Uncomfortable Truths (4-26-2020)

“Uncomfortable Truths” Devotional for Sunday April 26, 2020 Opening Scripture: Excerpts of Galatians 5:19-25 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, … hatred, discord, jealousy …selfish ambition, dissensions, factions …I warn you, …that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I hope you are all safe and sound and finding things to do to occupy your time and stay in relationship with our Father. I must confess, today’s devotional seems off the topic of our current state of affairs, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. Blessings to you all. Paul did not hesitate to deliver uncomfortable truths, nor did Solomon in Proverbs. I don’t think it is possible to hear too many times the fruits of the Spirit, but the one I want to emphasize is the last one listed by Paul: self-control. Most of my life, I did not want to hear talk about discipline and self-control, probably because I needed both of them so badly! Even now, being born again and being part of this church community, the messages in the 23rd chapter of Proverbs are hard for me to really listen to and take in. But I am glad our Sunday School lesson is on this chapter which is full of hard truths – most of them related to discipline and self-control. This is just one more example of why I need and love the Bible. It regularly challenges my baser instincts and invites me to a better life. I did some research on the subject of discipline. The first thing that came up was the importance of teaching discipline to children. Here is an example, from a pediatric and child health journal, of the goals and value of effective discipline: 1. Discipline protects your child from danger. 2. Discipline helps your child learn self-control and self-discipline. 3. Discipline helps your child develop a sense of responsibility. 4. Discipline helps instill values I wonder if it could help us even more if we substitute the word “adult” or “us” for the word child in this list. That is exactly what I am going to do with today’s devotional. 1. Discipline protects us from danger. Proverbs says “Do not eat the food of a begrudging host… for he is the kind of person who is thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” Proverbs 23: 6-7 Have you ever taken something from someone who seemed to be acting out of a generous spirit - only later to have him come and try to extract something he wants from you, even though that something is illegal or immoral? We know the stories of mob bosses who give lots of money to an unsuspecting person who then is in the debt to the boss for the rest of their lives, putting themselves and their whole family in danger of retribution if they don’t do exactly what the boss demands. 2. Discipline helps us learn self-control and self-discipline. Listen to Matthew in a verse you are probably quite familiar with: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NIV) I saw that word, “watch” in that verse and I wondered about how we might watch. How can I watch before I pray? I can watch for the right time and circumstance to pray. I CAN choose to pray to Jesus the last thing before I close my eyes to sleep at night when I am tired from the day’s activities with little energy left for prayer or anything else. But maybe it would be better to watch for other opportunities to pray or meditate before my fatigue takes over. The watching is itself a discipline, is it not? It is good for me to watch over my intentions, thoughts, and words especially in stressful situations. For example, when I I am about to call customer service because of problems with my computer I know ahead of time how frustrated I get with technology at times. It would be good discipline to remind myself of my tendency to get irritated, to say things I shouldn’t say. Then, I can say a short prayer before making the call, asking the Holy Spirit to be with me so that I won’t fall into the temptation of speaking unkindly, recognizing that my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. With these two examples I can see how discipline (watchfulness and prayer) help me to learn self-control and self discipline. 3. Discipline helps us to develop a sense of responsibility. Proverbs 23: 10-11 says the following: “Don’t steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; he himself will accuse you.” These verses tell us not to take advantage of the poor like scam artists who prey on the poor and elderly. Think about how often the Bible tells us that God and his beloved Son Jesus have a preference for and a commitment to the poor, the widows, and the orphans. I think it takes a discipline to pay attention to the poor and defenseless, to be willing to watch television programs or read about the plight of the poor and homeless, and these days to watch and listen about the people who are dying from the caronavirus. It is painful to hear this bad news. But I think when we take this discipline upon ourselves to do so it can help us develop a sense of responsibility. I know people who nowadays make a point to call and have a conversation with older and sickly parents, friends, or our own church people. 4. Discipline helps instill values. It is pretty easy to identify and state our values: love, respect, freedom, responsibility, success, etc. But it is more difficult to follow through on those values in our everyday behaviors. That takes discipline and when we take action due to our sense of responsibility, love, and respect, then that action and that commitments instills those values. Maybe the best way to see how much and who we really love, for example, is to examine and count the money we spend on the care of those we love, including our church. In Acts 20:35 Paul speaks of his value of hard work and quotes Jesus about the value of giving. He says: “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Follow Paul on his missionary journeys and count the times he was persecuted and notice all the other suffering he endured because of his values. Count the pages in the New Testament written my Paul. Didn’t this writing take discipline, wasn’t Paul a man of value? He is one of my heroes in the Bible. I love Paul. “Discipline instills values.” Paul is a great example of this statement. Returning to Proverbs I would like to end with verses 15 and 16 (Chapter 23): “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right” When I am wise, disciplined, and exercise self-control my heart is glad. In my experience, I am happier and healthier. However, I must always remember that is by the grace of God that I am able to do so. I need to give him the glory. Challenge to you and me Write out ways you discipline, control yourself, and take responsibility to honor your own values, that is, make a list of the good stuff. Then write the ways you could improve your discipline and self-control. Prayer Father please give us the courage to watch and pray so that we stay in the light of your grace. Protect the poor, weak, and those suffering due to the coronavirus, especially the medical and health professionals. We pray for the families of all those who have died. Strengthen them and bring them close into your embrace. Thank you for the many riches you shower on us in the form of love, support, and mutual encouragement. Keep us from discouragement, depression, and despair. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.