Jim looked down at the broken pieces of chalk he had recently bought his
grandson. He checked closer and noticed
that four-year-old Tristan had taken every piece of chalk out of the box and
then broken each one into smaller pieces.
The room was actually pretty neat other than that. Tristan’s grandmother, Pam, always saw to
that. Their son James and his wife were
divorced, and James’ wife had given up custody of the child. With James as a bachelor in the Marines
serving overseas, Jim and Pam became the willing guardians of their two
grandchildren.
Jim felt angry at first about the broken chalk. He had just bought the chalk and chalkboard. It seemed so destructive. Then he realized what a great opportunity
this was to teach an important life lesson to Tristan. “Why did you break up the chalk?” He asked Tristan. As Tristan began to answer, Jim interrupted with his “golden”
words of wisdom. He proudly delivered
his awesome life lesson about how to take care of your things so you do not
spend all of your life days working to replace things. He left the room feeling very proud of his
“great abilities as a mentor” to his grandchild.
Nearly a month had passed by. Jim
was in the kitchen making a sandwich, when he felt a tug on his shirt. “PaPa”, Tristan addressed his
grandfather. Jim turned and lowered to
one knee, “Yes, what is it Tristan?”
“PaPa, I broke the chalk so we would have more, and you would not have
to buy them again.” Jim’s mind flashed
back nearly a month to that moment when Tristan had opened his mouth to speak,
and he interrupted with his “pearls” of wisdom. He realized Tristan was about to offer this explanation in
response to Jim’s question, “Why”, but Jim had never given him the chance. Tristan held onto his response for several
weeks, until now.
Jim felt very small. The biggest
lesson learned, was learned at that moment by Jim. A teacher once said, “I speak the loudest when I am listening.” The Bible says there are people that “have
ears to hear, but do not hear”. The
Bible also says, “the meek will inherit the earth”. The word “meek” is not a word used much in modern English. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant until I
read another statement in the Bible: The meek will He guide in judgment, and
the meek will He teach His way. When I
read this, my mind went back to an encounter I had with a great person. The person was not famous, but he was great
to me. I think it was because he
listened so intently to me, eager to learn whatever he could from my words. The truth is, he could have taught me far
more than I could him. Actually, I
guess he did, without saying anything.
That’s when I realized that meekness is synonymous with teachability.
Whether in the work place, the home, or any place else, let us be quick
to listen and slow to speak. There are
Bibles printed with all of the words spoken by Jesus Christ in red ink. I love those words in red. They are the words of life. But it is even more incredible to me to see
the number of words in black. Jesus was
a good listener. He listened to needs
first; He met the needs second. He told
His friends that He had not come to be served, but to serve. And serve He did. In fact, the Bible says, “He who knew no sin, became sin for us,
that we through Him might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Good words to listen to.
Ó 2002 C.
E. Briggs
Eleven-year-old Jared’s first year of
summer camp was tough. He and about 200
other boys his age were experiencing the right of passage known as: many
nights far away from Mom, AND THEY WERE HOMESICK! But on Wednesday morning in the dining hall,
he became a legend in the eyes of the other boys for most of the morning. You see at mail call that morning, Jared was
the only boy whose name was called. A
letter had arrived for him and he felt ten feet tall. The boys crowded around this sudden celebrity to see if maybe the
words in his letter might somehow relieve the ache in their hearts.
Why was Jared the only one? Because Jared’s Mom had realized the mail
system would take several days to get mail to camp, so she mailed her first
letter to Jared before he had ever even left home! Of course, he didn’t know that.
The other boys would not begin getting letters until the next day.
In later years, Jared made several two week
backpacking trips in the Rockies, but the trails in the backcountry were too
remote for mail delivery! Or were
they? Not to be done in by mere logistics,
Jared’s Mom, wrote a letter each night for two weeks before Jared left, placed
each one in a separate envelope, labeling it Day one, Day Two, etc. She gave the letters to me and each day on
the trail, I would tell Jared he got a letter from Mom, and hand him an
envelope. Again, he was a legend in the
eyes of the other hikers. His Mom
always seemed to know just what he needed to read from her on each given
day. But then, she was inspired by the
love of a mother.
It is interesting to me, how much like the
Bible this is. Before we even arrived
on this earth, God was writing letters to us, because He knew how much we would
need them. A book comprised of 66
letters or records penned by 40 different men over a period of 1500 years, all
clearly and directly inspired by one Mind.
An unknown writer said this Book is the
mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and
the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are
binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe,
practice it to be holy.
It contains light to direct you, food to
support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s
staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character.
Here paradise is restored, heaven opened,
and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand subject, our good its
design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the
heart, and guide the feet.
Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.
It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory,
and a river of pleasure.
Follow its precepts and it will lead you to
Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory
itself, for eternity.
