Words Can Hurt

My wife and I have just returned from a week in Destin, Florida. We had a wonderful time on the beach and it was as beautiful as ever. Before our trip several of our friends asked us, “why are you still going to Florida, aren’t you afraid the oil will ruin your trip?” We told everyone that there wasn’t any oil where we were going and even if there was we would still go because of how nice the city of Destin is to visit. Just as we expected, we found the beach to be as clean as ever and the water to be as clear and clean as ever. Everything was great except for one thing; the people who live there have suffered all summer from the lack of tourists.

That’s right, even though everything was just as nice and beautiful as it ever was the people who provide food, entertainment and water sport related activities have been devastated. Their problem was not the oil, but the reporting from all the news networks that there was oil and that this was a terrible time to visit the gulf coast of Florida. Now to be fair, there were several weeks ago one spot on the beach way up the coast from Destin, which did have a small amount of oil, but it, was never anything like the network news stations reported. The damage is done, the words have been spoken and the result was a drop of more than 50% in the number of tourists coming to Destin this summer. Many of the people we spoke with have earned 25 – 50 percent of what they normally earn during the summer months. Some businesses have completely shut down.

So what is the lesson? Words can hurt. If the right person or group say negative comments about you or your business it can cause a great deal of harm to both you and your business. On a more personal basis you and I should be very careful with the words we speak. I have always appreciated the wise words given to Thumper in the story of Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Truly words to live by.

The writer of James says we should be “quick to listen and slow to speak”. Paul instructs you and I to build up each other and encourage one another. So the question for you and me is simply this, do your words build up and encourage or do they tear down and discourage those who hear your words? As you and I go through this week let us be careful to watch each word we speak to others. Your words will make a difference in someone’s life this week. The question is, will your words make their day or will your words be hurtful. As a matter of fact, it should be a goal each day for you and me to find someone to encourage and build up with the words that we speak to him or her. When you think about it, most people hear too many negative words spoken to them on a daily basis. Most of us could use a daily dose of encouragement. So what do you say, how about making it your mission in life to find at least one person each day to build up and encourage. You will make someone’s day and be a blessing to him or her. Who knows, maybe they will pass the good words along to someone else.

Father God, may the words of my mouth be acceptable to your ears and helpful to others.

Love God. Go Love Others.

Destination

Have you ever planned a trip or a vacation to a place you have always wanted to go or a place you really enjoying visiting? I hope the answer to that question is yes. At this moment my wife and I are looking forward to our trip to Destin, Florida. We have gone there this time of year for the last two years and we are going again this year. It is one of our most favorite places. The beach is beautiful and the water is just crystal clear. Our accommodations are right on the beach and it is just the most relaxing atmosphere. In addition to relaxing there are a whole list of places to go and things to do that we also enjoy. All in all it is a great trip and we look forward to arriving at our destination. We don’t leave town for a few days, but in my mind I’m already gone.

Looking forward to a destination is something we do through out our life. Even if it is just to a local theme park, a sporting event, concert or a special restaurant we look forward to going and experiencing all that the destination offers.

For those who are Christ followers you have a destination to look forward to like none other. Jesus said to his disciples, “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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Do you look forward to Heaven? I hope you are looking forward to your final destination. Just imagine a place with no traffic problems, no one fighting for a better parking place. Imagine a life void of worry, suffering, pain, illness, crisis, and all the other things that make this life difficult. A life full of praise, glory, worship, service and blessings in the presence of the eternal Father who loves you enough to prepare this place just for you.

Not only does God love you enough to prepare a place for you to spend eternity, he also loves you enough to pay for your stay in advance. You have heard that old saying, “nothing worth having is free”. Well that is especially true about Heaven. The accommodations for you and I in Heaven came at great expense – the life of God’s one and only Son. That is right; Jesus dying on the cross makes it possible for you to spend eternity with Him and the Father in Heaven.

Now back to looking forward to your destination. You and I should live our life in such a way that it reflects the fact that we have an eternal destination and we are looking forward to going there. You and I should be preparing for the time we get to trade up to a better room with a much better view.

I love the song by Mercy Me, “I can only Imagine” for those who do not know the song here are the lyrics:

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in honor of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
When I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

So fellow Christ followers let’s get ready for the trip of our eternal life time. The destination is truly out of this world.

Love God. Go Love Others.

