Are You Afraid of Change?

Are You Afraid of Change?

by | Jan 5, 2020 | Growth

Are you afraid of change? I’ll admit it right up front: I often am. In fact, at some level we all are. Psychological studies have found that people are often afraid of change in their lives because of experiences they have had where changes led to less desirable situations.  Those experiences can often give us an almost hard-wired resistance to changing the status quo.   If you don’t believe that, think about the last time you switched checkout lanes in a grocery store because your lane was moving so slowly –  only to find the lane you changed into then slowed down even more –  and the resultant feeling of frustration with the change you made. 

More rigorous psychological tests have proven the  deep-seated nature of our frequent frustration with change.  For example, a University of Illinois study examined the multiple-choice tests of students and interviewed those who had changed their minds on questions, and thus changed their answers during a test.  The significant finding was that when they were questioned afterwards, the students who had changed answers indicated that switching a correct answer to an incorrect answer was much more frustrating and memorable than failing to switch to a correct answer from an incorrect one! 

And so it is, from tests in school to lines in stores and in countless other ways we experience small but memorable frustrations with change and may often resist it as a result.  These are hardly  catastrophic experiences, but the human brain remembers little things like that so when we are tempted to change something in our lives, the suspicion that it may make things worse kicks in almost immediately.

But we need to remember “the other side of the coin” of change: that change is necessary in order to enjoy all of the most satisfying aspects of life. We change in order to move from childhood to adult life, from school to career, from single status to marriage, and in many other ways as we grow and mature.  As Paul told the Corinthians “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11, ESV). Like Paul, most of us are happy to give up childish pleasures and satisfactions for mature ones.   

Spiritually, we might expect the principle of giving up old wrong ways for better ones to be appealing, too, but human nature and the fear of change we so often develop can slow us down in this area.  In addition, limited understanding of the guidance the Bible gives us for change can affect us, too.   We may know that the New Testament counsels us all to “repent” or to change our ways (Acts 2:38, etc.), but that command is not a one-time thing –  it is an ongoing way of life.

The apostle Paul  had something to say about the fact that we need to continually focus on distinct areas in which we should change: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers … Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

Think about these words for a minute.  The idea of being transformed by renewal is an ongoing one in what Paul wrote. Being “transformed” simply means to be “changed,” of course, and the ongoing “testing” Paul then talks about in these verses refers to accepting the need to change and testing or trying new, better ways in various aspects of our lives.  That is not a natural process and it is not always a comfortable one – if it were, Paul would not have had to “appeal” to us to do it.  But the good news is that this kind of change is always positive and for the best when it is accomplished – and that is what Paul meant in saying it is “good and acceptable and perfect.”
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So how do we put the need to change into practice?  Primarily, we do so in the way we study the word of God.  We do so by reminding ourselves every time we read a section of Scripture not just to read for inspiration, but also to focus on commands or challenges to do or be something different from the way we are.   It means asking ourselves: “Is this me?”  “Should this be me?” and “How do I need to change to make it me?”   Because, spiritually, the only change we really ever need to fear is the change not made. 

Giving Wisely, Boldly, and More than You Think!

Giving Wisely, Boldly, and More than You Think!

by | Dec 15, 2019 | Giving

The holiday season and the end of the year are traditionally times for giving to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and even many people who do not normally give to charitable causes throughout the year give at this time.  But whenever we choose to give, we can increase the power of our gifts – large or small – by using tactics that function as force multipliers to increase the effectiveness of what we can give. There are a number of tactics we can use in this way, but in this post we will look at just three.
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First, and most importantly, we can ensure that we are giving wisely  There are so many causes clamoring for our money that it can be confusing trying to select a worthwhile one, but it is vital that we do.  Unfortunately, there are many registered charities that spend massive amounts of the money they receive on overheads and administrative expenses so that in some cases only a small fraction of what is given actually gets to those for whom the help was intended.  In other cases, overheads may be relatively low but large amounts of funding go to peripheral causes that are not the activities we want to support.

