If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

It is the Responsible Thing To Do

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

We were probably all taught from an early age to be responsible. I remember when we got our first pet. It was a big deal. We spent a lot of time trying to pick out just the right name. At the time, my older brother Kenny and I were involved in two activities that helped shape our lives. We were in the Cub Scouts and we both played Little League Baseball. The team just happened to be the Cubs. It made perfect sense to name our dog Cubby.

Cubby was more than just a pet. He very quickly became part of the family. My parents never wanted to waste a teachable moment and Cubby became the tool by which they would begin to teach us responsibility. Everything we have and every relationship requires a certain level of responsibility. Just as with my dog Cubby required food and water every day to thrive, I have to be responsible in tending to the relationships that I want to thrive in my life. If I neglect my responsibilities, my relationship will falter and if left unattended long enough, fail.

There was one more thing that really added to the responsibility. Someone was always watching what you did. My parents were watching to make sure we did what was needed. However, we had a younger brother in the house. I learned that he watched our every move and copied what we did. We are role models to those around us, whether we realize it or not, and what we do affects them.

Randy Bennett writes “Many of you I’m sure remember Charles Barkley, the NBA Basketball star who didn’t want people watching him too closely. People were disappointed with his actions and attitude on and off the court and challenged him to be a better role model. His response was basically, “Hey, I’m a basketball player. I didn’t ask to be anyone’s role model and I don’t need that added responsibility.” As an NBA star, Barkley didn’t have the option to choose whether or not he wanted to be a role model. That decision had already been made for him when he signed a contract to play in the highly publicized NBA.

The same is true for those of us who call ourselves Christians. Once we make that decision to follow Christ, people are watching. Whether you like it or not or whether or not you think it’s fair, you’ve become an example for the family of God.”

I am reminded in Luke 12:48b, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” There is simply no escaping it, responsibility is a part of life. How are you doing with yours?

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the blessings of life! Help me to live out my responsibilities well knowing that others are watching. Please give me grace for the journey and your mercy when I fail. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Preventative Maintenance for the Family

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

When I think of preventative maintenance on all the things I have, I am trying to make the investment of money go farther. However, the investment in my family has eternal value. How much time do I spend strengthening those relationships? The following story was found at www.omaha.com and it reminds us that our children are a sacred trust.

To say the least, I was at first shocked to read the headline, Baby Ate Cocaine Dad Left Nearby. According to the Associated Press a father from Ravenna, Ohio was sentenced to one year in prison for endangering his daughter, who was six-months-old at the time of the incident. He evidently stashed his illegal drug in her baby swing and she ate some of it. The mother noticed the white powder around the daughter’s mouth and took her to the hospital for treatment.

I take this as a wake-up call to fathers from God. He is calling us to protect our children. Obviously, this man carelessly endangered his child, but what about us father’s possibly putting our children at risk in very subtle ways. I believe it is not enough for us dads to house, feed, clothe, and educate our children. We dads need to empower our kids to turn from evil and do what is good and right, and to have the best possible harmonious relationship with them as we can.

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported recently in a survey which suggests “….most teenagers find it easier to talk about drugs with their mothers than with their fathers, and those who don’t get along with their fathers are at far greater risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs….” The survey reported that “teens in two-parent families who have fair or poor relationships with their fathers are 68 percent more likely to use drugs than those in average families.”

Dads, we can to have a relationship with our children that fosters openness and care. We can be responsible to do what is in their best interest, safety and welfare.

We dads can be emotionally and spiritually connected with our children. “’Too many fathers are just AWOL in their kids’ lives,’ said Joseph Califano, the research center’s chairman. ‘They’re not there to help with homework, and kids don’t go to them with important problems.’” We can best share with them helpful lessons from life and God’s Word by maintaining a positive relationship.

Jesus Christ said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:11-12).

Fathers, even though none of us always hit the mark, we can still give our children good things. Let us search our hearts and ask God to reveal the attitudes and habits that can hurt or hinder our children. Then let us jettison them for the sake of our kids, ourselves, our community and our Creator. For “….children are a reward from [the Lord]” (Psalm 127:3).

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I know that my family is a precious gift from You. Please help me while I am giving myself to my career and other responsibilities to save the best of who I am for them. Thank You for giving them to me and help me to live in such a way that I lead them to love You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

God’s Creation

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

While none of us want to fix what isn’t broken, we sure spend a lot of time trying to improve on what God created. God gave us the responsibility of being stewards of all He created. However, the following story illustrates how crazy we can get. Enjoy!

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature, what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.? What in the world happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green. ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD: Grass? But it is so boring, it’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing it and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and the warm weather probably makes the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites very happy. ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it……sometimes two times a week. GOD: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD: Now let me get this straight…they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir. GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren’t going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense! I think I like my original plan a lot better… (copied from Steven Grant)

For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,  BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NASB)

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

You have created a big beautiful world. Help me to be a good steward of all you have created. May Your creation remind me of you and my need to know You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Labor Day

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

Labor Day started as the brain child of either Matthew or Peter McGuire. The first holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It gained momentum over the next ten years and on June 28, 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday.

Peter McGuire was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He also cofounded the American Federation of Labor and he stated “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” However, Matthew McGuire was serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York when he proposed the holiday in 1882. The records seem to support Matthew. Either way, it is a holiday created by the labor movement dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. (Information provided by the US Department of Labor)

Labor Day, like many other holidays, is a time for cookouts and recreation. For some pursuing recreation takes them to the golf course, ocean, amusement parks, and cookouts. For some other, they recreate at the shopping malls. I like working in my shop and tinkering with different projects. I use it as a time for doing preventative maintenance on things around the house. Hence the old adage, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So many of us wait until something breaks before we are forced to fix. This usually happens at the worst possible time and cost far more than it would have otherwise. A little preventative maintenance would have solved the problem.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. When is the last time you did maintenance on your walk with Christ? The C. S. Lewis Institute posted an Annual Spiritual Check Up that give ten items to consider:

1. How is my relationship with God?
2. Am I actively serving God?
3. Am I growing in my desire and actions to give sacrificially to God’s work in the church, in caring for the poor, and in other ministries?
4. Am I living in humility before God, my family, friends and co-workers?
5. Is there evidence of grace growing in my life?
6. Am I loving my family as I should?
7. Am I forgiving others?
8. Am I growing in fellowship with other believers?
9. Have I personally witnessed to anyone in the past year?
10. Am I focusing part of my time and money to help the poor and disadvantaged?

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

My relationship with You means more to me than anything! As I reflect on these simple questions, I realize how much of the world has crept into a position of influence. Help me to do preventative maintenance on my spiritual life and may it begin with spending time each day with You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.