Vol.1 No. 13 |  June 28th, 2006  

    

This week

“The Bible teaches that Christians are totally different from anyone else.” -  
Peter Jeffery, Evangelicals Then and Now (Buy Now)


 

Finance

How 5 Minutes a Month Can Save You a Bundle

If you think identity theft is the only way you can lose money out of your bank account, think again. It’s possible your bank may actually take money out of your account. And if you don’t respond quickly enough, you could lose it forever.

Unlike identity thieves, most banks don’t take money out of your account without your permission. Banks typically have safeguards in place to prevent mistakes, but they still happen. In fact, they happen more often than the banks would like to admit. And some banks will mistakenly charge you for services you don’t sign up for voluntarily.

When the bank does make a mistake on your account, you need to address it quickly. If you don’t contact your bank and dispute the mistake within 60 days, you lose your right to claim that money – forever.

On the other hand, if the bank makes a mistake in your favor, don’t think you’ve gotten away with something if it doesn’t correct it within 60 days. That’s because the bank can come back any time it wants to claim that money. And it doesn’t have to tell you it’s doing so. That means five years down the road you could have a charge on your account where the bank is simply fixing a mistake it made years ago.

While the double standard isn’t right, it does bring up a stewardship issue many Christians don’t consider – the importance of checking your bank statements closely each month. This simple step takes less than 5 minutes and could save you a lot of money.

It’s also important to report any mistake right away, even if it’s in your favor. That money rightfully belongs to the bank. And you don’t want the bank coming after it down the road when you might not have the money to cover it.

– Steve Kroening

     
 

 

Health

Beat Depression Before It Harms Your Health

Depression is a volatile issue in the Christian community. Some claim it’s a disease. Others claim it’s an emotional state caused by sin. Regardless of which camp you’re in, you have to agree that depression can have serious repercussions on your health. It can contribute to heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other health challenges. But there’s a simple way to stop depression in its tracks before it becomes a chronic issue and a threat to your health.

Many people have short bouts of depression that last a day or two, or maybe even a week. I know I’ve had them. In fact, I had one a few years ago and a friend of mine gave me an incredible remedy. Since then, I’ve given it to several other people and it’s worked every time. Of course, that’s not a scientific study, but this is definitely a remedy that works.

Before I tell you what this remedy is, let me tell you what it’s not. It’s not an antidepressant drug. These drugs can cause some of the same health problems as the depression (I’ll have more on this next week).

No, this remedy is simply some words of truth. I was feeling down and I told my friend about it. His reply was humble and without any accusation, but it still cut hard. He said, “You know, any time I start feeling depressed I evaluate my thoughts. And what I find is that most of them are focused on me.”

It cut hard because I realized my depression was caused largely by thoughts that I deserved more than I was getting. Whether it was unfulfilled expectations, something bad happening to me, or some type of failure on my part, I knew I was down because I wanted more. When I gave up my right to “more” and focused instead on serving God and others, my depression vanished.

This may not solve every case of depression, but it certainly can’t hurt to try. I’ve never seen one single case of disease caused by contentment.

– Steve Kroening
     
 
   

Family & Relationships

How Far Is Too Far?

When I was a teenager, this is one of the most common questions I heard among Christian teens. We all struggled to answer how far we could go sexually without falling into sin. For non-Christians, the question is easy to answer – go as far as you want. But it’s still a tough question for Christians to answer.

Most Christians answer the question in one of two ways. They either answer it with the law (you can’t date, hold hands, or kiss until you’re married) or they answer it with a combination of emotion and law (go as far as you feel like – just don’t go all the way).

While laws definitely have their place, and emotions do too, they aren’t the way to handle this question. So what is the right way to handle this question? Never ask it!

You read that right! Once you ask this question, it reveals something about your character. It shows that you’re in the relationship to get what you can out of it. And I think this is at the root of why many Christians, especially Christian men, fail at relationships.

When you start a relationship with selfish thoughts, it sets a course for failure.

We discussed last week how satisfying your own flesh results in broken relationships. And when men ask the question “how far is too far?” in a dating/courting relationship, they are focused more on satisfying their flesh.