Ó
2001 C. E. Briggs
Matthew 6:14 "For if
you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses.
Most
people have heard the joke about the farmer who had just married. The new wife heard him outside with the
mule. The mule was giving him
trouble. The farmer said, “That’s one!” The mule of course continued being
troublesome, and after considerable frustration, the farmer shouted, “That’s
two!” The frustration continued until
the farmer abruptly stopped, pulled out a gun, and with a red face screamed,
“That’s three!” And shot the mule. The wife’s eyes got big, wondering if she
really knew this guy after all. When he
walked in the door, she asked him why in the world he would do something so
crazy. His response was, “That’s one!”
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to
Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to
you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
When Jesus said we should forgive our offender as many as seventy times seven, He was not giving us a limit. He was using a typical style of teaching to indicate there is no limit. According to Jesus we should never get past, “That’s one”. In fact, we should not even keep count at all.
We see
the necessity of this principle constantly in the workplace and the home. I do something wrong and I go to my wife and
say, “I am sorry.” She says, “I forgive
you.” A couple of days later, I may do
it wrong again. (You’re laughing, but
you know it’s happened to you before!)
So, I go to her and say, “I am sorry.”
She doesn’t say, “That’s two!”
She says, “I forgive you.” The
same is true when she comes to me.
Luke 23:33 And when they had come to
the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on
the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they do."
Whether
in the home or the workplace, the church or the sports field, you will always
discover when you forgive someone; the one who was actually set free was you!
Ó 2002 C. E. Briggs
SPIDERMAN AND THE POWER OF PRAYER
My son Jacob invited me to a movie recently, and
since he is past the “invite-Dad-to-a-movie” age, I said, “Sure!” We selected Spiderman.
Now, most movies and television shows do not show
a hint of the God of the Bible as being in charge of anything. There was a time when that would not even seem
like real life, but today it seems perfectly natural because we have become so
conditioned to it.
However, there were three important things
different about Spiderman:
Ø This
movie is being seen by 100’s of millions of people.
Ø The
writers actually included the Lord’s Prayer in the movie. The Lord Jesus Christ gave this incredible
outline for prayer to the world nearly 2000 years ago.
Ø The
writers coined an amazing life lesson (what I call a buzzline) in the phrase,
“With much power, comes much responsibility.”
Reminds me of a Bible verse:
To whom much is given, much will be required… (Luke 12:48b)
So, 1) Hundreds of millions of people worldwide 2) hear the most powerful model of prayer known to mankind, AND 3) the sobering conclusion, “With much power, comes much responsibility.” Well, if you read this far, you may want to check that prayer out again!
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew
6:9-15, NKJV)
This model or outline of prayer (given to us by the Savior, Christ Jesus)
is so powerful simply because it has everything. For instance:
1) It has the theology of the Lord:
Our Father in
Heaven, hallowed be Your name.
2) It has the prophecy of the Lord:
Your Kingdom
come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
3) It has the miraculous providence of the Lord:
Give us this
day our daily bread.
4) It has the salvation of the Lord:
Forgive our
sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
5) It has the absolute sovereignty of the Lord:
For Yours is
the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Yep,
there was far more power in that movie than the writers and most of the viewers
probably realize! If Jesus is not Lord
of your life, surrender today.
God
bless you in your workplace as you reflect His image.
Ó
2002 C. E. Briggs
We get up
each day. We go to work. We do it all again the next day. We scrape, we save, and when the inevitable (but
unexpected) happens, we are often forced to give it all away. We work for the weekend and a little relief,
and we hope to have a little joy along the way. But all too often the challenges of life sap what little joy our
uncertain days ration to us. The
economy is uncertain, the Middle East is a powder keg on the verge of
apocalypse, and the culture seems out of control.
Is it
really possible to have peace? Genuine
peace? Is there a place, an eye in the
storm where all is calm? Consider the
words of Jesus:
Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. [John
14:27]
At a
recent luncheon, I listened to a story from a proud grandfather. Four-year old, Brice, and her grandfather,
John, were building a clubhouse, and she could not be happier. Actually, John was also thrilled, but not so
much about the project. He knew this
time spent with Brice was one of those treasures in life that all the wealth of
Solomon’s kingdom could not measure up to.
His heart was full and he planned to keep this moment crisp in his
memory.
But it was
really just getting started, as they stood in line at the check out counter of
the local builder’s supply store. There
in front of them was another little girl who turned to Brice and asked, “What
are you building?” Brice swelled up
just a bit, and proudly announced, “We are building a clubhouse!”
“I wish I
had a clubhouse,” the little girl responded with a somewhat hopeless tone. But Brice would allow no sadness, not on a
day as special as this. With tender
confidence, she instructed the little girl, “Just ask your grandfather; he will
build you one.”