Sacrifice

This past Sunday our church was raising funds for school supplies for a local elementary school which has a high percentage of low income students. The goal was to raise $1600 dollars. A generous person gave the church a challenge which was, “if the church raises $800 then I will match the offering with another $800”. What a great deal to get our fundraiser off to a super start. So the word began to get out about our challenge. Our children minister posted the challenge on Face Book. The generosity of our church blows me away.

One of the responses to the Face Book post was from a soldier in Iraq who read the challenge and immediately got on PayPal and sent us $100. This young man understands life and sacrifice. He understands what we have all been called to do in life. He understands the importance of being a part of something bigger than yourself. Not only is he willing to serve his country by fighting for our national security, he is also aware of the smaller battles in life that can be won by few people who are willing to make a difference by working together to change their small corner of the world.

That is your calling too, to make a difference in the lives of people around you. To reach out in whatever way you can to make another persons life better. The need may be school supplies or it may be something else entirely such as food, clothing, friendship, a listening ear, a place to stay, a thoughtful prayer, a word of encouragement, a push in the right direction, a vote of confidence, or the willingness to used in whatever way needed to make a difference.

Another story about the fundraiser is this: In the bottom of one of the envelopes was a dollar and twenty seven cents ($1.27) in change. I am not sure about the giver of the change, but it also indicates a generous heart. Maybe the person just emptied their pockets and gave all that they had. Or maybe it was from a child who brought money from their piggy bank. I just have no idea about who gave that amount, but I do know this, it was from a generous heart who sacrificed what little they had to be a part of something bigger than themselves to make a difference in the life of someone they do not know. That $1.27 is huge on the loving heart scale.

You see it does not matter if you are the $800 giver or the $100 giver from Iraq or the $1.27 giver scraping the bottom of your pockets or one of the hundred other givers who gave anything from a one dollar bill to a hundred dollar bill. The same thing is true about each giver. God loves you for your generosity and he loves the spirit in which you gave your gift.

My prayer this morning is that God will bless each dollar and each penny and use this act of love and generosity to change the lives of children and parents who need to know that people around world care about them and want to make their life better. May they also come to know this, God is AWESOME!

Love God. Go Love Others.

The Inside

A little over a week ago I returned home from directing a week of camp in southern Oklahoma. As is the case each year it was a hot week of camp. Not only is it hot there, it is also a very dusty place. The roads around the camp are either gravel or dirt roads and it seems as if the dust is constantly in the air. When I returned home both the outside and the inside of my truck needed to be cleaned. Well the afternoon that I returned I took a long nap and began the recovery process. The recovery process continued the next day as well. On the Monday following camp it was my mothers 80th birthday and my family had plans to be with her on that day.

When I woke up on Monday morning we decided to take two cars so we could pick up some furniture for my daughters college apartment. One of the cars was going to be my dirty truck. Once the decision to take the truck was made I had a new item on my “things to do” list – wash the truck. So I headed to the car wash. In my haste I decided to only have the outside washed. I was in a hurry and it made since to me at the time. After the wash, my red truck looked nice and clean. I even spent an extra dollar or two to get the tires cleaned and shined.

Later that day my son got in the truck with me to run an errand and his immediate comment was, “I thought you had your truck cleaned?” I explain that I was in a hurry and just cleaned the outside. Upon hearing that he replied, “the inside is the most important part to keep clean”. It had happened; I had been put in my place by my youngest son. He was right. The inside is the most important part to keep clean. The inside is where the driver and passengers sit. It is where all the electronics are kept. If anything needs to be kept clean it’s the inside.

What a lesson for life: Take care of the Inside – It’s The Most Important Part!

Too many people are making the same mistake that I made with my truck in their personal lives. As a culture we spend billions of dollars (or more) working on the outward appearance. We invest in clothing, shoes, hair styles, gym memberships, P90X type programs, weight loss programs, jewelry, and a number of other things just to look good on the outside. I know people that don’t workout, but wear workout clothing just so they can look like they are working on their body. The outer man is being well taken care of by most people. What about the inside?

The inside is the most important part of a person. What do you do to take care of the inside? Do you read, study, pray, discern the word of God? Do you attend a Bible study? Do you attend a worship service? Do you have someone that challenges your thinking and encourages spiritual growth and maturity? Do you look for opportunities to grow spiritual and work on the inside? When you add up all the time you spend working on the inside is it minutes or hours each week?

The goal of this week’s High Pointe of the Week is to encourage each of us to take better care of the inside. After all, it is the most important part. The inside has to last for eternity. So begin your spiritual P90X program today. Really! Get with it!

Love God. God Love Others.