In his book Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas shows that marriage isn’t about getting what you can from your spouse, but to encourage holiness in both spouses. And, as the head-of-the-household-in-training, single men should lead the charge in holiness before they get married. That means “how far is too far?” should never be asked.

Instead, ask the question, “What action should I take to encourage righteousness in the other person and our relationship?” or “What action should I take to encourage our relationship with God?” More than likely, you’ll find that the answer to these questions will take care of the “how far is too far?” question.

– Steve Kroening
     
 

 

 Parenting & Education

Why Good Parents Often Fail

There are times when every parent wonders if they are failing. Their children just don’t obey. They don’t seem to exhibit godliness. And they frequently act selfishly. Fortunately, I know there’s hope – because I’ve been there too.

When my children were growing up, their lack of judgment often disappointed me. I would have to tell them repeatedly that they are to serve others with joy. I taught them that tithing is a privilege. And I showed them that intimacy with God is cultivated by hours spent in prayer and bible study.

When they made mistakes I would remind them of their privileged upbringing in a Christian home. It was a home where their parents truly were committed to the Lord and each other. I was quick to tell them that their father and I had prayed for them since before they were conceived and every day after throughout their lives.

We faithfully took them to church, Vacation Bible School, we home educated, and ended each day in family devotions. So, I would ask myself, why aren’t they more godly, less selfish, and much wiser? Why don’t they have a passion for God, like I do?

It was in my quiet times with the Lord that the answer came:

The issue is not about my doing it “right.”
The issue is the heart, which is always a work of God’s grace.

Growing in grace and in Christ is a process that takes time. Our impatience with our children’s spiritual growth shows our own immaturity and lack of dependence on God.

In studying the Word of God, my own soul was freed from the disappointment that I felt in childrearing. The Lord had shown me my own heart as I pointed out my children’s faults. We love to receive grace, yet we are often stingy in giving grace to others.

Once I pulled the log out of my own eye, I was then free to wait on God to finish the work He had begun. After all, He’s the only one who can complete the work in my children’s lives. Oh, I was still doing all the good things I had done before, but now the burden was lifted off my shoulders and placed at the feet of Christ. It truly is amazing grace!!!!!! Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. (Ps 127:1)

– Gladys Villnow
     
 

 

Success

One Quality You Must Have for Biblical Success

I’ve just returned from visiting a medical doctor who helped diagnose and treat some conditions. As I reflected on these activities, and had the editor of Wisdom’s Edge hounding me for another article on success, I thought the two activities linked together very well.

Both the doctor and I think he’s been successful. He found some issues that other doctors have not treated previously and he began certain processes to treat those conditions. The doctor believes he is successful because he trusts his diagnoses and his treatment methods.

I, on the other hand, think he has been successful because other people have spoken highly of his skills and the results he has obtained with them.

But as I contemplated this situation, it occurred to me that both the doctor and I were thankful for the outcome he has achieved to date. And thankfulness is something the Bible encourages and something we don’t exhibit nearly as often as we should.

Consider how the Bible speaks of thankfulness. In two passages, Rom. 1:21 and again in II Tim. 3:2, a lack of thankfulness is listed as one of the ingredients of a wayward (i.e. Biblically unsuccessful) life.

Psalms 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” So the next time you think of success, don’t think of yourself. Think of God. And as the psalmist says, praise God in all thankfulness and then see how He organizes the successes of your life.

– Ian Hodge

PS. The doctor I visited is Rhett Bergeron, MD in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s a solid believer and a highly competent physician. He specializes in difficult cases. You can contact him at 678-990-5401.
     
 

 
 

Wisdom From History

What You Can Accomplish With a Little Persistence

He'd played music at his father's beck and call since he was 4. He'd put up with beatings, drunken rages and verbal abuse from the man. Johann van Beethoven regularly drank up his salary, leaving his family without money for food.

Nineteen-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven wasn't putting up with it any longer.

He knew he couldn't change his father. But after careful assessment, he realized he could change the rules.