I think we
all wish at times for a “clubhouse” or a place where we can escape and find
lasting peace. We search in so many
areas, but it seems everything we try is a temporary fix at best. Reality always comes back. But I recall some other words from Jesus
that reveal there is a “place” being prepared for those who trust God:
Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house
are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to
prepare a place for you. [John 14:1-6]
He is the
Peacemaker. He is the Placemaker. He is Jesus Christ. Trust His Lordship today!
May God
bless you in all your duties.
Ó 2002 C.
E. Briggs
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
ceb
“I want to know Christ…” Php 3:10, NIV
I almost hate to do this, but I reckon I better be honest with you. Truth is, I can hardly remember any of the (specific) gifts I have received on past Christmases.
Oh, I can remember things generally, but not specifically. I mean, socks have been big. We all need socks, right? And then there are ties…for sure; ties have always been right up there. (Leaning forward to whisper) Sure hope I don’t get any ties this year. I just don’t wear them much anymore. You see, every so often, I succumb to chronic practicality (don’t laugh), and I have yet to see the practicality of a tie, unless you consider it practical to provide a hangman’s noose (already around your neck), just in case there is an urgent need for an express hanging! Come to think of it, my wife likes ties! Oh well, anyhow, they seem exclusively ornamental to me, and …
…and, ok, enough of that hobbyhorse.
Sometimes I get books. I always like books. And I often get shirts. Those are usually really nice. One thing I get a kick out of is the secrecy surrounding the gift. For instance my daughter knows I need shirts, so she buys one. She puts it in a box. She wraps the box in pretty paper with a bow on it, and then places it inconspicuously under a Christmas tree, hidden among other gifts. But, as exciting as all that is, to tell you the truth, there just are very few gifts I can specifically remember as being from a certain person on Christmas.
Except one.
In eternity past, God chose to send His Son, when time became full, into the world to live sinlessly, suffer innocently, and die willingly for you and me. When I open my eyes each morning, I am reminded of this gift, but each Christmas day there is a special focus on the giving of this indescribable Gift.
First, there is the wrapping. This Gift was first placed into the flesh of a human embryo. This embryo was then wrapped within a virgin womb. This womb was located within a young peasant girl named Mary, engaged to marry a local handyman, named Joseph. The mixture of simplicity and grandeur defies human expression.
There were angels and shepherds, a guiding star and a peasant couple, kings and a feeding trough, a baby and a barn, the Son of God and a world without hope. There was Immanuel, God with us, and then, there was us!
Dark, sinful, hopeless, us! Jesus gave Himself to you and me, and He gave Himself for you and me, and He continues to give His Spirit to you and me. If you have not yet accepted this Gift, do it now. Accept Jesus! Trust Him! Receive true life! Receive abundant life! Receive eternal life!
And may we never forget this Gift. Merry Christmas!
Ó 2001 C. E. Briggs
Have A Mary Martha Christmas!
We have heard several people during
this holiday season exclaim how glad they would be when Christmas is over. They say it is such a stressful time and
they know that it is not supposed to be that way.
We have also heard several people
respond to the problem by encouraging their friends to, “Have a Mary Christmas,
not a Martha Christmas.”
They are referring to a section of
verses in the book of Luke (10:38-42) that shows Martha as a hostess to the
visiting Lord Jesus. She has apparently
become overwhelmed by her busyness in serving the Lord and His entourage. But her sister Mary preferred listening to
Jesus over washing dishes or cooking.
Go figure! It seems Mary ignored
her sister or just said no to her requests for help.
So Martha got creative and went over
her sister’s head to the Lord Himself.
Take a look:
Luke 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a
certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she
had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40
But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said,
“Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore
tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42
But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be
taken away from her.” (NKJV)
Needless to say, Martha let her
frustration get the better of her…and Jesus let Martha know she was overdoing
it. She would serve herself and
everyone else much better if she kept her service simple, allowing herself more
time to attend to the Master’s words.
Of course, it should not be
overlooked that it was Martha who “welcomed Him into her house.” In this case we would do well to have a
“Martha” Christmas. Will you invite Him
into your home this Christmas?
The only other place Martha is
mentioned is in the book of John when Jesus has come to town in response to a
message that His good friend Lazarus (Martha and Mary’s brother) has become
sick and died. Let’s take one more,
quick look at this amazing woman:
John 11:20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met
Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But
even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your
brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection
at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall
live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do
you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I
believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the
world.” (NKJV)
Martha is the one welcoming Him, the
one running to meet Him, and in verse 27 above we all get a little
surprise. It seems ole Martha was
listening to the Lord’s words better than we thought she was!
We at the Briggs’ house (Chuck, Beth, and Jacob)
pray that your family would join in the confession of verse 27 above and
have a
Very Mary Martha Christmas!
Ó 2002
C. E. Briggs