’m speaking of charitable gifts. The gifts we freely give to our friends. It’s easy to engage with our friends, to offer kindness, to fix a cool drink for them or offer food they like. It’s easy to converse, because we have things in common, but what about people we don’t know or haven’t taken the time to become acquainted? Do we leave them with words of encouragement? Or do we leave them wishing they’d never been born? Do we treat them with honor or impatience? We can make or break others. Words can uplift or they can destroy.

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

What about our family? Are we esteeming them or do we bring them words of derision? Do we act happy to see family members we haven’t seen in a while, or do we act like they’re a burden? Is it their character flaw that we see, or is it our own shortcoming that gets brought out when we’re around them and makes us feel exposed? I’ve been around people like this and I had to reassess myself and make adjustments in my own attitude because there was nothing wrong with them, it was their shining example that shone on my lousy attitude. Once I corrected, things were so much better. I was able to see that my outlook was the culprit in the relationship and they’d done nothing wrong. I was just offended that they had exposed my weakness.

Another weakness some of us have is in giving and receiving. When and if we buy gifts for family birthdays or for Christmas; do we purchase the first thing we see, or do we put thought behind it and buy things to honor the recipient? Because a gift given without love, is a gift without life. It would be better to offer love, and be empty-handed than to offer a gift given without love. It’s equally bad to give a gift only in recompense for a gift they’ve given. People know when gifts are sincere and when they are not. They also know when strings are attached, neither are correct. We should give expecting nothing in return and we should give from the heart, not out of duty! When we rush out at the last minute to compensate for another person’s gift, it isn’t heartfelt. I personally would rather leave empty handed and be genuinely thanked for a gift I’ve given than to be given a gift that I don’t need or won’t use, because there was no forethought by the giver.

Can you imagine the wise men buying things along the way or in a rush for Jesus? Or can you imagine them coming back to remind him one day about the gifts they gave and asking him for a favor or some compensation? Yet how many times do people do this? No, their gifts were given from a pure heart, with respect and honor. They were offering and worshipping a baby who had never given anything to them, but they knew the relationship they invested in would give them great rewards. Think about that for a minute… the wise men were investing. How many of us invest these days? Whether it be time, love, kindness, sincerity, or honesty; what do we truly and freely give?

We only get out of a relationship what we put into it. If we dismiss a person as insignificant then they will be insignificant in our lives. But if we see them as valuable and worthy, they become valuable and worthy, even if only to us. You only get what you expect, nothing less. And sometimes it has nothing to do with the other person and more to do with our perception and acceptance of them. Jesus can only be Savior to those who accept him as Savior. But the clerk at our local grocer or our family member will never be cherished if we don’t value them. Let’s try to at least offer kindness, acceptance, honor, and humility to those we come in contact with each day. And in this season of giving, with family members around, let’s go out of our way with them by putting their needs above ours. Give gifts of love, honor, and respect. Show them they’re of value and have a purpose. If we are following the Holy Spirit, this should come easy by evaluating them through Christ. He didn’t hold any sins against them and neither should we.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

What Value Do I Have?

Self-worth is a heady subject, no pun intended, but it’s one that needs to be addressed. This morning after another popular celebrity committed suicide, I saw a statistic that 45,000 Americans committed suicide last year. That statistic was quoted as a ‘trend’ that is up from years past. Another trend that has been pervading the United States is to be an atheist. I’ve heard from people who grew up in families, who went to church that they just aren’t sure about the whole “God thing.” The same people ask me or my friends, who they think have a connection to God, to pray when they are in need. It doesn’t matter, I’ll gladly pray for them, because I went through the questions myself many years ago and determined that there was way too much evidence that God Does Exist than that he does not. No matter which camp you’re in; we all search. I believe God is present and does care for us, so let me share with you what I think my value and your value is as a person. 

God created humans for relationship, with each other and with him. When a person does not have relationship with God, he or she is missing a piece of their lives and they search and continue to search their entire lives for that missing piece, unless or until they find God. That is why we see seemingly very successful people such as actors, chefs, designers, millionaires, etc. commit suicide. Sadly, they have not made peace or found peace with their creator. They’ve searched for peace and fulfillment in careers, relationships, money, alcohol, and drugs and they have not found the peace they desire. They won’t find it without a constant and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s just beyond their fingertips and they’re usually the ones who fight it the hardest. Another group that fight God and can be the hardest won cases are usually the intelligentsia. I happen to be amongst this crowd. I don’t say that in a bragging way, but sometimes our minds get in the way of our faith. We prefer to prove things, rather than just believe. We want hard physical evidence, yet it’s all around us, in the sunrise and sunset, in nature and the geometry of a flower. It’s in the way science works and our bodies are uniquely created. When we realize God IS, we start to see it everywhere; the wonder of the creator and the amazing genius behind his creation. What we once deemed as a ‘bad’ bug has benefits that we haven’t discovered, but eventually do with our limited minds. God’s mind is infinite. We cannot contain all that he has, but we learn, and continue to learn all that he has for us, if we are willing. 

dove of peace

In the same way we learn the mysteries of the world around us, hopefully we learn the value of ourselves and how important we are to him and those around us. We may think that if we didn’t exist it wouldn’t change a thing, but there is a chain reaction that we never see if we take our lives in our own hands and end it. We are valuable, not only to our family, no matter how scorned we may be or have been, we are valuable to God. It doesn’t matter what hidden things we have in our lives, God knows them all and still accepts us. There is not anything that keeps us from His Love! He created each one of us with a purpose and a destiny. We have a destiny to fulfill on this earth and he wants a relationship with us. But we must put our preconceived notions of God being angry or disappointed in us away, because that is not who he is. He accepts us exactly as we are, who we are, where we are. Sinner, saint, drunk, sober, smart, stupid, addict, or free; all are welcome in his loving arms that are full of peace. Peace that man cannot understand until we enter them without reservation and by humbling ourselves with the trust and faith of a child. Picture how trusting little children are, how they don’t see good from bad. Children don’t perceive the things we do as adults, because they haven’t been hurt, if they’ve been raised in a loving home. Picture them running into a stranger’s arms willingly and then run to God’s open arms in the same trusting way. He’s waiting. He’s there to fulfill that piece of the puzzle you won’t find anywhere else. He’s there to give you value and call you his child, his beloved. God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, will comfort you and give you all that you need to feel worthy and loved where others have failed you. Then get into the Bible and study it daily and ask God to reveal to you what he wants you to hear in your reading. Don’t let this world and the people and pressures of life make you feel that you are not worthy because you are. You’re worthy to me and to Jesus. You are LOVED!! You have Merit, you have Worth! If you are a Christian who struggles with self-worth, remember to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and worthy of praise; as Paul instructs in Philippians 4:8, because anything else is a lie.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” – Mark 10:15

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 3:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7