The teen marched to his father's employer, the elector of Bonn, Germany, who paid Johann to sing as the court's tenor, and demanded half his father's salary. He explained the situation in blunt terms. Beethoven got the money and an annual stipend of grain for his younger brothers, leaving the rest of it for his father to drink away.

Unafraid to challenge convention, Beethoven (1770-1827) went on to become one of the greatest composers of all time.

Because of his deafness and other health problems – stomach ailments, liver disease and afflictions that doctors now believe were caused by lupus and lead poisoning – Beethoven often had to battle to get out of bed each morning.

Yet he maintained a strict routine. According to Anton Schindler’s “Life of Beethoven,” the composer rose every day at dawn and began working on his music.

He took two or three working breaks in which he'd walk outside no matter what the weather and review what he'd done or mentally outline his next move before returning to work.

Toward midafternoon, he'd finish working for the day and walk to a cafe or pub to read and discuss the day's news. He'd then spend the evening at home, reading, and went to bed "no later than 10 p.m.," Schindler said.

Beethoven had followed such a routine since childhood.

– Joanne von Alroth

(Quoted from “A Testament to Persistence,” Investors Business Daily)
     
     
 

 

Word for the Wise

How to Get Your Work Noticed

“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Ruth 2:12

Reward – Our language does not reveal the basic concept behind this word. As a result, we miss an exceedingly important theological connection. But if we were Hebrews, we would see it at once. The word is sakar and it means, “to hire for wages.” Once we see that this is not a reward, but really a wage, then the question jumps right at us: Who is Ruth working for?

From the world's perspective, Ruth was a transient. She had no job. That’s why she is gleaning the fields. She is living under the law of God for the protection of widows and strangers. Ruth is today’s homeless woman, caring for her widowed mother-in-law. Neither woman has the favor or protection on a man. And in Ruth’s day, that meant real hardship.

Boaz has heard the story. He knows that Ruth didn't have to come with her mother-in-law to this strange land. He knows that Ruth has embraced a new God and is seeking to serve Him. But Boaz does not offer her wages. Instead, he offers her something of far more value: acceptance. He tells Ruth that the one who is going to reward her is God Himself. Boaz sees immediately that the service Ruth is performing means she is in the employ of God. And God never misses a paycheck.

Boaz’s comment to Ruth establishes a critical principle. No matter where the money comes from, we work for God. He is the real Boss. He may use someone else to do the distribution, but the vault is His and He hands out the wages.

This principle works no matter what kind of job we are doing. Paul points out the red ink side of the ledger (“The wages of sin is death”). Boaz points to the black ink column. Self-sacrificing service for others never goes unnoticed by the Father of those seeking refuge. Ruth, the “nobody” captured forever in the pages of the Bible, turns our attention toward real service and her service puts the spotlight on the real employer. 

The company name on your paycheck isn't really paying your wages. In God's world, you work for Him. Is your work worthy of your wages?

– Skip Moen

(Ed. Note: Skip Moen, PhD, is the president of At God’s Table and the author of Words to Lead By.)
     
 

 
 

The Time Shaver

Phone Calls Wasting Your Time? Here’s How to Keep Them Short

Do you need to shave time off your phone conversations?  I know I do! Try these Time Shaver tips:

(1) Think through and clearly define your call objectives before calling.

(2) If you know the person you are calling is someone who likes to talk, but your time is limited, simply preface your call with, “I have just a few minutes, but wanted to talk with you….”

(3) If you find it difficult to end a call with a particular person because you two simply enjoy talking, try calling when there’s a real need to end the call. For example, dinner is being served at 6:30. Make your call at 6:25 and let your family know you want to be alerted when dinner is ready.

(4) When leaving a message, ask that the call is returned at a specific time. I also usually end my messages with, “If I’m not available, please leave a number and the best time to reach you.…” Anything to eliminate “phone tag” is a friend to The Time Shaver!

– Dale Gramith (TheTimeShaver@adelphia.net)


   

 Resources

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas (BUY NOW)

Evangelicals Then and Now, Peter Jeffery, Evangelical Press (BUY NOW)

 

   

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