That is why the use of a good charity ranking organization such as CharityNavigator.org is imperative if we want to make what we can give have maximum effect and not be wasted or diverted.  There are several charity ranking organizations, but the Charity Navigator site clearly and simply details how charities spend the money they get and shows what percentage of those funds actually go to the programs they claim to support.   The site grades each charity with a score that is simple to compare with the scores of other charities. Charity Navigator also provides carefully prepared lists of different types of charities –  including a great list of charities that they have ranked with 100% scores.  Assessing this information does not take long and can transform our giving in terms of what it actually accomplishes.

For example, Charity Navigator gives a perfect 100% score to the organization Lifesong for Orphans that provides adoption and financial assistance for homeless children around the world –  so if you gave to them, you would know your gift was helping in that particular area about as much as is humanly possible  

Beyond giving carefully with intelligent checking of the organizations we want to support, we can also often make our gifts go further by giving boldly.  Giving boldly does not have to mean giving more –  though if we are able to do so that is good, of course.  Giving boldly often simply means giving to charities that are doing truly innovative and unusual work – perhaps helping  take the Gospel to unreached people groups –  what we might call “Giving boldly where no one has gone before.” 

That sometimes means being on the lookout for newer and likely smaller charitable organizations that may not even be rated yet, but in many cases we can still find out enough about the organization to warrant our support.  A great example is the Children in Christ ministry that is carrying the Word of God to whole people groups that have not heard it by means of children’s clubs and other innovative ways. Although this smaller charity is not numerically rated by Charity Navigator yet, it is possible to find plenty of information showing how effectively and cost effectively it functions (the CEO even works on a volunteer basis), so you know that contributions are truly accomplishing something.

Finally, we can often give more than  we think we can because giving doesn’t just have to be about money.  Perhaps we can increase the power of our gifts by sharing products we produce or by giving items we no longer need – or don’t need as many as we have. Most people are aware of the opportunities to give in these ways through the food banks, Salvation Army or other helping agencies in our own communities, but we may not be aware of some of the excellent charities that send products and lightly used items to distant places  around the world where the needs may be far greater than those of our own communities.

An example of this kind of charity is  Matthew 25: Ministries (another Charity Navigator 100% rated charity) which aims to help “a needy world with the things we throw away.”  This innovative charity collects and passes along used items that can truly help those in need nationally and internationally –  including things we may not often think of such as empty prescription pill bottles which are sent to areas where what medicines are available are often literally wrapped in leaves or paper and subsequently are spoiled through moisture and in other ways.  Yet another organization, Christian Resources International, specifically focuses on sending used Bibles and religious books to areas where they are not generally available.

All these tactics require thought and perhaps a little time on our part – but they are simple things that can make a very real difference. So if you choose to give this season,  think about the advantages of giving wisely, boldly, and in more ways than just cash.  The effectiveness of our giving can be doubled if we do.
 
* You can find interviews with the CEO’s of some of the charities mentioned in this post in the “Works of Faith” section of our sister site, LivingWithFaith.org.​​

Five Paths to Encouragement

Five Paths to Encouragement

by | Dec 8, 2019 | Encouragement, Tactical Articles

The Bible has much to say about encouragement – and shows that it is something even the strongest individuals of faith need  at times (Moses, David, and Elijah, to name only three). The Scriptures also show that there is a difference between being encouraged in physical things (Proverbs 13:12, etc.)  and the kind of spiritual encouragement we all need from time to time in the Christian walk (1 Thessalonians 5:11, etc.). 

When problems and difficulties fill our lives, spiritual encouragement can sometimes seem distant, but our new article shows five ways to find it.  You can read the article in our Tactics section, here.

Blessings and Honor

Blessings and Honor

by | Nov 24, 2019 | Gratitude

There is a sobering but meaningful verse in the Book of Malachi regarding the blessings we have been given. In this scripture God says: “If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name … I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings … because you have not resolved to honor me” (Malachi 2:2).

​Notice that Malachi does not say God will necessarily take away our blessings, but that our behavior leads to those blessings becoming curses. Why would this be? Malachi’s words allude to the great “Blessings and Curses” narrative (Deuteronomy 11) in which God reminded ancient Israel that faithfulness and obedience to His laws would result in individual and national blessings – whereas turning from God would lead to many resultant curses.  The prophet’s words also have a specific reference to the priests who had become corrupt and were not honoring the God they were supposed to serve – but the principle is one that can apply to all of us, in our marriages, families, careers or finances.

