The Master Teacher - Part 2

Mark Dunagan
09/07/08 - Sunday Morning

Let your "Yes" be "Yes"

"But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; and anything beyond these is evil" (Matthew 5:37). The primary application to this verse is to promises, vows or oaths. If we promise to do something we should do it and not look for an "out" or loophole, nor should we even give ourselves a possible loophole in the way that we word a promise. Yet Jesus' teaching here equally protects us from the habit of seeking to justify ourselves when we are in the wrong. "Oftentimes, where there is a multiplication of words, there is a lack of clarity and purpose. If you don't believe me, read statements by politicians. They seem to cover all the bases while never quite making it home with their points. The object of the game seems to be keeping your attention on them while they appear intelligent and informed, yet never letting you really know what they are thinking, perhaps because they don't even know" (Jesus Life Coach, Laurie Beth Jones, p. 101). "Another reason to avoid justification is that people who are manipulative by nature often intentionally keep people talking so they can insert a phrase or sentence that will lead the conversation into the area they want it to go. Remember, the shorter the tail (or tale), the less likely you are to get caught in a trap" (p. 107). Short, direct and honest speech will benefit us in many ways, including:

• It will help our repentance – because the longer we take to explain "why" we did something the more often we are attempting to remove the element of sin from our actions. We can talk so much that it ends up sounding like God owes us an apology for labeling our behavior "sinful".

• It will shorten the time we must remain in frustrating situations. People will either get the point or leave us alone.

• Too often we allow ourselves to remain in unhealthy and energy draining situations with other people because we do not make ourselves clear with a definite "no" (1 Samuel 3:13).

• If someone is continuing to tempt you or intrude into your life – part of the fault might be your own, that is, you have been tolerating this behavior.

"Jesus said the truth will set us free. When you know what the truth is, you are called upon to speak it clearly and without justification"(Laurie Beth Jones, p. 107). "Don't believe the lies that you are worthless or unimportant. Don't buy for a minute the illusion that your money will comfort you more than the relationship you can have with God" (p. 169).

Build a bigger life

"This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come: take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry'. But God said to him, 'You fool!' This very night your soul is required of you: and now who will own what you have prepared?'" (Luke 12:18-20). It is so easy to think like the rich man; even if prosperity has not hit our door, we can spend a lot of time daydreaming about what we would do "if" we were making more money. God says such thinking is a waste of time, and it is the wrong goal. The goal is not to build bigger barns, it is to build a bigger life. We have all known people who have built for themselves compounds and yet have a very small life. So stop daydreaming and start building a bigger life today:

• Start talking to strangers about the gospel.

• Start opening up your home more.

• Start building relationships with your neighbors.

• Find out more about others instead of simply their name.

"Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30). I like this passage because it reminds us that the biggest retirement account we could ever have is in heaven. I really do not need to strive to have the biggest this or that in this life, for God is going to reward me far beyond any rewards I could create for myself. Compare with 1 Timothy 6:17. "At a party in New York, I had a chance to visit with a woman who coordinates top-level meetings with some of the world's 'centillionaries'. She said, 'I couldn't help noticing the theme and desire that was behind their selection of speakers. These very, very rich people want to know how they can control things – control their health, control the economy, control politics. I almost wanted to stand up and shout, 'But we are not in control. Don't you get it? No amount of information or insight is going to change that fact! It reminds me of a joke circulating on the Internet about the number of very upset health-conscious people who will eventually have to face the fact that they died of 'nothing'" (Laurie Beth Jones p. 92).

Live in the Future

Maybe you have heard a question like, "What would you be doing with your time if you knew you had only six healthy months to live?" Living in the future does not mean daydreaming away the present or always thinking the grass is greener somewhere else, and neither is it thinking that you will be happier when you are married, when you have children, or when the children are gone. 
What I mean by this concept is:

• Every day ask yourself the question, "Is today the day?" That is, is today my last day on the earth? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be? This is what one man meant when he said, "When you know how to die you have just discovered how to live".

"Most of us all walk around as if we're sleepwalking. We really don't experience the world fully, because we're half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do… facing death changes all that… Learn how to die, and you learn how to live" (Tuesday's with Morrie, p. Mitch Albom, p. 83). Remember, one of the primary jobs of a leader is to change the perspective of the situation. As a friend, parent or spouse you have the ability to help people see what is really important (Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 10:17-20; 10:23-24).

• Everyday remind yourself of your eternal reward (Revelation 21:4). Are you doing anything that would get in the way of that reward? And doesn't that reward make up for whatever did not go well today? Doesn't that reward make up for all the negative things that happened?

• Get up in the morning and remember God's promises. He gave His Son to die for you (John 3:16). You are created in His image (James 3:9). You don't have to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). He wants you saved and with Him in heaven (2 Peter 3:9). You can stop and change any sinful behavior (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Added to this, limit meditating continually on the following areas:

• The things you worry about.

• The things that frustrate you and make you angry.

• Your "needs" you think are not being met.

• What is wrong with your spouse, parents, and others.

• Areas in which you think some Christians are failing.

• Where you think people have failed you in the past.

• The world's problems.

• Your fearful thoughts.

"I don't allow myself any more self-pity than that. A little each morning, a few tears, and that's all. I thought about all the people I knew who spent many of their waking hours feeling sorry for themselves. How useful it would be to put a daily limit on self-pity" (Mitch Albom p. 57). This would also include removing such things as that "chip on my shoulder". "Although I could find no dictionary definition of chips on shoulders, I have seen it often and probably so have you. I define it as 'irrational pent-up hostility that can manifest unexpectedly at inopportune times'. This need we have to feel superior to others and/or separate from them – If you will permit me to make a leap from the medical to the philosophical, chips on shoulders come from scars – little wounds or hurts that we experience and fail to resolve. The wound becomes hard and can gravitate in many directions. It can move up to our eyes and blind us with rage. It can harden our hearts. It can stiffen our necks" (Laurie Beth Jones, pp. 243-244,245). The Holy Spirit told us to remove such things when He said, "Remove all bitterness" (Ephesians 4:31), or "Putting aside all malice and all guile – and envy and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1). God is telling us that we do not have the right to walk about and take out our frustrations on others. This must end!

Ask yourself the hard questions first

Jesus told us to take a good look at ourselves before we seek to change others for the better (Matthew 7:1-5), and this would include the very practical and healthy exercise of asking ourselves the hard questions before we put someone else on the spot. We can become very effective teachers and personal workers if we first sort out questions in our own minds before we ask someone else what they think. We will probably have far more practical answers when we have first thought though an issue carefully and in addition and we will obviously have far more motivation and confidence in helping someone else.