SELFLESSNESS......ON BEING 'OTHERS' ORIENTED.....

I like Tim Keller's quote today: "If you met a truly humble person, you wouldn’t think him/her humble, but happy and incredibly interested in you." 
      Being a pastor and wife for over a half century we have been privileged to entertain scores of folks in our home. Curiously we noticed something: the vast majority spontaneously told us all about themselves without even being asked. They could easily occupy two hours at the table reciting story after story, incident after incident..... all about themselves. Much was interesting and we thrilled with them but afterwards had a sense of lopsidedness. In hindsight, rare has been the person who made inquiry about our lives, children, ministries, perspectives, opinions or background. And that's alright. We're pretty ordinary people. Not too many humdingers to pass on. But I think we could come up with an interesting tale or two. 
     A well known Christian leader once visited us by surprise. His name was known throughout the Christian world. What impressed us most was his interest in 'little old us.' Really we were very young but he was so inquisitive about our limited experiences in life. He hardly, if at all, referenced himself, his enormous knowledge or his widely traveled life. 
     Someone once noted: In the 1940's and the 1950's we had the all-encompassing Life magazine. Then we cropped our vision down to People in the '70's. Things tightened  up even more with Us. Next came Self. Somewhere there's got to be a magazine just for me: THE DICK CHRISTEN MONTHLY. 
     Oh, that's right, I'm a Christian. Jesus showed me how to wash the other guy's feet. I'd best remember that because when self is not negated it is necessarily worshiped. 

-Dick Christen

FOLLOW YOUR HEART? IS THAT GOOD?

FOLLOW YOUR HEART? This is a popular mantra nowadays. But no, to do so is foolishness! Rather, pursue wisdom (Prov. 2) which is God's plan for your life. The path of wisdom leads directly to God Himself, His Word and His will. Obeying His Word aligns our hearts and lives with Him, and that is always the best! The Bible says so! And Holy Scripture has a principle or directive for every activity of one's life. 
     "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered" (Prov. 28:26).
     The reading and study of the Word of God for the purpose of discovering the will of God is the greatest of holy disciplines. Yes, and as vital as prayer is, imbibing the Bible is more vital. The Bible is God talking to us. Prayer is us talking to God. Which is more important?And so, loving the Bible, the will of God is revealed. The will of God obeyed produces Christ-likeness and God-honoring character. The old self would rather have its own way. It ever resists what God decrees. We may well become miserable until we turn God's will from a sigh to a song. 
     All heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God and do it.  The sincere Christian is obsessed with finding and doing God's will. Study Proverbs 2. Notice the search for wisdom - the intense search, the discovery of God, God speaks, we listen and obey, we thereby walk in the light and are thereby on the path of wisdom or God's very best for us. THINK BIBLE!

- dick christen