The Bible shows that we can lose blessings or see them become curses for a number of reasons; the Old Testament may even be described as a book of the giving and losing of blessings – from Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden to the expulsion of Israel and Judah from their homelands. Many of the Old Testament prophets elaborate on this theme (see for example, Malachi and Haggai), but it is not just an Old Testament concept.  The New Testament also shows we can lose God’s blessings – the fact is stressed throughout the Bible.

Look at a few examples.  We can lose blessings by putting them – the physical things themselves – before God. We don’t necessarily do this by making idols of them, but sometimes just by focusing on them to the point that our character suffers and our spiritual lives decline.  This idea is found in the words of Solomon: “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be innocent” (Proverbs 28:20) and Jesus: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).   We can miss the point of these scriptures if we think this only applies to avaricious greed and not to letting such things as desire for promotion in our careers or “trying to make a comfortable living” come between us and God. It’s a matter of focus.

We can lose blessings or have them become curses by being unwilling to share them where we can (Romans 15:27, 2 Corinthians 9:9). We can also lose blessings by taking them for granted (Hebrews 12:17).  In all these ways, and others, we can fall into the trap that Malachi warns of – that our focus is not on honoring God by keeping him first in our lives.

It’s something we can think about this Thanksgiving season. Is our focus on the blessings or on the One who ultimately gives them?  Our Thanksgiving should perhaps be about more than just  enjoying our blessings – and the big game of the day. Psalm 50:23 tells us that “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me” and the principle of offering sacrifices of thanks certainly applies to the Thanksgiving holiday. But Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity not only to give thanks for physical and spiritual blessings, but also to remind ourselves to live our thanks by honoring God, as Malachi urges us to do. ​

A Shortage of Good Women?

A Shortage of Good Women?

by | Nov 17, 2019 | Difficult Scriptures

Scripture in Focus: Ecclesiastes 7:28
 
“while I was still searching but not finding – I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all” (Ecclesiastes 7:28).
 
On the surface of it, the author of the biblical book of wisdom called Ecclesiastes seems to give women a pretty bad rap. While this writer – probably the wise King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:12) –  admits there are few good men to be found (“I found one upright man in a thousand”), he seems to have been unable to find a good woman at all!

But is that what this verse is really saying?  There are actually a number of possibilities that the verse is not putting women down at all, and we will look at three of these individually.

First, we should notice that the writer is referring to himself in the first person in saying “While I was searching … I found …” This is important as the book is giving the writer’s personal experience from its  introduction almost to its conclusion. He continually stresses his own personal reactions and feelings – as when he writes: “I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me” (Ecclesiastes 9:13).  As a result, it is perfectly possible that the writer is simply talking about his own experience rather than making a statement about all women everywhere.  The fact that he was a king might make this more likely, as we will see next.

Second, the Hebrew word translated “woman” (ishah) can mean wife as well as woman and the phrase “to find a woman” can mean to look for and find a wife. If that is the meaning in this verse, the king evidently could find an occasional man who made a good friend, but was unable to find a good wife. 1 Kings 11:3 tells us that Solomon had one thousand wives and concubines, but it is entirely possible that most of these women were striving to win position or favor for themselves or their families.  As someone who admittedly was primarily seeking pleasure in life (Ecclesiastes 2:1, etc.), he may have cut himself off from women who he would have respected more. From this perspective Ecclesiastes 7:28 is simply applying the fact that money  (even kingly riches) cannot buy happiness in the realm of marriage.

Yet another possibility can be seen in the fact that the Hebrew word translated man in this verse (adam) can often mean “human.” If that was the intended meaning, the writer could simply have been stressing that his experience was that only one in a thousand people were good individuals – though admitting that his “sample” consisted entirely of men and no women.

There are even other possibilities for the original meaning of this verse, but we can see from the three mentioned here that whatever the writer of Ecclesiastes meant specifically, he need not have been putting down all women.  It is more likely that he was complaining of his own sad experience based on his own particular circumstances.  Additionally, if the author of Ecclesiastes was indeed Solomon, we should also compare this verse with the many proverbs of Solomon that do show a high regard for women (Proverbs 12:4; 18:22; 19:14; 31:10; etc.).